Why no Michael Carrick for England?

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There has been a lot of discussion about the England squad this week, with the inclusion of Stewart Downing and Andy Carroll taking most of the headlines alongside Rio Ferdinand’s omission.

Quickly on the latter, it is no big problem for Manchester United that Ferdinand misses out. He can now have a rest and be fit for the new season. Odds are that he would have picked up an injury while on duty with England.

Anyway, to a topic that hasn’t received anything like the attention it should have. Why on earth is Michael Carrick not involved in the England Euro 2012 squad? Surely he could have a positive impact on England’s 2012 euro cup odds?

The midfielder has been superb for Manchester United this season and an ever present in a team that finished 2nd in the Premier League. Fair enough, Scott Parker is a decent player, but if he gets injured, Carrick has to be the best …   Read the rest

The Prince’s and the Pauper’s

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Moments that change everything are few and far between, especially in the world of football. Seconds that could potentially rearrange the landscape and swing the pendulum back from whence it came are to be remembered, inscribed in the mind forever. Sergio Aguero’s stunning last-gasp title winner against QPR at the Etihad on Sunday could prove to be such a moment..

With only seconds to spare and the Premier League title tantalisingly out of reach, City’s loyal Argentine carved out the critical opening, shimmying through a wall of flailing QPR bodies before slamming the ball past a helpless Paddy Kenny to the sound of unrestrained ecstasy. The Blue Moon had risen.

Make no mistake, the Citizens deserve their moment of glory. For so long they have fallen at the feet of a Manchester United side that simply dominated English football and locked the inner city bragging rights in their cabinet along with all the silver. This was City’s sucker punch, a …   Read the rest

Hodgson in as England boss

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The England FA appointed 64-year-old Roy Hodgson as its new manager on May 1 by signing him to a four-year contract.

However, it wasn’t to the delight of many fans who feel his best days are well behind him. Hodgson is currently managing 10th place West Brom in the English Premier League after being fired from Liverpool earlier in the season.

The one thing Hodgson does bring to the table is experience since he’s managed 18 different teams in eight different countries during his 36-year career. These include stops in Finland, Denmark, Switzerland, Sweden, Italy, and the United Arab Emirates. But while he’s been successful in some of those nations, his record managing English league clubs definitely leaves a lot to be desired.

While managing English teams Fulham, Blackburn, Liverpool, and West Brom, Hodgson has managed to win just 38 per cent of his games. Fans are sceptical because of this and aren’t quite sure he’s the man to lead …   Read the rest

Lost it at the Kop?

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LIVERPOOL HAVE WON JUST FIVE LEAGUE GAMES AT ANFIELD THIS SEASON

Ahead of Saturday’s FA Cup Final with Chelsea, Manager, Kenny Dalglish opted to give a run-out to some of the squad members for the game against Fulham at Anfield.

In came Doni, Coates, Kelly, Shelvey, Maxi and Aurelio.

After Captain for the night, Martin Skrtel’s unfortunate own-goal, the game never really got going.

Liverpool never dominated the game and even though they did have alot of posession, they never really looked liked winning the game which I tried to watch on the internet, as painful as the performance.

Dalglish did not mince his words afterwards:

“Our attitude and approach was wrong, our desire was poor. One or two did well but it was not a good night for us.” said the beleaguered boss, “We gave everybody an opportunity for Saturday, maybe I was wrong” added the downbeat Liverpool Manager.

Dalglish must now try to pick up his players for the …   Read the rest

End of an Era? No more Guardiola

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Barcelona loses its Pep as manager Guardiola to walk away at end of soccer season

Even though he’s just 41 years old and is already regarded as the most successful manager Barcelona’s ever had, Pep Guardiola announced on Apr. 27 that he’s going to resign at the end of the current Spanish soccer season. The club announced that Tito Vilanova, Guardiola’s assistant, will take over the position.

Guardiola made the announcement at a news conference and said he’s just a little bit tired after four years in the same place and needs some time off to rest, relax, and recover. Things haven’t being going too well for Guardiola this season since his club has been struggling compared to previous years. However, he said he’s likely to return to the sport in the future, but doesn’t know where or when.

Barcelona, the reigning Spanish La Liga champions for the past three years and current European Champions League titleholders, were beaten at …   Read the rest

Abramovich’s Managerial Guillotine Costs Him Over £55m… and Counting

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Andre Villas-Boas was relieved of his duties as manager of Chelsea FC on Sunday after a paltry eight months in charge. The former Porto boss joins a long line of managers who have been unable to dodge trigger-happy Roman Abramovich’s ruthless aim.

The Chelsea owner carved his wealth out of the oil trade and now sits on top of an estimated £11.7bn fortune. With a seemingly endless pit of money behind him you would have expected Abramovich’s time at the London club to be a breeze but it has been nothing short of turbulent.

Since the Russian bought the club in 2003, seven managers (including the temporary appointment of Guus Hiddink) have come and gone and a serious warning has gone out to whoever decides they want to be victim number eight.

Starting from Claudio Ranieri back in 2004, Abramovich has forked out a reported £55m in compensation to sacked managers. Here is how that sum breaks down:

Claudio Ranieri …   Read the rest

Who Will Be The Next Tottenham Manager If Redknapp Goes?

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Fabio Capello resigned as England manager on Wednesday, paving the way for Harry Redknapp  to step into the role after the Spurs boss labelled the job “the pinnacle” of an English manager’s career.

Redknapp was cleared of tax evasion charges this week and without that blemish on his record the Guv’nor can retain his rightful place at the top of the FA’s recruitment list.

If the bookies, the England players, other managers and every man, woman, child and living organism has predicted correctly, Redknapp will be the new permanent England manager by the end of the current Premier League season at the very latest.

So if (when) the inevitable does happen, where then for Tottenham? Redknapp has built a strong, cohesive team at White Hart Lane and as long as no first-team players leave this summer, the likelihood is that Spurs will continue to be successful, but we will never know if Harry could have taken them all the …   Read the rest

Is it really no way Jose?

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Picture the moment. His tanned frame emerges from behind the advertising boards into a blur of flashing cameras and tape recorders. He swaggers to a plush seat before the foamed row of microphones and settles in next to FA Chairman David Bernstein. England, welcome your new football manager, Jose Mourinho.

To some this may seem a totally implausible scenario. Surely the FA would not dare appoint another foreigner they ignorantly gasp. Surely the only man for the job is Harry Redknapp, an appointment that would simultaneously please the purists and the patriots.

Arguably the Tottenham Hotspur manager appears to be the logical choice, but what if Mourinho tires of the Bernabeu come summer? What if he decides that now is the time to try and add two international accolades to his burgeoning trophy cabinet?

The Portuguese has rapidly scaled to the summit of managerial accomplishment, annually leading his next domestic juggernaut towards European domination. However, the mysterious world of international …   Read the rest