All posts by h79snht.top

[ad_pod ]

Here at Football FanCast, we’re proud of our link with the Professional Footballers’ Association and the work that has been done this year leading up to Bristol City goalkeeper Sophie Baggaley being crowned the first ever PFA Women’s Super League Player of the Month in September 2018.

Women’s football is growing in popularity and participation by the day, and this season saw the top tier of the Women’s Super League (WSL) become fully professional for the first time in its history.

BBC journalist Chris Slegg has been increasingly involved in the game’s coverage since he first attended the 2003 Women’s FA Cup final at Selhurst Park, and he has recently released the second ever Women’s Football Yearbook alongside fellow BBC journalist Tom Garry.

Slegg recently found time to have an exclusive chat with Football FanCast about the second edition of the book, how far the women’s game has come in the past year and what still needs to change.

So Chris, tell us a bit about the book…

“It’s mainly a reference book but not exclusively. It’s got in there all of the results and all of the goalscorers of every game in the top four tiers of English football.

“It covers the Champions League from last season, all of the England results, the FA Cup, the Continental Cup and also the domestic cup competitions for the lower divisions as well so it’s all of the key facts and figures.

“But as I say I don’t want it to be just a reference book, so we’ve got inspirational interviews in there with leading players or key figures at all of the clubs.”

Are there any stories that stood out to you when putting the book together?

“I can’t help but be inspired by all of the interviews that we’ve done with the WSL players. These players are there at the time of immense change in women’s football.

“For the first time ever, every club in that top division this season is fully professional, so we’ve got players like Nikita Parris at Manchester City just talking about how unbelievable it is to be on the cusp of that change.

“She’s still a young player but growing up she could not have imagined that she could be a full-time professional and that all of those she competes with and against are too.

“That really comes through all the way throughout the book. Jasmine Matthews is now at Liverpool but she was at Bristol City until the start of this season and just two or three years ago she was working in Aldi at the same time as playing for one of the top clubs in this country. That’s been a very common thing until now, and still is in tier two and below.

“Obviously we have heroes in men’s football but, although they’ve worked extremely hard to get to the top, in this generation they’ve probably been identified as having that talent in their early teens and 99.9 per cent of them would never have had a real job as we would call it.

“I think there’s a human side to elite women’s football that’s perhaps been lost in elite men’s football.”

Ole Gunnar Solskjaer has caused a stir in Norway! Watch the video below to find out what we’re talking about…

Have you see a big change in the game since last year’s book?

“Yes even in just a year. The Telegraph have appointed their first women’s football reporter Katie Whyatt, The Guardian are doing a lot more women’s football coverage, Suzanne Wrack who I think is a freelancer writes regularly there. Molly Hudson does some great features for The Times.

“In those distinguished newspapers you’re certainly seeing more coverage than you did last season. I might be wrong but I think there’s slightly more televised football this season too…

“Again though there’s more to do. I don’t think the recent England friendly away to Austria was shown on any TV channel. There was a lot of upset about that and understandably so. You’d never be in a situation where the England men’s team wouldn’t be available somewhere.”

Can you see the gap behind Arsenal, Manchester City and Chelsea in the WSL closing?

“It’s a hard thing to say and that’s where I worry a bit as a traditional football fan. I think it would be a real shame if women’s football just becomes a mirror image of men’s football.

“Having said that it looks inevitable that is the way it’s going to go, and if you look at the wider societal need to give as many women as possible the chance to be professional footballers, then that’s probably a good thing.

“If you look at it from a football perspective though I think it would be a real shame because part of the thrill for me of putting this book together was that, before I started just a year ago, I couldn’t have even told you every team in the top division. I was delighted to find out that Yeovil have a team in the top division.

“That gives women’s football its own colour, its own tapestry, its own narrative that’s different from the men’s game.”

What impact do you think continuing the yearbook will have on the game?

“Perhaps it’s because of the generation that I’m from but for me having a book means something special. Every single game matters. To everyone that plays in that game it matters. To everyone who coaches or volunteers, or is there as a fan it matters, and growing up I was always fascinated that there was a record there.

“For men’s football you could go down to the seventh or eighth division and easily find records from the past. Who scored the goals, who was sent off, who was unlucky enough to miss a penalty, the attendance – and I’ve always loved that.

“Football has so much to offer, in so many different ways, at so many different levels and it felt to me a real crying shame that there wasn’t a book where this is enshrined throughout history that says this is what happened in the women’s game that season, so I want this to last for as long as the men’s football yearbook that has been around – since 1970.

“It’s amazing to think when that first men’s football yearbook came out, women’s football was still banned in this country. The FA ban was overturned in 1971 and it’s only now all those years later that we have a fully professional top division.”

The Women’s Football Yearbook 2018/19 is published by Legends Publishing and is available now.

According to Sky Sports, Spurs target Jarrod Bowen will command a fee in excess of £20m if the north London outfit want to prise him away from Hull City – as opposed to meeting those demands, the club should offer Georges-Kevin Nkoudou in the deal to guarantee that Bowen joins.

What’s the word?

Well, Sky Sports report that the Tigers will not waver on their valuation of the winger amidst interest from Premier League club Spurs and, therefore, it will cost the White Hart Lane outfit a hefty sum to bring him south.

Bowen is the latest Championship star to be linked with a move to Spurs after the Lilywhites failed in their attempts to bring Jack Grealish, another home-grown star flourishing in the Championship, to the club in the summer.

After spending zilch in the previous transfer window, Mauricio Pochettino and co. are clearly keen to freshen things up this month as they aim to continue a surprise title challenge and outcast Nkoudou could be a casualty – the Frenchman is included in an impending Spurs exodus.

Instead of flogging the former Marseille man to any old team, he should be offered as a makeweight in any move for Bowen.

Finally of use to Spurs

Nkoudou has hardly had a look in since his arrival in England in 2016 and has played just 27 minutes of first-team football this season, while also looking sub-standard on loan at Burnley – however, the 23-year-old speed-merchant may find his level in the second division, as have many before him.

Meanwhile, fellow wide man Bowen has been in sensational form for the KCOM Stadium outfit this season, bagging an impressive 10 goals and assisting a further three as he establishes himself as one of the brightest young prospects in the league.

The 22-year-old would surely relish the opportunity to work under Mauricio Pochettino as the Argentine can be credited with overseeing the development of fellow Englishmen Harry Kane and Dele Alli.

Nkoudou doesn’t look like becoming much of a player but Bowen may yet – what do you think, Spurs fans? Would this be a smart deal to make? Let us know by voting in the poll below…

Jermaine Jenas spoke exclusively to Playmaker FC about why Spurs are better than Arsenal right now. Check out the video above…

Newcastle United youngster Elias Sorensen would have been disappointed not to have been named in the squad for the club’s FA Cup clash with Blackburn Rovers on Saturday.

Sorensen has been in sensational scoring form for the Magpies this term, but was not included against Championship side Blackburn at St James’ Park.

The Chalkboard

Newcastle need to be very careful when it comes to Sorensen.

Indeed, if the 19-year-old is not given some first-team action soon then he might decide that his future is away from the Magpies.

According to ChronicleLive, contract talks with Sorensen stalled last month and the forward will see his current deal expire at the end of this season.

The Denmark Under-19 international is far from the finished product, but the FA Cup clash with Blackburn was seemingly the perfect chance to award him a debut.

After all, Sorensen has netted 19 times for Newcastle’s second string this season.

Those are serious numbers at any level of football and it does seem a touch strange that the youngster has not yet been given at least a taste of first-team action.

How will this one end?

A loan move during the January window has been discussed, although Newcastle will want to agree a new deal with Sorensen before anything occurs.

Sorensen will have no problem leaving Newcastle on loan if he believes that there is a route into the first team upon his return to St James’ Park.

Realistically, Sorensen is not going to see much – if any – Premier League football this term, but he has already shown that he is too good for the Premier League 2.

Pl>ymaker FC’s Matchday with Max caught up with Jamaica’s women’s team. See what happened when he met the history makers in the video below…

If Newcastle do not have a clear plan in place for Sorensen then there is every chance that the teenager could decide to move on at the end of the season.

And there will not be a shortage of clubs willing to take the Dane.

Players with scoring records like Sorensen’s do not come around every day of the week and the Newcastle fans will be desperate for a resolution as soon as possible.

According to a recent report from Sky Sports, the future of Michy Batshuayi is far from certain heading into the rest of the January transfer window. The 25-year-old currently plays his football at La Liga side Valencia on loan from parent club Chelsea, although difficulties in front of goal for the Spanish outfit has called into question the possibility that his temporary stint at the Mestalla will be cut short this month.

And that’s because reports suggest that discussions are underway between Valencia and Chelsea regarding the termination of Batshuayi’s time in Spain, which should be of keen interest to Tottenham chairman Daniel Levy, as he seeks to equip manager Mauricio Pochettino with the ideal deputy to main striker Harry Kane.

The Breakdown

Ultimately, while England captain Kane is without doubt the talisman at the North London club, as evidenced by his remarkable goal-scoring record of 160 goals in 243 games for Spurs, the other striking options at the club simply haven’t proven good enough to deputise in the 25-year-old’s absence.

Vincent Janssen made the move to Tottenham back in the summer of 2016 after a hugely fruitful spell at Dutch side AZ, only to have netted once in the Premier League from open play since then, while Fernando Llorente has fared slightly better following his move from Swansea City, although at the age of 33 he’s hardly a nod to the future.

As such, the emphasis has very much been placed on South Korea international Son Heung-min to come up with the goods in a more advanced role when called upon, which then means that Pochettino’s men lose his spark in the creative roles just behind – ultimately, the striking ranks beside Kane simply have to be better.

And the arrival of sharp shooter Batshuayi would go some way to bolstering those ranks, and thus providing Pochettino with the perfect deputy for Englishman Kane.

The 25-year-old may have found the going tough at Valencia this season, but one mustn’t forget the bags of goals he has previously scored at Marseille and Borussia Dortmund, with his nine goals in 14 games for the latter coming only last season to emphasise his goal-scoring pedigree.

And with an extremely healthy 19 goals from 51 games for Chelsea, equating to a goal every 93 minutes given most of those appearances came from the substitute’s bench, the Belgium international invariably has an impact when he is on the field – yes, he may not have started many times for the Blues, but he was clearly dependable when called upon by former boss Antonio Conte, and indeed went on to score some crucial goals for the West Londoners.

As such, not only would Batshuayi provide Pochettino with a possible starter were Kane to get injured or suspended, but he’s clearly a game-changer from the bench as well if things aren’t going too well for Spurs – messrs Janssen and Llorente simply haven’t proven to be that on a regular enough basis in recent years.

And with the Belgium international seemingly set for a return to the Blues this month, Levy must seek to lure the £27 million-rated ace (as per Transfermarkt) across the capital in a bid to equip Pochettino with his perfect Kane deputy.

Tottenham fans… what do you think? Let us know!

According to a recent report from The Sun, Brendan Rodgers is being lined up by Leicester City as a possible replacement for under pressure manager Claude Puel. The Northern Irishman is currently in charge of Scottish heavyweights Celtic and has been since taking over from Ronny Deila back in 2016, with his excellent work north of the border seemingly attracting interest from the Premier League.

And that’s because reports suggest that the ex-Liverpool boss is being lined up as a possible replacement for Frenchman Puel at the King Power Stadium, and were the Foxes to indeed relieve the former Southampton chief of his duties, Rodgers would without doubt be the perfect man to take over the Midlands outfit.

The Breakdown

Ultimately, while Puel deserves credit for the job he has done at Leicester since replacing Craig Shakespeare back in October 2017, including leading the club away from Premier League danger last term to a ninth place finish, his relatively negative brand of football is very much testing the patience of some Foxes fans.

And while they picked up impressive victories over Chelsea, Manchester City, and Everton during the festive period, an embarrassing FA Cup exit at the hands of Newport County as well as a disappointing 2-1 reverse against Southampton at the weekend has piled the pressure further on Puel – it seems just a matter of time before Leicester make a change.

And given the talent in that Foxes squad, it only needs someone to come in and unlock that undoubted potential and ability, with Celtic’s Rodgers having proven in the past that he is the man for the job.

The 45-year-old may well have struggled at Reading in 2009, losing his job at the Madejski Stadium just a few months after his appointment, but he has bounced back from that to excel at Swansea City, Liverpool, and now Celtic, thus seriously enhancing his reputation in the game – there’s a reason he was linked with the Arsenal job last summer.

And that’s because his teams have always possessed an identity of free-flowing attacking football, be it doing so to help take Swansea to the Premier League back in 2011, or indeed inspiring Liverpool to the cusps of a first ever Premier League title back in 2014.

And he has continued his fine work by helping Celtic completely dominate Scottish football in a way not previously seen, with the Northern Irishman having won every domestic trophy available since his appointment back in 2016, including leading the team to an unbeaten domestic campaign back in the 2016/17 – clearly, Rodgers continues to produce the goods.

And that positive brand of football, alongside his willingness to give young players a chance, would surely help get the best out of a supremely talented Leicester squad – they possess a frightening amount of pace and dynamism which simply hasn’t been seen for much of Puel’s reign.

As such, with Puel’s future again in doubt, as it has been for much of his time in charge at the King Power Stadium, a change could well be made in the near future, one that does appear necessary to really get the best out of this Leicester team.

And 45-year-old Rodgers appears to be the perfect man to replace the Frenchman at the Midlands club.

Leicester fans… what do you think? Let us know!

According to The Telegraph, Middlesbrough winger Stewart Downing is set to leave the club, after a bizarre clause in his contract means that his wages must be raised. 

The contract stipulates that if he plays one for game for Boro, he will have to have his £35k-a-week wage increased, something that Middlesbrough are unwilling to do. He has now been listed, with Boro looking for a new club that can match his demands.

The thing is, it seems very unlikely that any club would be willing to meet the 34-year-old’s wage demands. At his age, and with his deteriorating athleticism, no top level club in the Championship would want to buy him at all. On the other hand, he looks more likely to to be suited to a League One side, or a club at the bottom of the Championship. However, none of these clubs would be willing to meet his wage demands.

But under Tony Pulis, Downing has been used very wisely this season, as the Welshman looks to be the manager to get the best out of Downing. In truth, it suits both Boro and Downing to negotiate a new contract with a wage cut, or same wages, as he could potentially win promotion with his boyhood club. The club are clearly not going to pay him more, and Downing could therefore face very limited football in the twilight of his career. A player of his age would want to play as much as possible, but there is a chance that he would just rot in the reserves if Boro cannot find a suitable club for him. A new deal would suit all parties.

Progression has been the game for Arsenal since the departure of Arsene Wenger. Following the arrival, Unai Emery has had a number of jobs to do, and so far, he’d done them well.

First and foremost, he’s had to take Arsenal into a new era, away from the manager that had overseen one of the most successful eras in their history. That’s no mean feat on its own, yet the transition has been smoother than anyone could have expected.

He’s also had to clear out a lot of the talent that was previously performing regularly under Wenger. This, inevitably, led to a few departures, but it also led to a few arrivals. This ties into Arsenal’s biggest quest, which was to help reinvigorate the team with fresh legs and youth.

That’s been achieved by buying young players like Lucas Torreira and Mateo Guendouzi, whilst also moving players like Per Mertesacker and Lucas Perez on.

It makes you wonder, then, why Arsenal reportedly want to bring in Ivan Perisic, at least according to the Evening Standard. Arsenal are apparently keen to bring in the Croatian, who has handed in a transfer request at Inter Milan, with Emery clearly viewing him as an impressive target.

Certainly, Perisic is a good player, but he would represent a big step back for the club, at least with regards to the above criteria. At 29-years-old, he’s a player that is coming towards the end of his peak, and that’s the opposite of what Arsenal have been looking to target lately. He’s very much representative of the sort of player that Arsenal would have targeted under Wenger, and he’s exactly the sort of player that Arsenal would have avoided over the summer. They’ve got enough experience in the team now, and so Perisic would simply be a waste.

Beyond all that, though, Perisic’s recent form begs the question: is he still good enough? He’s bagged just 3 goals and 2 assists this season, which is a marked step down from the 11 goals and 9 assists tally that he managed to achieve last season. Furthermore, his overall game seems to be a level below where it was 12 months ago, and whether that’s down to tiredness or another issue; his fall has been evident.

He’s still a good player, but he’s certainly not in the tier of a Pierre-Emerick Aubameyang, and the Gabonese attacker is exactly who Perisic would compete with on the flanks, given that Alexandre Lacazette largely dominates the number 9 slot.

A move for Perisic, then, would be a step back for Arsenal. Unai Emery hasn’t made many mistakes at the helm in London, yet, but bringing him in would certainly be a major one.

Thoughts?

[ad_pod ]

Manchester City are keen on Real Madrid midfielder Isco, per radio network Rai Sport as reported by Le10 Sport.

What’s the word?

Le10 Sport are reporting the claim that City are interested in rivalling Juventus for the signature of the four-time Champions League winner, with Pep Guardiola an admirer of Spaniard’s quality.

Isco could be on the market come the summer as the £67.5million rated ace continues to be out of favour with Los Blancos, who regularly rely on Marco Asensio, Lucas Vazquez, Gareth Bale and even Dani Ceballos.

Juventus, meanwhile, have been on the hunt for the 26-year-old’s signature for several weeks, Le10 Sport claim.

Be sure to check out the incredible story of the man who rose from a Tanzanian refugee camp to become one of Australia’s biggest football stars in the video below…

Perfect Silva successor?

Should the Sky Blues beat Juve to the punch and land Isco in the summer, it could well spell the end for David Silva as a key Citizens player.

The 33-year-old has been one of the integral members of Guardiola’s side with a wealth of quality only rivalled by Kevin De Bruyne.

By signing Isco, however, City would be future-proofing their midfield for years to come, especially with Bernardo Silva emerging as a key asset this season as well.

Silva’s future at the Etihad Stadium is not certain, anyway, as the Spaniard has suggested he could return to Gran Canaria and join Las Palmas when his contract expires in 2020. That could make next term his phasing out campaign, before a departure.

Isco is certainly of the same mould as Silva, and has already gone some way to filling his boots for the Spanish national team.

[ad_pod ]

Spurs find themselves unlikely challengers for the Premier League title with Liverpool and champions Manchester City. Their chances of keeping themselves in the running were slimmed, though, as Harry Kane succumbed to a recurring ankle injury in January, yet they still remain very much in contention.

Kane’s goalscoring exploits have led to Spurs being wrongly labelled a one-man team and they have begun to prove that they are anything but during his absence, as Heung-min Son and Fernando Llorente deputise capably.

There was once another striker at White Hart Lane, though, who was billed as the man to fire Spurs to glory: Roberto Soldado. The Spaniard moved to north London from Valencia in 2013 for £26m as Spurs looked to reinvest the money received from the record sale of Gareth Bale, but flopped spectacularly – the striker, now plying his trade with Fenerbahce, scored just 16 goals in two seasons.

But what could have been if he had won the golden boot, or at the very least returned consistent double figures for Spurs? It’s fair to say that there could have been some huge consequences…

No Harry Kane

Perhaps the most important. Kane, having spent much of his Spurs career out on loan at various EFL clubs, was given his chance in the first team on 7th April 2014 as Tim Sherwood gave the then-20-year-old the nod over Soldado. Kane netted in his first game and scored again the week after, soon he had ousted the lacklustre senior striker from the lineup.

Sherwood has said this on his decision to give the young hitman a chance:

“It didn’t feel a gamble at all to give Harry that start. It was almost overdue to be honest,” says Sherwood.

“Roberto Soldado was in front of him in the team, and nobody wanted Roberto to do well more than me – but every single day in training Harry was outperforming him.

“After probably three weeks, I decided I had to make that change and I had to bring Harry into the team. He didn’t let me down.

Had Soldado been amongst the goals more often, Kane would likely have been loaned out season after season or, even worse, sold. But after breaking into the team under Sherwood, Kane ousted Soldado for a second time under Pochettino by scoring a last-minute winner against Aston Villa.

The rest is history.

Better used Bale money

The ‘Bale Seven’, as they became known, comprised current Spurs Christian Eriksen and Erik Lamela, as well as Nacer Chadli, Vlad Chiriches, Etienne Capoue, Paulinho and, of course, Soldado.

While Eriksen and Lamela remain key players for the White Hart Lane outfit, the others were pretty poor and didn’t survive in north London for too long.

Soldado, in particular, ensures any mention of the ‘Bale Seven’ puts a bad taste in the mouth of Tottenham fans who surely feel that the £85m received from offloading the Welsh star could have better used.

Had the not-shot been a hit, though, then the balance could well surely have swung, considering the impact Eriksen in particular has made in white. In any case, it’s likely the rest of the Bale Seven would have been given a bit more of a chance if Solado had lead the way from the off.

No Pochettino

Andre Villas-Boas was at the helm when Soldado arrived at Spurs and, despite the Portuguese’s inability to fix up a defence, he may not have been sacked so soon if his star striker was putting the ball away more frequently.

He likely wouldn’t still be in charge today, but the appointment of Tim Sherwood may have been delayed by some time, potentially until a different club had snapped up Mauricio Pochettino, who was impressing in charge of Southampton.

The Argentine has done an incredible job with Spurs, signing and developing the likes of Dele Alli into top class talents, but may have been doing it in different surroundings had Villas-Boas been at the helm for a while longer.

Who will be the next ‘Big 6’ manager to be sacked? The Pl>ymaker FC squad all seem to agree on one name. Find out who in the video below…

The US Department of Justice recently published claims that a former FIFA President was bribed by a ‘Russian oligarch’ with the aim of securing Russia the rights to host the 2018 World Cup.

It should have been news that found itself splashed across every front page but it wasn’t. It should have been part of the national conversation but it wasn’t. Instead we shrugged and went about our day. It was FIFA; an organisation with a tawdry recent history of corruption exposed. It involved Russia; a country handed a four-year ban earlier this month from all major sporting events by the World Anti-Doping Agency. It concerned a tournament costing but also worth billions of pounds.

We are cynical enough these days to know that such things occur.

Yet should there be any xenophobic strands to our apathy it should be recalled that on December 15th 1998 – 21 years ago – England’s leading football authority had its own scandal to bear, also involving a bribe.

With England desperate to host the 2006 World Cup it was felt within the corridors of power at Lancaster Gate that to have an Englishman elected onto FIFA’s Executive Council would be extremely beneficial and conveniently there was a Vice-Presidency up for grabs. So far, so fine.

But then it was alleged that a secret loan of £3.2m had been arranged to the Welsh FA in order to further advance this aim by means of votes going their way. It became known snappily as the ‘cash for votes scandal’.

Swiftly the furore that accompanied its exposure brought down Graham Kelly, the FA’s Chief Executive and arguably the most familiar face in the organisation due to his long-term presiding over televised cup draws. After a decade as one of the most influential figures in the domestic game he was gone.

Next to fall on his sword was FA Chairman Keith Wiseman though it necessitated a vote of no confidence to prompt his eventual resignation. On the news breaking the most powerful man within the organisation was indignant at having to field accusations and anger emanating from the public. Such loans, he said were ‘commonplace’ and there was ‘nothing wrong or unusual’ in offering financial assistance to the FAW. A matter of weeks later he too stepped down.

Watch England Videos With StreamFootball.tv Below

That was in early January in what was a somewhat tumultuous time for the FA as they additionally fended off strong criticism for their leaning on Manchester United to withdraw from that year’s FA Cup so they could compete in the World Club Championships. Of course in this instance there was no suggestion of malfeasance but again increasing their chances of hosting the World Cup was the motivation and again they faced a barrage of flak.

Perhaps we shouldn’t forget either the more recent scandal that rocked the FA with lessons clearly not learnt as they attempted to secure the rights to the 2018 World Cup. In 2017 it emerged via a FIFA report that our game’s governing body had gone to great lengths in this regard, even dangling the possibility of meeting the Queen to FIFA Executives.

Should there be any truth to this week’s revelations concerning a former FIFA President and a Russian oligarch that is to be condemned of course. But only without piety for when it comes to sporting scandals the English have often led the way.