Arsene Wenger is set to continue his spending at Arsenal as he lines up a bid for Juan Vargas after missing out on him in the summer the Mirror reports.
The Gunners boss was interested in signing the versatile Peruvian before the transfer deadline as a replacement for Samir Nasri and Cesc Fabregas but opted to continue scouting him during the season.
Capable of playing at anywhere on the left and also in central midfield he could be a huge asset to Arsenal who are currently going through one of their worst periods under Wenger,
With the Frenchman worried about his sides ability to cope mentally and physically during an arduous winter schedule a bid for Vargas, who also has a reputation as a tough nut, is likely.
The 27-year-old isn’t one to shy away from a physical battle and he would certainly add a fighting mentality to a side that has so far failed to show any sort of battling qualities.
Wenger is prepared to put his faith in the current side until January but a move to bring Vargas to the Emirates Stadium could happen if results don’t improve by then.
They could have a rival for his signature with Juventus are also keeping tabs on him and have been linked with a £10 million bid when the window opens at the start of 2012.
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The start of another League One season is only days away and whilst it seems only weeks ago that we were screaming at poor refereeing decisions or moaning about the horrible weather on a cold Tuesday evening, fans of football league clubs can finally look forward to a new campaign full of optimism and hope. One club doing just that is League One side Leyton Orient.
Last season was one of surprising highs. The O’s earned a seventh-placed finish and enjoyed an FA Cup run that included wins against two newly promoted Premier League teams and an amazing draw against Arsenal. Equally impressive was that Orient did all this playing attractive passing football rather than the long ball ugly game that often weighs down the lower leagues. There is a strange feeling of expectation around Brisbane Road. As many fans know this is of course a very dangerous feeling and needs to be balanced with a dose of realism due to the unpredictably of the lower leagues.
But in the euphoria of football returning after the summer break, I am going to preview the O’s season with a new sense of expectation. Pre-season has gone well for Russell Slade’s side. We remained unbeaten until a visit from Premier League Tottenham and Slade has brought in a number of new faces that add depth and experience to a relatively small squad.
Most crucial though is that we have kept last season’s stars together. Finding a lower league gem is hard enough but one good season often sees your best players snapped up by bigger teams. Jamie Jones and Jimmy Smith in particular were out of contract and look destined to move on but yet somehow both stayed and signed long-term deals with the club. Key men like Charlie Daniels and Dean Cox faced the inevitable whispers of them looking to move on yet both remain in East London for the new season. Keeping a set of players that are driven by a good spirit and great understanding of each other’s play is a great advantage for Slade.
And then we come to the manager himself. Not often do Orient bosses get head hunted by higher league sides but this summer the O’s looked on the verge of losing their most important asset to Championship side Barnsley. But Russell stayed and whilst it seemed like a case of chairman Barry Hearn slamming the door shut on any potential move, all parties seem happy and ready for the new season.
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Orient kick off the new campaign against Walsall this Saturday before facing local rivals Southend in the cup. With a slightly bigger squad at our disposal I believe we have the team to challenge in both competitions and early wins would set up the season well. But what about our other competitors? Who is going to be the danger team next season?
Despite experiencing a disastrous campaign last season I expect Charlton to do well. They have added to the squad wisely this summer and if they can make a good start, I wouldn’t be surprised to see them make their long-awaited jump back up the leagues. Under the leadership of new boss Uwe Rosler and in the wake of some impressive signings, Brentford would be an outside bet for a play-off push next term. The clubs that were relegated from the Championship last season (Preston, Scunthorpe and Sheffield Utd) also have a good chance of making an impact in the third tier of English football.
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Whilst on paper the league looks weaker after the departures of Peterborough, Brighton and Southampton (and the long-term losses in previous years of ‘big teams’ like Norwich and Leeds that used to improve the league), League One promises to be another exciting campaign. The unpredictability of the lower leagues means its hard to say whether Orient can go one step better than last season but to be honest, come next May, I would be happy with another top ten finish.
How do you think Orient will do next season? If you want to read more of my bite size, 140 character views and thoughts follow me on Twitter @jennyk5
The latest Merseyside derby this weekend highlighted a lot of issues. Are our referees really the best in the world, and if not, when are they going to be held accountable? Are we starting to see the ugly side of fans, creeping back into our stadiums, and are clubs doing enough to combat those disgusting individuals who throw missiles directly at players? And is the Liverpool side that finished the game (with the exception of Jordan Henderson) the ideal starting XI for Kenny Dalglish? Let’s take a look.
Little more than 20-minutes had passed on the clock when Martin Atkinson foolishly flashed a red card in Jack Rodwell’s direction after the Everton midfielder committed a tough, but clean challenge, but it took Liverpool until the 71st minute to break the deadlock. Both club Captain Steven Gerrard and Craig Bellamy had been on the pitch barely 4-minutes when the latter was involved in some neat build-up play which saw Andy Carroll break Everton’s resolve. There should be little doubt that the injection of pace and quality that Liverpool introduced at that time, in the sweltering, unseasonable weather, against a tiring 10-men helped change the game once more.
Bellamy replaced the anonymous Stewart Downing and looked instantly more threatening down the left-hand side of the pitch, combining well with left-back Jose Enrique. The former Villa man had a promising start to the season, but in recent weeks has become something of an invisible man. Bellamy on the other hand is the perennial pain in the neck to whatever opposition he faces. His constant harrying and buzzing around the pitch, coupled with his mouthy, moaning ‘charm’ never leaves supporters wondering if he is on the field of play. Charlie Adam had performed bright in spells but has not been as consistently influential on the pitch as he would have liked – or many would have expected. The return of iconic Captain Gerrard will now threaten Adam’s place in the starting line-up. There could be a case to partner both midfielders together and thus replacing the much maligned Lucas, which is what many fans want to see. It would certainly provide a more offensive option, however the balance of the team may suffer as the much improved Brazilian provides an effective shield in-front of the defensive line, and defensively, Liverpool have struggled at times this season.
Injuries have prevented Liverpool from having a consistent back-line this season but there can be little doubt when fit, Agger, Carragher and Jose Enrique should be first choice (alongside keeper Pepe Reina). The only question mark is at right-back with young Martin Kelly forever impressing, injury prone England international Glen Johnson seems to be a forgotten man at Anfield, and many believe his poor defensive positional sense should see young Kelly keep his place.
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One option could be to play Johnson further forward and join the midfield unit – he certainly has the attacking quality and composure. However the ever-dependable Dirk Kuyt now seems to have won his place back in the starting line-up after initially losing it to new signing Jordan Henderson at the start of the season. Many were mystified by Dalglish’s preference for youngster Henderson over the experienced Kuyt, but it now seems the Dutchman has worked his way back into the starting line-up at the £20 million man’s expense. Henderson can have little complaint due to his performances thus far, but maybe it is a slight on the management team for rushing the youngster into the first team instead of allowing him to acclimatise slowly – was there pressure from above to play him, with his huge price-tag? Either way Henderson is not yet ready for the starting line-up, especially whilst there are other more experienced, proven options available who have also contributed more on the field of play this season than the former Sunderland man.
That just leaves the front-line which was made up of £58 million pair Luis Suarez and Andy Carroll for the entirety of the derby. The two striker’s were bought together back in January to form a dream ‘little and large’ partnership, but of the two, only Suarez has shone. The Uruguayan has been far and away Liverpool’s best player since pulling on a red shirt and his place in the starting line-up is cemented. Contrast that with Carroll’s very inconsistent, stop-start career at Anfield so far which has seen the Geordie giant’s abilities called into question every time he plays. A severe lack of goals has added to the scrutiny, but Dalglish is standing by his man, publicly defending the youngster from the media’s criticism. Carroll repaid the managers faith with a derby goal, and there is little doubt he is still a huge ‘work in progress’. But both strikers scored on Saturday in a 2-0 win, their jobs done. Will the team that was on the field of play whilst both goals were scored be given a chance from the off?
If you want to read more from myself including news, thoughts and views you can follow me on Twitter @fantasista1077 thanks!
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Everton manager David Moyes has stated that he is happy with his team’s 3-1 win over Fulham on Sunday, despite get the run of the green in the second half.
With the matched poised at 1-1, Cottagers striker Bobby Zamora missed a glorious opportunity to put the home side into the lead, and the Scottish coach is glad that he didn’t convert the chance.
“You just need a centre forward to round a goalie and miss. We looked at that point we might be struggling. But Zamora didn’t score and we did,” he told BBC Sport.
“Once he gets round the goalie, you expect to see the net bulging but we went down the pitch and Louis [Saha] produced a great finish. Fulham will feel hard done by that they lost the game.”
Royston Drenthe scored a fantastic opener for The Toffees, and Moyes feels the Dutch loanee can play an important role for the Merseyside club.
“We’re trying to get him used to the speed of the Premier League and what we do at Everton, and he had a good game today,” he said.
Everton have had an inconsistent start, but Moyes is hoping that his team can improve as the season goes on.
“We got a bit of good fortune today and got a good result.
“We haven’t been thinking too far ahead. If you look back at history, we’ve tended to get better as the season has gone on, so I’m hoping that will be the case again,” he concluded.
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Everton host wounded giants Manchester United at Goodison Park next weekend, and will need to be at their best not to suffer the backlash of the champions after their derby day mauling by Manchester City.
David de Gea’s struggles continued last weekend as the new Manchester United goalkeeper let a very saveable shot from West Brom’s Shane Long past him. In the grand scheme of things it didn’t matter for Man United as they still beat the Baggies 2-1, but for the Spanish ‘keeper it’s the second game in the row where he’s been at fault for one of the goals. This will be of concern to de Gea and his manager Sir Alex Ferguson, who will be hoping that his big money signing comes good. One ex-Manchester United goalkeeper who knows all too much about high profile mistakes is Ben Foster, de Gea’s opposite number last Sunday. Here are Foster and de Gea embracing, but what words of wisdom are being shared?
Leave your suggestions below…
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The strained relationship between Manchester City boss Roberto Mancini and striker Mario Balotelli has taken another turn, as the pair exchanged angry words at the club’s training ground.
The Italy international forward was fined a week’s wages earlier this month after he visiting a strip club 36 hours before the side’s fixture with Bolton, and has had an up and down time in England since moving from Inter in August 2010.
The Telegraph report that Mancini berated the attacker due to a lack of effort in team training on Wednesday, with coach Attilio Lombardo urging Balotelli to train elsewhere to avoid the volley of abuse.
City have dismissed the incident as part and parcel of football and Mancini’s drive for high standards, however with the team’s performances not up to usual calibre in recent weeks, the pair’s relationship looks strained.
By Gareth McKnight
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Despite the bookmakers suggesting otherwise before this week’s first legs, Bayern Munich and Chelsea made home advantage count and will take leads into their Champions League Semi Final second leg ties against Real Madrid and Barcelona respectively. The question though is whether their slender leads will be enough to prevent an “El Clasico” Champions League final when the second legs are played next week in Spain.
The Bookmakers are sticking with their initial predictions and offer odds of 13/8 that the two Spanish Giants will be playing in the final next month at the Allianz Stadium in Munich.
Having secured a 2-1 lead with a second half stoppage time winner from the prolific Mario Gomez, Bayern will believe that they can win this tie, even if they have to withstand the pressure of Jose Mourinho’s side at the Bernabeu Stadium on Wednesday.
The Germans showed enough to demonstrate to Real that they are in this tournament to win it whilst, Real Madrid once again flattered to deceive when up against elite opposition. Bayern have world class players in the form of Ribery and Robben and in Toni Kroos, they have a central midfield star who looked the best player on the pitch in Tuesday’s game. The 22 year old can do almost anything with a football at his feet but it is his long pass accuracy that could well catch the Spaniards out in the second leg and an away goal for Munich would really make this tie interesting.
Obviously home advantage and the away goal will play a very important part but Real’s boss, Jose Mourinho, will expect a lot more quality and commitment from the likes of Cristiano Ronaldo, who was only seen in patches on Tuesday evening. He did set up Real’s equalising goal for Ozil but only after missing a gilt-edged himself.
Mourinho did have one or two players who performed admirably, Pepe kept his discipline at the back, Benzema made a number of smart runs in attack and had a couple of goal bound shots saved, while Khedira and Ozil worked hard in midfield. However, should defenders Sergio Ramos and Fabio Coentrao play as poorly again, then Bayern’s lively attack will be sure to seize a vital away goal.
Real’ 4/7 odds on to win the game in 90 minutes and 8/11 odds on to qualify, whilst the away win can be backed at 11/2 or 11/10 to qualify for the final and set up the first Champions League final where a team is playing at its home stadium.
In the other Semi Final, it is all well and good Barcelona boss, Pep Guardiola, suggesting that Chelsea are the favourites to go through to the final after scoring the only goal of the game in the First Leg on Wednesday evening but he knows that his team should have come away from Stamford Bridge two, perhaps three goals to the good but for a number of squandered opportunities.
Chelsea produced a performance of epic proportions to win the game but they will realise that Drogba’s goal was their only shot on target in 90 minutes and that Barcelona had the ball for a total of 80 minutes of the game. They will also realise that Barca hit the woodwork twice, had a clear chance missed by Cesc Fabregas and a couple more opportunities missed by Messi and Iniesta. Add to that two world class saves from Petr Cech and Barcelona must be thinkign that Chelsea’s good fortune cannot extend for 180 minutes.
To win at the Nou Camp however, Chelsea will have to be even more resolute in defence and hope that the Barcelona’s rare profligacy in front of goal continues for the next game. If it doesn’t and the home side find the net early then they are quite capable of winning comfortably.
Chelsea still has a mountain to climb and bookies are confident that the reigning European champions will progress to the final and are still heavily odds on to do so at 4/11 and to win in 90 minutes they are 1/4 with Chelsea rated a 12/1 chance!
The results from the first legs have certainly made the Champions League Semi Finals interesting but the dream “El Clasico” final still remains firmly in sight and the latest odds to win the Champions League still see Barcelona as the 6/5 favourites to become the first back-to-back winners of the competition in the Champions League era with Real Madrid rated an 11/4 chance. Bayern Munich are 4/1 and Chelsea a best price 7/1 chance.
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A chance to pull away from the Premier League relegation zone is up for grabs at the Stadium of Light on Saturday as season travellers Fulham make the long trip up to the North East to face a much improved Sunderland side. The Black Cat’s have endured a difficult start to the season once again finding themselves in the shadow of fierce rivals Newcastle with early performances seeing supporters calling for manager Steve Bruce’s head. Those negative noises quickly died down after their win against Bolton last month and some encouraging performances in defeats away to Arsenal and Manchester United. Their last five game have brought a meagre total of five points from a possible 15 but it’s the much improved displays that have given fans hope of moving away from the dreaded drop zone after a slow start to the campaign. Bruce’s legion of summer signings have taken their time to gel but there is evidence that they are finally starting to strike a chord with one another. Stephane Sessegnon and Nicklas Bendtner have looked dangerous up front with the on-loan Arsenal man giving the Wearsiders something different in the final third. Despite only scoring twice since his move to the Stadium of Light the Danish international looks to be playing without pressure on his shoulders and his displays have enlightened the Sunderland fans. Fellow summer buys Sebastian Larsson and John O’Shea have struck up a promising partnership on the right whilst Kieron Westwood staked his claim for the number one jersey with an accomplished performance at Old Trafford before the international break. However one win in five home games is poor and they need to start winning on their own soil if they are to start climbing towards the top half. Fulham’s league campaign has panned out in a similar manner to the North East side’s although their involvement in the Europa League has impacted severely on their domestic form. Martin Jol has suffered a difficult first few months in charge at Craven Cottage with the Dutchman unable to get his side to replicate their performances in Europe in the Premier League. Saturday’s game will be their 25th in all competitions after starting on the 30th of June and it’s no surprise that a number of players are starting to look jaded in such a small squad. The manner in which they demolished QPR at the start of October looked to be a turning point in the Cottagers season but in the four games since then they have lost three and won one away at rock bottom Wigan. Their form on the continent has been much stronger with seven wins in 12 games and Jol needs to find a way of getting his side to start winning league games with only two top flight victories all season. Bobby Zamora continues to lead the line on the Thames whilst the recent displays of Moussa Dembele have been promising. Fulham will need both to be on their game if they are to start finding the net away from home with only three goals scored on their travels. However they will be confident of taking something away from the North East after beating Sunderland 3-0 in April.
Sunderland – 15th
Last Five
Lost 1-0 v Manchester United (A), Drew 2-2 v Aston Villa (H), Won 2-0 v Bolton (A), Lost 2-1 v Arsenal (A), Drew 2-2 v West Brom (H)
Potential Starting X11
24. K. Westwood 16. J. O’Shea [C] 4. M. Turner 6. W. Brown 2. P. Bardsley 27. A. Elmohamady 6. L. Cattermole 16. J. Colback 11. K. Richardson 28. S. Sessegnon 52. N. Bendtner
Injury News
Simon Mignolet is the only fresh injury concern for Bruce after the keeper sustained a broken nose in the 2-2 draw against Aston Villa. Apart from that long-term victim Fraizer Campbell is the only other player inhabiting the treatment room whilst Connor Wickham is definitely out after injuring his knee at Manchester United.
Key Player Stephane Sessegnon – After a relatively slow start to his Sunderland career following his move from PSG in January the Benin international has become an integral part of Bruce’s side. The midfielder has been playing in the hole behind Bendtner for much of the season and if given time and space he could do some serious damage against the Cottagers.
Match Fact
This will be the 15th top flight meeting between the two teams with Sunderland managing to beat Fulham only three times in 14 attempts with their last win coming in January 2009.
Fulham – 16th
Last Five
Lost 3-1 v Tottenham (H), Won 4-1 v Wisla Krakow (H), Won 2-0 v Wigan (A), Lost 3-1 v Everton (A), Lost 1-0 v Wisla Krakow (A)
Potential Starting X11
1. M. Schwarzer 6. C. Baird 18. A. Hughes 5. B. Hangeland 3. J. Riise 16. D. Duff 13. D. Murphy [C] 4. S. Sidwell 23. C. Dempsey 30. M. Dembele 25. B. Zamora*
Injury News
The Cottagers will be without half a dozen first team players for the trip up North with Andy Johnson and Zdenek Grygera the latest faces to the take refuge in the Fulham treatment room.
Key Player
Bobby Zamora – 2011 has been kind to Zamora with England recognition coming his way and along with nine goals in all competitions after regaining his match sharpness after breaking his leg last year. Made his first start for the national side in mid-week and proved that he can offer something different to Fabio Capello’s side. His club manager will need his strength and determination up front on Saturday if Fulham are going to come away from the Stadium of Light with a hoard of precious points.
Match Fact
The Cottagers have won only one game on the road all season but will be buoyed by the fact they won 3-0 on their last trip to the North East in April. Two goals from Simon Davies and another from former loan star Gael Kakuta gave then Fulham boss Mark Hughes a well deserved victory.
Last Time at the Stadium of Light
Premier League 30th April 2011
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Sunderland 0-3 Fulham
Kakuta 33, Davies 61, 73
Attendance: 39,576
Referee: Martin Atkinson
PREDICTION Both sides have suffered through underwhelming starts to the seasons with pre-season predictions tipping them to make a major impact in the top half. Some lethargic performances from Fulham have given credence to the theory that their Europa League campaign is proving detrimental to their league form. Sunderland on the other hand have seen a side full of new faces struggle to cohere but there is light at the end of the tunnel with recent displays proving to be very encouraging. The Cottagers are struggling on the road whilst the Black Cats are unbeaten in their last four at home.
It plain for all to see that a few pillars in the Barcelona foundation have been removed. The team have struggled in recent times in the league, allowing rivals Real Madrid to form a 10pt gap at the top of the league, and many are pointing to the fact that Barcelona are now a cup team for the remainder of the season. What hasn’t been as obvious, however, is Pep Guardiola’s growing displeasure at the Nou Camp. The youthful, energetic and inspiring manager is looking well past his age; the loss away to Osasuna on the weekend only highlighting the frustrations of a manager who possibly feels his hands are tied on a number of team selection issues—notably his inability to rest Lionel Messi. Guardiola has always said that February is the most difficult month for his team, but his insistence on not signing a long-term contract at the club may be about to work in his favour. Are there signs that the Barcelona manager has taken this group of players as far as he can, and is there a desire to test himself at another team; namely Arsenal.
Perhaps the greatest act of revenge for Arsenal, a team who have had to deal with the Barcelona vultures circling for far too long, would be to give Barcelona’s star manager an exit route from a club where he feels his part in the success story of the past three years has been overlooked. Many Arsenal fans have already voiced their opinions and displeasure at Arsene Wenger, and would like nothing more than to see a replacement in the mould of Guardiola arrive in the summer. Suggestions that the Spanish manager is too far out of reach for Arsenal would be quite wide of the mark; he is a manager who likes to assert himself on a team and club and build something for the future in his image. The foundations are already in place at Arsenal: a stadium of the highest quality, excellent youth and training facilities, and a desire from the fans to see the Barcelona brand of football brought into the Premier League.
Not only would the club be looking to an extremely bright future in the hands of a manager who is not afraid to fine his star players for arriving late to training, but also for one who brings different ideas to the table and is more than willing to assert his authority on a group. Would players such as van Persie want to stick around now for a manager whose CV is as impressive as Guardiola’s?
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There have also been hints that Wenger himself feels his time at the Emirates is coming to an end. It’s clear from his transfer spending over the summer that he has shifted from his preferred route of buying for the future, instead picking up ready-made reinforcements for his squad. It’s also suggested that Wenger would like to take his family back to France and perhaps continue his career in his homeland. But more than anything, there is a sense that he can no longer quietly go about his job at Arsenal with the amount of pressure from supporters. This looks far from a man enjoying his job, while unwillingly allowing his best players to depart from the club when they too begin to get fed up of it’s stagnant nature. The potential loss of Robin van Persie in the summer may be all that she wrote for Wenger at Arsenal, as the chorus of boos and ‘You don’t know what you’re doing’ would echo even louder. It’s clear that the club need a change in direction and a manager that could take over for the long-term.
The convenience about Guardiola and Arsenal’s situation is that both are in a state where change is perhaps needed. Guardiola has been firm in his stance that he would step aside if he was no longer able to motivate his players at Barcelona. Lionel Messi’s stats for this season would certainly suggest otherwise, but he is looking a troubled player, lacking in that extra bit of ingenuity to finish off the many chances he continues to make for himself. The Madrid vs. Barcelona story and the high number of Clasicos over the past 18 months has also perhaps taken a lot out of Guardiola. His success in this fixture is not telling of the whole story, but rather a welcome distraction from the minds games and ugly side-shows that are frequent in these fixtures.
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Arsenal certainly need a new motivator and one who can reshape the team into another genuine title challenger. It would be a fitting end if Arsene Wenger could end his time at the club on a high; even if it was just to capture fourth for another season, the implications going forward would be significant and he would have truly left his mark on the club in a positive way.
Ever since the Premier League announced the hare-brained scheme of playing a 39th fixture in different corners of the globe, it has become fashionable to knock the likes of Blackburn, Bolton or Wigan. It’s not easy to ‘sell’ those clubs as part of a ‘global brand’, they are quick to tell us. As if small-town Lancashire clubs have no real part in this brave new world – when in actual fact they are the hotbed of English football. It’s been sad to see that trio of clubs in the bottom three for much of the season and it would be very sad if they were wiped off the face of the Premier League.
When I was playing, Blackburn, Bolton, Burnley, Blackpool and Preston were all regular members of the top flight – and they often made up the majority of the England team. With Stan Matthews at Blackpool, Tom Finney at Preston and Bryan Douglas at Blackburn, they had three of the best dribblers of a football the world has seen, all playing within a few miles of each another. Those clubs all suffered a major downtown in the 1980s and early ’90s but they have defied the odds to play at the top level and the Premier League has been richer for them.
Blackburn’s season so far has been a staggering story. In all my years in football, I can never recall a manager suffering quite the level of abuse which has been piled on Steve Kean. I’m delighted to see that Kean has begun to turn things around in recent weeks and I can tell you that if a group of footballers do not believe in their boss they can use the mass protests as a convenient excuse not to perform. That hasn’t been happening at Ewood Park and it speaks volumes for Kean’s man-management abilities.
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I’ll readily admit that I don’t understand – or care to understand – this culture of unrealistic expectation which has sprung up among supporters of most clubs, fostered by the internet. I saw a couple of Arsenal fans crying and hugging one another after the defeat at Swansea last weekend – as if it’s their God-given right to beat a decent mid-table side away from home. This sort of culture certainly hasn’t helped Kean and although the Venky’s people who own the club are spectacularly naive in many ways, they have had the guts to stand by their manager, when most would have pulled the trigger.
These Lancashire clubs used to be owned by prominent local businessmen, who knew their clubs intimately and who instinctively understood what supporters expected and wanted. Bob Lord, the Burnley butcher, was the epitome of these owners, who did so much to make Lancashire football clubs punch above their weight. Dave Whelan, of Wigan, is very much of that old school. I played against him when he was a full-back at Blackburn but a broken leg in the 1960 Cup Final ended his career. It turned out to be probably the best thing he’s ever done, as he became a multi-millionaire in the sportswear trade.
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Wigan have been a remarkable successful story – they are now in their seventh successive season in the Premier League, despite a small support and none of the history of their fellow Lancashire clubs. You wonder whether their time is running out, but you have to admire the way their manager Roberto Martinez sticks to his footballing beliefs and I wouldn’t bet against them staying up. Bolton, like Blackburn, are enjoying an 11th straight season in the top flight but look to be in the most parlous state of all, in terms of finances and playing resources.
Personally I’d love to see all three stay up – if only to annoy those big-time chairmen who think that playing Bolton, Blackburn and Wigan is beneath them.