Steven Fletcher arrived at Sunderland well aware he had to hit the ground running after Martin O’Neill paid a hefty fee for the Scottish striker.
However an incredible early run of goals for the Black Cats has gone some way to silencing critics of his £12 million pound move.
The 25-year-old netted his fifth goal in four games against Wigan Athletic and has scored every league goal for the Wearsiders this term.
Fletcher told the Journal, “I’m delighted with the way it has started here.
“When I came here I knew I would get chances with the players we have and the delivery the boys are putting in has been fantastic. They are always giving me tap ins or first-touch finishes.
“Normally there is one player who can really get the ball in like this, but we have several whose delivery we can rely on.
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“People tried to put pressure on me with the price tag and stuff. You need goals and I have scored them early doors. They are big boots to fill [ Darren Bent’s who scored 25 goals in his only full-season at Sunderland] but hopefully I am doing that with five goals in four games and hopefully I can keep that going and everyone will be all right,” he added.
One of the summers longest transfer saga’s continues to drag on, with Andy Carroll’s future remaining unresolved. Liverpool’s record signing does not seem to fit into the’tika-taka philosophy’ Brendan Rodgers is trying to impose at Anfield, and it is regarded as the worst kept secret in football that Liverpool would be willing to offload their number 9 if the right offer were to come their way.
Newcastle and West Ham have both been linked with the 23-year-old, and whilst a return to Newcastle is believed to be Carroll’s only wanted alternative, West Ham could be a move that would suit both parties very well.
There are no surprises regarding the way Sam Allardyce likes his teams to play. They are tough, physical, and a threat from set pieces. The sort of situations Andy Carroll thrives on.
Their opening day performance against Aston Villa was a classic example of this, as Allardyce’s team pinged long balls towards the physical presence of Carlton Cole up front all afternoon, causing Villa plenty of problems. West Ham came away with a 1-0 victory, but perhaps on another day could of been awarded a couple of penalties as Cole went down under ariel challenges in the box.
The performance looked tailor-made for Andy Carroll, who showed during his time at Newcastle and towards the back end of last season that he can be almost unplayable given the correct service. You feel he could thrive at Upton Park where he would be playing regular first team football, and have the team built towards playing to his strengths.
Carroll would have the bonus of being reunited with his former teammate and close friend Kevin Nolan. The pair formed an excellent partnership at Newcastle during the first half of the 2010/2011 season, with Carroll bagging 11 goals. The 3-1 victory over Liverpool in December 2010 saw Carroll assist Nolan for the opening goal before getting on the scoresheet himself, a performance that must of been taken into account as Liverpool made their £35million bid.
Perhaps most crucial of all would be the Sam Allardyce factor. Allardyce has a history of reviving players who’s careers have hit a stumbling block, the likes of Kevin Davis, Jay-Jay Okocha and Ivan Campo spring to mind. His man management skills are second to none, so much so he even managed to get a couple of decent seasons out of El Hadji-Diouf during his time at Bolton.
With West Ham the only team to make a concrete offer, you wonder how the remaining ten days of the transfer window will pan out. Carroll showed tremendous promise towards the end of last season and during the Euro’s, but yet found himself on the bench for the opening day of the season. Rodgers didn’t even turn to Carroll with Liverpool trailing 2-0 and in desperate need of a goal, instead opting for Joe Cole.
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The vast majority of Liverpool fans want to see Carroll given another season to prove himself, but accept it is unlikely to be the case with Rodgers in charge.
If West Ham were to come back with another bid before the transfer window slams shut and Liverpool should accept, Carroll should seriously consider a switch to East London. It may prove to be a match made in heaven.
Manuel Pellegrini’s first season in charge of Manchester City has started off with an interesting twist to what most fans predicted.
While they continue to run riot at the Etihad, humiliating every team that visits, City look indecisive away from home, with just one Premier League win on the road so far this campaign and an extra-time victory over Newcastle United at St. James’ Park in Round 4 of the Capital One Cup.
Losses to Aston Villa, Sunderland, Cardiff City and Chelsea have prevented them from topping the division and mounting a serious challenge to bring the league title back to the blue half of Manchester.
Pellegrini’s side looks devastating at home, scoring 35 goals at the Etihad already, which is more than any other top-flight team have managed both home and away all season. But they’ve managed to find the net on just 12 occasions on the road, which will be big cause for concern for Pellegrini.
Added to the pressure of improving away results, Pellegrini is expected to win at least one piece of silverware in his first Etihad season. The Capital One Cup provides City with the perfect opportunity to do just that, especially as they have avoided rivals United and Chelsea by drawing Championship side Leicester City.
However, if they had been drawn at home you could have bet your house on them progressing through to the semi-finals with ease, but a trip to the King Power Stadium doesn’t appear to be as straight forward considering how their season has gone so far.
Promotion hopefuls Leicester saw off Premier League Fulham in Round 4 and will believe that they can cause arguably the upset of Round 5 by disposing of travelsick City. The Foxes’ form at the King Power Stadium is also pretty strong, with just one loss in the Championship so far this season.
Despite this, though, City have to put an end to their away day woes sooner rather than later and it’s all but certain that, as soon as they regain their confidence away from the Etihad, their season will be notched up a gear and they’ll be there-or-there-abouts in all the competitions in which they’re competing for this season.
The prospect of a Capital One Cup semi-final will be an attractive one for Pellegrini, and the strength in depth he has at his disposal suggests he can perhaps be confident that the Citizens can get the job done.
The most important thing for the Chilean boss, though, is to become more consistent away from home, and a trip to Leicester in the Capital One Cup could be the perfect place to start.
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striker Edin Dzeko has admitted that he is desperate to start for his side against Ajax in the Champions League on Wednesday.
The Bosnian forward came off the bench to save 10-man City’s blushes against West Brom on Saturday, scoring two late goals to give the Premier League champions a 2-1 win against the Baggies at the Hawthorns.
With an important game in Europe against the Eredivisie champions in midweek, Dzeko has stated that he gets the nod to lead the line for Roberto Mancini’s men.
“Everybody wants to start games but we will see,” The Sun quote Dzeko as saying.
“It’s up to the manager to pick the team but he knows I am there whenever he needs me. But I want to play.
“It’s a few more days to that game. It’s important we win. Yes, it’s a vital game,” he concluded.
Dzeko will compete with Sergio Aguero, Mario Balotelli and Carlos Tevez for a starting berth for City.
David Platt admitted that Dzeko’s performance at the weekend would help his chances of playing against Ajax, but that the side would decided closer to the game.
“Edin will get his starts like every other player will get their starts. He came on and got his two goals and has put himself firmly in the manager’s thoughts for Wednesday.
“But we will pick a team on what we think is right for Ajax and the one after that.
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“A lot is said about the players we leave out but there are a lot more variables that go into picking the team apart from who is in form and who isn’t,” the assistant coach concluded.
Wigan came from behind twice to snatch a late win over West Brom at the Hawthorns to boost their Premier League survival hopes.
Steve Clarke post-match…”We have conceded three goals and we have to look at that. Two of the goals came from crosses and normally our defending from crosses is very good. We played an attacking line-up, I chose to go with that so I have to be the one that carries the can for this.”
Roberto Martinez post-match…”We showed our character and never accepted defeat. To come back twice from behind at a place as difficult as this is huge. To score three goals in open play here is very pleasing and I don’t think anyone else has done that this season.”
Good day for…Callum McManaman: Amidst all the controversy that surrounds McManaman he is developing into a fine footballer. Another match winning display saw him steal a priceless victory for Wigan and then clear off the line at the death to preserve the scoreline and boost his sides chances of survival.
Bad day for…Paul Scharner: Just an awful day all round for the Wigan defender. Sacrificed possession in the lead-up to West Brom’s open goal and gave away the free kick that led to their second.
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Manchester United defender Nemanja Vidic hasn’t ruled out the possibility of a move to Serie A in the future, goal.com reports.
The 31-year-old Serbian who is set to return to the Manchester United team for the weekend visit of Sunderland, has continually been linked with Italian league leaders Juventus among others including a big money move to Russian club Anzhi Makhachkala.
“My future in Italy? Who knows? In the past I was close to Fiorentina and Parma. Juventus and Milan have the quality to compete for Champions League.” He told Corriere dello Sport.
Vidic became a key figure in the Red Devils recent success and took over as club captain when Gary Neville retired in 2011. He has however been plagued with injuries in the last two years, missing the majority of last season while not featuring in this campaign since the 4-0 home victory over Wigan in September.
United have struggled defensively in his absence but the attacking prowess the team possesses has seen them cope and they currently sit top of the Premier League table, six points clear of rivals Manchester City.
Vidic is refusing to get carried away with his clubs position though saying, “I don’t know if Manchester United is the favourite club to win Premier League.”
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Sir Alex Ferguson will be delighted to see his captain return to help sure up his sides leaky defence which has already conceded 23 goals in the league.
At 31, Vidic still has time left in the game. If he can steer clear of injuries upon his return, he could once again become a vital component of United’s team.
After the freezing weather did its best to distort the fixture list and pile up the midweek fixtures for February and March, it was back to league duty for Crewe after ten days off since they overcame Bradford to reach the northern area final of the Johnstone’s Paint Trophy.
The 1-1 draw at Leyton Orient on the twelfth day of January seemed an age ago and Saturday’s trip to Bournemouth gave Crewe a chance to get back to winning ways in League One after also losing to Stevenage in their previous home game.
After losing just one of this season’s fifteen home games at Dean Court, Bournemouth were not going to present an easy visit for side who have been witnessing a malaise in performances since the emphatic victory at Preston at the beginning of December. Crewe have won three times since then, but with scrappy, sluggish performances which have alerted manager Steve Davis to the need to alter formations and personnel as he attempts to arrest the slide that has now crept in through the form of results.
Davis tweaked the team further for the journey down south with Max Clayton partnering Mathias Pogba in attack as Bradden Inman and Byron Moore played wide of Abdul Osman and Luke Murphy in a 4-4-2, an alien system when it considered Davis has alternated with a 4-2-3-1 or a 3-5-2 over the course of the season. The defence was also changed, ever-present centre-half Mark Ellis was bizarrely dropped in favour of Adam Dugdale (who should not be starting at this level) and 20 year old Jon Guthrie, a centre-half by trade, was pushed to left-back to cover Matt Tootle’s absence through injury.
Against a side who had scored 47 goals in the comfort of their own home and had lost just one of their previous seventeen games, things looked ominous for Crewe who were a goal down within eight minutes. Dugdale succumbed to Marc Pugh’s trickery in the box and his fall led to Iain Williamson pointing at the penalty spot to allow Brett Pittman to fire past Steve Phillips. Crewe were settling in however and for a young side, their response was positive, Max Clayton headed at Shwan Jalal after good work by Moore, Inman and Murphy all saw shots go wide of the post while Pogba saw a drive deflected out for a corner.
Despite the good football being played there was little cutting edge and in Josh McQuoid and Lewis Grabban, the Cherries had a large threat on the counter attack, the latter broke free to round Steve Phillips on the stroke of half-time only to hit the side-netting with his effort. The second half continued in a similar vein, Pittman had three half chances while the pace of Grabban was also a constant danger, Phillips had to deny the attacker with his legs on the hour mark. For Crewe, Inman curled a shot just over while a neat passing move led to Pogba teeing up Osman who could not register enough power on his shot, it was the epitome of the good football the away side were playing that contained little ruthlessness in front of goal.
Probably the best indication into how well Crewe played to no reward was Bournemouth manager Eddie Howe’s admission that his own side appeared “leggy” and “tired” as a result of a packed recent schedule. “Such is the spirit in the squad that we managed to find our rhythm in the second half and we were superb” said Howe who saw his team double their lead in the 66th minute after Pittman applied a deadly finish to McQuoid’s low cross. Midfielder Simon Francis then forced a mistake from Phillips and defender Harry Arter should have put the game to bed as he headed over with the goal at his mercy.
Bournemouth were nearly made to pay for that miss as eighteen year old Ryan Colclough, who together with Ajay Leitch-Smith came on for Clayton and Inman, stabbed home at the back post following a scuffed effort from Pogba to halve the lead with fifteen minutes to go. It was the promising winger’s first professional goal and it gave the Alex a feint hope, only to see it soon extinguished as Wes Fogden, a Bournemouth substitute for McQuoid, was tripped by Osman to another, albeit controversial, penalty award.
Pittman thrashed it home to complete his hat-trick and to finish Crewe off. Davis was left to bemoan the referee’s decisions but the lesson was clear in that despite playing well, teams have to be clinical or risk being punished by very good teams, which Bournemouth clearly are, they moved up to fifth in League One while Crewe slipped down to 13th, the play-offs now a very distant dream separated by a margin of eight points.
This was always going to present a tough assessment of Crewe’s young side who are still on an education in League One and positives will be taken from the decent performances from Clayton, Moore and the young Guthrie who filled in respectably at left-back. There were clear signs of life that the in-form Crewe of November and early December was on its way back despite the run of three games without a win that Davis will have another attempt at stopping it against Scunthorpe back at Gresty Road next Saturday.
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New York City FC was only founded 15 months ago and isn’t set to join the MLS until the 2015/2016 season. The football club is 20% owned by Yankee Global Enterprises and 80% owned by City Football Group, who also own Manchester City.
Since the creation of the football club, New York City FC have acquired six players, with two of their most notable players being Englishman Frank Lampard and Spaniard David Villa. With the money available for the football club thanks to their wealthy owners and the quality of the players they have already brought in, New York City FC will be looking to have an immediate impact on the MLS and possibly change the landscape of the league. Some people may say thanks to their wealth, they have already bought an MLS title.
Until New York City FC joins the MLS for its inaugural season in March 2015, Lampard has gone on loan to Manchester City whilst Villa has gone on loan to Melbourne City FC, also owned by the City Football Group. The Australian side is yet to begin their season but the Spaniard is predicted to set the league alight. On the other hand, Lampard has already demonstrated he is still a quality player after scoring the equalizer in City’s 1-1 home draw against his former club, Chelsea, in the Premier League.
If that isn’t enough to satisfy you, maybe you should know that Lampard is the highest scoring midfielder in the Premier League from the 2009/10 onwards with a total of 65 goals. These goals would have mostly occurred thanks to Lampard’s characteristics of taking long shots and being excellent at direct free kicks. Lampard averaged 40.2 passes per game and also had a pass success percentage of 82.4% during his last season at Chelsea. He also averaged 1.3 key passes per game. New York City FC manager Jason Kreis will be hoping Lampard can replicate or increase these statistics in the MLS.
Villa finished last season as Atletico Madrid’s second top scorer, with 13 goals from 36 La Liga games. He was outshone by attacking partner and fellow Spaniard Diego Costa, who is now at Chelsea, but Villa’s contribution shouldn’t be understated. He averaged around 2.1 shots per game and has the characteristics of being a good finisher and playing through balls. He has won basically every top competition available including the World Cup, European Championship, Champions League, La Liga, and the Copa Del Rey, and he is also Spain national team’s all-time leading top goal scorer with 56 goals.
Villa should have a similar impact to the MLS as Robbie Keane. In his first full season (2012) following the Irishman’s moved from Tottenham Hotspur to LA Galaxy in 2011, Keane scored 16 goals from 28 league games. Villa is a much better finishing than Keane as proven by the goals he scored last season in La Liga for Atletico Madrid. Villa is still good enough to play for many European teams.
Could we see more clubs in the Premier League owning or partly owning teams in the MLS in the future? The MLS is fast developing into a league for older players to continue to play, but also as a league that is producing some great players, so I think we will see more clubs in the Premier League owning or partly owning teams in the MLS in the future for that reason.
Some people, such as Arsenal manager Arsene Wegner, have questioned if the loan of Lampard to City is in line with Financial Fair Play rules. Some believe they have bent the rules to meet the five home grown players they are required to have in their restricted 21-man Champions League squad. UEFA rules state Lampard’s loan move falls inside the Financial Fair Play rules provided City pay the midfielder’s wages, which they insist they do. Although Manchester City, New York City and Melbourne City are all owned by City Football Group, they are run as standalone businesses but some believe New York City FC is helping City by loaning out Lampard to them and bending the rules.
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We could therefore also see more Premier League clubs owning or partly owning teams in the MLS in the future in order to try to get around the Financial Fair Play rules.
Manchester City relinquished the lead twice in a thrilling 3-2 defeat to Real Madrid at the Santiago Bernabeu on Tuesday night.
The Premier League title holders were handed the most difficult Champions League opener possible with a trip to the Spanish capital, but acquitted themselves well, with the scoreline still 0-0 at half-time.
Despite Jose Mourinho’s side have the bulk of possession and territory, the visitors went into the lead when Yaya Toure played substitute Edin Dzeko through to slot home.
City’s lead was short-lived however as Marcelo fired home from the edge of the penalty area, with the shot taking a deflection off Javi Garcia.
The Etihad Stadium side refused to give up however and went back into the ascendancy when a devilish Aleksandar Kolarov free-kick evaded everyone to nestle in Iker Casillas’ goal.
With the English team looking for a hard-fought victory, a late flurry by Los Blancos broke City hearts when firstly Karim Benzema fired home after a neat turn, and then Cristiano Ronaldo’s dipping effort beat Joe Hart in the 90th minute.
Roberto Mancini has admitted that he is disappointed with his side dropping too deep and berated the loss of Samir Nasri and Maicon to injury.
“We didn’t lose concentration,” the City boss told Sky Sports.
“We went too deep with the team. All it is, is a mistake.
“In this moment we are disappointed but I think everything has to be more strong in the future.
“We lose two players for injury – Nasri and Maicon.
“And we had a problem because we wanted to change Aguero because we wanted to attack more. Instead we should do this change,” he concluded.
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Borussia Dortmund beat Ajax 1-0 in the other fixture in City’s group.
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England may only have one manager, but ahead of every World Cup, every fan has his or her own opinion on who should, and shouldn’t be on the plane with the real gaffer. The squad selection is one of the most important decisions for an international manager. Determining who deserves the right to represent their country on the biggest of stages. Whilst every nation has a few stars that are guaranteed their flight ticket, for others there’s a much more nervous wait.
So what about those players fighting for their place on the plane? The inclusion of Theo Walcott in 2006 or Emile Heskey in 2010 shows that no matter old or young, there’s always a chance for a late phone call. Here are 5 players that, with a bit of form and good luck, could shock the pundits and fight their way into World Cup squad, a feat difficult to imagine 12 months ago. It’s not likely, but then again it wouldn’t be a World Cup squad without a surprise inclusion.
Luke Shaw
The Southampton defender is only 18 years-old and yet has already been linked with big money moves to Chelsea and Manchester United. Shaw has missed just two Premier League matches this season, starting all 14 of his games as he’s helped the Saints to have the joint best defence in the Premier League. But his pace, attacking threat and ability to read the game has led to Shaw being one of the country’s hottest youngsters, earning himself three caps for the Under-21 team since September.
He’s not a very experienced player to be suggested and playing for England in the biggest tournament in World football, but he could be called upon should injuries hit the senior side. Leighton Baines and Ashley Cole are set to continue their battle for the number 1 spot in the side over the remainder of the season, both looking to convince Hodgson that they are the best left-back in the country. But should one of the two be dealt the bitter blow of getting injured for the tournament, suddenly Shaw could be the back-up full-back.
Ravel Morrison
Andros Townsend has been a hit for both Spurs and England this season with his direct, attacking style of football. With a determination to beat defenders, the Tottenham winger has become one of the North London club’s most creative players this campaign. Ravel Morrison is another one of these players. With a statement to make after being sold from Manchester United, Morrison has started to make a name for himself at Upton Park, scoring 3 goals for the Hammers, including a stunning individual effort at White Hart Lane.
His goal scoring ability has been displayed on the Under-21 stage too. As well as scoring two goals against Lithuania Under-21s in October, Morrison was caught on camera scoring an audacious backheel volley during training for the youth side. England have often lacked players with a drive to take on defenders, but with Townsend and Morrison on the pitch, suddenly defenders will fear England’s style of play. Able to play out wide or in the centre of midfield, Morrison could add more flair and drive to Hodgson’s campaign.
Steven Caulker
The 21-year-old has done nearly everything right so far in his brief football career. After joining Spurs from a young age, Caulker was sent on loan to Yeovil, Bristol City and Swansea, to gain vital match experience. It worked too, earning him a place in England’s Under-19 and Under-21 teams, as well as playing all 5 of Great Britain’s Olympic matches in 2012. But after a year of fighting Jan Vertonghen, Michael Dawson and William Gallas for a place in Tottenham’s first team last season, the youngster moved to Cardiff City in the summer, in the pursuit of regular first team football.
Ever since Rio Ferdinand and John Terry’s retirement from international football, the Three Lions have been left with a lack of depth at centre-back. Cahill and Jagielka are expected to be Hodgson’s starting duo, with Joleon Lescott, Chris Smalling and the injury prone Phil Jones left as England’s only other options. Motivated by playing matches and not earning money for Spurs’ reserves, Caulker has shown his desire to become one of the best centre-backs in England, and could argue his case to get in the World Cup squad should there be a late withdrawals.
Jordan Henderson
The midfielder had a tough time when he first moved to Liverpool, for a surprising £16million fee. But after a long, difficult season, the former Sunderland youngster has turned his performances around over the summer. At first he was winning over a small pocket of Kopites due to his work rate, and persistence to cover every blade of grass. But as the weeks have progressed, more and more fans are starting to like the 23-year-old.
He still has a long way to go to win over all of Liverpool’s faithful, let alone the general public, but the midfielder is definitely showing improvement. His terrific performance during the Reds’ 5-0 win at Spurs, where he stepped in for the injured Steven Gerrard, earned him the man of the match award, and maybe a few more fans. Hodgson has to decide between taking 7 or 8 midfielders to Brazil, but if he continues to shown this much improvement, Henderson could earn himself a plane ticket. A tough task, with Barkley, Wilshere, Lampard, Carrick and Cleverly all fighting to sit with skipper Steven Gerrard in the midfield.
Callum McManaman
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It feels like a long time since the 22-year-old was handed the man of the match award after Wigan’s FA Cup success over Manchester City in May. The attacker scored 3 goals in the Latics’ surprisingly successful campaign, and soon after the press linked him with a move to Everton. But since Wigan got relegated, the Merseyside-born winger has somewhat fallen off everyone’s radar.
Not according to Hodgson himself though, who spoke in November about the chances of McManaman making the trip to Brazil: “We’ve got a few on the fringes who we look at, like Callum McManaman for instance, who could make the squad. We were talking about him the other day. He was flying for Wigan at the end of last season and then he got that unfortunate injury, so he’s one we’ll have a look at. We have been following his progress. There are certain players like that who aren’t out of our radar.” It would be one of the biggest squad surprises for years, but according to the England manager, not impossible.
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