Category Uncategorized

Home advantage is often talked about in football; the twelfth man, the extra motivation provided by the crowd that can, and should, provide teams with the catalyst they need to go out there and take their game to the next level. That is of course presuming that the home crowd are on your side. I’m not suggesting that the home crowd would want their team to lose, but there are instances of crowds who have a negative agenda, whose reason for turning up is as much to demonstrate their frustration as much as it is to watch football. Take the atmosphere at Ewood Park this season, or at The Emirates towards the end of last season, both unhappy places to be, both crowds detrimental to the football being played by the home side. You can’t necessarily blame angry crowds of fans; to pay good money to see your side consistently under perform is exceptionally testing, even for the most patient and optimistic of fans.

However it is important that fans recognise that by booing their players, or by calling for their manager’s head at games, they are only hurting themselves.

It is a problem that affects all clubs. For the bigger sides the weight of expectation can prove a hindering factor and for the smaller clubs the lack of support and niggling abuse they receive from their fans can affect the players. Take Bolton for example; out of the sixteen points they have gained in the league this year only four have come at home. You would imagine that a team struggling in the league would be grateful for a little home support. However when things aren’t going your way as a team sometimes it is easier to play away from the eyes of the expecting crowds. Some players perform better in high-pressure environments, but not all. It’s pretty clear that Bolton’s best performances for the season have come away from home where there is less pressure to get the result, just in the same way that towards the end of the season when your place may be cemented in mid table then your team may in fact churn out some of their best performances of the season. Similarly Blackburn have got some of their best results of the season away from home such as their 2-3 victory at Old Trafford. The same can also be said of Wigan who have only picked up about 35% of their points for the season at home. If you collate that information you realise that on average around 60% of the points belonging to those in the relegation zone come from away games. But it’s not just the struggling teams that are affected.

[ad_pod id=’unruly-2′ align=’left’]

At The Emirates at the end of last season you could tell that the Arsenal players wanted to be anywhere but their home ground. There’s nothing like 60,000 disappointed fans to remind you of your failings. One of the problems for Arsenal ever since they moved to The Emirates is what it, as a ground, embodies. When they first opened the stadium there were, commemorated around the stands, pictures of all the trophies that had been won over the years and spaces had been left to insert new pictures. However this season they closed those spaces. Optimism seems to have dipped on the red half of north London and it is reflected in the fans. It’s not just that the lack of noise in the ground, I know this because I am there every week, is almost deafening but playing in front of a quiet or disgruntled home crowd can inspire the opposition. The point of playing at home is that your supporters drown out the opposition fans. As soon as that ceases to the case, as it often does at The Emirates, then it is hardly like you are playing at home at all.

Clearly I’m not saying that the home crowd is always a disadvantage, nor am I saying that these grounds are always like this. However there does seem to be evidence amongst certain teams, especially in the lower half of the table, that playing in front of the home crowd can actually be more of a hindrance than a help.

Follow me on Twitter @H_Mackay

[divider]

FootballFanCast General Stay ahead in the world of football analysis, commentary, and fan insights with FootballFancast. Subscribe FootballFanCast General Stay ahead in the world of football analysis, commentary, and fan insights with FootballFancast.

---

Subscribe

By subscribing, you agree to receive newsletter and marketing emails, and accept Valnet’s Terms of Use and Privacy Policy. You can unsubscribe anytime.

FREE football app that pays you CASH

[ad_pod id=’qs-2′ align=’left’]

Fulham manager Mark Hughes will not be underestimating Sunderland when he takes his side to the Stadium of Light on Saturday.Sunderland boss Steve Bruce is facing an injury crisis up front with Asamoah Gyan, Danny Welbeck and Frazier Campbell all out of the match this weekend, but Hughes knows his opposite number and old Manchester United team-mate will have something up his sleeve.

“Sunderland are down on numbers in terms of who they can play outfield and that will help us but I’m sure Steve has a game plan what he will implement to try and beat us,” Hughes said.

“I’m sure he would prefer to have those quality players available and if we play as well as we have in the last couple of games then it will take a good team to beat us.”

Fulham go into the match on the back of a solid 3-0 home win over Bolton which makes it six wins from their last seven matches in front of their own fans.

The victory took Hughes’ side to 42 points for the season – beyond the traditional benchmark of 40 normally required for Premier league survival – however the Welshman has urged his team not get complacent against Sunderland despite seemingly having avoided relegation.

“We need to go on the road and replicate our form at Craven Cottage. The key is placing demands on our team and not taking your foot off the pedal,” he said.

“There’s no difference to what my team are doing now than what they were doing at the start of the season.”

“It’s important to have continuity and a good quality of work – we’ve got two big games coming up (against Sunderland then home to Liverpool) and we’re going to see the season though to its conclusion and see where it takes us.”

Bobby Zamora is expected to lead the line for Fulham on Saturday after making a cameo appearance from the bench against Bolton due to a slight back problem, and could be partnered by Eidur Gudjohnsen who has started the last two games.

Clint Dempsey will be looking to add to his twelve goals already this season, as well as cement his place as Fulham’s record Premier League goalscorer after bagging his 33rd strike for the West London club against Bolton midweek.

Sol has in fact been joined by a veritable host of celebrities – Camilla Dallerup, Watchdog presenter Julia Bradbury, Live From Studio Five host Kate Walsh, Christopher Biggins, former Atomic Kitten star Liz McLarnon, Channel 4’s A Place In The Sun host Jasmine Harman, former EastEnders actress Lucy Benjamin, cricketer Jimmy Anderson in some revealing black and white shots being released in a bid to get members of the public to clear their wardrobes to raise funds for Cancer Research UK.

The Give Up Clothes for Good campaign is a nationwide clothing and homeware collection scheme, with proceeds going to the fight against childhood cancers. The campaign has been held every other year since 2004 and is supported by discount retailers TK Maxx and HomeSense.

Wolves gave their survival hopes a massive boost after holding Arsenal at the Emirates Stadium despite playing the last quarter of an hour with 10-men.

Mick McCarthy’s side produced arguably their best away performance of the season with Steven Fletchers first half strike ensuring they would take a well deserved point back to the Midlands. It was made all the more special by the fact they had to come from behind to earn a share of the spoils after Gervinho had brilliantly opened the scoring for Arsenal after only eight minutes. Gunners boss Arsene Wenger will be disappointed his side failed to add to their early lead and will see this as two points dropped as opposed to one earned in their fight for a top-four finish. The visitors, on the other hand, will be buoyed by both the result and performance as they had to deal with a sea of Arsenal pressure in the second half but stood firm to move two points clear of the drop zone.

With Robin Van Persie chasing the record for the most goals in a calendar year the home support would have been expecting their side to hit the net at a frequent rate. It certainly seemed that would be the case as Gervinho put the Gunners a goal to the good after eight minutes latching onto Yossi Benayoun’s defence splitting pass before rounding Wayne Hennessey and keeping his composure to cooly slot the ball home. Van Persie then had the chance to move himself closer to Alan Shearers goal scoring record but could only roll his shot wide after being picked out by Gervinho’s clever reverse pass. Arsenal were simply dominating possession with Wolves forced to sit back and soak up the pressure. However they shocked the Emirates crowd into near silence in the 38th minute with Fletcher equalising against the run of play diverting Steven Hunt’s shot in after being played on side by some sloppy defending from the home side.

Chances were once again few and far between for the away side after the break with Nenad Milijas blasting his opportunity over the bar after being teed up by the bright Matt Jarvis. Arsenal soon went back on the offensive but just couldn’t find a way past Hennessey who did brilliantly to claw Van Persies sublime free kick away from the top corner. The Gunners attacked in waves only to be thwarted by a Wolves defence that just refused to lie down even after Milijas was sent off for a poor tackle on Mikel Arteta with 14 minutes remaining. Van Persie then blazed an effort wide before seeing his free kick draw another fine save from Hennessey. The Welsh keeper then denied Thomas Vermaelen with a point blank save at the death to ensure his side went home with a point and a major boost to their confidence that will kick their bid for survival kicked into gear.

FootballFanCast General Stay ahead in the world of football analysis, commentary, and fan insights with FootballFancast. Subscribe FootballFanCast General Stay ahead in the world of football analysis, commentary, and fan insights with FootballFancast.

---

Subscribe

By subscribing, you agree to receive newsletter and marketing emails, and accept Valnet’s Terms of Use and Privacy Policy. You can unsubscribe anytime.

[ad_pod id=’writer-2′ align=’right’]

This week’s London derby which ended 3-3 at White Hart Lane was described by many as the most entertaining demonstration of ruthless attacking and woeful defending, but as with anything in football, there are always winners and losers. Even though the majority of viewers were satisfied just observing the showpiece spectacle, the game’s result only served to benefit both halves of Manchester, leaving Arsenal six points behind United in the race for the Premier League and Tottenham Hotspur two adrift of City in the chase for the final Champions League place.

Spectators may feel they reaped the most out of their Sky subscriptions on Wednesday, but for United and City it’s the result that counts, and both clubs can now re-evaluate the importance of November’s 0-0 Manchester derby, which at the time was criticised for a conscious lack of risk, but the shared points could prove vital to each clubs’ pursuit of their respective targets this campaign. Many believed that Roberto Mancini’s reluctance to gamble on that night at Eastlands supported the view that whilst City may be noisy neighbours, they are far from being loud, an interpretation which was dispelled when the Blues triumphed over the Reds at last week’s FA Cup semi-final and will be further eroded should City break in to the top 4 next month.

But is it enough that both clubs are content with achieving results by neglecting the traditional intensity and entertainment that local derby matches usually stipulate? Even though Harry Redknapp and Arsene Wenger will be disappointed to have lost ground on their respective rivals in the League, shouldn’t they both be applauded for encouraging their sides to produce two of the most memorable games of the 2010/11 season, in addition to a 5-goal exhibition in the Carling Cup last September?

[ad_pod id=’unruly’ align=’right’]

It is worth noting that football’s greatest rivalry reached the second leg of a Spring/Summer quadruple not long after kick-off at the Lane. There aren’t many events better than Barcelona v Real Madrid, and luckily The Only Way is Essex was scheduled to start after full-time, but on Wednesday, all eyes were in London and rightly so.

Arsenal v Tottenham may be the most fun derby in the Premier League schedule, but isn’t the only local fixture to present fans with compelling, goal-laden football this season. Newcastle’s promotion to the top flight added two Tyne-Wear derbies to the League timetable, the Magpies announcing their return to the Premiership with a 5-1 victory over the Black Cats in October. The second fixture wasn’t quite as one sided, but was perhaps just as exciting, when Asamoah Gyan struck a 94th minute equaliser to propel Sunderland within reach of European qualification after 23 games.

Derby matches should always be played a noticeable distance from the League, which is why when local pride is at stake, observers tend to comment that the form of each team going in to such games bears no relation to the action which takes place. The pressure on managers and players to achieve results in any fixture gets more intense year on year, but it is refreshing to see at least some of these fixtures retain their sense of occasion.

FootballFanCast General Stay ahead in the world of football analysis, commentary, and fan insights with FootballFancast. Subscribe FootballFanCast General Stay ahead in the world of football analysis, commentary, and fan insights with FootballFancast.

---

Subscribe

By subscribing, you agree to receive newsletter and marketing emails, and accept Valnet’s Terms of Use and Privacy Policy. You can unsubscribe anytime.

Follow Josh Sheridan on Twitter

[bet_365 type=’odds’ size=’300′ af_code=’365_050711′]

He’s just 21 years old and has over 100 league appearances under his belt; Jack Cork has been very busy over the last few years improving his game. Having been loaned to Burnley again this season, Cork’s future at Chelsea FC is in the balance.

Cork joined Chelsea at the tender age of nine and since then he has worked his way up through the ranks. He has also played a key role in the England youth set up. Cork captained the Under 19 squad through to the 2008 European Championships and has since been called up several times for the Under 21’s.

To have over 100 league appearances at the age of 21 shows that Cork is serious about his football. He hasn’t minded going out on loan to numerous clubs, he’s gained experienced and it’s helped his game. He’s played for Bournemouth, Scunthorpe, Watford, Coventry and Burnley, where he’s currently on loan. Burnley manager Brian Laws was delighted to have him back at Turf Moor. “We know he’s a good quality player,” Laws told the Burnley website, “he’s hungry and had a great experience with us last season.”

Cork has reached the age in which he will soon need to make a difficult choice. At the end of last season Jack’s dad was quoted saying that Jack wanted to leave Chelsea and was willing to move down the leagues. Rumours then spread that Chelsea were looking at offers of around £2 million pounds for the young talent. After all this gossip many people were surprised when Cork re-joined Burnley on a season long loan.

Cork will eventually need to make a decision if it’s not made for him. Having played at Chelsea since the age of nine Cork will have a lot of loyalty to a club which he’s been brought up at. In saying this Cork needs to be realistic, the Premier League is home to talented players and he needs to decide if he can play football in the top flight. Cork clearly has enough talent to play in the Championship but it’s questionable whether he can maintain a first team place in a Premier League team. Chelsea may choose to cash in on the player sooner rather than later, it depends how much they value his talent and whether they see a future for him with Chelsea.

FootballFanCast General Stay ahead in the world of football analysis, commentary, and fan insights with FootballFancast. Subscribe FootballFanCast General Stay ahead in the world of football analysis, commentary, and fan insights with FootballFancast.

---

Subscribe

By subscribing, you agree to receive newsletter and marketing emails, and accept Valnet’s Terms of Use and Privacy Policy. You can unsubscribe anytime.

The best example of a player who made it at Chelsea after the youth set up is John Terry. He worked hard as Cork has and is now captaining Chelsea to success. The only problem is that for every John Terry there are numerous young players that work hard and get released or transferred for little money. Whether in the Premier League or the Championship Cork has a future in football and not many 21 year olds can say that.

Chelsea goalkeeper Petr Cech has admitted that Wigan’s last ditch goal on Saturday was hard to take, but feels he couldn’t have done much differently to avoid it going in.

Jordi Gomez scored in the dying minutes of the Premier League clash to salvage a point for the Latics in a 1-1 draw, which sees Andre Villas Boas’ men slip further behind the Manchester clubs and Tottenham in the race for the title.

Despite the disappointment of the goal however, the Czech Republic international feels there wasn’t much more he could have done to prevent it.

“When the shot came through, there were players coming across the flight of the ball and one of the other players – I think it was Ashley Cole or somebody – the ball just went through him somehow,” Cech told The Guardian.

“There was a split second where I could not see the ball and then it was too late.

“I tried to catch the ball but it was too late and it deflected. The feeling I have from the pitch is that this is not a goal I can be proud of but, in a way, it is hard to see what I could have done differently,” he concluded.

FootballFanCast General Stay ahead in the world of football analysis, commentary, and fan insights with FootballFancast. Subscribe FootballFanCast General Stay ahead in the world of football analysis, commentary, and fan insights with FootballFancast.

---

Subscribe

By subscribing, you agree to receive newsletter and marketing emails, and accept Valnet’s Terms of Use and Privacy Policy. You can unsubscribe anytime.

By Gareth McKnight

[ad_pod id=’writer-1′ align=’right’]

The media, when it comes to Spurs, generally has its head in a tizzy, all a dither. The trouble is that Tottenham’s meteoric rise under Harry Redknapp has raised expectations – allowed the news to be subverted in a certain way and given credence to outlets who wish to tout extremist stories. I can’t be the only one tired of hearing that if Spurs don’t earn qualification for next season’s Champion’s League they’ll have to ship off their best players. Are we honestly supposed to believe that Spurs’ financial situation is such that if they finish fifth rather than fourth in the League it’s goodbye to the likes of Gareth Bale, Rafael van der Vaart and Luka Modric?

Daniel Levy and Harry Redknapp’s main aim this summer is sure to be to keep hold of Tottenham’s best players. Given the size of Tottenham’s squad and the fact that Harry will be looking to bring in a world-class striker this summer (something that’s likely to be costly) there will be players who find themselves transferred out of the club. These players won’t be Spurs’ top performers, however. They’ll be the fringe players and it’s unlikely that too many Tottenham fans will lose sleep over their absence.

With this in mind, who needs to go and how much money can Tottenham expect to garner in return for their sales? Harry is an expert when it comes to the transfer market (I hope he wouldn’t mind me saying that) and will make sure that his club gets the best deals possible. Players’ worths here are estimates – feel free to remonstrate with me if you feel I’ve over or under-valued a player.

First up there’s right-back Alan Hutton. It’s pretty likely that he’ll leave this summer – if the tales of his dressing-room bust-ups with Harry Redknapp have any veracity. Despite starting the season well injuries and his attitude have seen him frozen out. He remains a decent enough player and one that should get Spurs £5-6m this summer should he move on.

[ad_pod id=’unruly’ align=’right’]

Despite Tottenham’s well documented struggles upfront, there’s no room at the club for Robbie Keane who’s currently on loan at West Ham. I expect he’ll be moved on permanently this summer. He’s a natural goal-scorer who has proven himself in the Premier League. Spurs should be able to get about £5-7m for his services – particularly if he starts playing regularly for West Ham before the end of the season. Another striker seeking more first team action is Roman Pavlyuchenko who could fetch Spurs anything between £9-12m should he leave.

As for the midfield, a particularly crowded area for Tottenham, I expect to see Jermaine Jenas, Giovani dos Santos, Jamie O’Hara and David Bentley move on. Jenas isn’t getting enough games at Tottenham and will likely seek out first team football elsewhere – I’d value him at around £4-6m. Giovani dos Santos is currently on loan at Racing Santander where he’s performing well. There’s every chance that Racing will look to keep him or another team will take him on. Given his youth (21-years-old) and his ability I’d say he’s worth at least £9-10m.

Jamie O’Hara’s currently on loan at Wolves with a view to making the deal permanent. He too has been performing well for Wolves and it’s highly likely that they’ll look to keep him on should they stay clear of the drop-zone. I imagine Spurs will demand something in the region of £3-4m for the 24-year-old. David Bentley arrived at Tottenham with a massive price-tag: £15m. At this stage, however, Spurs would be willing to take a massive loss to get rid of the winger, who’s currently on loan at Birmingham City. I expect that they’d be willing to sell Bentley for anything between £5-7m.

That may seem like a large list of players, but as many of them are already loaned to other clubs and most of them don’t play on a regular basis, their sales wouldn’t represent too much of a loss. The revenue they would bring in however would be useful in Harry’s pursuit of players to help him challenge at the top of the table. It’s win-win for both the players and the club.

FootballFanCast General Stay ahead in the world of football analysis, commentary, and fan insights with FootballFancast. Subscribe FootballFanCast General Stay ahead in the world of football analysis, commentary, and fan insights with FootballFancast.

---

Subscribe

By subscribing, you agree to receive newsletter and marketing emails, and accept Valnet’s Terms of Use and Privacy Policy. You can unsubscribe anytime.

Read more of Harry’s articles at ThisIsFutbol.com

[divider]

Listen to the first episode of our brand new podcast – The Football FanCast. Featuring Razor Ruddock, Gary O’Reilly and Toploader’s Dan Hipgrave makes a special appearance!

Manchester City striker Emmanuel Adebayor has dropped a huge hint that he is considering leaving the club before the transfer window shuts at the end of the month.

The 26-year-old Togo international only joined the Citizens a year ago from Arsenal, but says that he fears becoming a back-up player at Eastlands, despite scoring 14 goals in 31 appearances last term.

Adebayor is quoted as telling Tuttosport:"Juventus are a great club at which I would like to play.

"Until some time ago I would not have accepted a transfer to other clubs.

"I wanted to wear the City shirt and have a better season compared to last year, but I know there will not be many chances for me and so I am considering the many offers I have received.

FootballFanCast General Stay ahead in the world of football analysis, commentary, and fan insights with FootballFancast. Subscribe FootballFanCast General Stay ahead in the world of football analysis, commentary, and fan insights with FootballFancast.

---

Subscribe

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 sorry to leave the Premier League, but in Europe there are other top leagues."Subscribe to Football FanCast News Headlines by Email

Former Brazil international Socrates has died at the age of 57, after suffering from an intestinal infection back in his homeland.

The Belem do Para born man has had persistent health problems linked to alcohol abuse, and was taken to hospital in Sao Paolo on Thursday, after what was suspected food poisoning.

On closer examination it was revealed that the ex-midfielder was suffering from septic shock, and the South American was admitted to be treated at the medical facility.

Despite the efforts of doctors on site, Socrates passed away in the early hours of Sunday morning, leaving behind a wife and six sons.

Socrates had spent time in hospital on separate occasions back in August and September, and was in line for a liver transplant in the near future.

He represented his country a total of 60 times, scoring 22 goals, and captained the 1982 Brazil World Cup team.

At club level most of his career was spent with Corinthians, who he stepped out for between 1978 and 1984, but the creative player also played for Botafogo, Flamengo, Fiorentina and Santos.

FootballFanCast General Stay ahead in the world of football analysis, commentary, and fan insights with FootballFancast. Subscribe FootballFanCast General Stay ahead in the world of football analysis, commentary, and fan insights with FootballFancast.

---

Subscribe

By subscribing, you agree to receive newsletter and marketing emails, and accept Valnet’s Terms of Use and Privacy Policy. You can unsubscribe anytime.

By Gareth McKnight

[ad_pod id=’writer-1′ align=’right’]