It seems that footballers have been at each other throats for the past 10 days. We have had handbags, abusive comments, slaps and theatrics up and down the country.  These tête à têtes however will have to go some way to match:

Roy Keane v Patrick Viera

Very few feuds can match the rivalry between two of the best centre midfielders of their generation. Both players have enjoyed spats with other opponents, but when Premiership Titles and FA Cups are on the table, the stakes are raised.

This feud of the 2000’s came to a head, as most of them do, in the Highbury tunnel. Patrick Viera angered by Gary Neville’s challenges in the previous clash on Antonio Reyes, confronted the full back. Roy Keane reacted to this by squaring up to Viera, a mêlée ensued but eventually they were separated by teammates. The bitter argument continued as the teams lined up in the tunnel.

A clearly fuming Keane can be seen saying to the ref:

“Tell him to shut his fucking mouth.”

Broadcast live on TV, this incredible moment still overshadows what was a good 4-2 victory for United. The bad blood continued in the weeks and months that followed as both players took to media outlets to voice their opinions.

Graeme Le Saux v Robbie Fowler

The soft spoken left back had to endure a lot of abuse in his time, not only from the opposition fans and players, but his own teammates. Former England midfielder, David Batty, was the first to come to blows with Graeme Le Saux, in a Champions League game in Russia.

However, the defining battle of Le Saux’s Premiership career was with Liverpool legend, Robbie Fowler. After being mocked by the Scouser, Le Saux dished out retribution with a thumping elbow to the back of Fowlers head. Remarkably Le Saux escaped a red card for his Street Fighter move.

Ian Wright v Peter Schmeichel

Goalkeeper against striker is a rivalry as old as football itself, but this was given extra significance because it was United’s greatest keeper against Arsenal’s greatest striker. This feud transfixed football fans as it pitted one player’s word against another’s.

It started at Old Trafford where words and challenges were exchanged before continuing at the return fixture. In the Highbury tunnel things came to a head again and an altercation ensued. If walls could talk that tunnel would be able to tell a few stories.

Mario Balotelli v Francesco Totti

It is always hard for the old guard to step down and allow the next generation through, but it is even harder when you are the Il Gladiatore, playing in front of an adoring crowd.

Trouble started when a year before, Mario Balotelli, had celebrated a double strike by holding his finger to his lips and hushing the Roma Tifosi. Francesco Totti later admitted this antagonism was partly to blame for what was to follow. As the Rome club trailed Inter in the Copa Italia Final, Roma’s captain snapped and felled Super Mario with a brutal kick, straight off the top shelf of petulance.

John Terry v Wayne Bridge

Its not often a football feud will feature on both the front, middle and back pages, but this one did. The astonishing thing is it was due to dalliances off the pitch, that pitted two former best friends against each other.

Vanessa Perroncel, Wayne Bridge’s girlfriend who was good friends with John Terry’s wife, was found to be having relationships with the Chelsea and England captain. The fall out resulted in wide spread condemnation of the Chelsea centre back which, ultimately led to him losing the England captaincy.

The rivalry came to a head when Bridge’s new club, Manchester City, faced Chelsea at Stamford Bridge. The game saw a hopeless Chelsea crushed 4-2. The game, however, will be forever remembered for the non-handshake though.

Joey Barton v Ousmane Dabo

No list of fighting footballers would be complete without Joey Barton. His career may not have hit the heights it promised, but his personal life truly hit the lows.

The defining feud of Barton’s career was with French Manchester City teammate Ousmane Dabo. The pair clashed in training after a typically robust challenge from Barton upset Dabo. The Frenchman reacted by slapping Barton round the back of the head. The Englishman’s retaliation was brutal, speaking recently Barton said:

“Bang, bang, bang and it was over. The truth is he started the fight and I finished it.”

As a result of this confrontation Dabo suffered a suspected detached retina, whilst Barton was charged by the FA, fined ₤100,000, given a suspended 4 months sentence and ordered to pay ₤3,000 compensation.

Anthony Lombardi regularly contributes to Soccerlens. You can follow him on Twitter @arlombardi.

From Soccerlens.com - Football News

There’s a particular line of thinking which suggests that ‘everybody likes a dust-up’ once in a while, no more so than this decuplet of scrappers, snarlers, biters, scratchers and degenerate ne’er-do-wells.

Soccerlens presents: The top 10 fighting footballers (in no particular order…)

1. Luis Suarez:

In late November, Ajax forward Suarez was handed a weighty seven-match ban by the KNVB for leaving an imprint of his rather equine dentistry on PSV defender Otman Bakkal‘s clavicle fleshy when the two clubs met the week previous.

The Uruguayan scoundrel had already accepted a two-match suspension from Ajax after the club reviewed video footage of the incident, but the Dutch disciplinary authorities deemed the ‘unneccesarily violent’ incident to be serious enough to warrant additional sanctioning.

Suarez then blamed ‘tiredness’ for the assault.

2. Joey Barton:

Where to start? When not lashing out petulantly at Norwegian wingers, delivering ‘frenzied’ training-ground attacks to the backs of his teammates’ heads, doing time at her Majesties’ pleasure, stubbing cigars out in youth-team players’ eyes, grabbing his balls and calling opposing strikers ‘poofs’… etc… etc, Barton can be found (using CCTV) thrashing the living daylights out of teenagers in Liverpool city centre.

Will he ever clean up his act? Will he b*ll*cks.

Gobby git: Rijkaard spits in Voller's hair

3. Frank Rijkaard:

He’s a gobber, is our Frank. After 20 minutes of the second-round Italia ’90 game between Holland and Germany, the tousled Dutchman went in rather industriously on German striker Rudi Voller and the spat – if you’ll excuse the pun – escalated from there.

Having already seen an unsuccessful phlegm missile sail wide of the mark, Rijkaard took umbrage at Voller’s lunge at Dutch ‘keeper Hans van Breukelen and, after a heated confrontation which saw both players sent-off, let fly with a sneaky second globule that arched through the ether before nestling sweetly within Voller’s dense mullet.

4. Eric Cantona:

The Manchester United pseud karate-kicked a goading spectator in the face. What more needs to be said?

Defoe sinks his teeth into Mascherano's fleshy bits

5. Jermain Defoe:

Nurse, we have another biter. Having been unscrupulously felled by West Ham midfielder Javier Mascherano in 2006, Tottenham striker Defoe vented his frustration in the only way his tiny brain could fathom – by having a piqued nibble on the Argentine’s bicep.

After Mascherano have finished his ‘shark-attack’ charade, the Spurs hotshot was booked – but only for ‘aggressive behaviour’, leaving the FA powerless to administer any post-game discipline.

6. Roy Keane:

It was Keane’s relentless commitment that got him to the top, but it was his malevolent, distant and utterly myopic anger that constantly threatened to undermine him at every turn – perhaps the best example of which being his horrific, pre-meditated ‘revenge assault’ on Man City midfielder Alfe-Inge Haaland in 2001.

Back in 1997, Haaland (then of Leeds) spent an entire match trying to incite Keane into picking up a booking or two. In his attempts to trip the Norwegian, Keane caught his studs in the Elland Road turf and severed his cruciate ligament.

In his now-infamous autobiography, Keane remembers the incident with vivid intensity:

“I actually heard my cruciate ligament snap. The pain was instant and agonising. Haaland stood over me shouting, ‘Get up, stop faking it’. Few days passed when I didn’t think about Alfie Haaland.”

Four long years later, Keane saw his chance for revenge:

“Now he had the ball on the far touchline. Alfie was taking the p*ss. I’d waited long enough. I hit him hard….Take that. And don’t ever stand over me again sneering about fake injuries.

I didn’t wait for [David] Elleray to show the card. I turned and walked to the dressing room.”

If that’s not serial killer thinking, then I don’t know what is.

Bowyer and Dyer come to blows on the pitch

7. Lee Bowyer:

The seemingly reformed/matured Birmingham midfielder’s early-career rap sheet is chock full with a myriad of offences of varying magnitude.

Bowyer has tested positive for cannabis, been fined for throwing a chair in McDonald’s, fined for a ‘breach of club discipline’ whilst at Leeds, accused (and later acquitted) of grievous bodily harm relating to a fight with an Asian student, charged with affray and banned for six matches on two separate occasions but his crowning glory was to come in 2005.

With Newcastle already down to ten men and 3-0 down to Aston Villa in front of a baying home crowd, Bowyer attacked teammate Kieron Dyer in the middle of the St James’ pitch before the sparring pair were separated by team-mates.

Bowyer received one of the aforementioned ‘six week’ fines, then both players were forced to appear at a humiliating press conference in order to apologise to the Toon support.

8. David Navarro:

During Valencia’s knock-out Champions League tie with Inter Milan in 2007, unused substitute Navarro emerged during an on-pitch brawl brought on by Nicola Burdisso‘s swipe at Los Che defender Claudio Marchena – and swiftly belted the Argentinian centre-back in the face, breaking his nose in the process.

Cue a ‘Benny Hill-style’ chase down the tunnel.

Bellamy practises his swing after attacking Riise

9. Craig Bellamy:

Since 2000, lippy Welsh forward Bellamy has moved between eight different clubs, failing to convincingly settle at any – which should come as no surprise, considering he is one of the most fractious and intrinsically unlikeable characters to grace the modern game.

In 2007, during his 12-month stint at Liverpool, Bellamy was so irked by teammates John Aarne Riise’s refusal to partake in a round of pre-season karaoke, that the incensed striker took the logical step of bursting into the left-back’s hotel room in the middle of the night and setting about him with a golf club – an assault he then replicated whilst celebrating his goal against Barcelona in the very next game.

10. Diego Maradona:

Back in May of 1984, El Diego Loco (who was playing for Barcelona at the time) took it upon himself to exact justice on the entire Athletic Bilbao squad during the Spanish Cup final for the heinous injury he had sustained nearly six months earlier, thanks to Basque defender Andoni ‘The Butcher’ Goikoetxea – who shattered the diminutive Argentinian’s ankle with a vicious, pre-meditated foul during September of the previous year.

The fight really erupted when the irate Maradona swung his knee into the neck of Miguel Sola, leaving the Bilbao midfielder unconscious, which duly precipitated all manner of hellish scenes – which left the Bernabeu pitch smeared in blood.

From Soccerlens.com - Football News

Ipswich Town boss Roy Keane is again under fire from supporters following Saturday’s embarassing defeat at home to Barnsley. Blues faithful are growing increasingly tired of turgid displays on home soil, and many believe that poor performances as well as results at Hull and bitter rivals Norwich in the next fortnight could prompt reclusive owner Marcus Evans to act.

Although Town are just two points from the playoff places supporters have, understandably, grown frustrated at a lack of imagination and flair in their play. It is an aspect that has been missing since the comparatively heady days of Joe Royle’s managerial reign, where you could generally expect Ipswich to outscore their opponents nine times out of ten.

On one hand it is easy to side with the fans, who turned on their own players against the Tykes with particularly disrespectful chants, yet a smidgen of sympathy goes out to Roy Keane. The Town chief had a handful of deals for solid, experienced players lined up over the summer, only for Marcus Evans to tighten the purse strings and force him to go with what he’s already got.

A visit to Hull City this coming weekend would have been somewhat less daunting were it not for Saturday’s debacle and the Tigers’ confident despatch of Preston in front of the SKY television cameras on Friday night. However, Nigel Pearson’s improving side will be buoyed following the takeover of the club by Assem and Ehab Allam last week. This combined with the continued absence of senior players such as Gareth McAuley and David Norris who remain injured, means that the youngsters face a daunting weekend.

As if that wasn’t enough, the following week Town enter the lions den with the first East Anglian derby of the season against Norwich at Carrow Road. Anything less than the right result in Norfolk, regardless of the performance, could leave Keane’s Portman Road future in tatters.

From Soccerlens.com - Football News

Ipswich Town’s forgotten man Luciano Civelli has declared to the regional press in recent weeks that his knee feels “perfect” after his 18-month injury nightmare that has seen the Argentine wide man play just eight times for the Tractor Boys since a £1 million switch from Banfield in the 2009 January transfer window. So why aren’t Blues supporters seeing the leggy left winger in action for the first team?

Rumours have circulated over the last 24-hours suggesting that Civelli’s relationship with Town supremo Roy Keane is increasingly icy. Keane spoke to the press regarding the return of Civelli back in September, when he revealed that the 24-year-old now had to overcome the mental barriers of recovering from such a serious injury (cruciate and anterior knee ligament damage).

Keane had to battle through similar psychological issues himself after suffering a similar injury during his time at Manchester United, so it is puzzling that the Irishman appears incapable of having patience with Civelli’s recovery.

It may well be that Civelli’s face simply doesn’t fit at Portman Road anymore. After all, he was one of the last big-money signings made by former manager Jim Magilton, and Keane may be making a conscious, if self-indulgent, decision to sever all ties with the previous regime.

The lack of reserve games for Ipswich’s second string has proved a problem, not just for Civelli, with the club frantically trying to tie up some friendlies with top flight opposition. The aim would be to give the likes of Civelli, and the fit-again Alan Quinn the chance to put themselves in contention for a first team return in the English Championship.

I was encouraged by Civelli’s style and the balance he brought to the team in that short spell – his Man of the Match display at Reading the main highlight. But with Tottenham loanee Andros Townsend likely to remain ahead of him in the first team pecking order, don’t be surprised if we see our forgotten man trudge back across the Atlantic come January, in a bid to rebuild his career in South America.

From Soccerlens.com - Football News

Given his recent extra-marital misdemeanours, it should come as little surprise that Manchester United striker Wayne Rooney‘s intrinsic commercial value has – if you’ll excuse the unavoidable pun – waned of late.

His recurring inability to regulate which orifices he crams his junk into has already cost Rooney one of his high-profile sponsors, after Coca-Cola chose to withdraw his gummy smirk from their ‘Coke Zero’ products – claiming that they felt it was ‘no longer appropriate’ to run a promotional campaign that was endorsed by a man with less respect for the sanctity of marriage vows than Errol Flynn.

According to the new (Anglo-centric) ‘footballing rich list’ commissioned and published by FourFourTwo.com, Rooney has seen his market worth drop by a staggering £12 million in the few short weeks since the allegations over his private perfidities were made so very public – thus seeing him fall from 3rd to 6th in the individual footballers’ rankings and from 65th to 89th overall.

The 24-year-old now finds himself behind his United teammates Ryan Giggs, Michael Owen and Rio Ferdinand in the pecking order, with veteran Newcastle defender Sol Campbell (a re-entry thanks to his lucrative, short-term contracts at Notts County and Arsenal) also coming in two places above him in fourth spot.

LA Galaxy’s walking billboard David Beckham has unsurprisingly retained his position at the top of the individual pile, despite his value dropping by 20% from £125 million to £100 million due to him missing the World Cup through injury as well as his ‘advancing years’ -as Hugh Sleight, the editor-in-chief of ­FourFourTwo.com, explains;

“For Beckham, missing the World Cup and approaching retirement have had an effect and we’ve cut his value by a fifth to £100m. As you’d expect, Brand Beckham™ have a cunning business plan to ensure their financial power continues even after Becks hangs up his boots, but that’s still in its early stages.

Wayne Rooney’s flirtations with the front pages have clearly affected his value to sponsors and we ­correspondingly cut his value by a third. He’s young and he has time to bounce back, on and off the pitch, but for the time being, his reputation has been seriously tarnished.”

LA Galaxy's David Beckham tops the list yet again

The various FourFourTwo.com Football Rich Lists read thusly, firstly the individual player rankings:

• 1) David Beckham, aged 35/36, LA Galaxy, £100m (last year: £125m, 1st)

• 2) Michael Owen, aged 30, Manchester United, £40m (last year: £38m, 2nd)

• 3) Rio Ferdinand, aged 31, Manchester United, £34m (last year £30m, 4th)

• 4) Sol Campbell, aged 36, Newcastle United, £31m (re-entry)

• 5) Ryan Giggs, aged 36, Manchester United, £27m (last year £24m, 5th)

• 6) Wayne Rooney, aged 24, Manchester United, £25m (last year £37m, 3rd)

• 7=) Steven Gerrard, aged 30, Liverpool, £22m (last year £20m, 8th)

• 7=) Frank Lampard, aged 32, Chelsea, £22m (last year £21m, 7th)

• 9) John Terry, aged 29, Chelsea, £19m (last year £18m, 9th)

• 10=) Didier Drogba, aged 32, Chelsea, £18m (last year £16m, 10th)

• 10= ) Patrick Vieira, aged 34, Manchester City, £18m (new entry)

The individual manager rankings offer little in the way of surprises, except for the inclusion of Ipswich Town manager Roy Keane in second place, one position (and a full £2 million) above his former manager at Manchester United Sir Alex Ferguson – although his career earnings as a player are obviously also taken into consideration:

• 1) Fabio Capello, aged 64, England, £36m (last year: £30m)

• 2) Roy Keane, aged 39, Ipswich, £28m (last year: £27m)

• 3) Sir Alex Ferguson, aged 68, Manchester United, £26m (last year: £22m)

• 4) Carlo Ancelotti, aged 51, Chelsea, £21m (last year: £17m)

• 5) Arsene Wenger, aged 61, Arsenal, £17m (last year: £15m)

• 6=) Sven-Goran Eriksson, aged 62, Leicester City, £15m (last year: £15m)

• 6=) Roberto Mancini, aged 46, Manchester City, £15m (new entry)

• 8=) Mark Hughes, aged 46, Fulham, £10m (last year: £8m)

• 8=) Harry Redknapp, aged 63, Tottenham, £10m (last year: £10m)

• 8= ) Ole Gunnar Solskjaer, aged 37, Manchester United Reserves, £10m (new entry)

And lastly, the individual owners and major shareholders rankings:

• 1) Sheikh Mansour bin Zayed Al Nayan, aged 40, Manchester City,  £20bn (last year £17bn, 2nd)

• 2) Lakshmi Mittal and family, aged 60, QPR, £17bn (last year £18.4bn, 1st)

• 3) Alisher Usmanov, aged 57, Arsenal, £8bn (last year £1.3bn, 9th)

• 4) Roman Abramovich, aged 43, Chelsea, £7.4bn (last year £7.8bn, 3rd)

• 5) The Liebherr Family, Southampton, £3bn (new entry)

• 6) Joe Lewis, aged 63, Tottenham, £2.7bn (last year £2.5bn, 4th)

• 7) Denis O’Brien, aged 52, Celtic, £1.87bn ( last year £1.73bn, 6th)

• 8)  Stanley Kroenke, aged 62, Arsenal, £1.85bn (last year £2.079bn, 5th)

• 9) Malcolm Glazer and family, Manchester United, £1.53bn (last year £1.5bn, 7th)

• 10) Bernie Ecclestone, aged 79, QPR, £1.4bn (last year £1.466bn, 8th)

The full range of lists and an explanation as to how they are calculated can be found on the FourFourTwo website.

From Soccerlens.com - Football News

Manchester United Get Off to a Flying Start

Last season’s domestic double winners, Chelsea, took on Manchester United in their annual pre-season friendly.  Some call it “The Community Shield.”  I prefer to call it “the gigantic piece of metal that Roy Keane once raised over his head without cracking a smile.”  Then again, aren’t many things that can make Roy crack a smile.

Other than Mick McCarthy collecting unemployment, Alf writhing in pain on the pitch, and the cadaver of Patrick Vieira lumbering around in midfield for Manchester City, of course.

As for the game – check out the highlights here:

Chelsea 0-1 Man Utd. (Valencia 41’) – Rooney did what the Germans did to John Terry, namely take advantage of Terry’s lack of pace and sudden inability to judge long passes, sliding a perfect cross past a bored-looking Ashley Cole to Valencia, who easily beat Hilario for the opener.

Chelsea 0-2 Man Utd. (Hernandez 76’) – Chicarito immediately endeared himself to the United fans by scoring the second.  Valencia got in past an indifferent Cole and then found an unmarked Hernandez at the far post.  Hernandez’s strike was clumsy, so much that the ball actually caromed off his head but managed to settle into the back of the net.  Count that as a headed goal!

Chelsea 1-2 Man Utd. (Kalou 83’) – United’s late-game defensive lapses continue as Chelsea get on the board behind Kalou, who easily puts in the rebound from Sturridge’s shot past Van der Sar.  United’s defense went to sleep there, and that’s something they’ll have to address if they want to win the league this year.

Chelsea 1-3 Man Utd. (Berbatov 90’+2) – Chelsea plays a high-line in their own half to try and win the ball back and counter-attack, but Berbatov gets in behind the defense and chips it over a charging Hilario for the clincher.  Great goal from Berbatov and a good boost for him, as he heads into what could be a make-or-break year for him at Old Trafford.

You can’t take too much from one game, especially one played before the start of the season.  However, both teams have some major concerns on their hands – especially on defense.  Terry continued his horrendous form from South Africa and Cole looks like he’s mentally checked out of England.  As for United, their tendency to fall asleep on defense late in games once again reared its ugly head.  Still, it was a thrilling match and should give United some much-needed confidence as they try to win back Premiership.

Fabregas is Overjoyed That He’s Staying at Arsenal

You know those terrorist propaganda videos where they put one of their prisoners on camera and force him to read a statement repudiating their country and touting the wonders of captors?

That’s what Cesc Fabregas must have felt like when he pledged to stay at Arsenal this season.

In a statement that was devoid of any kind of sentiment or joy, Fabregas begrudgingly conceded that he would spend his 2010-2011 season at the Emirates rather than at the Nou Camp, backing up Xavi and Iniesta, or playing out of position on the wing.  Unlike Fernando Torres’ ode to the greatness of Liverpool(even though he, supposedly, also wanted to go to Barcelona), Stevie G’s latest declaration of dedication, or even Luis Fabiano’s “I wasn’t really looking to leave Sevilla, even though I begged Manchester United and AC Milan to come get me during the World Cup” about-face, Fabregas sounded very much like someone with a gun to his head.  Just take a look at some of these quotes:

I am a professional and I fully understand that it is Arsenal’s prerogative not to sell me. I owe a lot to the club, manager and fans and I’ll respect their decision and will now concentrate on the season ahead with Arsenal.

I cannot deny that joining a club like Barcelona was not an attractive move for me. This was the club where I learned my football, it is my home town where my friends and family are and a club where I have always dreamed of playing. There are not many players in the world who would not want to play for Barcelona.

I look forward to giving my best to Arsenal this season.  And by “my best” I mean approximately 60% because I don’t want to risk hurting myself and scuttling my dream move to Barcelona next season, which let’s face it, we all know is going to happen.  Nevertheless, 60% of me is better than 100% of many of the jokers on this team.  I’m not going to name names, but E. Eboue and N. Bendtner are horrible, M. Almunia and L. Fabianski couldn’t stop shots from my grandma, and R. van Persie is so brittle, he makes raw eggs look like steel.

I made one of those quotes up.  I’m sure you can guess which one.

So, if there’s anything we learned from the Cristiano Ronaldo saga, it’s that this deal will probably get done in January, it’ll be kept quiet until the end of the summer, and Fabregas will get his “dream move” next June with Arsenal netting a hefty profit.

England’s World Cup Flops Dropped From the Team

All the flops not named Rooney, Terry, Gerrard, Lampard, Milner, and Barry, of course.

It’ll be interesting to see some of the new blood and what they might have to offer as England embarks on qualifying for their first European championships since 2004.  Phil Jagielka was one of the top defenders in the Premiership before he blew out his knee late in the 2008-2009 season, while Walcott, Wilshire, Gibbs, and Adam Johnson represent the hopes of the next generation of English footballers.  Gabby Agbonlahor, however, continues to be on the outside looking in.  Same with Joey “I’m as Good as Anyone in England” Barton.

It’ll also be interesting to see which of the World Cup castoffs gets recalled once the qualifiers get under way.  I think Carrick and Joe Cole could get themselves back into the picture with strong club campaigns, and I don’t think we’ve seen the last of Robert Green.  Just kidding on that last one.  He’ll never wear England colors again.

And Now for Something Completely Different

A lot has been made of the new “Homegrown Quota” rule for the Premiership this season.  In short, every team must name a squad of 25 players, at least of 8 whom must be have played for an English or Welsh club for three years before their 21st birthday.  In other words, they have to be English.

At least that’s the subtext of this rule.  The stated intention of the policy is to help the English national team by forcing teams to focus on developing young English players while reining in the out-of-control spending by certain teams in the top flight.  “It will encourage youth development and the promotion of young players,” said Premier League chief Richard Scudamore in 2009. “We think it will give clubs an extra incentive to invest in youth. We think that one of the benefits will be that it will help the England team.”

The rule, which was agreed to in 2009, and its stated goals have broad support throughout the EPL.  Sir Alex Ferguson backs the rule policy, as does Wayne Rooney and former Prime Minister Gordon Brown. Not surprisingly, Arsene Wenger is not a fan of the rule.

However, there hasn’t been much talk about its legality, especially in light of FIFA’s recently scrapped “6+5″ Rule. According to the European Commission,the rule violated EU labor laws prohibiting the free movement of workers and any discrimination of laborers due to nationality within the European Union. The Bosman ruling was clear that athletes count as workers and clubs can not restrict their movement once their contracts are up. Additionally, Bosman held that foreign-based quotas are illegal under EU labor law.

So, how is the EPL’s homegrown rule legal? Well, according to David Geey, an attorney with UK firm Field Fisher Waterhouse, since the law regulates age and service time with a club, not nationality, it should be able to pass muster. After all, Cesc Fabregas counts as a “homegrown” player for Arsenal because he’s been registered with an English or Welsh club (the Gunners) for at least 3 years when he was between the ages of 15 and 21. Meanwhile, Owen Hargreaves would not count as a “homegrown” player for Manchester United because he came up through the Bayern Munich system.

But don’t feel too bad for Sir Alex Ferguson. Nani and Anderson both became eligible this summer, while Federico Macheda, the Da Silva twins, and forgotten man Rodrigo Possebon all become eligible for “homegrown” status next year.

It’ll be interesting to see how other teams react to this new rule. They aren’t supposed to stockpile foreigners, but could teams do what United did and start signing players like Macheda and stashing them away in the academy or in the reserves for three years until they’re ready to assume “homegrown” status? Moreover, teams with established pipelines to South America or Africa, such as United and Chelsea, should be able to continue plucking foreign prospects, knowing that they can keep them off the main roster for a few years while they develop. Meanwhile, smaller clubs like West Ham, Fulham, and even Everton will have to think twice before spending big bucks bringing over a youngster from outside the English or Welsh FA.

So in other words, expect much of the same.

Quick Hits:

Paul Robinson Snubs Capello and Quits England. I hear Capello’s reaction was: “Can I get that in writing?” In Italian, of course.

Wes Brown, too. Guess he got sick of warming Capello’s bench. Now he’ll go back to warming Sir Alex’s.

Mourinho Gives Up on Ashley Cole. Female team officials, hair dressers, and topless models with cell phones in Madrid rejoice.

German ace Mesut Ozil, blah blah blah. Anyone else sick of this yet?

Finally, you have to check out this penalty from Ezekiel Calvacante of the Spanish U-19 team. That’s right, Spain has plenty of young talent in the pipelines. Maybe that’s why England is desperate to go with the homegrown quota rule.

From Soccerlens.com - Football News

Arsenal and Tottenham are set to be a part of the battle at the top of the Premier League this coming season, but right now, they’re facing off for one of England’s top prospects.

According to the Daily Mail, the two North London rivals are at the front of the queue for young Ipswich striker Connor Wickham. According to the report, Tottenham have already seen a £5m bid rejected, but they’ve come in with an offer of £8m. Their interest could prompt Arsenal, who are also tracking the rising star, to make their own concrete offer.

The 17-year-old Wickham was a star for the England U-17 squad in May’s European championships, as he helped lead England to the title in Liechtenstein. In the semifinals against France, he scored both goals in a 2-1 win, and he followed that up by scoring what proved to be the winner in a 2-1 win over Spain in the final.

On club level, Wickham saw regular first-team appearances for Roy Keane’s side last season, making nine league starts and 26 league appearances overall. He was in the starting lineup for Ipswich’s last five matches last season, and he took advantage of the opportunity, scoring three goals. All told, he tallied four league goals and an assist, and he scored twice in a Carling Cup tie against Shrewsbury in August.

Ipswich currently value Wickham at £10m, which is a steep price to pay for a 17-year-old who only has 29 Championship appearances to his credit. But for what it’s worth, a 16-year-old Theo Walcott only had made 23 Championship appearances when Arsenal snapped him up in January 2006, and injuries notwithstanding, he’s proven to be worth their early investment. So it’s safe to say that Arsene Wenger won’t shy away from spending money on a talented youngster, and it’s clear that Harry Redknapp, who‘s also renowned for his abilities to evaluate and develop young talent, has no qualms about it either.

Given Ipswich’s sticky financial situation, they might be a lot more willing to listen to an offer that‘s a little less, and not just because of the cash injection it would provide.

As it stands, Wickham is set to be a key part of Roy Keane’s plans, and that might not change even if he’s snapped up by a bigger club this summer, as Tottenham would loan Wickham back to Ipswich for next season.

Whether Wickham moves to Tottenham or Arsenal, such an option would be the best thing for his development. Instead of being placed in the reserves or in an academy team, by starting regularly for Ipswich, he‘d be able to hone his skills alongside and against players who‘ve played at the highest levels, not to mention for a manager who accomplished as much as a player as Keane did. And with the Carling Cup and FA Cup in mind, he could gain some experience against Premier League competition.

Where will Wickham be plying his trade next season? That remains to be seen, but it bears watching, because whoever lands him will be getting one of the future stars of English football.

From Soccerlens.com - Football News

It is with some distain, if not total consternation, that I observe the clichéd comments of the media, rival fans, and (most of all) my fellow Manchester United fans in relation to the ‘old guard’ at Old Trafford!

I could paraphrase an endless list of comments across an endless list of articles and blog contributions but let me quote a comment by the BBC’s chief sports writer, Phil McNulty, in his review of the season this week:

“once again we have to ask how much more Ferguson can dredge out of the old reliables such as Gary Neville, Ryan Giggs and Paul Scholes.”

And the replies to such observations arrive quick and fast, many suggesting that it will be impossible for Utd to replace Neville, Scholes and Giggs when the time comes.

It’s just about then that I pour myself a glass of wine, take a deep draught, and again wonder whether I live in a different parallel universe to the rest.

But before I get into the meat of my point let me first set some background. Sir Alex Ferguson can be accused of many things but lack of loyalty is not one of them, and when it comes to loyalty he’s totally black and white. Loyalty has always been a two-way street for Ferguson (no argument with that)…….you cross him at your peril…..a lesson learnt the hard way by the likes of McGrath, Sharpe, Stam, Beckham, Van Nistelrooy and even Keane over the years. You’re either in or you’re out with Sir Alex and there are no half measures.

At times he has taken on the world in support of a player (Cantona) and been richly rewarded in return, and for those ‘less troublesome’ souls who have devoted an entire career to the cause Fergie’s loyalty and support is absolute.

The question is whether this is a vice or a virtue, or, more poignantly, when does that virtue actually become a vice?

The last time I soul searched on this issue was in the 2005/6 season. United were heading for a 3rd successive year without the title and Keane was very much in decline. Club captain, but hampered by injury and age, I wondered whether Fergie would ever bite the bullet and move on. In the end, Roy did the honourable thing and spat the dummy, making his departure on his own terms and for the greater good of all. Don’t get me wrong, Keane was one of the all time greats to grace the Old Trafford pitch but he had the nous to call time… at the right time (just)… which is typical of the pragmatist that Keane is.

Everyone moved on, Fergie re-shuffled and 3 titles in a row landed on his doorstep. Carrick arrived amidst a wave of controversy over his fee and, while he is no Roy Keane and never will be, he provided a piece of the jigsaw that once again provided Ferguson and his team with a relatively settled “middle 4”. It was the catalyst (along with the emergence of Ronaldo as a major force) for further decorating one of the most impressive CVs in football management history, and three years of plenty followed.

Now, football commentators and fans are a fickle bunch, none more so than this one, who change their minds daily (never mind weekly or even monthly). As Fergie’s team mounted an assault on six trophies last season, somewhere around the New Year the scribes were suggesting that they would succeed on all fronts and questioning whether this was the ‘great man’s’ best ever squad.

But a season on from all of that, with Ronaldo now departed and Utd failing to win the title for a 4th time (by just a single point), decline is on the agenda, the squad needs major investment (according to many) and the imminent departure of the ‘old guard’ is a major worry!

All of which brings me back to my main point. Let me preface this by acknowledging that as the 3 most decorated players in the history of the Premier League, Neville, Scholes and Giggs, are true legends of the game and will rightfully take their place in the ‘hall of fame’….never to be forgotten!

But time and tide waits on no man and right now, if not for some time now…..if I may be sacrilegious…can I suggest that they are (have been) more of a liability than an asset?

To support this claim I must firstly return to my musings at the start of the season just finished. My greatest wish was that Fergie would somehow ‘find’ a settled midfield unit….get to the point where Utd had a recognised ‘best’ central four. To that end my hope was that Anderson would be given the chance to claim the AM role, that Nani would finally emerge and that Hargreaves would return from injury.

But most of all I wished that Ferguson would forsake his endless rotation of 8 or 9 midfield players with the inevitable consequence of lack of continuity and the lack of team understanding that that brings with it. And to support my aspiration, it went without saying that Scholes and Giggs should be given a back seat……left to lend their experience in the dressing room to the younger players, to come off the bench occasionally, and to play a part in some of the cup competitions.

Utd kicked-off the season against Birmingham and followed that up with the away trip to Burnley…and Sir Alex changed his entire ‘middle’ 4 for the Burnley game (in fact he rotated 5 of the front 6). I instantly knew the game was up and resigned myself to another season of ‘guess the line-up’, knowing in my heart that no team ever achieves greatness with a question mark over what is it’s best 11 (or at least best 14).

Giggs started 20 PL games for Utd last season, Scholes 24 and Neville 15. Not huge numbers but that’s exactly the point. Too much a case of players on the way out not being left out and players who should be brought through not being left in!

Let me address Gary Neville first. Absent for the best part of 2 seasons through injury, Gary probably played more games than he would have this season due to injuries to others. While truly awful in some of his early season performances, in fairness, he put in some decent shifts in the 2nd half and deserves credit for that.

But let’s be crystal clear on this one. Neville is now 4th choice RB at Old Trafford, behind Rafael, Brown and O’Shea. If he walked out the door tomorrow it wouldn’t cause the slightest blip on the future achievement of the club……so let’s lay that one to rest. He’s long since been replaced. Next!

The case of Giggs and Scholes is more complicated, but only relatively so. The two had contrasting seasons. Giggs had some good performances in the first half of the season but, for my money, was mostly missing in the 2nd half. For Scholes it was the reverse, he seemed to come to life from January on. But even given that, there’s still a problem to my mind and it’s this. For every decent game Giggs and Scholes have, they have one average one and one poor one. You just can’t rely on that, it’s a crap shoot, and you better believe that it comes at a cost!

A good example is Liverpool away last season. Fergie selected a midfield of Carrick, Scholes, Giggs and Valencia. A ‘backs to the wall’ game for Liverpool and a guaranteed battle! I saw the line-up and winced, and so it proved. They just don’t have the legs for a high tempo battle anymore.

But the main problem is Ferguson’s insistence on including them so often. It retards the emergence of the next generation, Anderson in particular; it possibly undermines the confidence of players like Carrick, whose form collapsed in the latter part of the season and it definitely undermines any chance of getting to a point of having a settled midfield unit which, to my mind at least, is fundamental to creating any great team.

So when, by degree, I learnt that all three in question had signed 1 year extensions to their contracts I was far from happy. I’m not suggesting that they shouldn’t have been given those extensions, far from it. Let them continue to influence the younger players, bring some experience to the bench and play in some cup games …….exactly my prescription for last season.

But I just know that Fergie won’t approach it this way. He’ll continue to overplay this trio of aging greats; continue to undermine the game time and by extension the confidence of others, and continue to over rotate and detract from any possibility of Utd establishing a quality midfield unit.

So what would I do? Assuming Hargreaves can get back to his former level, I’d have Hargreaves, Fletcher, Anderson and one quality CM purchase, along with Nani and Valencia, as my ‘midfield 6’. By that I mean 4 or 5 (depending on formation) from this 6 as the regular starters.

I’d sell Carrick and have Park, Gibson, Oberton and the emerging Cleverly as the back-up, but only to be used sparingly in the event of injury or to occasionally rest someone (unless of course they impress so much that they can’t be ignored). After that Giggs and Scholes would get a look in, which would mean not very much at all. The “2nd string”, including Giggs and Scholes, to be given game time in the CC and FA Cup.

I understand the criticisms of Utd’s midfield quality in recent times but remain unconvinced that it is down to lack of good players. I’m convinced that it has as much to do with lack of continuity and failure to establish a regular starting line-up. Yes, I know it’s a squad game now and you can’t get anywhere without depth……but there’s a balance between squad depth and not having a first choice (‘best’) team and for two seasons now that balance has been missing from United.

Neville, Scholes and Giggs have long since been replaced at Old Trafford. They owe us nothing more and we owe them a huge debt of gratitude.

But please Fergie, spare us the death by a thousand cuts! I’ve bled enough already and I can’t face another season with more of the same.

It’s time to move on……time to get the balance back…… and time to get a best 11 again!

From Soccerlens.com - Football News

Like so many of you out there I’ve long since lost all respect for Real Madrid and how they conduct their affairs. The malaise born out of the ‘presidential’ system seems to me to tarnish the clubs image rather than enhance it and the side effect that it channels through the media is, frankly, an embarrassment.

Yes, Barca have a similar system but somehow seem to do it with a lot more dignity.

Just as with political elections worldwide, the Real Madrid presidential election comes with mass canvassing and a manifesto that invariably promises more than you would think can reasonably be delivered; the substance of which always involves signing several of the top players on the planet (read Galacticos).

Not to suggest that Real’s prancing egoists (read presidents) don’t deliver. Bankrolled by seemingly unlimited credit from institutions that have long since been taught to respect a ‘national icon’, money is seldom the problem for Real. Florentino Pérez, the current incumbent, prompted the press to invent the ‘galacticos’ term during his previous reign between 2000 and 2006.

Here’s a man who delivers on his promises and knows no fear when it comes to delving into the deep pockets of the club he represents. And during his two terms as president of Real he has overseen the signings of some notable talent:

Ronaldo (both versions), Zidane, Kaka, Figo, Beckham, Benzema, Owen, Alonso, Ramos, Robinho, Babtista, Woodgate, Albiol……even the one and only Thomas Gravesen, were all signed during his tenure. Just approaching a combined 6 ½ years in the coveted role, Perez has overseen 2 La Liga titles, 1 CL and 2 Supercopa’s; the relatively meagre return for some (please forgive the understatement) extravagant investment during his reign.

Just not good enough!….. most of you would suggest. He may still deliver another La Liga title this season but has already had to endure the ignominy of seeing his team dumped out of the CL by Lyon in the first knock-out stage; not withstanding Ronaldo, Kaka, Benzema et al. But Real (not to be confused with ‘real’) presidents don’t overly worry about failings on the pitch. Why would you when there’s always a manager (albeit one who has little control over singings) waiting to be the fall guy!

Real have had no less than 17 managers in the past 20 years, three of those serving two separate terms in the job, and one, Vicente Del Bosque, actually serving three (yes 3!) terms as manager. We hear much talk of players being ‘mercenaries’ these days….but what of managers? Is it a tick on the CV that must be had or are the dollars too lucrative to ignore? Whatever the bait, it obviously trumps self-respect every time.

It’s all a bit of a joke ReaLly!

Just as Real Madrid treat their managers as instantly disposable, so too do arriving presidents treat their players. If they’re not to their liking or (more likely) if cash is needed to deliver on some of those pre-election promises then, as a player, your days are numbered and you’ll quickly be on your way….falling back on contracts being about as useful as sticking a finger in a dyke (meaning the Dutch version of the word!)

And so, with the arrival of Perez last summer and the toute suite (that’s French for immediate…..nothing like a bit of showing off I think you’d agree!) arrival of Ronaldo, Kaka, Alonso, Benzema and Arbeloa, some then current, not to mention recently arrived, Real players suddenly found themselves with a target on their back.

Now I’d accuse the Real presidents of many things but racism is not one of them! Not that I’ve researched this aspect of the subject but, let’s face it, the Dutch are as affable, hospitable and inoffensive a group of people as you are likely to meet. They speak good English, drink good beer and for a nation with a population of just 16 million citizens (could be 17m now since the last census) have hugely out-punched their weight in world football terms over the years.

Cryuff, Neeskens, Van Basten, Van Nistelrooy…. I could go on for a very long time, but take it as read that their pedigree is beyond question. Losers in 2 World Cup Finals, unluckily in both cases some would suggest, I’ve the greatest respect for the Oranje! So there had to be some other motive/logic behind last seasons clear-out at Real.

How about stupidity?

Sneijder, Robben and Van Huntelaar quickly found themselves surplus to requirements and all were moved on toute suite (yeah, I’m lovin’ it!)….to Inter, Bayern and Milan respectively. OK, I accept that the previously prolific (previous to arriving at Real that is) Huntelaar hasn’t set the world on fire….but what of the other two?

As a Man U fan I riled against my fellow supporters’ calls for multiple signings, post Ronaldo, last year. That said, when I heard Sneijder was on the market….I was interested….if not totally committed to the cause. With Scholes ensconced in twilight and Anderson still wiping his feet on the mat, here was a player I admired….and then some.

In December 2008 I had the dubious honour of nominating the Soccerlens ‘Team of the Year’. Being misguided, as I generally am, I chose Sneijder in midfield, at the expense of…..and excuse me while I blush……Xavi. My choice was mainly on the basis of his performances for his country at Euro 2008, even though he’d spent much of his club time injured that year.

And the unrelenting Soccerlens public gave me some (not undeserved) stick for that choice. But as I learnt the hard way, whoever gets the hospital pass of that particular article each year is guaranteed a good kicking….and rightly so!

However, I now confess to feeling somewhat vindicated. Not that I will ever stoop to giving credit to the narcissistic wannabe that is Mourinho, but even I must respect that signing (and rue the lack of same signing by Fergie in equal measure.)

Sneijder will be 26 before the World Cup kicks-off in SA…..still some way from his peak. For my money, he has been the catalyst for everything that has gone right for Inter this season. Ostensibly an attacking midfield player, Sneijder is much more than that! With a career average of better than 1 goal in 4 appearances (a quality return by any standards), this is a player who’ll give you that return going forward while at the same time never be found wanting when defensive duties call.

For every clinical finish and killer assist you’ll find, in equal measure, defensive qualities of the Roy Keane variety as he shuts-out the best his opponents can produce everywhere on the pitch. Yes, this guy is a street fighter with passion and commitment in abundance. If I was going over the top in the trenches and had to choose who to bring with me he’d be the first name on my list of comrades. And if Inter do win the CL this season I’ll declare, with only minor fear of contradiction, that Sneijder provided the foundation for that achievement. Mourinho’s tactics my ass! Sneijder will be the over-riding reason for Inter’s 45 year reunion with the biggest prize in European football.

Real (and Perez) should be highly embarrassed for having let him go and I’d argue that he’d walk into the current Real Madrid team and add huge value!

Which brings me nicely on to Arjen Robben! 26 years old in January this year, Robben, even at that tender age, could almost be accused of being something of a journeyman. Not exactly more clubs than Tiger Woods (and certainly not more women) but 5 clubs under his belt at his, relatively, tender age is somewhat unusual, non?

I accept that Robben has had a relationship with the physio’s couch somewhat more intimate than most of us would like….and I’ll also accept that his temperament may be suspect…and that his right foot couldn’t kick the skin off a rice pudding, but when this guy is fit and on form it’s hard to argue against his ability. Robben’s career goal-scoring record just slides below 1 goal in every 4 appearances, not bad for a winger. But get this, his record for Bayern this year is close to 1 goal in every 1 ½ games!

Not damn bad for a one footed sick note I’d argue!

And like his compatriot Sneijder, he’s carried his team to the brink of Champions League glory this season. Scoring the ‘winner’ against Utd at Old Trafford, and what a sublime strike it was… this week he hit another long range screamer to notch the advantage over Lyon. In a single season Robben has taken his goal/game average from 1 in 4 to 2 in 3. That has to say something about a player who is a couple of years off his peak. And just like Inter (Sneijder), should Bayern go all the way in the Champions League I’ll have to conclude that Robben was the catalyst for their success….the one key player that made it happen, even casting a shadow over that other Bayern winger, and erstwhile main man, Frank Ribery.

Fate may yet determine that neither Bayern nor Inter reach this years CL final. But if they do then two great Dutch players (Real Madrid rejects) will be at the root of their alternative success.

So when the Champions League Final circus rolls into Madrid on May 22nd Seignior Perez will approach the Santiago Bernabéu Stadium with some trepidation. He’ll likely retreat to his quarters somewhere in the bowels of the famous stadium and pour himself a stiff cognac or two. One way or another he’ll have a lot to ponder and will be in need of some Dutch courage before he faces the bright lights. And at this point there’s no palatable outcome for the Real president.

Should Lyon defy the odds and lift the trophy it will be that sickening feeling of what might have been! Real could (and probably should) have dispensed with them at the Bernabeu. If it’s a Sniejder inspired Inter or a Robben inspired Bayern he’ll be feeling a little foolish, he may even be speaking ‘double Dutch’!

And the 4th alternative!

Barca retaining the trophy in the backyard of their greatest rivals! Nuff said! Picture the scene: Guardiola offering to buy Perez dinner after Barca lift the trophy! The only logical response would be “Gracias, but let’s go Dutch!”

Ultimately there can only be one winner…..and, equally, one loser. The winner will be the winner.

The loser will be Real Madrid!

From Soccerlens.com - Football News

A timely boost for fed-up fans, the managerial futures of Gianfranco Zola, Sven Goran Eriksson and Roy Keane, plus football’s major embarrassments are all up for discussion on this week’s show, hosted by Adrian Clarke & Iain Spragg. 

O Globo’s well-respected Brazilian football expert Fernando Duarte also stops by for a chat with the boys. 

It’s well worth a listen. Don’t miss out!

You can listen to this week’s episode below:
Download link (mp3, 33.2mb, 36 mins)

Make sure you send in your feedback and questions through podcast@soccerlens.com and Clarke and Spragg will feature the best of them in next week’s show.

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From Soccerlens.com - Football News