Barcelona rising star Cristian Tello is wanted by Liverpool ahead of the forthcoming summer transfer window, according to the Mirror.
Tello is currently enjoying his breakthrough season in the Barcelona first team and most recently appeared for 25 minutes in the midweek game at Milan, replacing Andres Iniesta as a substitute.
Liverpool have tracked their attention to the Iberian peninsula in search of talent for a number of years now and Tello could be the latest Spaniard to follow Xabi Alonso, Luis Garcia and Fernando Torres’ footsteps in joining the Anfield club.
Tello who operates as a forward or on either flank is under contract at the Catalan club until 2014, but given Barcelona’s talent at their disposal, they may opt to loan the 20-year-old out to gain vital first-team experience abroad.
A number of Barcelona youngsters have previously moved to England, most notably Cesc Fabregas alongside Oriol Romeu, Daniel Pacheco and Fran Merida, but Tello has been an increasing fixture in Pep Guardiola’s squads and has struck three goals in eight appearances since his promotion from the Barcelona B set up alongside Isaac Cuenca.
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Tello could represent the attacking flair which is currently in short supply for Kenny Dalglish’s side who still remain 13 points away in the race for a Champions League qualification berth.
The Premier League is home to many different nationalities – from the Grenadian Jason Roberts, to Benin international Stephane Sessegnon. However, there is one nation that has been missing a representative in England for quite some time now – Latvia. Their favoured son, Marian Pahars, lit up the league for Southampton during his time here and would have made a greater impact if it had not been for injury.
Pahars began his career with Pardaugava in 1994, before moving to Skonto Riga – the biggest club in Latvia. After impressing in the reserve side, he battled his way into the first team where he started off as a winger. His goalscoring soon saw him converted into a striker; a role English fans remember him for.
His form for Skonto did not go unrecognised on the national stage and he was rewarded with a call-up to the Latvian national side. He excelled in the role and became a regular member of the squad. At club level, he was picking up regular silverware. Skonto won four consecutive league titles and two national cups during the time he was there. The club even broke into the UEFA Cup, but were unable to progress past the first round of the competition.
Pahars becomes a Saint
An impressive strike-rate of just under a goal every two games saw him attract interest from all over Europe. Despite being linked with moves to Germany and Italy, Latvian national boss Gary Johnson recommended the striker to Southampton boss Dave Jones. A successful trial saw Jones snap up Pahars midway through the 1998/99 season.
With Saints struggling in the league, it came down to the last game of the season and the club needed a win on the final day against Everton to guarantee their place in the Premier League. A 2-0 victory at the Dell, in which Pahars scored twice, saw the club avoid relegation and ensured Pahars became a fan’s favourite immediately!
The following season Jones was replaced by Glenn Hoddle, who decided to play Pahars on the wing. Despite the change of position, he still finished as top scorer at the club – thus leading to him being nicknamed the ‘Latvian Michael Owen’ by the British media. The 2000/01 season proved difficult for Pahars, who struggled for form in his wide position. However, he did help the club to a comfortable mid-table finish.
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Injury problems begin
The 2001/02 season saw him return to form and build a successful partnership with James Beattie, and the pair finished the campaign as the second-best striking duo in the top flight. A hernia operation in the summer saw the beginning of a series of injury problems for the little Latvian. After finally getting himself fit and re-establishing himself once more in the first team, he suffered a serious ankle injury in November and missed the rest of the season.
After a long spell of rehabilitation and reserve team outings, he finally made his return to the first team a year later, but struggled to nail down a spot in the first team. However, he did do enough to gain a place in the Latvian Euro 2004 squad – although the side crashed out in the group stages.
More heartbreak was to follow when he aggravated his previous ankle injury during the 2004/05 pre-season – ruling him out for the entire term. The campaign also proved to be a miserable one for Saints, who were relegated after 28 consecutive years of top fight football. He made a brief return to the side in the Championship the next season, but did not to enough to earn a new contract.
End of an era at Southampton
Pahars was released in May 2006 after scoring 45 goals in 156 games for the club. Saints fans always appreciated the talent of Pahars and this showed when he was given a standing ovation as he made his way around the pitch for a lap of honour following the final game of the season. the hard-working striker had always given his best for the club, despite such rotten luck with injury.
He wasted little time in finding a new club and signed for Cypriot side Anthornis Famagusta – managed by former Newcastle midfielder Temuri Ketsbaia. However, injury hit once more and he was unable to establish himself in the first team. These injury problems proved costly and he as released in January 2008 – after just a handful of appearances for the club.
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Now 32, Pahars decided to return to his homeland and re-joined Skonto – where he had had such success earlier in his career. After just a year with Skonto, he moved to fellow Latvian side FK Jurmala where he ended his playing career.
Manager Pahars
After a brief break from the game, he was given the chance to return to football in 2010 when he was invited to become the assistant manager at Skonto. He assisted Aleksandrs Starkovs, who had handed him his debut as a youngster at Skonto. Their first season as a managerial duo saw Skonto win the league for the first time since 2004.
Despite the success, Starkovs left to manage in Azerbaijan in early 2011 and the manager’s role was handed to Pahars. As the Latvian league runs from April until November, Pahars is curently in the middle of his first season as a full-time manager. Skonto currently lie fourth in the league after a disappointing run of results, but they have a UEFA Cup qualifier (a reward left over from last season) to look forward to.
It is always a shame when such a promising player has his career restricted and cut short by injury. Football can be a cruel game at times and many players have felt the full force of the obstacles it can throw at you. I’m sure everyone will wish Pahars the best of luck in management and hope he succeeds there where he inevitably would have done at playing level, if it had not been for injury. The little Latvian is now the big man at Skonto!
Imogen Thomas Joins Paddy Power For a Champion Offer! They will refund losing Champions League Final bets if Man United lose the match Make your bets now!
Last Thursday West Ham United expectedly submitted their joint bid, in conjunction with Newham council, to move into the Olympic Stadium. Scott Parker, Carlton Cole and Mark Noble delivered their plans to the door of No 10 Downing Street. Integral to the club’s plan is to reduce the capacity to 60,000 seats and prepare the venue for the spectre of Premier League football. Nearby rivals Tottenham Hotspur surprisingly emerged as candidates to run the Stadium too, submitting their proposals just before the agreed deadline. West Ham co-owner David Gold insisted, on Match of the Day 2’s illuminating day in the life segment, their declaration of interest was merely because they were defeated at Upton Park last week. Should the Hammers fear Spurs’ late entry and more importantly does the move suit either side?
The West Ham hierarchy have been dismissive of Tottenham’s rival bid, partly because the north Londoners had their Northumberland Park Development Project approved by Haringey council last week. Planning application was granted for a 56,250 capacity stadium to be constructed on a site adjacent to White Hart Lane. The £400 million project is an ambitious one which is set to incorporate a single tier stand to compete with Liverpool’s legendary Kop. But with the London Mayoral Office yet to rubber stamp the proposals, Spurs’ chairman Daniel Levy described their Olympic interest as “prudent” and “good management.” Harry Redknap was uncharacteristically diplomatic when quizzed on the club’s future plans: “The new stadium or the Olympic Stadium would be great. I’m only the employee – I don’t want to say the wrong one.”
He proceeded to suggest that the issue would be particularly divisive for West Ham fans. However the Tottenham crowd would presumably be far more resentful of moving to a ground outside of their borough. West Ham are the PL side situated closest to Stratford and therefore remain favourites to move into the Olympic site. Their proposed tenancy did not seem as likely when the club’s abrasive co-owners discussed the move with a discernible arrogance. Talk of a potential white elephant and the minimal appeal of athletics in comparison to PL football did not gain favour with Lord Coe or the Olympic Park Legacy Company (OPLC). Nevertheless moving to the Olympic Stadium remained a fundamental tenet of their enduring vision for the club’s future. Utilising the negotiation skills of vice-chairman Karen Brady the club sought to foster relationships with the local council, Essex County Cricket Club and embrace the notion of an athletics legacy.
The OLPC obliged all candidates to retain the running track. The Hammers duly acquiesced and have gone further by suggesting that the two sports can work in tandem. West Ham’s Olympic Park director Ian Tompkins said, “There is a great opportunity for us to work with athletics to develop sports talent and there is obviously a crossover with helping to attract kids into athletics.” Although other actors including Tottenham have lodged their interest, UK Athletics chairman Ed Warner has spoken glowingly about West Ham’s proposals, making them firm favourites to become the permanent tenants.
The supporters are not as enamoured by these plans. Keen to assert his credentials as a fan first and foremost, Gold has expressed how difficult it will be to depart from the Boleyn Ground. Leaving a stadium steeped in football history and tradition is difficult enough but attention has turned to what will await them at the Olympic site. The fear expressed by many is that the stadium will represent a generic bowl shape, too far removed from the pitch and not conducive to the creation of a boisterous atmosphere. Fan site, West Ham Process conducted a survey on the proposed move which boasted a sample of over 1,000. Results showed that 47% of those asked expressed a preference to redevelop Upton Park’s East Stand and a comprehensive 85% said no to a running track.
Atmosphere is the primary concern for fans who additionally worry that huge sections of the 60,000 seater ground will be left empty. However the most revealing aspect of the aforementioned results is that a majority of those polled felt the club’s consultation with them had been inadequate. The scale of the charm offensive waged by the club to propel them into first place will now have to be repeated for the fans. The co-owners will have to demonstrate that the move is about more than business imperatives. It is a difficult task but one that will be immeasurably easier than selling the prospect of a ground share with Tottenham.
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New Newcastle signing Papiss Cisse had a dream debut against Aston Villa on Sunday, popping up with the winning goal in a 2-1 victory for the Tyneside club.
Alan Pardew’s men were boosted by the return of Cisse and countryman Demba Ba from the African Cup of Nations, with the latter opening the scoring for the hosts in the first half, taking his Premier League goal count to 16 for the season.
Robbie Keane equalised in first half injury time to square things up at the break, before debutant Cisse stole the show and guaranteed three points for the Sports Direct Arena outfit.
Pardew is happy to keep the good run of form up, and knows that his Senegalese strike partnership will cause defences problems for the remainder of the season.
“It was a good win because Villa came here and looked lively. They looked lively first half,” he admitted to Sky Sports.
“Although they scored just before half-time, they deserved to be level. They deserved to be in the lead at half-time. We accepted that and second half we knew we had to be better and more controlled, and we were. We limited their breakaways on us and we got a bit of pressure building.
“Of course we got a dream goal for us, because he’s a new signing and he wanted to do well. It was a fantastic goal.
“We mustn’t get carried from the team ethic we have got here because the guys did brilliantly to get a result at Blackburn in the week and again we have put in a display here that has been strong.
“(James) Perch in midfield was brilliant. We had no Cheick (Tiote) today, no (Yohan) Cabaye, but we keep winning. That’s a great thing.
“Having said that, you still need great players because they change games. Papiss did that today and Demba has done it for us before. It was a real bonus that he got a goal on his debut.
“They are a dangerous pair. We have got dangerous strikers all over the place here because Shola (Ameobi) and Besty have done well, (Peter) Lovenkrands is there as well and (Hatem) Ben Arfa, so we have got firepower. We just need to tighten up a little bit more,” he concluded.
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The Geordies are in fifth place, and in battle for a top four finish as they are only a point behind Chelsea in fourth.
Already-relegated Hamilton bowed out of the Scottish Premier League with a 2-1 defeat at home to Inverness on Saturday.Hamilton’s demotion from the top flight had already been confirmed when they lost 1-0 away to St Johnstone on Tuesday.
They had a chance to sign off on a positive note in the final match of the season, but fell behind a minute before half-time when centre-forward Riche Foran made it 1-0 to the visitors at New Douglas Park.
And although Simon Mensing levelled for Hamilton five minutes into the second half, Irish striker Adam Rooney restored the lead for Inverness on 56 minutes.
Their season was summed up when midfielder Mensing passed up a simple opportunity to equalise, missing from the penalty spot with 19 minutes remaining.
Hamilton will now return to the First Division after three seasons in the SPL.
In other matches, Aberdeen finished a disappointing campaign on a high with a 3-1 win away to Hibernian.
Derek Riordan put Hibs ahead 21 minutes into the match and the hosts retained the lead going into half-time at Easter Road.
Josh Magennis equalised for Aberdeen three minutes into the second half, before a three-minute brace from striker Chris Maguire completed the comeback for the visitors.
St Mirren finished second from bottom, a comfortable seven points clear of Hamilton, following a 0-0 draw at home to St Johnstone.
Manchester City boss Roberto Mancini has leapt to the defence of Nigel de Jong after the combative midfielder was dropped from the Netherlands squad.
De Jong was axed by Dutch coach Bert van Marwijk after his tackle on Hatem Ben Arfa left the Newcastle United winger with a broken leg following City's 2-1 Premier League victory at Eastlands on Sunday.
The 25-year-old's conduct was already under scrutiny following his X-rated tackle on Spain's Xabi Alonso during the World Cup final.
He was originally called up by van Marwijk ahead of the Euro 2012 qualifiers with Moldova and Sweden but was told on his arrival in the Netherlands that he was no longer required.
Van Marwijk was unhappy with the tackle which went unpunished by the referee, but Mancini has defended his midfielder after claiming he is not a dirty player.
He told the club's official website:"I don't want to comment about Nigel not being called up by his national team as it is a matter for the Dutch Federation.
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"However, as his club manager I wish to say that whilst he is naturally competitive, Nigel is first and foremost a great player as well as being honest and loyal and I support him wholeheartedly.
"I also want to take this opportunity to wish Ben Arfa, who I rate very highly, a speedy recovery and I hope to see him back in action soon."Subscribe to Football FanCast News Headlines by Email
We mere mortals will never fully understand the feeling of being a professional sportsman/woman and dealing with day to day life in the spotlight. Football players seem to deal with the pressure well and don’t let performing in front of thousands of people each week effect them. However in the past few weeks and months, retired players have shown that life after football is anything but easy. If you were to quit your job, you may react differently to others, but what comes with being a professional footballer is hard to replace.
Anybody; like myself; who has not suffered with any mental issues such as depression will always find it difficult to fully understand exactly what it involves to be in that state of mind but it is becoming more in vogue than ever now and the seriousness of the situations are being explained.
There is no confirmation that any type of depression was involved in the tragic and shocking death of Wales manager Gary Speed towards the end of last year but since then more and more ex players have broken their silence regarding mental problems. Plenty of people are still confused about the Speed situation and a lot has yet to be cleared up to allow his supporters to understand exactly what brought him to end his own life.
Over the weekend, another footballing legend Dean Windass discussed how he attempted to kill himself due to pressures of life after football.
“I have cried every day for the last two years since retiring,” Windass told The People. “People outside football think we have it all. But I was in a hole that I honestly didn’t know how to get out of.
“Just over a week ago I hit rock-bottom and decided to end it all. I first took an overdose and when that didn’t work tried to hang myself. I felt so alone and believed I had nothing to live for.
“I need to sort myself out which is why I’m speaking out now.”
He added: “People have this image of me as this big strong man who can take anything life throws at him. But I’m not ashamed to say I wanted to end it after a string of setbacks. I knew I’d been a fool but I couldn’t shake off the depression at feeling what a failure I’d become.”
So, since Windass retired he has been unable to cope with life, something that may be becoming more common in the English football. It seems that football fans struggle to understand how hard it is to cope with a lifestyle that changes dramatically so quickly. For anyone to admit that they are suffering from this type of problem is always sad, but when it is one of your sporting heroes it is tough to watch.
The part-time Soccer Saturday pundit enjoyed a long career, that included a promotion winning goal for his boyhood club Hull City that sent them to the Premier League for the first time and it seems the highs have been hard to replicate since then.
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Freddie Flintoff: Hidden Side Of Sport was on BBC1 last week and gave a heartfelt insight into how he and his fellow sportsman went through a similar situation as Windass while he was the England cricket captain. The stories that he spoke about and the way he was talking about them was so intriguing to watch and brought the situation home to a level where everyone could understand.
Since Speed’s tragic death the subject of depression in sport has finally been promoted and it is now a hot topic that will hopefully give the fans a chance to understand exactly why their idols may be dragged into doing some terrible things. If you get the chance, make sure you watch Freddie Flintoff’s show on BBCiplayer and always seek help when needed.
Do you really understand about depression in sport? What does it mean to you? Let me know on Twitter: @Brad_Pinard
Mirror Football is reporting that Newcastle’s left back Jose Enrique is now looking to move on in the summer. The Newcastle defender is being courted by Liverpool, Arsenal and Bayern Munich and has stalled on contract talks until the end of the season.
The Spanish star has only a year left on his current contract and Newcastle may have little choice but to cash in if a bid in the region of £12m came in during the summer; Newcastle signed Enrique for a fee in the region of £6.3m.
Enrique himself has seemingly opened up the possibility of a move when asked about his future plans. He is understood to want to prove himself in the Champions League and push his own international ambitions; Enrique has yet to make an appearance for Spain but has played for his country at U16, U20 and U21 level.
Enrique has praised Newcastle fans by saying “they love football more than their wives” and says after a difficult first season he is now settled and content. Enrique said on his Newcastle future “Next season is my last season here. I concentrate (on) playing my games and wait to the summer, or maybe next summer. We don’t speak about the contract yet. I don’t speak about it yet, as I am happy. I am very happy here.”
Enrique has become a huge hit at Newcastle and proved himself as one of the best left backs in the country.
Follow me on Twitter @jimlk2007
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Football is as susceptible to passing trends as the fashion industry. Four years ago Italy represented the epitome of a winning team having won the World Cup in Germany. Their success was explained by a mix of calm, experienced heads and resolute defensive work. Fast forward to 2010 and Spain are now the pre-eminent international team whose style of play others can only aspire to. Their domination of international football since Euro 2008 has highlighted the importance of possession football and excellent technique. After England’s frailties were pitifully exposed at this year’s World Cup, the Spanish model is set to be emulated by the Football Association as they plan to overhaul youth development. Their director of football development, Sir Trevor Brooking is the man charged with implementing this philosophical shift in English football. But is Brooking missing a trick by not turning to a familiar face at West Ham for help? Tony Carr has been West Ham’s youth director for four decades, producing some of the country’s top talent. Excellent lessons can also be learned from methods used at Middlesbrough and Arsenal.
Arsene Wenger has invariably been a vocal critic of the dearth of quality amongst English players. The experienced Frenchman has arguably been proved correct, as even skilful English players reverted to an ambitious long ball game in South Afrcia. Brooking led the calls for a change in England’s culture before the World Cup, as the country’s Under-17s won the European Championships by playing a brand of tippy tappy football. Indeed John Peacock’s team beat Spain in the final of that competition. Players such as Connor Wickham, Josh McEachran and Conor Coady excelled in that tournament.
England’s new breed may be nearing maturity but creating a seismic change in the nation’s footballing philosophy is a monumental task. In the hope of raising technical standards the FA has produced a weighty document entitled, ‘The Future Game,’ which they describe as, “A blueprint for the future development of young players.” The FA’s coaching department liaised with expert coaches to produce a thorough guide on methods, techniques and standards which will be distributed to all Academy managers in England. But is a detailed document the best tonic for grass roots reform? Can guidelines compare to practical experience demonstrated by some of the nation’s best youth coaches?
Tony Carr has a proven track record of nurturing some of England’s most prodigious talents. The likes of Rio Ferdinand, John Terry, Frank Lampard, Michael Carrick, Joe Cole and Jermaine Defoe have all received his tutelage. These players may have disappointed on the international stage but play the game in the manner Brooking prefers and have excelled at club level. The conveyor belt of talent at West Ham has not ceased with James Tomkins, Junior Stanislas and Zavon Hines recently progressing to their first team. His commitment to developing technically proficient young stars has been unrelenting. The FA could certainly borrow his expertise to demonstrate to other clubs his methods, vision and how to run a successful academy system. Carr in conjunction with other respected coaches could physically take the message to clubs across the country.
Middlesbrough’s youth academy has been fruitful in recent years, guiding the talent of Adam Johnson. They additionally have European Under-17 winner, Bruno Pilatos on their books. Arsenal’s academy has produced footballers capable of playing with the club’s existing world class talent. Club legend Liam Brady heads up their academy which has recently witnessed the graduation of Jack Wilshere and Kieran Gibbs. However state of the art facilities and having a range of innovative coaches unites these clubs. Funding is a prevalent concern, especially as reports suggest that the FA could be hit with cuts of 10% which would potentially restrict the money distributed to grassroots football. However clubs should be persuaded to invest money and effort into youth development. By using the knowledge of Brady and Carr the FA could ensure its message has the practice to go with the theory.
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Eden Hazard: the name that is duelling with Mario Gotze to be top of every club’s wish list and one of the two brightest and most well documented prospects in European football at the moment. At the age of 21 he has already won the cup double in France, taking position on the left of Lille’s impressive attacking trident. He’s already on course to outdo the numbers he put up for Lille last season in the league and continues his impressive development in spite of a number of key figures that left the club over the past six months. But with much talk over where the Belgian star will end up in the summer, should club’s be cautious over a player who has spoken so openly about his admiration and desire to play for other clubs?
On the part of a neutral who looks from a distance at what Lille have done to aid Eden Hazard’s development over the past three seasons, one would be hugely impressed by a player who has seen his stock rise so greatly at such a young age. But should there be reason for club’s to tread lightly when it comes to the matter of signing the wonder kid? Hazard has made no secret of his desire to leave Lille and continue his career away from France. Certainly it creates a great deal of excitement for any prospective buyers—and there are many—but surely Lille will feel a little disrespected, especially now midway through a title defence and the target of qualifying for the Champions League again.
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Zinedine Zidane, Real Madrid’s Sporting Director, has tried in the past to use his influence in France to persuade Hazard that his future lies at the Bernabeu. Madrid have created an impressive young squad and Hazard would only do good things for their already hugely impressive attack. But then there has been the continued links with Arsenal and the reports that Arsene Wenger has met and agreed terms with the player last year. I’ve been nothing but impressed by Hazard’s performances and ability on the pitch, but where does the talk of a move abroad end?
It’s got to be a concern for any future manager and club of Hazard that if he’s willing to do it now who says he won’t become restless in the future and raise similar questions over his future. A move away from France and Lille into one of the leading leagues in the world—and so far only England and Spain have been mooted destinations—is a completely different set of circumstances than leaving one of the top club’s in England should Barcelona, for example, come knocking. But would a quieter, more respectful approach have been a better choice than to constantly send clubs and the media into a frenzy?
I’d love nothing more than to see Eden Hazard arrive in the Premier League. If England wants to maintain it’s grip as the leading football league in the world then it needs to attract and keep it’s best players. But an air of caution may be needed when signing Eden Hazard and his continued talk of a move away. Something that will be nowhere to be seen as his future club’s fans are sent into raptures at the capture of one of Europe’s finest.
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