Last weekend’s 1-1 draw with the USA didn’t exactly represent the best of starts for England in the 2010 World Cup. All the anticipation and excitement for the tournament was lost when ‘keeper Rob Green somehow let in Clint Dempsey’s tame shot. The more and more it was replayed on TV the harder it got to watch, but will he get his chance to redeem himself against Algeria? Although Fabio Capello’s men weren’t dreadful, they were far from brilliant and will have to step up their performance in their second Group C encounter. But what did Westwood think of the match?
The big dawg himself, Radio 1Xtra DJ Tim Westwood has decided to turn his hand to football journalism for the 2010 World Cup and is producing a weekly column exclusively for the News of the World. Signed up for his straight-talking, Westwood certainly delivers with both barrels in his first blog where Green and the rest of the England team fail to avoid the criticism handed out by the big dawg. There’s no sign of Westwood easing himself in gently, he’s certainly not afraid to let us know what he thinks!
He airs his views after watching the first few games of what has admittedly been a slow start to the 2010 Word Cup in South Africa. Westwood’s take on England’s lacklustre performance was that the overpaid players were lacking the emotion needed to take them far in the tournament, while he doesn’t hold back when it comes to Rob Green. The big dawg’s heart is ruling his head when it comes to his thoughts on England’s chances, which maybe could be improved by taking a leaf out of Tiger Woods’ book…
FootballFanCast General Stay ahead in the world of football analysis, commentary, and fan insights with FootballFancast. FootballFanCast General Stay ahead in the world of football analysis, commentary, and fan insights with FootballFancast.
By subscribing, you agree to receive newsletter and marketing emails, and accept Valnet’s Terms of Use and Privacy Policy. You can unsubscribe anytime.
To read Tim Westwood’s first contribution to his exclusive News of the World column in full head to: http://www.newsoftheworld.co.uk/world_cup/848429/Tim-Westwoods-first-exclusive-World-Cup-blog.html
Liverpool have agreed a deal in principle with Rangers for teenage defender Danny Wilson.
The 18-year-old had been due to fly out with the rest of the Gers squad for their pre-season tour of Australia but will now remain in the UK to finalise the transfer.
Chief executive Martin Bain said of Wilson, who had just 12 months of his Ibrox contract remaining:"We have agreed a deal in principle with Liverpool for the transfer of Danny Wilson.
"Liverpool's offer will see the club receive £2million up front with add-ons linked to games played taking the total value of the deal to £5million.
"Danny was entering the final year of his contract with the club and had indicated that he felt it was in his interests to move on.
"Given that and the value of the offer from Liverpool, it was deemed appropriate to accept that offer given the player wanted to go.
FootballFanCast General Stay ahead in the world of football analysis, commentary, and fan insights with FootballFancast. FootballFanCast General Stay ahead in the world of football analysis, commentary, and fan insights with FootballFancast.
By subscribing, you agree to receive newsletter and marketing emails, and accept Valnet’s Terms of Use and Privacy Policy. You can unsubscribe anytime.
"We are aware that with Kevin Thomson and Danny leaving the club in the last week that there is a need to add to the first-team squad."
Wilson made his debut for Walter Smith's side nine months ago and went on to start 24 first-team matches for the club last season.Subscribe to Football FanCast News Headlines by Email
Harry Redknapp has committed his long-term future to Tottenham Hotspur by penning a new contract that will keep him at White Hart Lane until the end of the 2012-13 campaign.
The veteran former Bournemouth, West Ham United, Portsmouth and Southampton boss replaced Juande Ramos as manager in October 2008 when the club were in danger of being relegated.
He successfully guided Spurs into mid-table that season before presiding over a fourth-placed finish in the Premier League last term.
A brief statement on the club's official website read:"The club is delighted to announce that we have extended the contract of manager, Harry Redknapp, until 2013.
"Harry guided the side to fourth place in his first full season with the club, our highest league finish since the Premier League's inception, with the prospect of competing in the Champions League for the first time this coming campaign.
"The achievement earned him the Barclay's Premier League Manager of the Season award."
FootballFanCast General Stay ahead in the world of football analysis, commentary, and fan insights with FootballFancast. FootballFanCast General Stay ahead in the world of football analysis, commentary, and fan insights with FootballFancast.
By subscribing, you agree to receive newsletter and marketing emails, and accept Valnet’s Terms of Use and Privacy Policy. You can unsubscribe anytime.
At the weekend it was reported that the 63-year-old had turned down the chance to manage Dubai side Al Ahli in order to stay with Spurs.
Redknapp's side face a two-legged play-off next month as they attempt to win through to the lucrative group stage of the Champions League.Subscribe to Football FanCast News Headlines by Email
Blackburn Rovers boss Sam Allardyce has reacted calmly to reports suggesting that his club could be in line for a big-money takeover.
Indian businessman Ahsan Ali Syed is reported to be heading up a consortium aiming to take charge at Ewood Park, with a potential transfer pot worth up to £100million being mooted.
However, Allardyce is aware that even if a deal goes through, the money will not be available to spend in the current transfer window.
He told reporters:"Chairman John Williams tells me we can't get the deal done any sooner than maybe even as far as the end of September.
"This transfer window will be well and truly shut at the end of August, so that will not allow us to do anything between now and then.
"If it becomes a reality, that would be obviously very, very exciting, but at the moment it is still in the process of negotiation.
FootballFanCast General Stay ahead in the world of football analysis, commentary, and fan insights with FootballFancast. FootballFanCast General Stay ahead in the world of football analysis, commentary, and fan insights with FootballFancast.
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 chairman says to me it would be almost impossible to think that any of that money might be available before the end of this window.
"So we continue down the same line as we have all summer and bring in another frontman if we can find him."Subscribe to Football FanCast News Headlines by Email
Want-away Liverpool midfielder Javier Mascherano finally got his wish today as Liverpool have accepted a bid of around £18 million from Barcelona for the Argentina captain. Mascherano’s relationship with the club reached an all time low on Monday when the Argentine withdrew himself from the squad to face Manchester City. Mascherano’s decision to withdraw from the squad came about due to the fact that Barcelona had tabled a bid for his services and both he and manager Roy Hodgson felt that he was “not in the right frame of mind” to play for the club. Mascherano’s refusal to play for the club even though they pay him an exorbitant amount of money to do so is hugely disrespectful and unprofessional.
It is disrespectful to the fans who have paid their hard earned money to support the club and watch their players play, only for one of their best to mock their loyal stupidity by refusing to play and leaving the team severely depleted. It is a huge disrespect to a club of the stature of Liverpool for a player to openly demand a move from such an exalted club; a club which rescued Mascherano from his West Ham nightmare and helped to establish his reputation as one of the world’s premier defensive midfielders.
His selfish actions have threatened to disrupt the harmony of the team. Following his withdrawal from Monday’s squad, reports surfaced that a number of senior players confronted Mascherano in training about his decision to omit himself from the team. I’m pretty sure that if he was available, Hodgson would have played Mascherano on Monday evening. Therefore, Mascherano’s decision to leave himself out would have seriously comprised Hodgson’s tactics and formation for the game- and so it proved as Manchester City ran out convincing 3-0 winners against a disjointed Liverpool team which lacked the steel and intensity that Mascherano would have undoubtedly brought.
Macherano’s decision to effectively go on strike until he gets his move points to how player power is increasingly getting out of hand. This offseason has seen a number of players refuse to play for their clubs in an attempt to engineer a move elsewhere. We have seen it at Stoke City where goalkeeper Asmir Begovic has not featured following interest from league leaders Chelsea. We have also seen it at Fulham where another coveted goalkeeper Mark Schwarzer has found himself out of the team after handing in a transfer request.
Liverpool boss Roy Hodgson deserves huge credit in standing up to the pressures of player power. He refused to be bullied and only agreed to sell Mascherano on the club’s term and not on the player’s.
Mascherano should be ashamed of his actions. He refused to play for the club but still colleceted a sizeable wage packet for his disloyalty. The PFA and FA should step in to curb this problem before player power threatens to spiral out of control.
For more football chat, follow me on Twitter.
*
Click on image below to see the gallery of Mario Balotelli’s stunning girlfriend
FootballFanCast General Stay ahead in the world of football analysis, commentary, and fan insights with FootballFancast. FootballFanCast General Stay ahead in the world of football analysis, commentary, and fan insights with FootballFancast.
By subscribing, you agree to receive newsletter and marketing emails, and accept Valnet’s Terms of Use and Privacy Policy. You can unsubscribe anytime.
Injury-plagued Manchester United midfielder Owen Hargreaves has made his latest return to first-team training.
United boss Sir Alex Ferguson has spoken of his amazement at the condition of the England midfielder, who has made just one substitute appearance in two years for the Red Devils.
Hargreaves has undergone extensive surgery on both knees in recent times following a long-running battle with tendinitis.
"Owen Hargreaves has come back training," Ferguson told MUTV."He trained yesterday (Thursday) with the first team. He looked very good. I was surprised actually how good he was looking.
"It's an extra string to our bow. Bringing him in at this time, after being out for so long, obviously we'll have to monitor him and see how he's going to progress in the next few weeks. But it's good to see him back.
"Because he's been out for so long you have to see whether there's going to be a relapse.
FootballFanCast General Stay ahead in the world of football analysis, commentary, and fan insights with FootballFancast. FootballFanCast General Stay ahead in the world of football analysis, commentary, and fan insights with FootballFancast.
By subscribing, you agree to receive newsletter and marketing emails, and accept Valnet’s Terms of Use and Privacy Policy. You can unsubscribe anytime.
"That's the first thing on our mind at the moment but having watched him in training yesterday if he continues that way he's going to give me another selection problem, no question about that."
Hargreaves has made just 38 appearances for United following his £17milliion arrival from Bayern Munich in 2007.Subscribe to Football FanCast News Headlines by Email
Red Sox proprietor John W.Henry has been cast as the new saviour of Liverpool Football Club after his company’s £300m bid for the Anfield club was accepted last week.
This is however dependent on a High Court ruling going against American duo Tom Hicks and George Gillett who have launched a legal battle against the board’s decision to accept a bid from the New England Sports Ventures, a deal which would see the pair lose a combined £140m.
Yet despite the relief and buoyancy which greeted the news of Hicks’ and Gillett’s impending departure, the Merseyside champagne is still on ice until the despised co-owners have disappeared back across the Atlantic. It will also be up to W.Henry to convince the club’s fans that he was Liverpool’s best interests at heart, following three-and-a-half years of broken promises, debt and dissension under the two previous despised incumbents.
On the surface Henry appears to be the right candidate to rejuvenate the ailing club and bring the good times back to the Red half of Merseyside. Within two years of taking control of the Boston Red Sox in 2002, Henry ended the club’s 86-year wait for a World Series title and repeated this success to win a second, just three years later. It has now been over two decades since the Reds last won a league title and Henry knows he can automatically increase the value of the club with success on the field. The parallels between the two sides are striking, with both failing for decades to find success on the pitch despite their rich heritage, tradition and vast, outreaching fanbase.
Henry knows the importance of gate receipts and hospitality revenue in increasing finance and his first priority at the Red Sox was to begin redeveloping the club’s hugely iconic Fenway Park ground with an investment of $250m. The stadium was gradually expanded and in 2008 the club broke the Major League record by selling out for the 456th consecutive game in a row. For Liverpool, a new stadium at the club’s Stanley Park site has long been mooted, however Henry will be keen to asses his options and the club may yet stay at their Anfield headquarters. The improvements to Fenway Park have come at a cost however and the club’s ticket prices are now amongst the most expensive in the league.
Despite his reputation as one the most respected owners in the Major League, Henry has not had absolute success in the sports investment business since first dipping into the market with the purchase of Minor League side the Tuscan Toros in 1989. Before taking control of the Bo Sox his reign at the Florida Marlins was a complete and utter disaster. After it became clear his plan to build a publically funded stadium failed, Henry immediately began looking for an exit route from the club, while star players were sold annually to balance the books. After three unsuccessful years Henry left the club and is still widely loathed by Marlin fans today.
With an estimated worth of £540m, Henry’s finances are dwarfed by more than half of the current owners in the Premier League. Even outgoing owner Hicks is estimated to be worth more than his compatriot. After chairman Martin Broughton confirmed the club had tried, but failed, to find the next Roman Abramovich, he conceded that there are simply ‘no more Romans out there to be found’. Henry does however have the backing of fellow NESV investors, who between them do have the finances to compete at the top end of the transfer market and shake things up in the boardroom.
Another major positive is Henry’s insistence that all acquisition debt will be removed from the club, leaving the Reds with an external debt of £37m, the second lowest in the Premier League. Broughton has also eased fans concerns about more debt being placed on the club further down the line, by claiming NESV do not believe in borrowing high-interest loans from the banks as Hicks and Gillett did, insisting:
“They [New England Sports Ventures] arenot leverage people.”
It is clear Henry is likely to be much more considerate and understanding of Liverpool’s traditions than either Hicks and Gillett. He will also have learnt not to make the same basic mistakes as his compatriots who promised everything and delivered very little. The bottom line is that Henry will want to make money and has secured himself a bargain investment which will allow him to rid the club of its debt, should things go his way in the courtroom this week.
FootballFanCast General Stay ahead in the world of football analysis, commentary, and fan insights with FootballFancast. FootballFanCast General Stay ahead in the world of football analysis, commentary, and fan insights with FootballFancast.
By subscribing, you agree to receive newsletter and marketing emails, and accept Valnet’s Terms of Use and Privacy Policy. You can unsubscribe anytime.
It certainly appears that Henry’s main priority is increasing the fortunes of clubs on the pitch and this is positive news for the 18 time league champions. There are many similarities between the Red Sox and Liverpool and Kopites will hope that these parallels can continue with the revival of the club and a return to winning ways.
You can read more of my blogs HERE or follow me on Twitter.
After all the speculation this week that Wayne Rooney was going to leave Manchester United, he’s only gone and put that to bed by signing a new 5 year contract. There were pages and pages of football news and hundreds of articles and blogs dedicated to the story and Manchester City were already being lined up as a potential destination for the England international, but the Red Devils fans can breathe a sigh of relief. Whatever Manchester United manager Sir Alex Ferguson has said to him and the terms presented to him by David Gill seem to have made up Rooney’s mind and he’ll be a United player for many years to come.
Manchester United fans, what do you think about Wayne Rooney staying at Old Trafford and can this news help to you to seriously challenge Chelsea this season and win yet another Premier League title?
Aston Villa captain Stiliyan Petrov does not require surgery on his knee injury, but is still expected to be out of action for as much as three months.
The 31-year-old Bulgarian suffered ligament damage in the 1-0 defeat at Sunderland last weekend, with manager Gerard Houllier having feared that Petrov would need to go under the knife.
However, he told reporters on Friday afternoon:“We thought Stiliyan would need an operation, but he won’t need an operation.
“But the time for recovery will still be the same – between eight and 12 weeks.”
The Frenchman had earlier stated:“The worse case is that Stiliyan will be out for a minimum of two months.
“I think we should know by the end of the week whether he needs an operation or not.
“Let’s keep our fingers crossed he doesn’t require one, as it could then be treated conservatively, which will be the best scenario. The worst scenario, of course, is needing the operation.
FootballFanCast General Stay ahead in the world of football analysis, commentary, and fan insights with FootballFancast. FootballFanCast General Stay ahead in the world of football analysis, commentary, and fan insights with FootballFancast.
By subscribing, you agree to receive newsletter and marketing emails, and accept Valnet’s Terms of Use and Privacy Policy. You can unsubscribe anytime.
“But Stiliyan is a strong lad who has had to go through injuries before and he has always come back.”
Subscribe to Football FanCast News Headlines by Email
In his response to questions put forward by Liverpool fans site Red and White Kop, John W Henry once again highlighted the importance of UEFA’s Financial Fair Play which will come into effect next year:
“We don’t know English football, but we do know the sports business and what it takes to be successful. You must first of all have the right people in place and you must be able to give them the resources they need to be successful. With the new Financial Fair Play Rules coming into effect next year, we know that we need to emphasize revenue growth. That is an area we feel we are very strong. And LFC already has a strong commercial team.”
As Henry says, NESV have been experts in increasing revenue growth at the Boston Red Sox to the point they are now second only to the New York Yankees in Baseball in regards to turnover. Despite having a small Ballpark at Fenway, they have managed through corporate sponsorship, improved marketing and increased ticket prices to make the Red Sox into a profitable, sustainable business model, crucially helped by the team’s success on the Baseball field. Success on the field has led to increasing profits off the field, making the Red Sox a franchise to compete with the best without NESV pumping money into the team.
The ability to replicate this success with Liverpool was crucial to NESV’s decision to buy Liverpool. Currently, as for things stand, this could prove to be difficult with “Sugar Daddy” owners such as Sheikh Mansour and Roman Abramovich ploughing money into their clubs without a care for profit, making it difficult for others to compete. What will be changing in the not too distant future though, is the introduction of UEFA’s Financial Fair Play laws.
It will require clubs to break even over a continuous three-year period within the next ten years if they want to play in European competitions. The UEFA rules state that clubs will only be allowed losses of 45m between 2012-2015 (meaning owners can pump in 15m per season in exchange for shares), and this will be reduced to 30m between 2015-2018 (10m per season) . The figures will be reduced even further still by 2019 until a point when European clubs will have to break even if they want to play in Europe. It is an initiative put forward by UEFA president Michel Platini to encourage clubs to spend wisely, and to prevent clubs spending their way to success despite accruing mountains of debt. It is designed to increase competition in Europe and prevent what UEFA sees as not playing by the rules of “fair competition.”
It effectively means that wage bills exceeding revenues will be a thing of the past, and this was crucial in attracting the interest of NESV to Liverpool. Former Reds Chairman Martin Broughton commented before the takeover by NESV was completed:
“We weren’t looking for an Abramovich or Sheikh Mansour, because we understand a rational commercial approach is the way forward in football now. . . A hugely important aspect for Liverpool is [Uefa’s] financial fair play rules. They come into effect pretty damn soon, and will have a massive effect on many, many clubs. I couldn’t help notice that Manchester City’s wage bill for last year was exceeding its revenue. That is going to be very difficult under financial fair play.”
You could certainly describe Henry’s business model at Boston Red Sox as a “rational commercial approach.” The Financial Fair Play rules are also why Henry & Co have been looking so closely at Arsenal’s business model and footballing philosophy. It is a sustainable profitable enterprise but also develops young players that are capable of competing at the top level in the Premier League. Henry’s three visits to the Kirkby Academy and his appointment of Damien Comolli are strong indications that he is already focused on preparing Liverpool for these new Financial Fair Play rules. It also tallies with his philosophy of developing youngsters with the values of the team; something they are developing at the Boston Red Sox.
FootballFanCast General Stay ahead in the world of football analysis, commentary, and fan insights with FootballFancast. FootballFanCast General Stay ahead in the world of football analysis, commentary, and fan insights with FootballFancast.
By subscribing, you agree to receive newsletter and marketing emails, and accept Valnet’s Terms of Use and Privacy Policy. You can unsubscribe anytime.
Overall then, it looks as if John W Henry has a pretty coherent long term strategy for the club but it is predicated on UEFA’s Financial Fair Play laws being a success. Whether UEFA’s guidelines work, could be crucial to how successful Liverpool are in the next ten years.
Read more excellent Liverpool blogs at the ‘Live4Liverpool’ website