All posts by h79snht.top

As embattled Swansea prepare to take on  Cardiff in the South Wales derby, the Betfair Belief Barometer – based on Cash Out data from the season so far – shows that their fans may be losing the faith in their side to close out results.

Behavioural analysis of the Cash Out data shows that nearly 7,000 Swansea fans on Betfair (9.9%), or nearly a third of the Liberty Stadium, have ‘Cashed Out’ on their team before the end of the game.

In comparison only 4,000 Bluebird supporters on Betfair (8.9%) have Cashed Out on their team before a game has finished, despite them languishing in the relegation zone.

Cardiff fans faith in their team is likely to be accentuated further with new loan signing Wilfried Zaha likely to start this weekend’s derby. He lifted the Bluebirds off the bottom of the Premier League by inspiring a vital 2-1 win over Norwich on his debut from the bench last weekend, and with him starting fan faith will surely continue to rise.

In comparison, the Swans may be feeling a little blue for this weekend’s clash after the sacking of manager Michael Laudrup. The club have been feeling the increased pressure of late, having won just one of their last 10 Premier League games.

In a further twist, additional Betfair data – from their ‘sell your star’ research – also revealed that the average fans would sell Swansea’s Michu for is £14m, despite the fact he was touted as a £30m+ player last season before his poor form this season.

Meanwhile 63% of Cardiff fans stated they would swap midfielder Gary Medel for a change back to their traditional blue home kit.

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Betfair Spokesman Barry Orr commented today: “Swansea could really do with Delia Smith’s “twelfth man” at the moment, but Betfair data indicates fans are starting to lose the faith. Our Cash Out data is starting to give really interesting insights on the confidence of club’s fans throughout a season.”

Betfair’s Cash Out product uses an algorithm to offer those who have placed bets on a team the chance to take a reduced amount of their winnings before the game has finished – a true test of a fan putting their money where your mouth is and the belief they have in their team to see out a result.

Tottenham manager Tim Sherwood has praised his side’s character after coming back from 2-0 down to beat Southampton 3-2 at White Hart Lane, Telegraph reports.

The Saints scored two early goals courtesy of Jay Rodriguez and Adam Lallana, but Spurs bounced back with a Christian Eriksen brace before Gylfi Sigurdsson fired an injury time winner.

And Sherwood said that he delivered a measured half-time speech in hopes of inspiring his side, and the players responded in spectacular fashion.

Denmark’s Christian Eriksen, who put the game level for the Lilywhites, said: ““I think we showed we are playing for the manager.

“We got a little speech at half-time and in the second half we were new guys.

“We try to play like the manager wanted, we showed it way more in the second half than the first half.”

When prompted what Sherwood told his players, he replied: “I can’t tell you everything, but it wasn’t pretty. It wasn’t ranting and raving, it was considered. It was measured, what I had to say to them.

“A lot of people said ‘now see his players, see what they want to do now, see if they’re going to turn it in.

“They ain’t turned it in, have they? You have to admit that against Arsenal we deserved to win the game or at least get a point. Then we go away against all odds, against Benfica, and we’re gutted that we haven’t progressed to the next stage. We should have done, but we never.

“Let me tell you, it’s harder to come from 2-0 down at home, than it is to come from 2-0 down away from home. Unless you’ve played the game, you don’t understand that.

“It’s an expectancy. It takes guts, character, spirit, to be able to do that and we showed that today. Brilliant.”

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Southampton’s Mauricio Pochettino however believes his side should have been given a free-kick when Nacer Chadli tackled Dejan Lovren in the build up to Eriksen’s first goal for Tottenham.

“We went up 2-0, were controlling the first half and their first goal came from a clear foul, which should not have stood,” said Pochettino. “There were some refereeing decisions which did not go our way and we deserved more from the game.

“It’s clear we made some mistakes that are difficult to accept and we need to improve individually.”

Arguably the most enchanting story of the 2014 World Cup so far has been the journey of the U.S. Men’s National Team as they defied the odds, escaped their ‘group of death’, and were narrowly edged out in 120 brutal minutes against a fancied Belgium side.

Amongst a team of national heroes, Everton’s Tim Howard is the biggest. The ex-Man United stopper put in a World Cup record performance, making 16 saves as the U.S.A. fell down 2-1 to goals from Kevin de Bruyne and Romelu Lukaku in a gallant effort.

The groundswell of support for the #USMNT across the pond has been overwhelming, and the response to the Everton man has been one of hero worship.

Immediately after the encounter, Twitter ejaculated with countless #ThingsTimeHowardCouldSave tweets, as the world praised the newest all-American hero.

Take a look at just a few of the feats that the world believes Howard could achieve:

[ffccomp link=”https://www.footballfancast.com/football-blogs/win-a-pair-of-puma-tricks” oneliner=”For your chance to WIN a pair of Puma Tricks, simply comment below with who you think will win the Golden Boot in Brazil this summer…” step=”PREDICT THE GOLDEN BOOT WINNER BELOW” terms=”http://win-a-pair-of-puma-tricks.pen.io/” topics=”world cup, football, football boots, puma, tricks, soccer”]

From David Beckham to Jamie Redknapp to Alex Song, many footballers are known as much for their style off the pitch, as their prowess on the pitch.

But what about the fans? Is it possible to look chic in the stands, when the temperatures hit sub-zero? Following London Fashion Week, League Cup sponsor and credit card company Capital One commissioned research to find out who are football’s most fashionable fans.

The survey revealed Manchester United fans are flying highest in the fashion stakes this season, with Merseyside rivals Liverpool in second place. Fans decided that Jose Mourinho would be equally at home walking the catwalk as prowling the dugout after voting the Chelsea boss as football’s most fashionable manager. They also named Liverpool new-boy Mario Balotelli as the Premier League’s most fashionable footballer.

Bum-bags topped the poll as the biggest football fashion faux pas on match day. The research also found that 57 per cent of the fans surveyed wore their club shirts when they went to watch football matches, showing a high level of unity and support for the clubs.

Capital One understands it can be hard to make a fashion statement at a match, so has teamed up with a panel of fashion gurus to come to the rescue of fans who are prone to scoring a fashion own goal or two. Two deserving fans will win a professional fashion make-over with 10 runners up each receiving £250-worth of Arcadia Group (Topshop, Topman, Burtons, BHS, Dorothy Perkins, Evans, Miss Selfridge, Outfit and Wallis) vouchers.

The expert panel, which includes style editor Charlie Parrish, football influencer and director at online youth broadcaster SBTV Liam Tootill, and renowned stylist Gary Moore, have joined forces to help make two lucky fans the talk of the terrace.

Liam said: “Having been to Old Trafford a few times on my travels, there’s no doubt that United fans are a fashionable bunch. However, be it socks and sandals, bum-bags or a high-vis jacket, football fans are guilty of the occasional fashion hiccup. It’s great to team up with Capital One to help fans tackle their wardrobe woes.”

To enter, fans simply need to tweet their football fashion faux pas photos to @CapitalOne_Cup using #FootballFashion #promo between Tuesday, September 23, 2014 – Friday, September 26, 2014. Terms and conditions apply.

Jason Carr, sponsorship manager at Capital One, said: “As an avid football follower myself I completely understand how fans get so caught up with displaying their love for their team through what they wear, that often all sense of fashion flies out of the window. So, hot on the heels of London Fashion Week, we are aiming to give those most in need of style guidance a helping hand in outwardly supporting their club but looking good at the same time.”

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For more information about the competition and T&Cs please got to www.capitalonecup.co.uk

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This Saturday Queen’s Park Rangers travel to Southampton in the Premier League.

When the final whistle blows on that game QPR could be languished at the bottom of the table and, in some people’s view, a good bet to go down. What a difference almost 40 years make. This week in 1975, QPR were riding high in the old First Division.

By the end of the 75/76 season the Hoops would claim second spot (just two points off being crowned champions) behind Liverpool and above Manchester United. How Rangers manager Harry Redknapp must wish he could turn back the clock.

That season the likes of Derby County, Ipswich Town, Birmingham City and Sheffield United (relegated to Division Two for the 76/77 season) were all plying their trade in the top flight.

The ways things are in game today’s game, where only a handful of moneyed clubs can guarantee remaining at the apex of English football, it’s probable that the likes of Derby and Co. would face a battle to stay in the Premier League; always assuming they have the financial wherewithal to reach that pinnacle in the first place.

Which is exactly the point Harry was making recently when he said: “Fair play would be everyone having £30m a year to spend.”

The sentiment behind that comment was; hasn’t football got too big, financially speaking, for its boots..? Not according to all those top clubs who are doing very nicely thank you very much, from this cash cow.

And I’m sure fans of those teams with big backers, with even bigger wallets, would not wish their club’s to forsake the chance of glory by reigning in their spending. Just ask the followers of Manchester’s Reds.

In the QPR squad who were runners up in the mid-70s were the likes of goalkeeper Phil Parkes, midfielder Gerry Francis and flamboyant forward Stan Bowles.

In those days this small, unfashionable club took English football by storm and is still remembered fondly by Hoops fans of a certain age.

Would the club have been able to hang on to such mercurial talent today or would they have been sold to balance the books? How much would they fetch in todays over inflated market?

English football is a global business with lucrative markets spread across the world – one reason why the Premier League was set up in the first place.

But in all this what damage is being done to those clubs further down the football pyramid?

And before fans of those elite clubs say “we are here to stay” I would simply say; Leeds United.

In all of this we should be careful for what we wish for, or there could be tears before the final whistle.

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@RichardBowdery

Richard Bowdery writes for BobbyFC, the football website with a retro twist. www.BobbyFC.com

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Since Simon Grayson left Leeds United in February of 2012 after four years at the club. Hardly a long-serving manager but in comparison with the more recent managers at Leeds, he’s a real veteran.

The Whites have gone through four permanent managers who have all failed to to be in charge for more than 10 games – quite a tragic record.

Darko Milanic is the latest departure from Elland Road and the Slovenian was the club’s first non-English manager since Gary McAllister in 2008. Milanic was given only six games in charge of Leeds United, which is not enough time for anyone to make a substantial impact. He may have failed to win any of his six and may therefore have not been the correct choice, but it’s still farcical – but then again what would you expect from the modern day Leeds United?

The glory days have long since departed Elland Road. But despite this, the club is still considered to be ‘big’ in stature and so the Whites’ are still an attractive proposition for rich foreign businessmen looking to make an investment. They believe as much as we believe that the return to the top is surely inevitable for Leeds United – yet still the wait continues.

Leeds’ current owner Massimo Cellino has overseen three manager departures since he became owner in April – not exactly a masterclass in patience. When you consider that Cellino would have had a large part to say about choosing these managers and then he would have had a similar part to play in only allowing them a short stay with the club. An attitude much like a child in a toy shop. He picks one then discards almost immediately when it’s not as good as his imagined it would be – a ridiculous attitude for an owner of a football club.

You simply cannot expect to sign a manager, give him little-to-no resources to change anything and then on top of that produce the goods in the space of less than ten matches. If that’s his way of doing things he no longer deserves to be in charge of any football club, let alone a popular club with a fan base like Leeds.

The Yorkshire based club have an incredible fan base who would no doubt hold their own in the Premier League. Of course it’s ludicrous to say that a set of fans deserve to be in the Premier League but they certainly deserve some consistency – something which they may have thought they had with Brian McDermott before he was sent packing after just over a year in charge. McDermott was looking to build, and although Leeds have an already impressive set of foundations, it’s a slow and steady process if it’s to be done right.

Cellino has previous too – in his previous ownership of a football club with Cagliari he dismissed 36 managers in 22 years – certainly a Gung-ho approach – if you don’t succeed as well as he imagined you’ll be lucky to reach 10 games in charge. It would be nice for him to make a calculated decision and stick by his decision for a decent amount of time or he could at least sell up to someone who isn’t favourable of a kamikaze style.

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Leeds United supporters deserve better but unless he strikes lucky, they won’t get it whilst under the guidance of Massimo Cellino.

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Papiss Cisse struck twice in Newcastle United’s superb 2-1 win over league leaders Chelsea on Saturday. The Senegalese international’s two goals took his season tally to seven from nine games.

Cisse’s form this term is a far cry to what we saw last campaign. The 29-year-old only managed a mere two Premier League goals, a tally he has already tripled this season. The striker has become Alan Pardew’s saviour – as his goals have relieved the pressure off his boss and have helped Newcastle go from the relegation zone to 7th in no time.

The Magpies saw off Jose Mourinho’s Chelsea on Saturday, who were unbeaten going into the game. Cisse came on as a 53rd minute substitution for the ineffective Remy Cabella and he took just four minutes to find the net. An inviting cross from Sammy Ameobi was smartly met by Cisse – to surprisingly put the Magpies a goal up. Then after withstanding severe pressure from the Blues, Cisse added the second – when the ball fortuitously found its way to him from Moussa Sissoko’s scuffed effort – for the goal-poacher to tap in. Newcastle survived Steven Taylor’s red card and a late Didier Drogba header to become the first team to beat Mourinho’s side this season.

Newcastle’s number nine has been the real catalyst for their recent turnaround. After making his first Premier League appearance of this campaign in late September the Magpies, and indeed Cisse, have never looked back since. Pardew’s side were 2-0 down at home to Steve Bruce’s Hull City when Papiss Cisse was thrown into the action with 20 minutes to go. He quickly justified his managers decision with a goal – four minutes after his arrival. With the game fizzling out to what looked like being another Newcastle defeat, Cisse struck again to seal an unlikely point.

Cisse didn’t stop there, though. He scored another brace in the 2-2 away draw with Swansea City a fortnight later. Then he played a part in Newcastle’s wins over Leicester City, Liverpool and Queens Park Rangers. He then hit the equaliser against Burnley last Tuesday, before his super sub appearance on Saturday capped a remarkable two months for Cisse.

Ironically, the Senegalese looked to be on his way out of St James’s Park last January. The dispute with Newcastle United’s shirt sponsor Wonga – and his noticeable poor form – led to rumours of a move away from Tyneside. But his performances this season should put to bed any suggestions of the 29-year-old leaving the Toon.

Cisse’s patchy form over the last few years has been a mystery to everyone. On his day he can look like one of the worlds most deadliest finishers – but on another day he can’t hit a barn door. Four goals in 27 league and cup appearances last season is a poor ratio for any striker at any level.

But Cisse had already proved what he was capable of since his £9m move from German side Freiburg in January 2012. The striker had previously hit 13 goals in 14 Premier League games in his first season with the club – before only adding eight in the following campaign.

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Since his time in England, Cisse has proved he can score all types of goals. But he has also shown signs of inconsistency and lengthy goal-droughts. The Toon Army will be hoping their main man can stay fit – keep his form up and fire the goals in for St James’ Park faithful.

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With all the hype surrounding Radamel Falcao’s arrival at Manchester United in the summer, has the Colombian been given a fair opportunity at Manchester United this season?

Louis Van Gaal left Falcao out of the home defeat against Southampton, with young striker James Wilson taking Falcao’s place in the match day squad, and the Colombian reportedly storming out of Old Trafford as a result.

If these reports are true, a disgruntled striker earning £265,000 a week hanging around the club will only spell trouble for the manager. Van Gaal explained his decision to leave Falcao out of the squad due to there not being enough space for a second striker, despite the inclusion of James Wilson.

Clearly there is something going on at Old Trafford that has left fans of the club unaware of why exactly Falcao was not included in the squad to play against Southampton. The manager may have further doubts surrounding the striker’s match fitness despite a run of games in the side. He could have left the striker out as a matter of precaution, but the decision is a strange one seeing as United were up against a Southampton side who are arguably top four contenders this season.

There seems to be the feeling that Falcao’s situation could go either way. He could be selected for the next Premier League game away to Queens Park Rangers or his short Manchester United career so far could be brought to a premature end. If the rumours of Falcao storming out are true, then there may not be a route back into the side for the Colombian and he may be determined to get out of the club himself. Van Gaal’s decision to leave him out completely is an odd one seeing as the striker has one of the finest goalscoring pedigrees in world football. United also failed to register a single shot on target against the Saints, so Falcao’s omission appears even more peculiar.

Although Falcao has not hit red-hot scoring form for United so far this season, his three strikes in a United shirt should not be overlooked. The Red Devils have gained four points thanks to the former AS Monoco forward’s goals. He scored the winner against Everton at Old Trafford in May whilst also scoring United’s only goals in draws to Aston Villa and Stoke City.  These are not goals being scored when United are three or four goals up so Falcao has already proved that he has the ability to become a valuable asset for Van Gaal’s side.

This is why the forward may feel very hard done by. Usually, he is seen as the star man where teams play to his strengths. It is quite peculiar that Van Gaal does not share the same need to mould a team around the Colombian, as there is no doubt that the striker will score a lot of goals if he is given the opportunity. Falcao has also made it no secret that he wishes to stay at the club, so being left out of an entire squad for an important game is going to lead to the striker doubting whether he has a long term future at United.

The ankle injury sustained by Robin van Persie against Southampton could also spell trouble for Manchester United if it turns out to be serious. The Dutchman is due to have a scan to see the extent of the damage, meaning Van Gaal may need to turn to a disgruntled Falcao if van Persie is out injured for a while.

Van Gaal needs to realise that he has a world-class striker at his disposal instead of solely relying on Robin van Persie, who isn’t getting any younger. Whether there is a hidden agenda behind Falcao’s omission remains to be seen.

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From a fan’s view, however, it looked like the wrong decision and it is one that could potentially backfire for Van Gaal, who has now taken an identical amount of Premier League points as David Moyes did after 21 Premier League games last season.

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How times change! This time last year Marouane Fellaini was coming to the end of a hugely difficult debut season at Manchester United and looked set to be booted out of Old Trafford.

But in the 12 months that’s followed, the Belgian has reasserted his dominance over United’s midfield and in the process has scored some very important goals for his club.

Fellaini joined United in the summer transfer window last year for a fee of £27.5million in what turned out to be the only signing for the Red Devils. Last season, Fellaini only made 16 appearances without scoring and, according to the Daily Mail, the 27-year-old has confessed that he felt the media had made him a scapegoat for United’s failings under David Moyes.

Understandably, when United went from current Premier League champions to a squad that were putting in disappointing performances and ultimately finished seventh, supporters and the media were going to find people to blame. Those people were Moyes, who lost his job, and Fellaini who was labelled a waste of money.

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After impressing for five seasons while playing under David Moyes at Everton, many speculated that it was perhaps an injury and lack of confidence that was causing the player’s form to dip, and therefore less being less effective for his new club. Now, 18 months since his arrival, Fellaini seems to have regained his previous self-belief and is back to being his typically aggressive self, which is reflected in his more positive performances recently.

Fellaini uses both his strength and tall 6ft 4in frame to his advantage, easily able to overpower the opposition off the ball and winning headers particularly in the box. He can be very dangerous from corners and set-pieces, which he has proven numerous times this season.

At first it seemed that manager Louis van Gaal did not see Fellaini as part of his regular starting XI, but due to several injuries the midfielder got his chance to prove he does in fact deserve his place. Now with only eight games of the season left, Fellaini has found himself starting in big games, such as United’s 3-0 win against Tottenham, in which he scored their opening goal, and their 2-1 victory over long time rivals Liverpool last weekend.

Although he’s used to playing as a midfielder through-out most of his career, Van Gaal has been using him in a more advanced role and this seems to suit the player to a tee. When United need a player to power through or get on the end of a long ball then Fellaini is the man they call on.

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As United enter the international break sitting comfortably in fourth and only two points adrift of second place, the club seem to be on their way to delivering on their promise of Champions League football next season. So despite his tough first year, if Marouane Fellaini can continue bullying the opposition and scoring important goals, then the Old Trafford faithful will forgive his dodgy first 12 months and Fellaini should be a Red Devil for some time to come.

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I’ve heard Arsene Wenger make some pretty audacious claims before, such as ‘a returning player is like a new signing’ and ‘once Aaron Ramsey starts scoring, he’ll never stop’, but Arsenal winning this season’s Champions League title? I’m sorry Wenger – and Gunners fans – it’s just not going to happen.

There’s a pattern to the Champions League that doesn’t really get talked about. In the last 17 years, since the gigantic fiscal influence of the tournament first began cementing the position of the world’s top clubs with a seeming permanence, only Chelsea, Liverpool, Porto and Inter Milan have been able to break up the continent’s oligopoly; AC Milan, Barcelona, Real Madrid, Bayern Munich and Manchester United.

Excluding the former and, more recently, the latter, they make the last eight every year without fail and usually the last four, so with Bayern, Barca and Real Madrid still firmly in the mix and all enjoying relatively good health this season, history suggests club football’s most coveted prize will once again go to one of them.

That may seem presumptuous and admittedly, Arsenal are one of the clubs just outside that bracket – a Porto of 2004, a Liverpool of 2005, a Borussia Dortmund of 2013 – that, on paper at least, have enough quality to conquer the Champions League’s higher powers.

Yet, the north Londoners haven’t surpassed the first knock-out round since 2011 and reached the semi-finals just twice throughout their entire involvement in the Champions League, spanning back to 1999, and there’s an obvious reason for that; compared to Chelsea, Porto or Liverpool, hard-working, well-organised, tactically-adept, pragmatic sides, the Gunners just aren’t purpose-built for European double-leggers.

Recent improvements against the Premier League’s big-boys, a bitter-fought, surprisingly disciplined and industrious 2-0 away with at Manchester City in January and a 2-2 draw at Anfield in December, for example, might initially suggest otherwise.

But after 17 years under Arsene Wenger, Arsenal’s intrinsic weaknesses are inescapable and well-discussed throughout the continent. Sir Alex Ferguson devoted two whole chapters in his autobiography to the formula of beating Arsenal – congesting the midfield before exploiting the gaps between their full-backs and centre-halves on the counter – and Jose Mourinho’s had their number since 2004, so if the best, and on occasion, the worst, of the Premier League know how to unhinge the Gunners over the course of ninety minutes, Europe’s elite, further aided by two legs to heap humiliation, certainly do.

Arsenal’s Champions League results from earlier in the season say it all; a 2-0 defeat to a Borussia Dortmund side currently fighting for their lives at the bottom of the Bundesliga table and a 3-3 draw, in which they originally held a three-goal lead, to Anderlecht at home. That shock result against the Belgian outfit gave a worrying insight into the naive, arrogant mentality of the Arsenal squad, and although there’s been a renewed sense of balance to their play in recent weeks, the sparing inclusions of overlooked academy product Francis Coquelin is hardly enough to counteract nearly two decades’ worth of self-destructively expansive football that’s ingrained into this Gunners side.

Don’t get me wrong, I’m certain Arsenal will stroll their way past an exceptionally ordinary Monaco outfit this evening and again in Mid-January, breaking their three-year curse of failing to advance to the quarter-finals.

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Combined with the Emirates outfit’s annual habit of coming into form just in time for the business end of their campaign however, I’m concerned it will lead to sensationalised interpretations of where Arsenal are really at right now – and Wenger’s latest declaration of winning the tournament certainly doesn’t help. Few, if any, of the Gunners players would get into Europe’s top sides – in fact, their two leading talents, Alexis Sanchez and Mesut Ozil, are essential rejects of Barcelona and Real Madrid respectively.

There’s often an element of luck involved in the Champions League and prior experience tells us that the best side don’t always win. But fortune in Europe favours those with the resilience, tenacity, patience and organisation to overcome the gulfs in quality. Unfortunately, those are all characteristics Arsenal currently lack.