Xavi is considered the best exponent of accurate and brilliant passing around, but anyone who does not place Paul Scholes thereabout is mad. The diminutive midfielder is renowned for his brilliant range of passing, great vision, brilliant long shot and also who can forget his tackling!
Replacing Scholes is going to be a very difficult task for Sir Alex, for the past few seasons Scholes has defied his age and performed immaculately for United, showing he’s still young at heart. He alongside Fletcher has been running the United midfield, and are the heartbeats of the present United team, passing the ball around with astounding accuracy and guile. Scholes can dictate the tempo of a game and pull all strings from midfield, a true midfield Maestro.
But as he nears his retirement age, its time United look at someone else to step into the shoes of the legend and carry on the flag he’s been holding so high for so long! United have 3 midfielders currently vying for Scholes’s position, namely Darron Gibson, Michael Carrick and Anderson. An Ideal replacement would have the abilities all three players in one player in all honesty! That is how immense Paul is.
Of the 3, Anderson seems to be the nearest United have to replacing Scholes, He has good passing and also great vision and creativity also brings energy to the midfield but Anderson’s Lack of goals, inconsistency and a rumoured bad attitude have let him and the fans down.
Meanwhile, Carrick has just ended another dismal season, going missing for the club at pivotal moments throughout the year, though he does have an incredible passing ability, his inability to be the focal point of attacks and lack of physical presence and energy have been a letdown.
Darron Gibson’s improvement off late has been impressive, at the end of last season, Gibson was ahead of Carrick in the pecking order, displaying the trust the manager has in him. Gibson has a decent ability to pass but his greatest strength is his shooting, more reminiscent of Lampard in his early days. So how Gibson progresses the coming season, one must wait and watch.
If United were to look in the market currently, three names pop up as possible replacements, namely Marek Hamsik, De Rossi and Andrea Pirlo. All three have the necessary attributes to continue on Scholes’s Legacy.
So as Scholes’s retirement draws nearer, the question arises, who is the ideal candidate to replace Paul Scholes? Or more importantly, Will Manchester United be able to replace Paul Scholes??
Written By Siddarth Sampath
Click image below to see a gallery of the Brazilian babes at the World Cup
Liverpool manager Roy Hodgson is confident that Steven Gerrard and Jamie Carragher will remain at Anfield after holding positive talks with the duo.
The two players have been in South Africa this summer representing England at the World Cup finals and speculation has intensified about their plans for the future.
However, new Reds boss Hodgson sees no reason why they should leave Merseyside and also remains confident that Fernando Torres' future remains at Anfield.
The former Fulham manager said of his discussions with Gerrard and Carragher:"I think they went splendidly. I was very happy to meet the players and, of course, Kenny (Dalglish) who I already know so well.
"I was delighted to see how positive they are. Everybody is looking forward to the new season.
"Obviously Steven and Jamie are the playing heartbeat of the club and it's very important we keep people like that with us.
"I anticipate there might be a situation where other big clubs will try and sign Steven, but he gave no indication that he wanted to leave.
"Nobody at the club wants him to go so I will be doing my utmost to make sure he stays. I am confident he will.
"Unfortunately with the World Cup still on, I won't be able to meet Fernando (Torres) face to face for another few weeks. That's just circumstance and you won't hear me complaining about it.
FootballFanCast General Stay ahead in the world of football analysis, commentary, and fan insights with FootballFancast. FootballFanCast General Stay ahead in the world of football analysis, commentary, and fan insights with FootballFancast.
By subscribing, you agree to receive newsletter and marketing emails, and accept Valnet’s Terms of Use and Privacy Policy. You can unsubscribe anytime.
"When I do meet him, I will be doing everything I possibly can to convince him that Liverpool is the place to be.
"If he sees progress, I am confident that he won't want to go anywhere else. I think he understands the club and the city."Subscribe to Football FanCast News Headlines by Email
Republic of Ireland midfielder Glenn Whelan is confident of being fit for the start of the new Premier League campaign, despite suffering a calf injury during a pre-season friendly.
The 26-year-old was injured during the recent game against Burnley, but initial fears of a lengthy lay-off have been allayed, although Whelan will miss his country's friendly against Argentina next week.
He told The Sentinel:"It felt really bad at the time, but over the last couple of days it's eased off. I'm hoping it's not as bad as first feared.
"It's obviously a bad time to get injured. You put in all that hard work over the last four or five weeks and then you get something like this so close to the season.
"But I feel pretty lucky to have got a couple of 90 minutes under my belt, so it's not a case of chasing fitness now, just maintaining it.
FootballFanCast General Stay ahead in the world of football analysis, commentary, and fan insights with FootballFancast. FootballFanCast General Stay ahead in the world of football analysis, commentary, and fan insights with FootballFancast.
By subscribing, you agree to receive newsletter and marketing emails, and accept Valnet’s Terms of Use and Privacy Policy. You can unsubscribe anytime.
"Hopefully, everything will be okay for the first game."Subscribe to Football FanCast News Headlines by Email
Ten Premier League players who either go under the radar or don’t get the credit they deserve.
Leon Osman, Everton Still at the same club he joined as a 16-year-old and a consistent performer throughout. Scored within three minutes of his first start for the club against Wolves and an incredibly versatile and useful player to have in your squad, especially when injuries mount up. Mainly played on the wing or just behind the strikers, the only thing that has potentially held him back has been his size. An important part of a healthy Everton midfield.
Martin Olsson, Blackburn Rovers The 22-year-old Swede made his debut in December 2007, but has taken a while to force himself into the first team. Showed flashes of his ability and got better as last season progressed. Scored a brace on his international debut and will be a threat on Blackburn’s left wing this season. His pace, and he has it in abundance, has been a helpful addition to a sometimes sluggish side. He can play at left-back as well as further forward, has a decent finish and it may not be long before bigger clubs take notice.
Karl Henry, Wolves Captained his side to safety last season and leads by example. Henry’s hard tackling and good engine disguises his decent distribution, and he will be integral to Wolves and Mick McCarthy if they are to cement their Premier League status. Signed from Stoke in 2006, Henry has now played over 150 games for the club and along with Jody Craddock and Kevin Doyle makes up a fairly decent spine of the team. After a season in the Premier League, he will only get better as he allows the likes of Jones and Jarvis to get forward.
Liam Ridgewell, Birmingham To be honest, any of Birmingham’s rock solid back four could have made the list; Roger Johnson and Neil Dann have formed a very good understanding in the middle, and Stephen Carr is rejuvenated under Alex McLeish. Ultimately however, we’ve plumped for Ridgewell because he has been as impressive as the others despite being played out of position. Having played most of his career as a central defender he has adapted well to left-back and weighs in with important goals to boot. Maybe lacks a little discipline.
Clint Dempsey, Fulham Starting to get the recognition he has deserved for the last few seasons but still much better than people realise. Has performed well when playing wide, as well us up front and capable of scoring spectacular goals, as anyone who saw his Europa League performances will testify. As important to his country as to his club, and not short of self-confidence. Hailing from a Texan trailer park, Dempsey has been a good performer since signing for Fulham in 2007, but has excelled when playing off Bobby Zamora.
Continued on Page Two
Vedran Corluka, Spurs ‘Charlie’ has slotted in with ease at White Hart Lane and now allows Aaron Lennon to flourish, while he keeps his discipline at right-back. After Pascal Chimbonda and Alain Hutton, Spurs have finally got some consistency at in the position through Corluka. Dangerous from set-pieces and has slotted in to good effect at centre-back when the Spurs’ physio room has filled up. In a defence that has had many changes over the last 12 months with injuries, he is a calming influence throughout. Despite the money spent, he would still probably get into the Man City squad if he was still there.
Mark Noble, West Ham Plays in the shadow of Scott Parker, in what has been an effective combination. Won a hoard of fans during his tears in the 06/07 season as West Ham survived relegation. Noble can break up play as well as score goals. Avram Grant will be looking for him to get back to his best after a small dip in form last season, and he will continue to learn from Parker alongside him. Having turned 23 at the end of last season it is hard to imagine Noble not being a Hammer for the nest ten years. In an era when commitment to clubs can be questioned, few can argue with the desire in which Noble plays at Upton Park.
Carlos Cuellar, Aston Villa Signed from Rangers originally as a centre-back, the Spaniard has been an important part of a well marshalled defence. As with the blue side of Birmingham, other parts of the Villa defence could be included, but the likes of Collins, and Dunne especially, won plaudits last season where Cuellar went relatively unnoticed. Like Corluka, he is bigger than most full-backs, but more supportive in going forward and good in the air. Has pushed specialist right-back Luke Young down the pecking order. Villa will be hard to break down again this season and Cuellar will be an important factor in that.
Kevin Doyle, Wolves Whether up front as part of a pair or, as he has become accustomed to, on his own, he works tirelessly. Although Wolves didn’t score many goals last season (32), Doyle weighed in with nearly a third of them. With a regular partner, and now with the signing of Stephen Fletcher that might become a more regular system, Doyle could increase his tally. Much stronger than he looks, he has also become a fixture in the Ireland starting XI – against France, on that now infamous night in Paris, he was excellent.
FootballFanCast General Stay ahead in the world of football analysis, commentary, and fan insights with FootballFancast. FootballFanCast General Stay ahead in the world of football analysis, commentary, and fan insights with FootballFancast.
By subscribing, you agree to receive newsletter and marketing emails, and accept Valnet’s Terms of Use and Privacy Policy. You can unsubscribe anytime.
Ricardo Fuller, Stoke Struggled in the Prem at his first attempt with Portsmouth in 04/05, Fuller seems to have found his place at Stoke. Strong, quick, as comfortable with the ball at his feet, as he is with getting onto the end of the endless set-pieces. Very few defenders will enjoy playing against the Jamaican international who has 60 caps to his name.
What do you think? Who have we missed out? Is Gary Neville too high profile, or is Darren Fletcher talked about enough now to no longer be considered underrated? How highly is Matthew Etherington rated? How good is Chung-Yong Lee at Bolton? There must be other players not getting the column inches owing to them.
Read this and my other articles by following me on twitter.
As I and many other Manchester City fans have taken great delight in telling others over the past few days (whether you are a City fan or not, you’ve probably heard this bit already, but I couldn’t just start this article with paragraph two as it wouldn’t make much sense, so you’ll have to bear with me for a moment), the club’s spending power is far from damaging the England team, as had previously been decided in the tabloid kangaroo court based at Fleet Street. We’ll be doing nothing but going over old ground to repeat that argument, but it was a point I felt needed reiterating.
Especially with all the English City players that have been the spine of the last two of Fabio Capello’s teamsheets. You can insert here one of the many jokes that have been going around the web about hating international breaks but it being ok this time around because it was just like watching City. I was also disappointed with the number of my friends that told me the same Wayne Rooney joke over and over again. You can insert that here, too, if you like, just to get it out of the way.
With the introduction of the 25-man squad rule, a lot of the press were looking towards City as a team that would struggle to get their squad size down. But, in reality, the squad picked itself, there was more than enough of the home grown talent in there to meet the rules and the English players aren’t just there to make up the numbers. The victory over Liverpool in August demonstrated this, with six Englishmen both starting and finishing the game, with a seventh on the bench should he be needed. I’m not quite sure where the vitriol against City came from, given that, either through the checkbook or club academy, English talent isn’t being ignored.
Odd, how there hasn’t been nearly as much backlash towards other squads. Take Arsenal’s, for example, which doesn’t contain one English player. How often will the English Arsenal under 21 players make first team appearances, especially now with Walcott out injured? It looks like it’s going to be down to infrequent appearances from Wiltshire and Ramsey.
Chelsea couldn’t name a full 25 man squad because of the lack of home grown players – English or not. And, despite this, it’s City who are in the wrong because they’re the ones who have spent the money.
Speaking of spending money, I’m also perfectly willing to go back onto the record and state my belief that Adam Johnson will be the best value for money buy in the Premier League in the last five years. He’s young, English (and therefore with added transfer premium), not afraid to take a player or four on and he’s not afraid to have a shot when necessary. And, unlike a lot of footballers, he is comfortable and looks natural on both wings.
In fact, I’d go as far to say I’ve never been as excited about a City attacking player in the past. That he will, even though he is left footed, head for the byline or cut inside whichever wing he is on, leaves full backs not knowing what to expect and makes City (and, as we’ve seen recently, England) a much more dangerous prospect attacking. After a World Cup where England were crying out for a left winger to offer service, it seems obvious (as, I suppose, everything does with the benefit of hindsight) that not taking Adam Johnson to the tournament was a mistake.
Middlesbrough’s youth academy, like City’s, is known for developing a large number of prospects and talents and, in recent years, has been noted as one of the most productive in the country. I was concerned, when Roberto Mancini signed Johnson from the north-east club in the winter transfer window, that he was going to be another player that was ‘one-for-the-future’. That he would get maybe ten or fifteen minutes at the end of most games, providing the points were safely in the bag. That he would struggle in the Premier League at first and that it would take several years to see what sort of player he could be.
I’m not sure whether I’ve ever been more wrong. Maybe the time, just before Javier Garrido scored his first goal, a free kick, for City against Liverpool, when I said, “My worry is that he might fancy a shot from there.” Maybe.
Having watched Johnson play regularly for City, it now stumps me how Stewart Downing was keeping him out of the Middlesbrough team. Out of the two left wingers transferred from the north-east, I don’t think there can be much question that City got a better deal than Aston Villa.
FootballFanCast General Stay ahead in the world of football analysis, commentary, and fan insights with FootballFancast. FootballFanCast General Stay ahead in the world of football analysis, commentary, and fan insights with FootballFancast.
By subscribing, you agree to receive newsletter and marketing emails, and accept Valnet’s Terms of Use and Privacy Policy. You can unsubscribe anytime.
City are going to play a very large part in the future of England’s development, especially since Milner and Johnson joined the club. With Hart back from his loan at Birmingham and keeping Given out of the team, Barry putting in his usual solid and stern performances and Lescott proving he’s comfortable at left back as well as centre back, both City and England have bright futures ahead of them. And that’s not including any potential call ups for Richards and Wright-Phillips, who, I think by most City fans’ admissions, haven’t exactly been on the tops of their games recently.
And, the second half display against Sunderland aside, if watching England in years to come is anything like watching the new City, then international breaks should make for much more pleasant viewing than they have lately.
Modern footballers these days are precious creatures. Manchester United manager Sir Alex Ferguson chose to leave out star striker Wayne Rooney for United’s match against Everton on Saturday amidst tabloid allegations surrounding his private life. Ferguson’s decision to shield Rooney from the abuse he would most certainly have gotten from the Everton fans is representative of the mollycoddling of professional footballers that has come about due to their conspicuous position in the public eye.
I’m sure Rooney would have been champing at the bit at the opportunity to prove himself in front of a hostile Goodison crowd. He would have loved to shown that he was unaffected by all of the unwanted attention that had been heaped upon him in the past week by going out and playing a blinder on the pitch. However, that chance was denied to him by his manager as he chose to omit a fit, in-form Wayne Rooney from the game.
Ferguson’s stance on Rooney comes as something of a surprise from a manager that has become known for being rather uncompromising and forthright. Indeed, Rooney’s omission come as even more of a surprise when one learns of Ferguson’s own views on the “fragile” nature of today’s players. In an interview with The Guardian last year, Sir Alex bemoaned the modern trend of “fragile” players:
“It’s a different player character we’ve got today. It’s more fragile than the player of 25 years ago. They’re maybe more cocooned today by their agents and the press, at times.”
By decided against playing Rooney, Ferguson has bought into the very notion that he is denouncing by “cocooning” Rooney against the reactions of the Everton fans.
Like that of his Old Trafford counterpart, Roy Hodgson has also chosen to leave out one of his star players in the light of possible abuse from fans. Argentina captain Javier Mascherano was left out of Liverpool’s trip to Eastlands due to the midfielder “not being in the right frame of mind” following interest in his services from Barcelona. While this may have been the case, Hodgson would also have been aware of the possible fan backlash towards Mascherano’s less than positive attitude about playing for the club and decided that it would be best to spare Mascherano the ordeal of playing in front of a disgruntled Liverpool faithful.
As a fan, you would like to see the best players on the pitch. By excluding Wayne Rooney from Saturday’s game, Ferguson ensured that this was not the case. I understand the concerns about Rooney’s temperament in the wake of all the tabloid headlines written about him but I would have liked to have seen the manager give Rooney an opportunity to show that it didn’t affect him by giving him a run-out for a half at least to see how well he could cope.
Rooney’s absence speaks volumes about the hypersensitivity that is present in today’s game. Players are protected from even the slightest suggestion that could possibly affect their performances on the pitch. I fear that Ferguson may be setting a precedent for other managers to follow should any such allegations fall upon their own players.
FootballFanCast General Stay ahead in the world of football analysis, commentary, and fan insights with FootballFancast. FootballFanCast General Stay ahead in the world of football analysis, commentary, and fan insights with FootballFancast.
By subscribing, you agree to receive newsletter and marketing emails, and accept Valnet’s Terms of Use and Privacy Policy. You can unsubscribe anytime.
Do you agree that footballers have become soft? Should they be allowed to take fan criticism? Or is Ferguson right to protect Rooney?
Liverpool manager Roy Hodgson has vowed to fight to keep hold of Fernando Torres should Manchester United come calling.
Wayne Rooney's wish to leave Old Trafford could result in the Red Devils entering the market to sign a top-quality replacement.
Rooney is unsettled at United and has signalled his intention not to sign a new contract.
That has led to suggestions that Torres could be a transfer target for Sir Alex Ferguson when the window reopens in January.
However, Hodgson insists Torres is going nowhere and has vowed to keep hold of one of his prize assets.
"I think I'd have to say we'd cross that bridge when we come to it," he said.
"I am pretty sure when a great player like Wayne Rooney is looking to leave his club, Manchester United will be in a position to target an awful lot of players around the world.
"I don't think Fernando Torres would be the only player they will be targeting or (we would be) the only club worried their star striker is going to be a target.
"They will have the opportunity to replace him with many star strikers around the world, so all I can say is I am not naive to the situation.
FootballFanCast General Stay ahead in the world of football analysis, commentary, and fan insights with FootballFancast. FootballFanCast General Stay ahead in the world of football analysis, commentary, and fan insights with FootballFancast.
By subscribing, you agree to receive newsletter and marketing emails, and accept Valnet’s Terms of Use and Privacy Policy. You can unsubscribe anytime.
"I am not naive enough to think there is no danger we will ever lose a player like Fernando Torres.
"I can only hope we won't and I will make certain I do everything in my power to keep him happy at the club, help him improve his current form and to get him playing for Liverpool as he has in the past."Subscribe to Football FanCast News Headlines by Email
Arsenal manager Arsene Wenger has urged his side to build on their fine performance in the 3-0 victory over ten-man Manchester City at Eastlands.
Goals from Samir Nasri, Alex Song and Nicklas Bendtner eased the Gunners to three points following the early dismissal of home defender Dedryck Boyata, with Arsenal rising to second place in the Premier League table.
Wenger said afterwards:"For us it was important to us to get a win in a big place, to strengthen belief of the squad and continue our march forward.
"I think we did it today with calm intelligence and overall the needed performance to play against ten men. I think collectively we completely dominated the game.
"I hope that will give us the belief and confidence to take into other games.
"After the sending-off it became electric and we got some yellow cards quickly.
FootballFanCast General Stay ahead in the world of football analysis, commentary, and fan insights with FootballFancast. FootballFanCast General Stay ahead in the world of football analysis, commentary, and fan insights with FootballFancast.
By subscribing, you agree to receive newsletter and marketing emails, and accept Valnet’s Terms of Use and Privacy Policy. You can unsubscribe anytime.
"It was important that we did not get a second yellow and I asked the players at half-time to focus on playing in a positive way and to try to score a second goal – to focus on playing football and not just defending our advantage."Subscribe to Football FanCast News Headlines by Email
Sunderland boss Steve Bruce admitted that his side had been slightly fortunate to leave White Hart Lane with a point from a 1-1 draw with Tottenham Hotspur.
An Asamoah Gyan strike levelled things up for the visitors, just three minutes after Rafael van der Vaart had broken the deadlock for Spurs.
Bruce told his club's official website:"We rode our luck a bit in the first half. I chose to change things around in the second and then we showed a bit of spirit.
"After a difficult first half we rolled our sleeves up and asked a few questions of Tottenham. It's never easy to come here against one of the top sides.
"We can take big positives. We have had to change the mentality away from home.
"The second half I was pleased with. The first half? Let's be fair – we got a bit of a doing, but we hung in there.
FootballFanCast General Stay ahead in the world of football analysis, commentary, and fan insights with FootballFancast. FootballFanCast General Stay ahead in the world of football analysis, commentary, and fan insights with FootballFancast.
By subscribing, you agree to receive newsletter and marketing emails, and accept Valnet’s Terms of Use and Privacy Policy. You can unsubscribe anytime.
"You need your defenders and your goalkeeper to perform in circumstances like that and a big hats off to them. The defence earned that point for us because they were fantastic."Subscribe to Football FanCast News Headlines by Email
The North London derby kicks-off what promises to be an action packed weekend in the Premier League. Tottenham’s away record against the top three is woeful at best and if Harry Redknapp wants to take the North Londoners to the top then this is one area that clearly needs to improve. Elsewhere Chelsea face a tough trip to St Andrews, Avram Grant looks ahead to a daunting trip to Anfield in order to kick start the Hammers’ season, while Wayne Rooney will finally get to witness what Manchester United fans really think about him as he returns from the US.
In the papers this morning Ray Wilkins seeks legal advice; Mark Hughes questions the progress made at Manchester City and Roy Hodgson refuses to stir up Gerrard row.
**
Hughes: Manchester City would be better off with me in charge – Guardian
Wilkins seeks legal advice – Sky Sports
Hamburger SV in talks with Tottenham over Niko Kranjcar – IM Scouting
Wenger drops Bendtner from ‘best ever’ squad – Daily Telegraph
No FA support for Carroll claim – Sun
Liverpool in pole position to land Sampdoria’s Reto Ziegler – IM Scouting
Moyes calls on countries to cover wages – Guardian
Hodgson refuses to stir up Gerrard row – Guardian
Rooney braced for fans’ reaction – Daily Telegraph
FootballFanCast General Stay ahead in the world of football analysis, commentary, and fan insights with FootballFancast. FootballFanCast General Stay ahead in the world of football analysis, commentary, and fan insights with FootballFancast.
By subscribing, you agree to receive newsletter and marketing emails, and accept Valnet’s Terms of Use and Privacy Policy. You can unsubscribe anytime.
Chelsea chase Bayer Leverkusen midfielder Arturo Vidal – IM Scouting