Loads of Newcastle fans have been reacting to an update from Lee Ryder, who reports that Shola Ameobi is in the running for a new role at the club’s academy.
According to Lee Ryder of Chronicle Live, Ameobi is under consideration for one of three new roles on Tyneside.
According to the report, the Magpies are expected to employ “a loan coordinator, Under-23 boss and assistant Academy coach for a range of younger age groups”.
Pl>ymaker FC Exclusive: Jermaine Jenas reveals why Tyne-Wear is a more intense derby than anything London can offer – check out the video below….
Under-18 manager Dave Watson will leave the club at the end of the season, while Peter Beardsley left his role as the development manager last month.
Ameobi scored 75 goals and racked up 28 assists in 390 Newcastle appearances, but the formerly popular front man has blotted his copybook with fans due to his views on infamous club owner Mike Ashley.
The 37 year-old defended Ashley’s leadership of the club last year, so it does seem quite the coincidence that he is now in line for a job.
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Plenty of fans have made that connection too, and you can find some of the best Twitter reactions down below…
Every summer there is plenty of transfer rumours banding around and lately there have been links between Chelsea and two high profile strikers. Allegedly Zlatan Ibrahimovic has spoken to Carlo Ancelotti as the pair are both in Miami on holiday and other reports have suggested that the Blues will table a huge offer for Liverpool’s Fernando Torres. Hypothetically speaking, which of the two would provide the better investment?
The obvious answer is Torres as he’s two years younger than Ibrahimovic at 26 year of age and he’s proven in the Premier League, with a good goal scoring record at Anfield. However, the Barcelona forward has come under some harsh criticism from the Spanish press during his time at the Nou Camp and the 28-year-old Swede’s services could be attained at a considerably cheaper price.
Many think that Ibra (also a target for Manchester City) is somewhat misunderstood and he’s body language gives of negative connotations, much like Dimitar Berbatov or Didier Drogba at times. But he has a great goal scoring record and was once described by his former manager Jose Mourinho as the ‘best player in the world’ (probably for motivational reasons, but he still rated him). The claims of him having a poor season in La Liga are overstated in my opinions as he has scored 21 goals in 41 games and has laid on 10 assists for his team mates, not bad for a debut season in Spain.
But it was at Inter Milan that the Sweden international made his name scoring 66 goals for the club in 116 appearances over three seasons racking up 28 assists. In the 2008/09 season his 25 Serie A goals made him the Capocannoniere (Italian top goal scorer) and earned him a lucrative cash + player (Samuel Eto’o) to Barcelona. After being marginalised at the L’equip blaugrana it looks as though they may want to sell the player.
His agent Mino Raiola caused a stir when he said: “If you don’t play a footballer after spending €65 million, then you should be sent to a mental hospital. English football may be an option for him [Ibrahimovic], it would be a good test.
“Everything depends on Barcelona. At the moment his future lies here.”
…apparently he doesn’t like the English rain though.
As for Torres, he would be welcome at Stamford Bridge according to Drogba and Ancelotti. Reports suggest that Roman Abramovich may capitalise on the turmoil at Liverpool following the departure of Rafael Benitez and step up their attempts to sign Torres for a would be British record £50 million, but other reports suggest he could cost up to £75 million. Manchester City are also in for the player and he is said to be uninterested in their money as unlike Chelsea they do not play in the Champions League, a competition that Abramovich wants to win desperately.
A player of the Spaniard’s quality could take Chelsea on to the next step and become champions of Europe and he has a great record in England scoring 72 goals in 116 at Liverpool.
The Chelsea fans would definitely prefer to have Torres over Ibra, but some do not fancy giving Liverpool £50-75m to rebuild their struggling squad. Speaking to other fans on 606 they seem to be dead against a move for the Barcelona man (being labelled a flop hasn’t helped his cause) as they consider him to be incompatible with Drogba. Should Chelsea sign another striker it would be a pretty big indication that Ancelotti will revert to his preferred 442 diamond formation, or a version of it. But in my opinion they would also desperately need to sign a playmaker (Kaka? Rafael van der Vaart?) for such a formation to work and perhaps a right-sided midfielder to balance out what Florent Malouda offers down the left flank.
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…but these are but rumours and as yet have no truth in them. Who would the fans like to see in the blue of Chelsea for the 2010/11 season? Who could be the man to take them the next step off the back of an impressive Premier League and FA Cup double winning campaign?
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New West Ham United signing Thomas Hitzlsperger cannot wait to make his debut against former club Aston Villa on the first day of the new Premier League season.
The 28-year-old Germany international is new Hammers boss Avram Grant's first signing since taking over at Upton Park.
Hitzlsperger penned a three-year deal with the east London club at the beginning of June and the fixture computer has handed him an immediate return to his former club on the opening day of the 2010-11 campaign.
The midfielder left Villa to join Stuttgart back in 2005.
"It's funny – you know sometimes these things don't surprise you, because you think it might happen!" he told the club's official website.
"I am looking forward to it, be good to go back there. I made over 100 appearances for them in the time I was there and it was great, but I am looking forward to going there as a West Ham player and helping my new club to hopefully get a good result.
"It is still a little way off yet I know but I am getting a little impatient now for it to all start.
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"I am looking forward to meeting the manager and my new team-mates and for pre-season to begin and then for the season to start.
"I signed and when it is this time of the year there is then a wait for everything to start, but now the fixtures are out, it is exciting, I can't wait to get started as a West Ham player."Subscribe to Football FanCast News Headlines by Email
Brazilian club Santos have rejected an offer, believed to be in the region of £20million, from Chelsea for teenage striker Neymar.
A brief statement on the club's official website suggested the bid had been made on Tuesday morning but they were unwilling to sell the 18-year-old this summer at any price.
Neymar has played for Brazil's Under-16 and Under-17 teams but has not played for the senior side. There was a clamour from fans for him to be included in the World Cup squad in South Africa but Dunga refused to bow to the pressure and excluded the teenager from his 23-man squad.
Earlier in the summer, West Ham United failed with a £12million bid for Neymar while Manchester United, Real Madrid and AC Milan have also been linked with him in recent months.
At the time of the Hammers' bid, Santos' director of football Pedro Luiz Nunes said:"We received an offer from West Ham for Neymar, worth 15million euros.
"Our position is clear, we do not open negotiations. These athletes only leave the club by paying the release clause."
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Neymar scored 27 goals in 29 appearances for Santos last season.Subscribe to Football FanCast News Headlines by Email
With news this week that Thierry Henry has completed his move to MLS outfit New York Red Bulls I’ve heard some fans wishing him well and others, more expectedly, brandishing him a ‘sell out’. Before falling too easily into the second bracket it’s worth considering the player’s career and history and, as you can see from his staggering record, Henry’s is anomalous in its successes.
The argument against Henry is simply that, at 32, he still has quality to offer teams who play at a higher standard than the American league. Considering the fitness levels of the modern footballer i.e. more and more players can survive at the very top flight well into their mid thirties (Maldini did it until he was 40, Beckham, Cannavaro, Giggs, Scholes), Henry certainly has a good few years left on the pitch. I also don’t doubt that a host of clubs would have been willing to take on the 32-year-old in some capacity. But we’re looking at this from a fan’s perspective; changing the scope of reason slightly we should ask what is the player’s motivation?
Henry enjoyed unparalleled success at Arsenal. He picked up every individual award on offer, was top scorer for an unprecedented four seasons, became Arsenal’s all time leading goal scorer, the first player to retain the European Golden Boot, and picked up two Premier League winners’ medals. His time at Barcelona, though underplayed in our media, was a huge success (and he played a pivotal role in the 2008/2009 treble winning campaign, netting 26 goals): winning La Liga twice, the Champions League, the Copa del Rey, the Spanish and European Super Cups, and the World Club Championships. He has won every single title club football has to offer.
Accounting for his international record takes his achievements to more fantastical heights: winning the World Cup in 1998, the European Championship in 2000, and the Confederations Cup in 2003 (finishing as France’s top scorer in each competition and picking up the Golden Boot and Golden Ball in the Confederations Cup). So Henry has won absolutely everything that club football and international football has to offer. Why be a journeyman for the next couple of years in European football thus allowing his legacy as a player to be smeared by wanton performances?
Spending a few seasons playing regularly at a club where his experiences and ability is considered indispensable, enjoying the twilight of his career (because, at the end of it all, this is what matters most) in a hugely popular city, and getting paid handsomely represents a far more appealing offer. And even if the sole purpose of the move is for comfort and material value, does it really matter? He’s achieved everything he possibly could have in a career that saw him become one of the best players in the world for half a decade.
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As the start of the new Premier League season fast approaches fans will be busy assessing their club’s activities in the transfer window. Supporters of West Ham United would have noticed that their club has been busier than most this summer, adding five new players to Avram Grant’s squad. Despite the foibles of West Ham’s co-owners they have honoured their pledge to back the new manager with funds in the transfer market. Their activities will have Hammers fans quietly confident of an improved showing this campaign. Senior players at the club, including its captain Matthew Upson have expressed their view that the squad looks its strongest for a few seasons. But as the club has failed in their attempts to sign high-profile players such as Yakubu, Loic Remy and Neymar are they still a few signings away from where they would like to be?
The first positive to draw from this summer is that talk of a fire sale at Upton Park has not materialised. Previous transfer windows have seen West Ham fans collectively breathing a sigh of relief that their best players had not been sold. Despite reported interest from Stoke in Carlton Cole and Mark Noble and Spurs’ bid for Scott Parker the owners remain adamant that the core of the team will not be disbanded. The club’s reported interest in ageing stars such as Riquelme, Pires and Beckham have not bore fruit. However this will come as some relief to fans who feared an influx of ‘geriatricos’ would be brought to the Boleyn if only for the replica shirt sales.
Avram Grant’s first summer signing was the former Villan, Thomas Hitzlsperger. ‘The Hammer’ is an all-rounder who can be expected to bring some added steel and experience to the midfield, helping to close out games and contribute offensively too. Extra creativity in midfield has been acquired through the acquisition of Mexican international Pablo Barrera. The youngster was used as a substitute in the World Cup but is blessed with pace, good close control and accurate crossing ability. As a natural winger he should bring much needed width to the side which never compensated for the loss of Matthew Etherington.
However after last season defence and attack were always likely to be the key areas of concern for West Ham. A vast number of fans were left bemused by the club’s decision to release Guillermo Franco and Ilan. Both forwards had impressed with timely goals especially Ilan whose diving header at Goodison Park to clinch a 2-2 draw lifted spirits at the club immeasurably. Frederic Piquionne has been signed from Olympique Lyonnais for a fee of £1 million and will team up with Avram Grant for a second time following his loan spell at Portsmouth last season. He will add depth to the forward line but is unlikely to bring a plethora of goals having never been prolific during his career. Fans therefore may still be craving for a quick, skilful forward who can net fifteen plus goals whilst former a partnership with Cole. The club have seemingly missed out on capturing Remy and have decided against signing the portly Milton Caraglio.
In defence the club have secured the services of Tal Ben Haim on loan and announced the signing of Kiwi defender, Winston Reid earlier today. Reid is aerially strong and whilst Ben Haim has earned a reputation for making clumsy challenges, both players can play at full back which will strengthen the club’s defensive options. Julien Faubert and Jonathan Spector were both exposed last season after being far too casual in defence.
Typically of West Ham’s co-owners, transfer dealings have frequently been conducted with a degree of hyperbole. When the club’s website referred to being close to signing a “young international who represented his country to distinction at the 2010 Fifa World Cup,” thoughts drifted to Mesut Ozil before it transpired to be Reid. It has been a broadly successful transfer window but Hammers fans will be hoping for at least one more signing that would signal the club’s renewed hope and ambition ahead of the 2010/11 season.
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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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Tuesday’s transfer window came and went for Arsenal fans but there were to be no more new faces coming to the Emirates. This season has seen Arsene let go of a number of experienced players while only bringing in three players to replace those that have left. Gunners fans have long had trust in Wenger’s transfer policy and no doubt his financial prudence is to be heralded but in letting a wealth of experience leave the club without replacing them, has Arsene Wenger threatened Arsenal’s title challenge?
I believe that he has. Wenger has allowed a slew of experienced players to leave the club at important positions, letting centre-backs William Gallas, Mikael Silvestre, Philippe Senderos and Sol Campbell move on to pastures new while bringing in French defenders Laurent Koscielny and Sebastien Squillaci as replacements. With all those players gone, there is a definite lack of experience at centre-back with Thomas Vermaelen and the injury-prone Johan Djourou the only two with Premier League experience. And only a season each at that.
New signing Laurent Koscielny has had a mixed start in his first few games for the Gunners. He looked assured against Liverpool in Arsenal’s opening game of the season but off the pace against Blackburn where he was passed easily by El-Hadji Diouf to set up Blackburn’s equalising goal. To take some of the burden off young Koscielny, Arsenal have signed experienced French international Sebastien Squillaci from Sevilla but like Koscielny, he too will have to make a rapid adjustment to the physical demands of the Premier League if he is to be a success in England.
You can make a case that Wenger knows the right time to let certain players leave when they are past their best. He allowed Thierry Henry and Patrick Vieira to leave Arsenal and he has since been vindicated in his decision to do so. But his decision to let so many experienced players go has left the Arsenal boss with few options and a thin squad which threatens to be stretched even more by fitness concerns and injuries to key players that seem to be mounting up.
With Danish striker Nicklas Bendtner suffering a fresh setback in his recovery from a groin injury and Robin van Persie out for up to a month with an ankle injury suffered against Blackburn on the weekend, Wenger has been forced to start new signing Marouane Chamakh maybe a little earlier than he would have wanted.
Goalkeeper has long been a concern for Arsenal fans and the club’s failure to land Mark Schwarzer this transfer window will not have filled those fans with a great deal of confidence. Manuel Almunia and Lukascz Fabianski have failed to consistently prove that they are good enough to keep goal for a club of Arsenal’s standing.
Arsenal’s results so far in the league have been encouraging and the Gunners sit in 2nd place in the Premier League table. However, as the season wears on, the failure to strengthen the squad could be a huge problem for Arsenal as they look to sustain their title challenge.
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A welcome addition to the Premier League’s Wag arena – Click on image below to view gallery
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Birmingham City manager Alex McLeish has admitted that talks over a new contract with midfielder Sebastian Larsson have stalled in recent weeks.
The 25-year-old Sweden international's current deal runs out at the end of the season, with Larsson having so far failed to reach an agreement over a fresh contract.
McLeish told Press Association Sport:"There is nothing doing at the moment with Seb's contract.
"We were hopeful we could get something done, but it is up to Seb. He is now in a good position for himself if he wants to become a Bosman. But we will keep trying to entice him.
"I think he had a great game on Saturday. His delivery from the wide area was great.
"Seb doesn't have to beat a man. He can get the ball around an opponent with his terrific curl on the ball.
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"We are just desperate for someone to get on the end of those quality crosses."Subscribe to Football FanCast News Headlines by Email
Boss Owen Coyle is aiming to agree a new contract with Bolton Wanderers' record signing Johan Elmander, who has started the new season in fine style.
The 29-year-old Sweden international has found the net four times this term, while his all-round game has impressed Coyle and ensured that he is likely to stay at the Reebok Stadium beyond the end of the season.
Coyle told the Bolton News:"We'll sit down with him and he knows that. I can't say it'll be today or tomorrow, but he knows I want him at the football club.
"He's got everything in his locker to be a top player – the very best.
"He's got great mental strength because he's been panned from pillar to post because he came in with a big transfer fee.
"But I've shown the belief I've had in him by playing him week in, week out.
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"He knows how much I think of him and I'm flattered that he's said is how much he enjoys working with me."Subscribe to Football FanCast News Headlines by Email
Prior to the start of this Premier League season many pundits opined that this could be Arsenal’s year. After all their young squad is maturing, are desperate for silverware and have a manager keen to seek vindication for his unwavering devotion to an attacking, fluid style of play. Yet with the new season barely two months old will their fans continue their five year wait for a trophy and be forced to recalibrate their aspirations? For some their failings have been all too familiar once more, succumbing to the efficiency of Chelsea, dropping points at home, being defensively naïve and exhibiting goalkeeping errors. Following Sunday’s London derby the Gunners are now seven points behind the reigning champions. Should their fans be despondent or optimistic that their hopes seem contingent of being more clinical offensively?
Part of Arsenal’s enigmatic appeal is their ability to mesmerise, as they did in the Champions League against Braga, and then flatter to deceive when Saturday comes. The club retained the services of their talismanic captain this summer and have integrated Jack Wilshere into the first team picture with consummate ease. Their early season form, with Theo Walcott shining, was exemplary and featured an away win at the perennially troublesome Ewood Park. It seemed that the Gunners were no longer merely footballing purists for others to admire and imitate. However the home loss to West Bromich Albion refocused attention on recurring deficiencies which have been well documented in previous seasons. The recasting of the defence is yet to pay dividends, the case for a new goalkeeper is stronger than ever and the team can be profligate in front of goal. Tomas Rosicky missed a penalty which would have given the team a 2-0 lead at Sunderland, a match that eventually finished in a draw.
Radio phone-ins have been a remarkably interesting forum for discussing their apparent predicament. A popular view is that the squad lacks some English steel and determination or that they require a Mark van Bommel figure to cynically disrupt opposition play. Alternatively it is said that Arsenal need more big game players who can reliably handle the pressure and expectation in the absence of Cesc Fabregas and Robin van Persie. The squad have been beset by injury this campaign, having recently been without the aforementioned duo in addition to Walcott and Thomas Vermaelen. An article on this site last week explored the argument that their defensive frailties, especially on the left-hand side had been exposed by the Belgian’s absence.
For all the conjecture Arsene Wenger knew that there would be no sterner early season test than a trip to Stamford Bridge. “It is vitally important to win the big games and the confrontation will certainly give an indication of the strengths of the two teams,” he said. Chelsea won 2-0 through Didier Drogba’s clever finish and Alex’s rocket free-kick. The final result may have been predictable but invariably with Arsenal it failed to capture the whole story. Wenger pledged to dominate possession and not be bullied by a team with a patent physical advantage. By using Abou Diaby high up the field the away side pressed Chelsea unremittingly, denying the supply chain to their forwards. But in conforming to stereotypes, their superior possession was not clinically despatched. The team created two excellent opportunities within the first few minutes, as Marouane Chamakh and Laurent Koscielny missed headers. Their new Moroccan striker additionally missed a chance to level the scores with ten minutes to play.
In his post-match press conference a downbeat Wenger commented, “We showed you can play well and lose a game. We missed too many chances and at this level, you have to be more clinical offensively and defensively.” He was correct to reply when asked of Chelsea’s physical stature that Barcelona and Spain have triumphed with diminutive, skilful players. This style is embodied by Arsenal but both of these teams are predicated on an unyielding defence and forward players who can be refreshingly direct and proficient when bearing down on goal. In the absence of van Persie and Fabregas, Arsenal may not have the personnel to make their imposing possession count.
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