When Manchester United went to White Hart Lane for the league fixture with Tottenham earlier this month, manager Sir Alex Ferguson admitted that he wished United had done more to bring Gareth Bale to Old Trafford. The Welshman has evolved into one the brightest talents in word football, and now Ferguson is preparing a move to ensure another young star doesn’t slip through his fingers, with a last minute attempt to buy much coveted Southampton wonder-kid, Alex Oxlade-Chamberlain.
The 17-year-old has been widely expected to join United’s Premier League rivals Arsenal, after boss Arsene Wenger recently spoke of his desire to bring him to the Emirates. It wouldn’t be the first time Ferguson has lost out on to his old adversary on a transfer target either. As well as Bale, Fergie also tried to snap up Aaron Ramsay from Cardiff, but he chose to opt for North London instead after United wanted to loan the Welshman back to Cardiff for another season.
United never did enough for Ramsay to choose Old Trafford. He was shown around the Carrington training ground by Gary Neville, where as Wenger personally saw to it that the youngster got everything he needed. Similarly, United only offered £5 million for Bale when there was clearly competition.
So if Ferguson is serious about taking this opportunity, he needs to make Chamberlain believe he is going to be the new Wayne Rooney at Old Trafford, and he must also ensure they outbid anyone else. Say what you want about the ethics of big clubs taking other sides young products away, but Chamberlain has made himself a wanted man. He has had his head turned by the bright lights of the Premier League, trophies and European football. Southampton simply cannot compete.
The problem that comes with going for a player who is wanted by some of the biggest clubs in the world, is that his price tag is going to rocket. Any attempt to buy him is going to cost United £10 million, and then the rest on top probably. It certainly represents a gamble. Bale has proved his worth and so has Walcott, but the latter took his time and many other clubs would have given up on the winger long ago.
It is believed that Chamberlain would prefer to follow in Theo Walcott’s footsteps and move from St Marys to Arsenal but you can bet that, if Ferguson wants the midfielder, he will surely do more to get his man.
Is it a gamble worth taking? Only time will tell. Chamberlain certainly has the potential to be another top player but his next move is going to be surrounded by the media with incredible intensity. I’ll bet the United manager is willing to take that risk though if it means he doesn’t lose out on yet another world-class prospect.
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Newcastle manager Alan Pardew was frustrated his side could not capitalise on their midfield dominance in their 0-0 draw against Blackburn.
With Blackburn United’s bogey side in recent times – having lost their past six to Rovers – a point pre-match would have pleased Pardew.
But the Newcastle boss said their performance deserved more over their mid-table English Premier League rivals.
“We stood up to a Blackburn side who were determined to put a bad run behind them and we got a well-earned point today,” Pardew told Sky Sports.
“We’re just so disappointed we didn’t come away with something bigger than we got. Jose Enrique today was magnificent, probably the best player on the pitch.”
“But we just didn’t get a break – something to fall for us – and unfortunately we didn’t get the win which perhaps we deserved.”
Pardew credited his side’s defence with the result, with defender Mike Williamson coming in for particular praise. The 27-year-old copped a kick to the face and incurring a blood nose in separate incidents.
“We’ve been strong defensively since I’ve been at the club and I’ve worked really hard on that. So that first half against Arsenal (when they leaked four goals) was a freak for us,” Pardew said.
“(Mike) Williamson, in particular, has stepped up to the Premier League this year and proved what a great signing he is and he did well today.”
Blackburn boss Steve Kean was also full of praise for his back four for maintaining a clean sheet.
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“We really need to get a foundation of a clean sheet, we set that as the first target today. We thought we’d get more attempts on goal, but it was just one of those days,” Kean told Sky Sports.
“In the last three games we’ve been getting double-figure shots on goal but today it wasn’t our day and we will have to respect a point.”
“I felt we were edgy from the first minute and a little bit frantic. We rushed our passes and never got started. We never got any rhythm into our play.”
Mircea Lucescu paid tribute to his Shakhtar Donetsk players after their 3-2 victory away to Roma in the Champions League knockout stages.
Simone Perrotta gave hosts Roma the lead in the 28th minute at the Stadio Olimpico, but goals from Brazilian trio Jadson, Douglas Costa and Luiz Adriano put the visitors in command.
France international Jeremy Menez pulled one back for Roma, but it is the Ukrainian side who will hold the advantage ahead of the return fixture at the Donbass Arena on March 8.
“The result is great and we deserved it,” Lucescu said.
“We were lucky Roma were so nervous. Fans can only imagine how difficult it was on the pitch, but we’re a highly organised team and fast on the counterattack.”
“I knew the level of my players and I was completely confident they would give their all to achieve this result. This is how we repay our fans and our president.”
“We should attack at home because Roma will also go forward. They will probably play a different game, hit us on the counterattack, but in any case they’re a very strong side.”
Roma coach Claudio Ranieri was left to rue his team’s lapse in concentration immediately after taking the lead.
“We started very well; we were doing everything we had too in the early stages,” Ranieri said.
“We knew they could be dangerous on the counterattack because their players have pace and technique. Then we scored, but 45 seconds later they equalised.”
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“Small things like this can turn games around. We played well tactically, but we should have been more careful immediately after taking the lead. Then (Douglas) Costa scored a great goal, while the third was just unfortunate.”
“We have to accept the result but I’m satisfied with my players, especially in the second half because they reacted and tried to come back from 3-1 down, a result which could have left us on our knees.”
“We weren’t lucky tonight but we won’t give up because it could be the other way around in Ukraine.”
Barcelona playmaker Xavi offered a blunt assessment of Arsenal following his side’s 4-3 aggregate victory in the Champions League on Tuesday.Leading 2-1 heading into the round-of-16 second-leg match at the Nou Camp, Arsene Wenger’s side failed to register a single shot on goal in the match, with an own goal from Sergio Busquets their only moment of joy in a 3-1 defeat.Stand-in captain Xavi got his name on the scoresheet for the La Liga outfit as did Argentinean ace Lionel Messi, who opened the scoring just before half-time with an exquisite chip before wrapping the fixture up with a second from the penalty spot.Xavi said the English Premier League club showed little attacking intent in the game, and claimed he had expected more from them.The game swung in the 56th minute as Dutch striker Robin van Persie was ordered off for a second caution when he fired a shot on goal moments after the referee had blown the whistle for offside – a ruling that incensed Wenger.Xavi, however, feels the decision to dismiss van Persie was warranted.”Arsenal really didn’t want to play football. All they cared about was defending. The red card did affect the game, but the decision was right in my opinion,” the Spain midfielder said.”This is a fair result – we were the superior team both in the away game and at home. There’s justice in football. They had clearly come here to defend. They didn’t even have one single shot on goal. I expected a lot more from them to be honest.””(Javier) Mascherano and (Sergio) Busquets are simply amazing for the team, while Leo (Messi) once again stepped up to make the difference.” “The only thing that could have been better was our finishing. We should have scored more and we suffered too much. We could have killed the game a lot sooner.” Arsenal captain Cesc Fabregas, meanwhile, claimed responsibility for the loss after his careless backheel in first-half stoppage time led to Messi’s opener.Fabregas took to his Twitter page to express his remorse.”Great support from the Arsenal fans. I take full blame for the result tonight,” Fabregas wrote.”One of the worst moments of my life. I apologise.”
Lille recaptured the top spot on the Ligue 1 table with a last-gasp 2-1 win over visiting Valenciennes as Paris Saint-Germain lost ground.In a thrilling finish, Belgian starlet Eden Hazard struck in the dying seconds to deny Valenciennes a point and send Lille three points clear of Stade Rennes at the head of the table.
Lille started poorly and looked bereft of creativity without suspended midfielder Florent Balmont, but nevertheless took the lead in the 39th minute through Moussa Sow.
The Senegal international, who leads the Ligue 1 scoring table with 18 goals this term, latched on to a well-placed feed from Hazard and fired a powerful shot from the right that took a deflection on its way past Valenciennes goalkeeper Nicolas Penneteau.
The visitors started to find their feet in the second half and drew themselves level in the 59th minute on a clever bit of play from Renaud Cohade, who feigned a dash and slotted the ball between two Lille defenders for a cool finish from Gregory Pujol.
Valenciennes looked to have secured a well-earned point as the game reached injury time, but Lille captain Rio Mavuba had other ideas and found Hazard unmarked in the penalty area with a terrific cross, and the Belgian striker made no mistake with his finish.
It was Valenciennes’ first league loss in two months, and leaves the visitors 14th on the table and a mere three points from the relegation zone.
Elsewhere, PSG had to settle for a point after drawing 2-2 in the capital with Montpellier.
France international Guillaume Hoarau put the hosts ahead in the 11th minute, and two minutes later Montpellier defender Mapou Yangambiwa deflected a cross into his own net to put PSG 2-0 up.
But an Oliver Giroud brace in the second half ensured Montpellier could leave the Parc des Princes with their pride intact, the former Tours striker scoring two minutes after the restart and again in the 59th minute.
The result leaves PSG fifth on the table, three points behind third-placed Lyon and eight adrift of Lille.
Monaco climbed out of the relegation zone for the first time in 2011 with a 1-0 victory at Bordeaux.
Adriano’s 22nd-minute winner was enough to earn the struggling side just their second away win of the season, the Brazilian defender rising highest head a corner past Bordeaux custodian Cedric Carrasso.
It can’t be easy to be Gerard Houllier right now. The world is very much against him and regardless of whether it is or isn’t his own doing, it’s not a nice position to be in. Following Aston Villa’s 1-0 home defeat by Wolves, the manager was greeted by a sea of boos. This soon transformed into a chorus of “We want Houllier out!” and it was clear that fan feeling towards Houllier was at an all time low. Villa too, are at something of a nadir, resting as they do just one point clear of the relegation zone. They are placed rather precariously at the ledge just beyond the edge, ready to drop into the precipice below.
Houllier’s post-game interview was somewhat fascinating as he attempted to weigh up the consequences of another disappointing result in combination with the wealth of poor feeling projected his way amongst fans. He started off rather well – “[The fans] are not happy with me and I’m not happy with what we are doing,” before going on to confess that “the hostility was not something I have really faced before.”
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Unfortunately, he went on to say, “The fans need to support the team”. Which, regardless of context just seems callous, provocative and generally misjudged. No fan likes to hear their support or loyalty questioned, particularly by a manager who seemingly refuses to acknowledge or bear responsibility for his own mistakes.
Surely after everything that’s happened, Houllier is in a better position than most to attest to the passion prevalent throughout Villa fans. There’s nothing wrong with being dissatisfied with the current position of the club – Villa deserve better. To have a dig at the fans for voicing this dissatisfaction seems to me to be a step too far. Particularly as it was clear that the fan’s dissatisfaction was levelled at him and not at the team.
The trouble with Houllier is that he has acknowledged that there are various problems within the squad whilst at the same time refusing to tackle them head on. With Villa in their current position, it’s not good enough to merely wait for the summer and attempt to fix things. At the moment it appears the fan’s image of Houllier is of a man at one removed from his team, of somebody not fully committed to the Villa cause and it seems that every other day brings further evidence that this could be the case.
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It’s Houllier, not the fans who ends up looking passionless. Something has to change.
Read more of Harry’s articles at the excellent ‘This Is Futbol’
Manchester United reached the Champions League semi-finals and kept their treble dream alive as they beat 10-man Chelsea 2-1 on Tuesday.Sir Alex Ferguson’s men progressed 3-1 on aggregate thanks to goals from Javier Hernandez and Ji-Sung Park in an irrepressible display at Old Trafford.
It was a terrible night for Chelsea, who scored through substitute Didier Drogba, but had Ramires sent off and saw their Champions league dream ended yet again.
United beat Chelsea in the final in Moscow in 2008 and this result was another famous victory for Ferguson?s side who are also top of the English Premier League and through to the semi-finals of the FA Cup.
In this tie they should have gone ahead after 26 minutes when Rooney?s excellent cross was turned home by Hernandez, only for the goal to be harshly ruled offside.
But they grabbed the all-important goal two minutes before half-time to take a 2-0 advantage in the tie.
It was a clever touch from Irishman John O?Shea that set Ryan Giggs free on the right side, and the veteran midfielder danced into the area before crossing low for the predatory Hernandez to stretch and slide home at the far post.
It was just desserts for United, who showed real energy and desire to get at the Chelsea defence with Rooney, Hernandez, Park and Nani all showing pace, energy and zip.
Chelsea, though, had started the stronger, surprising their hosts with a new ?christmas tree? formation that featured Fernando Torres up front on his own and Nicolas Anelka in a deep-lying creative role.
Anelka had the first real chance of the game, curling an effort just wide, and also went close with another shot from 20 yards. But the best opportunity fell to Frank Lampard early on when he side footed straight to van der Sar when well placed.
Chelsea lived to rue that miss as United took the advantage and by half-time Ancelotti had seen enough ? ruthlessly substituting Torres for Drogba at half-time.
The Ivorian quickly made a difference, seeing one shot fly narrowly wide and a free-kick saved by van der Sar. But Chelsea?s night was effectively over when Ramires, already booked in the first half, lost balance as he clattered into Nani and was sent off.
The decision was perhaps harsh but in many ways it had been coming – Chelsea thundering into a series of tough challenges that left the Old Trafford crowd irate. They simply couldn?t cope with the pace and trickery of Nani, Rooney and Hernandez.
Drogba did equalise after 76 minutes, turning superbly on a long pass from Michael Essien. But United replied within 60 seconds when Park drilled home a left-foot strike to clinch United a place in the last four and leave Chelsea manager Carlo Ancelotti under intense pressure.
Title hopes and Champions League aspirations are on the line when Chelsea host London rivals Tottenham at Stamford Bridge on Saturday.With just four matches remaining in the English Premier League this season, both sides still have plenty left to play for in the run home.
Defending champions Chelsea trail league leaders Manchester United by six points and must win all of their remaining games to keep their slim hopes of back-to-back titles alive.
The Blues extended their winning streak to four games with a 3-0 victory over West Ham on Saturday, with 50 million pound signing Fernando Torres finally breaking his drought with his first goal for the club.
The win came at a cost however, with Michael Essien injuring his knee in the match, while Ramires and Alex both remain on the sidelines.
Florent Malouda joined Torres on the scoresheet at the weekend, and said Chelsea will keep fighting for the title until the final match.
“That’s our object until the end of the season,” Malouda told Chelsea’s official website. “Right now we are getting back to our best performances, so we have to keep putting pressure on and keep winning.”
“Honestly, (winning the title) will be difficult. The only thing we are looking at now is winning every game we have, then you never know.”
For Harry Redknapp’s Tottenham, the aim for the remainder of the season is ensuring a Champions League berth for next season, aspirations which took a blow after they were held to a 2-2 draw by West Brom at the weekend.
Despite being a revelation on Europe’s biggest stage this season, reaching the last eight of the Champions League for the first time, Spurs are in danger of missing out on next year’s competition as they trail fourth-placed Manchester City by four points.
They also come into Saturday’s match on a horrible run of form, with just one win in their last nine matches in all competitions.
Tottenham’s injury concerns have eased slightly, although Ledley King, Alan Hutton and Jonathan Woodgate are all unavailable, while Gareth Bale is expected to play after completing a full 90 minutes against West Brom at the weekend.
With familiarity breeds contempt as the old saying goes. Last night’s El Classico proved to be the most ill-tempered, bad-natured tie of the three to date and there are very real concerns that the bad-feeling and outright tribalism conjured up by this gruelling set of fixtures between the two over the past two weeks could have a lasting and destabilising effect on the Spanish national team’s performances on the international scene in the future.
One man with such a concern is Spanish national team coach, Vicente Del Bosque, who prior to last night’s game stated: “I’m worried about the quarrels between my players during these classicos, which I hope don’t find their way into my dressing room. Good relations inside the dressing room are the basis for our future success.”
With last night’s tie proving an advert for everything a supporter hates about the game – pathetic theatrics, countless incidents of diving and players surrounding the referee every time he has to make a decision – it’s fair to say that the game failed to live up to it’s billing. With Barcelona’s substitute goalkeeper Pinto sent off at half-time for a scuffle in the tunnel between the two sets of players, what was previously a tense and spiky affair has now threatened to boil over into something approaching outright turf war.
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The Spanish national side, prior to the all-conquering force of a side that they have at their disposal, has always been a collection of immensely talented players hampered by irreparable divisions within the squad. The myriad of social, political and geographical factors within the country has meant that it has proved nye on impossible at times to unite everyone under one banner, something which Luis Aragones and his successor Del Bsoque have somehow managed to achieve.
Success breeds team spirit better than anything else and after their success at the Euro’s in 2008, Spain have looked a formidable outfit on and off the pitch. Xavi has often spoken about his friendship with Iker Casillas, yet when to comment on Alvaro Arbeloa after their Copa Del Rey final defeat last week, he would only state that they maintain a ‘professional relationship’, hinting at a degree of tension below the surface – of course, tempers flared between the two last night once more.
Looking for a chink in Spain’s armour has proved difficult in the past, but perhaps their biggest weakness is the fact that the large majority of their starting line-up hails from the big two in Spain. Their biggest downfall in the future could prove to be themselves. Of the starting eleven that took to the field for last summer’s World Cup final, only Villarreal’s Joan Capdevilla played for a club other than Barca or Real.
It has become abundantly clear that these ties have taken on a level of personal hostility. A strong will to win is what defines the good from the great, and in Barcelona and Real Madrid we have unquestionably the two greatest sides on the planet, both of which aren’t avert to using the games darker arts to attain an edge over their opponents.
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An interesting footnote to the duopoly of the Spanish game will be how Del Bosque manages to salvage any semblance of team unity going into Spain’s next set of fixtures, for the acrimony that these ties have ignited shows no signs of abating any time soon.
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On Easter Monday, Swindon Town became the first club to be relegated from League One this season. A 3-1 defeat at Sheffield Wednesday confirmed their place in League Two next term, a feat that few would have predicted at the start of the season – following their success in the previous campaign.
Little under a year ago, Swindon were just 90 minutes away from the Championship, after a 1-0 defeat to Millwall in the play-off final saw the Robins narrowly miss out on promotion from League One. But, fans remained confident that the club would mount a similar promotion charge this season. So why is it Swindon now find themselves exiting the division in the wrong direction?
The club were dealt an early blow in the summer when top-scorer Billy Paynter turned down a new deal in favour of a move to newly-promoted Leeds. However, the club did keep hold of his striker partner Charlie Austin, who had been a sensation since joining from non-league Poole Town the previous year. Along with this, Togo striker Thomas Dossevi was brought in to help fill the void Paynter had left.
Poor start to the season
A disappointing start to the season saw the club without a win in the league until mid-September, a run which had seen Swindon drop into the relegation zone. However, two wins in two weeks against Southampton (one being in the Johnstone’s Paint Trophy) reminded everyone of their promotion credentials. Wins against Walsall and Huddersfield saw them move further up the table.
But, in what seemed to be a very stop-start early season, they went on to suffer two defeats in a week – to Plymouth and Dagenham and Redbridge. After another JPT win against Torquay, they went on to beat Bristol Rovers. However, this was followed by a four-match winless streak in the league, a run which saw them plummet down the league.
After an FA Cup win against Plymouth, they dropped out of the JPT after losing on penalties to Brentford. But, a win in early November against Colchester saw them pull out of the bottom four. Again, they could not build on this and had to wait until December for their next win.
On the end of a giantkilling
An undoubted low-point of the season was the defeat to non-league Crawley in the FA Cup. After an initial draw away from home, the Blue Square Bet Premier side won 3-2 in extra time at the County Ground. Luckily, the bad weather moved in and gave the club a bit of time to regroup over the Christmas period. A 1-1 draw with Peterborough rounded off 2010.
After a 2-1 defeat at Bournemouth on New Year’s Day, the Robins recorded an impressive 4-2 win away at high-flying Charlton, helped by a brace from top-scorer Charlie Austin. Although the fans were hopeful of a 2011 revival, little did they know that this would be the last time they tasted victory until April.
Disappointing defeats to Oldham, Yeovil Bristol Rovers saw the club on the brink of the relegation zone. The club decided to sell promising defender Sean Morrison to Reading and, following the 0-0 draw with Tranmere, top-scorer Charlie Austin left to join Burnley.
Post-Austin
This proved a pivotal point in the season. Looking back over results from the point they sold Austin proves it. While Austin was at the club, the scored 37 league goals – since his departure, they have managed just 11 goals. The last thing you want to do when battling relegation is sell your main source of goals!
In an attempt to fill the huge gap left by Austin, boss Danny Wilson brought in Elliot Benyon from Torquay on transfer deadline day. Despite this, February proved to be as disappointing for the club and things seemed to get worse. From the six games they played, Swindon managed to pick up just a single point – courtesy of a late Benyon equaliser in the 1-1 draw with Rochdale. The club also found themselves stuck in the relegation zone, with just a brief escape post-Southampton defeat thanks to superior goal difference.
With the club looking at a desperate battle to avoid the drop to League Two, boss Wilson decided enough was enough and resigned on March 2. The club wasted no time in replacing him, bringing in experienced head Paul Hart, who had helped Crystal Palace survive in the Championship the previous season.
The failed Hart transplant
However, the Hart-factor came to no avail as March offered little more in hope of avoiding the drop. A 0-0 draw with Walsall in early March saw the club re-enter the bottom four – a place they would fail to leave for the rest of the season. The Robins went on to pick up a further two points that month, thanks to draws with Dagenham and Redbridge and Huddersfield.
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With desperation and panic truly set in at the club, they were given a glimmer of hope when recent loan signing Calvin Andrew scored the winner at Brentford – their first win since the turn of the year. However, the damage had already been done and three games later they would find themselves relegated.
Consecutive home defeats to MK Dons and Notts County left the club on the brink of relegation to League Two – something that was finally confirmed by a loss at Hillsborough on Easter Monday. Fans of the club would probably accept it had been inevitable and just a matter of time.
So where does that leave Swindon now? Paul Hart has departed, chairman Andrew Fitton has resigned – things do look bleak for the Robins. All fans can hope for is a positive end to the season, with both Oldham and Tranmere still to play.
But let this be a lesson to other clubs who fail in the play-offs this season. One year you may find yourself just missing out on bigger and better things, but the next you would give an arm and a leg to be in that position again. Just ask Leeds fans, they suffered the same fate a few years ago.
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