Manchester United manager Sir Alex Ferguson admitted that his side had enjoyed a 'good day' after they saw off Wigan Athletic 2-0 to draw level on points with Chelsea at the top of the Premier League table.
United took advantage of their rivals losing 1-0 at Birmingham City, with their win over the Latics at Old Trafford also seeing Wayne Rooney return to action as a substitute.
Ferguson told MUTV:"While it wasn't a great performance, it was competent and if you'd asked me at the start of the day, would I have taken joint top spot at the end of it, I would have said yes.
"It's been a good day for us, no question about that. This league is without doubt a high-quality league now. All the games you play are very difficult.
"You saw that last week when a young Aston Villa team came out and set about us. It was the same again today.
"I think we know ourselves that come the second half of the season we'll definitely get better.
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"At this moment in the time, we just need to be in that bit at the top of the league. We're joint top with Chelsea now."Subscribe to Football FanCast News Headlines by Email
Crouch began his career at White Hart Lane and he apparently hopes to end it there. His first stay at the Lane as a teenager ended without him making a first team appearance. After moving about a fair amount, he found his way back to Tottenham once more with a move from Portsmouth in 2009. He’s now a Spurs regular and is keen for things to stay that way.
“I’m so happy here that I want to be here for the rest of my career,” Crouch told The People.“For a time at Liverpool, I didn’t think I would ever leave there – but eventually felt I had to move on. Here I am so settled and there is no limit to what we can achieve. Unless they kick me out, I’ll be hanging around!”
Although he looks back at his time with Liverpool with something approaching affection, he’s clearly very happy at Tottenham. Of course, players show a different face to the media than they do when it comes to contract negotiations, but Crouch seems to be sincere. Will the news that Crouch is willing to commit to Tottenham for the long-term have fans jumping for joy?
Now I’ve always thought that Crouch was underrated striker. He has a great touch, is dominant in the air, and does chip in with the goals. When things go right for Crouch, he’s as good a striker as anybody else in the Premier League. He has been England’s most consistent striker for the last couple of years. Yet, some might say that that reveals more about the state of England’s attack than Crouch’s ability.
There is room for criticism – does Crouch score enough goals? He has played 62 games for Tottenham and scored 21 goals. Not the best return for a striker. In his time at Portsmouth he scored 11 goals in 38 appearances. Whilst at Liverpool he scored a measly 22 goals in 85 appearances. Whilst these stats aren’t bad per se, they aren’t particularly prolific either.
If Spurs really are ready for the big time as Harry Redknapp and a number of pundits seem to be claiming, they are going to need strikers that provide the goods. At the moment too much of the goal-scoring burden is put on midfielders like Rafael van der Vaart and Gareth Bale. If Spurs are going to contend for the title, they desperately need a 20+ goals per season striker. Perhaps this man could be Defoe, but it certainly doesn’t look to be Crouch.
Whilst his comments are flattering for Spurs fans, the cold hard truth of the matter is that Crouch either needs to raise his game or consider his future. As Spurs aim for glory, certain players will get left behind as others go onto great things. I hate to say it, but at the moment, Crouch looks more likely to get left behind, rather than swept along with the tide.
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Tonight West Ham and Birmingham City are set to do battle at Upton Park in the first leg of the semi-final of the Carling Cup. For both teams who face the threat of relegation from the Premier League, the Carling Cup provides them with the opportunity to get to Wembley and the possibility of winning some silverware. With just two matches standing between the Hammers and the Blues and the final, which players will prove to be the tie winners?
After resting several key figures in the FA Cup fixture at the weekend, West Ham will bring back the likes of Matthew Upson and Frederic Piquionne into their starting XI. They will perhaps be most greatly boosted by the inclusion of Scott Parker, their midfield talisman. Parker has been immense for West Ham this season and this is reflected in the Picklive stats, where he’s the Hammers’ third top points’ scorer with an average of 51.
This is only bettered by fellow midfielder Mark Noble, who is leading the way for West Ham in Picklive this season, and Danny Gabbidon who has netted 54 points per game. With Birmingham likely to be on the defensive in the first leg, it is fairly likely that West Ham could earn a clean sheet and thus Gabbidon would be a wise selection. Picking Scott Parker for your Picklive Trio is a must, as if you’ve seen West Ham play this season, you’ll know just how important Parker is to Avram Grant’s side.
For Birmingham, getting to the Carling Cup final would prove to be an achievement that Alex McLeish and his side can be proud of. After the side’s 4-1 drubbing of Millwall in the FA Cup they should be full of confidence and looking to continue their good cup form. One man in particular who that applies for is Matt Derbyshire, and after limited game time this season, he will not want to pass up another opportunity should he be rewarded for his brace on Saturday.
Birmingham’s top Picklive points’ scorers this season have been Barry Ferguson, Liam Ridgewell and Roger Johnson, scoring an average of 56, 45 and 44 points per game respectively. This makes Ferguson a sensible selection, but with West Ham hardly prolific in front of goal, the choice of Johnson in your trio could well be a good one.
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So when you settle down to play live fantasy football tonight, who will you select as your Picklive trio? May I suggest Danny Gabbidon, Scott Parker and Roger Johnson. Make sure you join us for the match later by clicking the link below and proving you’re the fantasy football king!
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Hamburg striker Ruud van Nistelrooy will leave the club at the end of the season after being denied a return to Real Madrid, his agent says.
The 34-year-old Dutchman has been the subject of two transfer bids from former club Real this month, both of which have been rejected by Hamburg.
As a result, Van Nistelrooy’s agent, Rodger Linse, says that his client will not extend his contract at Hamburg when it runs out at the end of the season.
“A contract extension with Hamburg can now be ruled out. This is not possible any more,” Linse told the Hamburger Morgenpost.
“He cannot understand it (why Hamburg did not let him go) and he has got a problem with it. It is very, very painful,” Linse said.
“It is sad because Hamburg have no idea what they are doing to Ruud with this decision.”
A prolific goalscorer at former clubs PSV Eindhoven, Manchester United and Real, Van Nistelrooy netted 46 goals in 68 games during his three-and-a-half-year stay in the Spanish capital.
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He made the switch from Real to Hamburg in January 2010 and has scored six goals in the current Bundesliga campaign, which sees Hamburg sit in sixth position, 17 points adrift of leaders Borussia Dortmund.
Real are eager to sign a striker as cover for Argentine Gonzalo Higuain, who is out for several months following back surgery.
As the transfer window slammed shut on what was a rather eventful deadline day, clubs are left to reflect on whether they have done enough to secure their club’s passage to success or ensure their safety. Supporters will be debating whether their respective clubs did enough in the January window, or if they have missed a golden opportunity.
I have to confess that I am not a great lover of the transfer window and will be championing the call of Richard Bevan and the LMA in having the process scrapped. The current transfer set-up, especially the January window, creates a state of panic among football clubs who on some occasions buy players simply for the sake of it, despite the added premium that is added to the price tag.
The problem is when there is a set time frame like the January window, it is the selling club that holds all the cards. That is why so many chairmen leave it so late to conduct all their business as the final few hours sees the guard generally slip and suddenly move into a buyer’s market. Unfortunately it doesn’t leave much time for deals to be completed and ultimately clubs are left disappointed. It is a vicious circle that chairmen find themselves in and in my view will always be the same while we continue with the current set-up. Scrapping the window will stop these acts of brinkmanship from club chairmen and bring a lot more common sense back to the game.
One of the key aspects to provide a sane transfer window is for every club to be sensible. Unfortunately that is never the case and Aston Villa ensured that there will be fun and games this January with a £24m deal for Darren Bent. While that fee could now be seen as a relative bargain in comparison to yesterday’s sales of Fernando Torres and Andy Carroll, it initiated the proceedings as clubs reviewed their own pricing policy and used Bent’s fee as a reason to justify it. Would Newcastle ever have got any offers close to £35m for Andy Carroll at the start of January? I think you know that particular answer.
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There is no doubting that what the transfer window does bring is an element of excitement to the proceedings and I am sure that there were many who spent all day listening to the radio or watching Sky Sports News in the hope that your club was linked with a big move. Like all windows there were plenty of rumours and hot air about, but ultimately very few transfers actually took place as clubs ran out of time to secure deals, leaving managers frustrated and no doubt supporters alike. Unfortunately I fear it will always remain that way as the selling club holds all the cards and that is why the sooner football authorities look to scrap the window the better. Deadline day may provide a good day of entertainment, but ultimately it doesn’t do football clubs any favours.
After Spurs clinched the signing of promising full-back duo Kyle Naughton and Kyle Walker from Sheffield United back in 2009, it seemed the only way was up for the pair, but in the intervening seasons, one has fared a damn sight better than the other in what really is a tale of the two Kyles.
Kyle Naughton looked all but set to clinch a move to Everton in the summer of 2009, before an £11m joint bid for both him and Walker galumphed the Toffees and they sealed their respective moves to Spurs – a switch Naughton may regret now.
Naughton forced his way into the Blades starting line-up in the 2008/9 season and displayed a maturity to his play that surprised many observers. His excellent form throughout the campaign meant he sealed a place in the Championship PFA Team of the Year at the end of the season. Capable of playing at right midfield as well as right back, Naughton was shifted to left back upon the younger Walker’s emergence to the Blades first-team squad in their eye-catching play-off run.
However, Naughton found his route into the starting eleven at White Hart Lane blocked after his move, with the likes of Alan Hutton and Vedran Corluka the preffered choices.
Sensibly, for a young player biding his time, he was farmed out on loan to Middlesbrough in the January transfer window last season, making 15 league appearances and so far this term, he’s been a regular at Leicester since his loan switch with 17 league appearances to his name. But, having just turned 22 years old, it’s fair to say that Naughton wouldn’t have envisaged himself plying his trade back in the Championship by this point in his career.
Contrast Naughton’s story with that of fellow former Blade Kyle Walker, and the difference is startling. Walker was relatively unknown compared to Naughton when they completed their moves to Spurs, having only forced his way into the Blades starting line up due to injuries in their run to the Playoff Final in 2009.
A loan move back to Sheffield United immediately upon completing his permanent switch to Spurs was secured and with little competition for the right back berth now with Naughton out of the picture, he started 26 league games last season for Sheffield United.
Powerfully built and with a great turn of pace, Walker is a completely different player to Naughton, and some would say, more suited to the rigours of the Premier League. While he may not be as versatile as Naughton, that may have been to his benefit so far in his fledgling career.
A loan move to Championship pacesetters QPR was sealed this season after impressing at his hometown club Sheffield United last term and fans of English football’s second tier were regularly treated to his rampaging runs down the right hand flank as Walker began to catch the eye with a string of man-of-the-match performances.
When his spell at QPR expired, under-pressure Aston Villa manager Gerard Houllier sprang a surprise by signing Walker on loan until the end of the season from Spurs. His top flight experience is so far minimal, but he’s already scored a goal on his debut against his former club Sheffield United in the FA Cup third round and a fantastic strike in the Premier League against Fulham.
He’s taken to the top flight like a duck to water so far and was named in Fabio Capello’s England squad for the recent friendly against Denmark. At just 20 years of age, Walker appears to be held in higher esteem at Spurs and in the wider footballing community than Naughton is at the moment.
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A lot of this comes down to the success of their respective loan moves. Naughton missed the first full six months of last season sat on the bench or featuring for the reserves at Spurs. It was only after clinching a move to Middlesbrough in January, a team that has rather surprisingly struggled to come to terms with life in the Championship over past 12 months or so after former manager Gordon Strachan‘s Old Firm experiment went terribly wrong, that Naughton was able to start playing week in week out once more.
Leicester have also undergone a rapid turnaround from last season, and although both of the sides that Naughton has joined are big sides expected to trouble the playoffs at the end of the season, both have collectively under performed ensuring that he’s been kept out of the limelight up until now.
Walker has been fortuitous enough to have enjoyed a fantastic loan spell at Championship leaders QPR, managed by former Sheffield United boss Neil Warnock. QPR have fostered a great team spirit so far this campaign, built around the exploits of mercurial midfielder Adel Taraabt and they look all but certain to achieve promotion to the top tier this season.
The success of his QPR spell has snowballed into recognition from the top flight, which in turn has brought recognition from England too. Of course, Naughton is still a regular with the Stuart Pearce’s under 21 side, but unfortunately they do not garner the same media attention.
The difference in age between the pair is around 18 months, and in the last 18 months both players’ careers have taken strikingly diverging paths. Walker’s career appears to be on the up and he could well be starting for Spurs at right back next term if he keeps up his form at Aston Villa, with many Spurs fans remaining unconvinced about Alan Hutton’s pedigree for the position in the long-term.
Naughton’s career has stalled somewhat over the past year or so, but the resurgence at his current club Leicester under former England coach Sven Goran Eriksson is worth looking at. Their steady climb up the table now sees them occupy 8th place in the league, just four points from sixth placed Leeds in the playoff positions, with Naughton’s form excellent along the way.
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Naughton’s deal has been extended until the end of the season by Sven and Naughton could yet be toasting a triumphant return to the top flight with promotion with loan club Leicester, but for now, Walker remains in pole position for a starting place at Spurs in the future. The irony that the senior Kyle’s route into the first-team at his parent club could be blocked by his Sheffield United understudy won’t be lost on Naughton and the tale of the two Kyles looks set to turn into the battle of the two Kyles at Spurs next season.
What does everyone else think – Will Walker and Naughton be given a far shot at Spurs next season? Who will win the battle for the right back slot at Spurs assuming Redknapp will seek to replace Alan Hutton?
Manchester United manager Sir Alex Ferguson praised surprise starter Javier Hernandez for his eye for goal in their 4-0 rout of Wigan on Saturday.
The Scot gave the Mexican striker a chance to impress at the DW Stadium, opting to bench Golden Boot leader Dimitar Berbatov, but Hernandez vindicated his manager’s decision by scoring United’s first two goals to increase their lead at the top of the table to four points.
The brace earned Hernandez his eighth and ninth goals of the league season, and Ferguson praised the efficiency of the 22-year-old.
“He is very, very good. You’re hoping he gets those chances and he does put them away, his percentage is very high and we’re very pleased with his performance today,” Ferguson said.
Wigan had several decent chances of their own early in the first half, and it was only in the final 10 minutes that United were able to establish a comfortable buffer.
“The first 20 minutes it was all Wigan, (they had) some great attempts. We’ll have to thank our goalkeeper Edwin van der Sar who was terrific, he stood up very well and made two or three very good saves,” Ferguson said.
“We got the goal from a little breakaway, it was a terrific finish from Chicharito (Hernandez), of course, that’s what he’s good at.”
“Second half I thought we played really well. Excellent performance in the second half – we could’ve scored a few more goals.”
Wigan coach Roberto Martinez said the scoreline, which included three goals in the final 20 minutes, flattered the league leaders.
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“If you watch the game I don’t think it (the scoreline) reflected the performance at all, but when you play against a Manchester United side and you want to win the game you need to take the chances and create,” he told Sky Sports.
“I felt the first-half performance was very, very good. You go into the half-time 1-0 down and sometimes it’s really hard to take, (but) Man United today were clinical in their counter-attacks and they took advantage of it.”
Gent missed a chance to close the gap on Belgian First Division leaders Genk and Anderlecht when they were held 1-1 at Mechelen on Saturday.The third-placed side could have drawn within five points of both teams, who are split by goal difference at the top of the league table, with victory.But they were forced to settle for a point when David de Storme nabbed an injury-time equaliser for the hosts.Senegalese striker Elimane Coulibaly had earlier put Gent into the lead with his eighth goal of the season, finding the net in the 77th minute.Elsewhere, Kortrijk ended a run of four straight league losses thanks to a visit from bottom-placed Charleroi, running out 3-0 winners to climb to ninth on the table.Davy De Beule scored a first-half brace for the hosts, interrupted by a rare goal from defender Sven Kums.Lokeren consolidated their place in the top six with a 2-1 win at home over 10-man Zulte-Waregem.Alfredh Finnbogason and Benjamin de Ceulaer scored within the first 10 minutes for the hosts, before Zulte-Waregem threatened a second-half comeback with Thomas Matton’s 49th-minute goal.But the danger quickly passed as defender Miguel Dachelet was sent off for a second caution in the 56th minute.Finally, Sint-Truiden defeated fellow relegation battlers Germinal Beerschot 1-0 on Gregory Dufer’s 61st-minute winner, and Westerlo triumphed 1-0 at Cercle Brugge courtesy of Dieter Dekelver.
It’s 1:43am and I’m struggling to conceive one positive sentence about either of Arsenal’s fit goalkeepers – Jens Lehmann and Manuel Almunia. I suppose the idea is to weigh up the facts and decide which is least awful but the mere fact that both ‘keepers are yet again competing against each other for Arsenal’s number 1 jersey, at a time when the Gunners’ Premier League campaign hangs unnervingly in the balance, is keeping me awake.
Don’t get me wrong, seeing Lehmann push an opposition striker for the crime of lingering near the German brings me far greater pleasure than the wet, apologetic look Almunia wears on his face each time he mopes back to the dressing room following a game of dropped balls and dropped points. Especially, that is, when the irritant striker is Robbie Keane (2004) or Didier Drogba (2006).
It’s pretty obvious that Lehmann, when he eventually hangs up his gloves for the last time, will be able to revisit his career with more fond memories than his Spanish counterpart. That’s not to say Lehmann hasn’t been privy to as many glaring errors as Almunia, but the current holder of squad-number 1 will strain to recall any significant contribution made during seven seasons with Arsenal. Lehmann has recently admitted that the decision to bring down Samuel Eto’o in the 2006 Champions League Final, a prerequisite for his early dismissal, is his biggest regret in football. Despite this oversight, it was Lehamann who in stoppage-time of Arsenal’s semi-final second leg against Villarreal saved Juan Roman Riquelme’s penalty to send his team to the Stade de France.
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In spite of the disappointment in Paris, Lehmann was awarded the UEFA Club Goalkeeper of Year, helped Germany to third place at his home nation’s World Cup and was selected in the FIFA World Cup All-Star Team later that summer. Almost five years have passed since his halcyon days and the German is now 41.
‘Mad Jens’ marked his first return to the Arsenal side he left in 2008, playing for a reserve XI against Wigan, with a less than inspiring goalkeeping demonstration. Arsene Wenger did not attend the match at the Robin Park Arena in Wigan but will do well to avoid the widespread criticism Lehmann faces for his farcical performance. The former Stuttgart ‘keeper confessed he was surprised to receive a call from Wenger, but the 200-strong audience which included Arsenal goalkeeping coach, Gerry Payton, will not have been shocked by Lehmann’s erratic and error-laden display.
Wenger’s alternative is to re-promote Almunia to the position of Arsenal’s number 1, but the Spaniard has spent most of the current campaign injured or playing up-front for West Brom, so represents an uncertain option. One diminutive spec of encouragement for Wenger is the solidity Almunia exhibited when called upon to replace the injured Wojciech Szczesny at the Nou Camp earlier this month. The Gunners were sent inauspiciously back to London following a 3-1 defeat but their stand-in goalkeeper didn’t put a foot, or hand, wrong.
The fact that Wenger attends training this morning unable to escape the deja-vu of his own making emphasises a wider issue that has frustrated Arsenal fans since the departure of David Seaman. It is truly remarkable that at this stage of ‘Wenger’s Young Guns’ development the Frenchman faces the prospect of choosing between the two goalkeepers who have both produced the extraordinary and held Arsenal back in equal measure over the last seven years. I would have thought Almunia provides the greater security heading in to the final few matches of Arsenal’s fading title campaign as the lesser of two evils, or rather the least comedic of the two clowns.
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Next month we have the small matter of the Manchester derby to look forward to. This is no ordinary Manchester derby (if such a thing exists), as Manchester United and City will be going head-to-head in the FA Cup semi final at Wembley, with the winners one step closer to climbing the steps at the home of English football. However, you don’t have to wait until April for a Manchester invasion of London…
On Tuesday 29th March, Manchester’s finest Elbow are heading down to the capital to play a gig at the O2 Arena. Like football in Manchester, Elbow are most definitely on the way up and the 2008 Mercury Music Prize winners, led by Guy Garvey, are not to be missed.
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Win tickets to see Elbow at the O2 with Football FanCast
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Following the immense success of the double platinum selling ‘The Seldom Seen Kid’, Elbow are pleased to announce that the release of their fifth studio album will be on 7th March 2011 and massive UK Tour – the biggest in their history!
The band will be playing at Manchester Evening News Arena (25/03/2011), Brighton Centre (27/03/2011), O2 arena (29/03/2011).
To celebrate the band’s UK Tour in March, we have teamed up with Shoot Promotions for an almighty competition! We have 2 pairs of tickets to be won to see the band live at the O2 Arena on Tuesday 29th March 2011.
For a chance to win a pair of tickets to see Elbow all you have to do is answer this simple question…
What is the name of the band’s current single?
A. Neat Little Rows
B. Neat Little Floodlights
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C. Neat Little Pitch
Email your answer to [email protected] to be in with a chance of winning this fantastic prize!
The competition closes on Monday 28th March at 9am so make sure you get your answers in now!
For the FootballFanCast.com Competition Terms and Conditions click here. Please note that the competition prize is a pair of tickets only, no travel expenses incurred will be paid.