July 4, 2014
We’re led to believe that Luis Suarez will complete his move to Barcelona by the end of the weekend, which will mean that on Monday morning Liverpool will find themselves around £80m richer than they are today. The temptation for the club, given what Suarez has contributed in pure footballing terms and given how close(…)
July 3, 2014
Luis Suarez’s exit from Liverpool now looks inevitable and without, making yet another reference to all the incidents he’s been involved with during his time at Anfield, and it’s one of the ugliest, more jarring episodes in the Premier League’s recent transfer history. Of course, we’re used to seeing Spanish clubs aggressively pursuing British-based talent(…)
July 3, 2014
We’ve known that Emre Can was heading for Liverpool for some time now, but the club made it official today and confirmed that the versatile midfielder has joined having spent just a single season at Bayer Leverkusen. Here are his statistics (league only) from last season with the Liverpool leader in the particular category shown(…)
July 3, 2014
The descriptions of the USA’s performance at the World Cup have largely been patronising; yes, they played with a lot of desire, yes, they showed an unwaivering will to win but, no, that doesn’t make them simply ‘brave’. Brave. If I had the chance to remove one platitude from the football world, it would be(…)
July 2, 2014
Earlier this Summer, Bacary Sagna’s contract expired and he agreed to join Manchester City on a free-transfer, leaving Arsenal with a gaping hole at right-back. With the greatest respect to Carl Jenkinson, he is not – nor ever will be – a viable full-back option for a top-four/Champions League side, and so Arsene Wenger is(…)
July 2, 2014
Earlier in the week, I wrote this about Southampton and stressed that despite the sales of Luke Shaw, Adam Lallana, and Rickie Lambert, there were plenty of reasons for optimism and that the club were still well-positioned to be a progressive force in the Premier League. And, after the last twenty-four hours, I’m more sure(…)
July 2, 2014
Ben Weeks mournfully watches Fulham’s outcast Bryan Ruiz make a difference at the World Cup… “Maybe they don’t need me. They need Bryan Ruiz, believe me.” We’ll never know, but I think Martin Jol was probably right on both counts when he said that last season. I told myself I wouldn’t open this can of(…)
July 2, 2014
It seems fairly certain that Tottenham will soon complete a free-transfer deal for Esteban Cambiasso and that the soon-to-be 34 year-old will move to England for one final pay-day…sorry, sorry, I mean ‘Indian Summer’. I hate this kind of transfer, it’s so short-term. Mauricio Pochettino knows Cambiasso, obviously, and is aware of his capabilities, but(…)
July 1, 2014
Fulham, supposedly, are on the verge of signing Leeds United forward Ross McCormack as they prepare for life in The Championship and some sources have the fee somewhere in the region of £10m. Quite clearly, that is a staggering amount of money for that particular player and a lot of money for a club on(…)
July 1, 2014
The game has changed in the last ten years. Not necessarily the sport itself, but certainly the way in which we digest it. Before the internet ‘happened’, football watching was divided into three categories: live, live on television, recorded highlights. There were no alternatives, save for having VHS copies of season reviews or particularly memorable(…)
July 1, 2014
I’ve already had my say on Adam Lallana’s transfer-fee, and the pros and cons of Liverpool spending £25m will be debated to death elsewhere. Where will he play? Who will he replace? How could Brendan Rodgers have better utilised his resources? Everyone will have a different opinion and over the coming days most will get(…)
June 30, 2014
“Flawed genius”. I hate the term; it’s a grandiose way to describe someone who uses their talent as an excuse for their personality. It suggests that a higher tolerance should be afforded to them on the basis of what they do in another part of their life. I especially hate the term when it’s being(…)
June 30, 2014
Here’s a tough pub-quiz question: name Tottenham’s last reliable left-back. And no, Benoit Assou-Ekotto doesn’t count. The Mirror reporting that Spurs have agreed an £8m fee for Swansea City’s Ben Davies and that should, if true, spell the merciful end of Danny Rose’s time in the first-team. Rose is a strange player; during a Tottenham(…)
June 29, 2014
First things first: the way Arjen Robben plays the game is frequently deplorable and, time and again throughout his career, we have seen him attempt to gain an artificial advantage via simulation. He throws himself to the floor, he exaggerates contact, he creates the illusion of foul-play when it hasn’t taken place…basically, the Dutchman ticks(…)
