The sight of Fernando Torres pulling up injured in the World Cup final would have been far more of a concern for Liverpool fans than those cheering the Spanish on. As with the last three seasons he has been at Anfield, he will be an integral part of any success Liverpool hope to achieve, and – assuming they can hold on to him -Roy Hodgson will hope he stays as fit as possible. But while Torres stuttered in South Africa, another Spanish forward has been excelling on the international stage.

Dani Pacheco has been the catalyst of another batch of talented Spaniards, at the under-19 European championships currently being played in France. The diminutive forward has been at Liverpool since 2007 after honing his craft at Barcelona’s La Cantera since he was 12. Although Liverpool have already picked up players in the transfer window – Cole, Shelvey, Wilson and Jovanovic – Hodgson isn’t blessed with an abundance of strikers. When Torres was absent last season Rafa Benitez turned to David N’Gog. Dirk Kuyt and Ryan Babel, both strikers in their native Holland, have been used in wide positions and it remains to be seen – with Babel especially – if they are given a chance down the middle. Pacheco made just four appearances last season, but if Hogdson looks at his new team as a blank canvas, it may be the least experienced of Liverpool’s strikers who catches the new manager’s eye.

Part of the reason that other strikers have found it hard to cement themselves in the Liverpool team has been Rafa Benitez’s preference for a single striker. When playing Torres, with Gerrard just behind, the two have excelled and the team has performed well. For the likes of Robbie Keane, Craig Bellamy and Peter Crouch, the lack of opportunities has seen them move on. Pacheco is still only 19 and may be more patient in waiting for his chance. Much will depend on whether Hodgson will buy another striker and what system he decides to play.

As with so many who have come through the ranks at Barcelona, Pacheco is blessed with quick feet, good passing and a clinical finish. With Joe Cole and a more settled Alberto Aquilani, the team will hopefully offer more creativity than last season. Far be it from me to tread over old ground, but Alonso was a loss last season, and already this squad looks a more balanced one than twelve months ago. If Liverpool are to play the type of football that they have been capable of in the past, Pacheco, along with the new signings, could add an extra spark.

The system Hodgson deploys will also play a part in how he can utilise Pacheco. At 5″6″, there is a lack of physical presence so being asked to fill in for Torres up front on his own may be asking too much. But playing alongside him, on either side of a front three, or even as a central midfielder would play to his strengths.

FootballFanCast General Stay ahead in the world of football analysis, commentary, and fan insights with FootballFancast. Subscribe FootballFanCast General Stay ahead in the world of football analysis, commentary, and fan insights with FootballFancast.

---

Subscribe

By subscribing, you agree to receive newsletter and marketing emails, and accept Valnet’s Terms of Use and Privacy Policy. You can unsubscribe anytime.

While he is performing well for Spain at the moment, he is not playing in front of Hodgson every day like the rest of the squad, and the new boss may wait until he has cast his own eye on him properly. I’m not saying his performances will not have gone unnoticed, but I’d hope that the fact that he’s missing part of his club’s pre-season, and that he may not have had a decent rest over the summer, do not go against him when trying to break into the first team.

Clearly Liverpool haven’t been where they want to be over the last couple of years, and if ever there was an opportunity to start afresh and give new players and ideas a chance, this must surely be it. The ongoing frictions between the board and the pitch mean that funds are at a premium for Hodgson and his team. Maybe in Dani Pacheco he has what he needs right under his nose? He has consistently turned in quality performances for the reserves and youth team, and he may now be ready to make the step up.

In response to the volatility of today’s footballing climate, Sir Alex Ferguson is starting to resemble his Arsenal counterpart due to his reluctance to spend big and a shared ethos on the importance of youth at both their respective clubs.

Sir Alex has been somewhat quiet this transfer window in comparison to previous ones. Ferguson parted with £10 million to bring former Fulham youngster Chris Smalling to Old Trafford and £8 million on Javier Hernandez; a potential bargain following his electric showing for Mexico at this summer’s World Cup.

Similarly, Arsene Wenger has been equally careful, bringing in Moroccan international Marouane Chamakh from Bordeaux on a free transfer and defender Laurent Koscielny on an undisclosed free (thought to be around £8.5 million) to replace William Gallas and Phillipe Senderos who have been allowed to leave the club.

While Wenger’s shrewdness in the transfer market is nothing new, Ferguson’s has developed due to a combination of factors. With today’s increasingly inflated transfer market representing little or no value for money, the onus is on developing in-house talent to avoid delving too deep into the rip-off world of expensive summer signings. Although David Gill insists that money is available for a potential big-name signing, the astronomical debt which the Glazer’s have saddled on the club dictates the need for a certain thriftiness in relation to club transfer policy.

Both Ferguson and Wenger are deeply committed to nurturing and developing young players who can ultimately fulfil their potential and feature heavily in their club’s future. Wenger has always been an advocate of the importance of youth academies to the livelihood of a club and the success of the Arsenal academy is testament to his belief. His Arsenal squad boasts young players who have come through the ranks to play for the Gunners on a regular basis. This includes club captain Cesc Fàbregas and Nicklas Bendtner. In addition to academy players, Wenger has bolstered his squad with players whom he has bought at a young age to supplement the talent already coming out of the academy program.

In his long reign as Manchester United boss, Sir Alex Ferguson has also been an advocate of giving youth a chance and this season’s crop of talent is perfectly positioned to take advantage of the manager’s dedication to youth development.

New signings Smalling and Hernandez have joined their new teammates on the Red Devil’s pre-season tour of America where Ferguson has been eager to blood some of his young talent. With those players who played at the World Cup receiving a break, the friendlies against Celtic and Kansas City provided an ideal proving ground for Ferguson’s young charges.

In their first game Stateside, United’s youngsters didn’t disappoint as the Red Devils ran out comfortable 3-1 winners against Celtic with Tom Cleverley and Danny Wellbeck amongst the scorers in Toronto.

Despite not scoring, French winger Gabriel Obertan put the misery of an injury-plagued first season at Old Trafford behind him with a promising performance against the Bhoys, crossing for Berbatov to score the opening goal. Obertan capped off an impressive tour so far by bagging the only goal in the 1-0 victory over Philadelphia Union.

The success of Ferguson’s youth system can be seen in the number of youth and reserve team players that now feature heavily in the Manchester United first-team. Recent graduates such as Darren Fletcher, Jonny Evans and Darron Gibson have all featured prominently last season in United’s push for silverware, along with fully-established players like Ryan Giggs, Gary Neville and Paul Scholes who have also come through the youth set-up at United.

FootballFanCast General Stay ahead in the world of football analysis, commentary, and fan insights with FootballFancast. Subscribe FootballFanCast General Stay ahead in the world of football analysis, commentary, and fan insights with FootballFancast.

---

Subscribe

By subscribing, you agree to receive newsletter and marketing emails, and accept Valnet’s Terms of Use and Privacy Policy. You can unsubscribe anytime.

Despite not being the best of friends, Ferguson and Wenger might have more in common than meets the eye. Alan Hansen famously stated “you’ll never win anything with kids!” Arsenal and Manchester United will be looking to prove him wrong.

Click on image to see a gallery of the BEST BABES at the World Cup this summer

Is Lucas Leiva good enough to play for Liverpool Football Club? That’s the question that still divides Reds supporters’ opinions on Merseyside, three years after his move from Brazilian side Gremio. Despite making over 100 appearances for the club and becoming a first-team regular, the jury remains firmly out on Lucas. With Italian side Palermo desperate to land the Liverpool No.21, is it time for the club to cut their losses and let the player move on?

The expectation level placed on the Brazilian international following his £6m move to England in 2007 was enormous. The midfielder was making headlines in his homeland, helping Gremio to the state championship with a series of outstanding displays. Lucas also became the youngest ever player to receive the Bola de Ouro award, as the league’s player of the year in 2006, an award previously won by Kaka, Carlos Tevez and Robinho. When Liverpool managed to fend off reported interest from Inter Milan and Juventus to capture the player’s signature, many supporters felt that former manager Rafael Benitez had pulled off a major transfer coup.

Fast forward to 2010 and the start of Roy Hodgson’s reign at Liverpool and many fans are wondering if Lucas will ever fulfil his world class potential or if he is destined to go down as another mistake by Benitez in the transfer market. The Brazilian enjoyed his best season at the club last term with some much improved performances and is slowly beginning to win over the club’s doubting fans. Lucas is certainly not a bad player; it is more a question of whether he is good enough for Liverpool and is likely to improve. At 19 Lucas was hailed as the future of Brazilian football, but at 23 his lack of progression is worrying.

The weight of expectation seems to have been more of a hindrance than a help to Lucas throughout his Liverpool career. Following a settling in period and 32 appearances in a distinctly average debut season for The Reds, Lucas was expected to shine during the 2008/09 season. Instead Lucas endured a torrid campaign littered with inconsistent performances and glaring mistakes, most notably being sent off in an FA Cup tie against bitter rivals Everton before his side were eliminated.

While some fans are left baffled by his continued inclusion in Liverpool’s starting line-up, Lucas is obviously highly-rated by the managers he has worked with. Lucas has been tipped to star as a central figure in a new look Brazilian national side following their quarter-final elimination at the World Cup to Holland. Lucas was also named as Liverpool’s stand-in club captain during pre-season, a position he also held while playing for Brazil’s U-20s.

Lucas is not a naturally spectacular or extravagant player and sometimes his work can go undetected throughout a game. Lucas does the simple things well, offering both cover defensively with his outstanding work rate and help going forward when necessary. Lucas is often criticised for not being attacking enough and his presence in the team sheet alongside a defensive midfielder is often construed as overtly negative. He has also had to compete against world class midfielder Steven Gerrard, Spain regular Xabi Alonso, Argentina captain Javier Mascherano and £17m signing Alberto Aquilani for a regular run of games at the heart of the Liverpool midfield during his time at the club, a difficult task for any player in the world. To play the amount of games he has in such a competitive area of the team is impressive and his versatility in midfield is definitely a bonus for the squad.

Despite Palermo remaining confident of securing Lucas’ signature, the club’s valuation of the player remain poles apart. The Serie A side had a pitiful £3m bid knocked back last month but aim to return with a £5m offer before the transfer window shuts. Hodgson would also be reluctant to let another midfielder go after defensive lynchpin Mascherano revealed his desire to leave the club this summer. Lucas has been told he remains a key figure in Hodgson’s plans and the midfielder believes he can soften the blow of Mascherano’s departure by taking over Argentine’s defensive duties on a permanent basis this season.

“I know I am able to do that [occupy the Mascherano role] because last season I played a few games when Javier was at right-back,” said Lucas. “I’ve got no problem with doing that job. We all hope Javier stays because he is such a good player but if my chances come I will try and take them.”

Like this blog? Read more articles from the author below-

Why Hodgson deserves better than Fayed cheap shot

Premier League clubs curb summer spending

Liverpool set for challenging season

*

FootballFanCast General Stay ahead in the world of football analysis, commentary, and fan insights with FootballFancast. Subscribe FootballFanCast General Stay ahead in the world of football analysis, commentary, and fan insights with FootballFancast.

---

Subscribe

By subscribing, you agree to receive newsletter and marketing emails, and accept Valnet’s Terms of Use and Privacy Policy. You can unsubscribe anytime.

With the PL season nearly upon us, let’s see the WAGS that will be keeping the players on their toes. Click on image to VIEW gallery

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.

FootballFanCast General Stay ahead in the world of football analysis, commentary, and fan insights with FootballFancast. Subscribe FootballFanCast General Stay ahead in the world of football analysis, commentary, and fan insights with FootballFancast.

---

Subscribe

By subscribing, you agree to receive newsletter and marketing emails, and accept Valnet’s Terms of Use and Privacy Policy. You can unsubscribe anytime.

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.

Follow me on Twitter

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

FootballFanCast General Stay ahead in the world of football analysis, commentary, and fan insights with FootballFancast. Subscribe FootballFanCast General Stay ahead in the world of football analysis, commentary, and fan insights with FootballFancast.

---

Subscribe

By subscribing, you agree to receive newsletter and marketing emails, and accept Valnet’s Terms of Use and Privacy Policy. You can unsubscribe anytime.

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.

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.

FootballFanCast General Stay ahead in the world of football analysis, commentary, and fan insights with FootballFancast. Subscribe FootballFanCast General Stay ahead in the world of football analysis, commentary, and fan insights with FootballFancast.

---

Subscribe

By subscribing, you agree to receive newsletter and marketing emails, and accept Valnet’s Terms of Use and Privacy Policy. You can unsubscribe anytime.

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

Subscribe to Football FanCast News Headlines by Email

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.

[divider]

[divider]

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.

FootballFanCast General Stay ahead in the world of football analysis, commentary, and fan insights with FootballFancast. Subscribe FootballFanCast General Stay ahead in the world of football analysis, commentary, and fan insights with FootballFancast.

---

Subscribe

By subscribing, you agree to receive newsletter and marketing emails, and accept Valnet’s Terms of Use and Privacy Policy. You can unsubscribe anytime.

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!

Tottenham firmly announced themselves on the European stage this week, with a comfortable 3-1 defeat of holders Inter Milan. After their impressive by ultimately futile, second half display at the San Siro two weeks ago, this performance had Tottenham legends of the past comparing the victory to some of the club’s most memorable nights.

During a busy week for Spurs, there was also enough time for a controversial late goal conceded last week, and a very interesting game of cat and mouse between Harry Redknapp and the Premier League.

Wednesday’s result has sent the blogging networks into overdrive. There are entries on Gareth Bale’s rise from statistical burden to world beater, Peter Crouch’s none too impressive strike rate since his move from Portsmouth and potential transfer targets for Spurs during January’s window.

As always we also have the best of the web.

Featured articles of the week

*

The Premier League’s new comic strip # 2

Walcott and Bale finally fulfilling the hype

Why Peter Crouch needs to take a back seat

Four transfer targets for Tottenham to ponder

Another FIVE things we learnt from Tottenham’s demolition

How Inter star failed his transfer audition at White Hart Lane

Give technology an inch in football, then eventually it will take a mile

One DEAL that Daniel Levy has to get right

There’s simply no better inspiration for Gareth Bale to follow

Spurs, Liverpool, United…whose need for Real Madrid swoop is greater?

WAG Weekly: Bale scores a beauty…well sort off!

*

Click here to see the Best TOTTENHAM BLOGS around the Web this week

Best of the Web

FootballFanCast General Stay ahead in the world of football analysis, commentary, and fan insights with FootballFancast. Subscribe FootballFanCast General Stay ahead in the world of football analysis, commentary, and fan insights with FootballFancast.

---

Subscribe

By subscribing, you agree to receive newsletter and marketing emails, and accept Valnet’s Terms of Use and Privacy Policy. You can unsubscribe anytime.

Do you know your history? – Dear Mr Levy

Inter for supper: Trotters for lunch – Spurs Musings with JimmyG2

Bale, Taxis and Two Fiddy’s Up – Who Framed Ruel Fox?

Sign This Petition And Help Get Him Sacked – Harry Hotspur

Another fine mess Mr Clattenburg- Spurs Musings with JimmyG2

Whenever I hear the name, Frank McAvennie, I instantly remember the legacy he left after appearing on Soccer AM. After failing to get the ball through the hole in the car-park game ‘Wembley’, he blasted the ball in frustration straight into a ball-boys face. The car-park is still known to this day as the ‘Frank McAvennie car-park.’ But after digging a little further, I realised the former West Ham and Celtic striker represents much more than a funny anecdote.

The story of McAvennie’s career could be used as a warning to any young professional footballer. Swept from a life as a street cleaner, the Scot’s life exploded into a tale of fame and fortune, which he now openly admits contributed to the demise of his career.

He became the poster-boy of the ‘80s. Scoring goals for fun, winning medals, drinking champagne and having glamour models hanging on his arms would have been just an ordinary Saturday night for the striker. But as with most celebrity-footballers, it was all too good to be true.

Ironically, before becoming a professional footballer, McAvennie attempted to join the British Army, before he started his career in Scotland playing for St. Mirren. Good form and plenty of goals attracted the attention of clubs south of the boarder, and in 1985, he signed for West Ham, forming a formidable partnership up front with Tony Cottee. McAvennie scored 26 in his first season, helping the Hammers to their highest ever league position; finishing third, only four points off winning the league. Not bad for someone who can’t hit the target.

West Ham’s failed to build on their promise and McAvennie became stale at Upton Park. In 1987 he signed for his boyhood club, Celtic. The striker earned himself a place in the record books at Parkhead. Chasing a league and cup double, Macavennie scored twice in the final late on to win the game 2-1.

Despite recapturing his goal-scoring form at Celtic, McAvennie yearned for the London lifestyle and resigned for West Ham in ‘89 for £1.2 million, becoming the Hammers’ record signing. Upton Park felt like home to the Scot, but after turning down Arsenal to return to his old stomping ground, he signalled the end of Frank McAvennie as a top quality striker. Arsenal went on to win the league that season and West Ham were relegated.

A broken leg and lack of form saw McAvennie leave Upton Park once again for Celtic, via Aston Villa for a brief and unsuccessful period. The next few years were spent trying to find his feet at different clubs: Celtic, Swindon, (where he suffered another relegation, this time for the Premier League) Falkirk and he finally ended his career at 35, where it had begun, St. Mirren.

So, when trying to remember the ‘good old days’ it is worth taking the time to really think about the career of Frank McAvennie; once, he really was a quality footballer. But the warning is there for anyone who considers taking the highlife.

*

FootballFanCast General Stay ahead in the world of football analysis, commentary, and fan insights with FootballFancast. Subscribe FootballFanCast General Stay ahead in the world of football analysis, commentary, and fan insights with FootballFancast.

---

Subscribe

By subscribing, you agree to receive newsletter and marketing emails, and accept Valnet’s Terms of Use and Privacy Policy. You can unsubscribe anytime.

Star striker Darren Bent has admitted he is interested in extending his contract at Sunderland.

The 26-year-old hitman has been a sensation since moving to the Stadium of Light from Tottenham Hotspur last summer, scoring 34 goals in 53 appearances.

This form has allowed him to assert himself in the England squad and so it comes as no surprise that he is enjoying life on Wearside.

He has been the subject of transfer speculation in recent times despite his current contract taking him up until 2013. And with the high regard he holds for manager Steve Bruce, he has admitted he is happy to extend his stay.

Speaking to the News of the World, Bent said:"I can't believe how well it's gone. If the offer of an extension came up I'd be more than happy to sign it.

"It's all about the football up here. It's all passion, passion, passion, but the supporters' intensity has never scared me.

FootballFanCast General Stay ahead in the world of football analysis, commentary, and fan insights with FootballFancast. Subscribe FootballFanCast General Stay ahead in the world of football analysis, commentary, and fan insights with FootballFancast.

---

Subscribe

By subscribing, you agree to receive newsletter and marketing emails, and accept Valnet’s Terms of Use and Privacy Policy. You can unsubscribe anytime.

"They are looking at me to get the goals and that is a massive confidence booster."

Bent has also hailed Bruce's man-management skills, saying that he has the ability to be the next England manager.Subscribe to Football FanCast News Headlines by Email