Former England striker Alan Shearer has urged Wayne Rooney to smash his international record before the end of Euro 2012.
The ex-Newcastle man bagged 30 goals for the Three Lions, with the current superstar only one strike behind him on 29 after netting against Ukraine.
Although Rooney has a long way to go to beat Bobby Charlton’s record of 49 goals, Shearer is hopeful that the Manchester United attacker can move a bit closer this summer.
“I hope by the end of this tournament he has smashed my record,” Shearer told The Sun.
“If he has then who knows what we will have achieved. He is still just 27, so he could go on and be the number one.
“It is some challenge but that is what Wayne loves. He will certainly be looking forward to the next challenge against Italy on Sunday.
“It wasn’t his greatest game against Ukraine and he missed a good chance early on. But he showed his instinct to be in the right place for the goal no matter how the ball got there.
“Great strikers can have poor games but still come out with a goal.
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“Now after getting that game under his belt and a goal I expect us to see a much better Wayne Rooney against Italy,” he concluded.
Wayne Rooney claims that the Premier League will see the best of him next season, after drawing inspiration from watching Lionel Messi in action. The Manchester United striker is handful for most defences already, therefore this added impetus to his game could well cause a few sleepless nights for defenders.
Elsewhere in the news Arsenal have been given the green light to move for Mata; Joey Barton vows to give his all for Newcastle United, while David Beckham rules out a Premier League return.
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Bin Hammam slams ‘false’ allegations – Guardian
Rooney aims to copy Messi – Daily Telegraph
Manchester United offer Park new deal – FFC
Tevez talks to Inter official on holiday – Guardian
Arsenal cleared to move for Mata – Daily Telegraph
Villas-Boas slams media ‘obsession’ with Torres – FFC
No Premier League comeback for Beckham – FFC
De Gea to start as number one, says Ferguson – FFC
You’re kidding! £25m Adebayor trains with Manchester City’s youth team – Daily Mail
Barton vows to give it his all – Sun
Newcastle set to resurrect £7m deal – FFC
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Tottenham look to Roma for an attacking Plan B – FFC
Arsenal’s £10m Jagielka bid dismissed – Guardian
West Brom on brink of Foster swoop as Hodgson confirms interest in stopper – Daily Mail
Manchester United’s midweek draw with Valencia proved to be enough to get them through to the next stage of the Champions League as group winners. The Red Devils were anything but convincing but they got the job done, which for the most part has been the story of United’s season to date. After the postponement of their game at Blackpool last weekend they will be desperate to regain top spot on Monday in what is guaranteed to be a spicy affair.
On FFC this week there has been plenty for United fans to enjoy. They can find an analysis of their latest crop of young players, a run down of January targets and what the so called professor could learn from Sir Alex Ferguson.
We also bring you the best United blogs on the web.
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The top TEN Man United Tattoos…well sort of
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Hit or Miss – An analysis of United’s latest crop of youngsters
FIVE changes Manchester United need to make in January
Wenger could learn a valuable lesson from Fergie
Fergie vs. Wenger – time to dust off the gloves?
Should United fans be concerned by the next generation?
Top TEN worst foreigners to grace the Premier League
Why I’d still take him over Guardiola at Old Trafford
The 10 signings that got away from Fergie
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Click here to see the Best MANCHESTER UNITED BLOGS around the Web this week
Whatever happened to the great United/Arsenal rivalry? The Busby Way
Getting back to Good – The United Religion
What’s next for Becks? – United Rant
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STATS: Which Fans Don’t Go To Their Ground? Arsenal, Chelsea, City, Liverpool, Spurs or United? – RoM
The Red Report: New faces welcomed, the Evans conundrum & the World Cup – The Busby Way
It was inevitable. Garath McCleary’s free transfer to Reading, followed closely by Sean O’Driscoll’s move to Crawley as manager. However expectant we were of these moves, it still didn’t compensate for the alarming vibes felt after, by the Forest fans.
Supporters had hoped, and in some cases begged McCleary, to sign a new contract at Forest. Unfortunately though, it didn’t happen, and he got his dream move to the Premier League. Some fans, who pleaded with him to stay, soon turned, labelling him a “money grabber with no loyalty”.
As much as I am disappointed with his departure, nobody can begrudge him a move back to his local area, playing in the most exciting league in the world. I fully hope he succeeds, and with the Premier League defences getting visibly weaker in recent years, now could be the perfect time for him.
Sean O’Driscoll, a vital component of Forest’s good football in the last third of the season, understandably chose to revert back to being a manager.
A suitable challenge for him posed at Crawley, and he’ll be sorely missed in Nottingham, with the ressurgence of form in the latter parts of the season coinciding with his arrival. We can only hope Cotterill has observed O’Driscoll’s methods intensely, and can carry on in the same vein.
For Cotterill to carry on in the same vein, he’ll need the players to do so. With many more rumoured exits, it seems the Forest manager may struggle to muster up a bare eleven to field on the opening day. Chris Gunter, the consistent right back, has been linked with the likes of Swansea and Fulham in the past week, with a £1.6 million bid allegedly taking place. With the transfer window not even open, the question has to be asked as to why clubs are going in so early.
What could a club like Swansea know about Chris Gunter, that would force them to make their move early?
An Olympic call up for Team GB is a possibility. A few good performances for Team GB, on the global stage, and the price of a player could be enhanced by millions, which underlines the importance that Forest stay solid in negotiations, and refuse to let go of him for now. Gunter could go from being worth £1.6 million, to something between £3-4 million.
It’d be typical of Forest though, with their business sense, to accept a minimal offer for him, see the short term pound signs, and show him the door. In fact, knowing Mark Arthur, he’d probably let him go for free, like he did for Paul McKenna last season, with a year left on his contract.
Additionally, more players are set to leave. Luke Chambers, Paul Anderson, George Boateng, Joel Lynch, Marlon Harewood and Paul Smith are all out of contract, with the only publically announced contract offer going to Joel Lynch, a key member of the defence. It’s all gone quiet on that front though, and the longer the new Welsh international Lynch, hesitates to sign his contract, the more shambolic the situation gets.
Forest started last season well behind, with Steve McClaren having the stay behind in Nottingham, to try and complete transfer deals, whilst the squad went on their pre-season tour of Portugal. We had money then. Now, we barely have anything, and if they remain in Nottingham ahead of the 2012-13 pre-season tour of America , it’ll be because they’ve run out of petrol on the team bus, and can’t afford to top up.
The longer the ownsership issue is up in the air, the less prepared the club will be ahead of the 2012-13 season. and as Andy Reid pointed out, if Forest go into next season without a proper owner, we may have to accept it’s going to be another difficult year.
Many useful Championship players are leaving their clubs on a free, and Forest are missing out on valuable negotiating time.
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First and foremost, they need to resolve events closer to home. Create a proper strategy for the summer, whether it’s undertaken with an owner, or without one. For some supporters, Forest is a passion or a hobby they couldn’t live without, in their weekly lives.
For others, it’s different, and a season ticket renewal is determined by the attitude the club takes to its paying customers, and the way the team plays. Hence, the quieter it gets, the more some fans may lose the love, and consequently turn their backs.
In the grand scheme of things, Tom Huddlestone will probably be disappointed with how things went for him last season. He may well have captained his side against Inter at the San Siro, but injuries kept him out of facing further and arguably more important Champions League opponents. His being sidelined also must have had an effect on Tottenham ’s Premier League campaign, with him hardly featuring as a goalscorer on http://www.footballscores.com. Had he been more available Spurs may have been able to carry the fight for longer and may well have secured a Champions League slot for next season.
Tom Huddlestone adds something to Tottenham that the likes of Luka Modric , Jermaine Jenas and Rafael Van der Vaart just can’t offer. At an impressively stocky 6’3, Huddlestone’s sheer physicality, strength and competitive nature makes him a wonderful addition to the Spurs midfield. Of course, it’s important not to underplay the other aspects of Thudd’s game. He is also a passer of great vision and ability and, as we all know, he has a real firecracker of a shot.
The prospect of Huddlestone playing alongside Luka Modric next season may well have fans salivating. The mixture of grit, determination and vision is sure to strike a chord in the centre of Tottenham’s midfield and may well propel them to success of one sort or another. But that raises another question. Would a fully fit Tom Huddlestone earn a starting birth in this Spurs side? What’s more, surely he’s too good to be a mere squad player?
The problem for Tottenham is that Sandro has made it nigh on impossible for Harry to drop him, given a number of impressive displays against top opponents. Sandro is another Tottenham player who seems to have it all: he’s strong in defence and attack and this versatility only increases his worth. Then there’s Luka Modric, who after last season simply won’t be bumped out of the centre of Tottenham’s midfield. Such was the form of Modric and Sandro that ex-Real Madrid man Rafael van der Vaart found himself pushed out onto the wings, despite an impressive showing of his own last season. If Van der Vaart is struggling to get game time in his favoured position it’s pretty likely that Huddlestone will suffer in the same regard. The crowded nature of Tottenham’s midfield makes Spurs’ reported interest in Scott Parker even more bemusing. Whilst it’s always useful to have squad players that are talented and capable, having too much competition for places can often breed malcontent and lead to players not receiving a fair amount of game time. For this reason I hope that Harry Redknapp doesn’t sign Scott Parker. He may be a good player, but I rate Tom Huddlestone higher and want to see him receive his fair share of games next season.
Read more of Harry Cloke’s articles at This is Futbol
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Wolverhampton Wanderers manager Mick McCarthy has spoken of his dismay after winger Matt Jarvis was overlooked by England manager Fabio Capello for Wednesday’s friendly with France.
The Three Lions tamely lost 2-1 at Wembley and the Wolves boss was disappointed that Jarvis was axed from the preliminary squad.
Jarvis only found out he failed to make the full squad through the media, much to McCarthy’s bemusement.
“There was lots of hype about Matt playing so you get warned you might be going, but you find out through the media that he isn’t going,” he said.
“There might be a different way of handling that – if you’re not going to be called up, a little phone call or text might not be out of order.
“A text saying ‘sorry, you’re doing brilliant, keep going’ – a pat on the head would do no harm.
“My point is that if you get notification that you might be called up, you might call or text someone to say ‘sorry, you’re not in’ – we’ve all got each other’s numbers.
“So, of course, the hopes had been built up for Matt – I said in the press conference that he’d been named in the provisional squad.
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“I think friendlies at this time of the year – and certainly if they’ve got one in February – are more notoriously difficult to get players in for. But he had some good competition in Ashley Young, Adam Johnson and Stewart Downing.”
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A few eyebrows were certainly raised when Danny Welbeck was included in Gareth Southgate’s latest England squad.
While the Arsenal forward’s goalscoring record at international level – 15 goals in 36 games – is tough to dispute, a whopping 18 English players have scored more times than him in the Premier League this season, including Glenn Murray, Troy Deeney and Callum Wilson who were all left out of the 27-man squad.
But Welbeck timed his defiance of critics perfectly on Thursday night, just hours after Southgate’s squad announcement, with a match-winning brace in the second leg of Arsenal’s Europa League clash against AC Milan to book the north London outfit a place in the quarter-finals – albeit under somewhat dubious circumstances having converted a penalty that he won himself with what replays confirmed to be the most exaggeration of falls to the floor.
Welbeck – who also impressed in the first leg – completed his brace in the closing stages, heading home a rebound from point-blank range. But more than just his goals though, the 27-year-old offered the Gunners a clear focal point in attack that allowed them to dominate the visitors for long periods; he tellingly won four aerial duels, created two chances and completed 81% of his passes, demonstrating his ability to bring others into the same in advantageous positions.
Of course, that side to Welbeck’s game has never been the concern. He’s always provided to energy, physicality and industriousness in the final third to help move the team up the pitch and create opportunities for others.
But when the former Manchester United youngster – who Transfermarkt value at £13.5million – adds goals to that kind of service too, it’s easy to see why Southgate has retained faith in him despite a modest season at domestic level, especially with Harry Kane absent for the coming friendlies against the Netherlands and Italy.
And it’s good news for Arsenal too. With Pierre-Emerick Aubameyang cup-tied, it will be down to Welbeck and Alexandre Lacazette – who is coming to the end of his injury spell – to find the goals in the Europa League that can secure the Gunners Champions League football for next season.
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So, Arsenal fans, who do you see as the club’s best strike option in Europe’s second-string tournament? Let us know by voting below…
Arsene Wenger has hinted that he will not be bringing anybody to Arsenal in January as long as Laurent Koscielny recovers from his injury woes.
The Gunners have been linked with a host of players in recent months, and Aaron Ramsey’s latest fitness blow has served to accelerate talk that the Frenchman will be forced to bring in a few new names next month.
A series of injury issues have depleted Wenger’s squad already this season, which has contributed with their 13-point gulf from the top of the Premier league table, with big names such as Jack Wilshere, Olivier Giroud and Theo Walcott, as well as Koscielny – who will miss the Newcastle game on Saturday – all having been absent for large spells.
WANT MORE? >> Arsenal transfer news | Latest transfer news
Even though the north London boss has previously hinted that a new centre-back is a priority, he’s now revealed that he is not desperate to do business if his star defender can shake off his problems:
“If everybody is fit and available, we don’t need to go on the transfer market. But we have to consider that there could be a question mark with Koscielny’s fitness and we have to go out on the transfer market.” He is quoted by the London Evening Standard.
“He has a calf strain, that might be linked with the fact he has maybe overprotected his Achilles, I don’t know. [The inflammation] has not gone completely but on one side it has gone, on the other side not completely. If he did not have a calf strain he could play with his Achilles.
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“There will be very little activity, because all the big clubs want to keep their players, and it will be as usual quiet in the first three weeks and a bit frenetic in the last three or four days.”
Manchester City lost major ground in the title race after losing at Sunderland watching local rivals Manchester United sneak past Newcastle in a seven goal thriller at Old Trafford. QPR returned to the bottom of the Premier League after losing at home to West Brom and Chelsea continued their fine run under Rafa Benitez
Manchester United 4-3 Newcastle United
Javier Hernandez’s 90th minute goal settled a seven goal thriller United came from behind three times to beat Newcastle. James Perch gave the Magpies a shock third minute lead when capitalising on a spill from David De Gea to tap home but Jonny Evans scored in similar circumstances at the other end to equalise in the 25th minute. Evans then put through his own net in controversial circumstances as the away side took their lead into half time.
But just before the hour Patrice Evra drove home from the edge of the box to peg Newcastle back again. Parity didn’t last long as Alan Pardew’s men took the lead for a third time courtesy of Papiss Cisse’s thumping effort from Gabriel Obertan’s cutback. But United aren’t top of the table for no reason and after Robin Van Persie fired home to make it 3-3 with 19 minutes to go, Hernandez popped up sweep home from six-yards to earn a vital three points.
Everton 2-1 Wigan Athletic
Everton survived a late scare to beat Wigan at Goodison Park and intensify their push for a Champions League spot. The Toffees stretched their unbeaten run to seven matches and took the lead just after half time when Leon Osman’s long range strike flicked off Gary Caldwell and looped over Ali Al-Habsi. The win was all but wrapped up when Phil Neville, playing his 500th Premier League game, crossed for Phil Jagielka to head home with 13 minutes to go, before Arouna Kone bundled the ball into the net to set up a tense finale.
Fulham 1-1 Southampton
Rickie Lambert’s late penalty salvaged an important point for Southampton and deny Fulham a crucial win. After losing 4-0 to Liverpool on Sunday the Cottagers were straight out of the traps and broke the deadlock with only minutes on the clock. Sascha Riether’s cross wasn’t dealt with by Kelvin Davis and Dimitar Berbatov accepted the invitation to notch his sixth of the season before being booked for revealing a t-shirt saying ‘keep calm and pass to me’ as he celebrated. But the Saints are made of sterner stuff nowadays and when Chris Baird handled in the penalty area five minutes from time, Lambert stepped up to bury his spot kick and keep his side out of the bottom three.
Norwich 0-1 Chelsea
Juan Mata scored the only goal maintained Chelsea’s fine run under Rafael Benitez and consigned Norwich to a second consecutive defeat. After smashing eight past Aston Villa on Sunday the Blues could only managed to find the net once at Carrow Road but it was a veritable peach from Mata. Oscar created it, wriggling away from two Norwich players, finding the Spaniard 20-yards from goal and his rasping 20-yard drive beat Bunn to chalk up a third league win in a row for Benitez.
QPR 1-2 West Brom
Harry Redknapp’s salvage job at QPR got even harder on Boxing Day as they returned to the foot of the table after losing to West Brom at Loftus Road. Despite kick off being delayed by 15 minutes due to the Baggies coach hitting Boxing Day traffic Chris Brunt gave them a deserved lead on the half hour with a delicious 30-yard drive, before Rangers keeper Robert Green palmed the ball into his own net from Brunt’s corner four minutes into the second half. Djibril Cisse offered some hope of comeback when he cooly lifted the ball over Ben Foster with 22 minutes left but the visitors held on to remain sixth and within earshot of a Champions League spot.
Reading 0-0 Swansea City
A point was enough to lift Reading off the bottom as they nipped a run of seven straight defeats in the bud by drawing with Swansea at the Madjeski Stadium. The Royals had an effort ruled out in the 74th minute when Adam Le Fondre was adjudged to have handled the ball while Chico Flores’ goal line clearance secured a point. Swansea’s best chance of the game came when he took advantage of a poor chest back to his goalkeeper by Chris Gunter but the 13 goal Spaniard could only lift his effort over from six-yards. He limped off late in the game to give manager Michael Laudrup a major injury concern.
Sunderland 1-0 Manchester City
Adam Johnson scored the only goal at the Stadium of Light against former club Manchester City to hand Sunderland a third win in four games to move them clear of the relegation zone. Just under a year after Ji Dong Won’s last minute winner earned the Black Cats a surprise victory against the eventual Premier League champions, Johnson was the match winner on this occasion. The England winger’s left footed strike somehow found its way past Joe Hart in the City goal as the visitors protested that it shouldn’t have stood after Craig Gardner fouled Pablo Zabaleta int he build-up. But, despite their best efforts, the Robert Mancini’s men couldn’t force an equaliser and now have a seven point mountain to climb if they’re to peg back United at the top of the tree.
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Aston Villa 0-4 Tottenham Hotspur
Gareth Bale struck a second half hat-trick as Tottenham showed no mercy on Aston Villa to regain fourth place in the table. After conceding eight without reply at Chelsea on Sunday manager Paul Lambert expected a mean response from his players but they were powerless to resist Bale and Spurs as they ran riot at Villa Park. It as actually Jermain Defoe who opened the scoring just before the hour, beating Brad Guzan with the outside of his boot after being picked out by Kyle Naughton. It then turned into the Bale show as he put the finishing touches to a rapid counter attack in the 61st minute to round Guzan and flick the ball home. The Wales winger doubled his personal tally 12 minutes later with a sharp finish before completed the scoring six minutes from time, hammering home a cross from Gylfi Sigurdsson to record his first top-flight treble.
Stoke City 3-1 Liverpool
Stokes unbeaten run now stands at nine games after they came from behind to beat Liverpool at the Britannia Stadium and move to within five points of the top four. A frantic opening first quarter hour saw Steven Gerrard open the scoring from the penalty spot in the third minute after Ryan Shawcross fouled Luis Suarez. John Walters restored parity within two minutes, beating Pepe Reina with a powerful strike after a slip from Martin Skrtel opened the chance up to the Potters striker. The Reds couldn’t cope with their trademark aerial power and Kenwyne Jones took full advantage to power home a header from Glenn Whelan’s 12th minute corner. And just after the break Walters applied the seal with a spectacular volley that left Reina clutching at air.
Newcastle fans are completely split over their latest transfer move, as the club is set to sign Ki Sung-yueng for free this summer, providing he receives the appropriate visa.
The Chronicle reported Newcastle holding talks with South Korea’s captain on Friday, and the Swansea man was announced by the club within a matter of hours.
He will become the Magpies’ second summer signing after goalkeeper Martin Dubravka, signing an initial two-year deal.
The 29 year-old, who has an incredible 104 caps for his country, will be out of contract this summer, after spending five seasons in South Wales.
Newcastle fans are of course desperate for some summer spending, and the free signing of an ex-Sunderland player isn’t exactly doing a lot to quench the transfer thirst of some fans.
[brid autoplay=”true” video=”258359″ player=”12034″ title=”The World Cup Twitter Report”]
Ki probably will not dislodge Mo Diame or Jonjo Shelvey from the starting eleven, and the Swansea midfielder scored just twice last season.
However, plenty of other fans are seeing the value in the move, adding depth to the midfield and hopefully saving money to invest in other areas.
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Rafael Benitez is desperate for a new number nine and some firepower on the wings this summer, and owner Mike Ashley is extremely unlikely to splash out on multiple big deals, so the bargain move for Ki could be a really shrewd signing.
Fans are completely split over the move, and you can find some of the best Twitter reactions down below…