All posts by h79snht.top

Nottingham Forest have a decent number of players in their squad that have worked their way through the club’s youth ranks to become first-team figures.

One of those players, in particular, is currently listed as one of Forest’s most valuable assets in today’s market, showing how rewarding it can be for clubs to have a solid youth system and give the right players the chance to develop in the first team.

As a product of Forest’s youth system, 25-year-old Joe Worrall made his senior debut for the Midlands club back in October 2016 in a 2-0 defeat against Reading in the Championship under former manager Philippe Montanier.

Since then, the defender has gone on to make 171 appearances for the Reds across all competitions, chipping in with four goals and providing six assists along the way.

With 30 league appearances under his belt in this campaign, the Englishman has shown just how much of a useful player he is at the back for Steve Cooper by racking up more interceptions (62) than any other Forest player.

In addition to that, the defender has also made an average of 1.8 tackles, 3.4 clearances and 0.8 blocks per game, putting him in the top five for each statistic in the squad.

Praised for his “superb” tackle against Diogo Jota during Forest’s FA Cup defeat against Liverpool last month by journalist Paul Gorst, Worrall has certainly been a critical figure for his club this season.

To highlight how tough the centre-back is, Forest journalist Matt Davies tweeted that Worrall “must be made out of the same stuff as Wolverine,” in regards to the fact that the defender made a surprise early return from injury back in February after he broke three ribs a month earlier.

Back in February 2017, just a few months after making his senior debut, Transfermarkt rated the Englishman’s market value listed at £90k, whereas it now stands at £3.6m, making him the second-most valuable player in Cooper’s squad behind fellow defender Steve Cook.

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Taking all of this into account, it’s safe to say the Reds hit the jackpot by unearthing and developing Worral into the prominent figure he is today.

In other news: Nottingham Forest loanee Davis likely to be available permanently…

Manchester United have decided against signing a replacement for reserve goalkeeper Ben Foster, who was sold last month to Birmingham City last month, choosing instead to use Tomasz Kuszczak as Edwin van der Sar's understudy and 20-year-old prospect Ben Amos as their third-choice shot-stopper.

Former West Brom keeper Kuszczak was arguably the number two in the season just gone, playing 14 games to Foster's 13, but the announcement that Amos is to be his back-up puts extra pressure on the Poland international and will have United fans monitoring van der Sar's fitness intently.

United's goalkeeping coach, Eric Steele, has backed Amos to progress next season, telling the official club website:"We'vethrown the gauntlet down, so it's up to him now to fulfil his potential.

"The challenge is for us to continue his development, but also for him to take the opportunity and make the most of it.

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"Hopefully he might gain some experience and exposure in matches like the pre-season friendlies and the Carling Cup. That's probably a realistic target for 2010-11."Subscribe to Football FanCast News Headlines by Email

West Ham have now reached a crossroads in what direction they head in next season when it comes to signing players. Do they go for big names in the hope that it can lift the team and at the same raise the club’s profile? Or do they go for players who could potentially be big players in the future? Both methods have their ups and downs and it’s going to be difficult for them to decide what do.

The Hammers have recently been knocked back in their attempts to sign young Barcelona defender Andreu Fontas. The Spaniard has a release clause of just £2.5m in his contract, and with West Ham offering that amount Barcelona had to allow them to discuss terms with the player and they were set to conclude a deal for him. However it now appears that Barcelona have persuaded the 20-year-old to stay at the Nou Camp as he is set to sign a new deal in the coming days.

Although it may come as blow to West Ham fans it may not be the worst thing in the world that this deal didn’t happen, remember Savio Nsrenko? The German midfielder was signed by the East London club for a record fee of £9m from Brescia. However he failed to settle at the club and looked off the pace in the Premiership, just six months later he was sold to Fiorentina. You could argue that West Ham didn’t give him a fair chance as at the time he was just 19-years-old and had only just moved to London. He would have taken a lot of time to settle not just on the pitch but off it as well and even experienced players can take a year to settle, but whether West Ham made a mistake in getting rid of him or not will only be proven in years to come.

The other route for West Ham to go down is trying to make some marquee signings like David Beckham and Thierry Henry who the club have previously been linked with. Players like Beckham and Henry despite their advancing years still have a lot left in them, and because of their quality are still capable of producing moments of magic. Having players like them around would give a massive lift to the dressing room and could have a big effect on the whole team as well. From a commercial point of view marquee signings would also generate more income for the club due to shirt and ticket sales. But signing big name players doesn’t always work and West Ham know this all too well after they decided to sign Freddie Ljungberg from Arsenal. The Swedish winger was a great player for Arsenal but couldn’t replicate the form at West Ham, after just one season at the club they paid him £6m to terminate his four-year contract early.

Whatever approach West Ham decide to take they will need to weigh it up carefully as both have positives and negatives, and the last thing they want to do is spend a fortune again on players who don’t make an impact like Savio and Ljungberg. David Gold and David Sullivan surely won’t let the same mistakes happen again; and they should be able to come up with an effective transfer strategy alongside new manager Avram Grant to take the club forward.

What type of signings do you think West Ham need to make?

Message me on Twitter with your thoughts

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Click image below to see a gallery of the German babes at the World Cup:

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Spain coach Vicente del Bosque does not know whether he will name Fernando Torres in his starting line-up for Sunday's World Cup final.

The Liverpool striker was dropped to the bench for Wednesday's 1-0 semi-final victory over Germany.

Barcelona youngster Pedro was preferred to the mis-firing Liverpool striker and del Bosque is undecided over whether to recalled Torres to face Netherlands in Johannesburg.

Torres has struggled to recapture his best form at the World Cup following knee surgery which forced him to miss the closing weeks of the domestic season.

The 26-year-old striker is yet to find the net in South Africa despite making six appearances during Spain's march to the final.

"I don't know if he will be in the line-up," said del Bosque when asked about Torres.

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"It was a difficult choice. Torres has been helping us all along. His work is important even if it is not noticed. He is good at occupying the centre-backs.

"I didn't talk to him before I announced the line-up (against Germany). But he is a very important part of the team. He is one of the key members of the squad and a lovely guy."Subscribe to Football FanCast News Headlines by Email

Arsenal have announced that long-serving manager Arsene Wenger has signed a new contract that will keep him at the Emirates Stadium until the end of the 2013-14 season.

Wenger, who was appointed Gunners boss 14 years ago, is pleased that his long-term future is secure after signing a three-year extension to his current contract.

The Frenchman said after penning the deal:"My heart belongs to Arsenal and my desire is to see this team win silverware.

"My commitment and drive are as strong and fresh as ever. Signing a new deal means that I can see this talented group of players reach their potential. Trust me, they are ready to deliver.

"With my staff and players we are in front of an exciting challenge and we are looking forward to achieving much success."

Arsenal chairman Peter Hill-Wood added:"We are thrilled that Arsene has signed an extension to his contract.

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"He has masterfully transformed this football club over the last 14 years and the exciting and compelling football we play under his stewardship is admired the world over.

"Arsene is a very talented man and we believe the young, exciting team he has nurtured over the past five years will reward his and the fans' patience with silverware."Subscribe to Football FanCast News Headlines by Email

USA head coach Bob Bradley has admitted that he is interested in the managerial vacancy at Aston Villa.

The 52-year-old has been in charge of his country's national team for the last four years and led the US to the last 16 at the World Cup finals in South Africa earlier this summer.

Bradley told BBC Radio Five Live's Sportsweek programme:"Of course I think Aston Villa is a massive club with great history and a great following and those types of opportunities would be of interest.

"I would certainly be honoured to have that conversation, but I'm impressed with the way things have been handled so far and we'll see what the future holds.

"I've always been excited about being a manager in Europe, but at the same time I'm proud of the work we've done with the US team over the last four years. It is important to consider that as a challenge as well. So we'll see what happens.

"There have been discussions with some of my representatives to at least find out the situation, but Aston Villa seem to have taken a good stance where they have been patient.

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"They have a very good man in Kevin MacDonald who is highly respected in the club, so I think on the one hand they are probably putting a list together and on the other making sure Kevin has the time to consider his future as well. It has been handled very well.

"I had some people do some checking just to find out where things stood."Subscribe to Football FanCast News Headlines by Email

Green and gold may be the latest fad, but red is a colour that has always been held in the highest regard by Manchester United fans. Just recently, the hoards at Old  Trafford have been joined in their love of the colour by neutrals and journalists alike. The reason? Paul Scholes.

Born again at 35 after a summer wisely spent away from the Rainbow Nation, Scholes has been simply faultless in Manchester United’s first meaningful games of the season. In fact, his performances against Chelsea and Newcastle in Community Shield and Premier League respectively have caused many to believe that Fabio Capello made a catastrophic mistake in not making a more personal effort to lure him out of international retirement to take part in England’s ill-fated campaign in South Africa.

There is no doubt that the man affectionately nicknamed the ‘Ginger Ninja’ by some sections of the media remains a phenomenal talent. Two assists against Newcastle demonstrated that even in his twilight years, Scholes’ footballing brain is still as sharp as ever, while his passing game appears to have developed as he has dropped into a deeper midfield role. While he no longer has the engine to burst forward to join attacks – he would probably be happy with five goals this season – Scholes does possess the ability to receive a football and land it on a sixpence, a feat that seems particularly impressive in a league where so many rely on fitness and strength over technical prowess.

However, despite Scholes’ stunning performance at Wembley and his subsequent masterclass at Old Trafford on Monday, there remains a nagging sense that he does not have long left at this level. The feeling may be justified, despite the man himself claiming on Wednesday that he will ‘just keep going’ for the foreseeable future.

This, after all, is the same Paul Scholes who was so below par at times last season as United saw their Premier League crown snatched by Chelsea. In a disappointing season his performance at Craven Cottage, where he was directly at fault for at least one goal as United were humbled 3-0 by Fulham, sticks in the mind as particularly poor. Scholes was roundly criticised, and one top journalist in a prestigious British daily (who shall remain nameless) even claimed in his match report that it had disappointed him to see such an illustrious player being so obviously exposed as ‘past it’.

At the end of the season, even Scholes himself seemed to accept that the end was near. In an interview in June he claimed he had ‘maybe… one year left’ and at the time, with United fans dreaming of big-name summer signings, the remarks hardly caused great alarm.

However, with supposed target Mesut Özil having joined Real Madrid and the relatively unknown Bébé the only midfield arrival at the Theatre of Dreams this summer, Scholes again appears set to play a central role in United’s challenge for the Premiership and Champions League. So, is he still up to the task?

Scholes’ performances this season have been impressive and he remains a phenomenally talented footballer. However, how much can we really read into displays against a clearly unfit Chelsea side and a Newcastle team who resembled scared rabbits in the headlights during their first game back in the promised land? Would Scholes be given so much space and time to orchestrate United’s midfield play against a fully-fit Chelsea, Barcelona or Internazionale in May? No. He would have been hassled and pressured and as he demonstrated last season, Scholes no longer responds well to such conditions.

If a player wants to be remembered as great, it pays to know when to go out. Zidane’s last game was a World Cup final and he will be remembered as the greatest player since Maradona until Messi, Ronaldo or some other surpasses him. Scholes can be remembered in a similar bracket. He remains supremely talented, but the flaws in his game that were there last season have not gone away. After all, despite the hyperbolic  claims of many ill-informed observers, players rarely improve with age. In fact reduced fitness, less playing time and a slowing of reactions tend to have the opposite effect on the modern day footballer.

If Scholes desires greatness, he must ignore the media and listen only to his body. In June he claimed he only had one season left. If he has any sense, nothing will have changed. All that remains is to make it a season to remember and then walk away from Old Trafford with his clutch of medals. Only that will cement his position as a true maestro of the modern game.

Written By Gareth Roberts

Click on image below to see the gallery of Mario Balotelli’s stunning girlfriend

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Harry Redknapp was clearly a frustrated man in the wake of Tottenham’s opening group game against Werder Bremen.

The North Londoners saw a two goal lead vanish in the space of four minutes either side of half time, which saw journalists ask Redknapp whether his team had learnt any valuable lessons from the turnaround.

The Tottenham boss, who was clearly flustered, claimed it was simply just a part of the game that happens from time to time in football.

“No, no, I didn’t learn any lessons today.”

“What lessons can I learn…what can I do?

“What can they do, what can they do; how can they learn lessons…it happens in football.

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“We always told about lessons. Did we learn any lessons…is this a lesson in Champions League football? It happens in football…” (BBC)

Click here to listen to the interview

When the BBC Inside Sport posed the question “Can England win the next World Cup?” in a forty-five minute programme earlier this week, many England fans will have looked and despaired in a frank admission that the answer they were looking for was perhaps a relatively routine no.  Should this not have been enough to deepen their recent woe, it is hard to envisage the extent to which it intensified upon hearing Steve McClaren being linked with a return to what many have described as the “hardest job in football”.

His England reign which lead to a failure to qualify for the 2008 European Championship left him a humiliated figure and when he left the country to manage FC Twente, it was much to the delight of many. For it was obvious he was a number two from the very beginning of his short tenure and that he lacked the authoritative nature which is required in the quest for glory.

And although his management in Europe has offered a reprieve from his international sins with a league trophy and a ‘masterful’ Dutch accent with FC Twente leading to a spell in Germany with Wolfsburg surely his return is not warranted by such achievements. Even if the FA believe Capello’s replacement needs to be English, then I would hope the options are not as sparse as that.

Trevor Brooking however said: “Steve has done fantastic to get a title. PSV and Ajax are usually the sides in Holland who do that and now Wolfsburg are picking up,” said Brooking.

“It is a big challenge and it is great for an English coach. Terry Venables went abroad and did well, but Sir Bobby Robson was the one manager who went to three countries and was a massive success.

“We have to try and get more English coaches doing that. Sometimes we are a bit lazy with our language. I am watching other coaches and there are people speaking four or five different languages.

“We have to encourage our coaches to do that so that they go abroad and get that experience if they can. They have to do it on merit and Steve has done well.”

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Brooking added: “I think if you asked Steve, he probably wanted that little bit more experience and I think that is why he has gone abroad. Could Steve do the England job again? I am sure if he continues to be a success his name will be in the frame again.”

Brian Barwick described the need for a winner following the catastrophe of the “Wally with the brolly”, someone with a CV which commands respect from both players and fans alike. Yet, after a disaster in Africa there is a call to return to a McClaren type figurehead, a friendlier manager who allows his players more social freedom. Even still, the assumption he is now ready for another try at the England job because of what he has achieved since in other countries is completely incongruous. If he had done well with England and wanted to test himself elsewhere for a few years, fine, but if Capello is deemed a failure, they would only be replacing him with another. His rehabilitation deserves some credit but his ability to manager mediocre sides was never in question and it could also be argued that the Eredivisie is of a weaker standard than the Barclays Premier League in which he managed Middlesbrough.

One thing is for sure, it would take a lot more than the Dutch league title to emasculate the heartache in the rain that night against Croatia and if in the unlikely circumstance that he is appointed again in 2012, the memories would almost certainly come flooding back. That belittling image of McClaren sheltering himself with an umbrella will always live on.

Wigan boss Roberto Martinez believes Mauro Boselli is ready to take the Premier League by storm after finally getting off the mark in the Carling Cup.

The Argentinian striker joined the Latics in a £6million summer deal and opened his account with the first goal in Tuesday's 2-0 victory over Swansea City.

Ben Watson's injury-time penalty put a gloss on the scoreline against Martinez's former club.

Boselli had drawn a blank in his six previous appearances, but the Latics chief is confident in the South American's ability to score goals in the top-flight.

He explained:"You can see Mauro is a really confident finisher. A goalscorer in football is expensive and the hardest thing to find.

"He is a real asset to our football club but we need to be patient and fair with him.

"He is coming from a different league, different environment, different culture.

"If you look at the way he has adapted, the work-rate, the way he took the goal, it is very pleasing.

"I am sure Wigan Athletic fans will see the best of him very soon."

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Speaking about the hostile reception he received from 4,500 travelling fans, Martinez added:"Right now I think fans will understand why I had to leave at that time and looking at the foundations they have, it has brought them stability.

"I am glad to see a strong side like Swansea City is ready to compete."Subscribe to Football FanCast News Headlines by Email