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Little more than eight years ago, Cameroon defender George Elokobi stepped onto English soil for the first time. With no professional football career to speak off, even he could not have predicted such an impressive rise up the footballing ladder.

Elokobi settled in Welling he joined up with nearby non-league side Dulwich Hamlet, who are no strangers in helping the development of Premier League players. Peter Crouch, Marlon King and Leon Cort are just some of the players who spent time at Champion Hill.

An impressive 2003-04 season helped draw the attention of League One side Colchester United. The manager of the U’s at the time was Phil Parkinson and he decided to take Elokobi to Layer Road in June 2004.

Having not appeared for the first team for the first part of the season, Parkinson allowed Elokobi to join Chester City on loan in early 2005. Under the management of Ian Rush, the defender made his league debut against Swansea on January 29th. However, the loan spell turned out to be a disappointing one, with Chester losing the five games that Elokobi played in – with the final game ending prematurely after he got himself sent off.

The following season at Colchester turned out to be more successful as Elokobi forced his way in to the first team. Colchester had a good season themselves, securing promotion to the Championship by finishing runners-up in the division. The season also saw Elokobi score his first ever goal, during an LDV Vans Trophy match against Northampton.

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In the 2006-07, Elokobi made 10 league appearances as Colchester confounded everyone and finished 10th in the Championship. In the following season, Elokobi managed to make 17 appearances for Colchester as they struggled to repeat the impressive form they showed in the previous season. Despite scoring his first league goal, towards Christmas Elokobi found himself out of favour and, with the team near the bottom of the league, he handed in a transfer request.

On deadline day of the January 2008 transfer window, Mick McCarthy brought Elokobi to Molineux. All of a sudden, he found himself challenging for promotion instead of battling relegation! Elokobi established himself in the first team and made 15 appearances as Wolves narrowly missed out on a play-off position.

The 2008-09 season started well for Elokobi, who was now considered the first-choice left-back at Molineux. However, just a few games into the campaign, he suffered knee ligament damage during a match against Ipswich. The injury kept him out for the rest of the season and he had to watch on as Wolves stormed to the Championship title.

With the new Premier League campaign approaching, Elokobi worked hard to up his fitness. After being named on the bench for the opening two games, he made his Premier League debut when he came on as a substitute in the 1-0 defeat at Manchester City. He went on to make over 20 appearances as Wolves successfully avoided relegation and finished in 15th place.

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So far this year, George has been in and out of the team, but he did score his first Wolves goal during the Carling Cup defeat at Manchester United last month. However, his biggest achievement came early this week when he was called up to the Cameroon squad for the first time. He will join up with the likes of Samuel Eto’o and Alex Song at a training camp in France ahead of crucial fixtures against Senegal next year.

The Cameroon-born left-back, who proudly sports Cameroon sweatbands every match, truly is a rags to riches story. Elokobi is possibly one the most “physically gifted” players around, as he looks more like a quarter-back than a left-back when he lines up for Wolves.

I think it is fair to say that everyone can be happy for George, who has worked his way up the footballing ladder at an alarming rate. Let’s just hope Javier Clemente has enough faith to give George his international debut – well, I certainly wouldn’t want to be the one to tell him he’s no playing!

With so much pressure on managers and players to perform to the, often unrealistic, standards set for them by fans we should ask ourselves: are there other characters in the football pantomime who are often failed to be held to account? The people I’m talking about are of course the back room staff; the coaches, the assistant managers, the sporting directors and so on. How much influence do they really exert and should we be calling for a change in club staff as much as we do for managers?

Assistant Managers

The fact that Ray Wilkins’ departure last season coincided with a huge dip in form for Chelsea could be coincidental, but clearly it is too important a coincidence to overlook. Whilst nearly all eyes were focused on Carlo Ancelotti it was the absence of his number two that seemingly sparked the demise of Chelsea. They eventually recovered towards the end of the season but in the two months following the sacking of Ray Wilkins Chelsea took just seven league points from a possible twenty-seven including just one win in their nine Premier League games over that period.

Clearly this instance on its own is not enough to state the extent of the role that assistant coaches play in a club’s success, however when you look at the attitude of the most successful manager in British history then their importance is visible. Like any company, to enjoy consistent success football clubs need to reinvent themselves on a regular basis in order to keep up with the changing times of the industry. Whilst Alex Ferguson has been at United for over two decades he has had the foresight to change his assistant managers on a reasonably regular basis. During his time at the club he has worked alongside Archie Knox, Brian Kidd, Steve McClaren, Jimmy Ryan, Carlos Quieroz, Walter Smith and Mike Phelan.

I’m not saying that the continued success of Manchester United is down to the high turnover of staff, clearly Ferguson is the key factor; however, the assistants have invariably helped to add a freshness of ideas that is clearly lacking at other top clubs. Take Arsenal for example. Arsene Wenger, undoubtedly an exceptional manager, seems to have lost his way in recent years. Often it seems that the club are stuck in a rut and, whilst clearly this can’t be blamed purely on Wenger’s assistant Pat Rice, it is undeniable that the Northern Irish, former Arsenal defender has had a role to play. Rice has been assistant manager to Wenger ever since the Frenchman took over and whilst he enjoyed success early on he is indicative of the stagnation at the club, particularly if you consider Arsenal’s defensive frailties over the last few years (Rice is the defensive coach). It doesn’t mean that Rice is a bad coach or assistant, perhaps just that without fresh faces behind the scenes clubs like Arsenal, after a while, lack originality.

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You could also look at England under Fabio Capello. Capello’s number two was Franco Baldini who, it was said, conducted most of the team talks and ‘hands on’ elements to the national squad. If this is true then perhaps he too should be taking some of the blame for performances such as England’s during the World Cup in South Africa.

Bureaucracy

It’s not just the assistants that impact either. The bureaucratisation of football clubs has also had an impact on the teams’ performances. For example the ever-increasing numbers of ‘Directors of Football’ are hugely influential in a clubs success. Take Liverpool’s underwhelming league form this year. Arguably that is down to money poorly spent on expensive, average signings. Who was responsible for the signings of Andy Carroll, Stewart Downing and Jordan Henderson? Damien Comolli – Liverpool’s Director of Football. Or you could look at Chelsea where the hierarchy have signed players such as Kevin de Bruyne and Romelu Lukaku who, whilst excellent players, were not chosen by the manager and therefore hinder his performance in the role. Lukaku’s recent statement that he was unhappy about his lack of playing time is testament to the influence these individuals have behind the scenes and the negative effects they can have.

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I know a lot of this may seem obvious but the point I’m trying to make is that in a culture in which we are so quick to criticise players, to call for a change in the management of the club and express dissent at the earliest opportunity perhaps we should be looking at the other factors involved. Yes, Arsene Wenger seems to have lost his way a bit but is he actually a worse manager than he was in 2004 or does he just need to refresh his coaching staff? Yes, Villas-Boas has been poor this year but isn’t it understandable when the club keep buying players that he doesn’t want as he attempts to rebuild Chelsea’s squad; and yes, Daglish is hardly the same manager he was but can you blame him when £35m of his transfer money is spent on the likes of Andy Carroll? Ultimately the managers are accountable for the success or failure of a club but next time you find yourself calling for a manager’s head, or declaring your disgust at your manager’s choice of signings, take a minute to consider who else had a role to play.

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There are reports that Jermain Defoe may be looking for a move away from Tottenham if he doesn’t get more first-team action. The England striker has recently dropped out of Harry Redknapp’s regular starting line-up; due to his poor Premier League form that has produced only 4 goals this season. Defoe told Sky Sports News “I want to help the club achieve things, win trophies, and get in the Champions League, but when you feel like you are working hard, training hard and being professional, and then for some reason you are not playing, it is difficult.” However doesn’t Defoe’s poor goal return suggest that his exclusion is justified and could a move benefit both Tottenham and the player himself?

It’s easy to understand the situation from both sides and it would be great if Tottenham could afford to keep faith with a misfiring forward – but this is a club that wants to play in the Champions League and to compete with their Premier League rivals they need 3 or 4 strikers all scoring goals on a regular basis. Defoe may rediscover his form next season but can Tottenham afford to take the risk because if he doesn’t they could lose crucial ground over their rivals. However, at 28 and an England career to consider it’s perfectly understandable that Defoe is frustrated by the lack of games and really he needs to be playing on a regular basis. Despite the fact that Defoe has been poor this season he can point to a previously strong record in the Premier League. Last season for instance he scored 18 in the league and 24 overall.

Jermain Defoe though will want to be a little bit careful about what he wishes for, because it’s unlikely that a team in the top six of the Premier League would take the gamble on him. Therefore, he may be scratching around for clubs that really need a striker and those teams may not be competing for honours next season; clubs that come to mind include Everton, Sunderland and Newcastle. But it remains to be seen what kind of transfer fee Tottenham would be looking for and whetever or not that would be within reach of the clubs mentioned. However, Newcastle and Sunderland should have plenty of money available following the big money departures of Andy Carroll and Darren Bent respectively. A move may also be just what Defoe needs to rediscover his goal-scoring touch.

The main issue for Defoe is simply a case of playing a bit part role for a club competing for the top four place or playing on a more regular basis for a team that may not be competing in that area of the table. However, Defoe may feel that with his goals and general ability there is no reason to suggest that these clubs can’t perform very well in the Premier League.

Tottenham will rightly feel that they cannot offer Defoe the assurance of regular first-team football bearing in mind his poor Premier League form. Therefore, they may feel it best to cash in. As I mentioned earlier it’s vital that Tottenham have 3 or 4 strikers that can be relied upon to score goals and at the moment Defoe isn’t reliable.

Follow me on Twitter and tell me if Tottenham should sell Jermain Defoe?

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Everton duo Tony Hibbert and Leon Osman have both put pen to paper on two-year contract extensions to keep them at Goodison Park until the summer of 2014.

Right-back Hibbert and midfielder Osman, both 29, have spent the whole of their careers to date with the Toffees and are more than happy to stay put.

Hibbert told the club’s official website: It is good to have a couple more years on top of what I had. We have come through as two local lads and made a good career, so it is pleasing.”

Osman added:“I’m feeling great, it has been under discussion for a few weeks and I’m really happy to put pen to paper.

“There was never any question that I wanted to extend. We are really happy to be at a club of this stature.”

Meanwhile, manager David Moyes is hopeful that his side can build on their 2-0 Merseyside derby win over Liverpool and push up the Premier League table.

He commented:“We think we’re a side who are good enough to be at the top end of the league.

“We didn’t show that in the opening games of the season. We were all a bit surprised by it after the way we’d finished the season before.

“You need to get on runs in this league. We probably played better in other games than we did against Liverpool last week and didn’t win.

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“Let’s just hope we’re on that run that wins us games now.”

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Liverpool are set to up their efforts to sign a new attacker in January, with The Reds linked with moves for Crystal Palace’s prospect Wilfried Zaha and out-of-favour Tottenham striker Jermain Defoe.

The Anfield club are having issues hitting the back of the net currently, highlighted by their 0-0 draw with Stoke at the weekend, and with Luis Suarez suspended the Merseysiders look slightly toothless in attack.

Mirror Football indicate that both Kenny Dalglish’s men and Manchester United are keen to sign highly-rated youngster Zaha, but Palace manager Dougie Freedman has issued a hands-off warning.

“I’ve had chit-chats with Kenny Dalglish­ and Alex Ferguson, but he is not going anywhere,” the Scottish coach stated.

Meanwhile, England international Defoe has been forced to watch Tottenham from the sidelines for the majority of this campaign, with Harry Redknapp preferring to partner Rafael van der Vaart with Emmanuel Adebayor up front.

Defoe’s agent has been pestering Redknapp to play his client on a more regular basis, but Liverpool may well be able to offer him regular football; Mirror Football again state that they are ready to bid £10 million for the diminutive marksman.

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With Euro 2012 just around the corner Defoe needs to be playing more frequently to force his way into Fabio Capello’s squad, and could be interested in a move to Anfield.

By Gareth McKnight

Real Madrid midfielder Lassana Diarra’s days at the Bernabeu look numbered as he will soon find himself even further down the pecking order with the arrival of Nuri Sahin confirmed for the Summer. The man originally touted as the next Makelele will hardly be short of suitors across Europe with his versatility and superb defensive capabilities.

Having already represented three clubs in the Premier League, the French international would be well positioned for a return to England. And, with champions-in-waiting Manchester United the latest club to be linked with the player, would Diarra be the ideal man to bolster the United midfield?

United have lacked a real midfield enforced since the days of Roy Keane. Whilst Paul Scholes has adopted a deeper role in recent seasons and remains a master in possession, he has never really excelled at the tackling side of the game. Similarly, Michael Carrick is more comfortable in possession of the ball than he is tackling, whilst Owen Hargreaves constant injury problems have turned him into a ghost at Old Trafford.

But, Sir Alex Ferguson has since adopted a different playing style as the rigid 4-4-2 of old has often been replaced been replaced by a 4-3-3. The tenacity of Keane has been replaced by the energy and work rate of Darren Fletcher and Park Ji-Sung whilst the likes of Scholes, Anderson and now Ryan Giggs all distribute from the middle. So would a deep-lying holding midfielder really fit in with United’s tactics and justify the transfer fee?

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People have also raised questions about Diarra’s attitude off the field. Having played for five clubs in six years, Madrid would be the third club for the player to leave after things had not worked out and Ferguson would surely be loathe to adopt a player with a bad attitude. And, whilst a versatile performer, this has counted against him at Chelsea, Arsenal and to an extent Real Madrid where, rather than playing in his favoured position in the centre of midfield, he has been annexed at full back. And, if he was such a good holding midfielder, then why would Real have insisted on playing Pepe, a centre back by trade, in that position instead?

Bearing in mind Diarra moved to Real for around £20 million only a year and a half ago, he would not come cheap. Whilst Real would accept a loss on the player, figures upwards of £12 million have still been quoted for Diarra and, if United were to spend big then surely they would look more closely at the likes of Roma’s Daniele De Rossi. Alternatively, a cheaper option could be Newcastle’s Ivorian midfielder Cheik Tioté.

However, if Manchester United want a player with Premiership experience who understands the fast-paced and physical nature of the English game then Diarra could be a fantastic fit. With 28 caps for France to his name and having only just turned 26, he could be a great signing if Ferguson feels his midfield needs a bit more energy and tenacity. Whilst some may have questioned his attitude and he has struggled to excel under the likes of Jose Mourinho, if there is one manager who could get the best out of him it would surely be Sir Alex Ferguson.

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FootballFanCast.com WORLD Exclusive, Robbie Savage’s Face in a Baby Scan

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Crewe Alexandra’s youth set up is often regarded as one of the best in England, with players of the quality of Danny Murphy, Dean Ashton and Robbie Savage all benefiting from it in recent years and lately it seems that one 16 year old midfielder is on the rise to prominence.

Nick Powell is the latest player to be linked with a Premier League raid after impressing Arsene Wenger’s scouting network whilst playing for England under 16’s in a tournament in France and he is being hotly tipped to become a star.

But just who is he?

Well, born on 23rd March 1994, he is a midfielder that can also play as a striker and he signed scholarship forms at Crewe in 2010 after progressing through the ranks as a small boy. He took part in under-18 football at the tender of 15 having be recognised as a super talent by Dario Gradi and his team whilst his first taste of first-team action was as a substitute against newly-promoted Blackpool earlier in pre-season. His youth coaches described his talent as being “limitless” in terms of where it can take him in the game and he made his full debut against Cheltenham Town in August.

The 16-year-old has already been the subject of a £1million bid from Arsenal, according to the News of the World, but Crewe’s veteran boss Dario Gradi is holding out for more, having tied Powell down to a three year deal at the club.

He said: “We have to deal with speculation when they are coming through, and in many ways we do treat it as a compliment. Our academy youngsters are not for sale at any price.”

Gradi continued: “It was the same when Arsenal asked about Dean Ashton [who made his debut for Crewe as a 16-year-old in 2000]. David Dein [former Arsenal vice-chairman] phoned me and said there must be a price I would be prepared to sell him for, and I told him there wasn’t. There was no point even discussing it and he accepted that.”

Offical Under 17 Match Higlights – England 3-1 Portugal

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And such a desire to keep him, coupled with the interest of Arsenal at such a young age is a clear indicator of his talents. Gradi is keen to keep hold of the academy products and said he just wants what is best “for the kid” and that they want to keep “good players for their own supporters”.

But should Powell continue to develop and eventually join a top club, Crewe must be lavished with praise for their tremendous work with their youth setup that has instigated some fantastic that are still going today whilst admitting that eventually being nurtured by Arsenal and playing among some of the finest starlets from across Europe will benefit the player.

Sebastien Bassong’s White Hart Lane hell could be over this month after French giants Lille and Lyon are set to go head to head for his signature, according to this morning’s Daily Mirror.

French-born Bassong has attracted interest from his native country after finding himself well down the pecking order at Tottenham and is desperate to get his career back on track. Harry Redknapp has confirmed that he may need to sell in order to buy in January and Bassong is certainly the sort of player that the Spurs boss may look to move on.

The Cameroon international arrived in North London for £8million in 2009 from Newcastle United but has only made 44 league appearances at the Lane with the likes of Michael Dawson, Ledley King, Younes Kaboul and William Gallas all ahead of him in Redknapp’s thoughts.

Spurs have no chance of receiving the same sort of money that they paid out for Bassong three years ago but with Redknapp keen to bring Chris Samba to the club this month and the return of Swansea loanee Steven Caulker in the summer, Bassong will only fall further back in the Spurs squad.

The 25-year-old defender is set to start a tug of war between the French rivals after his proposed move to QPR fell through after Neil Warnock was sacked.

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Bayer Leverkusen are not giving up their pursuit of Bundesliga leaders Borussia Dortmund as the season nears its climax.With only three games to close a five-point gap, the onus is on Leverkusen to take maximum points, while hoping that Dortmund slip up in their remaining three matches.

Leverkusen manager Jupp Heynckes – who will leave the club for Bayern Munich at the end of the season – needs only to look at history to see that such a feat is not impossible.

The roles were reversed in the 2001/02 season, with Leverkusen five points clear of Dortmund. But a late push from Dortmund saw them close that gap and claim the title, leaving Leverkusen with a score to settle.

But Heynckes was reluctant to buy into the title talk, instead preferring to concentrate on earning a Champions League place ahead of Bayern and Hannover.

“I think we should not get involved in all the speculation,” Heynckes said ahead of his side’s meeting with Cologne on Saturday.

“As I have said before it is a huge performance by the team (and) the club that after seven years we will be back in the Champions League. And we will manage it. I am convinced that we will manage the three points.”

Borussia Dortmund have led the Bundesliga table for much of the season, though their commanding grip on the title has slipped after an unconvincing run of form after the German winter break.

Losses to Hoffenheim and Borussia Moenchengladbach have left the door ajar for Leverkusen.

Dortmund manager Juergen Klopp conceded that the situation can be tense for fans, but is confident that they will soon have something to celebrate.

“It is close of course,” he said.

“And as I have said before, this is not the sport for those who cannot deal with this. The higher you get, the thinner the air. If you are at the very top, then everyone can be put out. You therefore have to win every game.”

“That is the problem. We have only lost four games but still no decision has been made. I am sorry about this. I don’t think it is such a bad thing but those who want to can be with us on Saturday when we go the next step.”

Klopp’s men play host to Nuremberg on Saturday knowing that if they win and Leverkusen fail to triumph in Cologne, the title will return to Dortmund for the first time since the 2001/02 season.

If you cast your mind back to Newcastle United in the 2008-2009 season, they were a club in disarray. Protests against Mike Ashley and the board were a consistent occurrence; the managerial position was filled by no less than three managers in Joe Kinnear, Kevin Keegan and Alan Shearer and the club were relegated on the final day of the campaign.

And yet, a year on from it all and there is an unconventional sense of stability with which they conduct themselves.

They have a manager in Chris Hughton sagaciously eradicating the unrealistic expectations which used to set the club up for an inevitable fall and even Mike Ashley’s position has not been lampooned with relentless demonstrations outside the old Milburn reception. Which begs the question; has the Newcastle chairman and the club itself finally turned a corner?

The demands of European football have subsided, instead being replaced by agreement with Chris Hughton’s call for steady building in order to restore a club of such grandeur’s tarnished reputation – the aim of survival is now common place.

And whilst the media excitement, about where the next disaster lies, is nullified by such a sensible notion, the absence of chaos may be just as wonderful.

This ‘new Newcastle’ we have seen so far details a team refreshed by their time away from the top-flight, one whose humble nature and work ethic contradicts the former obsession with overpaid big names who did not live up to the standard their wage packet suggested it should have been.

In addition, the arrivals of Sol Campbell, Hatem Ben Arfa and Dan Gosling provide further evidence that they are back on the right track – a far cry from the grossly inflated transfer fees once splashed upon the likes of Jean-Alain Boumsong. The clubs devoted fans may now have a team which they can fall in love with once more.

Last season, Newcastle players endorsed their tremendous team spirit during tough times in the Championship and this will be vital in their quest to beat the teams around them and stay in the division. To do so they must beat the teams around them, the likes of Wigan, Wolves, West Brom, and Stoke.

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The type of football during this season will not be a passing master class like that of Arsenal or Chelsea, in fact it is more likely to elicit descriptors such as dogged, determined and gritty than anything related to the fluidity with which Kevin Keegan used to orchestrate things back in the mid 90’s, but if it is effective in retaining their status as a Premier League club then so be it.

For Newcastle, the next episode in the clubs history may be far more modest than their 52,000 seater stadium and fan base suggests but at this moment in time, their recent history justifies it.

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