PREMier Sport for PREMier Fans from PREMier Writers
Five pm on the first of September was the time the Premier League supposedly took steps to ensure English talent was given a chance to develop . But all we got was the Premier League clubs flaunting the new rules. The League requested that its clubs have a squad of 25 players registered, with at least nine players being classed as ‘home-grown‘. Herein lies the Premier League’s first problem. It defines ‘home-grown’ as “spent more than 36 months at a club before their 21st birthday”. For instance Cesc Fabregas qualifies as a home – grown player although you will never seem him wearing one of the home-nation shirts.
This was the Premier League’s biggest mistake, as every club has been able to manipulate the rule so much, that almost half of some of the squads have been classed as ‘home-grown’. Arsenal have been the biggest benefactors of this rule with Arsene Wenger naming no fewer than 70 players in his Premier League squad. Wenger was one of the managers to speak out against the rule and it seems the canny Fr…
It has been a disastrous start to the season for Avram Grant’s West Ham. They sit bottom of the table having scored just once and conceded nine, they could only beat League Two Oxford at home with an injury-time goal and they have Chelsea next in the league.
They have slipped to fourth favourites for relegation ahead of only Blackpool, West Brom and Wigan and their new signings have struggled to make any impact in their games so far this season.
Indeed things could not have started any worse for the Hammers and many are already beginning to worry that last season’s survival was merely putting off the inevitable and that they will drop to the Championship in May.
The club’s well documented financial struggles would mean that they could struggle to make an immediate return to the top flight should that happen and fans fear that their club could become another Portsmouth o…
It appears that the saga of just who will take over from Martin O’Neill as the next Aston Villa boss is coming to an end, but it is still unclear as to the identity of the man who will be chosen. The usual names have emerged as supposed candidates, with the likes of Alan Curbishley and Gerard Houllier being bandied about as always, but there do appear to be three names linked with the job that are actually serious contenders to rescue Villa’s season.
For the benefit of Villa fans it’s time to look at the bookies’ three favourites for the job one by one and evaluate whether or not they would be suited or indeed capable of taking on the biggest jobs in English football.
Of the three major names being linked with the job Eriksson is the outsider. He has never been seriously thought of as the next Villa boss by many in the game, but he still remains one of the favourites for the job with the bookies.
He certainly has the most experience having been in management for …
- Striker, Newcastle United
Another player with Under-21 experience, Andy Carroll is expected to make the step-up to senior level sooner rather than later. Two years ago, during Alan Shearer’s ill-fated spell in charge of Newcastle, he scored three goals towards the end of the season which gave everyone a glimpse of what he can do. He did not start last season as first choice, finding himself behind Shola Ameobi and Marlon Harewood in the pecking order, but injuries and loss of form to those players saw him promoted to regular first-team action and he has never looked back from there.
The target man scored 19 goals overall last season as he established a lethal partnership with Peter Lovenkrands which fired the club to promotion at the first time of asking. His form in early 2010 was such that he was entrusted with the club’s iconic number nine shirt at the start of the season, a dream come true for the Gateshead born star. He is very much a traditional striker in the mould o…
Phil O’Neill 24/08/10 Mascha-Cant-Go
The future Liverpool Football Club has dominated the back pages all summer but it is the future of one of their stars that will be grabbing the headlines ahead of what promises to be a fascinating final week of the transfer window.
This, however, does not guarantee he will be donning the famous blue and red stripes of Barca any time soon. Liverpool look set to dig their heels in over the fee and unless Barcelona increases their bid significantly in the next week, Mascherano could be in for a very miserable season indeed!
Hodgson echoed the clubs stand point, that they do not need to sell anyone to ease their well publicised money troubles, when he said: “This matter has developed over the last couple of days. Unfortunately the fee the club thinks is the correct fee and the fee we are being offered are very far apart. Unless that can be resolved he might be unhappy for a long time to come.”
It is refreshing that Liverpool ar…
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