Charlie Adam’s first half goal proved to be enough for Stoke to see off Fulham at the Britannia Stadium.
The Potters made it 13 games without defeat on home soil to move level on points with the visitors, who saw they four match unbeaten run on the road brought to an end.
Martin Jol’s men were beaten in their own backyard by Sunderland last Sunday and missed the presence of suspended captain Brede Hangeland, with the hosts seeking to exploit their aerial superiority.
Robert Huth sent an early warning shot across the bow, heading a corner just wide of the post but the Cottagers failed to take heed and were trailing after 26 minutes.
A corner from Ryan Shotton found Peter Crouch and his header set up Adam to touch, swivel and shoot past Mark Schwarzer to score his second goal in three games.
Ryan Shawcross thought he’d doubled the lead after beating Schwarzer with a header from Matthew Etherington’s corner, only to see the ball cannon agonisingly back off the crossbar.
From that Fulham launched a swift counter attack but Mladen Petric was unable to apply the finishing touches before a dangerous delivery from Dimitar Berbatov went unchallenged.
Apart from that they were virtual bystanders for much of the 90 minutes and were lucky not to concede more than one goal with Glenn Whelan firing over in the second half after being teed up by Jon Walters.
The away sides best chance of an equaliser fell to the subdued Berbatov, but his strike was kept out by Asmir Begovic as their late attacking flurry failed to produce the desired result.
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And Kenwyne Jones thought he’d doubled Stokes lead in the dying embers only to be flagged for offside after mistiming his run to connect with Michael Kightlys pass.
David Moyes sympathizes with Premier League referees, but feels they are being let down by their assistants in games.
The Everton boss, who saw two penalty shouts waved away by referee Kevin Friend against Spurs on Sunday, said that at times it is the linesmen who should be supporting the man in the middle more.
Moyes feels that poor decisions have cost his side points this season. In September Newcastle came from behind to draw 2-2 after the officials ruled out a legitimate goal from Victor Anichebe, which would have put the Toffees 3-1 up.
“Being a referee nowadays comes with a much higher profile and it is also a much more challenging job,” Moyes told Goal. “The cameras and the technology now allow us to analyse every decision and for anyone who has never refereed a game I can tell you that it is very difficult as I do it most days in training.
“However, here comes a ‘but’ from me. What we’ve had in recent games, starting at Reading a few weeks ago, are decisions that have cost us points. I will always be the first person to look at the players to finish better or to defend better and not rely on decisions, but as you can see on a regular basis at the moment decisions are affecting the outcome of the games.
“Some of the decisions that have gone against us have been made by the assistants – Newcastle and Wigan for example.”
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“I do feel that the referees are not being supported by their assistants and are, on occasions, being let down by them.”
The Guardian recently put together an article highlighting what makes the Bundesliga so special. It’s the connection fans have with the club, the knowledge that they’re a part of something big rather than just paying customers. German football is everything the rest of Europe should aspire to be.
On the pitch, however, the talent at Bundesliga clubs are giving the league plenty to stand on if they’re to back up the claim (made by outsiders) that they’re the finest football league in Europe. The big names that line up for the German national team have been well documented, but there’s so much quality through the league that it almost seems unbelievable that Premier League clubs don’t look deeper into German football for their transfer business.
This season has been a great step forward for German football, with every club competing in Europe advancing out of the group stage and into the next round (that’s both Champions League and Europa League). It would be criminal if the Premier League continued to ignore the abundance of talent in German football for much longer.
Click on Kevin Trapp to unveil the 10 Bundesliga stars that should be on Premier League club’s wishlist
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West Ham United loanee Yossi Benayoun is set for a return to action against Everton this weekend, hoping to lessen the consequences of an injury crisis currently in full swing at Upton Park.
On loan from Premier League rivals Chelsea, Benayoun suffered an injury setback last week with a knee complaint.
The Israeli’s injury troubles has restricted his appearances for the Irons this term to only four starts following his loan move to East London.
After breaking down in training last week Sam Allardyce noted that the player would go “back with Chelsea to recover from that injury.” The player’s availability for next weekend will come as a huge wave of relief for Big Sam who noted last week “Our big problem with Yossi at the moment is to try and get him fit.”
The Hammers manager was missing several key first-team players last week, including Andy Carroll, in-form Mohamed Diame and Ricardo Vaz Te.
“Ricardo Vaz Te is probably another couple of weeks before he’s training and that will be 12 weeks he has been out.” As for Benayoun, Allardyce feels quietly confident that he “will be back with us this week” after convalescing at Chelsea.
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West Ham currently sit at 11th spot in the Premier League table and level on points with Swansea in 10th place. With Everton’s visit on the weekend and a trip to Arsenal on boxing day, the Irons will be hoping that Benayoun can provide some much needed relief during a busy Christmas period.
Liverpool vice-captain Jamie Carragher’s contract expires at the end of the season, and after admitting that he was considering retirement, his manager Brendan Rodgers attempted to emphasis that the veteran defender still had a role to play in the side – with that in mind, is he deserving of a new deal or is it time for the club to move on?
Firstly, it would be wrong to just take a casual look at Carragher’s age and write him off regardless, especially as his contribution to the tune of 720 senior appearances warrants him a chance to have his case presented for him; his is a one-club man and has been both a fantastic player and loyal servant, adjusting to the chaos around him at times and marking himself out as a player of real character, firmly established in the club’s history.
The 34-year-old has made nine league appearances so far and 21 across all competitions. It’s worth noting that eight of those league outings came off the bench but he has featured nine times in Europe this season, playing in five of the Europa League group games. At the moment, he is an essential part of Brendan Rodgers’ squad whenever he wants to rotate it and keep his starting eleven fresh. He is no longer first-choice, but neither was Sami Hyypia in his final season at Anfield, yet he still made a useful contribution to Rafa Benitez’s side back in 2008-9 as the club were pipped to the title by Manchester United, making 16 Premier League outings. Every squad needs that depth.
The sort of experience that Carragher has gleaned over the years is absolutely essential at the moment with the squad being so young and small. He has played at every top flight ground plenty of times, is familiar with the expectations of the club, the fans and everything that comes with representing Liverpool; he’s used to pressure and every sort of situation and environment imaginable. Is it really worth throwing all of that away?
Of course there are doubts about whether he can seriously contribute consistently in the league, and his performances towards the end of last term under Kenny Dalglish were not pretty to watch, with his lack of pace proving a particular problem, particularly as it means the side has to defend that much deeper so that he isn’t caught out on the break with the ball played in behind.
In Rodgers’ preferred 4-3-3 system, with the full-back’s bombing on, it’s essential to have two centre-backs comfortable running towards their own goal and chasing a striker, something which has never been Carragher’s forte. At the same time, that means that because he never had the quality of pace, that he shouldn’t miss it, but he’s always been a player that’s benefited from a string of games and has notably struggled after coming back from spells out of the side with injury; he’s not the sort that will benefit in the league from being sporadically used and chopped and changed. It’s worked so far in Europe because the pace and flow of the game has been just a few notches slower, but there have still been occasions when he’s floundered.
Carragher told the Daily Express back in December: “There is a chance that I will retire at the end of the season. It is the last season of my contract and the club have not said anything to me yet. I am open-minded, but I would not play on if I was killing the team when I played. I would not be hanging on for money or anything. And I would not go anywhere else. It is Liverpool or nothing for me.”
This prompted Rodgers to respond to reporters last week: “He and I have had loose discussions in terms of where he is at. We spoke before Christmas and decided we’d have a chat after Christmas.
“We had a busy period coming up but there is no doubt I want him to stay as a player because he still has a lot to offer. It is different for defenders as well. The older you get, you are in that firing line at the back and there is no hiding place.
“He has been a pivotal player, a real iconic player for the club — he is still in great condition, he looks after himself.
“He turns out every single day and I’m sure there are days that are difficult for him as a player when you don’t play. But he is a wonderful example to any player, absolutely incredible. And he has still got a few years left in him yet, for sure.”
The 39-year-old boss, only five years Carragher’s senior, is clearly mindful of keeping him involved in some sort of capacity, due to his standing and relationship with the terraces, and he is known to be a real footballing fanatic, who looks destined to move into coaching and management when he does eventually hang up his boots, bursting full of ideas and brimming with knowledge.
He can certainly still contribute in one way or another and he’s accepted his position in the pecking order, but Rodgers hit the nail on the head by referring to the ‘no hiding place’ line with defenders and that’s why it’s so different to the arrangement that both Ryan Giggs and Paul Scholes have at Old Trafford – they are rarely exposed in quite the same way Carragher has been at times, seemingly benefiting from the rotation policy rather than being hindered by it.
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Nevertheless, the club’s closely-fought 2-1 victory over Mansfield during the FA Cup third round saw Carragher in his best light and displayed that what he does still has to offer far outweighs all of the negatives at this point in time – leadership. Luckily for the team, the news that dominated the headlines was Luis Suarez’s handball that led to the second and eventually winning goal, as it completely distracted attention away from what a terrible second half performance Liverpool put together with a fairly senior side against a team 93 places below them in the league pyramid. It was abject, awful and devoid of inspiration, with the midfield just disappearing when the going got tough, wilting under the aerial onslaught, but Carragher held that back four together and they scraped through.
With the jury still firmly out on the cumbersome Sebastian Coates after a string of ropey, error-strewn performances this term as the club’s third-choice centre-back, he hardly inspires confidence should Agger or Skrtel suffer a long-term injury and despite arriving with a burgeoning reputation, the 22-year-old Uruguayan has never really kicked on or improved, unable to break up the Agger-Skrtel axis.
Considering the lack of options available, the tight financial constraints placed on the side in terms of finding a replacement and his decent displays so far this season, Carragher is just about worthy of a new deal to extend his stay at Liverpool into its 18th campaign. It’s not always been crystal clear that he should stay, but with a young squad and new manager at the helm, stability at the moment is absolutely key and letting someone of his stature go without a fight would be a mistake.
There may be some in denial, such has the rise of Manchester City been a shock to the Premier League in recent years, but the two Manchester clubs have put some distance between themselves and any other potential title contenders.
In the Premier League era Manchester United have been unrivalled in terms of success. In the 90’s they used to contest with Arsenal for titles. In the 00’s Chelsea decided to join the party, but now the blue half of Manchester has consolidated its place as the main competition.
The ease of the 2-0 victory at the Etihad for Man City against Chelsea on the weekend emanated the difference in quality between them and their 3 London rival pretenders. Man United on the other hand are so far beyond the competition this season that mentioning any other game than the Manchester derby as a title match would be dismissed as lunacy. Robin Van Persie has had a devastating effect. It is clear those at Old Trafford have once again set the standard to chase.
Man City have been weak compared to their showing last season and it does not take a genius to work out that Mancini will invest heavily in the summer to plug the gap between his side and Sir Alex Ferguson’s team. So can any outfit bridge the gulf in class any time soon?
The answer to this lies in the next transfer window. If Wenger still truly believes he has enough to reach the top two this season, maybe he finally has gone mad. The reason why the Manchester clubs have set the precedent in recent years is the ability to call upon several match winners not just one. It is without doubt that Gareth Bale can single handedly win games at the moment but this is not enough. Tottenham may have an outstanding starting XI when all are fit but would you ever expect to see Gylfi Sigurdsson on the bench for Man United. I suspect not.
All clubs are handicapped in their pursuit of the very pinnacle of the Premier League by the financial wealth available to the clubs in Manchester. This applies to all but Chelsea. If we are being realistic the prudence of the chairman in North London will hold back Tottenham and Arsenal from having a real go at winning the title in the near future. If they go for broke then they may just have a chance of a top two finish. The hopes of a wide open Premier League hinge upon the actions of those in charge at Stamford Bridge this summer.
The most important movement of all could be regarding the managerial situation at the Blues. It would take a miracle for Rafael Benitez to remain at Stamford Bridge beyond the end of this season. Abramovich is as ruthless as they come and will be sure to be looking to find a winner. Would he dare go back and try and lure Mourinho to Stamford Bridge once more? I would not put it past him.
The squad the Blues possess has several with star quality in the shape of Eden Hazard, Juan Mata and Oscar. They remain dormant whilst they do not have the potent striker leading the line who can drag defenders from side to side to open up the critical space for these playmakers to work their magic. It is interesting considering the desperation from the top sides in Europe to sign Hazard how he has failed to deliver the star quality that was widely expected, despite a bright start. This could all change very quickly. It finally takes a brave manager too to dispose Fernando Torres to the waste disposal pile where he belongs and not give him even more chances to succeed which he will continue to spurn away. If a confident and truly world class striker came in at Chelsea it could really add a new intensity to the Premier League which would result in there being far greater competition at the top.
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In terms of scouting too the best players simply do not remain a secret anymore, like they did when Wenger used to plot success. If Chelsea can capture a Cavani or Falcao it could make all the difference to what is a squad which already has the foundations for success laid down. Even Roberto Mancini has conceded one transfer in the form of the imperious Van Persie has made the impact required for the Red Devils this season.
If the pattern of Manchester dominance is to change anytime soon and finally unnerve the current top two I suspect the lead character in the latest chapter of the Premier League is Roman Abramovich. The choices he makes this next transfer window will pivotal to the short term future of English future. Over to you now Roman.
Ben Foster has warned West Brom should not “go crazy” when signing new players in the summer but trusts boss Steve Clarke’s judgement.
The Baggies, currently eighth in the table, look on course to achieve their highest-ever Barclays Premier League finish in what has been an impressive first season with Clarke in charge.
Foster, who is among only a handful of signings the head coach has brought in since his appointment last June, certainly sees no need for a radical overhaul of the playing staff after the campaign finishes.
And the England international is sure that even with the prospect of some considerable money to play with, it is not something Clarke will be looking to do as he contemplates potential transfer targets.
Foster told the club’s website: “The fans probably think we can bring 10 or 12 different players in with the new TV deal!
“There’s going to be a lot more money being pumped into the Premier League next season but you don’t want to go crazy. You don’t want to add too many players because you might upset the good balance that we’ve got going at the minute.
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“I’m sure the gaffer will be sensible and maybe add three, four or five faces.”
Manchester United boss Sir Alex Ferguson believes Phil Jones is destined for a bright future in whatever position he is asked to fill.
Ferguson claims the former Blackburn youngster has a burning desire to play football and takes on board everything he is told very quickly, making him a dream to coach.
The Scot is convinced his long-term future will be as a central defender, but he wouldn’t put it passed the 21-year-old to do a good job up front in an emergency.
Ferguson has likened to Jones to former United favourite Brian McClair, who started out his career as an out-and-out forward but often featured in midfield during the latter stages of his career at Old Trafford.
Jones has primarily been used at right-back since making the switch to the current Premier League table toppers in June 2011, although the England international has also played in midfield against Tottenham, Everton, Real Madrid and Chelsea in the last three month to great effect.
His manager told Inside United: “Jones is going to be a fantastic player, his talent is unbelievable.
“You could play him anywhere. I think you could play him centre-forward! He’s just that type of player, he’s an animal for football. He grasps the game, he understands it. Play him right-back? Brilliant. Play him centre-midfield? No problem. Play him centre-back? Terrific.
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“He’s just one of those unusual players you get now and again who can play anywhere. We’ve not had a player like him in terms of someone who can play at that performance level since, well the closest you would get would be Brian McClair.”
Hartlepool United’s belated and thin retained list epitomises everything about the club at present: blindness, needless stubbornness and failure of bravery.
Releasing just one of the first team regulars – Evan Horwood – of the catastrophic relegation season and renewing the contract (or soon to be renewed in the case of Sam Collins, Andy Monkhouse and Ritchie Humphreys) of Neil Austin and not dispensing of the failures is a recipe for another season awash with defeats. And let’s not forget, last season’s relegation was not just a combination of poor effort attributed by the players earlier on, or luck or any other excuses, it is the harvest of poor player recruitment and turnover the past 3 years. It’s been coming and the signs are that there are very little plans in place to right the wrongs and that’s worrying.
Nine wins in one season does not see “winners” emblazoned across the players’ forehead. No, there is an imprint of losers, of failures, of players who have not been good enough in the past so what’s to say they will be good enough in the future?
The refusal to cleanse the squad of the players that are responsible for the team’s demise stinks of ignorance to their entire situation. And the wonderful season ticket offer of £150 will not cover the damage the club have done. People will not part with that amount of money – however small – if they do not believe they will get a return for their investment. And with the continuation of the same players who have delivered such sparse forms of entertainment for the past three years on offer again, gates will fall beneath the 3000 barrier, possibly even further. The club have only got themselves to blame.
Unfortunately, though, it is what we can now expect of HUFC. Expect the unexpected. The club is afraid of making brave decisions, of releasing players who fit the Clarence Road furniture. The club have a policy of not discussing players’ contracts until the season has reached its climax. In a season of more lows than highs and when fans are as disillusioned as they have ever been in the IOR era – now was the time to scrap those policies and act in the best way to help move the club forward and recover from the wreckage of the past seasons.
Decisions on who went and who stayed was made 11 days after the season had finished, seven more than most clubs in League One and League Two had waited. Not for the first time this season, the club were languishing behind the rest.
Manager John Hughes had talked about rebuilding the club in March, identifying his targets for the next season and coming to conclusions about who should make up the playing staff come August. His appeals, via the media, for a meeting with chief executive Russ Green were rejected. Hughes was then forced to make a rather embarrassing u-turn, stating that “now isn’t the time.” Had he been warned by Green that the club must not deviate from their polices? It certainly appears that way. It’s child-like. Hughes adhered to the club’s stringent rules; is he going to be made to walk because his views and ways do not marry those of IOR’s?
Football success is dependent on making bold, correct decisions and Tuesday’s retained list was distant to the factors that conjure up success.
In Hughes Pools have a manager who has already demonstrated in 2013 that he can evoke a wining formula out of a group of players who had come so accustomed to losing. He has shown his credentials, but he MUST be allowed to carry that onto next season. One fears that will not be the case and it will be another case of the club shooting themselves in the foot.
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Hughes’ appointment was huge, for the club desperately needed to resurrect the flailing ship. However, failure to back Hughes with trust, judgement and with finance (as much as can be afforded for the finance restrictions at HUFC limits over spending) over the summer months for his squad assemblage will only eventuate with more failure, declining attendances and increasing fan unrest
To obey a fan’s wish is not always encouraged, see the return of Neale Cooper. But to also remain stubborn and blind to the reasons behind the previous failures without correcting them is also not encouraged. It’s plain stupidity. I hope I have ill-perceived the current going-ons at HUFC.
There have been many things that Ipswich Town have been lacking on the pitch this season, but many have emphasised the need for a goal-scoring midfielder over anything else.
The likes of Luke Hyam and Guirane N’Daw have been great at supporting the defence and preventing the opposition’s creative players from having an impact, and whilst there hasn’t been much criticism aimed at either individual, some have pointed out that the midfield as a whole did not contribute much at all towards Ipswich’s goal tally this season.
So who is to blame for this lack of goals in midfield? Some have suggested that players like Lee Martin, Carlos Edwards and Jay Emmanuel-Thomas should be contributing more in that department. Others have said that the team need a change in system and players with attacking flair need to be brought into the club.
Mick McCarthy confused some fans with the recent signing of Bristol City’s Cole Skuse. The 27-year-old has only scored 9 goals in as many years at his former club, not exactly the type of midfielder fans were hoping for. Whilst there is no doubt that Skuse is a capable player in the Championship, he is known for his leadership and defensive capabilities rather than any offensive prowess.
However, right there I have touched on an important aspect of what McCarthy is creating at Ipswich; a team full of leaders. Players like Wordsworth, Skuse and Stearman are all players who have previously shown that they have a great mentality and the ability to lead, which is obviously an asset that the former Wolves boss holds in high regard.
It is looking likely that McCarthy will bring in more players with a strong mentality to add to those that I just mentioned, as well as the likes of Luke Chambers, Tommy Smith and Carlos Edwards who have also shown their desire to lead in the past.
You can’t argue with the logic that you need more than one leader, but the question still remains as to whether the Tractor Boys need a goal-scoring midfielder. One important fact to remember is that McCarthy ended the season with a points-per-game ratio better than what most teams in the play-offs maintained throughout the season. On top of that he did it without needing the midfield to chip in with many goals. The system that McCarthy used was fairly defensive and could be labelled as boring, but regardless it got results that almost any Championship team would be happy with.
I do agree that being able to change the way you play is important, so you do need a variety of players with different skills in each position. Skuse is likely to be a replacement for N’Daw and we could still see more midfielders joining the Suffolk side that can offer something different and perhaps some attacking talent. However, it is also important not to forget that Anthony Wordsworth had a decent goal-scoring record at Colchester (roughly one goal every five games) and hopefully he will be able to stay injury free next season.
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So whilst we may not necessarily see Ipswich target a lot of attack-minded players over the summer transfer window, it is likely that we will see a lot of players come to Portman Road with the right attitude and mindset.