Harry Redknapp has revealed that Tottenham have not offered him a new deal to remain at White Hart Lane. Reports in the papers this week had suggested that Daniel Levy was set to offer Harry a bumper pay rise and a £50m transfer kitty to ensure that the North Londoners can challenge for the title next season. This is all news to the Spurs boss who remained very coy about his future and links to the England job.
This week at FFC we have seen a mixed bag of blogs that includes Spurs most important deal in the summer; is Scott Parker fit for the long term, while the FA are right to take the softly-softly approach.
Best of FFC
Tottenham Would Be Mad To Appoint Him…Wouldn’t They?
Right to respect Tottenham by taking the softly-softly approach
Spurs Most Important Summer Deal?
Do Tottenham really need a big name?
Is Parker fit for the long-term?
WAG Weekly – Tottenham and Man United beauties fight it out
Scott Parker: Captain Marvel?
Tottenham keeping tabs on Rovers ace
Spurs and Newcastle on alert as Ajax ace talks up Premier League move
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Best of WEB
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Spurs in crisis meltdown: Demonstration planned – Dear Mr Levy
Problems pile up for Harry. – Spurs Musings From JimmyG2
Time To Hold Our Nerve –Tottenham On My Mind
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Chesney Wishes Europa League on Spurs – Who Framed Ruel Fox?
Levy Needs To Fire Arry TONIGHT – Harry Hotspur
Daniel Levy To Offer His Best Player £3.5M Golden Handcuffs – Transfer Tavern
[divider]Quote of the Week[divider]
“If people want to say I’m diving they can, but at the end of the day I’m trying to get out of the way and save myself and my career, you’ve just got to try to be a bit clever about it. I’ve got a few people sent off this year by doing that. When you have got people flying in at you all the time, it’s not really diving, you’re just trying to get out of the way of the challenges. If you stand there you’re going to get a whack. At the end of the day I would rather dive than get hurt.”
“I suppose you can take it as a compliment. They think it’s the only way they can stop you. But the best players just get on with it. If they get knocked down, they just get up again until it really hurts,” Bale speaking out against accusations that he goes down to easily.
Swansea’s challenge for an automatic promotion spot took a blow after a 2-1 loss to lowly Preston North End in the Championship.Trailing Norwich by just one point heading into the match, Swansea knew a victory away at bottom-side Preston could move them back into the top two.
Ashley Williams? 24th minute goal looked like it would at least give Swansea a share of the points after Iain Hume scored from the penalty spot on three minutes for Preston.
But a second from Hume in the 83rd minute gave Preston a much-needed three points, while Swansea drop down to fourth.
It was a much different story for Norwich City, who cemented their top-two spot with a 6-0 hammering of 10-man Scunthorpe United.
Scunthorpe were already a goal down when Paul Reid saw red in the 31st minute and Norwich went for the kill after that, with both Grant Holt and Simeon Jackson scoring hat-tricks.
Cardiff City broke their four-game winless streak and moved into third with a 4-1 thrashing of Derby County.
Jay Bothroyd, Dekel Keinan, Paul Quinn and Peter Whittingham were all on the scoresheet for Cardiff, with Robbie Savage’s late penalty a mere consolation for Derby.
Leeds jumped to fourth after a 4-1 win over Nottingham Forest in a heated battle at Elland Road.
The dismissal of Forrest?s Chris Cohen in the first half saw tempers boil over, with several scuffles breaking out across the pitch.
It took Leeds until the 51 minute mark to make the most of their numerical advantage, with Jonathon Howson eventually putting them ahead.
Luciano Becchio doubled their lead soon after only for Garath McCleary to pull one back for the visitors on 65 minutes.
A late double from Max Gradel settled the matter, consigning Forest to their eighth successive game without a win.
A Shane Long double gave Reading a 2-0 win at home to Portsmouth, while Coventry City won by the same margin against Watford.
Ipswich Town won 2-1 on their trip to Burnley thanks to first-half goals from David Norris and Connor Wickham, while a late penalty from James Vaughan gave Crystal Palace a 2-1 win at home against Barnsley.
A last-gasp goal from Shane McManus salvaged a 3-3 draw for Middlesbrough against Leicester City after a Yakubu hat-trick had earlier put the visitors 3-1 up.
Britsol City beat Doncaster Rovers 1-0 courtesy of Nicky Maynard’s 76th minute goal.
A mixed bag of results ensured that the Premier League remains at its unpredictable best and meant the bookies undoubtedly had a good day at the office. Alan Pardew got off to the dream start at St James; the Ian Holloway show goes on at the Britannia, while West Ham once again slump to defeat to stay firmly rooted to the bottom of the league.
In the papers today we have more fall-out from the Carlos Tevez transfer request; Samir Nasri believes that Manchester United have lost their aura, while Hiddink backs England’s call for reform.
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Liverpool have made initial offer for striker Luis Suarez – IM Scouting
Homesick Tevez hands in transfer request at Man City – Guardian
FA ask Tottenham director Sir Keith to rescue English football – Daily Mail
Nasri: Man Utd have lost their aura – Daily Telegraph
Pardew thrilled with success – Sky Sports
The Guus backs England in bid to reform FIFA – Mirror
Tottenham line up Athletic Bilbao defender Andoni Iraola- IM Scouting
Ancelotti: I trust Chelsea not to sack me – Guardian
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Schweinsteiger snubs United and Chelsea to extend Bayern Munich stay – Daily Mail
Inter Milan boss Rafa Benitez plans a return to England – People
Sunderland and Blackburn have been put on red alert after Papa Demba Cisse admitted he wants to leave Freiburg, the Daily Mail understands.
£12.5 million rated Cisse scored 22 goals in the Bundesliga last season and has already struck four in three games in the current campaign heightening interest from the Premier League.
The Senegalese hit man has declared his is ready to move to a bigger club despite having three years to run on his deal in Germany.
Cisse said: “I want to leave. Yes I have a contract but I really want to try playing at a different level.”
Despite a summer spending spree that included the £13 million acquisition of Connor Wickham Black Cats boss Steve Bruce still wants to bring another striker to the Stadium of Light.
Bruce has been prompted into targeting a new front man after two embarrassing defeats to local rivals Newcastle and Championship side Brighton in the space of four days.
Rovers manager Steve Kean is also in the market for players with striker David Goodwillie the only new face at Ewood Park this summer.
With a week left of the transfer window both clubs will have to move swiftly if they are to secure the strikers signature.
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However they’ll both have to wary as Freiburg are likely to instigate a bidding war in an attempt to drive up the price.
When Scunthorpe snapped up young Accrington Stanley forward Robert Grant in June 2010 there was much talk about him being the next off the remarkable production line at Glanford Park.
The likes of Sharp, Paterson, and Hooper had or were set to move onto bigger and better things so fittingly hopes were high that the youngster from Stanley could live up to his striking predecessors in Northern Lincolnshire.
Indeed at the time Grant, who had hit 18 in 51 appearances for Stanley, stated that he was hoping to follow in the footsteps of Iron legend Kevin Keegan 40 years previous by earning a move to the top tier from Scunthorpe.
Nigel Adkins certainly believed Grant could become a special player. The 20-year-old was already a first team regular at the Lancashire club and was someone who looked to have a bright future ahead of him. Although he was out-of-contract, as he was under 24, compensation was due to Accrington. A fee of up to £260,000 was agreed based on performance and appearances at Scunthorpe.
However things have not worked out and instead of following in the footsteps of his hero Keegan he now appears to be taking the route back to the lower league football. With his contract expiring there is a controversial decision to make regarding his future but where did it go so wrong?
With Scunthorpe in the Championship, youngster Grant was always signed as one for the future and his start at the club established that with only minor roles coming off the bench. However one of his earliest appearances, as a substitute against Manchester United in the cup, confirmed that he could potentially have a distinguished career for the Iron. He put in a self-assured display for a 20-year-old coming up against one of the best sides in the world.
Despite this it was quite a shock to see him named in the starting line-up by Ian Baraclough for our game at Leicester City in October. Thrown in the deep end by the inexperienced boss, Grant looked something of a fish out of water and was substituted after only 56 minutes.
After being continuously used in a bit-part role, Grant decided to gain some much-needed playing time at League One side Rochdale. He made the ideal start for the Dale, netting on his debut and went onto make six appearances for the club, scoring once more before being recalled by Scunthorpe. However as Scunny struggled at the bottom of the Championship, Grant remained a squad player regularly featuring off the bench. He only made six more starts as the side were ultimately relegated back to League One.
This summer Grant was understandably keen to ‘draw a line’ under his disappointing first season with the club, failing to live up to the potential that Adkins first saw in him.
Big things were expected of him in League One as although he looked out of his depth in the Championship he had already demonstrated he could perform at this level during his short loan-spell at Rochdale. It started well enough and by November Grant had registered nine goals in League One. His fine performances at Charlton and at home against Tranmere demonstrated the obvious ability that he possesses. But frequently during the season he has failed to illustrate this ability; repeatedly frustrating to watch, polarising opinion on the terraces and at times proving to be a liability for the side.
Consequently Grant’s status at Scunthorpe remains one of untapped potential.
The irregularity in his play is probably the most infuriating part of his game. For every stunning long-range wonder goal (Tranmere) comes an instant that costs the side crucial points (Colchester). His past substitute appearances had resulted in self-seeking long range efforts that made life difficult not for opposition keepers but for our ball boys.
Grant was probably signed by Adkins with a view to playing him as an out and out striker but I personally think he has the ability to succeed as a winger. Too often earlier in the season, while played up-front, he was dropping deep after being left isolated by our uncreative midfield. He lacks the height and all-round ability to cause major problems in a league dominated by burly centre-backs in the centre of attack. However his nine goals for the Iron this season demonstrate that he is very capable of scoring goals. Perhaps a wider role would let this talent shine through? Indeed, the versatile front-man performed well on the left-wing during his loan-spell at Accrington, claiming three goals in his seven games back at his former club.
In part, Grant was quite unfortunate to get injured during January when Knill strengthened the attack, switching to a 4-3-3 formation with Parkin leading the line with Duffy and Barcham providing support on the flanks. However he came back from his loan spell with a better attitude and looked decent enough leading the line during our last three games of the season. Perhaps this has made Knill re-think his opinion about young Grant.
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With an option to extend his current contract available it is possible that he does have a future at club after all if they decide that his obvious potential outweighs his dubious attitude. This and his recent improvement in performance and attitude may just be enough for him to get another year at the club.
However with the option to get rid approaching many fans believe it is time to cut our losses with the egotistical 21-year-old whose potential remains yet unfulfilled at Scunthorpe United. I just wonder if Alan Knill agrees.
Let me know your thoughts about Bobby’s future with the club on Twitter: @aidanmccartney
Tottenham manager Harry Redknapp hopes the Premier League will ratify the £8million transfer of Netherlands international midfielder Rafael Van der Vaart to White Hart Lane.
Redknapp made a late move for the Real Madrid star on transfer deadline day after hearing that the 27-year-old's proposed transfer to Bayern Munich had fallen through.
However, the Premier League have as yet refused to sanction the transfer and are examining the circumstances of the switch.
"He's a great passer of the ball, he's a top footballer, he will join in here and be a big plus," said Redknapp.
"It was a last-minute job. When I came in on Tuesday morning it wasn't something I was looking to do.
"I think he was going to Bayern Munich on Monday for £18million and suddenly he became much cheaper.
"They let me know around 1600 BST that he was available for £8million and, for that money, he is a top player who will definitely improve us. The fee has come crashing down because the deadline is so close."
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Van der Vaart moved to Real from Hamburg two years ago and went on to score 11 goals in 68 appearances for the La Liga giants.
He helped his country reach the World Cup final in July and came on as a substitute in the Final defeat to Spain.Subscribe to Football FanCast News Headlines by Email
The debate about which league is the best in the world is boring, but that doesn’t mean that the arguments for the Premier League are irrelevant. The major draw of the Premier League over other leagues such as La Liga has been that, over the last decade, in England the league has been more competitive. And it’s true; in comparison to the duopoly in Spain our league is competitive. The recent influx of foreign money to has made the title race and competition for Champions League places a tighter affair and the same can be said of clubs further down the table too such as Queens Park Rangers. However, despite this perceived increased competitive edge certain facts suggest that this isn’t true.
For example at Christmas last year Wolves were only a point away from their current total yet they were bottom of the league. This year they sit in seventeenth , two points ahead of the drop zone and five clear of last year’s position. Obviously this alone is not the be all and end all but there are other issues too. You can look at the league and see very little between the teams but it was like that last year and what we can take from this is that all of the teams who were in the relegation zone last year would currently sit above it this year. The difference is that teams from both the upper and lower halves of the table have been performing worse.
We also have to consider what it is to be ‘competitive’. Is competition within our own league enough to make the fact that the league is competitive a positive attribute? Or has the demise of both of the Manchester club’s European campaigns helped to emphasise the demise of the strength of quality in English football?
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When a small team beats a top club we all like to say that our league is so exciting and anyone can beat anyone, and this is true, but when you have the top clubs like Manchester United, Chelsea and Arsenal all conceding five or more goals against their rivals in a single game you have to come to the conclusion that it is less a case of the bottom teams getting better and more a case of the top teams getting worse.
Yes, Manchester City’s rise has made the top of the table more competitive, as has Spurs’, but does that sentiment ring true if the clubs who were previously thought of as ‘top’ clubs appear to be in some sort of demise? And what sort of statement do we as a country send out to the continent if our top two clubs can’t even make it out of the group stages of the Champions League.
If our league was, as everyone seems to suggest, becoming more of a tightly run contest then why do the bottom clubs have fewer points than they did at this stage last year and the top clubs have more? In fact, after the Boxing Day games last year Manchester United topped the table with 37 points. This year Manchester City are top with 45 points. Moreover, the top five teams all have more points than the same stage last year and the bottom five teams all have fewer points. Therefore you can only come to the conclusion that the league is less competitive than it was last year, and all this in despite of the fact that teams like Arsenal and Chelsea are performing far worse than they were twelve months ago.
Believing they hype from fans and watching the build up to games on Sky Sports might have you in some sort of montage induced frenzy thinking that this is the year that your team can scale new heights, but when you look at the facts it appears that our league is more dominated by the few than ever, it is just that those teams are not the same ones as last year.
Follow me on Twitter @H_Mackay
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Manchester United are odds on favourites to win their 19th league title this May, an achievement that would see the Red Devils create history. They are currently tied with arch rivals Liverpool on 18 league titles each, but would like nothing more than to overtake the Merseysiders. It would take an uncharacteristic collapse from United for them to relinquish their potential crown, but with games against Arsenal and Chelsea still to come they won’t be counting their chickens just yet. In my book United deserve the title this year, as even though they haven’t been at their scintillating best, they have still led the way for the majority of the season. So what has been they recipe to United’s season so far?
The most important quality that Sir Alex Ferguson instils within his team is the winning mentality and never say die attitude. United went from the start of the season all the way through to the 5th of February without losing a Premiership fixture. This led to suggestions they would replicate Arsenal’s unbeaten run from the 2003-04 season. It wasn’t to be though and a 2-1 defeat on a Saturday evening in Wolverhampton ended the dream. Nevertheless, their resilience has been evident on numerous occasions this season and some of their fighting spirit has been the stuff of Champions. The two games in particular that encapsulate this are the 3-2 wins away at Blackpool and West Ham. Both times United went into the dressing room at half time 2-0 down but miraculously turned the result around into victories.
Another key factor is having a squad that is littered with experienced players who have done it all before. When you have Ryan Giggs, Paul Scholes and Rio Ferdinand to name but a few, the wealth of experience these players bring, give United an unparalleled advantage. Additionally, the strength in depth Man United possess has enabled them to go long periods of time without key players such as Ferdinand, Vidic and Valencia, but the cracks haven’t appeared. In contrast, Arsenal seem to be almost entirely dependent on Nasri, Van Persie and Fabregas, whereas a Man United team with out Rooney, Vidic or Nani is still capable of outclassing 85% of the teams in the league.
When a team boasts the Premiership’s top goal scorer and he is the clubs current third choice striker it carries a certain gravitas. Dimitar Berbatov has hit 21 league goals and still he finds himself restricted to the bench. Wayne Rooney is starting to show his best form as we head towards the climax of the season, but it’s fair to say he has performed well below the bar he set himself last year. Rooney’s form hasn’t effected United though, as Hernandez, Berbatov and Nani have all at some stage this season produced when United have needed it.
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Edwin Van der Sar is the backbone of Manchester United and it’s beyond me how the Dutchman wasn’t among the nominees for the PFA Player of the Year Award. His displays this season have been exemplary and his 15 clean sheets have contributed enormously to United’s pursuit of the title. The Defence has been chopped and changed a lot this season as Rio Ferdinand has missed a lot of football. However, the emergence of Chris Smalling alongside Nemanja Vidic has meant United haven’t missed the England International. The arrival of Chicharito for the bargain price of £7 million has proved to be significant in United’s title push, as his predatory instinct in the box has given United a number of wins when draws looked on the cards. To be likened to Manchester United legend Ole Gunnar Solskjaer in his first season shows the impact Little Pea has had on United’s season.
This Manchester United team is not the best side Fergie has put together in his time at Old Trafford, and their quality of football has come into question from some quarters. The lack of a goal scoring central midfielder has been an issue that Sir Alex will no doubt address during the summer. Whether or not you agree with the critics who have criticised this current team there is no denying what they have done so far. As well as homing in on their record 19th title, the team have literally booked themselves a place in the Champions League final. So while they may not have played the most eye catching expansive brand of football, at the end of the day it’s a results business and United continue to do what’s required of them, win football matches and trophies.
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Blackpool have completed the signings of four players just a matter of days before their Premier League season-opener against Wigan Athletic.
Seasiders boss Ian Holloway has been frustrated over a number of potential targets, but has finally landed defender Craig Cathcart and midfield trio Elliot Grandin, Malaury Martin and Ludovic Sylvestre.
Twenty-one-year-old centre-half Cathcart joins for an undisclosed fee from Manchester United on a three-year contract, having failed to break into the first-team set-up at Old Trafford.
His only senior experience came during loan spells with Plymouth Argyle and Watford.
French winger Grandin, 22, heads to Bloomfield Road from Bulgarian side CSKA Sofia, with the former Caen and Marseille wideman having agreed a two-year deal.
Martin has impressed during the pre-season campaign with Holloway's side and the 21-year-old has penned a one-year contract to seal his switch from AS Monaco.
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Finally, Sylvestre, 26, has signed a two-year contract to head to England from Czech club Mlada Boleslav, having played twice for Barcelona earlier on in his career.Subscribe to Football FanCast News Headlines by Email
You may love or loathe the transfer windows but it certainly has most football supporters fixated to the rumour mills on a daily basis. I don’t know many fans that don’t go straight to the BBC’s gossip column as a first port of call every morning, before they move on to SkySports.com. Most of what is written is complete tosh; however it doesn’t stop many buying into what they have read. I guess everyone just loves a rumour, despite how outlandish they might be.
One thing that does amuse me about those who bite at the rumours is their sheer naivety and this belief that the club have a bottomless pit of money and cannot understand why player X Y and Z won’t be playing for their club next season. There is a lot to be said for a little bit of realism and general understanding of the complexity of club finances. Sometimes players have to be sacrificed in order to raise funds to strengthen elsewhere, or clubs have a restricted budget due to incompetent owners or the need to finance new stadia. Money doesn’t grow on trees and therefore clubs have to live within their means.
So what about your club this summer? No doubt you have been taken in by some of the rumours, poured cold water over some and I’m sure there is a long list of players that you will be happy to see the club cash in on during the coming weeks. The transfer window, with the exception of City, has been somewhat constipated up to this point, although I’m sure it won’t be long before the transfer storm starts to erupt.
Who would you like to see arrive at the Emirates during the next five weeks, and equally who should be issued with their P45?
Click on image to see a gallery of the BEST BABES at the World Cup this summer
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