Theo Walcott is gunning for a berth in the Arsenal forward line next season after five years on the wing at the north London club.Walcott, 22, joined English Premier League side Arsenal from Southampton in January 2006.
He has made 114 appearances in all competitions for Arsenal, the majority of them coming in a wide role.
Now set to embark on his fifth full season in the Arsenal first team, the England international has his sights set on a centre-forward spot.
“I was signed as a striker – I want to play up front. I think I have done my trade out on the wing,” Walcott said.
“I think a lot of people forget I’m not a winger. I see myself as a striker, but if I get played up front it will take me a few games to get used to playing there again because I haven’t played there for about five years.”
“I think I have done a fairly good job on the wing for Arsenal. For this team I will play anywhere, but hopefully the fans will start seeing me up front a bit more.”
Walcott could be set to follow the path of former team-mate Thierry Henry, who made the transition from an unproductive wide role at Juventus to starring as a striker for Arsenal.
“I’ve been practicing my finishing after training,” Walcott said.
“This season, 15-20 is my target.”
FootballFanCast General Stay ahead in the world of football analysis, commentary, and fan insights with FootballFancast. FootballFanCast General Stay ahead in the world of football analysis, commentary, and fan insights with FootballFancast.
By subscribing, you agree to receive newsletter and marketing emails, and accept Valnet’s Terms of Use and Privacy Policy. You can unsubscribe anytime.
“I know I’m not going to play every single game. I always work at a high intensity so I’m not going to be able to do every single game.”
“The boss will know that as well. Hopefully I will be given a bit more of a free role as well. I’m intrigued to see what happens.”
Arsenal finished fourth in the English Premier League last season, losing in the Carling Cup final to Birmingham City and bowing out of the Champions League and FA Cup to Barcelona and Manchester United respectively.
After last weekend’s goal-fest the Premier League faces the freezing temperatures once more.
Chelsea will be desperate to end the slump which has see them knocked off of their perch on top of the Premier League, and a game against struggling Everton could provide the perfect platform. Arsenal, who still remain in the mix, welcome Fulham.
The bottom two, Wolves and West Ham, both experienced wins last weekend, but both face tricky away ties this time around at Blackburn and Sunderland respectively.
Gerard Houllier returns to Anfield on Monday night with his struggling Aston Villa side to play a Liverpool side whose performances have improved dramatically of late. Manchester City will be hoping they can close the gap on third place, but they will face a tough game against this season’s surprise package Bolton who are unbeaten in five.
Congratulations if your fantasy team profited from the flurry of goals last week, but if it didn’t it’s even more important that you get it right this time around.
Click on image below to see my fantasy picks for this round of 11Kicks Fantasy Football (4-4-2 formation)
[divider]
FootballFanCast General Stay ahead in the world of football analysis, commentary, and fan insights with FootballFancast. FootballFanCast General Stay ahead in the world of football analysis, commentary, and fan insights with FootballFancast.
By subscribing, you agree to receive newsletter and marketing emails, and accept Valnet’s Terms of Use and Privacy Policy. You can unsubscribe anytime.
Holy Crap – its live fantasy football!
Become part of the West Brom v Newcastle match on Sunday and play Picklive for FREE Watch and bet live – spices up any game!
There has been a lot of question marks over the credentials of Andy Thorn and whether he is the right man to take Coventry as a club forward. At the age of 45 he is a man that does lack managerial experience but he is not lacking in football experience.
He had a relatively good career as a football player in which he began playing centre half for the ‘crazy gang’ alongside the likes of Dennis Wise and Lawrie Sanchez. He experienced two FA cup finals, the first with Wimbledon in which he came out a winner and the second with Crystal Palace which unfortunately for him he came out a loser.
Despite this he was probably best remembered as a player for his time at Crystal Palace. He made an immediate impact on his debut helping the Eagles who hadn’t won away from home all season to an away win at old Trafford. He was described as tough, unrelenting and a fearsome opponent with the ability to subdue even the nation’s best strikers and after taking over the captaincy he won the Player of the Year award in 1993.
Unfortunately though a troublesome knee injury kept him out for a long period and he then returned to his first club Wimbledon. The knee injury kept coming back and after two more moves to different clubs he eventually retired at the age of 31.
He didn’t leave the football world altogether though and ended up being at Everton as a scout. In 2006/2007 he moved to Coventry and became our chief scout. He held this post for three seasons and was instrumental in the signings of players such as Scott Dann, Danny Fox, Keiran Westwood, Lukas Jutkiewicz and Richard Keogh to name a few. He clearly has an eye for talent and he was doing a great job.
In the 2010-2011 season Aidy Boothroyd was sacked as Coventry City manager and to the surprise of many people Andy Thorn was appointed as caretaker boss. He led the team to safety and was rewarded with the permanent job as Coventry City manager and the initial response from fans was good as our general play had improved and the passion had been brought back into the players.
But then came the summer that we would all like to forget. We lost the likes of Westwood, Turner and most notably King and then Thorn was given minimal money to replace them. He didn’t complain though despite the fact he would clearly have been frustrated and just got on with the task in hand which we all then knew was to try and keep us in the Championship.
We could see from the off that this was going to be an extremely difficult task. We were still in the fight come January but then the inevitable happened and we lost Jutkiewicz; our top scorer; and didn’t replace him. Thorn again stuck at it though when other managers would of walked away and I think we have to commend him for that. I don’t know who else would have been brave enough to take on what was clearly a sinking ship. He kept the players motivated and we kept battling away, then finally a bit of luck came our way as we managed to sign both Nimley and Norwood who to my understanding were having all of their wages paid by their parent clubs on either side of Manchester. These two gave us a chance and were brilliant but it wasn’t to be and despite Thorn’s efforts we eventually slumped to relegation to League One.
In the year and a half that Thorn has been in charge he has been getting his coaching badges and after getting his level 2 at the start of last season has now just began his UEFA B license. I think it has been clear that he has been learning his trade as he goes along but one thing he cannot be questioned on is his passion and commitment to the cause.
He seems to have many critics based on a multitude of different factors. At times he has been tactically suspect but personally I think Steve Harrison has to take some of this blame in that he is an experienced coach and should be advising Thorn. I also think he has been harshly criticised in relation to his inability to change things. We have to take into account not only the fact we have a small squad which lacks quality but that when we have had players on the bench who may be able to change things, they have been injured and not really fit enough to play.
In terms of his portrayal of himself he doesn’t sound like the smartest guy but you don’t need to be the smartest guy to be successful in football. We have to keep remembering that he is still learning, as are the majority of the SkyBlues squad. He clearly has the backing of the players who have given him their all and more since he has been in charge and surely that is the important thing.
They believe in his ability and the fact that the two best clubs in England allowed for two of their youngsters to come on loan to us means they must have at least some faith in Thorn’s ability which has to count for something.
FootballFanCast General Stay ahead in the world of football analysis, commentary, and fan insights with FootballFancast. FootballFanCast General Stay ahead in the world of football analysis, commentary, and fan insights with FootballFancast.
By subscribing, you agree to receive newsletter and marketing emails, and accept Valnet’s Terms of Use and Privacy Policy. You can unsubscribe anytime.
Personally I think given the financial situation we are in we should stick with Thorn and I think given a little bit of backing from the owners along with an attempt to keep some of our more important players we can have a real go next year. He along with the young players have had a valuable seasons experience in the championship and both will have learnt from their mistakes and I think we will come back much stronger for it next season
It could be all change in the left back position at Newcastle for next season. Jose Enrique could be on his way out, with Swansea’s Neil Taylor possibly on his way in on a £1 million deal, but the Welshman would need some competition for a starting place. Could that be provided by Wayne Bridge ?
According to the Express, Newcastle and Aston Villa are interested in former England international Wayne Bridge. Bridge is currently contracted to Manchester City following a loan spell to West Ham United in the 2010/11 campaign, but the player isn’t a part of City’s long-term plans and manager Roberto Mancini is keen to trim his squad.
However, City’s asking price of £5m and Bridge’s £90,000 a week wages are thought to be a stumbling block for both and Newcastle and Villa who aren’t prepared the respective fees. In addition to that, Bridge is a player who I think at 30 years of age is well past his peak and has gone downhill rapidly following a certain off the field incident involving his ex-girlfriend and teammate at the time John Terry.
A has-been, or someone who could resurrect his career at Newcastle? I’ll let you decide…
Article courtesy of the Gallowgate Gob at the NEW ‘Nothing But Newcastle’
FootballFanCast General Stay ahead in the world of football analysis, commentary, and fan insights with FootballFancast. FootballFanCast General Stay ahead in the world of football analysis, commentary, and fan insights with FootballFancast.
By subscribing, you agree to receive newsletter and marketing emails, and accept Valnet’s Terms of Use and Privacy Policy. You can unsubscribe anytime.
Wigan Athletic winger Charles N’Zogbia is determined to leave the DW Stadium in January.
The French star, who has been in superb form this season, was on the verge of moving to Birmingham City in a £9million deal in the summer, only for the transfer to fall apart at the last minute over personal terms.
Liverpool, Juventus and Marseille have all been linked with N’Zogbia, who was quoted in the Daily Star as saying:“Wigan’s just a stepping stone.
“They know very well I’m not a player who is going to stay at the club.
“I give 100 per cent on the pitch, but, if there’s a bigger club that wants me, the manager and the president have always told me the door is open for discussion.
“An offer from Marseille is not something you refuse.”
FootballFanCast General Stay ahead in the world of football analysis, commentary, and fan insights with FootballFancast. FootballFanCast General Stay ahead in the world of football analysis, commentary, and fan insights with FootballFancast.
By subscribing, you agree to receive newsletter and marketing emails, and accept Valnet’s Terms of Use and Privacy Policy. You can unsubscribe anytime.
Subscribe to Football FanCast News Headlines by Email
In recent weeks, displays from the majority of the Premier Leagues ‘big sides’ have dropped off, prompting some to ask the question: has the Premier League lost its mojo? The likes of Manchester United, Arsenal, Chelsea, Tottenham and Liverpool have all suffered a downturn in performance levels, with Newcastle and Manchester City being the only teams that can claim to be in good form.
After witnessing the definition of the ‘bore draw’ between Chelsea and Arsenal, it was clear to see that level of performance being produced was well below what should be expected of such talented squads. Yes, Chelsea had a mentally and physically draining encounter with Barcelona, re-shuffling their squad as a result, and Arsenal were missing a few key men through injury, namely Mikel Arteta, but that does not detract from the dyer spectacle produced.
These sides were not alone, as Liverpool, predictably, dominated a home tie, failed to score and were punished by a comical goal on the break, whilst Manchester United temporarily forgot how to defend and Spurs continued their current slide from title contenders to Europa League qualification spot contenders. Although Manchester City managed victory, their performance was slightly subdued, and obviously nervy, making Newcastle the only truly impressive outfit at the upper end of the table last weekend.
Its understandable to see performances drop off occasionally at this end of the season, with the physical demands of the modern game weighing heavy of players across the division, but there has been a noticeable slump for many of the top clubs for a period of time now. In truth the top level sides have been fairly poor across the majority of the season, struggling to find both form and consistency, which, no disrespect to Newcastle, has allowed outsiders to sneak up the table and disturb the normally established order. Liverpool’s failures in front of goal have seen local rivals Everton ghost ahead, and the likes of Swansea and Fulham come within touching distance of their coat tails.
Tottenham’s woes have been perhaps the most shocking, as the London club have slipped further and further from the top of the table, after an initially promising campaign. The disturbance of Harry Redknapp due to the vacant England management role may be a contributing factor, but the main issue remains a lack of tactical know how on the part of the former Southampton and Portsmouth boss. He has a core of talented and strong players who play every possible league match when fit, and the lack of rotation, coupled with the club’s fast and furious style of play has led to a real issue in terms of fatigue to key squad members, such as Luka Modric and Gareth Bale.
[ad_pod id=’unruly-2′ align=’left’]
Manchester United have proved that they are far from immune, almost forgetting that to secure the title, they must obtain results, rather than relying on their noisy neighbours stuttering. The defeat to Wigan summed up their recent stroll towards the line, with an apparent lack of interest being shown up by the battling Premier League barnacles. As a result the upcoming Manchester derby no longer presents the chance to lift the trophy in their enemy’s back yard, but the scenario of waving the Citizens past, due to their superior goal difference.
As displayed by Tottenham, tiring players is a contributing factor to a drop in displays. It can’t be a coincidence that Arsenal have surged back up the table after many of their star men missed long periods of the early season. Spurs haven’t suffered serious injuries to key men, Aaron Lennon aside, resulting in major players becoming ever present, leading to fatigue.
In the cases of Chelsea and Liverpool, cup success appears to be gaining importance. The Blues now face the possibility of a cup double, after eliminating the Kings of Europe, Barcelona, to claim a spot in the Champions League final, whilst also having the little matter of the FA Cup final to consider, where they will be taking on Liverpool.
The lack of quality this term should not really come as a shock, with star names over the past few seasons heading for sunnier destinations across Europe, swapping their apartments in the rainy England for villas in Spain. Cristiano Ronaldo was quick to leave, arguably, England’s biggest club for Real Madrid, following Xabi Alonso, and encouraging former Arsenal star Cesc Fabregas to return to his homeland. Away from the top sides, clubs across the Premier League now struggle to compete in terms of attracting star names, with many opting to either stay put, or head to other leagues across Europe, whether that be to Spain for footballing reasons, or some areas of Eastern Europe for the vast financial rewards.
FootballFanCast General Stay ahead in the world of football analysis, commentary, and fan insights with FootballFancast. FootballFanCast General Stay ahead in the world of football analysis, commentary, and fan insights with FootballFancast.
By subscribing, you agree to receive newsletter and marketing emails, and accept Valnet’s Terms of Use and Privacy Policy. You can unsubscribe anytime.
Although there has been a noticeable drop from the top-sides in recent months, it shouldn’t be a real surprise as the quality of England’s domestic top-flight slowly reduces. Success around Europe tends to operate in cycles, with Italy becoming the all conquering force during the mid to late 1990’s, before surrendering their crown to England during the mid 2000’s, during which time Liverpool claimed victory and reached another final, while Manchester United and Chelsea turned a Premier League fixture into a European final. Although the Premiership remains one of the elite world leagues, it is no longer the Goliath among Davids.
What are your thoughts? Comment or follow @Alex_Hams on Twitter to have your say
Germany coach Joachim Loew was delighted with his side’s 2-1 win over Austria in Vienna on Friday to all but secure a place at Euro 2012.The win lifted the Germans seven points clear of Belgium on top of Group A, with Belgium having played one game more than the leaders.
While Loew acknowledged Germany were not at their best after a long Bundesliga season, the coach said they were happy to overcome a tough test and deal Austria’s qualification hopes a hammer blow.
“I am delighted that we won the match,” Loew said. “It’s good to come to Austria and get the three points even when we haven’t played so well.”
“Some players were clearly at the limit of their strengths – we made mistakes that could have been avoided.”
“Austria brought everything to this game. They were good and fought hard, and perceived this match as their last chance.”
“I am happy because it was fortunate, but also proud because the players wanted to win this game.”
Defender Philipp Lahm said the squad was pleased with the win, and insisted they were looking forward to securing full points against Azerbaijan on Tuesday before taking a well-earned break.
“We should talk again after Tuesday,” Lahm said. “We must win in Azerbaijan, but it is looking good for us.”
“We worked hard today and collected three points. Now after Tuesday we can reassess and then we’ll be able to go on holiday without any worries and I believe that qualification will then be all but assured.”
After Manchester United’s chief executive David Gill added his verdict on the clubs ambition, the saga surrounding the Red Devils has now officially gone full circle off the back of Wayne Rooney’s recent ‘stay or go’ debacle.
Seemingly not rocked by the news that United’s noisy neighbours, Man City, have overtaken them in the wages bill, Gill announced that when the time is right, Sir Alex Ferguson will still have the spending power once associated with the red half of Manchester.
To any United fan, though, this isn’t by any means a revelation. Ferguson has continuously insisted that when an opportunity arises which represents value for money he will look to spend. Sensibly, of course.
The worry for the Old Trafford faithful will be when this scenario presents itself. In a climate where among others, Man City’s owner, Sheikh Mansour, can throw money at any player he wants, will there ever be a player who can provide ‘value for money’ in the modern game?
During Roman Abramovich’s lavish spending stage when he first took over Chelsea, the estimation of a player doubled when Chelsea’s name was mentioned. United themselves bid a reported £10 million for Michael Essien, only for him to head towards London in a deal worth £20 million.
If this trend is to continue, Manchester United’s next big signing could be a long way off. Ferguson has become stubborn in the transfer market since the Premier League became a rich mans play-thing, and he isn’t likely to change that approach. His biggest signing since Dimitar Berbatov’s arrival in 2008 has been the £7 million capture of Hernandez and Bebe, with the latter yet to feature prominently in the first team.
[divider]
So does that go someway to proving Rooney’s point? Do United lack the clout in the transfer market to beat their rivals to the signing of the world’s next big star? Not according to Gill, that clout is still very much there, it’s just waiting to be used, properly.
The biggest argument Ferguson and Gill can mount is the silverware they have won since the Russian revolution at Chelsea. United beat them in the Champions League final lets not forget, and were only two points short of a record fourth consecutive Premier League title last season.
So is the chief executive doing his up most to hide the cracks in United’s crumbling empire or should fans stay loyal? Rooney staying is no doubt a massive boost and will be a huge relief to the supporters, but the likes of Paul Scholes and Van Der Sar will need replacing with some proven quality, not a Carlos Queiroz recommendation.
If United are to continue to be the number one club in Manchester then in the current game money talks and sooner rather than later Gill and co will have come good on their statements. What’s the common phrase? Put your money where mouth is. That time has come for United.
Fancy playing your mates every week in a Premium Fantasy Football game?
FootballFanCast General Stay ahead in the world of football analysis, commentary, and fan insights with FootballFancast. FootballFanCast General Stay ahead in the world of football analysis, commentary, and fan insights with FootballFancast.
By subscribing, you agree to receive newsletter and marketing emails, and accept Valnet’s Terms of Use and Privacy Policy. You can unsubscribe anytime.
It’s been coming for nearly 20 years now, but finally the money men of the Premier League have finally won the power battle with the FA. Last Wednesday the FA gave their ‘private’ response to the government recommendations about the structure of the FA and it’s governance and it’s widely thought that the FA have handed over all governance of the league over to Premier League chiefs.
In 1992, the FA allowed the top clubs to share the new money coming in from Sky between them and not between the 92 clubs that make up the football league, allowing rich owners to get richer and poor clubs to get poorer or end up bankrupt. Fast forward twenty years and that is exactly what has happened, although now the Premier League wants more power and has got it.
The document is thought to have been a reshaping of the FA’s board, however plans to reduce the number from 14-10 is still a sticking point the FA seem unwilling to budge on.
It will also reshape the maze of decision making structures, which is where the Premeir-League will gain most of it’s powers. The FA will not have a say in the decisions made by the Premier-League, although they will be able to veto some changes.
The FA chairman David Bernstein was pleased with how well the FA and Premier League have got on while dealing with these new reforms, probably because Bernstein and the FA have given up trying to hold their own against the might of the Premier-League and have basically bent over for them.
Now that the Premier-League has won this power battle, what’s to stop them wanting even more, a majority of top flight clubs want B teams like they have across Europe to help them blood new talent, what if the Premier League created their own B league with Sky paying money for the television rights. How many football league clubs would try and jump ship? Leaving the FA with nothing but memories of it’s glorious past?
The problem has always been the poor running of the FA and it’s now too late for Bernstein to save it.
FootballFanCast General Stay ahead in the world of football analysis, commentary, and fan insights with FootballFancast. FootballFanCast General Stay ahead in the world of football analysis, commentary, and fan insights with FootballFancast.
By subscribing, you agree to receive newsletter and marketing emails, and accept Valnet’s Terms of Use and Privacy Policy. You can unsubscribe anytime.
Are the FA right to give the Premier-League power? Tweet me your view @deanmears.
Gigi Delneri has confirmed that Sunday’s match against Napoli will be his last in charge of Juventus after being dismissed by the Turin club.Delneri, 60, joined Juve in May 2010 after guiding Sampdoria to fourth in Serie A, earning the Genoese outfit a spot in the Champions League qualifying rounds.
But the veteran coach’s stay at the Stadio Olimpico di Torino will not extend beyond one disappointing season.
Juve are seventh in the table and must defeat third-placed Napoli in their final match of the season on Sunday, while also hoping Roma lose, if they are to sneak into the Europa League.
Expected to challenge for the Scudetto or at least gain Champions League qualification with a top-four finish, the team’s underwhelming performance led Juve officials to axe Delneri on Wednesday.
“There will be a new coach at Juventus next season,” Delneri said ahead of the visit of Napoli.
“The club informed me of its decision on Wednesday. I accept this choice, even if I’d do everything again.”
“Juve did not have the time to wait for change and gradual improvement. As for me, if a door closes behind me then another can open up”
“I was proud to be given the Juventus job initially, which is why I gave up on the Champions League with Sampdoria.”
“I was happy with the arrival of Fabio Quagliarella and Alberto Aquilani … and Vincenzo Iaquinta’s form. Then the collapse in January changed the season. Injuries affected everything.”
“The club asked me to get the best results we could and I told them the Scudetto was a big ask, especially after so many changes. I did understand that a club like Juve must always push to win.”
Delneri also made no secret of the fact that his impending departure is not a mutual decision.
“Personally, I would’ve confirmed myself for next season, especially as I have a contract for another 12 months,” he said.
“In any case, I can never consider this experience to be a personal defeat. The Bianconeri bench helped me to mature as a coach.”
“The lads were splendid and very easy to lead. I discovered a new environment that helped me to grow. I don’t have to prove anything to anyone, so life goes on.”
Siena coach Antonio Conte, a former Juve favourite as a player, is widely tipped to be named as Delneri’s replacement.