Fulham goalkeeper Mark Schwarzer has confessed that he is unsure of his future at Craven Cottage.
The Australian international’s contract with the Londoners in set to expire at the end of the month, and he is yet to agree a new deal.
The longer the situation remains at a stalemate, the less likely it appears that the 40-year-old will be staying put, and he has confessed that his future is far from certain:
“There’s no new developments; there’s no new discussions; there’s no nothing,” he is quoted by ESPN.
“I’m confident my club situation will resolve itself one way or another.
“Something will be sorted out – I’ve got no worries about that. I’ve got no idea at this stage where I’m going to be. I’m open to anything.”
Schwarzer signed for Fulham in 2008, and has gone on to make in excess of 150 appearances, becoming a fans’ favourite in the process.
But his future with the club is in serious doubt, with manager Martin Jol said to be keen on bringing Roma stopper Maarten Stekelenberg to Craven Cottage.
Reports suggest that a deal between the two clubs has been all but agreed, which puts the veteran’s place in the squad in serious doubt.
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Fulham have been active in the transfer market already, agreeing deals from Derek Boateng and Fernando Amorebieta.
Manchester United’s greatest weapon last season wasn’t Robin van Persie, despite the Dutchman leading the scoring charts and comfortably standing out as the club’s best player over the entire campaign. Instead, it was Alex Ferguson. There’s something about the Scot that forces panic and doubt into his foremost adversaries: Kevin Keegan, Rafa Benitez, Roberto Mancini (to name but a few).
Ferguson, like he’s done on so many occasions over the past 26 years, made the difference domestically last season, turning an average-to-good United side into Premier League champions. Van Persie made a difference from the prior season, yes. Rafael had his best campaign to date in English football. David De Gea turned his game around midway through the season when there were external calls for him to be dropped. It’s the kind of title-winning character that stems from the manager and his insatiable desire for more. Such is the house that Ferguson has built at Manchester United that no one will be forgiven for a lack of application; the type of attitude that can turn sides into champions.
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There’s a difference between depth and quality in depth. United have plenty of personnel to plug gaps, act as long-term stand-ins or simply make up the numbers on the bench, but where are the game changers and title deciders above van Persie? The depth is good at United, but the quality was provided from Ferguson’s expertise at winning countless league titles.
David Moyes doesn’t have that. Sure, there are many managers in the game who have risen to success at some stage over the past five years or so. The classic, go-to comparison is still Jurgen Klopp and Borussia Dortmund. There is obviously something special about the way the German takes to management, but there is no denying the incredible quality that runs through the team at Signal Iduna Park.
There are positives for Moyes this season. The fact is that United still have a couple of weeks to work with in strengthening the team, and Shinji Kagawa could and should take on a major role on the second time of asking. But based on what we’ve seen of this season’s Manchester United – which is admittedly very little with only one competitive game – Moyes will need to add quality to the depth he has at Old Trafford.
The frontrunners for the title this season are clearly the teams in Blue. Chelsea have Jose Mourinho, who in all of his previous leagues has offered instant title success, bar Spain. Manchester City, on the other hand, have Manuel Pellegrini, who, despite lacking in any major silverware in Europe, has one of the most enviable attacks in the game. He’s not a bad coach either.
Moyes, unlike his predecessor, doesn’t have the authority in the Premier League to turn losing positions into draws and draws into wins. As much as the football world may joke about Fergie Time, it is a massive bonus for the club to have. He might, though, let’s not get too far away from the possibility of Moyes picking up where Ferguson left off. But reality of the matter is the game has become that little bit harder for Manchester United.
Even in Manchester City’s title-winning season, Ferguson ran the eventual champions right down to the wire, leaving it to the final minutes of the last day to decide the champion. Van Persie played a major part in bringing the title back to Old Trafford, but you also feel that van Persie became a purchase to launch a sustained and successful assault on one more European Cup; Ferguson’s gift to himself when he finally took on the decision to retire.
There are no trophies, metaphorically speaking, for turning over a Championship team in the Community Shield. Manchester United looked tidy while never really hitting top gear. There was a sense of getting the job done but without any of the flair or brutality that should be associated with a title winner. In the face of an impressive and new-look twin challenge from Chelsea and Manchester City, this United side need more, something that gives them a dimension of unpredictability. Teams know where the majority of the goals are going to come from, but added quality throughout the side will give United a new edge. It’s a necessary compensation for the lack of a star-studded name in the dugout.
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Are United lacking the quality throughout the squad to retain the league title this season?
A common feature of Brendan Rodgers’ short spell in charge of Liverpool FC so far has been a strong emphasis on the word ‘hunger’, whether it be applied to the young players snapping at the heels of their more established first-team counterparts or used as a negotiating tool, but when it comes to the January transfer window, it seems that the club may not be bullied in the pursuit of a fair deal for the first time in a long while.
The move to bring Chelsea forward Daniel Sturridge to Merseyside has stalled according to reports not down to any footballing concerns that either party has, but due to the player’s representatives after the club appeared to come to some reasonable middle ground in terms of his £60,000 per-week wage.
The 39-year-old boss has been made keenly aware of the need to balance the wage budget the longer the club stay out of the promised land of the Champions League, which has seen Andy Carroll leave on loan, with West Ham paying all of his wages, Charlie Adam sold to Stoke and Craig Bellamy, Maxi Rodriguez and Dirk Kuyt all allowed to leave in the summer.
A signal of this shift in direction from a club which seemed quite unfathomably incapable of striking a fair deal for itself to one which is more reluctant to part with its hard earned cash is a welcome one given the litany of transfer failings and deadwood that Anfield has been treated to in the past few years.
When Rodgers hauled Joe Cole off at half-time during the club’s loss against Swansea in the Capital One Cup at home earlier in the season, he chose to highlight the midfielder’s wages and compare them against his failed Liverpool experience: “The club have invested an astronomical amount of money on a talented player and Joe had the opportunity. He has been back fit a couple of weeks and his opportunities have been limited but you have to see. I thought it was difficult for him, it was too slow and it wasn’t what I would expect from a team I tried to set up to be dynamic.” This kick up the backside has prompted Cole to perform better in recent weeks whenever he’s been granted a starting berth to impress.
A recent report released showed that Liverpool spent the second most, behind moneybags and reigning champions Manchester City, on agents’ fees between October 2011-September 2012, to the embarrassing sum of £8.6m, which has seen Rodgers adopt a more hard-line approach in trying to head off the greedy demands of Sturridge’s agents this time around. That amount is £5m more than Manchester United, £2.1m more than Tottenham and £3.1 more than Arsenal. Given the quality of players, the lack of competition for their signatures and the fact that they all wanted to move to Liverpool, it’s literally unforgivable that the club paid so much under the Kenny Dalglish and Damien Comolli era in particular.
Now, the England forward’s entourage want to receive a percentage of any future transfer fee if he leaves the club in order to rubber stamp the move and precisely because Liverpool have paid more than £31m in fees to agents since October 2008, a change in approach is long overdue and they shouldn’t have to kowtow and bow down to players in such an obvious fashion.
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There is a time and place to be prudent, though and to curb an engrained reckless approach to expenditure and when principal owner John W. Henry wrote an open letter to the club’s fans back at the start of the season, he stated: “We will build and grow from within, buy prudently and cleverly and never again waste resources on inflated transfer fees and unrealistic wages. We have no fear of spending and competing with the very best, but we will not overpay for players. We will never place this club in the precarious position that we found it in when we took over at Anfield. This club should never again run up debts that threaten its existence.”
Quite how this translated into believing that paying anything above £3.5m for Clint Dempsey was excessive is yet another baffling move in a string of odd decisions by Fenway Sports Group since coming to power at the club. Picking your battles is fine, but getting it so wrong on such a consistent basis is troubling, even if their tough stance now looks to be the correct one.
Rodgers stated in the aftermath of Raheem Sterling agreeing a new £35,000-a-week deal after months of haggling with his representatives: “They will get a good contract coming here but if they want to argue over money, and other things that go around it, I don’t want them here. In my experience those players will eventually let you down anyway. So, for us, it is about getting players in who are hungry to succeed and to pull on the shirt.
“That’s the simple message for any player coming here – you can’t take the money and run. You have to earn the right to play for this club and to help us succeed. The club are really on board with me on that. It is part of what we need to be successful again. You trace back over many years at this football club and they have brought hungry players in. They were also good players, but they were all hungry.
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“I’ve seen it at Chelsea, you pay a fortune for top players and it doesn’t always work when you spent £30 million or £20 million, it doesn’t guarantee you anything. You could bring a boy in here on a free transfer or bring him from the Championship, all of these big players weren’t dropped out of heaven, they have to come from somewhere and the most important thing when you get that type in is that they’re hungry to succeed.
“Football is a unique business. It’s one of very few sports and industries where you can get paid very good money on potential. People will tell you what they’re going to do. I would rather reward people for what they do and then there’s no drama.”
The reference to Chelsea is clearly aimed at Sturridge, and it seems for once that the club actually has a plan B should they have to pull the plug on the deal, despite the medical being seemingly done and dusted, with PSG’s Kevin Gameiro lined up for a short-term loan switch.
Liverpool have been a laughing stock in the sport for years now when it comes to their powers of negotiation, both in terms of inflated fees and needlessly high wages, but it seems as if the tide is finally turning in that respect now under Rodgers guidance, which with Financial Fair Play on the horizon, is the only logical approach to take.
Sir Alex Ferguson has leapt to the defence of Manchester United winger, Nani, claiming he is not a diver. Click Manchester reports.
It comes after United’s appeals for a penalty where turned down in Saturday’s 3-2 defeat at home to Tottenham, when Sandro appeared to have pulled the Portuguese’s shirt in the box.
Ferguson believes it was a decision which should have been given, but did not agree with the quotes made by Manchester City striker, Sergio Aguero, that foreign players are not treated fairly in the Premier League and feels they are the main culprits in using deception to win penalties.
“Nani is not the type to dive.He has never been that type of player. It was a penalty kick on Saturday. Sometimes you get them, sometimes you don’t.
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“As a subject (diving) it is not worth going down because we have known for quite a few years there are plenty of players diving and, you have to say, particularly foreign players,” he said.
Sylvain Distin is adamant that Everton are not distracted by talk of Champions League qualification and will only consider the possibility after Christmas.
The Toffees moved above Tottenham into fourth place the Premier League table, following their 2-1 victory over the Londoners at Goodison Park.
This has led to talk that the Merseysiders could make a sustained push to nick the final qualification spot for Europe’s top club competition for the first time since 2005.
But, Distin says that the squad are not distracted by the possibility:
“It doesn’t mean a lot to us now,” he is quoted by SkySports.
“It is obviously better to be there than in the bottom four but it is too early.
“The more time goes and more you stay in this position then the more you start to believe.
“But we have to get through the Christmas period and see where we are and then we can start dreaming.
“But I can’t see any easy games. Every game is important and we are really focused on what we want to do.”
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The French defender went on to say that Everton are playing the best football he has seen since joining the club in 2009.
James Tomkins believes that West Ham must recover quickly from their Premier League defeat at the hands of Tottenham, as they prepare to face Manchester United this week.
The Hammers slipped to a 3-1 loss at White Hart Lane, missing their chance to move back in to the top six.
The young defender hopes that his team-mates can put the loss behind them and focus on their trip to Old Trafford:
“We didn’t play at our best but we need to put it behind us quite quickly because we have another big game at Manchester United in a couple of days’ time and the games are coming thick and fast.” He is quoted by SkySports.
“We don’t need to dwell on the result because we have the points on the board and it’s vital we go to Old Trafford with our confidence intact.
“We have to make sure we go to Manchester United 100% mentally.”
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The East Londoners have been in fine form since their return to the top flight, notching impressive victories against the likes of Newcastle and Southampton in recent weeks.
Kevin Nolan has been key for Sam Allardyce’s men, linking well with summer arrival Andy Carroll and weighing in with some important strikes.
Saturday’s 1-1 draw with Norwich at White Hart Lane was alarming, not necessarily for the nature of the result, but for the nature of the performance. As Andre Villas-Boas looks to implement a new system and a reformed style of play, the easing in process was never likely to go without teething problems.
The worry for some supporters is quite how painful those problems are going to be and the short-term damage they may cause. But like all trips to the dentist, we often carry apocalyptic expectations when the realities aren’t quite so sinister at all.
Firstly, it is important to try and dispel some of the urban myths that have currently been floating around Villas-Boas and the already maligned 4-2-3-1 formation that he’s adopted at the club. The fickle tides of change and seemingly unrelenting media agenda against Villas-Boas has seen the events against Chris Houghton’s Canaries on Saturday, represented as an overwhelming motif for the season so far.
That is as unfair as it is unrepresentative.
Tottenham ultimately put in a performance on Saturday that could be described as poor at best. No one is denying that. But those that are already pining for the ‘swashbuckling’ days of the 4-4-1-1 to return, can’t ignore what we’ve already seen. For 45 minutes against both Newcastle United and West Bromwich Albion, Spurs employed a generally impressive, composed style of football that dictated those respective halves for long periods.
Norwich was again, not a particularly fantastic barometer, but the cause for genuine concern would be if the team weren’t creating chances as opposed to looking somewhat disjointed. Tottenham have created chances too; maybe not in abundance, but they have been able to harvest opportunities. After hitting both the bar and post at St. James Park, losing to a soft penalty was hard to stomach for supporters. The team, in particular Gareth Bale, fashioned a whole array of early chances against the Baggies at home, but were incapable of finishing anything off – inviting the sort of pressure that seems to have led us to where we are today.
But as the transfer window has slammed shut, Villas-Boas finally has a completed squad to work with and seemingly a set of players that can fit the system. The argument over Daniel Levy’s brinkmanship will rumble on for many months in N17, but however you frame it, Villas-Boas was missing the players to make his new set-up stick for the first three games of the season. It’s not been easy for him and consequently he’s been forced to use several cogs that haven’t fit the machine.
One such example can be found in the holding ‘pair’ that sit in front of the defence but behind the front three. For the first three games this season, Villas-Boas has teamed Sandro with Jake Livermore to relatively mixed reviews. A concept that can be misunderstood with the holding two in this formation is their responsibilities within the team. They’re defensive by name but not necessarily by practice and the formation doesn’t require a couple of archetypal Claude Makelele figures in there to just break up play.
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At least one half of the pair has to be cultivating play and proactive in the instigation of moves; like something of a deep-lying playmaker of sorts. Villas-Boas has had to start Livermore there more through a complete lack of fit/other viable options, but Spurs have suffered in the centre of the park as a result. Neither Livermore or Sandro have looked entirely sure as to who should sit and who should go when the team have the ball and their overwhelmingly defensive instincts have shown. It’s a clichéd observation to make, but Spurs really have missed a Modric figure to keep play ticking over and distribute the ball quickly and effectively.
This is why the acquisition of Mousa Dembele is so vitally important for Villas-Boas’ side. Some have naturally clamored for the Belgian to play closer to goal, but his abilities and influence on the ball can be the game changer if he’s played in the pair. He may have been a striker once upon a time, but his goals record isn’t a million miles away from that of Modric’s. During Fulham’s 5-0 massacre of Norwich the other week, he didn’t get one goal or assist- but that didn’t mean he wasn’t pulling the strings. The whole dynamic of this Tottenham team can change for the better with Dembele in this side.
And this isn’t where it stops for Tottenham. If the immersion of a creative playmaker into this team is important, than the deployment of Emmanuel Adebayor is vital. Jermain Defoe has worked his socks off for the side and his new contract suggests he has a part to play in this Spurs team. But the side need a striker who can lead the line on his own and that man simply isn’t the Englishman and it’s been clear to see, despite his goal against Newcastle, for the past three games. The Togolese striker has a real work on to get match fit for Spurs’ next fixture away to Reading but the international break offers him good time to do it.
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This isn’t to say that Villas-Boas can be bulletproof from all criticism himself. The insistence on playing a wearying William Gallas had logic as he looked to immerse Jan Vertonghen into English football, but he must now look to either Steven Caulker or Michael Dawson to complete the back four. Furthermore, bringing on both Jermaine Jenas and Tom Huddlestone in the West Brom and Norwich games respectively, invited pressure on the team. He must hold his nerve.
But now the acquisitions have been made to fit the system and Villas-Boas can now attempt to get the machine working with the adequate parts. And for Spurs fans, that can only be a good thing.
Do you feel that Villas-Boas’ set-up now has the players that it needs to progress? Or do you still harbour serious reservations about the way things are looking? Let me know what you think on Twitter: follow @samuel_antrobus.
Arsene Wenger has claimed that Chelsea got extremely lucky to win the Champions League last season and that the Premier League is still the most important trophy, as reported by the Daily Mirror.
Wenger saw his Arsenal side beaten at home by Chelsea on Saturday, but Wenger claimed the season long test of the Premier League will test Chelsea this season.
Wenger told the Daily Mirror: “In the Champions League, you play one big game at a time. In the Premier League you play many big teams and you have to do well against all of them.
“I still think the Premier League is the massive test.
“One piece of luck Chelsea had last season was Didier Drogba in the first part of the season did not play a lot.
“He came into it in the second half of the season and he made the decision, he was fresh, focused, had a good rest and still hungry to make it happen and he had the quality to do it.
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“If you tell me would you like to win the Champions League I will of course say yes, but it’s a cup competition – not at the start, but in the final part of it, it is a real cup competition.
“You need to go into March and April with your best players available, fit, and that’s not easy, especially when you play in the Premier League.”
Everton defender Phil Jagielka has praised fellow team mate Marouane Fellaini after his two goals helped Everton come away with a point against Fulham on Saturday.
Despite the Toffees conceding a last minute goal to prevent them from coming away with all three points at Craven Cottage, Jagielka has described the Belgian midfeilder’s performance as “special.”
The England international also claims that Fellaini’s ability to control the ball with his chest can make him a handful to play against.
He told Everton’s official website: “Felli scored with two fantastic finishes. First half I thought he was good, but second half he was special.
“Right from the first minute, he brought it down on his chest and you know that he is going to be a handful. He proved that because his first goal was good but his second was even better.
“He manages to kill a ball quite well. If you have ever tried to control a 40-yard pass from me on your chest it’s not the easiest thing in the world. But he manages to pick up the flight really well and cushion it down.”
Jagielka also went on to admit that he is disappointed Everton couldn’t kill the game off to ensure Fulham’s final minute equaliser wouldn’t affect the final result.
“I thought we played ok first half but in the second we played very well,” he added.
“We showed signs of how well we have been playing for most of the season. We took control of the game and got the two goals.
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“We could have got a third goal, which would have killed the game off. It feels like two points lost.”
The question as to whether Arsenal should splash out on Luis Suarez was one that was explored countless times during the summer. Ahead of the January transfer window, not a whole lot has changed.
It was a heated debate back in the summer, one which stepped well over the mark a number of times due to the hostility that is generated by Suarez’s name. It was put to bed, fortunately. Sometimes you have to look a little further than just the qualities of a footballer. Half of the Arsenal support rejoiced; they wouldn’t have to see him in their colours. The other half saw it as a golden opportunity missed.
I didn’t see much sense in it. Going immediately to the starting point, why would Liverpool want to sell to Arsenal? They’re certainly glad they didn’t. Would they have been second in the Premier League if they had? What about the gap Arsenal would have created between themselves and second place?
And then there’s the reintroduction of whether fans want to see a player like Suarez at Arsenal. But why bring that up again? It’s tired and been done to death.
Arsenal need another striker in January – we can all agree to that. It’s not life or death, as some people will have you believe. Fortunately for the club, there is a German international who has spent a large chunk of his career playing through the middle as a centre-forward, both for Bayern Munich and Koln. But it’s easy to overlook that for the sake of argument.
The problem is depth. If you move Lukas Podolski away from the flank and into the middle, that essentially leaves Arsenal one player light in midfield. There shouldn’t be any concerns about Podolski’s ability in front of goal; he’s the best finisher at the club. But Arsenal need more if they’re to sustain this charge on silverware.
The answer isn’t Suarez. The only way Suarez becomes the ideal candidate is if we’re forced to accept that there isn’t another striker available in world football. Another factor in this argument in favour of the Uruguayan at Arsenal is the assumption that the club need a world-class centre-forward. Olivier Giroud isn’t world class, but what if the club had two of him? They’d be alright, yes?
Suarez has one destination. Real Madrid will eventually allow Karim Benzema to move on, more than likely due to pressure from the support, and not because Florentino Perez will be all too keen to let him go. Of course, Radamel Falcao could fill that gap for Madrid – and Sergio Aguero is another option that is often overlooked – but that doesn’t seem too likely, as least not as likely as Suarez.
The bridge has been burnt between Arsenal and Liverpool. John Henry will simply not allow for that level of strengthening of a direct rival, no matter the cash on offer. Realistic cash I mean.
For Arsenal, the development and contribution of Giroud will prove to be the bright spot in losing out on Suarez. I raised the point that the Frenchman isn’t quite world class, but then the same has been said about Mario Gomez, yet the German more or less guarantees goals wherever he goes. An investment in or around the £10 million mark can bring about as much success as those who would command fees of at least four or five times that amount.
They don’t have to be world class, just good enough. And for a club of Arsenal’s resources, there are plenty of other options besides Suarez.
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Should Arsenal break the bank for Suarez in January?