Top ten surprises of the 2011/12 Premier league season so far…
In English football we tend to pride ourselves on having a league in which every season is a unique. Where the only thing that is predictable is unpredictability, clichés, and unbearably poor commentary from David Pleat. Why should this year be any different? Answer: it’s not. In fact with so much foreign money and outrageously out of hand egos flying around the League, this year promises to be more entertaining than ever. The league has never been so competitive at the top with at least six teams competing for the Champions League places this year. Not to mention a bottom half of the table where nobody is too good to go down. The tempestuous nature of the League makes being a fan difficult, and being a betting man impossible but that’s why we love it; and so with that in mind, and after a quarter of the season has already been played, what have the tope ten most surprising moments been so far?
Click on Steve Kean to see the top 10 surprising moments of the season
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Roman Pavlyuchenko has stated that he will ‘100 per cent’ ask for a move from Tottenham come the January transfer window, as his limited first team opportunities at White Hart Lane are threatening his international chances.
The Russian has become a bit part player at the North London club as Emmanuel Adebayor, Jermain Defoe and Rafael van der Vaart are preferred to him in attack.
With Euro 2012 on the horizon, Pavlyuchenko has admitted that he wants a transfer when the window reopens in the new year.
“I have to do something in the transfer period. We’re ahead of the European Championships. If I don’t change (my club) then Euro 2012 will be played without me,” he told football-express.com.
“I was fighting and fighting but it was useless. Does Redknapp believe in me? Now I don’t think so.
“I do the training as good as the others. I do everything with 100 per cent effort. I don’t cry and I don’t say that everybody is bad but I’m a good footballer. If I score in each game then I can play. But it’s not a reality to score in each game. That’s all.
“Will I ask the club to sell me in December? Yes, it’s 100 per cent.
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“I’d rather go back to Russia. If I sign to Anzhi or not – we shouldn’t go too far. Maybe I’ll have only one possibility and that will be Anzhi and nothing else,” he concluded.
Steve Bruce has become the first Premier League manager of the season to be sacked, as Sunderland have dismissed him from his post.
The Black Cats have had a slow start to the campaign, and find themselves in 16th place and only two points above the relegation zone after 13 games.
Bruce led the Wearside club to only two wins in the league this season, and a 2-1 home defeat to Wigan at the weekend was the final straw for the former Birmingham boss.
The news of Bruce’s axing was released by chairman Ellis Short, who feels it is time for a change.
“This has been a difficult time for everyone at Sunderland and is not a situation that any of us envisaged or expected to be in,” the executive told Sky Sports.
“It is my job as chairman to act in the best interests of our football club at all times and I can assure everyone that this is not a decision that I have taken lightly.
“Sadly results this season have simply not been good enough and I feel the time is right to make a change.
“Steve has acted with honesty and integrity throughout, which is testament to the character and commitment he has shown during his time at Sunderland.
“I would like to personally place on record my thanks to him for his significant contribution to our football club over the past two and a half years and everyone here at Sunderland naturally wishes him the very best for the future.
“I would also like to thank our fans, who have endured a trying start to the season. Their support continues to be the driving force behind our club and is vital as we now look to the future,” he concluded.
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Immediate favourites for the vacant position include Martin O’Neill and Mark Hughes, but Short gave no indication of timescales in regards to hiring a new manager.
Everton boss David Moyes has stated that he hopes Jack Rodwell opts to stay at the Goodison Park club, but knows that they could face a battle to keep him should Chelsea make a bid.
Reports in the British press on Tuesday indicated that Chelsea were preparing a £20 million offer for the England international midfielder, whilst Manchester United are believed to be long term admirers of Rodwell also.
Moyes knows the player’s quality and hopes that despite the interest of leading English clubs, he decides to continue his development on Merseyside.
“His development here has been good. He came on the scene very early but I’ll always think players will be better served being at Everton,” the Scottish coach told The Daily Mail.
“I don’t think we’ll be selling because we need the money for the bank or anything like that. But there have been some really big players sold.
“Ronaldo was sold by United and Torres went to Chelsea. If those players are available then most other clubs will have to be thinking about their players.
“There comes a point where we don’t want to become a club preparing players for other clubs. We’ve tried not to be that (a selling club). But times have changed. In the past there weren’t players at Everton good enough for the top teams. Everton have that now,” he concluded.
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Wayne Bridge’s career at Manchester City seems to be coming to an end as we approach the transfer window, and it is hardly surprising given the lack of games he has had. Loaned out by City to West Ham last season, Wayne failed to make his mark at Upton Park and has been unable to reach the top-level that he seemed to be nearing at one stage of his career. Bridge has been linked with a move to Arsenal in recent weeks, but whether that move reaches fruition remains to be seen.
Off the field however, it seems as though Wayne has been more successful. Currently going out with Frankie Sandford from the Saturdays, it can’t all be doom and gloom for the 30-year old. The distraction of Frankie, 22, may well be the reason for Bridge’s lackluster performances on the pitch, and if we’re honest, we can’t really blame him!
Click on Miss Sanford below to see her in all her glory
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West Ham supporters love to worship a player that has entertained them with passion, flair and ability and if you were to ask any Hammers fan who their favourite player has been at Upton Park in the past 20 years the majority would repeat the same name. When I was growing up I was fortunate enough to be able to get to Upton Park each week and watch my footballing hero become a legend in the East End whose name is still heard from the stands today.
You may have heard this said before, but I was sitting directly behind ‘that goal’ against Wimbledon that was voted the best ever Premier League goal that only confirmed what I had known for a while; Paolo Di Canio is a genius.
When Avram Grant was sacked after doing a wonderful job to get West Ham relegated last season from the Premier League, a certain Italian’s name was popping up on a regular basis to be his successor. Hammers owners David’s Gold and Sullivan were quick to dismiss Di Canio from being a contender to return to his second home due to one key issue, a lack of experience. The level headed owners were able to take a step back and view the decision without rushing in to please the supporters which has to be admired.
The former Celtic, Sheffield Wednesday and Charlton forward though, took that on board and after discussions with a few Football League club’s he was offered the managers role at Swindon Town, where he immediately became a fans favourite with the Robins supporters. In the script, Paolo would be showing his passion, making pundits and supporters fall in love with him once again, and steer the talented Town to automatic promotion. Once that was done, Di Canio would be a viable option and favourite to take over at West Ham once Sam Allardyce had got bored of the constant criticism from the terraces and left to take over at Blackburn Rovers again once the Venky’s got rid.
However, having spent a lot of money in the summer bringing in plenty of talent to the County Ground, Di Canio’s side suffered a slow start in League Two following relegation last season and doubts were beginning to grow as to whether the 43-year-old could really cut it in English management. But the turnaround is well and truly on and Swindon are now just outside the automatic promotion places after losing just once in a remarkable 22 games in all competitions that included victories over Premier League Wigan and League One high flyers Huddersfield Town in the FA Cup.
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Unfortunately for Di Canio, his exuberance and passion has spilled over on many occasions this season and his pile of letters from the FA will trump even Joey Barton’s after regular dismissals and fines while on the touchline. Di Canio has to learn that he is going to be under the spotlight every time he emerges from the tunnel, even more so than when was a player, and biting his tongue may affect his passion but may also move him up the Football League ladder.
As a player, Di Canio was never far from controversy whether it was shoving referees to the ground, fighting over the taking of a penalty or giving up an open goal to score because the opposition goalkeeper was injured, he has clearly not lost any of that personality, which made him so endearing to the majority of football fans but stepping over the mark is becoming far to regular and expensive for a lowly club.
So for a club such as West Ham to take the risk of bringing Di Canio to Upton Park in the next year or so is unnecessary and could end terribly for both parties, with his legendary status being hindered and the club slipping back to the second tier of English football. It may take time for the ageing Italian to adapt to management in England and learnt not to attract so much attention to himself but hopefully one day it may all come together for him.
I would like nothing better than the smart Italian to come running down the touchline at Upton Park celebrating a last minute winner in the Premier League as manager of West Ham, but Irons supporters and other club’s who may have a look at Paolo next year must take a step back and think, is it really worth the risk? Give him another two years or so to mature and learn in the managerial game and the answer to that question may be very different!
Would you like Di Canio as your manager now or next season? Let me know on Twitter: @Brad_Pinard
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Aston Villa manager Alex McLeish has stated that his task of turning the club’s fortunes around is his biggest challenge in football, but that he has no intentions of leaving the Villa Park hotseat.
The Midlands club have had a poor season by their own standards, and although they are in not in direct threat of relegation, the side’s fans have made their distain known.
The Scottish coach is ready to fight to help Villa improve, and will not give in despite being under pressure.
“Is this my biggest test in football? Yes, it probably would be,” he stated in a press conference, recorded by Sky Sports.
“Rangers was a very tough challenge as well because they expect to win every single week, every single game. It was a different kind of challenge there, if you like.
“There was a spell at Rangers when we weren’t winning and again it was difficult with the finances at times.
“We offloaded a lot of quality players one summer and we didn’t really do the right thing replacing all of them but then, the next season, we did and it was all rosy in the garden again.
“I knew when I came to Villa that there were going to be some demanding times ahead and that changing the squad around would take time.
“But I took the challenge up and I’m certainly not going to quit it now.
“I want a bit of respite and I know how hard I work here. I’ve not got a magic wand and I don’t think there are a lot of managers who could do a lot better than the job I am doing just now,” he concluded defiantly.
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Villa take on Blackburn at Ewood Park on Saturday.
On a surface level loyalty can be seen everywhere; from the shirt a person wears to the badge a player kisses. But football is not generally conducive to the one-club player nor is it a field where loyalty exists as an absolute.
Even a cursory look highlights Italy as a country where the most prominent embodiments of football clubs can be seen in their captains: Maldini had a statistic defying 25-year top flight career at Milan, boasting 7 Serie A titles, 5 European Cups and more than 900 appearances. Alessandro Del Piero has virtually been an ever present for Juventus since arriving from Padova in 1993 and stuck with the Bianconeri through relegation post-calciopoli. Francesco Totti signed a contract that should see him playing for Roma until 2014, after which he will serve on the board of directors for 5 years. Javier Zanetti, despite being 36, completed over a half century of appearances for Inter Milan in last season’s treble winning team (reaching 700 club appearances in his 15-year career at Inter). These players (throw in Gerrard, Giggs, Scholes, Neville and Terry from our own league as one-club players who have also won honours) are proof that loyalty can exist in the game and that it does reap its rewards.
So why, after giving examples of high profile players loyal to one club, do I maintain football is a sphere not conducive to loyalty? Well, a prevailing sense of ownership fills the public when a player is nurtured and goes on to play especially well for a club. Looking at Ronaldo’s departure from Manchester United I was shocked to hear so many talk and write of what he ‘owed’ the fans and the club. Yes, the club nurtured his talents and afforded him the ideal platform to succeed but did he not repay that faith by becoming one of the best players in the game and providing the people with three seasons of sustained individual brilliance? I think so. Because these are the same fans who cheered his goals and hurled abuse if a step over went wrong or a long shot missed.
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It’s not a condition of Manchester United fans but of people as a collective. Footballers provide the most unnerving gauges of the fickleness of the mob; they receive unbridled adulation when playing well but, irrespective of how good they have been, if their performances drop for a single game the same fans will openly voice their disdain. Had Ronaldo not been the best then his departure wouldn’t have mattered. Conversely had he chosen to stay and performed badly for a period, fans would not hesitate to have him replaced. The pressure involved in football has only been augmented by constant media coverage and the result of heavily scrutinising minute details is increased extolment and increased vitriol.
When Mussolini splintered off from the Italian Socialist Party to form the Fascist movement in Italy he stated to his old comrades, ‘you hate me with immense hatred because you once loved me.’ This exact sentiment resonates heavily in football. There is an emotional aspect to the game that distinguishes it from almost every other profession. No one would mind if a person leaves their office job for a better paid role in a country where the sun shines a lot more. But what football means to such a vast majority of people makes it a unique profession not suitable to the standards of others. And its players, like its fans, can be very loyal at any given moment and no so loyal at another.
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Administrators have revealed that up to five different bids are expected from investors keen to buy financially-stricken Scottish champions Rangers.
The Ibrox club have had to bring in Edinburgh-based administrators Duff and Phelps to help solve their debt crises, but a number of interested parties are ready to battle it out to become the side’s new owners.
“We have been in detailed conversation with a number of parties over the last couple of weeks and the best and final bids are due to be submitted by Wednesday at 5pm,” David Whitehouse told the Rangers website.
“It could be we end up with at least four possibly five bids being submitted.
“If it becomes clear after the bids then we would want to be backing one horse very soon after Easter and then concluding a deal within a few weeks – in other words ownership change – and Rangers would come out of administration at that point.
“We need to have ownership change before the end of the season.
“I am told that Craig Whyte will not be an impediment to any deal,” he concluded.
Sale Sharks owner Brian Kennedy, a Singapore-based consortium and American investors Club 9 Sports are all believed to be interested parties.
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Swindon Town’s six points in the space of 72 hours over the Easter weekend has almost guaranteed the Robins an automatic promotion place. With back-to-back clean sheets accumulating with two 1-0 victories, Swindon now require just two wins for promotion and three to be crowned as League Two Champions.
Dull…
Swindon started Friday’s game by making two changes from their win over Barnet. The game started off very flat and was rather uneventful. The travelling fans were, of course, in good voice and provided the first half’s entertainment with an array of chants.
Fly On The Wall…
Di Canio’s half time team talk did spark Swindon into life. Within 53 seconds of the restart a Lee Holmes header across the face of goal to the waiting Paul Benson was enough for him to stab the ball home from two yards out. Morecambe applied pressure throughout the second half but failed to make Wes Foderingham work up a sweat in the Swindon Goal.
Reaction…
Paolo Di Canio was not at all happy with his players after the game: ‘Some of them are only young and they have a lot to learn but they need to look at themselves. Paul Benson was an absolute warrior and ran his socks off and got his reward.’
Swindon Goalkeeper Wes Foderingham:‘Great win today! Probably one of the ugliest games of the season. We have one hand on the title now for sure. Great support again.’
Aden Flint ‘Another massive 3 points today!! Battled to get the result. Great support as well.’
Northampton…
Lee Holmes’ 52nd minute cross- come-goal was what separated the sides at the County Ground. Holmes, who is on loan from Southampton until the end of the season, netted his first goal since returning for his second spell with the Wiltshire side. The Cobblers had few chances throughout the game and could only muster just two shots on target all game. A crowd of 8,745 saw six shots on target with just two for the visitors.
Elect…
Swindon’s home form this season has certainly helped them to achieve their current position, 12 wins in 13 games at home is a genuine sign of deserving to be Champions.
What’s Next…
The Robins face 20th place Plymouth Argyle on Saturday as they look to secure automatic promotion. At the beginning of March Plymouth where looking almost certain to be relegated but a late resurgence by Carl Fletcher’s men have seen them almost secure league status for another year. Only requiring four more points the Pilgrims will be more than motivated for this fixture. The reverse game in October saw a late strike from Raffaele De Vita securing all three points for Swindon. That victory left Plymouth rock bottom and The Robins in a lowly 10th place.
Reaction…
Swindon Goalkeeper Wes Foderingham: ‘Another win, another clean sheet can’t complain roll on Saturday got a cheeky feeling we will be celebrating promotion!’
Northampton Town Manager Aidy Boothroyd: ‘I can’t knock the spirit but what games like this show is – with the greatest of respect to Swindon – there are fine margins between being where we are to where they are.’
Chris Smith…
Before the Easter weekend I had the fortuitous chance to ask the Samsung, ‘Win A Pro Contract’ winner Chris Smith some questions. Chris was one of four players selected to spend a week training at Swindon by Swindon manager Paolo Di Canio. Chris, who was studying Sports Coaching and Development at Staffordshire University, was picked as the winner after impressing Di Canio and his backroom staff.
1/ When did you first start playing football? Why did you decide to play football?
I first kicked a ball when I was around 2-3 and started playing lads and dad’s football when I was 6-7 years old. I chose football because my family love the sport and my brother used to play, also my great Grandad used to be a good footballer.
2/ How does it feel to be a part of the Swindon football team?
It feels amazing to be a part of such a good club and team with the current success. Even to be a professional is a great achievement. I don’t know what it’s like to play for Swindon yet in front of such a big crowd but i get a buzz off playing football and playing in front of crowds (my biggest is around 1000). I can only imagine what it would be like to play at somewhere like the Camp Nou (99,354 capacity).
3/ Would you trade football for any other sport? Why or Why not?
I wouldn’t swap football for any other sport but if I had to choose, then it would be between tennis, cricket, golf or UFC. This is because they all involve a ball, apart from UFC and they are my favourite sports to watch. Also I reckon I would be good at fighting (maybe).
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4/ What inspires you to play football?
My love for the game and my dad inspire me to play football. My dad has always been there for me throughout and pushed me to be better and picked me up when things haven’t or isn’t going right (same with my mum).
5/ Do any past players motivate you to do your best during a game?
Paolo Di Canio always aspires to be and to do better. Current players such as Beckham, Gerrard, Scholes, Rooney, Messi and more, always make you want to be the best you can and work as hard as possible to be better.
I wish to thank Chris for taking the time out to talk to me to answer my questions, much appreciated.
You can follow me on Twitter for even more Swindon Town discussion.