Mark Noble For England?

West Ham's Mark Noble was brilliant last season for the Hammers and has continued that into this Premier League campaign. After an array of excellent performances he is beginning to attract some attention, some are calling for him to get an England call up, the question is - does he deserve one?

After again starring for the Hammers in their home draw against Manchester City recently in the presence of England manager Roy Hodgson, many tipped Noble for a call up. His battling performances have been a main feature in most of West Ham's games for the last year now. Since the departure of former talisman Scott Parker, Noble has really come along. He is the first name on the teamsheet and you can see why. 




Still only 25 years old, the academy graduate has a lot to his game. A tenacious tackler Noble flew in with 6 tackles against Manchester City and he was successful in every one of them. This was more than any other player in that game. He also topped another stat, with 3 interceptions. Against Southampton, Noble grabbed 2 goals, the first being a long range free kick that bounced all the way in and the second an assured penalty. Undoubtedly one of the best penalty takers around, you can always rely on him to calmly slot them home even when under immense pressure. 

He has been in the West Ham team for quite a while and has matured into a great players. Noble can also create chances too, his passing precision is incredible at times. Against Fulham he attempted 81 passes with 79 being successful, a success rate of 98%. They weren't just back passes either, 37 were forward compared to 24 back. He works hard for his team and just when you think the other team is about to break, he's there blocking out the danger. 

A great leader too, he sets an example for his team and has before dragged the team with him single-handedly when it seemed as though the game was lost. A loyal player who grew up around the area and has stayed at the club ever since, he puts his heart and soul into every game, both of those being quite rare these days! He recently signed a new contract at West Ham and continues to be hugely important for the East London club and I predict that a number of clubs will enquire about him in the January transfer window.

I have watched Noble for the last 3 seasons and can see that he has vastly improved as time has gone on. He previously represented England at youth levels but has never been in the senior squad, with his current form surely it's worth a go. If selected it would give him the opportunity to reform his partnership with Scott Parker in midfield, something that will no doubt be useful. In my opinion he is fully deserving of an England call up and Roy Hodgson would be foolish to ignore him, after all England could do with some fresh faces! Whether he picks him or not, you rest assured that Noble will give his everything for his country.

Do you think Mark Noble deserves and England call up? Tell us in the comments section below!

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Mark Hughes - The Most Deluded Man in Football?

A quick glance at Tony Fernandes’s twitter bio sees the internationally renowned entrepreneur and Queens Park Rangers chairman describe himself as a dreamer.  Scroll a little further down and you will find him once again urging QPR supporters for patience; the message: “keep calm, we will come good.”  It will seem all too familiar to fans, who, with more than a quarter of the season played and still no wins, are left wondering when Fernandes will wake up and bring the nightmare reign of Mark Hughes to an end.

The problem with the influx of wealthy outsiders into the game’s highest positions is that they are not footballing men, they do not have the knowledge and understanding of the sport that past owners had, and rely heavily on advisers whose motives do not always match up with their own or those of the fans.

Despite spending the summer assembling a team of mercenaries akin to the latest Expendables blockbuster, Fernandes finds his team 7 league positions worse off than at this stage last season, and must be scratching his head as to where he has gone wrong.

Fernandes is just the latest in a line of foreign owners to be disappointed by Hughes, and it is hard not to feel a tinge of sympathy towards him (as much sympathy as one can have for a multimillionaire).

Hughes spent an astonishing total of £272.75 million in just 18 months at Manchester City, failing to get anywhere near the best out of big name signings such as Adebayor (£25m), Tevez (£25.5m), Lescott (£22m), and Bellamy (£14m); and wasting big money on flops such as Robinho (32.5m), Jo (£18m), and Roque Santa Cruz (£17.5m).  After a spell of just 2 wins in 11 league games he was replaced by Roberto Mancini who has since gone on to win the FA Cup and Premier League with many of the same players that Hughes had at his disposal.

It was therefore a surprise when Fulham owner Mohammed al Fayed gave him another chance to manage a Premier League club, but bizarrely after less than 11 months Hughes repaid him by resigning, stating: “as a young, ambitious manager I wish to move on to further my experiences.”  Leaving a bemused al Fayed to describe Hughes as “a strange man”.

A year later Hughes was presiding over West London rivals QPR in a relegation dogfight, while Fulham finished in the top half of the table. 

It wouldn’t be the last statement to come back to haunt Hughes. 

After losing the last game of the season at Manchester City and avoiding relegation by just 1 point in May he uttered the now infamous lines, “We’ll never be in this situation again while I’m the manager”. 

With an extrapolated points total of just 15 if the remaining 28 games follow the same pattern as the first 10, many QPR fans would now happily settle for a situation in which they achieve survival come next May.

Watching his post match interview after the Reading game this weekend, you would think the Welshmans side had just come off the pitch at Old Trafford; not at home against a newly promoted club who had not won a game all season and were recovering from a draining 120 minutes of midweek madness against Arsenal in which they managed to concede 7 times. 

“Teams aren’t going to allow us to play our expansive game and pass and move.” he says.  Newsflash: no team, not even Reading, are going to turn up and allow you to pass the ball around them and make them look like chumps. 

If you are unable to assert your style of play at home against one of the weakest sides in the league one wonders if this style of play is really the best way forward, or indeed if it exists at all outside the realms of Hughes’ imagination.

“The key is that first win, once we get that things will settle down and we can play our football.”  This is another of his favourite lines lately which suggests there is a Pandora’s box just waiting to be opened at Loftus Road and upon the receival of 3 points we will all suddenly see a dazzling new QPR whizz up the table and take up their rightful place challenging for a Champions League spot with Barcelona style flair and possession.

For anybody still believing the fantasy that Hughes is a great footballing scholar in the mould of Guardiola or Del Bosque: his rough and ready Blackburn side finished rock bottom of the disciplinary table all 4 seasons he was in charge; last season his club captain was Joey Barton - he is by no means a purist.  This is just the latest smoke screen to deter fans and Fernandes from unsatisfactory performances and results and to keep himself in the job a little longer; a job 

which will surely be his last in the Premier League.

There have been arrogant managers before him, great ones too, like Brian Clough and Jose Mourinho.  They get away with it by coming across as charismatic, inspiring, likeable.  There is nothing likeable about Hughes.  He lacks charm and charisma, and has twice failed to get anywhere near the best out of two expensively assembled teams.  His greatest achievement to date is leading Blackburn Rovers to the FA Cup semi finals, but listening to him in interviews you would think he had achieved as much as the greats mentioned above.

Fernandes certainly wants to believe the hype, confidently outlining plans last week for a new 45,000 capacity stadium stating “if we are playing good football and have a good stadium, people will come”. 

Hughes, who turned 49 last week, surely won’t be at Loftus Road by the time he turns 50.   The question is how many more dreamers like Fernandes will be conned by the dour Welshman and leave their club at the whim of his unique blend of arrogance, overspending and dangerous delusions of grandeur.

By James Bruce

Do you think Mark hughes is the most deluded man in football? Tell us in the comments section below!

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Chelsea - Can They Win The League?

Chelsea have started the season very well and at the time of writing sit at the top of the Premier League with 22 points from 9 games, just 1 ahead of the Manchester clubs. They spent big in the Summer, investing just over £75m in players that they hope will bring success to West London. They look very strong at the top right now but are known to have a poor run around in the Winter, the question is - can they avoid it this season and go on to win the league?

Chelsea began their campaign with 3 wins from 3 after beating Wigan, Reading and most impressively Newcastle. This showed that it hadn't taken long for Roberto Di Matteo to continue where he had left off from last season. They then had a slight blip at QPR where they were rather lacklustre and limped to a 0-0 draw in a game that was overshadowed by the off the pitch affairs. After this they struggled to a 1-0 win against Stoke thanks to a late winner, again they were unimpressive. Since then they have been very impressive however with a 6-0 demolishing of Wolves in the League Cup and a great 2-1 win at the Emirates. These results were followed  by a 4-1 win over Norwich and then a spirited 4-2 win at White Hart Lane.


Last weekend however, they lost 3-2 to Manchester United and finished the game with 9 men. They can count themselves unlucky as Fernando Torres' sending off was debatable and Javier Hernandez's winner was marginally offside. Following that they came back to be beat Man United in the League Cup 5-4 in what was a brilliant game for the neutral full of goals.

Their main signing was Belgian Eden Hazard who they paid around £32m for. He was rated very highly in France where he last played his football for Lille and he lived up to that reputation in the first few games, having a massive influence on the team, especially in terms of assists. He also helped out with a few goals. Since then he has gone a little quieter but still shows threat and his assist to Ramires in the recent League Cup tie was classy. They also spent big on young Brazilian Oscar with £20m, he is another with a big future ahead of him. Not a great deal was expected of Oscar straight away with him being so young but he has really stepped up to the plate, scoring in the Champions League and playing well in the Prem as well. Chelsea also bought sibling Thorgan Hazard, Victor Moses, Cesar Azpilicueta and Marko Marin who haven't featured a great deal this season but Moses has looked good when he's played.

In terms of squad, I'd say Chelsea are fairly well equipped. They have a solid keeper in Cech, a good defence, although Ivanovic and Luiz can be a bit eratic at times. The midfield is where they excel with their creativity and the like of Mata (who has been brilliant this season), Oscar, Hazard and Lampard. Torres has been doing quite well although Chelsea will miss him after his dismissal against Man United. They have a good solid young base for their squad with the likes of Ryan Bertrand to name one, however I feel they need some more strength in depth up front as they rely too heavily on Torres and Sturridge isn't quite there yet.

I would say that Chelsea will definitely be title contenders this year but I think they will come just short at the end, this being down to inexperience. If players like Lampard, Terry and Cech can pass over this experience then they will do very well but they have a lot of young players like Oscar, Hazard, Mata and Sturridge who might not know what it takes to win the League just yet. Perhaps if they could sign someone to partner Torres in attack, a natural goalscorer or if they could get a solid and consistent defender then they might do it, however this year I think it's unlikely, they're a young team who will no doubt be stronger next season in my opinion.

What Do You Think? Tell us in the comments section below. Any feedback you have would be great too.

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Neymar - Will He Make It In Europe?

You'd be forgiven for thinking Neymar had been around for ages having recently made his 200th appearance for Brazilian side Santos however the pacy forward is just 20. He is currently a one club man and insists his loyalty remains with Santos for the near future as he isn't ready to leave Brazil yet. Tipped to be one of the hottest prospects around, Barcelona and Real Madrid are said to be fighting over his signature however having only played in one league it begs the question - will he make it on the big stage?

Neymar joined Santos in 2003 but when he was just 14 he travelled to Spain to trial with Real Madrid, he succeeded however it is said that Santos were so desperate to keep him they paid him 1m Reals which is the equivalent to around £300,000. He took this offer and remained at the Brazilian outfit until he signed a professional contract at the age of 17. His talents were obvious even at a young age and he rose through the ranks to make his debut as a 17 year old. It didn't take him long to fit in as the week following his debut he scored his first professional goal for the club. By the end of his first season he had managed 14 goals.

In the 2010 season Neymar settled in as a first team regular and found some goalscoring form with 14 in 19 at one point. Although progressing well in his career, Neymar had already been labelled as a diver by many and this was seen as a problem by the club. Neymar hadn't just been successful at club level, he gradually represented Brazil at youth levels too and progessed through the age groups there as well. He made his official Brazil debut in August 2010 aged 18 and he scored after just 28 minutes.

Neymar has continued to live up to his prophecy and is still scoring goals for Santos but after being labelled as such a talent at such a young age he is now being touted for the big time and it is rumoured that Barcelona are extremely keen for his services. 

However, he has only played in one league for one team. Liga Do Brasil isn't known for its incredible standard and this makes his talent questionable. He isn't playing against the best week in week out and this is what worries some. He is yet to test himself and surely soon he will have to make the jump to a bigger club.

To answer the question, if Neymar will be able to replicate his feats at the Nou Camp for example, yes I believe he will personally. His pace is phenomenal and his dribbling excellent. Sometimes he has a habit of holding onto the ball for too long or showboating unecessarily however it is worth the risk as every now and then he produces some magic on the ball darting past defenders and calmly finishing. Another argument that goes in his favour is his success at international level. Although unproven in the big leagues, he has done well internationally indicating he will be able to pull it off.

 I think the best move for him would be a Spanish club as he doesn't like physicality and the Spanish League suits his style best in that respect. Maybe sometime in the future he could come to the Premier League however he will need to toughen up a bit first but I have no doubt he would be able to live up to the speed of football that we possess in the UK. 

Do you think Neymar would make it on the big stage? Tell us in the comments below! Any feedback would be great!

Thanks for reading, I hope you enjoyed it!