Tag Futebol

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.

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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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Steve Cotterill came to Nottingham Forest with one prime aim, to save them from the drop, and to build a squad ready to challenge at the top end, once again. It’s been far from easy for the much criticised manager, but finally, he can relax.

He arrived with the reputation as a bit of a firefighter type manager, having been through the lowest of the low in charge of Portsmouth. When Frank Clark appointed him, some Forest fans felt a little let down. With reports circulating Paul Hart was set for an emotional return back to the club, to work closely alongside a young manager, with Karl Robinson and Paul Tisdale linked, it appeared as if Forest had a long term plan. That’s not the direction the club went, though.

With Cotterill’s firefighter image, and to many, being a short term option, it was evident Forest seemingly weren’t looking further than the end of this season. When Cotterill’s honeymoon period passed, Forest were to go on and struggle, and struggle to a huge extent. Cotterill kept up his own tradition of forcing hoofball upon his teams, and Forest looked lost for ideas. Cotterill was asked weekly, after each loss, how the team was supposed to bounce back. He normally responded, by pointing out Forest had a great spirit in the camp, and it’s just a matter of keeping confidence high, and waiting for the moment performances on the pitch mirrored what was happening in and around the club in the week.

Another thing Cotterill spoke of, was his desperate desire for signings, with the current squad wobbling along, looking like they needed an extra injection of quality, to bring out the best in them. With January slowly petering out, signings were looking unlikely. That is until, an offer came out of the blue for Wes Morgan, seen by many as a hero, and a great servant to the club. After negotiations, Morgan was sold for £1 million to Leicester City, meaning Cotterill had money at his disposal, and he didn’t hesitate to spend it.

Bringing in the likes of Adlene Guedioura, an explosive, adventorous midfielder along with Danny Higginbotham and George Elokobi, two experienced defenders, coming into a group of defenders who were either on the treatment table, or playing like they had no competition for places. Also coming in was Scott Wootton, who added that extra security when needed, and has not let the club down when required in defence.

These signings followed arguably the most important signing of the bunch, Sean O’Driscoll. An individual lauded by many Forest fans, reluctant to give Cotterill any praise whatsoever. What Forest had now, was the ‘make them hard to beat’ approach from Cotterill, and the attractive brand of football O’Driscoll is known for, and has had him linked with Premiership clubs previously. With O’Driscoll speaking before at Doncaster about his dislike for the media side of being a manager, this was the perfect role for O’Driscoll, who could now do his work under the radar, without the pressure of the media.

During a long, patience-testing season, just before the moment O’Driscoll came in, Forest fans were resigned, especially at home games. Having taken all of their anger out earlier in the season at McClaren and the board, fans, at that point, seemed to concede defeat, not just on the game in progress, but the season as a whole. Forest looked doomed, and it needed major changes to stop the rot, and save the sinking ship from tipping further, making it an unresolvable situaton.

These signings did enter, thanks to Cotterill’s judgement.

With wins against Birmingham, Coventry and Millwall, things were looking bright. After this though, Forest lost to bitter rivals Derby County 1-0, with the negative, direct tactics back, fans were far from pleased. With two work-man-like strikers in Dexter Blackstock and Marcus Tudgay, and with Garath McCleary not playing well, Forest were lacking spark with Guedioura also going off injured. Tudgay went into a challenge rashly, and got himself a second yellow card; it didn’t feel it at the time, but it proved to be a blessing in disguise.

With Tudgay now suspended for the next game against Leeds, and Lewis McGugan and Ishmael Miller not doing enough to impress, a forgotten, much appreciated man was about to make a shock comeback. Raddy Majewski, referred to by many as the ‘Polish Magician’, is a player who wears his heart on his sleeve, and encourages the ball to be played on the floor. Majewski went on to have a good game, with Forest winning 7-3.

A few questions remained though. Was it a coincidence Majewski’s sudden introduction was at the same time as the recent good run, losing only 2 of the last 8? Also, was this great man management to bring back Majewski at this time, or did he have little other option, therefore stumbling across the consistent winning formula?

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Whether it was luck or judgement, and despite making it harder than it should have been, with the quality of the Forest squad, Cotterill has achieved his initial aim. Accompanying this positivity, is the unwillingless for Forest fans to give Cotterill praise, meaning he still has a lot to do to win over the fans.

Cotterill comes across as a driven, determined man already, but he’ll be aware of his doubters, and be keen to prove them wrong. Which is why keeping him, giving the opportunity to prove he can build, may be the best thing for Forest to do in a position. After all, what’s the alternative?

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Bayern Munich have shored up their defence with the double signing of goalkeeper Manuel Neuer and right-back Rafinha.Germany number one Neuer, 25, joins from Schalke on a five-year deal, bringing to an end drawn-out negotiations between Bayern and their Bundesliga rivals.

Bayern had targeted a quality shot-stopper after 37-year-old Hans-Jorg Butt and 22-year-old Toni Kraft had shared the duties in the 2010/11 campaign, in which the defending champions finished a disappointing third.

“FC Bayern Munich and FC Schalke 04 agreed to terms of the transfer of Manuel Neuer. Consequently, Neuer will join the German record champions on July 1, 2011,” Bayern said through a statement on their website on Wednesday.

Neuer’s star had risen during Schalke’s run to the semi-finals of the Champions League, and he told of his delight at sealing a switch to the Bavarian club.

“I’m really looking forward to a great and exciting challenge at Bayern,” he said. “Many colleagues from the national team are now my team-mates in Munich. So I will not enter an unknown territory and should settle in quickly.”

Another familiar face for Neuer in Munich will be Brazilian Rafinha, who joins Bayern from Serie A outfit Genoa.

The 25-year-old is no stranger to the Bundesliga, having been a team-mate of Neuer’s at Schalke from 2005 to 2010.

Rafinha has signed for Bayern until the end of the 2013/14 season.

Sunderland manager Steve Bruce has laughed off speculation that he has placed a £20million price-tag on rising midfield star Jordan Henderson.

The 20-year-old is being hotly tipped for a senior England call in the near future, having impressed for both club and the Under-21s in recent weeks.

That has parked talk of interest from the likes of Chelsea and Manchester City, but Bruce is not preparing to part with one of his side's top performers.

He commented:"I haven't put any price tag on anything.

"The only thing I know is that Jordan is an exceptional footballer and has got the world talking about him since he scored for the Under-21s in front of the England manager.

"The speculation that he is going to be in the next England squad has had everybody talking about Jordan.

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"We have known about him for about 18 months now. He is a fantastic player.

"I haven't put any price on his head at all, that would be ridiculous of me."Subscribe to Football FanCast News Headlines by Email

The Tottenham Hotspur slide continued this week as they made it a fourth game without victory drawing with Stoke City at White Hart Lane on Wednesday. Persistent talk of Harry Redknapp’s future seems to have hampered Spurs’ ambitions of finishing in the Premier League top three with thei great rivals leapfrogging them following their failure to beat the mid-table Potters on home turf. Redknapp has moved to deny that the constant speculation over whether he’ll take the England job has been the catalyst for his sides poor form with their last victory coming in the 5-0 whitewash of Newcastle in mid-Febraury. They’ll need to get back to winning ways if they are to fulfil their Champions League ambitions. They will take confidence from their point at the Bridge today and Harry will hope it will be the catalyst for a strong finish to the end of the season.

This week at FFC Tottenham’s cautious approach in the transfer market has been scrutinised whilst one of Europe’s leading midfield talents has revealed his sorrow at declining the chance to move to North London.

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Simply the missing ingredient from Spurs and City’s armoury?

A ‘Crisis’ in North London? Do me a favour

The scenes at White Hart Lane show theres hope for football fans

Serb playmaker regrets turning down Tottenham

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Kenny issues warning to starlet amid Spurs interest

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Best of WEB

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Theres glory in it – Dear Mr Levy

No excuses – Spurs musings from Jimmy G2

The thrill has gone. Spurs lack the power and pizazz – Tottenham on my Mind

No panic at the disco! – Who framed Ruel Fox

Gently oozing with pride – Harry Hotspur

€12M Rated Juve Outcast Has Premiership Big Guns Salivating – Transfer Tavern

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Quote of the Week

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“Absolute nonsense. That is the biggest load of nonsense I have ever heard in my life.

“They don’t care whether I’m the manager next year. They wouldn’t lose any sleep over that. That’s football.

“Footballers play the game, they come in every day and train. Someone else walks in here tomorrow – the king is dead long live the king! They don’t worry.

“They don’t think ‘Harry is going to England’ or ‘he is going to go somewhere else.” Harry Redknapp on suggestions that talk over the England managers job was the catalyst for Spurs’ late season slump

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Match Highlights

Yokohama F Marinos struck four times in the first half on their way to a 4-0 thrashing of Ventforet Kofu in the J-League on Saturday.Striker Masashi Oguro struck a brace after midfielder Hiroyuki Taniguchi and forward Kazuma Watanabe had opened up a two-goal buffer as Marinos romped to a comfortable win.

Taniguchi had given his side an 11th-minute lead before Watanabe doubled the advantage six minutes later.

When Oguro provided two more, the second coming five minutes before the interval, the result was sealed and left Ventforet in 12th, just a point clear of the relegation zone.

Jubilo Iwata were similarly impressive early as they waltzed to a 4-1 win over the struggle Avispa Fukuoka.

Ryohei Yamazaki, Ryoichi Maeda and Shuto Yamamoto all struck in the first 35 minutes.

Maeda completed his brace four minutes into the second half to set up a 4-0 lead, although Hideya Okamoto scored a late consolation goal for Avispa Fukuoka, who are without a point and languishing at the bottom of the table.

Urawa Reds came from behind to secure a 2-2 draw against Kashima Antlers.

The Reds are winless in their last five outings but it could have been worse if not for two quick goals in the space of three second-half minutes.

Shunki Takahashi and Mazola pulled two goals back in the 67th and 69th minutes respectively after Daigo Nishi and Chikashi Masuda had given Antlers a 2-0 lead.

Elsewhere, Nagoya Grampus held first-placed Kashiwa Reysol to a 0-0 draw, Gamba Osaka had a brace from Brazilian striker Adriano to thank for their 2-1 win over Albirex Niigata and Vissel Kobe enjoyed a 1-0 win over Sanfrecce Hiroshima.

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

Alex Song certainly represents one of Arsene Wenger’s successes from his adopted youth policy of the past six years. The strong, versatile midfielder has made his presence known in recent years and has earned the right to be in the starting XI every week. His greatest strengths have been in adding some much needed power, security and his own ability to chip in with assists in the final third. But this doesn’t appear to be the Alex Song of a few seasons ago where he emerged as one of the few bright spots in another hugely disappointing season. His lack of real competition and his game which is without discipline for the most part, should come as a sign that this players has lost focus and direction of what his duties on the pitch are.

The score was 2-1 to Arsenal in a January 2007 away game to Liverpool in the Carling Cup. Jeremie Aliadiere and Julio Baptista were running riot against the Liverpool defence when a corner came in and Alex Song threw himself at the ball and bundled it over the line. It was nothing fanciful and certainly an unlikely scorer even on a night that brought nine goals in total. What that goal definitely didn’t represent was the makings of a player who would become integral to this Arsenal side, and one who would leave the majority of fans who called for his premature release to be left in the wrong by a manager who seemingly always knew the player would come good. Alex Song’s goal away to Fenerbahce two years later was a much better representation of the player, as he a volleyed home from close range.

The 2008/09 season was to be Song’s breakout year and the contrasts from two years previous was hugely telling. No longer was there a lost teenager clinging on for dear life to the Arsenal ship as it sailed sometimes unpredictably through games; now we were looking at a man who had grown in strength, confidence and importance to the club. A particularly disappointing season for the club that year certainly left many hoping that the team had indeed found a dominant figure in the middle of the park. Not necessarily a Patrick Vieira, but someone to fill the void nevertheless.

What we saw so consistently that season from Alex Song has definitely waned in recent years, leading recent reports of a switch PSG to receive a decent amount of backing from supporters in a hope that a more disciplined and defensive-minded player would come in and replace. The truth is, on his worst day, Alex Song has become a liability for an extremely fragile Arsenal side; one who are, as a collective, prone to a number of costly mistakes. His tackling is clumsy, he climbs on the backs of attackers who are quick to draw the foul, and his mindset when in possession is almost always wrong, forfeiting the ball to the opposition when a passing option was always on. Of course, he’s not without his positives: often his final ball in the build up to a goal is extremely precise and well taken, and he’s been the creator of a number of Arsenal goals in recent weeks. His tackling in the Champions League is also the highest of anyone in the competition, completing 33 – bringing to light his value to the team when he performs to the best of his ability. His versatility is also greatly welcome to a side where injuries are a part of the furniture at the Emirates, and where teams like Barcelona and Manchester United are doing good things with a squad capable of filling in at a number of different positions.

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The questions and concerns that should rightfully be raised are how much can Alex Song still add to this Arsenal side. With much talk of an overhaul of the squad in the summer, should the Cameroon international be under consideration for a move away from the side. The problem is that there has been too much of a reliance on the player since he made one of the midfield positions his own. Emmanuel Frimpong has been loaned out and has since suffered his second big injury in two seasons, while Francis Coquelin is nowhere near experienced enough to play 20-plus games a season in that role, despite a successful loan spell at FC Lorient last year. Alex Song is a perfect representation of a manager’s belief that strength in depth is not needed: we can see it in the striking options at the club, as well as the full-back and wide options as well. There is too much concern over harming or even upsetting players who are regulars in the first-team and little worry for the annual injury crisis that never misses a beat nor the natural progression towards burn-out when the season hits this time of the year.

The problem is, and we’ve seen evidence of it on a number of occasions, is that Song could quickly return to the position where he’s being carried through games. Not because of his own lack of ability, but rather because no one has coached him in the correct way to dispossess an opponent without putting the team at unnecessary risk. Nor has anyone told him how to recycle possession and keep the ball moving quickly and out of harms way.

It became quite clear that into the second half of Arsenal’s season last year a number of players became passengers. What was most worrying is that a number of them were key figures for the side; players most likely to change a game and put the team back in the driver’s seat. Samir Nasri, Marouane Chamakh, and, to an extent, Cesc Fabregas all become passengers either through burnout, lack of desire, courage or quality.

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It would be unpleasant to see an important player regress in such a way that he becomes surplus to requirements. But in the case of Alex Song, his game and role in the side has resulted in too many nervous moments. He doesn’t sit in front of the back-four as a defensive-midfielder should, rather leaving the team exposed and looking to fulfil his own ambitions further up the field. Where players like Scott Parker and Cheik Tiote have settled in well to their new clubs and work hard for those around them, Alex Song is often lacking in similar qualities; something that will eventually weigh against his value to the team.

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