Transfer news...

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[h=1]Turks delighted at prospect of signing Sunderland striker[/h] Published 22:59 30/08/11 By Simon Bird

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http://www.mirrorfootball.co.uk/tra...zonspor-both-want-striker-article793383.html#

Asamoah Gyan is a deadline day target for Turkish club Galatasaray and Trabzonspor. The Ghana star was the subject of a £6million bid from the two rival giants yesterday which was turned down.
But the Turks could come come back with more today and come closer to the £13m fee Sunderland paid for Gyan to temp the Wearsiders into a sale.
Gyan has disappointed this season, and is in Africa on international duty, but Sunderland's pursuit of Peter Crouch does not depend on his departure

 

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[h=1]EXCLUSIVE Wigan set to poach Birmingham forward[/h] Published 22:59 30/08/11 By Alan Nixon

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http://www.mirrorfootball.co.uk/tra...jour-3-5million-EXCLUSIVE-article793397.html#

Wigan boss Roberto Martinez is set to sign Birmingham City's Chilean forward Jean Beausejour in a shock £3.5million move.
Martinez will talk to the Blues star today as he tries to add some flair up front.
Beausejour has had mixed success since coming to England – but Martinez thinks his style of play can bring out the best in the attacker.
The Latics boss, who has landed Almeria winger Albert Crusat, is also set to sign Celtic's Scotland forward Shaun Maloney.

 

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[h=1]I was wrong to write off Fergie five years ago and Arsenal fans are wrong to write off Arsene now[/h]

By Oliver Holt
Published 23:07 30/08/11

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http://www.mirrorfootball.co.uk/opi...t-write-off-Arsene-Wenger-article793401.html#

Now and again, a *journalist will write an article that is proved *spectacularly wrong by time.
I wrote a book about Bill Shankly and Sir Alex Ferguson. It was published five years ago. The Shankly part was fine. The Ferguson part was the problem.
It suggested he had gone on too long as Manchester United manager and that he should quit.
It had been a difficult period for Ferguson back then. He was just emerging from The Djemba Djemba Years.

He had made a series of poor acquisitions such as Liam Miller and David Bellion, Roy Keane was a fading force and the arrival of Jose Mourinho at Chelsea was making him look old.
He had become involved in an undignified and highly damaging feud with the powerful Irishmen JP McManus and John Magnier, major stakeholders in United, over ownership of the racehorse Rock of Gibraltar. The BBC had *broadcast their 2004 documentary Fergie and Son about Jason Ferguson's activities as an agent which prompted the United manager to refuse interviews with the *corporation for seven years.
And United went three years without winning the Premier League and, in December 2005, were knocked out of the Champions League in the group stages, finishing bottom of a group made up by Benfica, Lille and Villarreal.
Things didn't look good for Ferguson. But three Champions League finals, four league titles and two Carling Cup triumphs later, they look rather better.
So even though the *circumstances are different and the two men come from vastly different *backgrounds and have contrasting personalities, you will forgive me if I don't call for the head of Arsene Wenger.
Because I can't help feeling that, bleak though the prognosis is at the moment, the Arsenal manager will oversee a renaissance at the club in the next few years.
"There is no allowance for the fact team-building goes in cycles," Ferguson wrote in defence of Wenger in his programme notes on Sunday, "and sometimes you just have to be patient."
I know Arsenal fans have been patient already. I know they haven't won a trophy for six years. I know they seem further away than ever from breaking that run.
And yes, their 8-2 defeat to United at Old Trafford was a traumatic and humiliating event in what has been a difficult start to the season for Wenger and his club.
And for his failure to plan for the departures of Cesc Fabregas and Samir Nasri and his reluctance to invest in the transfer market, Wenger deserves much of the criticism that has come his way.
But even though the manner of the defeat confirmed the sense that Arsenal will struggle to make the top four this season let alone be contenders for the title, there are still reasons to believe Wenger will rise again.
For a start, the Arsenal side crushed by United was missing some of its best players, notably Jack Wilshere and Thomas Vermaelen. That 8-2 scoreline was a freak result.
It also appears Wenger has finally taken the first steps towards improving Arsenal's defensive woes by moving for Germany defender Per *Mertesacker.
There is every reason to think the massacre by United was a nadir. Wenger was right when he said a ‘special set of circumstances' (injuries and suspensions and the departures of Nasri and Fabregas) had left Arsenal peculiarly exposed on Sunday.
So they will improve when some of those absent players return. They will improve when whatever investments Wenger has made before the end of the transfer window are integrated into the squad. Arsenal are a well-run club. They make a healthy profit. They have a fine, money-making new stadium and a hi-tech training ground. They have money to spend.
Part of the process of recovery after the 8-2 result is that Arsenal chief executive Ivan Gazidis has to persuade Wenger to spend more of it.
Wenger still has the basis for a very good side at The Emirates. With two or three top-quality *signings, they could be title contenders again next season.
The Frenchman knows how to build a title-winning side. Let's not forget that. He knows what it takes. When a manager has done it before, there is always a better chance he will be able to do it again.
Those who have been scathing in their criticism of Wenger's recent record are perfectly *justified but managers as good as him don't just fade away.
Everything seems to be against him at the moment. But it was just like this for Ferguson once, too. Trust me, I remember.
***
Three most memorable scoreboards I've ever seen at live sport: Deutschland 1-5 England, England 1-517 at the Gabba and Manchester United 8-2 Arsenal.
Australia 17-20 England at the 2003 Rugby World Cup Final was good, too, but it didn't have quite the same shock value.

​

 

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[h=1]Why it's too early to write off Joe Cole and Scott Parker deserves success at Spurs[/h]

By Oliver Holt
Published 23:06 30/08/11

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http://www.mirrorfootball.co.uk/opi...Parker-Tottenham-West-Ham-article793400.html#

Joe Cole has always been one of my favourite players and I thought his move to Liverpool would give him the platform to show the full range of his talents.
It never happened, mainly through bad luck, bad timing and sheer desperation to impress.
But I've got a good feeling about his loan move to Lille. The French champions are a top side with fine players and they will give Cole the chance to play Champions League football again.
Most of all, the move will allow him to rebuild his career out of the fierce spotlight that shines on him in the English game. It is way too early for the career of a player of his talent to sink into decline.

***
It is hard to know how fans will react when one of their best players leaves but I hope West Ham supporters cut Scott Parker some slack.
Parker's a player who gave everything to the club while he was there, who never moaned or criticised or agitated to leave.
One of his West Ham teammates said that last season Parker played through injury so often that he could barely walk after most games.
Now that he has finally broken back into the England side, he needs Premier League football to have a chance of keeping his place.
He deserves all the success that comes his way with Spurs.

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[h=1]Arsenal's Stan Kroenke could be tempted by Alisher Usmanov's millions[/h] • American owner has only to pick up the phone if he wants out
• Unchecked Arsenal slide may affect Kroenke's long-term view

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• Matt Scott
• guardian.co.uk, Tuesday 30 August 2011 23.00 BST Article history
  
  
  Arsène Wenger has lavished expensive wages on Arsenal fringe players who have proved difficult to move on. Photograph: Shaun Botterill/Getty Images
  
  Stan Kroenke's unspoken support for Arsène Wenger means this is not a make-or-break season for the Arsenal manager. But could it be for the club's American owner himself? In agreeing to pay about £150m to Arsenal directors and small shareholders to increase his stake in the club to 66.6% in April, the American was sold a vision for the club in which it would be a self-sustaining title challenger.
  Yet with Samir Nasri sold for £24m in the knowledge he could leave for free next May, Wenger has since expressed frustration at being unable to satisfy the wage demands of his transfer targets. Arsenal have been priced out of moves for players such as Juan Mata as benefactor-funded clubs have upped the transfer fee ante beyond Arsenal's means.
  That is partly Wenger's fault: he has lavished expensive wages on fringe players who have proved difficult to move on, restricting the funds available for signings. But Arsenal's competitors do not have the same worries about accommodating past purchases before making new acquisitions. This may present Kroenke with a dilemma, yet someone is preparing to offer him a solution. The Russian Alisher Usmanov, who owns almost 30% of Arsenal and has continued buying shares since Kroenke's takeover, is by some reckonings Britain's richest man.
  If Kroenke wants a way out of the club, and one that would enable him to turn a healthy profit on his investment to boot, he has only to pick up the phone. Kroenke certainly has no intention of doing so: he has always declared himself "a long-term investor". But Usmanov will not stop trying to tempt him.
  [h=2]The third man[/h]The football-investment fund Quality Football Ireland came to this column's attention when it was involved in the transfer of Roberto Jiménez from Benfica to the insolvent Real Zaragoza this month. It has since been involved in a few other third-party ownership deals, this time with Besiktas in Turkey, where third-party ownership is also permitted, in contrast to England where it is not. Peter Kenyon, the former Chelsea chief executive, confirmed to Digger that he and his associate, the Portuguese agent Jorge Mendes, were acting as consultants to the fund. But it turns out that there could be rather more to it than that. Kenyon is managing partner of CAA Sports International, which Digger can reveal is the controlling shareholder of QFI. According to documents at the Companies Registration Office in Dublin, CAA owns 69 of its 100 shares, with its principal director being CAA's general counsel, Michael Rubel. Ostensibly a "talent-representation agency", in buying up stakes in players CAA is taking its activities in a new direction, and it will surely not be long before other major player agencies follow suit.
  [h=2]Argyle in extra time[/h]The bid by Peter Ridsdale, pictured, to take over Plymouth Argyle inched closer to becoming a reality last week when administrators announced that Kevin Heaney and his co-investors, who are taking over the club's property assets in an apparently separate transaction, had at last proved they can afford to do so. But there is little chance of the deal taking place for a while: the Football League's board must first give its approval and that is not expected to happen before its next formal meeting, on 8 September.
  [h=2]In safe hands?[/h]Sepp Blatter was no doubt at pains to read and digest every element of a recent independent report he had commissioned entitled Safe Hands before he stated on Sunday: "They have a lot of recommendations but, in transparency, what can we do more?" He was referring to how his appointment of Placido Domingo to a Solutions Committee pre-empted the report's recommendations.
  But he made no mention of the recommended limitation of presidential terms (naturally: Blatter is in his fourth), of the proper auditing of how distributions to national associations are spent or of the appointment of independent non-executive directors to Fifa's Executive Committee and Finance Committee. So what more could Fifa do for transparency? Ask the authors of that report: Transparency International.
  [h=2]Hannover lose again[/h]German courts have all but rejected attempts by Hannover 96's chairman, Martin Kind, to overturn the 50+1 rule that ensures no single investor can own more than 49% of any club. A ruling delivered on Tuesday broadly supported the Bundesliga's rules over governance. Its chairman, Reinhard Rauball, said: "We must continue to fear any Spanish, Italian or English conditions."
  
  

 

[Rutashubanyuma]

[h=1]If Owen Hargreaves recaptures his 2006 form he can get in any side - even Manchester City's[/h]

By Oliver Holt
Published 23:05 30/08/11

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http://www.mirrorfootball.co.uk/opi...ter-City-Neil-Warnock-QPR-article793399.html#

Owen Hargreaves is so confident his injury problems are behind him that he says he will play 40 games this season for whoever signs him.
His terrible struggles with injury suggest we ought to be a little more cautious but I hope he's right. He deserves to play on after the determination he has shown to return.
And if he can get anywhere near recapturing the kind of superhuman level he produced for England at the 2006 World Cup, he will be among the first names on any team sheet, even Manchester City's.
***

I'm delighted for QPR boss Neil Warnock that he got some money to spend before the end of the transfer window. His position now is a victory for the patience and diplomacy (not virtues usually associated with him) that he showed in the final days of the previous regime at the club.
But the Tony Fernandes takeover, the signing of Joey Barton and the possibility of more new arrivals suggests Warnock will fulfil his dream of keeping a team in the Premier League.

​

 

[Rutashubanyuma]

[h=1]Why it's absurd to throw the book at Theo Walcott for having his own opinions[/h]

By Oliver Holt
Published 23:11 23/08/11

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http://www.mirrorfootball.co.uk/opi...bio-Capello-book-comments-article789393.html#

Let me tell you a few things about Theo Walcott.
He's one of the most unaffected, genuine, down-to-earth lads I've ever met.
Sure, he's got a couple of fast cars in his garage but he spends more time looking after his menagerie of pets than he does polishing his Audi.
He has had the same girlfriend, Mel, since he was 16. She didn't know he was a footballer when they started dating.

He doesn't do nightclubs. He's not a regular at Mahiki. He's not teetotal but he rarely drinks.
When Mel threw a surprise 21st birthday party for him at a bar in the West End , he got a bit tipsy and disgraced himself.
You know how? Instead of listening to special guest Beverley Knight singing Happy Birthday to him, he was in another room giving a speech to his Arsenal teammates about how much he loved the club.
Oh, and I nearly forgot this one: he was not born a millionaire.
I only mention that because of some of the criticism that has been aimed at him the last few days.
He has been pilloried in some quarters not just for having the temerity to have an opinion about Fabio Capello but for accepting an offer to write and publish a book about his career so far.
The reason I find that criticism unpalatable goes beyond the fact that I was Walcott's ghost writer for Growing Up Fast.
It is more about the fact that it ignores the reality that footballers like Theo almost invariably have a working class hinterland.
He has not always been wealthy. His security has not always been assured. Affluence is still very new to him.
When he signed for Arsenal at the age of 16, Arsene Wenger told him to go on holiday for a couple of weeks with his family.
Nice gesture. Except Theo and his family couldn't afford to go on holiday. They didn't have spare cash floating around.
He had had a happy childhood with loving parents but it had been a peripatetic existence.
His dad, Don, had worked in the RAF and they had moved from base to base. When he left the forces, they settled in a small village in Berkshire.
Even when he signed for Arsenal, there were still uncertainties. Walcott had problems with his shoulders that were thought to be hereditary. One had dislocated while he was playing for Southampton. No one was quite sure how that would be resolved.
No one ever seems to think about that when they call footballers greedy. No one ever seems to contemplate the idea their career could be cut short by injury, their ability to make a living curtailed.
Take a few hours and read Paul Lake's brilliant book I'm Not Really Here. Maybe then you'd understand how utterly a footballer's life can be transformed by injury.
So when, a few months after the 2006 World Cup, Walcott was approached with a lucrative offer to write a book and some children's stories, guess what, he accepted it.
He and his agent, Warwick Horton, who is the very opposite of the grasping, greedy stereotype of a player's representative some have sought to paint him as in the last few days, figured it was the responsible thing to do for Theo and his family.
They also thought that maybe it would do Theo good to voice some opinions and then stand up for them. It would be part of his growing up process.
So he wrote a couple of things about Capello. Fairly mild things but honest things. That he was stiff and starchy when he first took over as England boss. That he had modified his style now and was much more approachable.
Nothing earth-shattering. But of mild interest. And at least he had said what he thought rather than pretending everything had always been sweet and then, at the end of his career, saying that actually the truth had been entirely different.
That's why some of the criticism of Walcott for airing an opinion has amused me. We spend so much of our time craving honesty in our footballers and then when one of them gives us a taste of it, we court-martial him for insubordination.
He is still only 22 but already he's been picked for one World Cup when he should have stayed at home and been left out of another World Cup when he should have been picked.
He's the youngest player ever to appear for England and the youngest ever to score a hat-trick for them, too.
Tonight, he'll be trying to banish the furies snapping at Arsene Wenger by helping Arsenal attempt to avoid Champions League elimination at the hands of Udinese.
So don't patronise him by telling him he's a mute who isn't allowed a voice. He's got a story to tell. If you don't want to read it, nobody's going to make you.

​

 

[Rutashubanyuma]

[h=1]The four new players I think can save Arsenal's season PLUS Why we all want Fergie's selection problems[/h]

By Oliver Holt
Published 23:10 23/08/11

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So now Samir Nasri's gone as well as Cesc Fabregas. Arsene Wenger has seven days to save the world, or at least breathe new life into his club.
He is a man who takes diligence to extremes and finds it hard to sign anyone in whom he detects imperfections. But the time has come when he has to leaven his faith in youth with a dash of experience.
The next seven days will be among the most important in his 15 years in charge of the club. Some of the pressure on him will lift if they survive in Udine tonight. If they do not, the pressure for him to recruit star reinforcements will intensify.
I'd like to see him splurge and bring in Eden Hazard from Lille, Scott Dann from Birmingham, Gary Cahill from Bolton and Scott Parker from West Ham.

Arsenal fans may respond by saying Hell will freeze over before that happens.
***
It was fascinating watching Manchester United's kids shine against Spurs at Old Trafford on Monday night. The way Phil Jones played in the centre of defence, Sir Alex Ferguson will have an interesting decision to make when Rio Ferdinand and Nemanja Vidic are both available for selection again.

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[Rutashubanyuma]

[h=1]Rangers reject Leicester City's £6.5m bid for Nikica Jelavic[/h] • Croatian striker has impressed since move from Rapid Vienna
• Leicester also interested in Rangers midfielder Steven Davis

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• Ewan Murray
• guardian.co.uk, Tuesday 30 August 2011 18.53 BST Article history
  
  
  Nikica Jelavic, right, has been impressive in Rangers' attack since joining the club from Rapid Vienna. Photograph: Jeff J Mitchell/Getty Images
  
  Rangers have rejected a bid worth £6.5m from Leicester City for Nikica Jelavic. The Croatian striker, who has impressed in Scotland since a £4m move from Rapid Vienna, has been watched over the past year by Leicester scouts.
  The Midlands club have also consistently monitored another Rangers player, the midfielder Steven Davis. Rangers said: "Rangers Football Club can confirm that they have today rejected a £6.5m bid for striker Nikica Jelavic from English Championship side Leicester City." Subsequent speculation has linked Jelavic with a bid from Russia.
  Celtic have completed the signing of Mohamed Bangura from AIK Stockholm. Neil Lennon has, though, for now, dropped his interest in Maritimo's forward Baba Diawara.
  
  

 

[Rutashubanyuma]

[h=1]Revealed: How Kenny Dalglish ran rings around the press at the Emirates[/h]

By Oliver Holt
Published 23:09 23/08/11

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http://www.mirrorfootball.co.uk/opi...nny-QPR-Bernie-Ecclestone-article789392.html#

There were many reasons I missed Kenny Dalglish when he was out of the game but one was the chance to attend his press conferences. They are always combative but the Liverpool boss has got the sharpest wit of any manager in the Premier League.
After his side had beaten Arsenal on Saturday, a few of us gathered around him in a small room at The Emirates to ask about Liverpool's performance and their prospects for the season ahead.
One of my colleagues was bold enough to ask Kenny whether Raul Meireles would be sold before the end of the transfer window upon which Kenny fixed him with one of his most withering stares.
"By the way," he said, "just smell your newspaper for fish and chips."

It was an old line but it was delivered with such gusto, it was impossible not to smile.
***
I understand the reasons why Bernie Ecclestone and Flavio Briatore were vilified by many QPR fans and I also understand that the majority of the credit for last season's promotion must go to the superb management of Neil Warnock.
But maybe it's worth pointing out that while Flavio and Bernie were in charge, QPR went from being a club whose very existence was threatened to a team that secured a place in the top flight for the first time in 15 years.

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[h=1]With the emergence of Phil Jones, will Rio Ferdinand have to get used to being a squad player for club and country?[/h]

By David McDonnell
Published 11:04 30/08/11

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http://www.mirrorfootball.co.uk/opi...hil-Jones-David-McDonnell-article793186.html#

Rio Ferdinand's England place might not be the only cause for concern for the Manchester United defender.
He's also facing the prospect of no longer being an automatic pick for his club.
The remarkable manner in which Phil Jones has slotted into United's defence, with an assurance and conviction that has brought him a first full England call-up, has given Sir Alex Ferguson a genuine selection dilemma when Ferdinand is fully fit.
For the last five seasons, Ferdinand and Nemanja Vidic have formed a formidable central defensive partnership - undoubtedly United's most effective and reliable since Steve Bruce and Gary Pallister in the late 1980s and early 1990s.

Jones, like Chris Smalling, was bought for the future - Ferguson was mindful of Ferdinand's age and injury problems in recent seasons, and the need for a ready-made replacement was a necessity to ensure a smooth transition of personnel in such a crucial position.
But 19-year-old Jones, despite his relative inexperience, has been a revelation alongside Jonny Evans in the centre of defence since injuries to Ferdinand and Vidic forced Ferguson to pair up the two youngsters.
While United skipper Vidic can expect to reclaim his place straight away when he has recovered from the calf injury he sustained on the opening weekend of the season at West Brom, the same cannot be said of his regular partner.
Like Ferdinand, Jones is a cultured centre-half, comfortable in possession and with the instinct to start attacks from the back rather than merely fulfilling the defender's primary remit of clearing danger, something at which he also excels.
A shuddering tackle on Tottenham's Gareth Bale from Jones on his Old Trafford debut for United earned him instant acclaim from the Stretford End and marked him out as a player who needed no time to settle in to his new surroundings.
Jones continued in the same manner against Arsenal, his composure at the back somewhat overlooked amid the praise lavished on United's attacking players following the avalanche of goals under which they buried Arsene Wenger's hapless side in their 8-2 win.
As well as an impressive reading of the game and a physique suited to the rigorous demands of the Premier League, Jones also has pace - a rare commodity in central defenders these days.
In short, his performances so far this season have shown just why Ferguson was so determined to win the race to sign Jones, with Liverpool and Arsenal among the clubs vying for the former Blackburn defender's signature.
And at £16.5million, with potentially a decade in United's first-team ahead of him, the purchase of Jones is already looking like another astute piece of business and customarily canny forward-planning from Fergie.
Fabio Capello has been so impressed with Jones he intends to play him alongside skipper John Terry in England's upcoming Euro 2012 qualifiers against Bulgaria and Wales - ahead of the likes of Joleon Lescott and Phil Jagielka, who have more international experience.
Although Ferdinand was on the bench for United's win over Arsenal, having made an earlier-than-expected recovery from a hamstring injury, Capello did not name him in his latest squad - a clear warning his international place is no longer guaranteed.
And the Italian's gushing praise for Jones did little to dispel the perception that Ferdinand is likely to have to get used to being a squad player for his country, rather than the automatic-pick status he has enjoyed for a decade.
"He [Jones] is so young and so good," said Capello, speaking before United's rout of Arsenal.
"This is a really good talent for England. Jones is a talent like Jack Wilshere. He is a player who always seems to play really well, at every level you play him.
"Look at the game he played against Tottenham. Every time he received the ball he looked confident, the way he passed the ball, the way he demanded the ball.
"It is not easy to find a player this young who plays with such confidence. He is the future. His talent is incredible. When you find this kind of talent you need to use it."
Ferdinand has two years left on his United contract and it remains to be seen whether the defender, who turns 33 in November, will earn a new deal given his injury history and with the likes of Jones, Evans and Chris Smalling all eager to replace him.
Against that backdrop, it amounts to a huge test for Ferdinand to prove he is still the main man for club and country when fully fit, despite the emergence of Jones and the challenge the prodigiously-talented teenage defender has laid down.

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[Rutashubanyuma]

[h=1]Man City's loss proving to be United's gain as Welbeck comes of age[/h]

By David McDonnell
Published 11:09 23/08/11

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http://www.mirrorfootball.co.uk/opi...ge-David-McDonnell-column-article789225.html#

When Sir Alex Ferguson boldly proclaimed Danny Welbeck would make England's last World Cup squad, the declaration was met with a mixture of incredulity and amusement.
At that time, the start of the 2009-10 season, Welbeck had made just three Premier League appearances for United and was unproven at club level, never mind full international level, despite his rich potential.
The premature nature of Ferguson's prediction was shown when Welbeck was sent out on loan to Preston in January 2010, while England's ill-fated World Cup squad travelled to South Africa without him.
Welbeck returned to United but with Wayne Rooney, Dimitar Berbatov, Michael Owen and new signing Javier Hernandez - who was to make a stunning impact in his debut season - ahead of him in the pecking order, Welbeck was shipped out on loan again, this time to Sunderland.

It proved the making of Welbeck, whom Ferguson said, in time-honoured fashion, went away a boy but came back a man, a point the 20-year-old has endorsed with his impressive start to the new season having forced his way into United's first-team.
With Hernandez not fully fit and Berbatov continuing to be out of favour under Ferguson, Welbeck has seized his chance to prove his worth and is finally showing the kind of form that pushed Ferguson into talking up the young striker's World Cup chances two years ago.
Welbeck, with his quick burst of pace, swift movement and trickery, looks a more natural partner for Rooney than Berbatov, the Bulgarian's contrasting, slower style looking more consigned to the past with every thrilling attack United's new attacking force made in Monday's 3-0 demolition of Tottenham.
Man United 3-0 Tottenham: Daily Mirror match report
Moreover, Welbeck possesses a greater work ethic than Berbatov, as proven by the number of times he tracked back to dispossess Tottenham players on Monday, Ferguson's only gripe being he played too deeply in the first-half, giving United more of a penetrative edge after the break when he pushed forward in a more advanced role.
United's opener against Spurs owed everything to Welbeck's awareness of where fellow United Academy graduate Tom Cleverley would put the ball, meeting the perfect delivery with a wonderful glancing header. And United's second goal was all down to Welbeck's alertness, his impudent back-heel into the path of Anderson leaving him to apply a sumptuous finish.
At United since the age of eight, Welbeck's talent has been a slow-burner, his progress hampered by a knee-growth problem in childhood and his natural gangly frame, the striker having filled out in the past couple of years to the extent he is now able to cope with the physical rigours of the Premier League.
With Manchester City splashing the cash in a bid to haul themselves to neighbours United's exalted level, it is worth pointing out that Welbeck spent four months on trial there when he was eight, before they decided he would not make the grade and released him.
Two weeks later, Welbeck was snapped up by United, Sir Alex Ferguson and his scouting team recognising his huge long-term potential and having the foresight, perhaps not possessed by City at the time, that his was a talent with which it was worth persisting.
By Ferguson's own admission, Welbeck's stunning start to the new season, impressive performances in the Community Shield win over City and the Premier League opener against West Brom, culminating in his man-of-the-match display against Spurs, has left him with a selection dilemma ahead of Sunday's visit of Arsenal.
With Hernandez back earlier than expected following concussion, the natural assumption would be for him to resume his successful partnership with Rooney. But with Welbeck in such fine form, and Rooney clearly relishing playing with him up front, Hernandez may have to wait a touch longer to reclaim his first-team slot.
And Ferguson can also start championing Welbeck for a place in the England squad for next year's European Championships, safe in the knowledge that he is unlikely to be wrong for a second time.

​

 

[Rutashubanyuma]

At United since the age of eight, Welbeck's talent has been a slow-burner, his progress hampered by a knee-growth problem in childhood and his natural gangly frame, the striker having filled out in the past couple of years to the extent he is now able to cope with the physical rigours of the Premier League.
With Manchester City splashing the cash in a bid to haul themselves to neighbours United's exalted level, it is worth pointing out that Welbeck spent four months on trial there when he was eight, before they decided he would not make the grade and released him.
Two weeks later, Welbeck was snapped up by United, Sir Alex Ferguson and his scouting team recognising his huge long-term potential and having the foresight, perhaps not possessed by City at the time, that his was a talent with which it was worth persisting.

foresight defines the difference between winning and losing in the premier league.................

 

[Rutashubanyuma]

[h=1]Why Fergie cannot afford to drop struggling De Gea now[/h]

By David McDonnell
Published 11:30 16/08/11

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http://www.mirrorfootball.co.uk/opi...ow-David-McDonnell-column-article786078.html#

Sir Alex Ferguson attempted to rewrite history in his defence of David De Gea following the Manchester United goalkeeper's howler against West Brom.
"Peter Schmeichel was the same when he came," said Ferguson. "Wimbledon away on a Wednesday night was his first away game and they gave him a torrid time.
"Then in the home game on the following Saturday against Leeds he lost a really bad goal, but Peter went on to be possibly the greatest goalkeeper of all time."
In fact, Schmeichel kept clean sheets in his first four games for United, two of which were away to Aston Villa and Everton, before those baptisms of fire against Leeds and Wimbledon.

Ferguson is renowned for his erroneous recounting of statistics to suit his own needs, but the gist of his argument was clear - De Gea should not be judged on the basis of one costly lapse in concentration.
Of course, Ferguson is right, but the problem for the United boss is that De Gea's gaffe at The Hawthorns was not an isolated episode, but the latest in a series of blunders which have raised legitimate questions over the 20-year-old's suitability as Edwin van der Sar's successor.
The warning signs were there on United's pre-season tour of the US, when De Gea conceded a goal in Chicago on his debut, coming off his line late, while his hesitancy was again exposed in the final game of United's Stateside jaunt, against Champions League tormentors Barcelona.
A week later and it was a similar story in the Community Shield against Manchester City. Although his defence were at fault for City's opener, there was no hiding place for De Gea in terms of his culpability for their second, his late reaction to Edin Dzeko's speculative strike costing his team a goal.
On that occasion, De Gea's team-mates bailed him out by coming from 2-0 down to win 3-2, just as they did against West Brom, where they hauled themselves to victory courtesy of a late own goal to win 2-1. But in the afterglow of a hard-fought win, there remained the thorny issue of how Ferguson handles the De Gea situation.
With first-choice central defensive duo Rio Ferdinand and Nemanja Vidic both injured, Ferguson will be forced to play two from Jonny Evans, Chris Smalling and Phil Jones in their place against Tottenham at Old Trafford next Monday.
Smalling or Fabio Da Silva could be deployed at right-back, but whatever personnel Ferguson chooses, it is likely Patrice Evra will be United's only available senior defender, which begs the question: can Ferguson afford to persist with De Gea, who has shown himself to be vulnerable, in front of such an inexperienced back-four?
There is an argument, which holds some credence, that dropping De Gea at such an early stage in his United career would be a regressive step, that the only way for him to adjust to the Premier League and the unique demands of the No.1 role at United is for Ferguson to stick with him.
And it is worth noting the last time United chopped and changed keepers, with Tim Howard and Roy Carroll in the 2003-04 and 2004-05 seasons, before the arrival of van der Sar, they finished third in the Premier League on both occasions, their domestic inconsistencies underpinned by the constant switching of the man between the posts.
Despite Ferguson's public show of faith in De Gea, there is no doubt the United boss is harbouring real concerns behind the scenes over the Spaniard's less than convincing start to life as van der Sar's successor, with Anders Lindegaard making a compelling case to be given a chance if the mistakes continue.
Lindegaard looked more assured than De Gea on United's tour of the US and his bigger physique would suggest the Dane is more suited to the robust challenge presented by the Premier League. Fluent in English and having been at United since January, Lindegaard is a vocal keeper who would appear to tick more boxes than his under-fire goalkeeping rival.
But for now at least, expect Ferguson to persist with De Gea, if only because taking him out of the firing line at such an early stage of his United career would be an admission of failure and an acknowledgment of vulnerability and a major weakness in such a crucial position.
Yet the reality is that De Gea is just one more high-profile mistake from losing his place. United cannot afford a repeat of the post-Schemichel debacle, when it took them six years to replace the greatest keeper in their history with van der Sar, himself a contender for that accolade.
As De Gea has learned after one game, there is no hiding place in the Premier League, in particular at United, where the scrutiny of players is unforgiving, because of the club's unique profile, peerless standards and estimated 333million global fanbase.
De Gea is undoubtedly a goalkeeper of huge potential, but the coming weeks will determine whether he is mentally and physically ready for the role of United No.1 or whether Ferguson and his staff have blundered themselves by throwing in at the deep end such a raw talent.
In every sense, it's sink or swim time for De Gea.

 

[Rutashubanyuma]

[h=1]Manchester United season preview: Only midfield and keeper doubts can prevent title No. 20[/h]

By David McDonnell
Published 13:34 09/08/11

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http://www.mirrorfootball.co.uk/opi...ber-20-by-David-McDonnell-article783216.html#

The Premier League kicks off this weekend and we've got the Daily Mirror's top football writers to give you their thoughts on the new season. Today David McDonnell assesses Manchester United's chances.
***
Prospects for 2011/12
Quite simply, they remain the team to beat, as they demonstrated with their stunning comeback win over Manchester City in the Community Shield.
Derided last season as one of the weakest sides of Sir Alex Ferguson's 25-year reign, his players made a mockery of that assertion by winning a record 19th title by a not inconsiderable margin of nine points.

Add to that a third Champions League final in four years and an FA Cup semi-final and United can consider last season yet another success story, albeit one that ended sourly with their emphatic 3-1 defeat to Barcelona at Wembley.
Domestically, though, they are still the dominant football force, the team that set the standard others must try to match if they are to have any chance of relinquishing United's firm grip on the Premier League trophy.
In this, the 20th season of the Premier League, it is worth noting that only on three occasions have United finished outside of the top two and never lower than third, compelling evidence of their enduring class and title threat.
Having spent frugally last summer because he felt there was no value in the transfer market, Sir Alex Ferguson has made a firm statement of intent this time around, United forking out £50million on young trio Ashley Young, Phil Jones and David De Gea.
With United hopeful of concluding a deal in the region of £35m for Inter Milan and Holland midfielder Wesley Sneijder before the transfer deadline, Ferguson once again looks to have assembled a squad with the right blend of youth and experience to retain the title.
Yet there are areas of United's squad where question marks remain, not least in goal, following last season's retirement of the peerless Edwin van der Sar at the age of 40.
Ferguson has spent £18m recruiting De Gea from Atletico Madrid, a gangly keeper with huge potential but one for whom the learning curve in English football will be steep, as proven by his patchy display in the Community Shield.
The United boss said he expects Anders Lindegaard, ostensibly United's second-choice keeper but taller and with a bigger physique, to challenge De Gea, and it remains to be seen which of them starts the Premier League opener at West Brom on Sunday.
In defence, the established partnership of Rio Ferdinand and Nemanja Vidic has been underpinned by the arrival of Jones and the continued progress of Chris Smalling, who, like his fellow England Under-21 team-mate, can also operate comfortably at right-back.
With Patrice Evra at left-back and twins Rafael and Fabio Da Silva, as well as Jonny Evans, United are unlikely to suffer a repeat of the defensive crisis of a couple of seasons ago, when a chronic injury list saw Darren Fletcher and Michael Carrick deployed as centre-backs.
Midfield, as shown by United's continued pursuit of Sneijder, is the one area Ferguson needs to strengthen, with Paul Scholes having retired, although big things are expected of Anderson, now he has had a first injury-free pre-season since arriving at Old Trafford.
In attack, last season's prolific partnership between Wayne Rooney and Javier Hernandez will remain Ferguson's first-choice for United's big games, with Dimitar Berbatov, Michael Owen, Danny Welbeck and Federico Macheda jostling for prominence in the supporting cast.
With such a strong squad, it all points to title No.20 for United. Yet Ferguson, who turns 70 on New Year's Eve, is desperate to add another European Cup to his CV before finally calling time on his illustrious United reign.
Whether or not he can achieve that goal, with Barcelona looking so imperious, remains open to question, but as far as the title race goes, it is difficult to look beyond the usual suspects in red.
Prediction: 1st
Key player
After last season's nadir, from his poor form at the start of the campaign to his ill-advised contract stand-off with United and well-documented problems in his personal life, Wayne Rooney has a point to prove.
When he is on his game and his head is right, he remains United's most influential player, his remorseless work-rate and commitment complemented by sublime vision, touch and passing ability.
Towards the end of last season, Rooney reveled in the No.10 role, playing just off Hernandez in a position that allowed him to exert more influence and dictate the flow of games. He is likely to play a similar role this season, particularly in Europe.
This season, as he reaches his peak as a player, much will be expected of Rooney. His impressive form in pre-season on United's US tour suggests United's key man is ready to hit the ground running.
Manager: Sir Alex Ferguson
As he approaches the 25th anniversary of his time in charge of Manchester United, Sir Alex Ferguson remains as hungry as ever for success.
Last season's record title triumph, as well as the chastening Champions League defeat to Barcelona, have been consigned to the past, as is Ferguson's way. Only the future is of interest to him.
He will be 70 on December 31 but retains the youthful vigour and zest of a man at least a decade younger. His unprecedented success means he will choose the time of his departure, but don't expect it to be any time soon.
Ferguson is driven by an almost obsessive desire to win a third European Cup before retiring. Until that objective is achieved, if indeed it can be, rest assured he will have no intention of stepping down.
Facts and stats
Last season's finish: 1st
Top scorer: Dimitar Berbatov - 20
Players in: Ashley Young (Aston Villa) £17m; Phil Jones (Blackburn) £16.5m; David De Gea (Atletico Madrid) £18.9m
Players out: Paul Scholes (retired); Owen Hargreaves (freed); Edwin van der Sar (retired); Gary Neville (retired); Wes Brown (Sunderland) £1m; John O'Shea (Sunderland) undisclosed; Gabriel Obertan (Newcastle), £3m.
Pub ammo: United set a Premier League record which still stands when they beat Ipswich 9-0 on 4 March 1995, Andy Cole scoring five. Fifteen years and three days earlier, the same teams met in the old Division One and not only did Ipswich win 6-0, but United's Gary Bailey scored three penalties

 

[Rutashubanyuma]

[h=1]Modric? Benayoun? Parker? Sneijder!? The signings YOUR club could make today[/h] Published 23:05 30/08/11 By Darren Lewis

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http://www.mirrorfootball.co.uk/tra...helsea-Tottenham-and-more-article793387.html#

ARSENAL: Arsene Wenger bringing in much of what is needed with Mertesacker and Park Chu Young arriving. Could still do with a fantasy signing in midfield. Have had a bid rejected for Dortmund wonderkid Mario Goetze rejected. Will they go back in again?
ASTON VILLA: Alex McLeish hard at work today to try and snap up Alan Hutton from Spurs and sign a replacement for midfielder Jean Makoun, now at Greek club Olympiakos.
BOLTON: Owen Coyle still wants a striker and a midfielder. But Blackburn are rivalling him for Liverpool frontman Davids N'gog while QPR are big competition for Shaun Wright Phillips.
BLACKBURN: Need more (realistic) cutting edge up front. The likes of Schalke striker Raul have already rejected them, as has Everton striker Yakubu. Interest in Birmingham's Scott Dann appears a necessity with Chris Samba coveted by so many.

CHELSEA: Villas Boas poised to sign reliable wideman Alvaro Pereira and is set to take his pursuit of Tottenham's Luka Modric to the wire. Raul Meireles at Liverpool and Joao Moutinho at Porto are alternatives.
EVERTON: With no cash to bring in any more big players the Toffees need to hang on to their big players. David Moyes could yet move, however, for Manchester City defender Nedum Ohuoha.
FULHAM: Need more strength in midfield and cover up front. Martin Jol is keen on Inter Milan hardman Sulley Muntari and Dnipro's Derek Boatend. He could also go back in for the Birmingham striker Cameron Jerome today.
LIVERPOOL: Could still do with another striker - Craig Bellamy still a possibility - and to get flop midfielders Christian Poulsen and Joe Cole off the books by tonight. Cole is set for a shock move to French champions Lille. Liverpool also favourites to land Chelsea playmaker Yossi Benayoun.
MANCHESTER CITY: With Owen Hargreaves poised to sign as potential cover for Yaya Toure (who is off to the African Nations Cup in January), City's spending is now complete. Surely...
MANCHESTER UNITED: The final piece in the jigsaw would be Wesley Sneijder but both United and the player say there is nothing doing. You never can tell on Deadline Day though.
NEWCASTLE: Alan Pardew has already snapped up Davide Santon from Inter Milan on a five-year deal. Now he is after Sochaux striker Modibo Maiga up front.
NORWICH: A string of summer signings combined with a good start to the season could see Paul Lambert decide against any more signings. Eight players already brought in so far.
QPR: Shaun Wright-Phillips is the main target today with with Bolton the big rivals ahead of tonight's deadline with work well underway to snap up Sunderland's Anton Ferdinand
STOKE: Steeling themselves for a fight for Spurs striker Peter Crouch today and could swing it as they can offer him European Football. Should also wrap up the signing of Tottenham midfielder Wilson Palacios.
SWANSEA: Brendan Rodgers could make a late £2m bid for Middlesbrough defender Matthew Bates with Alan Tate out injured. Rodgers has already had a bid of around £750,000 rejected.
SUNDERLAND: Spurs likely to accept their £10m bid for Peter Crouch but Stoke can offer Europa League football. Wolfsburg frontman Patrick Helmes is an alternative.
TOTTENHAM: Main target today is to hold on to Luka Modric and see off Roma to add Lassana Diarra to the signing of Scott Parker. The £10million for Peter Crouch - a player surplus to requirements with Emmanuel Adebayor now at the club - will do nicely.
WEST BROM: Roy Hodgson could do with two new full-backs and is a big admirer of Fulham's Chris Baird and Manchester City's Nedum Onuoha.
WIGAN: Wigan chairman Dave Whelan wants to tie up the signing of Celtic midfielder Shaun Maloney today. Roberto Martinez has also asked asked Spurs about Giovani Dos Santos.
WOLVES: Birmingham pair Stephen Carr and Liam Ridgewell, who handed in a transfer request at Birmingham yesterday, are possibles. But Mick McCarthy insists his spending is over.

 

[Rutashubanyuma]

[h=1]Ian Holloway: Why Arsenal lack the will to win that makes Man United champions[/h]

By Mirror Football in Mirror Football Blog
Published 23:32 27/08/11

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http://www.mirrorfootball.co.uk/opi...-Muhammad-Ali-will-to-win-article791887.html#

MirrorFootball has signed up Ian Holloway to be our latest star columnist. Read his views every Sunday...
***
On the wall of my office at Bloomfield Road, I have a poster of Muhammad Ali.
It includes a quotation from the greatest *sportsman of our time that reads: "Champions aren't made in gyms.

"Champions are made from something they have deep inside them. A *desire, a dream, a vision.
"They have to have last last-minute stamina, they have to be a little faster, they have to have the skill and the will. But the will must be stronger than the skill."
For me, that *encapsulates perfectly the difference between Manchester United and Arsenal.
Sir Alex Ferguson's team reek of that will to win Ali was talking about. In fact, they have always had it.
In contrast, it seems the team Arsene Wenger is building does not have that same spirit the great Arsenal teams of the past had.
At the end of last season, people were saying United were too old, that they were past it, finished.
They were crazy.
Fergie has kicked off the new campaign with the most exciting young team in the game.
He has spent big to bring in Ashley Young, Phil Jones and David de Gea, while loaning out Tom Cleverley and Danny Welbeck last year was a masterstroke.
For me, Cleverley (below) is the new *Scholes.
But the one thing that every single Manchester United team Sir Alex has created has in *common is they just never give in.
They win matches from impossible *positions.
Have Arsenal got that? They had it in the past, but in the last six years they have gone from a team of winners to a team of challengers. There's a big difference. But I still can't believe the stick Arsene has got from his own fans.
Have they forgotten when he first went to Arsenal there was a drinking *culture that he managed to erase immediately?
There was also always this tag of "boring Arsenal" he had to contend with.
If you told a 20-year-old today about how the Gunners used to play football before Wenger arrived, they wouldn't believe you.
He changed the mentality and the style of the club to such an extent that when you think of teams who play *beautiful football, you immediately talk about Barcelona and Arsenal.
What's happening to Arsene at the moment shows you how *unforgiving and cruel this game can be.
The Gunners had an incredible win in the Champions League in midweek and they will be hoping to build on that when they face the champions at Old Trafford today.
But while the current Arsenal team must evolve again after the departures of Cesc Fabregas and Samir Nasri, the United side they will face already look a formidable force.
There isn't any period of rebuilding at Old Trafford. The players change, but United keep winning *trophies. It's amazing.
And that's because they have that spirit which a champion like Ali would relate to.

​

 

[Rutashubanyuma]

Dunga to coach Qatari side Al Rayyan

 

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Brazilian football legend Dunga will take reins at Al Rayyan while UAE's Yousuf al-Serkal looks to replace bin Hammam. Last Modified: 30 Aug 2011 10:17 Email Print Share Feedback ​

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[TD="class: articleTitle"] Dunga to coach Qatari side Al Rayyan [/TD]

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[TD="align: center"] Former Brazil coach Dunga is expected to be officially revealed as Al Rayyan's coach in next few days [GALLO/GETTY] [/TD]

Brazilian Dunga who has been out of work since last year's World Cup is to coach Qatari side Al Rayyan, a club source confirmed on Monday.
The 47-year-old - who captained Brazil to the 1994 World Cup trophy - replaces compatriot Paulo Autuori, who has moved on to coach the Qatari Under-23 side, who are involved in the 2012 Olympics qualifiers.
Dunga, who was sacked as Brazil coach after they went out of the World Cup in the quarter-finals, will be officially unveiled as coach by the club this week.
"Yes Al Rayyan will be coached by Dunga," a club official said.
"His name was recommended by Autuori."
Qatar, controversially awarded the hosting of the 2022 FIFA World Cup, has seen a spate of coaching changes recently.
Earlier this month Brazilian Sebastiao Lazaroni was named the coach of the national side after Serbian Milovan Rajevac was sacked just five months into the job.
Rajevac - who guided Ghana to the World Cup quarter-finals last year - had taken over from Frenchman Bruno Metsu, who was fired in January after Qatar were knocked out of the Asian Cup quarter-finals.
The Qatar Stars League, the country's top competition, is set to begin on September 16.
New UAE boss for AFC?
Asian Football Confederation vice-president Yousuf al-Serkal has put himself forward to replace the suspended Mohammed bin Hammam as head of the sport's peak continental organisation.
Bin Hammam remains nominally in charge of the AFC while he launches legal challenges against his lifetime ban from FIFA for allegedly trying to buy votes in his failed bid to replace Sepp Blatter as FIFA president.
The AFC has delayed filling the presidency while the appeals continue, but United Arab Emirates official al-Serkal says he intends to run when the position is contested.
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[TD] "Corruption, it's among players, it's among referees, it's among also officials. So we need to take a stand against this, we have really to work hard and work harshly against those who are corrupt"
Yousuf al-Serkal
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"Now is the opportunity, following FIFA's decision not to allow Mohamed Bin Hammam to carry on his sporting duties, and for me to preside over the Asian confederation to help Asian football and bring more to the table, because I feel I have more to offer Asian football as a president,'' al-Serkal told SNTV.
The reputation of Asian football was tarnished by the charges against bin Hammam and al-Serkal said the game must do more to stamp out corruption.
"We have to be frank," al-Serkal said.
"Corruption, it's among players, it's among referees, it's among also officials. So we need to take a stand against this, we have really to work hard and work harshly against those who are corrupt. We don't need them in our world of football."
The AFC is bound to call a fresh election for the presidency if bin Hammam is unable to fulfil his duties for 12 months, meaning a poll would be due in May next year. The next regular AFC congress is not until 2013.
China's Zhang Jilong has been acting AFC president since bin Hammam was suspended in June.
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Serbian Milovan Rajevac is sacked after only a few months in charge as Qatar move onto their third coach this year. Last Modified: 08 Aug 2011 12:29 Email Print Share Feedback ​

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[TD="class: articleTitle"] Qatar fire coach Milovan Rajevac [/TD]

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[TD="align: center"] Rajevac had said he hoped to make history with Qatar and help them qualify for 2014 World Cup [GALLO/GETTY] [/TD]

Qatar has fired Serbia's Milovan Rajevac after only four months in charge of the national side, replacing him with Brazilian Sebastiao Lazaroni.
The unexpected move announced late on Sunday comes after Qatar were beaten by Vietnam last month in the second leg of their 2014 World Cup qualifier.
They still advanced 4-2 on aggregate.
Lazaroni, who previously led local club Qatar SC, is the third coach this year for the Gulf nation, which is under pressure to improve after winning the bid to host the 2022 World Cup.
The 54-year-old Rajevac had a contract through to the 2014 World Cup.
Rajevac, who coached Ghana until 2010, then Saudi Arabian club Al Ahli, said last month he hoped to make history with Qatar by helping them qualify for the World Cup.
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[TD] "We thank him for his efforts. But we feel this is a time to move on so we mutually agreed to end the contract"
Qatar FA statement
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Rajevac could not be reached for comment but in a statement the Qatar Football Association hinted that his departure was connected to the Vietnam loss.
It described the team as qualifying for the group stage of the Asian zone qualifier "in rather alarming fashion."
"We thank him for his efforts. But we feel this is a time to move on so we mutually agreed to end the contract," Qatar Football Association President Sheik Hamad bin Khalifa Al Thani said in a statement.
Lazaroni coached Brazil at the 1990 World Cup, where his side was eliminated in the second round by Argentina. He has since coached Turkish side Fenerbahce, which ended the 40-year undefeated European home record of Manchester United in the Champions League in 1996.
Lazaroni has also managed teams in China, the Caribbean and Japan. He was named Qatar's coach of the year in 2009.
Lazaroni is likely to take charge of the team as soon as Wednesday for their friendly against Iraq.
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