Harry Redknapp confirmed Gareth Bale and Rafael van der Vaart as likely starters for Tottenham’s Champions League clash with AC Milan.Bale returned from a back injury in his side’s 3-3 draw with Wolverhampton in the English Premier League on Sunday, putting in some typical barnstorming runs that will give the Welshman plenty of confident ahead of Tottenham’s last-16, second-leg match against the Serie A giants on Wednesday at White Hart Lane.Spurs took the first leg 1-0 at the San Siro on February 15, with a strike from Peter Crouch handing Tottenham a crucial lead going into the second leg.Redknapp said Bale pulled up well from the 20-minute substitute stint, and added that van der Vaart is also a chance to return from a calf injury.”Yes, there’s every chance (of Bale starting). He came on and made a big difference. He seems okay. We’ll keep our fingers crossed,” Redknapp said.”When he came on and started with the ball it was exciting and we’ve missed that in the last five or six weeks.”Van der Vaart missed Spurs’ league matches with Blackpool and Wolves but Redknapp said he had his fingers crossed the playmaking Dutchman would be ready to go.”Yes, I’m hoping he will be fit. We’ll be positive. We’ll play an attacking team. If Lennon’s okay we’ll play with Lennon and probably Bale and Crouchy’s had a fantastic European campaign as well,” he said.
Jimmy Bullard is unsure whether he should leave Hull City and sign for Celtic this summer after holding preliminary talks with the Glasgow giants.
The Tigers' club record signing still has three years of his KC Stadium contract remaining but is likely to leave the club following their relegation to the Championship.
Bullard has endured a succession of injuries during his time with Hull and admitted:"It's been good to get away from football and get my thoughts right.
"I'm contracted to a football club but we all know things can change quickly. I'm in the middle of talking to both clubs and I'm not going to say anything about the future until I get back home.
"I'm going to have to have a long, hard think about what my future holds. I'm contracted to Hull at the minute so I'm still a Hull player.
"But if somebody else tells me I'm going here or there, I'll have a look at those things. I don't want to be disrespectful to Hull. I'll speak to the chairman and then see. We had a bad year going down to the Championship and that hurt.
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"I live for the moment. I have a decision to make so let's see where the future takes me."Subscribe to Football FanCast News Headlines by Email
“Depending who you listen to Joey Barton is a footballer, ex-con, ranting anti-celebrity, “football’s philosopher king, loving dad and violent thug all rolled into one.” (joeybarton.com)
Barton has never been one to pull his punches – in every sense of the phrase – but his latest fracas at the Eithad Stadium on May 13 has perhaps threatened his career more so than ever before. The season begins on Saturday for everyone except the troubled midfielder whose 12-match ban may mean he never graces the Premier League again.
Barton is a lot like Marmite, he’s only used when all other options in your cupboard or rather squad are unavailable. Long gone are the days when he used to carve teams open for Manchester City, relishing in his role as both playmaker and midfield general. His transfers to Newcastle and Queens Park Rangers have been smeared with trials and tribulations and neither the tough love of Sam Allardyce or Neil Warnock have been able to improve his temperament.
During the summer it was announced that Barton would participate in pre-season training with Football League newcomers Fleetwood Town, a move that the player himself insisted would help “rediscover his love for game”. Whether this was indeed the case is entirely up for debate, I for one think it was further punishment for his Rambo approach to the last day of the season. Perhaps Mark Hughes was keen to give Barton a glimpse into his future should he continue to court with controversy.
Nevertheless the process was considered a success even though a proposed loan move never materialised. The League Two club praised his professionalism whilst Barton said he relished the “pure, old school, mortgage/livelihoods on the line, balls-out football.” There was even rumour of sessions with sports psychotherapist Steve Pope although I can’t see Barton lying on a coach unless he’s just tried to tackle it.
In the following days a loan move to Ian Holloway’s Blackpool spontaneously appeared in the tabloids but both parties labelled the story a complete fabrication. The Football League has since stepped in to announce that it would block any move to one of its clubs by refusing to register him whilst his ban remains. Officials are said to be unhappy with the attempts to reduce the impact of his FA punishment and believe it would bring the loan system into disrepute.
Many fans and personnel within the game have commended the Football League’s stance but I am confused as to why the ban wasn’t allocated a time period, similar to those given to Cantona and Ferdinand. In this instance there would have been no room for manoeuvre unless Barton was shipped to an area of the world that didn’t adhere to the Gregorian calendar. A loan stint abroad could now prove the only viable option but Barton is unlikely to want to distance himself from his young family.
With Barton due to celebrate his 30th birthday in September he is arguably entering into the prime period of his career. Surely his time in West London is the last chance to make a success of his career, especially having continued to alienate 99% of the footballing world with his impetuous, albeit refreshing outlook on the beautiful game. The introduction of tiki-taka and possession based tactics means that perhaps the Roy Keane’s and Patrick Vieira’s of this world no longer have the same inspiring impact. Barton will no doubt see himself in the same mould as the aforementioned midfield duo – he’s good enough to play for England after all – but I doubt his club share the same ‘us against the world’ mentality that he so easily adheres himself to.
QPR are in a fortunate position in that they can afford to support the financial burden regarding wages and his ongoing rehabilitation. However the flip side to this is that they can also afford to cancel his contract should the negative aspects of retaining Barton outweigh the positives. Therefore he must begin to prove himself useful off the pitch by working within the academy and ensuring his name is kept out of the headlines. I still don’t think he quite understands the level trust he has to regain, his actions after all could easily have cost QPR their place in the Premier League.
Ultimately Barton’s future will be decided by his manager Mark Hughes, a man who unsurprisingly has his own section on Barton’s official website that is littered with praise. Unless the Welshman oversees a vast clearout in the fortnight before the transfer window closes, the club will boast one of the most bulging and competitive squads in the league. If the new additions of Ji-Sung Park and Junior Hoilett ensure a promising start to the campaign then Barton will struggle to remain in contention for a first-team place come November.
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There will always be managers, clubs and even chairman who are willing to gamble on a player like Joey Barton, which is perhaps why he’s always been picked up whilst drinking in the last-chance saloon. The mavericks and risk takers of this world will be convinced that they can liberate the talented footballer that’s locked deep inside. Whether we ever get to see that side of him again, remains to be seen.
Join me on Twitter @theunusedsub where I have been checking out the new Mitre ball set to be spanked around in the Football League this season.
Former Manchester United defender Gary Neville has dismissed England’s chances of winning Euro 2012, stating that the core of the team is not as strong as other nations.
The 2-2 draw with Montenegro in Podgorica on Friday night assured that Fabio Capello’s men will take their place in Poland and Ukraine next year.
Despite an unbeaten qualifying campaign, the 85-times capped full-back is not convinced by The Three Lions’ chances.
“It’s as though we think one world class player might be able to propel us to a major trophy,” he stated in the Mail on Sunday.
“And now we are talking about Rooney possibly missing two games at Euro 2012 when what we should be talking about is the spine of a team that has no mobility and can’t keep the ball.
“When I look at it coldly, a team that has John Terry, Gary Cahill, Scott Parker, Gareth Barry, Darren Bent and Rooney in its central positions is nowhere near good enough to take on the major nations such as Spain.
“I’m not having a go at individuals; there are some very good players among those names. Collectively, Rooney aside, there is hardly any pace, very little invention and hardly any rotation of positions.
“The real issue is that the spine of the team is not good enough, as it stands, to take on Spain, Italy, France or Germany at Euro 2012,” he stated.
Neville picked the world champions out as a particular team of strength, that England may not be able to compete against, but will come head-to-head with on November 12th in an international friendly.
“Compare England with the spine of Spain: Carles Puyol, Gerard Pique, Xabi Alonso, Xavi, David Villa and Fernando Llorente. That’s the issue Fabio Capello now has to resolve and why the Wembley friendly is so much more than a practice.
“Never has a friendly been more important.
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“It’s like a Cup final. Somehow, Capello has to do something that no England manager has done in 15 years, and that is make the England players believe that this next match could be the most important of their life,” he concluded.
West Ham are likely to field a weakened team in the FA Cup fifth round on Monday.And that could give Championship side Burnley the chance of an upset at Upton Park.With the Hammers locked in a relegation battle, manager Avram Grant is unlikely to risk influential players in the last 16 tie.Captain Scott Parker, as well as the likes of Matthew Upson, Wayne Bridge and Demba Ba, could be benched.Robbie Keane is out injured, but Germany international Thomas Hitzlsperger is in line to make his debut after a long spell on the sidelines.Grant steered Portsmouth to the FA Cup final last year, but said on Friday that English Premier League survival for West Ham must come first.”The FA Cup is always exciting,” he said. “After a few games you can be in the quarter-finals and semi-finals.””I like the FA Cup, but of course our first priority is the league like every other team in the league.””It’s a good competition. I like this competition. It gives you a break from the league which is also good.””It’s always good to play at home but I know this won’t be an easy game. This team [Burnley], for them the FA Cup is everything.””This is an opportunity for them to get everyone to love them and I know from the past that teams can come from the Championship and give it their all. We will prepare ourselves for a very difficult game.”With eight days between the 3-3 draw at West Bromwich Albion and the clash with Burnley, Grant used the break for a team-bonding exercise.”It was good for the team spirit and was very successful,” said Grant, whose side have won nine consecutive cup games against lower league opposition.”We did go-karting and many other things. It was nice. It doesn’t matter who won, but it was nice to watch them enjoy themselves in the middle of everything.”Burnley, relegated from the EPL last season, are chasing promotion and face a fixture pile-up, but boss Eddie How is taking the game seriously.”We’d love to continue the run and go as far as we can,” he said.”We’ll look to enjoy it. I don’t think we’ve got an awful lot to lose.”We want to go there and put on a performance against a Premier League club who, despite their league position, are a good Premier League club.”I think it’s a nice distraction and a different kind of pressure with the cup games, it’s probably a nice release for us.””We’ll look to enjoy it. I don’t think we’ve got an awful lot to lose.”
Midfielder Steven Gerrard is confident that England team-mate Wayne Rooney will keep his cool at the World Cup finals in South Africa.
Rooney was cautioned during his side's final warm-up game against the Platinum Stars and warned about his swearing towards match officials, but Gerrard is confident that there will be no problems when the tournament itself gets underway.
He told reporters:"People talk about the yellow card he got the other day, but that is Wayne Rooney. He is always on the edge. He has got that fire in his belly.
"I know Wayne. I know about his upbringing and his background. We have a good understanding on the pitch because we are quite close off it.
"If Wayne channels his frustrations in the right way he can be one of the players of this tournament."
Meanwhile, USA head coach Bob Bradley has dismissed suggestions that his team could try and provoke Rooney in Saturday's clash in Rustenburg.
He added:"I'm asked this a lot and no we won't try and wind him up. We don't get into that sort of thing.
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"I have tremendous respect for Rooney and what he brings to England in so many ways. His effort, his competitiveness, his movement, his influence on that team is great.
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Chelsea manager Andre Villas Boas has refused to comment on Fernando Torres’ red card against Swansea on Saturday, and instead preferred to discuss the manner of his side’s victory.
The Stamford Bridge outfit ran out comfortable 4-1 winners, with the Spaniard scoring the opener before being dismissed.
When asked about the Spain international’s first half lunge on Mark Gower that saw him sent from the pitch, the Portuguese coach refused to be drawn on an opinion.
“Well, this is for the referee to decide, according to the rules and he decided like that, so nothing to say,” he told Sky Sports.
Villas Boas was sighted speaking to the fourth official after the incident, but explains that he just wanted some clarity on the decision.
“I was just beginning to try to understand the situation but I think the referee’s decision was the most important at this time,” he stated.
A Ramires strike and a brace from Didier Drogba sealed the win, and the man in charge is happy with the three points.
“Yes, it was a good win for us and an important win after what happened at Old Trafford.
“Eventually we got the goal which was important but things became even more difficult for us with ten men but we didn’t stop trying to take our opportunities and we came up with a fantastic result so it’s really good to come back and show our resilience not only from a defeat but also what happened on Wednesday,” he concluded.
With Manchester United dropping points at Stoke, Chelsea are now just three points off the pace.
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Sporting Lisbon coughed up a 2-0 lead to draw with Olhanense, while Uniao de Leiria beat Nacional to move to fifth on the Liga Sagres table.
Heavyweights Sporting seemed to be cruising after much-travelled striker Helder Postiga scored his second goal on 62 minutes with a close-range finish.
But Brazilian defender Ismaily pulled a goal back and Sporting’s Daniel Carrico put the ball through his own net to have Olhanense level within four minutes.
Both sides had their chances to win the match, with Sporting’s veteran midfielder Maniche sending a long-range strike whistling over the cross bar as the game ticked into extra time.
But – save Olhanense striker Adilson’s red card for a high boot in the dying moments – there was no late drama as the game finished 2-2.
Sporting stay third on the table, while Olhanense move into a credible seventh.
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In the earlier game, a 43rd-minute goal from Indonesian forward Fabricio – his first for the club since his January move from PSMS Medan in his homeland – was enough to secure all three points for Uniao de Leiria against Nacional.
The win means Leiria leap over Nacional into fifth, with the latter sinking to seventh.
Managing in football is always a difficult job. The media limelight is fixed firmly on the man in the dugout and the pressures of coaching a team can often take its toll on the person in question. This often leads to clashes with sections of the media, be it in a press conference or an interview after a match. We often see a manager storming out of a press conference or replying irritably to pointless questions. Other individuals take a more humorous approach to answering the journalist’s questions, using sarcasm or funny anecdotes to lighten the mood somewhat.
It isn’t always the managers who produce quality answers for the media, as players can often produce pearlers of their own and there’s nothing better than watching someone in the footballing world take on the media at their our game. We’ve compiled a list of 25 press conference/interview answers that either made us giggle, dropped our jaws or made us shake our heads in disbelief:
25. Mick McCarthy – Wolves had just survived on the final day of the 2010/11 season, but Mick McCarthy got a soaking he didn’t quite expect. His response? Sheer optimism.
24. Kevin Keegan – King Kev resigned as England manager after a 1-0 defeat to Germany in the final game at the old Wembley. Although Keegan’s demise was expected, what the media didn’t understand is why he chose the Wembley toilets as the perfect place to break the news.
23. Eddie Mitchell – Bournemouth Chairman Mitchell had an unpleasant spat with Mark Chapman on a 606 Phone-in after he rather unfairly sacked his manager, Lee Bradbury. Mitchell took offence to the line of questioning and resorted to a rather fouled-mouthed way of responding.
22. Mario Balotelli – Imagine one of the worst things that could happen during your announcement as the new caretaker manager of Inter Milan. Microphone not working? Journalists throwing tomatoes? Nobody showing up? Well, having former Inter star Mario Balotelli turning up uninvited can’t be much better. Yep, that’s what the Manchester City star gets up to on his day off.
21. Harry Redknapp – They say sarcasm is the lowest form of wit. Well, not in the case of Mr Redknapp who dismantled a hack who asked him a daft question after Tottenham’s 1-1 draw with Leeds in the 2010 FA Cup.
20. John Terry – Player revolution? What player revolution? John Terry did nothing at the 2010 World Cup to mask claims of a revolt against coach Fabio Capello and the rumours started all over again.
19. Alberto Malesani – What better than an extreme meltdown from a foreign manager who goes absolutely ballistic with his national press? Alberto Malesani of Panathinaikos, take a bow.
18. England 1998 – With Glenn Hoddle as your coach, a sense of humour is most certainly necessary at a major tournament. The England team had a wager on who could fit the most song titles into press conference answers during the 1998 World Cup and left many members of the media a little red in the face when they realised.
17. Jose Mourinho – You could almost produce an entire list of quotes from one Mourinho press conference, but the Portuguese manager has produced some exceptional lines over the years. After ranting about referees, Jose then goes on to question Mr Ferguson’s wine cellar. Priceless.
16. Sir Alex Ferguson – Sir Alex is well known for getting tetchy with reporters during interviews and one tested his patience a little too much before the Champions League final with Barcelona. For the record, I’m not sure Sir Alex really wanted to pick Javier Mascherano out of all the Barcelona team.
15. Cristiano Ronaldo – After Manchester United won the title, Ronaldo proved that he could literally do anything, turning from star player to star reporter. He even translated Anderson’s poor English and made a quip about the midfielder’s lack of playing time.
14. Harry Redknapp – Another classic from Mr Redknapp who seemed to take offence at being struck on the back of the head during his time in charge of West Ham. Had it been Tottenham, I’m sure Darren Bent would have got the blame.
13. Ray Hudson – One of the more bizarre press conferences was conducted by Miami Fusion’s English manager Ray Hudson who seemed rather unsatisfied after his side beat Tampa Bay Mutiny 5-0. He stormed into the media room, saying ‘I’ve got nothing to say’ before paradoxically asking ‘Any questions?’ and then storming out. Temper, temper.
12. Kenny Dalglish – The Luis Suarez race row got taken to a new level after the Uruguayan petulantly refused to shake Patrice Evra’s hand before United and Liverpool clashed in the Premier League. Dalglish seemed to borrow Arsene Wenger’s eyesight in regards to the insight, before losing his rag when questioned about the incident.
11. Roberto Mancini – The pressure seemed to show occasionally last season as Roberto Mancini chased a first Premier League title, but he still found the time to enjoy the odd giggle with the media. Mario Balotelli was often the subject of his attention towards the end of last year, but he was the butt of Mancini’s joke here.
10. Joe Kinnear – Want to watch the world record for most amount of swear words used in a minute? Look no further than Newcastle manager Joe Kinnear who did his dodgy heart no favours with his one-man crusade against the media.
9. Roy Keane – Roy Keane is a scary man to cross. So it’s probably not a clever idea to leave your phone tuned on in his press conferences. Do so at your peril.
8. Gordon Strachan – The Scot was a difficult man to get a straight answer out of at the best of times, so it’s not a good idea to ask him stupid questions. Otherwise you’ll get the response you deserve.
7. Ian Holloway – Football’s greatest interviewee. Ollie’s as mad as a box of frogs and always provides anecdotes that have the press in stitches. Just don’t try and make any sense of what he says. Here’s just one example.
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6. Sir Alex Ferguson – Was the Ryan Giggs affair a touchy subject for Sir Alex? You betcha. Operating on a Gestapo level of censorship, the Manchester United boss acted swiftly to remove the offending reporter.
5. Kevin Keegan – Football’s greatest rant ever? Look no further than Mr Keegan who provided one of football’s funniest moments when he got slightly annoyed in the run-in of Newcastle United’s title challenge. Who says Fergie’s mind games don’t work?
4. Ian Holloway – Ollie’s best piece of work? Well, no other manager in the history of football has ever compared a scrappy win to a night on the pull. He sounds well practised in the art!
3. Jose Mourinho – This simply needs no introduction. Arrogance at it’s greatest, but Mourinho’s supreme confidence won him many plaudits.
2. Sir Alex Ferguson – Need to capture a manager’s emotion after the greatest triumph of his career? Think this should suffice…
1. Harry Redknapp – Sky Sport’s Rob Palmer rather hit a nerve during an interview with Redknapp, but what else what you call his transfer dealings?
Harry Redknapp revealed that he would be happy to see David Beckham at Tottenham, when the player’s contract expires at the LA Galaxy. Harry says he is still a quality Premier League player and would welcome him with open arms should he wish to move to North London.
Elsewhere in the papers the Everton board hits out at protest; Villas-Boas reveals he won’t be afraid to wield the axe, while Roberto Martinez believes that Manchester City are unplayable.
Harry open to Beckham return – Sky Sports
I could drop both Torres and Lampard, admits Villas-Boas – Guardian
Dalglish backs Carroll after criticism – Guardian
Pardew frustrated over failure to buy a striker – Guardian
Pearce wants to get his Phil for kid Lions – Sun
De Gea keeping the faith despite mistakes – Daily Telegraph
Everton board hit back at angry fans in row over sale of cash-strapped Toffees – Daily Mail
Martinez: Manchester City are ‘unplayable’ title contenders – Sun
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Arsenal scouts keeping tabs on Anderlecht’s midfield anchor Biglia – Daily Mail
QPR manager Warnock hits out at ‘pathetic’ internationals – Daily Mail
AC Milan join Liverpool in chase for Ajax teen sensation – Talksport