All posts by h79snht.top

Newcastle have completed the signing of Davide Santon from Inter Milan on a five year contract, with the fee undisclosed by the Premier League club.

The Magpies have been in the market for a left back following the sale of Jose Enrique to Liverpool, and the 20-year-old is expected to slot straight into the St James’ Park first team.

The seven-times capped Italy international first broke through at the Giuseppe Meazza under Jose Mourinho, but has found opportunities in Serie A limited of late, and spent the second half of last season on loan at Cesena.

“We are delighted to bring to Davide to Newcastle. He is a quality left-back and an established international who also gives us flexibility in defence,” manager Alan Pardew told the side’s official website.

“Davide is a young lad and a great signing for us and I am sure he will adapt to the Premier League very quickly.”

The player was happy to sign for the Tyneside outfit also, and his agent revealed yesterday that he chose Pardew’s men over Roma.

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“I am really pleased to sign for Newcastle. The chance to play in the Premier League and in front of 50,000 fans at St. James’ Park was too good to turn down. This is an ambitious club who want to move forward and help them achieve,” he stated.

Meanwhile, Newcastle’s search for a new striker is set to go down to the wire, as they chase Manchester United’s Federico Macheda and Sochaux’s Modibo Maiga.

Arsenal will have to wait to see the extent of Theo Walcott’s knee injury, as the player undergoes a scan on Monday.

The England winger pulled up whilst sprinting for the ball late in the game against Bolton on Saturday, and initially was thought to have strained a hamstring.

However, it has been revealed that the attacker has actually damaged his knee, and may miss some important upcoming fixtures for The Gunners.

We don’t really know the extent of it,” manager Arsene Wenger told Sky Sports.

“It looked like a classic hamstring injury when Theo went down but he said he had a sharp pain in his knee.

“He’ll need a scan so we can assess what kind of damage it is,” he concluded.

Arsenal host Olympiakos at the Emirates in the Champions League on Wednesday, before taking on North London rivals Tottenham on Sunday.

A serious layoff would compound Wenger’s misery, as he is already without a number of key players, including Jack Wilshere, for the foreseeable future.

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Spurs are riding high after a 4th successive Premier League win has put the North Londoners in the top 6 in the table. Last weekend’s victory was sweet for all concerned and perhaps an indication that the baton of power has been passed up the Seven Sisters Rd.

At FFC this week we have seen a mixed bag of Spurs blogs that includes what Levy wants he may not get; Redknapp is proved right, while Tottenham’s stance won’t change anything.

We also look at the best Spurs articles around the web this week.

Has Harry Redknapp been proved right?

Caption Competition: Tottenham and Arsenal relations sink lower

Can the likes of Tottenham and Liverpool strike the financial balance?

Engineering himself a move from White Hart Lane?

What Levy wants he won’t necessarily get

Tottenham and City’s stance won’t change anything

The passing of the baton in North London?

Tottenham need to stump up €20m to secure deal

Everton beat off Spurs to land £2m Bantams ace

Best of WEB [divider]

Taxi for Modric: cancelled! – Spurs Musings From JimmyG2

Martin Cloake On Danny Blanchflower, Spurs’ Geezers and the Current State of Play – Tottenham On My Mind

What A Pilchard – Harry Hotspur

Their empire of dust needs to be swept under the carpet – Dear Mr Levy

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Click on Miss Sanford below to see her in all her glory

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Arsenal have been the whipping boys within the press this week as the media do their level best to unsettle the Red side of North London. Arsene Wenger has remained defiant this week, although has suggested that the title maybe beyond them week.

At FFC this week we have seen a mixed bag of Gunners blogs that include one aspect that is positive for Arsenal; Wenger faced a referee induced crisis, while a change could set Arsenal back further.

We also look at the best Arsenal articles around the web this week

Arsenal simply in a referee induced crisis

Caption Competition: Tottenham and Arsenal relations sink lower

One bright aspect in a season of gloom for Arsenal

FIVE things Arsenal fans learned from the North London derby

Tottenham and Arsenal on transfer alert as contract talks stall

Atangana confirms Arsenal interest

Time at Arsenal for a re-distribution of income, wealth and talent

Will Arsenal star ever win over his critics?

Why change could set Arsenal back even further

Lost in translation at Arsenal?

Best of WEB

 

English hardman is the ideal replacement!! – Highbury House

Wojciech Szczesny lines up Barcelona but Jack’s happy to stay, for the moment anyway. – Le Grove

Something Is Missing And It’s Called Heart – Online Gooner

Captain’s Log: The Cross Of Changes – A Cultured Left Foot

Lyon midfielder tops Arsenal’s winter list – Gunnersphere

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Click on Miss Sanford below to see her in all her glory

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Everton winger Diniyar Bilyaletdinov has admitted that he is eager to leave Goodison Park come January, as first-team opportunities are few and far between.

The wideman joined the Merseyside club from Lokomotiv Moscow two year ago for £9 million, but has been a fringe figure in David Moyes’ plans.

The Russia international has Euro 2012 in mind, and fears that if he continues to waste away in the doldrums at Goodison Park he will miss out on inclusion in Dick Advocaat’s squad next year.

The Eastern European had initially stated that he was willing to stay in England and fight for a starting berth at the Premier League club, but he now seems to have admitted defeat, and will look for a move when the transfer window re-opens.

“At my club I almost don’t play and therefore I’m of no interest to Dick Advocaat as a first-team player in the national team,” the 26-year-old told Mirror Football.

“I’m not satisfied with this and while there’s still time until Euro 2012, I have to change something,” he concluded.

Cash-strapped Everton may well be keen to cash in on Bilyaletdinov come the new year, as he seems surplus to requirements at Goodison.

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By Gareth McKnight

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Arsene Wenger’s recent comment that attacking full backs win games highlights the rise and rise of the position. Players like Djalma Santos and Nilton Santos in the Brazil team in the late 1950s and later Roberto Carlos and Cafu set the trend for the multi tasking defender and it is a position that has been built upon greatly. Take the top English teams for example: Man Utd have Rafael and Evra, Man City have Richards and Clichy, Chelsea have Cole and Bosingwa, Arsenal have Santos and Sagna, Tottenham have Walker and Assou-Ekotto and Liverpool have Johnson and Enrique. How many of those players’ defensive abilities would have warranted them a place in the famous Arsenal back four of the nineties, or Liverpool’s defence in the eighties? Perhaps Evra, Cole and Sagna but the rest have sacrificed defensive solidity for attacking prowess. That is not to say they are not good players, far from it: they are all good players, but the style of their play is indicative of what is now expected from full backs. If Wenger was looking for a defender whose main asset was his defending then he would not have bought Andre Santos; however that does not detract from his usefulness – he has already scored against Chelsea in the league and Olympiakos in the Champions League.

Integral

The rise of full backs has coincided with their role as a tactical necessity for many teams in world football. Take Dani Alves for example. The right back spends more time in the opposition half than he does in his own. Why? Because every time Barcelona line up against a team that isn’t a real threat (so most of the time) the opposition half will play the game with ten men behind the ball. Subsequently the need for extra men to break down the opposition defence for Barcelona requires players like Abidal and Alves to get forward. Not even Barcelona can break down opposition defences all the time Alves plays a crucial part in making sure that it happens more often than not. The same can be said for Marcelo at Real Madrid, or Maicon at Inter or Phillip Lahm at Bayern Munich. In fact how many young brilliant full backs coming through academies do you hear of these days that do not have the extra weapon of going forward as one of their attributes? It has become a necessity.

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Formation

With a change in formation the role of the full backs has also become more important. With more and more teams playing 4-3-3 than ever before the full backs are required to come forward to fill the gaps where the wide midfielders of a 4-4-2 would otherwise have been. This is most noticeable at teams like Arsenal and Barcelona. Obviously Arsenal utilised attacking defenders even when they played 4-4-2 but since they switched to their current formation the full backs have become more and more attacking. Without their full backs advancing up the pitch teams who play a 4-3-3 risk being dominated in the midfield due to their play being too narrow

Centre-backs

A need for an attacking element to your game is not just confined to the full backs either. More and more we are seeing centre backs who not only posses better technique but who also enjoy marauding into the opposition half. Recent arrivals in the Premier League such as Vermaelen, David Luiz, Sebastian Coates and Christopher Samba are all demonstrative of this. In other leagues to Pique, Pepe, Thiago Silva, Vertonghen and others all represent a new era of defenders, defenders from which managers demand an extra gear to their game.

Football is like any other aspect of life in that there will always be a form of evolution changing and driving on our sport. It is only natural for not only managers;’ tactics but also the roles of all positions to become more complete. Just in the same way that wingers must defend and strikers must be involved in build up play then defenders must attack. Isolated cases throughout history suggest that this is far from a totally new phenomenon but what is new is the frequency and importance of such players. You will never again see a team like Arsenal with the back four they had in Wenger’s first couple of years just in the same way that you won’t see Liverpool like that either. Some will consider that a shame but whilst it may not be working out perfectly for either of them at the moment any evolution has teething problems. The future for full backs is bright, and it contains a lot more than their used to too.

Follow me on Twitter @H_Mackay

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Two teams desperately battling for safety meet at the Reebok Stadium with Bolton knowing they need a win to cut the gap between themselves and Wolves.

Wanderers have had a truly awful first half of the season and sit four points away from safety after losing to Newcastle on Boxing Day. Boss Owen Coyle has been given the whole of January to turn things around at the Reebok Stadium and he’ll be keen for his side to kick start their survival bid against fellows strugglers Wolves. The imminent sale of defender Gary Cahill won’t help Bolton’s cause with the England man set to become a Chelsea player in the New Year. However the rumoured £8 million fee will give Coyle some room to manoeuvre in the transfer market and bolster a squad crippled by injuries to key players. Bringing in a defender to replace Cahill and a striker who will supply a regular source of goals is sure to be top of his list. Summer signing David N’Gog has failed to do just that since his move from Liverpool and Coyle will be hoping his side can start 2012 on a winning platform.

It will be difficult against a Wolves side who held Arsenal to a draw at the Emirates Stadium on Boxing Day. Mick McCarthy was delighted by his sides resilient display in North London as they gained a valuable point in their battle to avoid relegation. Wolves have endured another poor season slipping back towards the bottom three after stringing together a number of positive results in the opening weeks of the campaign. Two wins in 16 games since the end of August put them on a steep descent towards trouble although their performance against the Gunners will have provided a huge confidence boost heading into this game. With Steven Fletcher back in the goalscoring groove and Matt Jarvis returning to the form that won him an England call up McCarthy will be optimistic that his side can triumph over Bolton.

Bolton Wanderers 19th : 12 points

Team news: Gretar Steinsson could return from illness to face Wolves leaving seven other first team players in the treatment room.

Key Player: Mark Davies

Since returning to the starting eleven in the last month or so Davies has been a shining light for Bolton putting in some enterprising performances in midfield. He’ll be a big player for the Trotters in 2012 as they battle to beat the drop.

Wolverhampton Wanderers 16th : 16 points

Team news: Nenad Milijas is suspended after being sent off against Arsenal although David Edwards could return from a groin injury to replace him.

Key Player: Wayne Hennessey

The Welsh international was unbeatable against Arsenal on Boxing Day pulling off five or six unbelievable saves to ensure his side travelled home with a vital point. Hennessey has improved remarkably this season and will be expected to maintain his impressive form in 2012.

PREDICTION

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Bolton just can’t seem to win home or away this season and will be further debilitated by the loss of Gary Cahill. Wolves have the means to win this game with Steven Fletcher banging in the goals up front and they should move clear of the bottom three after this one.

Score: 1-2

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Fulham hat-trick hero Clint Dempsey has praised his side after they beat Newcastle 5-2 on Saturday.

The United States international bagged three goals in the commanding win, with an impressive second half display by Martin Jol’s men.

Despite a fantastic individual showing, the attacker has stated the victory was down to a collective performance by the team.

“It was definitely a frustrating first half. We didn’t have any rhythm,” he told Sky Sports.

“It had to do with them being confident from their form but also I think maybe it was in the back of our mind a little bit the result against Blackburn, being a man up, and not taking advantage of that game and losing.

“But in the second half I thought we showed a lot of character and got the early penalty and Danny Murphy put it in the back of the net, which gave us confidence.

“Their mentality switched from thinking they were going to get three points to trying to salvage a point.

“We never took our foot off the gas and we were able to take advantage of our opportunities and put the ball in the back of the net.

“I’m happy with the way things are going and hopefully I can keep putting the ball in the back of the net,” he finished.

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The Cottagers face Everton next in the FA Cup.

By Gareth McKnight

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Steve Morison’s late winner ensured West Brom’s poor home form continued as Norwich left the Hawthorns with all three points.

As the clock ticked down towards it’s conclusion in the Midlands the Welshman popped up to powerfully head home Grant Holt’s cross to be the Canaries’ match winner for a second successive game. Andrew Surman had earlier given the visitors a the lead against the run of play before Shane Long came off the bench to equalise from the penalty spot after Jerome Thomas had been fouled. But the Baggies couldn’t hold on to earn a share of the spoils as Morison popped up to make it three straight defeats for Roy Hodgson’s side as they slipped closer to the drop zone. Paul Lambert, on the other hand, will have been delighted that his players managed to leave the Midland’s with maximum points to keep them firmly entrenched in the top half of the table.

It was Albion who started brighter though as they sought to remedy a home record that had seen them win just two out of the 10 games contested in front of their own supporters. Peter Odemwingie almost of got them off to a flyer cracking a fierce 25-yard drive at goal that was pushed over by John Ruddy whilst James Morison saw his effort cleared off the line by Surman. The away side were hardly in the game but almost broke the deadlock after Ben Foster rushed out to clear a loose ball only to see it smack off Morison and hit the post as the Hawthorns crowd held it’s breath. The Baggies continued to attack in numbers which left them vulnerable on the counter attack and that proved to be the route Norwich took to break the deadlock. Simeon Jackson helped the ball onto Wes Hoolahan who in turn picked out Surman for the midfielder to volley home in space just before the break.

The Canaries continued to soak up the pressure after the break and it was the introduction of Long that turned the tide back into the Baggies favour as he struck over just after coming on before scoring from the spot after Daniel Ayala had brought down Thomas in the penalty area on 68 minutes. It was backs to the walls time for the away side after that as West Brom poured forward in search of a winner only to be hit by a sucker punch with 11 minutes left on the clock. After weathering the Albion storm the Canaries were finally given the chance to attack taking full advantage as Morison stole in to nod Holt’s cross past Foster and ensure all three points went back to East Anglia.

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With the cold weather striking the country on Friday morning many games were in the Football League were subsequently postponed with Preston’s home fixture against Brentford was one of the games that was lost to the weather. (although Burnley’s game just down the road still went ahead).

As things turned out on Saturday, Preston didn’t drop any positions and remained 14th in the table, still 9 points behind 6th placed Stevenage and the final play off place. However with time running out and Stevenage with a game in hand over Preston, it would now take a miracle if we were to make the end of season play-offs which look to be very tightly contested this year. At this moment in time there hasn’t been a date for the rearranged Brentford game but I can only presume it will be the end of February or the beginning of March.

Looking ahead, Preston play Tranmere, Hartlepool and Sheffield United in the next 2 weeks and these 3 games will be critical in deciding which direction Preston will be heading between now and the end of the season. Undoubtedly Sheffield United away will be the hardest of the three games and almost every Preston fan would be delighted if we were to come away with just a draw at Bramall Lane.

Similarly to Preston, Tranmere are in a shocking run of form having won just 1 of the last 16 games and it will be a case of two out of form teams trying to arrest the slides that they are on, but for Tranmere if this run carries on, it will only be a matter of time before unpopular manager Les Parry is given the boot. In-between these two games Preston play Hartlepool on the 14th. After changing managers their form has been erratic to say the least and credible results like a 2-2 draw at Sheffield Wednesday has been counterbalanced with a 2-1 defeat at home to struggling Scunthorpe.

However, for many Preston fans including myself, this will be a sombre affair, as on Saturday afternoon we heard that seventeen year old Jordan Grant had passed away after a cardiac arrest. Jordan was a very popular person both on the social networking site Twitter and in Preston and will be sorely missed by his family, friends and myself. In the 17th minute of the Hartlepool game we plan to have a one minutes applause in memory of Jordan and I can be sure it will be an emotional moment for everyone who knew him but it will be a very fitting tribute to such a wonderful lad who couldn’t fail to put a smile on your face.

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By Sean Marshall. When not watching his beloved Preston, he can be found writing about them on his blog.

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