All posts by h79snht.top

With everything that is good happening on the pitch, the potential move to the Olympic Stadium is becoming a massive concern to Tottenham fans off it. The East-London venue, already home to West Ham’s Upton Park, is hugely unpopular with the majority of fans who believe the club should stay true to their roots and stay in the North of the capital. Is seems a matter of head against heart with most fans choosing the latter, but who could blame them?

A Spurs fan with the most sentimental of connections with White Hart Lane would agree that it’s time for a new stadium, or a least a re-development of the old one. The clubs recent transformation under Harry Redknapp into a force in the Premier League can only be aided with a bigger ground which can in turn bring in bigger revenue. But a move into enemy territory? No wonder Spurs fans are unhappy; the only thing worse would be ground-sharing at the Emirates.

There is, of course, some method behind the madness. The ambitious Tottenham board believe the only way forward is to a move into a bigger stadium. What better than one which will be state-of-the-art and ready and waiting to use? Logically, the argument stands up. But the flip side is retaining the history of football. Is money more important than the legacy of Tottenham Hotspur?

Fans certainly don’t think so. The petition, ‘Say no to Stratford Hotspur’ is picking up speed and has over 2,000 signatures already. Speaking to the Haringey Independent the creator of the petition, Tim Framp, explained that Spurs are much more than money-making gimmick.

He said: “Tottenham is more than just a name. It is the traditions that you love. The people you drink with in the pubs before the match. The people that have become your friends that you sit with in the stands.”

There is an alternative idea which seems to sit more favourably among Spurs supporters. Tottenham are awaiting the final decision on whether they can have planning permission on Northumberland Park, considerably closer to White Hart Lane than the Olympic Stadium would be. But this causes its own problems: Can Spurs afford to have a new stadium to pay off? Will this impact on the clubs spending in the next few years? Take Arsenal for example. Since moving into the Emirates, Arsene Wenger has been unable to spend as freely as he would perhaps have liked. Although he insists that is his choice, considering the club have been without a league title since 2004, I’m not so sure.

It really is a fight between head and heart. Disregarding any sentiment, the logical move for Tottenham would be to the ready-made stadium which could bring in the type of revenue the likes of Manchester United and Arsenal benefit from week in, week out. There-in lies the platform to make a real attempt at winning the Premier League. Of course this type of emotional connection with footballs great legacies cannot be ignored as it runs much deeper than any money-making scheme. It’s understandable Spurs fans oppose the move, but when you talk of the potential success and financial implications on the club, is it time to let go?

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The weekend’s football was hardly the goal fest of last week, but it provided some important results at the top and bottom of the Premier League. Everton and Birmingham thwarted both Tottenham and Chelsea’s title aspirations, while Wigan are edging their way out of the bottom three with a hard fought draw.

In the papers this morning there have been a mixed bag of stories, as Redknapp is confirmed on England’s shortlist; Carlos Tevez backs Mancini, while Mark Hughes remains unconvinced by Arsenal’s defensive pairing.

Redknapp on England shortlist – Daily Telegraph

Tevez backing Mancini – Sky Sports

Houllier ‘made Liverpool winners’ – Guardian

FA dismiss Fifa breakaway – Daily Telegraph

Harry rubbishes Ade talk – Sky Sports

It’s Hugh ‘n cry for Magpies – Sun

Hughes not convinced with Koscielny and Squillaci pairing – Mirror

Fergie keen to bring Stoke defender Shawcross back to Old Trafford – Daily Mail

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Ancelotti losing sleep – Sky Sports

Liverpool battle Bayern München for Palermo midfielder Josip Ilicic – IMScouting

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Aston Villa’s new record signing Darren Bent intends to lay low until the anger has subsided following his abrupt departure from Sunderland.Bent, 26, joined Villa on Tuesday in a surprise move worth between 17 and 24 million pounds after rocking the Sunderland hierarchy by handing in a transfer request.

With Sunderland fans enraged at losing their leading goal-scorer mid-way through a promising English Premier League season, the noted user of social networking website Twitter will not risk sharing his thoughts just yet.

“While it’s fresh in everyone’s mind I’m going to be public enemy number one up there,” Bent said.

“I’m sorry it ended the way it did. I won’t be Twittering for a few days. I can imagine that I’m getting annihilated by the Sunderland fans.”

“Once the dust settles, I’m sure they will remember me for more than just the way I left. I had two great years at Sunderland and I hope that’s how people remember me up there, playing well and scoring goals for them.”

“They are having their best season for a long time in the league and I’m sure they think I’m just abandoning them. But these opportunities don’t come around too often.”

“Some people said my mind got turned and my form dipped, but I don’t believe it. All strikers go through periods when you score goals and don’t score goals.”

Bent is now the most cumulatively expensive British footballer, with career transfers totalling approximately 53 million pounds. But he rejected accusations that he is a mercenary.

“It does hurt to be honest,” Bent said.

“When I was at Charlton I could have gone to West Ham for double but I chose for footballing reasons to go to Tottenham. I am sure people will have opinions on why I have joined Villa given where they are (17th in the league).”

“But I believe Villa are in a false position and it’s a massive football club with massive tradition and massive history.”

The good news kept coming for Villa fans, with manager Gerard Houllier declaring that Ashley Young and Stewart Downing were ‘not for sale’.

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“He will be a tremendous asset,” Houllier said of star signing Bent.

“This is a great day for our fans and a major milestone for Aston Villa football club.”

“Obviously if you buy a player of that calibre that means the chairman is backing you.”

2010 has seen many occasions when Sky Sports’ Andy Gray has uttered the words ‘take a bow, son’ which we all know by now means that the Scotsman has seen a fantastic goal. In the past calendar year in the Premier League there has certainly been no shortage of cracking efforts, from volleys that have shown fantastic technique to long range shots from a distance that simply no player should be able to score from! While a tap in is just as important as a screamer, all football fans love to see the latter and these strikes are what we’re concentrating on here. There have been hundreds of Premier League goals this year, but which one do you hold in the highest regard? Here are the nominees for the FootballFanCast.com Goal of the Year for 2010…

Click on the image below to see the nominees

Melbourne Victory captain Kevin Muscat has been given a break by the club to contemplate his future.

Muscat was handed an eight-match suspension by the Football Federation Australia disciplinary committee on Thursday for his crude tackle on Melbourne Heart winger Adrian Zahra.

Whether the ban would spell the end of a career that has featured 51 caps for Australia, 122 Victory games and stints at Crystal Palace, Wolves, Glasgow Rangers and Millwall is something the club will not press the 37-year-old veteran about.

Speaking ahead of Sunday’s clash against Gold Coast United at AAMI Park, Victory coach Ernie Merrick revealed Muscat was spending some time away from the club.

“We’ve given him a bit of a break, then we’ll get together and have a chat about what’s going to happen moving forward from here,” Merrick said.

“It’s (his playing future) not something I want to speculate on, I’ll leave that until I’ve had a discussion with Kevin down the track.”

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Merrick said Victory had no issue with the severity of the penalty handed out by the FFA, adding the club will “move on from there.”

Asked about Muscat’s reaction to the ban, Merrick said: “Obviously Kevin’s hurt by the situation, but he’s accepted it and taken it on the chin.”

Premier League boss Richard Scudamore says that the increased sums of money in English football are being used to good effect.

After a frenetic transfer deadline day last Monday, which saw the likes of Fernando Torres, Andy Carroll, Luis Suarez and David Luiz swap clubs for a combined total of over 120 million pounds, the big-spending tendencies of Premier League clubs amid an economic downturn have come under fire.

But speaking about the Premier League’s corporate and social responsibilities, chief executive Scudamore believes that the surge in spending allows the governing body to play a wider role in the community.

“I wouldn’t want to create anything like the impression that we are suddenly getting involved (in corporate and social responsibility) because of last Monday,” Scudamore said.

“As I say, we’ve had 28 years of ‘Football in the Community’ going in professional football. The Premier League’s got a long track record since it started of community involvement so this is just another extension.”

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“On the left hand side, we have TV rights and transfer fees, we have large amounts of money in the game being used on talent acquisition. And on the right hand side, we have large amounts of money going to some good causes (to) fulfil our corporate and social responsibilities.”

CSKA Moscow enter the second leg of their Europa League round-of-32 clash with PAOK Salonika as favourites after a 1-0 win last Thursday.Tomas Necid’s 29th-minute strike ensured the Russian Premier League side would take a healthy advantage into the second leg, which is to be played in Russia.Necid’s goal was his sixth of the Europa League campaign and he now only trails FC Porto’s Falcao on the scoring charts for the second-tier European competition.The odds are stacked in CSKA Moscow’s favour, having won all four of their home games in Europe this season.What makes their record even more impressive is the fact that all four games have been won by at least two goals, with 15 goals scored and just two conceded in continental fixtures at the Arena Khimki.CSKA Moscow are also unbeaten in nine European matches, winning eight of them, with their seven-match run ending when they drew 1-1 with Sparta Prague in their last group stage fixture on December 15.They returned to winning form with their win on Thursday and joined Zenit St Petersburg as the highest scoring sides in the competition this season when Necid struck CSKA’s 19th goal of their European campaign.In stark contrast, PAOK were the lowest-scoring side to make it past the group stage and have scored just five goals in the Europa League so far this season as they qualified out of Group D behind Villarreal.But if anything is in PAOK’s favour, it is the fact that CSKA have lacked regular match-play in recent months.Since the Russian Premier League ended in November, CSKA have been involved in just three competitive fixtures, all in the Europa League.They have also played two friendlies against Real Murcia and Tom Tomsk in the build-up to their first leg clash, but still lack consistent match fitness and it could come back to haunt them in the second leg.While all the statistics point to a CSKA victory, even inside their camp they are not sure about progression.Before the first-leg tie, manager Leonid Slutsky was unsure of how his side would play while captain Igor Akinfeev rated the Russian side’s chances of progression as ’50-50′. All will be revealed on Tuesday night in Moscow, with PAOK still likely to fancy their chances despite trailing by a goal.

Being a Manchester City fan is never easy. Indeed, it’s quite a difficult thing to do… Smile while you watch your team do something that, had you seen it on a fictional television series about a football club, you’d have said, “that’d never happen!” I’m not talking your average throwing away of a two goal lead, or having a man sent off when cruising to victory. No, they’re the sorts of things that City can do in their sleep. I’m talking the really ridiculous stuff. The top of the class, A-game stuff.

So, leaving Eastlands after a convincing 3-0 victory in a cup competition where we knew City wouldn’t be facing their bogey team in the next round had they gotten through was quite an unnerving experience. Knowing that Everton, a team that City traditionally struggle to beat, had been knocked out the night before, and that the only remaining lower league team left in the draw would be City’s opponent should they have beaten Villa, it felt wrong for City not to have turned in a rubbish performance, had a man sent off and given away a penalty in a game where they threw away a two goal lead.

But no, it was a perfectly sensible evening. They turned up, did the job in a professional manner, got themselves into the next round and went home. I’m starting to like this new City, even if it’s slightly scary. As City fans, it’s starting to feel like we’re changing jobs to get a fresh start – we’re excited that we’re finally getting away from the creepy guy from accounts, but we’re excited and a little bit nervous about what the future will hold and what strange characters we’ll encounter.

And trust me, I cleaned that metaphor up a lot.

Or so we thought, anyway. That was until yesterday, when we found out that Kolo Touré had tested positive for a “specified substance” (a substance that is more likely to have been ingested accidentally via a meal or medicine than a substance that was ingested intentionally, but a banned substance nevertheless). It was all looking so easy, though we’ll have to wait and see what happens with this one.

Needless to say, though, City are still the story. Never a dull week, eh?

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In fact, the easiness stretched back to Wednesday evening. Partly because of Gerard Houllier’s team selection, but mainly because it was a good team performance from the home side. I felt for the visiting fans when they saw their team selection. Houllier defended it by saying that “Nathan Delfouneso will go to the Under-21 Championships in the summer. Emile Heskey went to the World Cup and Gabriel Agbonlahor was in the squad for Denmark last month but couldn’t go for personal reasons.” But Delfouneso and Agbonlahor clearly aren’t up there with the internationals who have masses of experience and Heskey’s inclusion in England’s World Cup squad is somewhat devalued when you consider how poorly the nation played in South Africa.

That’s not to take anything away from City’s performance, though. City still needed to play well to win the game, especially after feeling a bit fragile taking just five points from the last five league games. Having David Silva back in the team was the biggest plus, while seeing Mario Balotelli act as peacemaker between Richard Dunne and Yaya Touré was like having slipped into some bizarre parallel universe. Krusty the Clown in the crowd didn’t particularly help that sensation, either.

And kudos to the Villa fans who were making their own fun in the away end. I’ve been there with City in the past and it’s not a pleasant experience, so seeing them keep the ball and playing head tennis was a specific favourite of mine.

Aside from that, though, there’s not really much to be said about the game. City did what they had to do and, with that victory over Aston Villa, it looks like this will be City’s best shot of silverware since… well, last season actually. But last season’s Carling Cup run was a bit of a one-off in City’s recent history. In fact, to match this current FA Cup run, you have to go back to when Stuart Pearce was in charge and City were knocked out at the sixth round stage by Blackburn.

Though, back then, that draw with Blackburn was a tough one. City’s team wasn’t as strong as it is now and Blackburn had a habit of upsetting the blue apple cart. Contrasting that with the current season, and the draw has been pretty kind in more than one way. First, the more obvious, is that we play Reading: it will be a tough game, but it’s a home draw and against the only side from outside the Premier League. Second because it’s thrown Manchester United and Arsenal together, so one of them will definitely go out.

It’s just a shame they both can’t go out… I’m not sure my nerves could take a Manchester derby at Wembley and I don’t fancy Arsenal, either. In years to come, nobody will remember who the winners of this competition had to play to get to the final, so give me the easiest route possible, says I.

All that considered, City will be bloody fools to underestimate Reading now. And that goes for the fans as well; we’ve been guilty of underestimating Premier League teams coming to Eastlands and we’ve dropped points when we shouldn’t have. With a shot of a Wembley semi-final (whether the semi-finals should be held there is another matter) and a good chance to win the more respected cup competition in this country (and I’m still not convinced why the League Cup is shunned like an illegitimate lovechild, but it is), it would be far too typical City to think “it’s only Reading.”

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Ok, so they’re not Premier League and City will be going into the game as favourites. But they did knock out Everton at Goodison Park. It’s not exactly like City have a great record there (or even at home against the Toffees), is it? If both the fans and the players turn up to the quarter final tie believing that they’ve already won, then there’s a good chance of an upset. So it’s important that they don’t.

Plus, I need City to get all the way to the final because I’m on holiday during the weekend when the semis are played, so I’ll miss out on that trip to the new Wembley. And I know I always say “there’s always next season” or “I’ve waited twenty three years, I can wait another”, but sod it, this is a fantastic opportunity.

So they’d bloody well better not underestimate Reading.

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Millwall have stunned Championship leaders Queens Park Rangers 2-0 at home on Tuesday, while Norwich City edged closer to promotion.QPR, who had gone unbeaten through their last 11 league matches, saw lead their lead at the top of the table cut to seven points as Swansea City drew 1-1 against Watford, while fellow top six sides Cardiff City and Nottingham Forest both fell to their second straight losses.Mid-table battlers Millwall nabbed two second-half goals to surprise QPR at The Den, beginning with Steve Morison, who loped into the box and drilled a low strike beyond goalkeeper Paddy Kenny in the 63rd minute.Liam Trotter doubled the hosts’ advantage from the spot 10 minutes later, after Nigerian defender Danny Shittu tripped Morison and saw red for his efforts.The unlikely victory, Millwall’s first in six games, keeps them 12th on the table with 50 points, nine points away from the promotion play-off spots.Elsewhere, Norwich capitalised on Swansea’s loss by defeating Leicester City 3-2 and joining the second-place side on 63 points.Wesley Hoolahan and Richard Wellens traded early goals to leave the game poised at 1-1 at the break, but a Grant Holt penalty goal and Aaron Wilbraham’s first for Norwich ensured the visitors took the points.Swansea can thank their superior goal difference for keeping them in second after they drew 1-1 at home with Watford, who had forward Danny Graham to thank for cancelling out Stephen Dobbie’s opening goal. Cardiff City fell to fourth with a second straight loss, going down 1-0 at relegation-threatened Crystal Palace, and Forest dropped to sixth as they were felled 2-1 by lowly Sheffield United, who had lost four in a row.Their losses were a welcome boost for Leeds United, who rose to fifth and within three points of second place with a 2-1 win at Preston North End, while Burnley’s good form continued with a 1-0 result at Hull City to remain in touch with the top six.In other results, Reading trumped Ipswich Town 3-1, Bristol City defeated Portsmouth 2-1 and Derby County fell 2-1 at Middlesbrough, Coventry City were held 1-1 at Doncaster Rovers and Barnsley overran Scunthorpe United 2-1.

More Premier League footballers are joining Twitter all the time. Just this morning Arsenal midfielder Jack Wilshere tweeted that fellow England U21 international and Aston Villa star Marc Albrighton has setup an account. So it appears that their lives aren’t busy enough, seeing as they have plenty of time to tell us what they’re doing!

I for one am not complaining, though, as it gives us a great insight into what they’re up to and how professional footballers feel at any given time. It isn’t just players that football fans should follow on Twitter either, there are plenty of great accounts that give you analysis, intruiging stats and plenty of laughs (check out the spoof accounts for that). So we thought we’d identify the TEN Twitter accounts that all footy fans should follow…

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Click on Rio below to see the Top TEN

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