Picking the ten best moments of the season so far is never an easy thing to do. ‘Best’ is such a subjective word to use in football, what I might have loved, you might have hated. So here are my most memorable moments. The media have a massive influence in such things as memorable moments. It is no wonder that the most memorable moments surround the top teams as the media give more coverage to such games. That’s just the way it is.
But the best games are not necessarily top of the table clashes. A game like Manchester United v Liverpool might be a massively hyped up game, but it will often stagnate into low scoring match. The most memorable games, for me, are high-scoring, upsets or comebacks.
What follows are the moments that when I think back on the season, come to mind first of all. I have tried to take my Tottenham hat off and include moments for all fans. Some are iconic goals, others fantastic results. Either way they are moments that I thought of first when I reflected on this season of English football.
[divider]
Click on Torres below to see the Top TEN
[divider]
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.
Stoke City boss Tony Pulis has played down suggestions that he would be interested in taking on the Wales manager's job.
Current national team boss John Toshack is expected to announce his resignation, after six years in charge, while Pulis was born in Newport and has been linked with the post in the past.
However, the 52-year-old does not think now is the right time for him to take the role on, although he has not ruled out the possibility in the future.
When asked about the job, he replied:"It is worth it? One day, if someone offered me the job it would be a great honour to manage my country.
"But to work in such an intense situation as a manager of a Premier League club, where every day there are new things to do, and then to take it away from you at the age I am I'm not sure it's for me.
"I think John Toshack has done a smashing job in respect of bringing young players through.
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.
"A lot of good young players have been integrated and they now have quite a bit of experience at international level so there will be a time when someone will slip into that job and it will be a good job.
"Whoever takes over there are some good players in Wales and, if you can get a good start and a few results, the confidence will come back."Subscribe to Football FanCast News Headlines by Email
Wayne Rooney has dismissed talk that he will be leaving Old Trafford, amid rumours of an apparent bust-up between him and Sir Alex Ferguson. Some newspapers sources suggest that the pair of them are at breaking point, despite the denial from Rooney and the football club itself.
Elsewhere in the news Adeyemi claims he suffered racial abuse at Anfield; Thierry Henry can’t wait for Arsenal return, while Fernandes denies freeze on transfer funds at Loftus Rd.
Adeyemi suffers alleged ‘racial abuse’ at Anfield – Guardian
Rooney dismisses Old Trafford exit – Daily Telegraph
How Roberto Mancini fell in love with Manchester – Independent
Cahill could be at Chelsea by Sunday, says Coyle – Guardian
Ferguson claims Touré may play despite call-up – Guardian
Thierry Henry: Arsenal return ‘unreal’ – Daily Telegraph
Liverpool in for £8.5m Colombian international striker Martinez – Daily Mail
QPR enter race with Spurs for Blackburn’s Hoilett – TalkSport
Get ready for Suarez Mk II! Arsenal line up move for £10m Anderlecht hitman – Daily Mail
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.
Fernandes denies freeze on transfer funds -Guardian
Sevilla goalkeeper Javi Varas is refusing to give up hope of his club stealing a Champions League spot from La Liga rivals Villarreal.Villarreal occupy the fourth and final Champions League qualification spot on the Spanish table with 54 points, eight more than Sevilla in fifth place.
With just seven games to go it would seem Sevilla’s chances are all but shot, even more so given their mixed form of late.
Sevilla have won two of their past five league games and still face a visit from Real Madrid and potentially tricky trips to Espanyol and Osasuna.
But Varas believes the club can still engineer a miracle – beginning with their trip to relegation-threatened Getafe on Saturday.
“I think that the team are able to win the remaining seven games,” Varas said.
“If we win them all, then Villarreal will have slipped up. We need them to slip up a further two times.”
“There is still a long way to go. We have to win at Getafe and then we face a situation that isn’t in our hands. We don’t know what Villarreal will do – only ourselves.”
Sevilla scraped into the Champions League by one point last season only to fall to Portuguese runners-up Braga in the playoff round.
The club made it through the group stages of the Europa League but were bundled out by another Portuguese club, Porto, in the round of 32.
With the new Football League season having kicked off at the weekend and the Premier League hot on its heels, football fans and betting aficionados will have two main options when it comes to following Saturday’s developments on television. Sky’s Soccer Saturday and the BBC’s Final Score are both shows which preview the day’s action before making use of videprinters and punditry to keep you updated with all the goals and developments across the leagues. But who reigns supreme in the peculiar concept of producing second hand football?
The image of Soccer Saturday as the wealthier relation has been enhanced by the decision to broadcast the show in HD. It is an impressive set worthy of such digital clarity, boasting florescent lights and logos. The smart, clean appearance of the set extends to the host Jeff Stelling and his regular panel of pundits, of varying ability, who will all be suited. This should not give the lasting impression of a stilted atmosphere as the Countdown host will break the ice with a well-timed pun or a self deprecating swipe at his beloved Hartlepool. Jeff Stelling is the clear selling point of this six hour marathon show. He is a consummate professional and his knowledge of the game including the most obscure statistics is unrivalled. As is his ability to plough through all the goals with a speed, accuracy and consistency which borders on the autistic. His delivery and pitch adds to the drama, captivating the audience. Expect more humour from the in-house pundits usually consisting of Paul Merson, Matt Le Tissier, Phil Thompson and Charlie Nicholas. They enjoy some friendly banter whilst making their predictions and opine about who is ‘different class’ this year. Just don’t anticipate perfect pronunciations of Laurent Koscielny or Diniyar Bilyaletdinov.
However do not expect much better from the dozens of pitch side reporters either. Dean Windass who used to struggle with his feet now does so with his words as an eventful match will overwhelm him. That sensation is well-known to Chris ‘unbelievable Jeff’ Kamara who habitually fails to distinguish between red cards and substitutions. Such comedic interludes can come as welcome relief once your betting selections have gone awry. The show is never at risk of descending into farce as Stelling jovially keeps order whilst correlating results from umpteen divisions even down to goal difference.
It is a rather more low-budget, cosy affair as you switch your attentions to the Beeb’s Final Score. Greeted by Gabby Logan or Mark ‘Chappers’ Chapman with a few pundits stationed on a curved sofa, the dress code is firmly smart casual. A headache inducing screen-saver background constantly displays the names of sides throughout the Football League. As the presenter zips through all the developments on the videprinter the pundits are concentrating on the Premier League action. This is Final Score’s distinct difference from its rival where their studio pundits focus on a game each. Garth Crooks and journeyman Steve Claridge keep you abreast of every Premier League game in tandem. As they cast their scrutinising eyes across the top division there is greater opportunity for debate and disagreements. Whilst it is usually cordial, the opinionated Crooks and Claridge will occasionally ruffle the less forthright Lee Dixon and Mark Bright. Disagreements were in abundance when Carlton Palmer used to appear alongside Crooks and events such as Adebayor’s provocative goal celebration polarised opinion brilliantly.
Final Score purports to provide comprehensive coverage of all teams across the division, sending out twenty reporters to football grounds on a Saturday. Double that and you may start to get close to Soccer Saturday’s output. Live cameras and a reporter were even in attendance for Stevenage’s encounter with Macclesfield at the weekend. Despite Sky’s greater financial investment in their football results show it is Stelling’s continued presence which secures their advantage. The ease, skill and speed at which he updates the viewer is astonishing. It just may be worth checking to see if Garth Crooks is having one of his days on Final Score though.
With the PL season nearly upon us, let’s see the WAGS that will be keeping the players on their toes. Click on image to VIEW gallery
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.
As the January transfer window approaches, the media rumour mill is starting to warm up again with reports of possible upcoming big-money moves. As usual, Liverpool are likely to be linked to a whole host of names, and have already been rumoured to be targeting Aly Cissokho, Philippe Coutinho and Seydou Keita.
Another player Kenny Dalglish is said to be interested in is Sao Paulo ’s Brazilian midfielder Lucas , full name Lucas Rodrigues Moura da Silva. According to reports, the Reds are prepared to offer £20 million for the 19-year-old, who is also a target for Manchester United , Real Madrid and AC Milan .
But is he worth the money? Club owners Fenway Sports Group have already shown they are willing to splash out big funds on youngsters with potential, bringing in the likes of Andy Carroll and Jordan Henderson for considerable amounts. And the case for signing Lucas is strengthened by the fact that he has arguably shown much more potential than either of those two.
Having made his professional debut for Sao Paulo just last year, Lucas has since gone on to become a key player for the side. He made 25 appearances in the Brazilian Championship, the Campeonato Brasileiro, last season, and has again been a regular during this campaign, scoring eight goals in the process.
He was also a part of the Brazil Under-20 side which won the South American Youth Championship in Peru earlier this year, where he scored four goals in nine appearances. These impressive displays saw him earn a call up to the senior side, and he made his debut against Scotland in March.
[youtube l7BZ_hGx-gA]
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.
Article courtesy of Sean Mullan from Live4Liverpool
“Jack who?” I hear you ask? Well for the more educated of football fans, the name of Jack Reynolds is one they like to role off the tongue to prove their education of the beautiful game but for many it’s a name and a legacy that is often over looked, especially in a week where we are celebrating legends. I had only discovered his story when researching the roots of ‘Total Football’ which I assumed like many to be a Dutch revolution in the 1960s, but the English man in question had a huge part to play.
Manchester born Jack did not have a highly regarded playing career starting at the turn of the 20th century playing a few seasons at Burton United and Grimsby Town before becoming a coach at F.C. St.Gallen in Switerland in 1912. There are sources linking him to the coach of the German national side but the outbreak of World War 1 saw Reynolds move to Holland where his legacy began.
He became coach of Ajax Amsterdam, then a new and small club in the football world but Jack transformed them into a professional outfit even though the players were still unpaid. He made improvements to the club’s facilities and introduced training methods that progressed to players working on skill with the ball rather than the physical side of the game.
[ad_pod id=’fox-mpu’ align=’right’]
Over his 27 years with Ajax, Reynolds won the Eredivisie as many as 8 times and Ajax expert and author, Menno Pot speaks very highly of the legacy that Reynolds left at the club saying : “He was the man who came up with the idea that every player at Ajax should play the same system and the same formation.”
It sounds like a very similar system to what managers like Arsene Wenger at Arsenal and Pepe Guardiola at Barcelona use today.
The roots of Ajax and Holland’s “Total Football” are credited to Rinus Michels who was a former product of Reynold’s youth system in Amsterdam. Mr Pot believes that without Jack Reynolds, Ajax would never have become a force in European football and he is seen as one of the club’s founding fathers.
His reign at Ajax was also interrupted due to World War II where he was taken as a Prisoner of War by the Germans from 1940 to 1945. He made a return to football after the war was over and lifted his final trophy with Ajax in 1947 but decided to retire from the game.
Today, Ajax still recognise the contribution he made to their club and having previously had a stand named after him at their former ground, they now have the ‘Jack Reynolds Lobby’ at the Amsterdam Arena.
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.
Reynolds spent his retirement in Amsterdam and his story is one of most remarkable and impressionable I have ever seen in the history of the game. His modern philosophies and actions on the game created a huge influence, not only on one club and a nation but also the football world, a true LEGEND.
For more lessons of Football History, follow me on Twitter @verbal_football
Arsenal manager Arsene Wenger has no interest in bringing France international Yoann Gourcuff to the Emirates Stadium.
The Bordeaux star, who has also been linked with Lyon, is admired by Wenger although the Gunners boss is happy with his current midfield options.
Wenger told Telefoot: "We are not interested (in Gourcuff) and we were never contacted. He's a player I like a lot, but we are sufficiently covered in midfield."
Gourcuff was part of the Les Bleus squad that performed so pitifully in the World Cup finals in South Africa last month.
He started the game against Uruguay and the tournament hosts, although he was sent off against South Africa, as Raymond Domenech's side failed to progress from the group stages.
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 ex-Rennes and AC Milan player has featured in 81 games for Bordeaux in the last two seasons, finding the net 21 times.Subscribe to Football FanCast News Headlines by Email
QPR defender Anton Ferdinand has revealed that he has completed his statement to the FA regarding the alleged incident of racism committed by John Terry just over a week ago.
The Chelsea defender was accused by the Loftus Road man of insulting him due to his race in the 1-0 victory for Rangers on 23rd October, and many involved in the game have been calling for action against the England international.
Despite maintaining his innocence, Terry is under investigation by the FA currently, and Ferdinand has confirmed that he has given evidence against the veteran central defender.
“Today (Monday 31st October 2011) I finalised my statement with the Football Association with regards to the incident that occurred last Sunday at Loftus Road in our Barclays Premier League fixture against Chelsea,” read Ferdinand’s statement.
“I have very strong feelings on the matter, but in the interests of fairness and not wishing to prejudice what I am sure will be a very thorough inquiry by the FA, this will be my last comment on the subject until the enquiry is concluded.
“I would like to thank the club, Tony Fernandes, Amit Bhatia, Neil Warnock, the supporters and my fellow professionals for their unwavering support,” he concluded.
The FA will review Ferdinand’s story of events, and Terry can expect to be questioned over the incident in the not too distant future.
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.
Schalke have announced that coach Felix Magath will leave the Bundesliga club with immediate effect.Magath, 57, had been widely tipped for the exit owing to the team’s disappointing form in the league this season.A championship-winning coach with Wolfsburg and Bayern Munich, Magath was due to meet with club officials at an extraordinary session of the supervisory board on Wednesday, but chose not to attend. The club later confirmed that he had been removed from the post, but a replacement is yet to be announced.”Schalke have very good reasons to part company with Felix Magath,” chairman Clemens Tonnies said.”We will not communicate these reasons as a legal battle now awaits us. We’re very disappointed about the departure of Felix, but we feel this is the best solution for Schalke.”Earlier, Magath’s lawyer Ralf Hoecker revealed the reasons behind his client’s refusal to attend the meeting. “Mr Magath won’t attend Wednesday’s board meeting as he feels participating doesn’t make any sense,” Ralf Hoecker said.”Mr Magath only received a minimal and incomplete agenda of the meeting on Tuesday. He needs to be well prepared if he is to debate about important subjects.”Magath, who arrived at the Veltins-Arena in July 2009, guided the team to a second-place finish in his first season in charge, but leaves with the team 10th in the Bundesliga table. They have reached the final of the DFB Pokal and the quarter-finals of the Champions League.A Germany international midfielder, Magath spent the majority of his playing career with Hamburg before coaching the club. He has also taken charge of Nuremburg, Werder Bremen, Frankfurt and Stuttgart.