Sebastian Bassong has urged his Wolves team-mates to stick together if they are to stand any chance of staying in the Premier League.
The Cameroon international is on loan at Molineux from Tottenham, and his adopted club are bottom of the league with seven games remaining.
Roger Johnson and Wayne Hennessy had a confrontation in the Midlands club’s 3-2 defeat to Bolton last weekend, but the African centre half has called for unity from the playing staff.
“I think everyone has to deal with their own problems,” he told Mirror Football.
“If you start focusing on everyone else’s, you’re never going to solve your own.
“We’ve got to be more professional, focus on our own work and make sure what each of us is doing is right before opening our mouths and advising someone else.
“That’s what I’m trying to do – keep my head and ignore all the negative stuff.
“The most important thing is what happens on the pitch because that’s where we can fix everything else around us.
“It’s never easy in a situation like the one we’re in. It’s all about trying to get the confidence back,” he concluded.
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Wolves take on Stoke at the Britannia Stadium this Saturday.
Certainly when you write a blog about Liverpool Football Club, it can be very frustrating when the club are so silent on transfer matters. As a fan of the club though I do prefer it this way, despite the fact it makes my job more difficult, as we have seen too much going in public over the last few years. When they have something, they will say it, and I am happy enough to go along with this.
With the advent of modern technology and the internet though, patience seems no longer to be a virtue. Instant gratification is a consequence of the modern age, and as with all bodies, the media must go with the times. This site, and others like it, are the result of the blossoming of social media such as Facebook, twitter, the Blogosphere and the demand for news on Ipads, mobiles and any other device you care to mention.
To satisfy this clamour for information, sites spring up to fill the voids where there is a demand, and news aggregators such as NewsNow are a useful way of filtering the internet into stories that interest the reader. Of course, the demand for transfer stories from readers in the summer months means sites fill up with gossip and rehashed rumours to boost visitors and pageviews. This site is no different of course, and I will not pretend otherwise, but one of the biggest effects of this demand for new information is not only the large amount of fabrication that goes on, but also a mentality among some readers to expect instant results from our clubs, especially on transfers.
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I am, like many others, not immune to demanding more immediate results from my club so I can at least write a few blog articles about it. I want to know what Kenny Dalglish, FSG and Damien Comolli are planning but I fully appreciate the reasoning behind the silence we receive from Anfield.
To be perfectly honest I love reading rumours with us being linked with the likes of Santi Cazorla , Juan Mata , Aly Cissokho , Blaise Matuidi and Mamadou Sakho but especially with so many sites blatantly making up stories these days, it is hard to know who we are actually interested in.
There are more solid foundations to us being linked with the likes of Charlie Adam and Stewart Downing because such rumours originate from people at the Times such as Tony Barrett, the Daily Telegraph and the Independent who have more reliable sources than most, but they are never 100% reliable.
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Frustration does set in inevitably when you hear the club being linked with every name under the sun, and yet seem to be signing nobody at all. From my point of view the best thing to do is either don’t read the rumours and wait for Liverpoolfc.tv to announce the signings, or read them and accept it for what they are; hearsay. Patience is a very difficult concept to grasp in this day and age, but the Reds are asking for it, and I trust that most Reds fans understand this despite the 24 hour rumour mill of NewsNow and twitter.
Since his move from Leeds United Jermaine Beckford has done little to convince us doubters that he has the ability to cut it in the Premiership. Before his move to the blue half of Merseyside, Beckford enjoyed an impressive spell at Leeds with 81 goals in 126 appearances, albeit in a lesser division.
However, the start to his Everton career has not exactly gone as he would have wished. The Ealing born star who plied his trade in the lower leagues before getting a chance at the big time, has found it hard adjusting to the pace of the Premier League having only featured a handful of times and scoring once in the league.
At 26, Beckford is no spring chicken “and his rise from non-league Wealdstone has been gradual. A problem he has had in the past was his general attitude. He started out in the Chelsea youth team but was released because of question marks over his temperament.” If his track record is anything to go by, surely the lack of playing time will prove detrimental to his progress as the striker remains sidelined.
Yet, Beckford has all the attributes to be a top Premier League player. The Everton man strikes me as a player whose head needs to be in the right place if he is to prove that he is not actually out of his depth. All strikers thrive on confidence and for a man coming from the lower leagues I’m sure he would needed to have hit the ground running to help his confidence, and, give him the chance of making a name for himself in the worlds strongest League. The fact he remains unused by Moyes is not helping his cause and is contributing to his current shortcomings.
I personally don’t think he can cut it in the Premier League. I would never want a players failure, so I’m hoping he proves me wrong and I’m eating humble pie this time next year, as he sits on top of the scoring charts.
If you like what I’ve written why not follow me on twitter, where you can also keep up to date with the latest Everton news!
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Click on image below to see a gallery of Christian’s lady wife
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They say it is one of the vital factors in football and sport as a general spectacle; the uncertainty of the thing. But there’s no such time for rose-tinted spectacles when your team is on the receiving end of a contentious decision. This season has been no different in respect of the shock red cards, clear hand balls missed and punished diving when there was clear contact.
Obviously, we would like the referees to get the big decisions right on a more consistent basis, but if it were not for instances such as the next fifteen coming your way, many a punditry panel would be twiddling their thumbs with boredom at the prospect of having nothing to chew over.
So let us take a trip down memory lane and revisit those most argumentative of decisions whereby raised voices, public slating and a few choice words set the tone following these refereeing howlers. It’s a hard job, but someone’s got to do it. The FA must have received quite a hefty combined sum in fines as collected by the dissenting managers following these errors.
Click on the image below to see the 15 Refereeing ‘Balls-Ups’
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How angry did these decisions make you? Have you any more to add? Follow me @ http://twitter.com/Taylor_Will1989
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Earlier this month, Arsenal forward Robin van Persie admitted that he was at a loss to explain his club’s spectacular demise; from quadruple chasing in February to narrow qualification for next year’s Champions League and a sixth consecutive trophy-less campaign. “There were lots of things [that went wrong] – we were not consistent enough. It is difficult to talk about it now,” Van Persie told Arsenal TV Online. “It is going to be difficult to finish third, but we still have one game and have to win that to at least give us a chance.”
A week later the Gunners labored to an unconvincing, and late, draw at Fulham and surrendered a third placed finish in the League to the developing Manchester City. “Next season we have to try [to come back stronger],” the Dutch striker added. “Everyone starts from scratch and we have a chance, it is up to us to prove it.”
Although a customary series of relentless excuses have emanated from the Emirates since their exits in March from both the FA Cup and Champions League – following last-minute heartache for Gunners fans against Birmingham in the League Cup at the end of February – van Persie’s impressive form throughout the past five months has at least provided cause for optimism heading in to next season.
The former Feyenord front-man in fact equaled Thierry Henry’s and Cristiano Ronaldo’s scoring record since January 1st by finishing 18 times in the League, eventually ending in third – behind Dimitar Berbatov and Carlos Tevez on 21 – in the Premiership top scorers column. What’s more, the Dutchman smashed Didier Drogba’s record of scoring in six consecutive away games in the Premier League by netting nine in a row, including in the recent draw at Craven Cottage, which will allow him to continue this feat at the beginning of the next campaign.
The Arsenal faithful were finally rewarded this year after several seasons remaining patient, having been constantly pressed to support their ailing striker through countless long-term injuries, as van Persie ruthlessly surpassed his previous record of just eleven League goals in the 2007 and 2009 seasons. His 66 Premiership goals in seven full seasons in England fail to accurately explain the striker’s contribution to his team nor the unique style which he employs to baffle opposing defenders. It is worth mentioning that the Dutchman hasn’t been selected in more than 28 Premier League starting line-ups in any one season during this period, and found it difficult to dethrone first Thierry Henry and then Emmanuel Adebayor following his returns from injury.
He is by a distance the most important and potent attacking threat the Gunners retain, and if he can avoid the treatment room next year then we may finally witness what the precocious 20 year-old had promised on his Highbury arrival in 2004. Now reaching what many consider the age a striker reaches their peak, it is not inconceivable to imagine the Dutchman maintaining his free-scoring form next season and achieving the feat he narrowly missed out on by three goals this year – especially taking in to account the two players who finished above him, Tevez and Berbatov, face worryingly uncertain futures in England for varying reasons. For the time being, we will have to wait as patiently as his manager to discover if the forward can deliver consistently over the course of a full-season in 2012, but retaining his services remains Wenger’s most important transfer battle in terms of attacking options for next season.
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You have to be a brave man to stand up to Keane; however if you are being touted as one of the finest young talents this country has produced then perhaps you may feel you have the divine right to be treated differently and are deserving of a regular first team start. I personally don’t believe you do and back Roy’s decision with regards to the youngster.
Of course it is just speculation at this moment that a fallout has occurred; however you do sense by the body language that something may be boiling under the surface. Maybe the continued talk of a move to Tottenham has turned the youngster’s head (we have seen it before after all), but I ask the question as to what is the rush for a move to the Premier League especially when given the golden opportunity to learn the trade for a couple of years in familiar surroundings? A move to the Premier League will only see him shipped out on loan, or stuck in the reserves.
Keane has his fair share of critics, but he is making the right decision in attempting to keep Wickham grounded. Too many times youngsters have let a little bit of success get to their head and subsequently it has had a detrimental effect and their careers have fallen by the waste side as a result. Roy did his apprenticeship under the guidance of the master in Brian Clough, who knew how to keep you on your toes and Keane wouldn’t have been half the player became at United if it wasn’t for the nurturing he received at Forest. Connor could learn something from Roy and should embrace his manager’s standpoint, not look to challenge it. His time will come; the youngster just needs to show patience. He may want a move to Tottenham in January, but I believe in terms of his long term development, he would be wise to sit tight for the time being.
Written By Jon Peters
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Bolton manager Owen Coyle has confirmed that Fabrice Muamba is making good progress in his path to recovery.
The combative midfielder collapsed on the White Hart Lane pitch in a fixture against Tottenham earlier this month, but his coach has confirmed that things are looking better.
“He continues to get better, but remaining in intensive care,” the Scot told Sky Sports.
“When we went the other day and managed to see him, we could see the continued improvement and that all bodes well.
“I also have to say thank you to the press, the media, for how they have conducted themselves and the way they have given Fabrice and his family that privacy that’s been required.
“Again, now is the time when they need a little bit more time and space for Fabrice’s continued recovery, for him and the family.
“The well wishes have been really supportive and helped him no end and I think he has taken great strength from that. That will help in his continued fight to recover.
“We have always had representation at the hospital and that will continue because it’s important that we know he is getting better, which he is.
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“The doctor gets the daily updates in the morning. He’s going in the right direction and, with everybody’s thoughts and prayers, long may that continue,” he concluded.
Liverpool manager Kenny Dalglish was disappointed that his players could not finish their season on a high but urged them to make the most of their summer break.The Reds finish sixth after a 1-0 defeat against Aston Villa on the final day.
“It’s disappointing for the players,” Dalglish said.
“They’ve done fantastic to do as well as they have done and it would’ve been nice to finish on a positive. We ran out of legs a little bit. Nature took its toll.”
“You get that at this stage of the season but the most important thing for us is that they did the best they possibly could. The disappointment is for them, not with them.”
“The challenge is to turn up in July and get ourselves going again.”
“They deserve their break and I hope they enjoy it.”
Dalglish is also adamant that Liverpool can attract top players to the club despite their failure to qualify for the Champions League.
“There’s more players who don’t play in the Champions League than do and I think Liverpool Football Club is a big enough attraction,” he said.
“If we want to bring someone in I’m sure we’re attractive.”
Meanwhile, Dalglish’s opposite number Gary McAllister was pleased his side secured a top-10 finish as a result of the victory.
“We’ve lost one of the last eight and we’ve finished on a bit of a high,” he said.
“We’re up in the top half of the table and we’re the top Midlands club.”
“Only three or four months ago we were in and among the teams at the bottom end so there should be a lot of praise for the players. There was a rallying call then and they’ve responded.”
“It has finished not bad and we have to be happy.”
“There was a nice reminder last week that they are capable and can compete against this level of team. Players at this level have to repeat and they’ve repeated it.”
Harry Redknapp has urged his Tottenham players to concentrate on Saturday's clash with Fulham rather than next week's European trip to Milan.
Spurs make the short trip to Craven Cottage just 48 hours before they head out to Italy to face reigning European champions Internazionale in a mouth-watering Champions League tie.
"It is hard balancing the Champions League with the Premier League," said Redknapp
"But they've got to concentrate on the trip to Craven Cottage. That is the key now.
"The league position is all important because unless we win the Champions League we are not going to qualify for the Champions League next year.
"If we want to play Champions League football like Manchester United, Chelsea and Arsenal invariably do every year we have to finish in the top four again. That is our priority.
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"We also want a good run in the Champions League but if you go out of the Champions League and finish halfway up the table, at the end of the year if you are not in European football it is not good.
"These next two league games for me are massive."Subscribe to Football FanCast News Headlines by Email
Four teams looked set to battle it out at the top of the Bundesliga for the right to become Champions after the winter break. However, with just over a month gone in the Rueckrunde (second half of the season) it looks like one team is about to bow out of the title race.
Having suffered a 2-0 defeat to Bayern Munich for the second time this season, Schalke’s title race chances are looking increasingly bleak. In the encounter on Sunday at the Allianz Arena, they were outplayed for large periods as the home side hit back after a string of poor results. The Royal Blues were forced into selecting third choice goalkeeper Timo Hildebrand, who originally did well to keep out a series of early efforts from the Munich front line.
However, the onrushing ex-Stuttgart keeper was beaten to a ball over the top by Franck Ribery. The Frenchman nonchalantly looped the ball over Hildebrand before stroking into an empty net from 20 yards. The away side then missed a glorious opportunity to get back into the game early in the second half when Joel Matip was put through on goal. He could only curl his effort wide and minutes later, Ribery sealed the win for the Bavarians.
It meant Bayern overtook Borussia Mönchengladbach who could only draw 1-1 at home to Hamburg. Gladbach took the lead thanks to a neatly worked free kick which was eventually converted by Mike Hanke. However, Tolgay Arslan grabbed the equaliser for HSV. Like Schalke, Gladbach will regret a missed opportunity as Juan Arango headed over a seemingly simple opportunity in stoppage time.
Bayern’s victory got them no closer though to Borussia Dortmund who managed to ease past Hannover. Robert Lewandowski netted one in either half before a stunning effort Didier Ya Konan spiced up proceedings at Signal Iduna Park. However, the Champions weren’t phased and sealed the win late on through Ivan Perisic.
This in turn left Schalke eight points behind their arch rivals with eleven games remaining. The ruthless manner in which Borussia Dortmund are performing makes a collapse look unlikely at this moment in time. However, the Royal Blues will be looking forward to having an opportunity to stunt BVB’s title challenge when they visit the Veltins Arena in April.
Destiny does not seem to be with Huub Stevens’s side, such has been the timing this season of managerial resignations, goalkeeper troubles, injuries and bad results. All have inconvenienced Schalke, so for them to even be in title contention is impressive. A small example of this occurred at the Allianz Arena on Sunday. Instead of the glorious one-on-one chance falling to, say Raul or Klaas-Jan Huntelaar, it fell to Joel Matip, a man hardly synonymous for his goal scoring ability.
Perhaps the tactical nous has been lacking from Stevens in the big games as well. In the five matches so far against the teams above them, they’ve only won one and scored one. In the other four games, they’ve conceded nine and subsequently lost them all. What’s more their defence is not on the same level as the three sides above them, having conceded more than the top two put together.
There is plenty for Royal Blues fans to be encouraged by though with a very talented young squad which will improve with time. Also their attack has been insatiable and prior to the weekend was the best in the Bundesliga. It shouldn’t be forgotten they’ve already amassed four more points than they did in the whole of last season.
Huub Stevens must ensure at the very least they bring Champions League football back to the Veltins Arena. They haven’t lost to anyone below them since the 15th October, which should give the Ruhr outfit the confidence to achieve this goal. For now though, it looks like the title is out of reach for Schalke.
For more on the Bundesliga, follow @arhindtutt on Twitter
Matchday 23 Results:
Gladbach 1-1 Hamburg
Augsburg 3-0 Hertha Berlin
Cologne 0-2 Leverkusen
Mainz 4-0 Kaiserslautern
Stuttgart 4-1 Freiburg
Wolfsburg 1-2 Hoffenheim
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