Former Liverpool midfielder Yossi Benayoun has launched a stinging attack on ex-Reds manager Rafa Benitez, who he says forced him to quit Anfield and head to Chelsea.
Benayoun spent three seasons on Merseyside and scored 29 goals in 134 appearances, but was unhappy with the way he was treated by Benitez, who has also left the club to take charge of Internazionale.
He told The News of The World:"I made up my mind to leave a long time ago because of Benitez. He never treated me with the respect I deserved.
"If I played well, I never felt he gave me credit. When I scored, I still expected to be out of the team the next game.
"There are many examples of him treating me badly. Last season, against Fulham and Lyon, the fans booed when I was subbed.
"They thought I was playing well, but Benitez told me he was surprised they booed because I was not good enough. It was as if the fans' reaction worked against me.
"He told me I was a better player as a substitute instead of starting in the team. He tried to destroy my confidence. You can't treat a player like this and expect him to be happy.
"I felt so unhappy, but out of respect to the club I never spoke out. The players and the people at the top of the club knew how I felt.
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"I was sure he wanted me to attack him in the press during the season so he could turn the fans against me, so I kept quiet.
"I felt he was waiting for me to make a mistake so he could use it against me."Subscribe to Football FanCast News Headlines by Email
Steve Bruce has confirmed that he has asked Manchester City about the possibility of Joe Hart moving to the Stadium of Light on loan this season.
The England international, who spent a successful season on loan with Birmingham City in 2009-10, said last week that he would seek a move away from Eastlands if he was once again understudy to Shay Given.
That has alerted Bruce, who will be without injured first-choice shot-stopper Craig Gordon for at least the opening six weeks of the campaign and has already agreed to sell Marton Fulop to Ipswich Town.
The Black Cats boss told the Sunderland Echo:"We've asked the question of City and we now just have to wait and see what they say.
"But the timetable is not up to us on when we get an answer, it's up to them.
"With these new 25-man squad rules, clubs don't have to name their confirmed squads until the end of August so, if they wanted to, City could delay any decisions on their squad until then."
Bruce had expressed an interest in signing David James earlier this summer only for the 40-year-old to eventually join Bristol City.
Former Manchester United stalwart Bruce added:"Premier League experience is important, but there are not too many keepers to would fit the bill for us as short-term replacements – Hart is one, James was another.
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"But they are few and far between and I'm not planning to turn my eyes down towards the Championship.
"There's one or two players there that we have looked at in the past, but they lack Premier League experience too. My concern has been that we need experienced cover but, if it's not to be, it's not to be."Subscribe to Football FanCast News Headlines by Email
Former Liverpool boss Gerard Houllier is expected to be named as the new manager of Aston Villa later this week.
The 63-year-old has emerged as favourite for the Villa Park post, which was left vacant by the resignation of Martin O'Neill just days before the start of the new Premier League season.
Houllier has held discussions with Villa owner Randy Lerner and is believed to have impressed the American supremo and is now set for talks French Football Federation president Fernando Duchaussoy.
Duchaussoy said of his current national technical director:"We will meet on Wednesday to take stock of the situation with him – I'll ask him.
"I would like to continue working with him."
Houllier, who was in charge at Anfield between 1998 and 2004, had stated earlier this week: "Never and always are two words you can't use in football."
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He has also enjoyed spells in charge of the French national team, Lens, Paris St Germain and Lyon.Subscribe to Football FanCast News Headlines by Email
Transfer fees are often said to be outside the control of footballers. This truism can be applied to Manchester United’s Dimitar Berbatov who joined from Tottenham Hotspur in 2008 for £30.75 million. It was a considerable fee that was the subject of intense negotiations between the two clubs, only being settled on transfer deadline day. The talented Bulgarian has since admitted that the scale of the fee and the subsequent expectations placed on him were a concern. His form was sporadically effective but many felt the languid striker was not bringing enough to the team. Yet his improvement this season has been as fast as it has been inexplicable. Or has it? After all this is a player who prior to calling time on his international career, scored 41 goals in 69 appearances for Bulgaria. Nevertheless many would contend that his approach has been radically different and is that down to belief or work rate?
Berbatov has already scored six league goals this season and credited his improved performances to a rigorous summer fitness programme. However the former Bayer Leverkusen star has since discussed the impact of the fee which made him United’s most expensive player ever. Understandably Berbatov often struggled to reconcile that price tag with the expectations placed on him. “You start thinking it’s a lot of money and what’s going to happen if you don’t prove you’re good enough for that amount of money and if you don’t score enough goals.”
For most strikers it is only the hard currency of goals which earns widespread respect and admiration. In his first season at Old Trafford he notched up 9 goals in 31 league appearances which was followed by 12 the next season. This was far from spectacular but as a skilled ball player, Berbatov would invariably impress through his deft touches which prompted comparisons with Eric Cantona. It was a skill he employed to pivot past James Collins and assist Cristiano Ronaldo in their home victory over West Ham in 2008. His time in Manchester, however, has resembled an unfinished patchwork quilt featuring pieces of sublime skill and stunning goals which were too infrequent. Sir Alex Ferguson’s penchant for fielding one striker away in Europe and in big domestic ties restricted the rhythm of the Bulgarian. He started on the bench for all but one of their 2009-10 Champions League games.
Berbatov has not been seen as a natural candidate to play as a lone front man. He appears reluctant to race after a ball when played into space which creates a negative impression. “I need to feel the ball at my feet,” he once said. The size of the forward and his undoubted skill should allow him to fulfil both roles, playing from deep and receiving long balls directly. His goal at Goodison Park achieved just that as Paul Scholes’ ball over the top was met by a sprinting Berbatov who casually finished with the outside of his right foot. His varied and dazzling hat-trick against Liverpool was further evidence of his capabilities. His 84th minute header sealed the victory but it was his second which caught the eye. He received Nani’s cross with his back to goal, flicked the ball up on his knee and performed an audacious overhead kick which left Pepe Reina helpless. Ferguson said, “He has great talent. You can’t dispute the man’s ability – he’s a genius at times. Maybe it’s going to be his season now.” There is certainly a fluidity about his recent play, generally sitting deeper than Wayne Rooney but often switching roles to become the front man.
United’s record signing has revealed he held discussions with his manager in the summer, regarding his performances and the need to block out any criticism from outside the club. Suddenly the belief is there, his body language is less lethargic and he appears a more complete player. This is crucial given Rooney’s ongoing personal and injury problems, coupled with the relative inexperience of their new forward recruits. Berbatov has claimed that he is not fixated with his burgeoning goal tally: “You can stand around doing nothing and in the end the ball hits your knee and goes in the net. That doesn’t make me feel happy.” For the sake of United he may just have to become more altruistic.
twitter.com/JackBlogs
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As a former assistant manager, European Cup-winning captain and seven time league winner with Liverpool, former Reds defender Phil Thompson is better qualified than most to comment on the current crisis threatening to engulf Anfield.
Thompson, currently a pundit on Sky Sports, recently revealed that he now refuses to watch the club he made over 300 appearances for, in protest of the club’s scheming American owners George Gillett and Tom Hicks.
The duo have lumbered the club with a debt totalling around £350m during their disastrous three-and-a-half-year spell at the club, the majority of which must be paid back to lenders the Royal Bank of Scotland by October 6. Failure to do so will see the pair removed as owners and RBS take control of the increasingly deteriorating club. To prevent this, Texan billionaire Hicks is desperately seeking to secure more bank loans and raise the cash to buy-out his struggling partner Gillett and hang onto the club for another two years.
Life-long Liverpool fan Thompson, who stood on the Kop as a boy, is passionate about the club’s future and believes a boycott of the club is the best way to get rid of the Americans. He revealed:
“If you go and support the club, purchasing tickets, then you are supporting the owners, so no, I won’t do it.
“I am not going to go because the more money I put into the club the longer I could possibly keep them there.”
He certainly has a point. Continuing to watch the club boosts the coffers of the club’s much reviled owners through match day revenues. It is a Catch 22 situation for Reds fans who want to support their struggling side but not the finances of owners Hicks and Gillett. A mass boycott would intensify the global spotlight on the Americans; however a high number of fans have already parted with their cash in exchange for a season-ticket earlier this summer.
Thompson shares fans concerns over the current owners, the club’s high interest loan repayments and the ongoing sale of the club. Yet is a mass boycott what a Liverpool side struggling for confidence and form really need right now? The ownership saga is deeply affecting the players and hangs in the Mersey air on match days like a bad smell. Fans still believe they can help improve the club’s recent poor form by continuing to turn up on match days and support the side and will not want to abandon there club at such a critical stage in the club’s future.
The Reds now head into the international break in the relegation zone with six points from seven games following Sunday’s humiliating home defeat to newly-promoted Blackpool. By the time Roy Hodgson’s side travel to Goodison Park on 17 October for an electric Merseyside derby there should be fresh developments regarding the club’s ownership.
However it seems the damage has already been done and maybe such drastic action by the club’s supporters should have been taken months ago to force the duo into a quick sale. There have been sit-in protests and the lobbying of investment firm Blackstone, but more radical action may have been needed. Should Hicks somehow manage to refinance his loans and remain in charge at the club then the possibility of a boycott should certainly be examined.
In truth, fans may not need to boycott as it is unlikely the Americans will be in charge for much longer with Hicks struggling to find backers who will help him cling onto power at Anfield. It now seems likely that RBS, who have made millions from Liverpool and openly admitted that the loan they provided to Hicks and Gillett was too high for either of them to deliver on, will seize control of the club.
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Liverpool fans will hope RBS have the club’s best intentions at heart or supporters may yet turn their anger towards the banks who have so far refused to act on the crisis at Anfield which has hit a critical stage.
Would you boycott games at Anfield in an attempt to get rid of the club’s current owners? Leave your comments below-
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When Barry Ferguson left Ewood Park for a return to Glasgow in 2005 after spending just 16 injury blighted months at the club, many would have felt his time in England was tainted with the resent of what could have been. Many of the press labelled him a flop and that the retreat showed he could only showcase his considerable talent within comforts of home.
He had made his love for Glasgow Rangers abundantly clear so his return to Ibrox to join his current manager at Birmingham Alex McLeish hardly came as a surprise and after leading them to the 2009 Scottish Premier League title and a Scottish Cup double, it looked for all the world he would see out his career there. However, with the booze gate scandal whilst on international duty with Scotland continued to emasculate the admiration for his ability on the pitch, Ferguson decided it was time to move on.
This came concurrently with Birmingham City having been guided back to the Premier League by none other than Former Rangers boss Alex McLeish who had identified Ferguson as the man to hold his midfield together in the top flight – a year or so on and Barry Ferguson’s shot at Premier League redemption should be celebrated in the same incisive fashion by those who were quick to roll out a plethora of words vaguely linked to failure.
His move to St Andrews for a fee in the region of £1.2 million in July 2009 is now looking much more shrewd than in the initial instance and perhaps he should be more widely considered as one of the best signings for the money in the past few transfer windows.
Ferguson made more passes in the Premier League than any other player last season and his control of midfield has won him a place in the Blues fans hearts. The Scotsman keeps the game circulating, trying to get Birmingham passing the ball or sitting deep and breaking up opposition’s attacks.
Seeing Ferguson lose the ball has become a rarity and Birmingham fans’ love for him will have only intensified when he said he was loving life at Blues:
“I love it here. I have said plenty of times before I wasn’t enjoying my football during the last few months in Scotland. I made the decision with Rangers that I had to move on because I was going pretty stale up the road. I was playing the same teams week in, week out.”
“The manager gave me the opportunity to come down and I think I had to prove again that I could play at this level. I’m enjoying every minute of it. The boys are fantastic, everything about the club is great and I’m enjoying my football.”
“I have got another two years left on my contract now and hopefully I will see them out.”
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Whilst his job in midfield does not draw as many plaudits as a combative midfielder might, the fact that he was Birmingham’s players player of the season last term shows that Ferguson has dispelled any lingering critics as to whether he can prove himself at the elite level and this should be roundly admired instead of being understated.
Patrice Evra claims Manchester United must spend as ‘little time’ as possible thinking about their city rivals, Manchester City. With the eagerly anticipated derby at Eastlands on Wednesday night, will Patrice Evra’s comments only inspire Manchester City to end Manchester United’s unbeaten run this season. The comments are a little disrespectful to a team filled with world class players, a team that run Manchester United to the final minutes in both league games last term and a team that dismantled Chelsea. If Manchester City needed any more inspiration it seems Patrice Evra has provided it for them.
Speaking to the Daily Mirror, Evra claims that Manchester United spend little time thinking about their neighbours and Premier League rivals.
“Look, I like to win against Chelsea, I love to play against Manchester City and I hate to lose against Liverpool at Anfield. That’s my mentality.” “We don’t think about Manchester City because they are not our problem.”
This declaration, Manchester City not being Manchester United’s problem again seems a little derogatory – almost as if Manchester United need not worry about them because they are nothing to worry about. Over the last two years, Manchester United have not underestimated Manchester City – and their rivals have pushed them all the way. Is this the first time that Manchester United feel that the Manchester City challenge isn’t as strong as it could be. Is Patrice Evra taunting Manchester City? Whatever the reasons for this, it is amazing how many times comments like this come back to bite. If Manchester City win against United on Wednesday there can be no doubt that threat City pose this season.
Patrice Evra may also enraged Manchester City fans by claiming that Manchester City are also-rans without skipper Carlos Tevez.
“City have spent a lot of money, but for me Carlito is easily the best player they have.
“They have other good players, but he attacks and defends.
“They couldn’t afford to lose him. He is a big player, the most important they have – and every single Manchester City player knows that.
Last season was the perfect example. In the semi final first leg of the Carling Cup, Carlos Tevez scored a brace to defeat Manchester United after derogatory comments from Gary Neville. This again could happen. The Manchester City team know how a good a player Tevez is, but they do need to show they are not a one man team. Whoever plays up front for City will be aiming to show this – having an added incentive to beat Manchester United. Patrice Evra’s comments could in fact rile a highly hostile crowd, something that will only inspire City.
This is not the first time the full back has made inflammatory comments about Manchester City. Before that semi final last season, Evra claimed in the Mail, that Manchester City were not concerned on winning a trophy, just on beating the club they loathe.
‘We know the City people are talking about this game,’ he said. ‘But we are playing it to go one more step closer to winning the cup, maybe they are playing it to beat us.
‘That is the difference between the two clubs. For us it is not just about beating Manchester City. Yes, it is an important game but Manchester United play a lot of big games.’
Again, speaking before the first leg – Manchester United were beaten.
A player of Evra’s experience should know better than to rile players and fans alike. The game is massive for both clubs. Manchester City need to shake the pressure off manager Roberto Mancini – and a win against United would do that. For Manchester United, a win would give the squad great confidence in challenging for the Premier League this season. Did Evra really need to make this comments?
So many times comments like this have come back to bite, and giving City an extra incentive to win is foolish. City may not need another incentive but for a player of Patrice Evra’s experience, knowing the history of this fixture, to make derogatory remarks about Manchester City may come back and haunt him and Manchester United come Wednesday night.
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Things keep going from bad to worse on the ticket pricing front. There was a time when working class fathers could afford to take their children to games, when you didn’t have to own stock in NASA to own a season ticket and when you didn’t have to be a Sheikh to be able to afford a decent seat in a decent stadium. Times change however, and the modern ticket prices often leave a sour taste in the mouth.
The news now is that Arsenal are going to be the first club to introduce £100+ non-corporate matchday tickets. These tickets will become available sometime early next year, when the VAT on tickets rises to 20%. This will take the cost of the most expensive non-corporate Emirates ticket from £98.50 (as if this wasn’t bad enough) to £100.60.
The fact of the matter is, Arsenal are pricing a huge percentage of their fans out of the market. It’s a sad situation when genuine fans are sidelined by budgetary constraints, but football is a world that is very much dominated by money. The people controlling Arsenal’s finances don’t care who is filling the stadium, as long as it’s filled and they are able to wring as much money out of it as possible. Yes, there’s the recession to contend with, but that doesn’t make the whole saga any less depressing.
The Chairman of the Football Supporters’ Federation, Malcolm Clarke had this to say regarding Arsenal’s ticket re-pricing: “A £100 ticket in the present climate is ridiculous. It is proof that football is not living in the same world as the rest of us. The game has more money going into it than ever before and it is not helping fans. Football is no longer a game that is readily accessible to all sections of the community.”
It’s true that the footballing world seems to have lost touch with commonsense, decency and reality. Football is no longer the game of the working class. Those who can’t afford tickets are forced to huddle round their TVs (having ordered an expensive Sky Sports package) rather than receive the real experience.
Prior to the announcement that Arsenal’s matchday ticket prices were going to change, Arsenal were already the most expensive team to watch in England on a game-to-game basis. That they’ve raised prices once more highlights the financial disarray that the footballing world is in. I wonder if these extravagances will come back to haunt Premier League clubs in the coming years. More and more high quality live streams of football games are becoming available online for free and they are a real nuisance for the authorities to shut down. I don’t condone the watching of illegal live streams, but by pricing fans out of the market, the masses are more likely to try and find the content for free.
I’d like to think that a change will come and that it will be for the better, but let’s face it, ticket prices will continue to rise and things are likely to go from bad to worse.
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Tottenham have been put on transfer alert after David Moyes revealed that Everton may look to cash in on Steven Pienaar.
The Toffees have been unable to secure a new contract for the talented South African, who is in the last year of his contract, and the news of Everton willing to listen to January offers is certainly going to alert Harry Redknapp who made an approach for the winger in the summer.
Moyes feels the club has no option but to take the money now, rather than run the risk of losing him on a free at the end of the season.
“It may well come to it in the January transfer window that we have to consider selling Pienaar to raise money, because he is out of contract in the summer.”
The Everton boss is keen to use the funds to bolster his squad, although fears the money will not be enough to bring in a top class striker that the Toffees clearly need.
“But we know we need a striker, and realistically, the sort of money we will raise through that route, what type of player is it going to buy for us in the January market.
“The sort of money I’d raise, I don’t think it will attract the type of player we need, the type of player we are looking for to provide the goals.
“The sort of money it will cost, I don’t think selling a player will solve that particular problem, and it is probably a reality that we will have to look at bringing in a loan player, that it will be the loan market we will need to look at to provide some sort of solution.” Sky Sports
Pienaar has scored 9 goals in 97 Premier League appearences for Everton since his £2m move from Borussia Dortmund.
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Iraq limped into the quarter-finals of the Asian Cup after a lacklustre 1-0 win over North Korea in Doha on Wednesday.The defending champions secured second spot in Group D with the win, but will need a much improved performance when they face Asia’s top ranked side, Australia, in the quarter-finals on Saturday.
Kerrar Jasim’s 22nd minute strike was all that separated the two sides at the Al Rayyan Stadium, with Iraq needing to fend off a late North Korean rearguard to seal the three points.
Iraq went agonisingly close to breaking the deadlock on 17 minutes when Samal Saeed’s goal-bound header was deflected onto the crossbar by team-mate Mustafa Kareem.
But Mustafa made amends just five minutes later by setting up Iraq’s opener.
The striker found the ball on the edge of the area and unleashed a powerful shot which North Korean goalkeeper Ri Myong-Guk could only parry, allowing Kerrar Jasim the easiest of tap-ins from the rebound.
While Iraq were pushing forward in numbers, North Korea’s only avenue to goal looked to be striker Jong Tae-Se, who was playing a lone hand up forward.
Jong had his side’s two best chances of the half, first seeing his curling free kick well saved by Iraqi goalkeeper Mohammed Kassid before spurning a great opportunity when his heavy touch cut short a free run at goal.
Kareem was proving dangerous up front for Iraq and should have had a goal of his own on 36 minutes when Mahdi Kareem broke away down the left flank.
The winger delivered a precise cross into the area and Kareem got to the ball ahead of keeper Ri, only to misdirect his volley with an open goal to aim at.
Younus Mahmood found himself through on goal in the early stages of the second half after a sloppy North Korean pass, but a desperate challenge from Pak Nam-Chol blocked his shot.
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North Korea were becoming more adventurous in the second half and Jong again went close after connecting with Jon Kwang-Ik’s cross on 62 minutes, but the striker could not get his header on target.
Despite having the lead Iraq were looking anything but dominant in the second period, and some lacklustre defending nearly let Ryang Yong-Gi sneak between the centre backs and poach a goal.
Iraq were holding on for dear life in the final 10 minutes and the Koreans were again unlucky not to find an equaliser when Hong Yong-Jo seized on Basem Abbas’ poor clearance and fired a volley from the edge of the area, with Ahmed Ibrahim’s deflection pushing the shot wide.