All November Transfer Rumours

This is first of our monthly list of transfer rumours. Here are the rumours:

Manchester United

According to variou British newspapers, Manchester United have stolen a march on Real Madrid in the £10m race to sign midfielder Miguel Veloso.

Moreover according to The People, Manchester United are being sounded out about a possible swap deal which would see Barcelona's Samuel Eto'o trading places with Louis Saha.

Furthermore Mexico goalkeeper Guillermo Ochoa claims Manchester United are interested in signing him according to The Times.

In addition to this according to The Sun, Dimitar Berbatov's brother says the Bulgarian striker has "outgrown" Tottenham and wants to join Manchester United.

Arsenal

According to The People, Arsene Wenger has his sights on Real Madrid's Pablo Saparia and AEK Athens Sokratis Papa, both 15-year-olds. The same paper also reports that Arsenal are lining up a £15m transfer window swoop for Aston Villa striker Gabriel Agbonlahor.

Moreover Arsenal manager Arsene Wenger could make a move for Bolton keeper Jussi Jaaskelainen, whose contract finishes in June according to The Daily Mirror. The same paper also reports that Arsenal striker Emmanuel Adebayor has suggested that the Gunners might be tempted to sell him if Real Madrid came in with a £100m offer.

Furthermore according to The Daily Star, Arsenal are on the trail of Congo international striker Tresor Mputu , dubbed the next Samuel Eto'o, and will pay £500,000 for him.

Also Arsenal are watching Villarreal's Martin Caceres, currently at loan with Recreativo in La Liga according to The Sun.

Liverpool

According to The People, Liverpool boss Rafa Benitez will launch an £8m raid on young Real Betis star Juan de Dios Prados. The same paper also reports that Liverpool are interested in Athletic Bilbao defender Fernando Amorebieta and Spanish U21 midfielder Javi Martinez.

Moreover Liverpool are interested in signing Sunderland striker Kenwyne Jones and could make a £12m bid for him according to The Daily Mirror.

Furthermore according to The Guardian, Liverpool boss Rafael Benitez is weighing up a £10m move for Racing Santander central defender Ezequiel Garay.

Chelsea

According to the Guardian, Chelsea may be alone in the race to sign Ronaldinho, as AC Milan change their minds. The same paper also suggests that Chelsea are weighing up a £2.5m move for Hertha Berlin's Serbia international forward Marko Pantelic to cover Salomon Kalou and Didier Drogba should they go to the African Cup of Nations.

Moreover Chelsea have stepped up their pursuit of Corinthians' Lulinha, the 17-year-old Brazilian chased by a number of top clubs according to The Independant. Also the same paper reports that Dinamo Zagreb's diminutive Croatian playmaker Luka Modric is heading to Chelsea in the summer.

Furthermore according to The Daily Mirror, Chelsea boss Avram Grant has made Bolton striker Nicolas Anelka his number one target in the January transfer window. The same paper also reports that The Blues are also ready to step up their chase for Sevilla's Daniel Alves when the January transfer window opens and Chelsea outcast Paulo Ferreira is at the centre of a £10m swap deal with Valencia's Miguel.

In addition to this Grant is ready to make Feyenoord midfielder Jonathan De Guzman his first signing in the transfer window with an £8m swoop according to The Sun. The same paper also suggests that Chelsea are leading the race to sign 23-year-old French striker Guillaume Hoarau and Chelsea want to sign Russian internationals Diniyar Bilyaletdinov and Branislav Ivanovic.

Manchester City

According to The Daily Star, Manchester City are close to signing Brazilian striker Alfonso Alves, 26, from Dutch club Heerenveen for £14m. The same paper also suggests that Manchester City may also be ready to mount a double raid on Tottenham for star striker Dimitar Berbatov and goalkeeper Paul Robinson.

Moreover Christian Poulsen, a star player at Sevilla, is a £7m target for Manchester City according to The Sun. Also the same paper reports that Manchester City boss Sven-Goran Eriksson is closing in on £10m-rated Russian international Roman Pavlyuchenko - the striker whose two goals ended England's hopes of qualifying for Euro 2008- and Eriksson is also trying to prise Partizan Belgrade teenager Stevan Jovetic away from rivals Manchester United.

Furthermore Manchester City will splash £5m on Australia's midfielder Marco Bresciano, who plays at Palermo in Italy's Serie A according to The Express. Also the same paper reports that City are also interested in Russian midfielder Marat Izmailov, but face competition from Inter Milan to sign the £4m Sporting Lisbon player.

In addition to this, according to The Daily Mirror, Manchester City have been offered the chance to sign Brazilian World Cup winner Adriano on loan with Ronaldo Bianchi going the other way. The same paper also suggests that Manchester City boss Sven-Goran Eriksson is considering a move for Liverpool's Javier Mascherano to fend off a rival £16m bid from Barcelona.

Also Ghana striker Asamoah Gyan expects to join Manchester City in the summer after claiming that transfer negotiations with his club Udinese are well advanced according to The Times.

Tottenham

Sevilla striker Freddie Kanoute has refused to rule out a move to Tottenham according to The Express. The same paper reports that Spurs boss Juande Ramos is also keen to bring Carrick back to White Hart Lane in an £18m deal.

Moreover according to The Daily Mirror, New Spurs boss Juande Ramos could raid former club Sevilla for Russia striker Alexander Kerzhakov. Also the same paper suggests that Spurs are poised to beat Arsenal to the signing of Sevilla's £8m-rated teenage midfielder Diego Capel.

Furthermore Juande Ramos will raid former club Sevilla for with a £6m bid for central defender Julien Escude according to The Mirror. Also the same paper reports that Tottenham coach Juande Ramos has begun clear-out plans to make room for a £5million swoop for Espanyol centre-half Dani Jarque and Tottenham midfielder Hossam Ghaly, who has not played since reacting angrily to being substituted by former boss Martin Jol last season, has been granted permission to train with Egyptian side Al Ahly.

In addition to this according to The Daily Star, Tottenham will sign ex-Arsenal hitman Julio Baptista in the January transfer window from Real Madrid. Spurs coach Juande Ramos has lined up a £5m swoop for the Brazil striker, who he managed at Seville. The same paper also suggests that Tottenham are ready to offer bitter rivals Arsenals around £7m for unsettled midfielder Abou Diaby and Tottenham coach Juande Ramos is also planning a £30m swoop for Valencia's David Villa as he is worried Dimitar Berbatov still wants to quit the club.

Newcastle

According to Daily Telegraph, Newcastle manager Sam Allardyce is considering a £7m move for Russian playmaker Andrei Arshavin who plays for Zenit St Petersburg. Also the same paper suggests that Newcastle manager Sam Allardyce is lining up a January move for Porto centre-back Bruno Alves.

Moreover Newcastle boss Sam Allardyce wants to take his former Bolton defender Tal Ben-Haim for a knockdown £1m from Chelsea according to The People. The same paper also reports that Newcastle are interested in Rangers full-back Alan Hutton after a series of impressive performances for the Ibrox club and Scotland.

Everton

According to The Daily Mail, Everton are interested in signing Arsenal full-back Justin Hoyte. The same paper also reports that Everton manager David Moyes has taken Swindon defender Ben Tozer on a four-day trial.

Portsmouth

According to The Daily Mirror, Portsmouth are tracking Portugese midfielder Tiago Gomes from Estrela Amadora. The same paper also reports that Portsmouth boss Harry Redknapp has his sights set on a £10m move for Liverpool striker Peter Crouch.

Moreover Portsmouth boss Harry Redknapp is ready to snap up Paraguay World Cup striker Nelson Cuevas - on a free according to The People.

West Ham

According to The Independant, West Ham boss Alan Curbishley is poised to bolster his striking options with Inter Milan's Brazilian Adriano in January.

Moreover West Ham could bid £5m for Panathinaikos's Brazilian midfielder Marcelo according to The Sun.

Furthermore according to The Daily Mirror, Manchester City and West Ham are in a fight to sign Marseille striker Djibril Cisse for £5m.

In addition to this West Ham will finally seal the £5m swoop for Derby winger Giles Barnes in the January transfer window according to The People.

Aston Villa

According to various British newspapers, Aston Villa will have to pay a British record £10m for a goalkeeper to make Scott Carson's move from Liverpool permanent.

Fulham

According to The Times, Fulham are looking at 15-year-old Crystal Palace midfielder John Bostock. Portsmouth have already had a £2m bid turned down.

Moreover Fulham, Wigan and Bolton are in competition to sign Barnsley's German goalkeeper Heinz Muller according to The Sun.

Middlesbrough

According to The People, Middlesbrough boss Gareth Southgate is preparing a move for Sheffield United target man James Beattie to solve his club's striker crisis.

Bolton

According to The Daily Mirror, Bolton manager Gary Megson is ready to raid old club West Brom for Zoltan Gera. The same paper reports that Bolton boss Gary Megson is set to bid for Villarreal's Danish striker Jon Dahl Tomasson - as he prepares for Nicolas Anelka to leave the Reebok Stadium.

Moreover Bolton want to sign Sheffield United hard-man Chris Morgan according to The News of the World. The same paper also suggests that Bolton manager Gary Megson is set to raid his former club with a £2.5m swoop for West Brom defender Paul Robinson.

Furthermore according to The Daily Star, Bolton want to sign Manchester City's £2m-rated winger Ishmael Miller, who is on loan at West Brom. The same paper also suggests that Bolton want Sheffield Wednesday midfielder Glen Whelan.

In addition to this Bolton or Newcastle could make a move for Jonas Olsson after his agent revealed the Sweden defender will be allowed to leave his club, NEC Nijmegen, in January according to various British newspapers.

Sunderland

Wolverhampton Wanderers boss Mick McCarthy will battle former club Sunderland to sign Manchester United's Jonny Evans according to the Daily Mail. Also the same paper reports that North-east neighbours Middlesbrough and Sunderland are battling over £2m-rated Macedonia striker Ilco Naumoski who plays his club football in Austria for SV Mattesburg

Moreover according to The News of the World, Sunderland are planning a double raid on Portsmouth for out-of-favour Matt Taylor and fellow midfielder Sean Davis.

Reading

According to The Daily Mirror, Boss Steve Coppell is plotting a Reading club-record £5m bid for Portsmouth midfielder Matt Taylor. The same paper also suggests that Reading are lining up a £3m move for Morocco defender Badr El Kaddouri in case they lose Nicky Shorey to West Ham.

Moreover Reading are to offer Rangers £3m for midfielder Brahim Hemdani according to The Daily Star. Also the same paper reports that Reading want to sign Blackburn goalkeeper Jason Brown as they prepare for the loss of Marcus Hahnemann, who is currently involved in a contract row with the club.

Derby County

According to The Sun, Derby want to re-sign Tottenham midfielder Tom Huddlestone when the January transfer window opens. The same paper also suggests that Reading and Derby are battling to sign £2m-rated MLS striker Eddie Johnson.

Moreover Derby want to sign out-of-favour Celtic defender Bobo Balde in January according to The Daily Star. The same paper also reports that Derby are battling it out with Wigan and West Brom to sign Barnsley midfielder Brian Howard.

In addition to this, Coppell is interested in a move for Bolton's right midfielder Stelios Giannakopoulos.

Wigan Athletic

Wigan will have to buy on-loan Ecuador midfielder Luis Antonio Valencia from Villarreal to head off a bid from Racing Santander according to The Daily Mail.

Juventus

Juventus have stepped up their interest in Arsenal midfielder Gilberto according to various British newspapers. The same paper also reports that Benjani will snub an offer from Juventus to extend his contract at Portsmouth. The Italian giants have tabled a £7m bid for the Zimbabwean striker.

Moreover according to The Independant, Aston Villa's Sweden international defender Olof Mellberg has refused to deny speculation linking him with a move to Juventus .

Inter Milan

According to The Independant, Inter Milan have been linked with Bolton keeper Jussi Jaaskelainen, joining Manchester United, Arsenal and Fenerbahce in a growing list of admirers.

Moreover Inter Milan are also considering a move for Chelsea defender Ricardo Carvalho, who is unsettled following the exit of Mourinho according to The News of The World.

Barcelona

According to The Sun, Barcelona's Eidur Gudjohnsen could be set for a return to the Premier League with West Ham, Portsmouth and Manchester City all interested in signing the former Chelsea striker.

Real Madrid

Real Madrid are planning a £30m deal to sign Chelsea striker Didier Drogba next summer and the Blues will line up Bolton forward Nicolas Anelka as replacement according to The Daily Mirror.

Athletico Madrid

Atletico Madrid are planning an £8m January swoop for Chelsea winger Shaun Wright-Phillips according to The Express. The same paper also reports that Mikel Arteta has shocked Everton fans by claiming he would love to join Atletico Madrid. "One day I will end up at Atletico. It's a club I like and I would love to play there," said the 25-year-old midfielder

Moreover according to The Daily Mirror, Atletico Madrid are hopeful of signing Manchester United defender Gerard Pique on loan in January ahead of a permanent deal. The same paper also reports that Liverpool midfielder Xabi Alonso is wanted by Spanish side Atletico Madrid.

Feyenoord

According to The Daily Mail, Blackburn will allow defender Andre Ooijer to return to Holland in the summer on a free transfer with Feyenoord keen to sign the 33-year-old.

Celtic

According to The Daily Record, Celtic are ready to beat Hearts in the race to sign Dundee United goalkeeper Gregorz Szamotulski in January. The same paper reports that Belgian side Anderlecht are ready to sign forgotten Celtic striker Maciej Zurawski.

Moreover Celtic are planning a January bid for Everton forward James McFadden according to The Daily Mail. Meanwhile the same paper also reports that Aston Villa midfielder Shaun Maloney's agent has urged Celtic to make a bid for their former player - if they want to bring him back to Celtic Park.

Rangers

Rangers are lining up a January replacement after summer signing Daniel Cousin was linked with Middlesbrough, Bolton and Real Betis according to The Express.

DC United

According to The Daily Star, Former Manchester United midfielder Juan Sebastian Veron is set to join MLS side DC United.

Southampton

According to The Sun, Southampton boss George Burley is keen to sign Plymouth midfielder David Norris on loan.

Wolverhamton Wanderers

According to The People, Wolves boss Mick McCarthy is chasing Burnley's Northern Ireland striker Kyle Laferty. Meanwhile the same paper also suggests that Wolves manager Mick McCarthy has checked up on Coventry's Scottish striker Kevin Kyle.

Moreover Wolves manager Mick McCarthy will make a second attempt to sign Sheffield United striker Billy Sharp according to The Sun.

Norwich

According to The Sun, New Norwich boss Glenn Roeder is planning to raid former club Newcastle for out-of-favour striker Shola Ameobi.

Sheffield Wednesday

Sheffield Wednesday are interested in signing Scunthorpe's unsettled midfielder Cleveland Taylor according to The Daily Mail . The same paper also reports that Sunderland are ready to offload Graham Kavanagh and Sheffield Wednesday are interested in recruiting the midfielder.

Leicester

According to The Daily Mirror, Leicester boss Ian Holloway will make Israel midfielder Tamir Cohen his first signing for the Foxes.

QPR
QPR are poised to sign Italy defender Francesco Coco, who is a free agent after leaving Inter Milan according to The Sun.

Crystal Palace

According to The Daily Star, Crystal Palace want to sign Barnsley defender Rob Kuzluk.

Stoke

According to The Daily Mirror, Stoke are targeting a transfer swoop for West Ham's out-of-favour Nigel Quashie.

Leeds

According to The Sun, Leeds boss Dennis Wise is planning a January bid for Ipswich midfielder Sammy Moore.

Strachan hails Bravehearts

Celtic boss Gordon Strachan hailed the "sheer guts" of his players after Massimo Donati's injury-time winner sunk Shakhtar Donetsk to keep the Hoops' UEFA Champions League hopes alive.
Strachan's side suffered a nightmare start, going down to Brandao's fourth-minute strike and losing defenders John Kennedy and Lee Naylor to injury.
But the fiery Scot paid tribute to a big-hearted comeback that left Donati the last-gasp hero after a Jarosik equaliser.
"In different games we have had to think, really play well technically but for sheer guts that's as good as it gets," Strachan said.
"Just when you think you have seen it all, you think about every scenario, but you can never know what's going to happen.
"Losing a stupid goal, ending up with a midfielder playing left-back, a centre-half at right-back [Gary Caldwell] and someone who has not played for five months who is 34 [Steven Pressley].
Heart
"How did we win the game? The simple answer is with a huge heart."
Celtic now need just a point from their game against Milan to progress to the last 16, but Strachan refused to get carried away with the win.
"It has put us in a great position," he admitted.
"We cannot ask for any more from the players but what happens elsewhere we can't deal with. We have had another smashing campaign this year."

Blues meet McLeish clause

Alex McLeish is set to be confirmed as Birmingham City manager after they met a buy-out clause in his contract, skysports.com understands.
The Scottish Football Association had refused Birmingham permission to talk with McLeish after they made contact over the weekend.
However, skysports.com has learnt that McLeish has a buy-out clause in his contract - which allows him to leave if it is met.
Done deal
Birmingham have matched the amount needed to trigger the clause and McLeish is now holding talks with Blues although it is understood that negotiations are close to being concluded.
McLeish emerged as one of Birmingham's top targets last week and they now look set to seal his signature on a contract that could be signed as early as Tuesday.
The news will come as a huge blow to Scotland, who had seen McLeish come so close to taking them to Euro 2008 before defeat to Italy at Hampden Park ended their hopes.
Following Sunday's World Cup draw in South Africa, it was hoped McLeish could be persuaded to sign a fresh deal and take the Tartan Army through to 2010 - but he will instead be taking up the challenge of the Premier League.
The SFA have called a board meeting for Wednesday to review the situation.

Rafa coy on exit rumours

Rafa Benitez has delivered another guarded press conference ahead of Liverpool's crucial UEFA Champions League clash against Porto on Wednesday.
The Spanish tactician has been caught in a media storm over the past week following a spat with the club's owners over transfer policy at Anfield.
It has been reported that Benitez is working on borrowed time at Liverpool after he voiced his misgivings concerning owners Tom Hicks and George Gillett's unwillingness to sanction transfer activity before they arrive on Merseyside for the clash with Manchester United on 16th December.
Unsurprisingly, it was the face-off between Benitez and his paymasters that occupied the thoughts of the media present, but he is remaining steadfastly tight-lipped over his future.
Tight-lipped
"Before you start asking, for all the media here as Liverpool football club's manager, I know this is the most important thing for the club," he told Sky Sports News.
"I will talk of Porto.
"I am sure that we will win and I am sure that we will play well so I am always thinking of winning the next game. And then I will think to win against Bolton.
"No distractions. We are thinking of Porto and nothing else.
"You can ask but I will talk only of Porto," he answered, when quizzed on whether he had met with chief executive Rick Parry.
"We will be thinking about Porto. We were talking because we talk a lot of the time but we were talking about Porto. The game."

Mourinho - Come and get me

Jose Mourinho is ready and willing to talk to the Football Association about becoming the new England manager.
The former Chelsea boss has emerged as the fans' favourite to take over the reins from Steve McClaren, who was dismissed last week after his failure to lead England to the Euro 2008 finals.
FA chief executive Brian Barwick is set to begin his hunt for England's new boss within the next week - and Mourinho admits he would welcome an approach.
"You will have to speak to the FA to see if they are interested in offering me the job," he told The Sun.
"I cannot say what I think until they say they are interested. Tell the FA to come and get me.
"We will have to wait and see, but I rule nothing out."

Derby to unveil Jewell

Derby County have called a news conference for Wednesday morning when they are expected to confirm the appointment of Paul Jewell as their new manager.
The Rams parted company with Billy Davies earlier this week after their poor start to the new Premier League season.
Chairman Adam Pearson wasted little time in narrowing down his search to three names.
Milton Keynes Dons chief Paul Ince was the early front-runner for the post but now Jewell has agreed to return to club management.
The former Wigan chief has been linked with a host of jobs in recent months and even rejected a return to the JJB Stadium.
Now Derby will unveil Jewell on Wednesday as their new boss on a three-year contract.

Sending off shocks Wenger

Arsenal manager Arsene Wenger said he did not know why he had been sent off during the UEFA Champions League clash with Sevilla.
Wenger was ordered from the side of the pitch by Eric Braamhaar during the second half as his Gunners side went down 3-1 in Andalucia.
In the process, the weakened visitors lost their 28-game unbeaten run stretching back to April as well as surrendering top slot in Champions League Group H.
A frustrated Wenger said after the match: "I don't know why I was sent-off. I am really surprised. I had no exchanges with the ref at all."
Wenger appeared to be involved in a running battle with the fourth official for much of the match which Arsenal led thanks to Eduardo da Silva's 11th minute effort.
However, they soon lost their advantage as the hosts ran out worthy winners thanks to goals from Seydou Keita, Luis Fabiano and a Fredi Kanoute penalty.
Difficult
"When I was down (on the touchline) I said it was naive to let him gain that time. The fourth official was really difficult for the whole game. I wanted to ask him why I had been sent off."
Wenger also seemed unsure where to stand after being ordered away from pitchside.
"I did not know where to go. I could not get in the stand," he complained.
Arsenal skipper Kolo Toure was also critical of Braamhaar.
Toure, who manfully marshalled a weakened Gunners defence, said: "We gave everything. I don't like to talk about the referee but tonight he was a little bit difficult for us.
"The ref sometimes helped them but when you go away it is always like that but they deserved their win. We gave everything but that's the way football goes."

Fifa World Ranking

Following are the latest Fifa rankings which were launched yesterday :

1Argentina


2Brazil



3Italy


4Spain


5Germany


6Czech Republic


7France


8Portugal


9Netherlands


10Croatia


11Greece


12England


13Romania


14Scotland


15Mexico


16Turkey

17Colombia

18Bulgaria

19USA

20Nigeria

21Paraguay

22Russia

23Poland

24Sweden

24Cameroon

26Israel

27Uruguay

28Norway

29Ukraine

30Serbia

31Denmark

32Northern Ireland

33Japan

33Guinea

35Republic of Ireland

36Finland

37Côte d'Ivoire

38Senegal

39Morocco

40Iran

41Egypt

42Korea Republic

43Ghana

44Switzerland

45Chile

46Mali

47Tunisia

48Australia

49Belgium

50Slovakia


51 Bosnia-Herzegovina

52Hungary

53Moldova

54Honduras

55Canada

56Ecuador

57Saudi Arabia

58Wales

59FYR Macedonia

60Belarus

61Lithuania

62Venezuela

63Peru

64Uzbekistan

65Cyprus

66Panama

66Haiti

68Zambia

69Costa Rica

70Iraq

70Cuba

72Togo


73Angola

74Equatorial Guinea

75Mozambique

76Oman

77South Africa

77Georgia

77St. Vincent and the Grenadines

80Congo DR


81Algeria

82Albania


83Trinidad and Tobago

83Slovenia

85China PR

86 Qatar


87 Zimbabwe

8Latvia

89Iceland

90Armenia

91Austria

92Congo

93Guyana

94Uganda

95Libya

95New Zealand

97Benin

98Jamaica

99United Arab Emirates

100Kenya

101 Bahrain

102 Botswana

103 Tanzania

104 Guatemala

105 Sudan

106 Bolivia

106 Gabon

108 Ethiopia

109 Syria

110 Kazakhstan

111 Gambia

112 Cape Verde Islands

113 Thailand

113 Burkina Faso

115 Namibia

116 Burundi

117 Korea DPR

118 Azerbaijan

119 New Caledonia

119 Rwanda

121 Kuwait

122 Jordan

123 Liechtenstein

124 Barbados

125 Solomon Islands

126 Eritrea

127 Turkmenistan

128 Estonia

129 Hong Kong

130 Singapore

130 Malawi

130 Mauritania

133 Fiji

134 Indonesia

135 Tajikistan

136 Kyrgyzstan

137 Lebanon

138 Bermuda

139 Malta

140 Vietnam

141 El Salvador

141 Vanuatu

143 Chad

144 Yemen

145 India

146 Liberia

147 Dominican Republic

148 Samoa

149 Maldives

150 Suriname

151 Swaziland

152 Luxembourg

152 Madagascar

154 Lesotho

155 Sierra Leone

156 Myanmar

156 Antigua and Barbuda

158 Niger

159 Malaysia

159 St. Kitts and Nevis

161 Mauritius

162 Nicaragua

163 Chinese Taipei

163 Tahiti

165 Seychelles

166 Pakistan

167 Palestine

167 Tonga

169 Sri Lanka

170 Grenada

171 Bahamas

172 Montenegro

173 Bangladesh

174 Andorra

175 Djibouti

175 Laos

177 St. Lucia

178 Mongolia

179 Philippines

180 British Virgin Islands

181 Guinea-Bissau

181 Turks and Caicos Islands

183 Cambodia

183 Papua New Guinea

183 Netherlands Antilles

186 Comoros

187 Nepal

187 Brunei Darussalam

189 Afghanistan

189 Dominica

191 Central African Republic

191 Cayman Islands

193 Macau

194 Somalia

195 Faroe Islands

196 Puerto Rico

197 San Marino

198 Bhutan

198 Anguilla

200 Cook Islands

201 American Samoa

201 Guam

201 Belize

201 Timor-Leste

201 Aruba

201 US Virgin Islands

201 Montserrat

208 São Tomé e Príncipe

English football

Not surprisingly my first post on this blog is going to be about the tumultous condition of English football.


England's failure to qualify for Euro 2008 is an absolute disaster and the performance against Croatia in front of a packed Wembley was very poor to say the least. But I've seen worse England performances than that, even though that doesn't make it any easier.
Too many players were off form and I really think the first goal unsettled everybody. From what I've seen and heard, everybody was up for it and were desperate for the right result, so you can't fault the players' commitment. But the first goal came out of the blue from a mistake and that is what changed the whole course of the game.
It's easy in hindsight to say what should have been done differently but I did think Steve McClaren chose the wrong tactics. We had been doing very well in the previous qualifiers we had played at Wembley playing 4-4-2 with Gareth Barry and Steven Gerrard in the centre of midfield.
The 4-5-1 just didn't work. To me that said to Croatia that England were happy to keep what they'd got and settle for 0-0. Shaun Wright-Phillips and Joe Cole found it hard to link up with Peter Crouch from the flanks. Crouch got a lot of flick-ons into good areas but others weren't reading the situation.
And as for the defence, well they were awful. I just wonder what David James has got to do to win another England cap, apart from playing the odd friendly! He's had a fantastic last couple of seasons - yes we know he was prone to errors - but he has been in just as good form, if not better, than Scott Carson.
Plus, he has the experience. This was a very untried back four - Micah Richards, Joleon Lescott, Sol Campbell and Wayne Bridge - and they needed someone with experience behind them who would talk. And one thing that David James can do is talk.
With going two goals behind and under even more pressure to chase the game, huge gaps appeared and people were chasing shadows. They were losing their composure and positional sense and Croatia looked as though they could score every time they went forward.
Disappointment
The players will be distraught. As much as the Premier League have made these players world stars they need the big stage to play on - to hone their skills and to pit their wits against the best.
I used to love it - playing in the World Cup in 82 and the European Championships in Italy. It was fantastic knowing that you were playing against these other world-class players - you may have played against them in the European Cup, but this was different, playing against them on the biggest stage. That's where you improve.
Some people think that the players are millionaires and so they don't have the motivation to play for their country as in the past, but I'm not having that. They do care.
I know that they love playing for England and desperately want to win. Some of them on the day might not be up to it, but that's not because they don't have the passion for it.
Re-group
Now we have to regroup. It's more than just Steve McClaren. He's obviously paid the price and the players have certainly not performed in this campaign. McClaren's tactics have been wrong at times - playing three at the back in Croatia, after we hadn't conceded a goal for four games with a flat back four. That decision alone was catastrophic in my opinion.
I support the FA's decision to sack him - he had to go. We've got to look further a field now. This is not just an easy call: McClaren goes and everything becomes rosy under the new man - whether it be Jose Mourinho or someone closer to home in Martin O'Neil or Sam Allardyce.
We have to regroup as a nation: Where are the next generation of players? Yes, the Under-21's are performing quite admirably, but this is a long-term thing.
We have to look at restricting foreign players in the Premier League - how that comes about I don't know as it may have to be decided in a court of law to restrict players plying their trade in other countries. I believe each individual has to be looked at and exceptions should be made on footballing grounds.
The Premier League is the milk and honey where everyone wants a taste. It's where players can earn fortunes, but it's not helping our cause.
We have to look deeper - are the academies good enough? Where are our elite academies?
We don't just need one centre of excellence; we have to have four or five in different areas of the country. It's not just about getting the right players; we need the right people involved to identify them. And the right people to coach them.
People may say 'OK but that will cost a fortune'. The FA and the Premier League are making millions! They need to put their hands in their pockets - dig deep. And the government has to back it also. Everybody's got to come together for the good of English football. Football is not just sport, it's a national institution.

Please comment :

Introduction

Hi everyone welcome to my newest blog which is only dedicated to football. This is the place where you can comment freely about football.Be it transfer rumours, transfer wishlists,confirmed transfers here, general opinion about the current happenings in the beautifull game.
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