Terry Henry was a sensation at Arsenal . He remains a Gunners’ legend. But to sign him on loan for a couple of months would be a mistake. Yes, he scored goals for fun and spearheaded us to glory many times, not least of all during the season we went unbeaten in the Premier League. At no point am I denying he was one of the best players we have ever had.
But cast your minds back to his last season with us and his attitude when things weren’t going as he would have liked. The strops. The raised eyes. The gestures. Since then, of course, he went on to play for Barca but didn’t really reproduce the amazing ability he showed in our colours, although he did manage to be top scorer with 19 goals in his first season at the Nou Camp. And a move to NYRB in the US MLS tells its own story.
I know we will be without Mazza Chama and the Gervster for a bit while they take part in the African Cup of Nations. The former is merely a squad player but valuable back-up should, Lord forbid, owt happen to RVP. The G-man is a threat with his pace and directness but doesn’t score enough goals.
I’d prefer Arseen Wenger to shuffle the pack and give the Oxo Kid his chance as opposed to bringing back a player who is 34 and past his best.
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For the record, our leader said of his thoughts on re-hiring Tel: “I have to think about that. Short term is ideal for us, but I haven’t made any enquiry yet. Thierry is not here at the moment. It has never come up in conversation. January 1 is the vital date for us. We have seven days to make decisions on players.”
By all means honour the great man with a statue. But allow his golden days in red and white to remain untarnished by a return that would hinder the progress of our young guns.
Written by Carl Eldridge for Arsenal Insider
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Borussia Dortmund may have to wait another week to lift the Bundesliga title if Bayer Leverkusen have their way again this weekend.Dortmund had to put the champagne on ice after falling at relegation-threatened Borussia Monchengladbach last Saturday, while Leverkusen defeated Hoffenheim.
That narrowed the gap between the top-placed club and their closest challenger to five points, ensuring Leverkusen’s slim hopes of stealing the trophy remained alive.
Dortmund can still clinch their first league title since 2002 if they defeat visiting Nurnberg and Leverkusen lose or draw at Cologne on Saturday, though on paper this appears unlikely.
Firstly, Nurnberg, sixth on the table, will be desperate for points as they attempt to wrest a Europa League berth from Mainz, who are two points away in fifth.
Secondly, Cologne are slumping abysmally in the run-in to the season’s end – losing five of their last seven – and will be under new direction from sporting director Volker Finke after coach Frank Schaefer ended his tenure early amid the spectre of death threats.
Earlier, St Pauli will fear taking a step closer to relegation on Friday when they visit Kaiserslautern, who sit mid-table with 37 points.
But the bottom-placed club can take some comfort in knowing Kaiserslautern have been less than spectacular at home, winning just one of their eight league fixtures at the Fritz-Walter-Stadion.
Also on Friday, relegation-threatened Wolfsburg make the trip to the improved Werder Bremen, who have gone unbeaten through their last eight matches.
On Saturday, Hannover’s hopes of holding on to their Champions League berth will no doubt be lifted by a visit from second-bottom Monchengladbach, who are equal on points with St Pauli but still a chance of escaping the drop zone if they can pull out another unlikely victory.
Bayern Munich, one point behind Hannover and their main threat to third place, will welcome a bruised Schalke outfit still reeling from their 2-0 Champions League semi-final loss to Manchester United on Tuesday.
Mainz, who occupy the final Europe place on the table, welcome relegation-threatened Eintracht Frankfurt to the Stadion am Bruchweg in a match that could have dire implications for both.
Mainz may find themselves displaced by Nurnberg should the latter find a way past Dortmund, while Frankfurt could slip into the drop zone should Wolfsburg take the points at the Weserstadion.
Finally, seventh-placed Hamburg’s slim hopes of a Europe berth rest on a visit from Freiburg, two points behind in eighth, while mid-table sides Hoffenheim and Stuttgart battle it out at the Rhein-Neckar-Arena.
Billy Clarke is pleased with the way the operation on his serious knee ligaments injury went but admits he is finding it very difficult to watch his Blackpool team-mates playing in the Premier League.
The 22-year-old was told his season was over after he suffered the injury just two minutes into the Seasiders' opening pre-season fixture against Tiverton.
"The lads have done brilliantly but I'm not too good at watching," Clarke admitted."Winning 4-0 at Wigan was great but in my head I just wanted to be out there.
"The operation went well, according to the surgeon, and I'm just on a slow rehab at the moment.
"I need to get my leg working and bending and to make sure I don't lose much muscle in my thigh area. That's probably the plan for the next six to eight weeks.
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"I need to get a full range of movement back in my knee and then I can hopefully start cycling. I'll probably be able to start light jogging a month after that."Subscribe to Football FanCast News Headlines by Email
Sunderland’s impressive start to life under Martin O’Neill continued at the DW Stadium as they moved into the top half of the Premier League with victory over Wigan.
O’Neill has led the Black Cats away from the relegation zone with Sunday’s shock win over league leaders Manchester City their fourth in six matches since the departure of Steve Bruce. Any lingering relegation fears appear to have evaporated on Wearside as they ran the show in the North West putting the pressure firmly back on Roberto Martinez’s shoulders. The Latics’ good form during December put them in with a real chance of moving out of the bottom three but they fell back into old habits against Sunderland as they proved to be the architects of their own downfall on more than once occasion. Martinez will be extremely unhappy with this players and will see this defeat as a missed opportunity to move out of the bottom three as their insistence to try and adhere to his slick style of football cost them dear once again. Their attempts to play an elegant passing game is admirable but their vulnerabilities in midfield and defence were highlighted as the visitors broke at speed time and time again.
Two defeat in their last eight games had seen morale soar in the Wigan dressing room and their bright start indicated a side who were brimming with confidence. Steve Gohouri saw an early strike cleared off the line by Craig Gardner before they went onto hit the post twice in quick succession just after the half hour. Firstly David Jones struck the upright after he latched onto Albert Crusat’s pass before Ben Watson saw his stinging effort fly back off the upright. Sunderland slowly but surely started to get themselves into the game and took the lead four minutes into added on time at the end of the first half with Craig Gardner lashing a superb 30-yard-free kick past Ali Al Habsi to lay down an early contender for goal of the month. That goal gave the Black Cats a huge boost going into the break and it didn’t take them long to double their lead with young James McClean heading home at the second attempt after Al Habsi saved his initial effort. Martinez will be unhappy with midfielder Jones who cheaply gave the ball away in a dangerous area allowing David Vaughan to cross for the winger to score his first goal for the club.
Wigan’s heads didn’t drop and seven minutes they gave themselves hope of a comeback as James McCarthy found Hugo Rodallega who turned John O’Shea on the edge of the area and fired the ball past Simon Mignolet. But hopes of salvaging a point were dashed with 17 minutes to go as Nicklas Bendtner brushed aside Maynor Figueroa with ease before cross for Stephane Sessegnon who stretched to slide the ball into the net and put the game beyond doubt. It should have been four just minutes later only for Al Habsi to save smartly from McClean’s curler from 18-yards. Sunderland maintained their pressure as the clock wound down and Vaughan wrapped up the victory in style 10 minutes from time smashing the ball home to move the Black Cats into 10th.
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The Premier League has given us Cantona, Ginola and Beckham who ultimately we all love no matter who they kicked in World Cup ’98. It has also thrown up the likes of Kevin Davies, Duncan Ferguson and Vinnie Jones, not loathed as much as the ones who made my ‘Dirty XI’ but would certainly make another football fans.
I have ignored the ones with silly haircuts, poor fashion sense or the ones who wouldn’t look out of place in a boy band. What are left are the not very good, the bad and the ugly – aka the most hated Premier League XI of all-time!
Disagree with me? Follow me on Twitter and tell me who would make your ‘Most hated Eleven’…
Click on Cole below to see the Premiership’s Most Hated XI
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Why the newspapers are dominated with claims and counter claims with regards to the recent transfer bid for Scott Parker, I for one are left scratching my head over our club’s pursuit for a player. I don’t doubt that the boy has abilities; but is he really any better than what we have already got?
Parker aside I have been extremely confused at the nature of some of our transfer interests and what value to add to the team. We seem to be attempting to buy players because we feel we need to, rather than being more calculated with our choices.
So what does Parker bring to the Tottenham midfield that the likes of Jamie O’Hara couldn’t, other than a bit of experience? O’Hara showed on numerous occasions last season for Portsmouth that not only has he got the creative flair with the ball at his feet, but more significantly he has that steel about him in midfield and is certainly not afraid to put the boot in when need be. O’Hara is also 6yrs younger than Parker, therefore it surely makes greater sense to retain O’Hara and save ourselves a few million in the process.
It is clear listening to press conferences and media reports that a sense of frustration is starting to creep into Harry’s voice at the failure to secure deals, but it is a dead market out there and the current set-up with Levy doing the negotiations is the right one. I ask the question as to whether there is really the need to strengthen, what is already a strong squad? Maybe there is a case to bring in a top class striker, but looking at the squad that is the only area that really needs improvement in my opinion; although most clubs would be delighted to possess our attacking quartet. We must not buy players for the sake of buying them, especially in the cases of Bellamy and Parker, who in truth are no better than what we have already got.
Written By Matt Wright
With the PL season nearly upon us, let’s see the WAGS that will be keeping the players on their toes. Click on image to VIEW gallery
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Manchester City manager Roberto Mancini has admitted that it will be difficult for his side to finish the season without losing a game, but is happy with the way his team are currently playing.
A 3-1 win over Newcastle continued the Etihad Stadium outfit’s unbeaten start to the Premier League campaign, making it 11 wins and one draw from 12 games.
Despite the excellent form his side are currently experiencing, the Italian coach doubts that City will still be unbeaten in May.
“I hope we continue like this,” he told The Telegraph.
“But I think in the 26 games we have left, we will reach a time when we lose a game, I’m sure of it.
“I’m happy for the players, we’ve been playing well because of them and, at the moment, we have improved a lot.
“As players, as a team, we are very strong now but the season is long and there will be difficult moments ahead. For this reason, it’s important we know we can score goals and win games in a row,” he stated.
Mancini has a star-studded squad at his disposal, but singled out Mario Balotelli for special praise; the Italy international scored the opener against Newcastle from the penalty spot.
“It’s impossible that Mario will ever miss a penalty. Don’t ask me why!
“Mario is a very important player because he’s a great player, like all the players at Manchester City.
“He’s become better and better and I’m trying to help him. But he deserves all the praise because he’s doing all the work, I’m not doing it.
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“I’m just trying to help him not waste his talent and become the player he can become,” Mancini concluded.
City have an all-important trip to take on Napoli in San Paolo on Tuesday night, which will give Mancini an idea of his team’s chances of progression from Champions League Group A.
Chelsea manager Carlo Ancelotti has warned Sir Alex Ferguson that his side will pounce on any slip-ups as the Premier League title race heats up.Leaders Manchester United are 10 points clear of Chelsea but Ancelotti admits his side are in a ‘dream position’ following their collapse late last year.
Chelsea won just twice in November and December and won only five out of 16 matches between November and February – but they remain in with a chance of retaining their title.
“Three months ago, around November and December, it would have been a dream to arrive in this situation,” Ancelotti said.
“I don’t know what we can do until the end of the season but we have a chance to fight and do our best.”
“We have a chance to fight for the title but it is not in our hands. We have a possibility if Manchester United lose some points – and we will be ready.”
“There is a good atmosphere in this team and I’m happy.”
Yossi Benayoun remains sidelined for Chelsea ahead of their trip to Stoke on Saturday. The midfielder has been out for most of the season with an Achilles injury although he did feature for Israel in their 2-0 win over Georgia in midweek.
But Ancelotti said: “He needs to train properly and improve his condition but in 10 days he will be ready to play.”
Chelsea have no other injury worries for the trip to the Britannia, with Fernando Torres expected to keep his place in attack despite not scoring in his first seven matches at the club.
“There are moments in your career when you don’t score. In my experience I had (Hernan) Crespo, (Andrey) Shevchenko and Inzaghi and there were times they couldn’t score,” he said.
“But it is important to not lose confidence. Torres played very well against Manchester City. He didn’t score but he played well – it doesn’t matter if he scores or not but I think he will soon.”
“The team put in a great performance against Manchester United and Manchester City – fortunately we didn’t need goals from the strikers but in April we may need them. I am sure they can score.”
Midfielder Darren Fletcher has revealed the prospect of becoming the most successful club in English football history is driving Manchester United on to reclaim the Premier League title.
The Red Devils currently stand level on 18 top-flight titles with bitter rivals Liverpool following their last success in 2009.
Last season Chelsea took their Premier League crown and Fletcher believes the prospect of becoming the undisputed kings of English football can push United past the finishing post this season.
"This club is all about breaking records and achieving a new status," said the Scotland captain.
"To be the most successful team in the English game would mean everything to the club and to the fans especially.
"They loved it when we equalled Liverpool's record, so to beat it would mean an awful lot to them.
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"As players, we want to put right the disappointment of not winning the league last year."Subscribe to Football FanCast News Headlines by Email
Manchester City are the favourites to lift the Premier League trophy in May for the first time in their history, looking strong to turn their financial backing into further success after last year’s FA Cup triumph. The future may be looking rosy for the Citizens on the pitch but financial regulations will be enforced by UEFA in 2014-2015 that could scupper the fairytale story at the Etihad Stadium.
Last week City published their record-breaking losses of £194.9 million, fuelled by a massive annual wage bill of £174 million ending May 2011. Abu Dhabi owner Sheikh Mansour bin Zayed Al Nahyan and his behind the scenes team have three years to reduce their debt dramatically otherwise suffer horrific consequences that could end their reign of power in England before it has even begun. One-off signings that will not need to be replaced for years to come, such as David Silva, Mario Balotelli and Yaya Toure make up a large quantity of the debt however, unwanted players will fetch some much needed income with the likes of Carlos Tevez leaving to remove of chunk of financial loss.
According to UEFA’s Financial Fair Play regulations, a club can post losses of no more than £38.5 million in 2014 otherwise face exclusion from playing in European competition; which makes up a large percentage of income. City claim however, that this is a one-off annual debt and that this figure will be nothing like future results due to their rapid acceleration investment strategy.
The published figure does not however take into account the summer signings of Sergio Aguero, Samir Nasri and Gael Clichy along with their added wages and so it is tough to see how the figure will decline substantially. The reports also do not take into account their recent deal with Etihad that could produce up to £50million a year with naming and kit rights, along with the much needed Champions League media money that could bring in almost £30million.
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With work needing to be done on the sustainability of City to enable them to fulfil their ambitions, it begs the question, what is the true cost of success?
Unstable owners and reckless spending have been the downfall of many a club in English football over the past 10-15 years, with Premier League clubs creating a loss of half a billion pounds last year altogether, despite record income.
The Glazer family’s ownership of Manchester United has cost the club around £350m in interest, fees and loans to the family themselves since 2005, and they have never put money into the club. In 2010, United paid £42m interest on the £500m loans the Glazer family originally took out to buy the club in the first place, and just refinancing that debt, replacing the loans with a bond, cost United a staggering £65m.
You can begin to see why a large portion of United fans protested against the Glazer’s ownership a few years back as they could see the possibility of this financial slump occurring. However the past six months have been refreshing for all parties interested in United’s finances as they felt the benefits of their £40 million deal with training kit sponsors DHL and increased media revenue in winning the Premier League and reaching the Champions League final. The finalisation of the Old Trafford quadrants also enabled them to see a rise in matchday income that has grown 9.6% in 12 months.
It is unlikely that the Red Devils will see another rise in profit in the near future with hefty transfer dealings in the summer and the possibility of not winning any silverware this season with rivals Manchester City dominating the Premier League. But their debt is now not along the lines of City’s and it will be a lot easier for the Champions to reduce debt in order to please UEFA.
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Roman Abramovich is owed £726million by Chelsea, a debt that he claimed was written off, but it is now thought that the Russian may want that money back one day and with a £25million interest according to the Guardian. The club is debt free but the parent company is not. While the loan is interest free, it is repayable should Abramovich choose to give 18 month’s notice. The Russian billionaire can still opt to get his money back if he decides to sell his shares or when the club is proving profitable.
But many financial experts believe that Chelsea will not have money to spend the way they have done since 2003 for very much longer. Abramovich might sell the club, which could result in the debt being thrown onto Chelsea and this is something that they will not be able to deal with. Their loss of £78million should not affect the club as the parent company takes all of the financial hits and leaves the club on a stable footing for now. A move away from Stamford Bridge will pose benefits for the West London club, but a stalemate over shares of the ground seems to be holding the club back.
Abramovich has also been involved in an ongoing court case that may well affect his long term financial state if he does not come out on top.
After becoming one of the best sides in Europe at the end of the 1990’s, Leeds United chairman Peter Ridsdale took out large loans to fund big name signings in the assumption that they would qualify for the Champions League and repay the debts in match day and media income. However, David O’Leary’s side narrowly failed to finish in the top four and thus had to find a way of paying off the ludicrous debts. This was the first sign that the mighty Leeds United were falling from grace.
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Wholesale departures including players and management left the club on the brink of relegation and after failing to beat the drop; the training ground and historic home Elland Road were also sold to keep the club afloat. Failure to return to the top flight immediately meant that manager after manager came in on a shoe-string budget and failed to impress before they were eventually relegated again, this time to the third tier of English football.
The club entered administration in 2007 and were deducted 15 league points, and Ken Bates’ arrival was a sign that the club may have to start from square one. It has taken the club 11 years to look like they may be a Premier League club again, something that can’t happen again. Such a rapid decline shows that owners have so much power of a club and that loans and heavy debts will eventually come to light, and it may take longer than expected to be sorted which will heavily affect the club.
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Leeds United are a prime example that things can end up as bad as first feared and should be used as a worst case scenario to all current and future football club owners.
One club that can be used as an example of business that runs successfully is Arsenal. When the Gunners moved to the Emirates Stadium in 2006, it was thought that the club would be financially restricted because of the multi-million pound building costs. But, the sale of Highbury and development of accommodation has proved a huge success and any revenue raised from the homes will be re-invested in the club. The financial gain has been dramatic, with matchday sales now at a all-time high in north London. The club were bankrolled to Stan Kroenke and the shareholders claimed a combined £243million last year without putting hardly any money into the club itself.
The sale of players has been a-money-making hit also, with Cesc Fabregas making the club £30million in the summer, something that a club with very little debt can re-invest in players immediately. Reaching the UEFA FFP should be simple for the Gunners and they should be looked at as a club that have used shrewd business acumen and youth development to its advantage.
Arsenal prove it is possible to run a steady, profitable business in football, but many have showed that it is harder said than done. Sometimes financial backing can produce success, but it needs to be reigned in to comply with UEFA rules and prevent the club falling from grace and losing what pride it has.