Sir Alex Ferguson has stated that veteran defender Rio Ferdinand still has a place in the Manchester United first-team, and that his experience will be vital in the club’s quest for honours this season.
The England international has had a frustrating start to the season,as niggling injuries have forced him to watch his side power to the top of the league from the sidelines.
Despite the performances of the team and other defenders in his absence, Ferguson still values Ferdinand as an important part of the United side.
“Rio’s [injury] record is fact. We wish it was better but we use him to our advantage when we have him available because you cannot dismiss the experience he brings,” he stated in a press conference.
“He missed a couple [of matches] after Bolton and one after West Brom but I don’t mind that because with the squad we have got we utilise him the way we want to.”
With the rise to prominence of Chris Smalling and Phil Jones, and the ever-steady Jonny Evans also available, Ferdinand’s future has been put in doubt. However the Scottish coach believes that Ferdinand is still integral to the Red Devils squad.
“He walked through the game at Bolton. We are absolutely delighted with Smalling, Evans and Jones. The three of them have been absolutely magnificent. They are the long-term future.
“But there are occasions when you bring in the experience Rio offers because it does make a difference. The young players know that.
“They also know there will be a time when they are left out for the right reasons and knowing they will get better the next time they come in,” he concluded.
United take on Stoke at the Britannia in the 5.30pm kick-off on Saturday, and will look to continue their flawless record in the Premier League.
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As a child, I can still distinctly remember being told by my dad about a young Northern Ireland midfielder named Paul McVeigh. Apparently, the young prodigy was mustard, and reminiscent of his countryman the late great George Best (sans the whisky). He could beat people for fun, me’old Dad told said, and was going to be a star! Unfortunately, this didn’t quite turn out to be the case…
Ever since, like many Tottenham fans, I am cynical whenever I hear about a youngster Tottenham are about to sign, or is emerging from the youth team, as it’s fair to say, over the years, there have been one too many Paul McVeighs…
So here they are in all their glory, the Tottenham wonder kids that never were, or as I like to call them, latter day John Bostocks…
Steffen Iversen
Iversen served the club well between 1996 and 2003, winning the League Cup with Tottenham in 1999, and was by no means a poor player. However, when Iversen signed for Spurs, it was viewed as a real coup. Iversen had scored 18 goals in 50 appearances for Rosenborg BK, and his contribution to their success led Spurs to spend £2.7m on the striker, with clubs all over Europe looking at the player. Despite a promising first season, where he scored six goals including a hat-trick against Sunderland at Roker Park, Iversen never became the goal scorer fans hoped. Injuries halted his progress, and Iversen failed to live up to the hype.
Jonathan Blondel
Blondel signed for Tottenham in August 2002, with Glenn Hoddle and David Pleat confirming they had convinced the young Belgian to sign for Spurs over Manchester United. Blondel’s signature was thus celebrated in North London as a major coup at the time. In hindsight, Blondel had only played 18 times for his club Royal Excelsior Mouscron, and despite his reputation and fee (Spurs had spent £800k on the youngster), he had only been playing in the Belgium league. Blondel was hyped as a skilful attacking midfielder that would soon be challenging the likes of Freund, Poyet and Anderton for places. In actual fact, Blondel would make just two substitute appearances, before being shipped off to Club Bruges. Spending £800k on a player, playing him twice, then allowing him to leave on a free two seasons later, may not make sense to most, but is classic Tottenham.
Helder Postiga
After José Mourinho took over the reigns as Porto manager, Postiga soon exploded onto the scene in Portugal. He scored 13 goals in their 2002–03 campaign, and before his twenty-first birthday had become a star in Portugal, earning a permanent slot in the Portuguese under-21 side. This prompted Glenn Hoddle to part with £6.25m to bring Helder to White Hart Lane, with much expected from the Portuguese. Hoddle told the official Spurs website:
“He is a player who will add definite striking quality to our squad and is a young player of proven ability… I’m sure our supporters will enjoy watching him over the coming seasons.”
Actually, Postiga would make only 12 full appearances and score just 2 goals with Spurs.
Well done Glenn.
Continued on Page TWO
Simon Davies and Matthew Etherington
Davies and Etherington are perhaps unfairly placed on this list, as it was not their fault that Championship Manager 1999/2000 had rendered the pair famous. On ‘Champ’, the Peterborough duo were awesome, (although Davies was always the better player for me), but hopefully, that’s not why George Graham departed with £700k to bring them to the club in December 1999.
The dreaded words ‘Manchester United’ and ‘trial’ can also be attributed here, as the pair were both given the once over (not like that, grow up) by Alex Ferguson. However, the boys ended up at White Hart Lane, and it was only a matter of time before they brought the title with them…
Unfortunately, Etherington turned out to have an inability to cross the ball, whilst Simon Davies could be blown away with a gust of wind. In the end the only thing that developed whilst the pair were at the Lane, was Etherington’s penchant for a flutter.
In fairness, both presently have careers with Premier League clubs, and Etherington is now cured of his afflictions after attending Tony Adams’ Sporting Chance Clinic. However, they remain yet two more examples of Tottenham wonder kids that never were…
Wayne Routledge
At the time most Spurs fans were probably thinking “Wow, if Simon Jordan is this hacked off about losing Routledge, he must simply be a super football player!” Now plying his trade with Premier League chasing Newcastle United, it is clear that Routledge didn’t quite live up to the hype.
The lad joined the Spurs from Crystal Palace for an ‘undisclosed fee’ in August 2005. However, the fee was supposedly just over £1m, and seeing as though Routledge helped Spurs win the Peace Cup pre-season, where the prize money was around £1m, technically he paid for himself.
Routledge was just 20 when he came to Spurs, and after creating 8 assists for Palace the season before, it was believed he would be just what Tottenham needed on the wing. After impressing in pre-season however, Routledge suffered a bad injury on the opening day of the season. A certain 17 year old Aaron Lennon came in to replace him, and Routledge never won his place back…
After a succession of loans at the likes of Portsmouth and Fulham, Routledge eventually left Spurs for Aston Villa in January 2008. After all the effort Tottenham had gone to, the wonder kid inside never materialized… perhaps Simon Jordan was right after all.
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Bobby Zamora
Zamora joined Glenn Hoddle’s Tottenham revolution in 2003 for a fee of £1.5m. Zamora had an excellent record in the lower leagues, his 70 goals in 119 league games helping Brighton and Hove Albion win back to back promotions to the Championship, or First Division as it was then.
Predictably, the Tottenham faithful didn’t take to the clumsy looking Zamora, and the fact that he had been highly rated before joining only added to the disappointment when he left the club, deemed failure.
Last season saw Zamora’s stock rise and an England call-up to boot, so Zamora is clearly not a bad player. However, at Tottenham, like so many before him, he failed to produce the goods.
Zamora left the club just 6 months after joining in January 2004, with Jermain Defoe coming the other way in an player-exchange plus cash deal with West Ham. Zamora managed just 16 league appearances, and managed just one goal… sighs.
Well, there you have it, a team of wonder kids who never quite did it for the super Spurs. With the likes of John Bostock doing their best to go the same way, there might well be more inclusions to add in a few years time. However, for now let’s push the doom and gloom out of our minds and believe that somewhere out there, the next Helder Postiga is ready and waiting to heed the Tottenham call…
You can find me on Twitter at http://twitter.com/mark0turner
The English contingent at Liverpool have had a hard time of it of late. Think about Andy Carroll, Jordan Henderson or Stewart Downing and the amount of criticism they’ve received over the past year and you realise that the club needs to start repairing its reputation for possessing quality home grown players like Steven Gerrard or Michael Owen that do the nation proud.
The road to redemption begins with the youngsters. The Reds have a number of talented youth prospects waiting in line, indeed the likes of Jonjo Shelvey and Jay Spearing forced their way into the first team squad last year, while Raheem Sterling also made his debut. The most promising player of them all could be 18-year-old Jack Robinson though, who broke Max Thompson’s 26 year record as Liverpool’s youngest ever player when he came on as a substitute against Hull in 2010 aged just 16 years and 250 days.
It is testament to Robinson’s ability that he hadn’t even featured in the reserve side before Rafa Benitez thrust him into first team contention on that final day of the 2009/10 season and he’s continued his progression ever since. He made a smattering of appearances in the cup competitions in 2010/11, before making his second Premier League appearance against Arsenal off the bench after Fabio Aurelio inevitably picked up an injury. The two sides drew 1-1, but Robinson impressed all onlookers, coping with the pace of Theo Walcott down the right flank quite superbly for a man of such a tender age and he made his first start in the top flight against Birmingham shortly after.
Despite impressing Kenny Dalglish towards the back end of that season, he was restricted to just two senior appearances last year, both in the League Cup. The arrival of Jose Enrique meant Robinson was pushed down the pecking order, but he signed a new long term contract with the club in October nonetheless. The signs are more promising for 2012/12 though, as Fabio Aurelio, the second choice left back has left the club, meaning Robinson is now second choice in that position, fighting with the Spaniard Enrique for first team action. Considering he is just 18 (19 in September), that’s a significant responsibility taking his inexperience into account, but Brendan Rodgers appears to have faith in the young man’s ability, naming him on the bench for his first match in charge, the Europa League qualifier with FC Gomel.
It should be no surprise to anyone at Anfield that Robinson’s rise to the top has been so rapid. He’s been a regular through the England age groups, starring for the U19 side, making 12 appearances, while anyone who watches Liverpool reserves or the Youth Cup for the last couple of years can see that Robinson possesses the talent to go all the way. Like all modern full backs, he’s comfortable on the ball and has the ability to get forward to provide an attacking option, but unlike his right back colleague at Liverpool, Mr Glen Johnson, he’s solid defensively as well. He’s no slouch either, as Theo Walcott will testify. Watching him play can remind you of another English left back, who made the breakthrough early in his career and has gone on to become one of the best in the world in that position. Hopefully Robinson’s personality is a bit more likeable than Ashley Cole’s though.
With Cole still performing at the highest level and Leighton Baines, Kieran Gibbs and Ryan Bertrand waiting in the wings, the Three Lions aren’t short of quality down the left hand side. However, Robinson seems certain to add his name to that list before too long if he continues his current development. It might be better for his career if he was to play regularly elsewhere this season, rather than providing backup to Jose Enrique, indeed Derby manager Nigel Clough has already expressed an interest in taking the player on a temporary deal. For the time being, Robinson remains at Anfield and you know that he won’t let anyone down if he’s called into action. Who knows, he might even claim the first team spot for himself.
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Rafael Van Der Vaart is hungry. He wants the ball all the time. This is undoubtedly an excellent quality in a player. Because of Van der Vaart’s appetite and his status within the Tottenham Hotspur side, he has quickly and firmly established himself as the first choice set-piece taker but after a series of dreadful decisions against Manchester United on Monday night, this duty should definitely be put under review.
When playing against a side of United’s quality, every set-piece should be treated with great importance, there are few opportunities against the Champions and all should be taken seriously. Corners and free kicks must be viewed as a chance to test the defence and in particular, on Monday, to test the new goalkeeper. Van Der Vaart failed to do this completely. One of his corners didn’t even make it onto the pitch and he struck a horribly wasteful shot from 40 yards when both centre backs had gone forward. Harry Redknapp was furious and rightly so.
In the big games Van Der Vaart does get particularly carried away, the occasion seems to inflate his already considerable sense of self-importance and, whilst this benefited Spurs last season, particularly in the Champions League and against Arsenal at White Hart Lane, it was evident on Monday that his enthusiasm doesn’t always benefit the team. Aside from screaming at Lennon and then throwing a strop, he was hot-headed and rushing on Monday when what was needed was a cool head. By all means put van der Vaart on the free kicks from the edge of the box, he cannot really do much worse than Gareth Bale’s return of 1, but when Spurs are trying to slow down play and take the pressure of their back four, the last thing they need is a selfishly taken, rushed set-piece.
Perhaps taking Van der Vaart off set pieces entirely is too strong a reaction to this one particularly poor display as he is undoubtedly a talented enough player to whip in a great cross, but getting him to calm down and reminding him of the priority to put the ball into a dangerous area might be a start. There are several other players capable of delivering in the Tottenham side, particularly Tom Huddlestone and Gareth Bale. It wouldn’t hurt to let them have a go and at least make Van der Vaart appreciate his responsibilities a bit more on the process.
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Juventus defender Giorgio Chiellini blamed poor refereeing decisions for his side’s 2-0 Coppa Italia quarter-final loss to Roma on Thursday.
Roma took the lead after 65 minutes when Mirko Vucinic finished well after being picked out by a quality ball from Daniele De Rossi, and Rodrigo Taddei put the result beyond doubt with a 90th-minute strike.
But Chiellini believes his side should have been awarded a penalty when Alessandro Del Piero was brought down by Philippe Mexes late in the second half, and insisted the Roma defender should have been sent off for the challenge.
“I am disappointed to go out of the Coppa Italia,” Chiellini said.
“The game was headed for a 0-0 draw and without a piece of magic would not have been unlocked. “
“If then Del Piero had got a penalty and Mexes had been sent off, we would perhaps have seen a different game.”
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“That aside we experienced a difficult moment. The players coming back from injury are forced to play immediately and can’t recover calmly.”
“We have to roll up our sleeves and get back to winning ways with the help of our fans.”
According to the Independent, Manchester United will pursue Napoli midfielder Jorginho this summer if they fail to sign Toni Kroos.
What’s the story?
Manchester United want to sign Toni Kroos as a long-term successor to Michael Carrick, but the Red Devils believe Jorginho is a more realistic option.
The 26 year-old Napoli midfielder has blossomed into one of the best passing midfielders on the planet, and Mourinho could rival Liverpool’s interest this summer.
A lot of talk this season has focused on how United can get the best out of Paul Pogba, so could Jorginho be just the man to do that?
Perfect for Pogba?
Valued at £36million by Transfermarkt, Jorginho certainly won’t come cheap this summer, but he would be worth every last penny.
There’s a reason Liverpool are desperate to sign the Napoli star, as he can dictate the pace of any game whenever he likes.
Manchester United would be wise to beat their arch-rivals to the 26 year-old, and he could actually be an even better signing than Kroos.
Averaging 1.9 interceptions and 1.6 tackles per game in the league this season, Jorginho’s reading of the game makes him an excellent deep lying midfielder, but it’s his passing that really makes him stand out.
The wiry little midfielder averages 1.5 key passes per game in the league, and completes a remarkable 89 per cent of his 97.4 passes per game. He also completes over two long balls per game, which has earned him four assists this season.
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A midfield of Jorginho, Nemanja Matic and Pogba would give Mourinho a perfect balance of intelligence, pace, power and technical ability, and the Red Devils should do everything in their power to get the Napoli star to Old Trafford.
Manchester United fans, would you back a summer swoop for Jorginho? Let us know your thoughts in the comments below…
Manchester United supporters were full of excitement when the club announced they’d signed Real Madrid attacking midfielder Angel Di Maria for a club record of £59.7 million.
But after just one season some believe that his time at the club may already be coming to an abrupt end.
Manager Louis van Gaal has been working on a formation that will get the best out of his newly assembled squad, but unfortunately for Di Maria the team have been playing well without him. A suspension he received back in March meant the Dutchman had to rely on a different system, which coincided with United going on an unbeaten run.
The Argentine started the season in good form, but as time has gone on his relevance at the club has become debatable. He has made 30 appearances so far this term, and if some of the media reports are right then he only has another four possible games left as a Red Devil.
There are a number of clubs that have reportedly shown an interest, but Paris Saint Germain seem to be the favourites for his signature. After winning the Champions League with Real last season it is unlikely that he would join a club without European qualification and PSG are about to crown their campaign with the Ligue 1 trophy, therefore qualifying for the tournament.
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The French champions are used to winning their domestic title but are still struggling somewhat to make a proper impact in the Champions League, going only as far as the quarter-finals this season. A small summer clear out is expected to include forward players Zlatan Ibrahimovic and Edinson Cavani, meaning that manager Laurent Blanc will need to restock those attacking roles.
According to the Mirror, they will offer around £45million to take the winger off of United’s hands, which will be a loss for the English club but will mean the Red Devils won’t have to pay Di Maria’s huge wages if they no longer have a need for him.
But the fact is that they do need him.
Just because United are having success with the upfront pairings of Ashley Young, Marouane Fellaini and Juan Mata doesn’t mean that there isn’t room for Di Maria. If Di Maria was playing at his best then he would surely push one of those three out but for the last few months things just haven’t been clicking at Old Trafford for the Argentine.
But with it being his first season at a new club in a league in which he has never played in before then failing to impress is not uncommon and when the campaign started he was every inch the player United had hoped he would be.
Where Radamel Falcao has been terrible across the entirety of the season, Di Maria has just failed to recreate his early performances in the latter stages of the campaign.
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United need to give him another chance, especially with Champions League football on the horizon. When that campaign gets going they are going to want a player with Di Maria’s experience and talents among their ranks, rather than having to play against him if he does indeed sign for PSG.
United need to nurture him and in time he will get back to winning ways.
Norwich City chief David McNally insists there’s no escape clause in their £8.5m deal with Sporting for striker Ricky van Wolfswinkel.
The Dutch striker’s agent sparked panic among the Canaries faithful yesterday when he said that the transfer depends on Norwich staying up.
But McNally described the reports as “absolute rubbish”.
It is unlikely that the Norwich board would be as keen to be tied into such a big investment if Chris Hughton’s side do go down, but Sporting are unlikely to have agreed to such a clause as they could lose millions if the deal was scrapped.
The former Utrecht striker won’t be short of suitors, if he does turn his nose up at a spell in the Championship, which could bring a season-long loan deal into the equation.
Agent Louis Laros has made sure his client’s name remains on the lists of some clubs by making the comments to Abola – whether they are based on fact or not.
“There is a special clause in the deal accepted by all parties that stipulates if Norwich leave the Premier League then the future of Ricky van Wolfswinkel will be open again,” he said.
“That is the reality, but we are confident in the ability of the English club to remain in the top division.
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“For now Ricky is only thinking about Sporting and helping them to get results. At the end of the season, he will start to focus on Norwich.”
Liverpool have no intention of pursuing a deal for Manchester United midfielder Marouane Fellaini, according to the Daily Mail.
What’s the story?
The summer transfer window will soon be open, so right on cue, bizarre stories have emerged from the rumour mill.
One of which came from French publication L’Equipe, which stated that the Reds are interested in signing Fellaini this summer.
Jurgen Klopp could soon be looking for a new midfielder due to the uncertainty surrounding Emre Can’s future at Anfield.
L’Equipe claims that the Reds are willing to offer Fellaini a three-year deal once his contract expires at United this summer.
However, according to the Daily Mail, the Merseyside outfit will not be making a move for the 30-year-old.
Would it have been that crazy?
Players moving between Liverpool and United is certainly not favourable when it comes to the supporters due to the intense rivalry between the two clubs.
However, in this case, Fellaini is not hugely admired by all of United’s fanbase, which suggests that the controversy of a switch would eventually die down.
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Signing the midfielder would have some benefits for Liverpool given that he would not cost a fee.
In addition, the Belgian would present another option for Klopp, particularly if Can leaves this summer.
Having said that, though, Fellaini does bring with him a negative edge, that some would see as dirty tactics.
Everybody in the BT Sports studio let out a dry chuckle when Harry Redknapp joked about Liverpool and Tottenham scrapping it out to avoid the Europa League following the former’s 4-1 defeat to Arsenal earlier this month, but that may well be the deepest, darkest, most paradoxical wish of his twice-removed successor, Mauricio Pochettino.
Not to suggest Spurs’ tepid form since a 3-0 defeat to Manchester United in March has been in any way unnaturally orchestrated; there’s no Europa-League-gate conspiracy requiring unearthing.
But as Redknapp proclaimed in 2011, the Europa League is a ‘killer’ for Premier League clubs; it saps squad fitness, causes unnecessary injuries, obliges league fixtures to be rescheduled on Sundays and adds an extra 19 games to the campaign if you’re unfortunate enough to reach the tournament’s final.
Spurs are hardly in a position to be turning down silverware, especially trophies of such continental repute, and winning the tournament next season would give Pochettino an unorthodox route to his ultimate task as White Hart Lane manager – qualification into the Champions League.
However, the track record of the Europa League’s pejorative impact on English clubs speaks for itself. On average, teams finish 2.3 places lower in the Premier League the year after qualifying for Europe’s second tier tournament, the biggest slide being Newcastle’s eleven-place plummet in 2012/13. On only eight occasions since 2004, out of a possible 31, have English sides finished in a higher position than the year previous during campaigns of Europa League participation. And, albeit by the miniscule difference of just 0.02, Premier League sides claim less points than the 1.43 average in games immediately following Europa League fixtures.
So no matter how well-dressed ITV4 attempt to make it, as if the channel’s sheer name and lowly listing in the Radio Times isn’t conclusive enough, the Europa League is statistically proven to more likely hinder than help Premier League clubs – which makes you wonder how Pochettino’s first season at White Hart Lane would have gone if it hadn’t coincided with his first season in the Europa League.
Not that the Europa League has been a complete waste of time for the Argentine. He’s used it to examine the extremities of Tottenham’s holistic squad, giving fringe players and youngsters the opportunities to impress, and without his superfluous run of form during the tournament’s early stages, scoring five in his first four appearances, it’s unlikely Harry Kane would’ve found the confidence to unleash his godly netting prowess onto the Premier League in such emphatic fashion.
But following a campaign in which Tottenham have neither progressed nor regressed under their new manager, instead slowly transforming into a different kind of 6th-place animal, it’s a headache Pochettino simply doesn’t need.
So let’s look at the situation in reverse – how many clubs have benefitted from not playing in the Europa League. Although there’s no coherent pattern as such from the last decade, since 2008 (and assuming current league standings remain as they are at the end of May) seven out of a possible nine clubs to have finished in the top eight but not qualified for the Europa League have gone on to improve their league standing in the following season – the biggest difference being Liverpool’s jump from seventh to second between 2012 and 2014. The Anfield outfit are the only real anomaly – they didn’t qualify in 2010/11, but dropped two places to eighth the term after. Meanwhile, Everton maintained seventh place without qualifying two years in a row.
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To suggest not qualifying will have the same effect on Tottenham next season would be pure speculation – albeit, speculation based on some pretty solid quantitative evidence. But for a club that have regularly toyed with the top four during the last six years – and this season spent 15 weeks in the top six – non-involvement in the Europa League might finally provide the respite they need to fully focus on a successful Champions League bid. Admittedly, that would still likely require one of England’s regular representatives in Europe’s most coveted tournament to endure a disastrous campaign.
Unfortunately, however, barring a minor miracle, Spurs’ fate for next season is already sealed. With Chelsea winning the Capital One Cup and Arsenal widely expected to thump Aston Villa at Wembley in the FA Cup, it would take a plummet to eighth place to avoid next term’s Europa League. Currently, eighth-place Swansea are eight points behind.
But a man can dream and if its not already, only one thought should be crossing Pochettino’s mind at night; how to throw away Tottenham’s last four games without being done for match-fixing.