All posts by h79snht.top

Well what has been hope more than anything else came to fruition last saturday against Hull. After what seems an age the Skyblues are out of the relegation zone all be it only by a point. The confidence and belief though that this will bring to the players along with notching our first away win of the season could be vital as we near the end of the season. The game that is probably going to define ultimately how the season is going to end is that of the BristolCity game. Now that we are ahead of City, the importance has somewhat shifted away from needing a win to making sure we don’t lose.

However this may not be the case come monday as the Peterborough game on Saturday is definitely not a foregone conclusion that we are going to win. Peterborough showed against Leicester that they can be a good side but they seem to be extremely inconsistent so perhaps the omens are good for Saturday in that they rarely get 2 decent results in a row. For Coventry we just have to hope that the players don’t take their foot off the gas and instead keep playing with all the heart and passion they have shown over the course of this season. If they do we should be celebrating another confidence boosting win on Saturday which will set us up perfectly for the Bristol game and beyond.

One player who has been a massive disappointment since his arrival at the club has been Freddy Eastwood. A lot has been said about Freddy since his arrival almost 4 years ago now. He arrived at Coventry from Wolves where again he was a disappointment and management there seemed to have issues with his commitment to the game. The majority of Coventry fans though have always backed him including myself however looking back I really can’t see why. He was brought to the club as a goal scorer and never really delivered. Many backed him because of his work rate when he first arrived but as the years have passed that has declined considerably to the point where Thorn has not been able to play him this season because of his lack of fitness.

Despite publicly stating this many city fans still wanted to see Eastwood brought back into the team but I was completely behind thorn in his decision not to include him in the squad. If a player cannot be bothered to keep fit for what millions of football fans around the world would consider to be a dream job then they don’t deserve to be paid let alone played. His attitude was clearly the issue rather than a lack of ability as it was plain to see that he had quality within him he just didn’t show it on enough occasions. Personally I think he has wasted his talent and Freddy only has one person to blame and that is himself. He now finds himself back at Southend the club where he made a name for himself and despite being a disappointment for Coventry I still find myself wishing him well. At 28 he still has a few years of playing left in him and if he really decides he wants to he could be a real star for Southend again but whether he will be remains to be seen.

Freddy is now a thing of the past for us Coventry fans so let’s hope we can find someone else who can come in and hopefully do a better job than Freddy did. With money being tight we may have to hope that Cody McDonald is that player. He clearly has the potential and could be a big player for us. After his goal at Hull, McDonald could be the key to us staying up. He has had a very quiet season for various reasons including injury and trying to adapt to life in the championship but he really has looked sharp and very lively in the last few games. He looks as if he has an eye for goal and his work rate is second to none. I think we are now starting to see why Andy Thorn brought him to the club and lets hope that he keeps improving and getting us those all important goals to keep us up.

PUSB!!

FootballFanCast General Stay ahead in the world of football analysis, commentary, and fan insights with FootballFancast. Subscribe FootballFanCast General Stay ahead in the world of football analysis, commentary, and fan insights with FootballFancast.

---

Subscribe

By subscribing, you agree to receive newsletter and marketing emails, and accept Valnet’s Terms of Use and Privacy Policy. You can unsubscribe anytime.

[ad_pod id=’writer-1′ align=’right’]

Manchester United are ready to move for Everton defender Leighton Baines, and could bid for the star within the next couple of days, according to Mirror Football.

The left-back has impressed in recent seasons at Goodison Park, with solid defending being backed up by creativity and excellent delivery going forward.

Sir Alex Ferguson is thought to want to sign a left-back this summer as a long-term replacement for Patrice Evra, and to have more strength in depth in the position.

The newspaper indicate that the Premier League champions will offer David Moyes’ men £10 million for the England international, who will surely represent the Three Lions this summer at Euro 2012.

The Merseysiders have well-documented financial constraints, and are believed to be ready to accept the offer in a bid to bring transfer fees into the club.

FootballFanCast General Stay ahead in the world of football analysis, commentary, and fan insights with FootballFancast. Subscribe FootballFanCast General Stay ahead in the world of football analysis, commentary, and fan insights with FootballFancast.

---

Subscribe

By subscribing, you agree to receive newsletter and marketing emails, and accept Valnet’s Terms of Use and Privacy Policy. You can unsubscribe anytime.

By Gareth McKnight

[ad_pod id=’dfp-mpu’ align=’right’]

Football fans are a funny old bunch, particularly from the perspective of a manager. Bring success and they will elevate you to a mythical, legendary status, forever to be enshrined within the club’s history; ruffle their feathers a little and it’s down the job centre the next morning. The popularity levels of football managers can turn in an instant, and above all it is the supporters who best dictate these fluctuations.

Alex McLeish’s dismissal in the past week has seen a flurry of activity on social network sites, with the predominantly positive reaction in Aston Villa quarters to his sacking displaying the pure vehemence and animosity felt towards the man. As a marker of the sheer inanity of the situation, disgruntled fans even sent Glasgow student Alex McLeish, of no relation to the former Villa boss, a barraged mixture of comical and abusive tweets upon hearing the news.

From the very beginning of McLeish’s reign his card was marked. Regardless of the absurdity of pinching your most hated rival’s manager, Villa fans were quite rightly baffled by the appointment of a man who had overseen two relegation campaigns in his time in charge of a Premiership club. Whilst clearly an unpopular and slightly bewildering choice on behalf the Villa hierarchy, those of claret and blue persuasion in the Second City were consistently militant in their slating of McLeish, organising regular protests and emphatically displaying their discontent in the Holte and beyond. All this led to a poisoned and pernicious atmosphere at Villa Park, with dwindling attendances a prominent feature of Villa’s season. The permanent ‘12th Man’ banner affixed upon the middle section of the Holte End often appeared more a twisted joke soaked in irony and planted by Blues fans than a statement of Villa’s vocal intent.

Though Villa fans have a distinct right to be fundamentally appalled at a disastrous season which so nearly ended in the unthinkable, there are a number of queries to be raised as to the detrimental effects of negative supporter influence upon a side’s performances. Villa’s squad this season has mainly been a ragtag collection of experienced pros brought in by previous managers combined with products of Villa’s youth academy in only their first or seconds campaigns as professional footballers. Marquee signings Darren Bent and Charles N’Zogbia have been relative disappointments, the use of Emile Heskey as a right winger was utter chagrin and the awarding of Player of the Season to Stephen Ireland belies the disappointment of Villa’s year; yet through all the blatant shortcomings of the playing and management staff, the fans of Aston Villa must also assume some form of liability.

For young players breaking into the first team, the dimensions of confidence and belief are of vital importance to their performance. Generally, this is significantly shaped by the prevailing atmosphere surrounding the club, the prominent sentiments being eschewed from the corridors of the training ground to the player’s car park after the game. For the likes of Ciaran Clark, Gary Gardner and Nathan Baker the patent toxic mood which characterised Villa’s season can only have been detrimental to their development. Though only rare spatters of Villa fan’s anguish was aimed at the players, the adverse effects of the outward hostility shown towards McLeish this season would have been felt deeply, particularly by those developed and matured by the club from an early age. With Mcleish increasingly reliant on his young charges as the season progressed, the enmity only exacerbated Villa’s problems and this the failure of McLeish’s reign became a self-fulfilling prophecy.

The decision to sack McLeish was the correct one. Aston Villa fans deserve better than extensive flirtations with the Championship, and were right to criticise McLeish’s ineptitude. Yet the downright vexation which was all too evident on matchdays at Villa Park and in the virtual sphere only moved to heighten Villa’s turmoil.

In an age where an innocent student is abused for being the simple namesake of a failed football manager, we must ponder: can too much fan power be truly detrimental to a football club?

FootballFanCast General Stay ahead in the world of football analysis, commentary, and fan insights with FootballFancast. Subscribe FootballFanCast General Stay ahead in the world of football analysis, commentary, and fan insights with FootballFancast.

---

Subscribe

By subscribing, you agree to receive newsletter and marketing emails, and accept Valnet’s Terms of Use and Privacy Policy. You can unsubscribe anytime.

Whether you agree or disagree, I’d love to hear your opinions. Tweet me @acherrie1

[divider]

[ad_pod id=’unruly-2′ align=’left’]

Cesare Prandelli has demanded calm ahead of Italy’s make-or-break Group C encounter with the Republic of Ireland on Monday night with a place in the last eight of Euro 2012 on the line.

Draws with Spain and Croatia in their first two games has left the Azzurri needing a win in their deciding match against the already eliminated Irish if they are to stand a chance of making it to the quarter finals.

The 54-year-old believes a a considered approach will bear the desired result for the Italians and was keen to emphasise that his players need to keep their minds focused on the task in hand.

“It’s very difficult to say,” he said in his pre-match press conference. “Let’s not get ahead of ourselves, we are just thinking about tomorrow’s game.

“We want to win the game, that’s it. Just let us play, let’s get on with it, come on. We always want everything before it comes, we want everything now.

“We are always getting ahead of ourselves, us Italians, but I always say that if you get ahead of yourself, you fall over.”

Ireland were knocked out after being thrashed 4-0 by Spain on Thursday evening with head coach Giovani Trapattoni has charged his players with giving the fans something to cheer before they head home.

It’s been a disappointing tournament for Trapattoni who held hope that qualification would still be achievable going into the last game against his home nation and believes the scars of Italy’s elimination in Euro 2004 could play into his sides favour.

He said: “When things like this go on, we are all ready to think that we Italians are masters at making these agreements.

“We are famous – in fact, infamous – for it. Everything is the same in other countries. These things have happened all over the place. Great scars were left by this.

“We need to play our own game and ask for commitment from players for the people who pay our wages and our supporters.

“We have worked well. We will not change our approach because we lost two games. It would undermine our honour.”

Team News

Mario Balotelli be rested after limping out of training on Saturday with a knee injury although he was present for the session on Sunday. Defender Andrea Barzagli is also expected to play after returning from a calf problem that kept him out of the first two matches.

Damien Duff will captain Ireland on his 100th appearance and will be joined in the starting XI by Kevin Doyle who comes back into the side at the expense of Simon Cox.

Key Players

FootballFanCast General Stay ahead in the world of football analysis, commentary, and fan insights with FootballFancast. Subscribe FootballFanCast General Stay ahead in the world of football analysis, commentary, and fan insights with FootballFancast.

---

Subscribe

By subscribing, you agree to receive newsletter and marketing emails, and accept Valnet’s Terms of Use and Privacy Policy. You can unsubscribe anytime.

Antonio Cassano

Goals have been in short supply for the Milan striker as he seeks to break his Euro 2012 duck after failing to score in Italy’s first two group games. Cassano’s performances haven’t exactly been bad and finally getting off the mark against Ireland and leading the Azzurri into the last eight.

Richard Dunne

It’s been a tough tournament for the Aston Villa defender who’s played every minute so far and seen his back four breached seven times in total during their first two games. Dunne’s experience will be key to keeping Italy’s strike force at bay and giving Ireland a platform to leave the Euro’s on a high with a win.

Prediction: 3-1

In a week that has seen one player out, one player on the move subject to a medical, and one joining on a two year deal, it has been another week of progression for Northampton Town in their preparation for the new season.

Well done to Michael Jacobs on his move to Championship side Derby County for an undisclosed fee which so many seem to be nowadays. We will probably never find out the real price that Crackers was sold for but we do know that only a small amount of this fee will go back into the playing side as the club has other costs to cover in wages etc. This is fair enough by me as the safeguarding of our football club is paramount and we know that David Cardoza will spend what is required and back his manager if needs be. Crackers also mentioned in a local newspaper that our great rivals from Peterborough United would have been hard to turn down had it been the only option as he felt the time was right to move on. On the bright side thank god for the top class facilities on offer at Pride Park which I know will be top notch a lot better than that chicken coup that Peterborough play in.

Another player who could also be on the move is Arron Davies he could be on his way to Exeter City on a free which is currently subject to a medical. Arron joined us on a two year deal last season and looked good in patches but he always seems to me to be afraid to put a tackle in even more so since his injury in the opening months of the season. I just don’t think he has the capacity for a fight and in League Two we need a battling midfield who can compete for 90 minutes and in my eyes Arron just does not fit the bill. The writing has been on the wall for Arron since Aidy Boothroyd has taken over as he has not figured in a first team squad and I just don’t think he is Aidy’s type of player. I hope he can get his career back on track as you don’t win international caps by not being a good player, sometimes players just don’t work out at certain clubs and unfortunately for Arron that is the case with us.

Another new signing was made this week when we managed to sign the exciting Ishmel Demontagnac on a free transfer after he was released by Notts County. He burst on to the football league scene as a 17 year old at Walsall but left there after many disciplinary issues as the manager at the time said he had a lot of talent but let himself down with his attitude and off field problems. He also has Premier League experience with Blackpool and is a pacy left sided midfielder who is also known for the extravagant goal or two. I am excited about this signing but it may go one of two ways. He could be disruptive for the rest of the squad or could be that missing link on the wing floating in the crosses for Bayo and Clive Platt in the new season and then we will all be raving about him. Welcome to Sixfields Ishmel we wait with baited breath.

Still no news on the potential signing of Clarke Carlisle but as they say no news could be good news, and at the end of it all you can only respect the big mans decision. There are rumors that a couple of northern sides are interested in the no nonsense defender and if he chooses that option it will be for family reasons as all of us know a big move can be disruptive for a family and relocating your family south will be hard but we can just hold out that glimmer of hope that he will sign.

Up The Cobblers!!

FootballFanCast General Stay ahead in the world of football analysis, commentary, and fan insights with FootballFancast. Subscribe FootballFanCast General Stay ahead in the world of football analysis, commentary, and fan insights with FootballFancast.

---

Subscribe

By subscribing, you agree to receive newsletter and marketing emails, and accept Valnet’s Terms of Use and Privacy Policy. You can unsubscribe anytime.

[ad_pod id=’writer-2′ align=’right’]

Tottenham manager Andre Villas-Boas has stated that new signing Gylfi Sigurdsson will score important goals for the club in 2012-13.

The Icelandic midfielder joined the White Hart Lane side after an impressive loan spell at Swansea last term, and got off the mark in the side’s first pre-season friendly, a 2-0 win over Stevenage.

The Scandinavian is thought to be one of the players that will be responsible for picking up the burden of Luka Modric’s potential departure, and the Portuguese trainer has confessed that he wants Sigurdsson to contribute with goals next term.

“Gylfi has tremendous goalscoring attributes,” Villas-Boas told The Sun.

“We have seen him open his account with a great goal, which is important for him. He has a real eye in front of goal. That’s vital in a player.

“I’m sure there’s more to come during the season,” he predicted.

Sigurdsson meanwhile has stated that he wants to score as often as possible but that hitting the back of the net is not all he has to offer.

“Scoring goals does give you confidence, but there’s more to my game than that,” he confirmed.

FootballFanCast General Stay ahead in the world of football analysis, commentary, and fan insights with FootballFancast. Subscribe FootballFanCast General Stay ahead in the world of football analysis, commentary, and fan insights with FootballFancast.

---

Subscribe

By subscribing, you agree to receive newsletter and marketing emails, and accept Valnet’s Terms of Use and Privacy Policy. You can unsubscribe anytime.

By Gareth McKnight

[ad_pod id=’dfp-mpu’ align=’right’]

There are just a couple of days to go until the transfer window slams shut, ending a summer of frenzied activity. Every football fan across the country will be glued to their TV’s, watching Jim White and the boys bring you all the live updates on Sky Sports News, right up until midnight as we wait for our clubs to do some last minute business to ignite the campaign.

Deadline Day is possibly one of the best dates on the football calendar and this year’s is shaping up to be a cracker as well, with many Premier League managers admitting they still have unfinished business, having identified a number of new players that will still improve their team. This is the last chance to rectify any squad problems before January and that could be crucial for those sides challenging at the top, or indeed those fighting relegation. Nobody wants to be bottom by Christmas after all. In anticipation of the final day’s action, we bring you 15 of the best deals that went right down to the wire.

Click on Scott Parker to unveil the 15

[divider]

[divider]

FootballFanCast General Stay ahead in the world of football analysis, commentary, and fan insights with FootballFancast. Subscribe FootballFanCast General Stay ahead in the world of football analysis, commentary, and fan insights with FootballFancast.

---

Subscribe

By subscribing, you agree to receive newsletter and marketing emails, and accept Valnet’s Terms of Use and Privacy Policy. You can unsubscribe anytime.

[divider]

[ad_pod id=’dfp-mpu’ align=’right’]

If Michael Carrick steps into the breach at centre-back again this weekend, for many, it’ll simply represent another short-term fix to a temporary problem at Manchester United. The crux of supporters worries, it appears, remains transfixed on plugging the hole that Paul Scholes will eventually leave.

But whilst the one-time retiree offers the more pressing issue for Sir Alex Ferguson, it could be that events at the centre of defense that demand an equal amount of concern for those at Old Trafford. Things aren’t necessarily as rosy as they seem.

Manchester United’s current injury crisis at the heart of defense isn’t the first time they’ve encountered such an issue and it definitely won’t be the last time either. From time to time, all teams undergo an excessive shortage in personnel within a certain part of the team, and Fergie’s defensive headache is no different. The loss of Rio Ferdinand, Jonny Evans, Phil Jones and Chris Smalling simultaneously doesn’t constitute the need for a knee-jerk reaction.

And the installment of Michael Carrick at centre-half for the trip to Everton was more a move of necessity than one of particular choice. Carrick has the sort of skillset that suggests he may have got away with doing a Franco Baresi impression at the back for United, although putting it into practice on Monday had a very different outcome indeed. His marking for Marouane Fellaini’s winner was poor but the ex-Tottenham man isn’t a central defender and he shouldn’t be playing here.

Quite whether the touted move of Patrice Evra to the role of emergency centre-half for the Fulham game will pay Fergie any better results is questionable, but these are the cards they’ve been dealt to play. The question is, can anything have been done to prevent it and how likely is it to happen again?

Exhibit A brings us to the case of one Rio Gavin Ferdinand. Esteemed defensive general, 81 England caps and five Premier League titles for Manchester United. As it stands, he constitutes one half of Ferguson’s first choice defensive partnership alongside Nemanja Vidic and when the two are at their zenith, it’s relatively difficult to argue with that notion. Except getting them both playing at their peak isn’t quite such an easy task anymore.

It’s important to note that it’s unfair to judge Vidic’s otherwise impressive fitness record on a one-off cruciate ligament injury. Not all players return the same, but the signs look encouraging for the Serbian so far. But it is Ferdinand who appears to be the more worrying bet. A long standing back problem has already been credited with causing a number of associated niggling problems. Even Sir Alex Ferguson admitted in May that the defender would be unable to cope with the rigors of international football, claiming that: “You play something like a game every four days. Rio Ferdinand couldn’t do that.”

Whilst sitting out a European Championships is one thing, the unrelenting physical nature of the Premier League will ask tougher questions of Ferdinand. The busy Christmas fixture list isn’t a million miles off the sort of schedule tournament football throws up. Is it really good enough that a team looking to challenge for the sort of honours United are, have a first-choice defensive partnership that is bound to the fluctuations of fitness and injury?

Ferdinand’s form last season wasn’t perhaps anywhere near as bad as what some liked to make out, but he started to look far more mortal last season than he has done before for United. A back four is built on consistency and you need to look no further than the sort of paradox that Ledley King brought to the Tottenham Hotspur defence to get a gauge of the issues that comes with a yo-yoing defender.

Whenever King was in the Spurs team, the defensive unit played infinitely better than without him. But the flip-side of this was the next game, or the game after, where a replacement would have to come in to cover for his chronic injury. Asking another centre-half to be prepared to play every other weekend isn’t easy and the consequent lack of game time and consistency, never allowed Spurs to maintain an established back-four. No one is saying that Ferdinand is guaranteed to suffer such a season this term and his injury problems certainly aren’t on the same plateau as what King’s were. But the problems are still relatable.

A lot of hope resides for both Chris Smalling and Phil Jones. But, maintaining either can stay fit long enough; they are going to have to be backed in the United centre of defence sooner rather than later. Both have made a slight array of errors when they’ve been in the team, but that’s all part of the maturing process. The only way that can be eradicated is through long, hard game-time. Being plugged in and out between right-back and centre-back isn’t helping their development either. Young players are versatile and they’re both adept at playing either role but for the good of both the players and the team, a more solid role is surely likely to pay dividends.

Sir Alex Ferguson described Jonny Evans as the best defender in the country back in April but whilst the Ulsterman has come a long way since his now infamous horror show during West Ham’s 4-0 Carling Cup win in 2010, it certainly felt like an excessive compliment to say the least. Ironically, it was his partnership with Ferdinand in the light of Vidic’s absence last season that saw him draw such plaudits from his manager. But it is ultimately Ferdinand whom he must be looking to displace within this United team.

You can make something of an innocent until proven guilty case for Ferdinand this season. It is unfair to pan a player on the premise he will live up to a suspect injury record and that his form will slip away with age. He had a decent season last term and was ultimately part of a centre-half pairing that lost the league title on goal difference.

FootballFanCast General Stay ahead in the world of football analysis, commentary, and fan insights with FootballFancast. Subscribe FootballFanCast General Stay ahead in the world of football analysis, commentary, and fan insights with FootballFancast.

---

Subscribe

By subscribing, you agree to receive newsletter and marketing emails, and accept Valnet’s Terms of Use and Privacy Policy. You can unsubscribe anytime.

But if United want one of their pretenders to Ferdinand’s throne to succeed, they need to throw their weight behind whoever they deem to be the favoured candidate. Ferdinand is still set to be out for a number of weeks. If either the imminently returning Jones or Evans step up the plate alongside Vidic, they shouldn’t be shunted back out the team for when Rio makes his comeback. If they’re holding their own on form alone, than they must stay there.

Only time will tell how United’s back four stands up to the coming challenges the new season will throw at them. Although strong foundations are built on a bedrock of stability in a back four. Whatever the solution may be, it has to be one that sticks.

How do you see the future of Manchester United’s central defence developing? Can Ferdinand go on for longer or is it time for someone else to step up to the plate? Tell me what you’d do on Twitter: follow @samuel_antrobus and tweet me your line-ups. 

[ad_pod id=’dfp-mpu’ align=’right’]

New Manchester City signing Matija Nastasic has expressed his surprise at his move to the Premier League champions.

The Etihad Stadium club tied up a deal on transfer deadline day for around £12million, with Stefan Savic moving to Fiorentina as part of the deal.

The 19-year-old had only spent one season in Italy, and as such has revealed that his big move has come earlier than expected.

“The first I heard of it was 15 to 20 days ago and of course I was surprised,” Nastasic told The Daily Mail.

“I did not expect to transfer to a major club and league such as Manchester City and the Premier League after only a year at Fiorentina.

“Playing for City by definition means we’ll be playing for trophies and I’m sure that City intend to strive to win each and every trophy.

“This is great motivation for me and the main reason for my arrival,” he concluded.

FootballFanCast General Stay ahead in the world of football analysis, commentary, and fan insights with FootballFancast. Subscribe FootballFanCast General Stay ahead in the world of football analysis, commentary, and fan insights with FootballFancast.

---

Subscribe

By subscribing, you agree to receive newsletter and marketing emails, and accept Valnet’s Terms of Use and Privacy Policy. You can unsubscribe anytime.

Nastasic is being touted as the ‘next Nemanja Vidic’ and will provide competition for Joleon Lescott and Vincent Kompany in the centre of City’s defence.

By Gareth McKnight

Reading goalkeeper Alex McCarthy is hoping an extended first-team run can propel him into the England reckoning.

McCarthy, 22, was handed his Premier League debut by Royals boss Brian McDermott in Sunday’s 3-1 home defeat by Tottenham. McDermott picked the youngster ahead of regular first choice Adam Federici, who was dropped after a less than convincing start to the new campaign. McCarthy produced two outstanding saves to deny ex-Royal Gylfi Sigurdsson and Jan Vertonghen in the early stages, but also had a couple of nervous moments as Spurs cruised to victory.

Now, he is aiming to cement his place as McDermott’s No.1 after patiently learning his trade away from the Madejski Stadium with six loan spells in the past five seasons. And the ambitious England Under-21 cap is also aiming to catch the eye of senior national boss Roy Hodgson. He told Sky Sports:

“I hope I can get a run in the Reading team now. I played in the Championship last year and I’ve been wanting to play in the Premier League for a long time. It’s a massive league. The game’s a lot quicker so I was pleased to get a start and I hope I can go on and build from that. I just have to get on and play my best. Obviously I want to play for England one day and this can give me a good chance to do that.”