The Relegation Battle [Guest Article]

QPR seem to be cut adrift at the bottom of the table; whilst Saints’ fans will argue that they are safe already. But it truly is anyone’s guess as to who will survive as the battle to stay up reaches breaking point with 3 spots to be avoided.

West Ham

They looked like certain survivors at the end of November but since then they have really struggled. The highlight so far has been a 3-1 win against London rivals Chelsea however they suffered a devastating loss to Spurs on Monday, conceding the winner in the 90th minute via Gareth Bale. Although most say their squad is too good to go down, they aren't safe just yet. Their remaining fixtures are very difficult with Stoke (A), Chelsea (A), West Brom (H), Liverpool (A), Southampton (A), Wigan (H), Manchester City (A) being just a few of them, they've also got a re-arranged game at home to Manchester United to play too. Whilst their home form has been generally very good, their away form has been dreadful and is definitely a cause for concern. 

Key to survival: Fixing away form

Chances of survival: 85%

Southampton

3 points clear of the bottom 3, but with a vastly superior goal difference, but there’s no way that they are safe yet. New manager Mauricio Pochettino seems to be bringing out an improvement in the team yet they will need to maintain it if they want to stand a chance of survival. The Reading-Southampton clash at the Madejski on April 6^th could prove vital, as could the continued form of Southampton’s midfield group – Lallana, Ramirez, Puncheon and co need to maintain their splendid form for the next 11 games.

Key to survival: Continued midfield performance              

Chances of survival: 70%

Wigan

I don’t really know why I am writing about Wigan – they always look as if they’re destined for the drop, yet they always survive. But surely their luck will run out eventually? Who knows. They have a very manageable run-in – with only 2 of the top 6 left to play – and so will fancy their chances of survival. A lot will depend on if they can recreate their end-of-season form of previous seasons, as will the result when they face Aston Villa on the last day of the season.

Key to survival: Recreating traditional end-of-season form          

Chances of survival: 55%

Aston Villa

Looking at Villa's squad, they should have enough to survive. Lambert seems to be conducting a mini-revival – they played very well for no reward against Arsenal on Saturday – and I think they could survive. Their youthful squad seems to be finding their feet in the Premier League (at last!) and I wouldn’t be surprised if they can ride a wave of form into safety as they do have some good players in the squad, it just hasn't been consistently going well for them.

Key to survival: Youth continuing to gain experience and perform             

Chances of survival: 60%

Reading

They seem to be reliant on late goals recently – via one man, Adam Le Fondre - and whilst it’s good that they are going in, that can’t last forever and they need to find more early goals to secure a foothold in each match. McDermott will definitely believe in his players to survive; the key will be for the players themselves to believe that they can get out of their current predicament and head towards safety and another season in the Premier League.

Key to survival: Scoring early in games                                    

Chances of survival: 25%

QPR

When a team in the relegation zone has Messrs Redknapp, Bond and Jordan at the helm you can never write them off. But you’d have thought that the ‘Arry Effect’ would have worked by now, yet QPR are still firmly rooted to the bottom of the table. Granted, they look more defensively solid; but they have only scored once at Loftus Road in their last 5 games and they need Loic Remy to find goalscoring form, or it could prove fatal.

Key to survival: Scoring more goals                                          

Chances of survival: 15%

Southampton seem safe; QPR seem doomed. Wigan, Reading and Aston Villa are facing an unholy battle to secure those 16^th and 17^thpositions. But in the Premier League, you can never write anyone off, and predictions often turn out to be futile. We’ll just have to see what happens.

By Alex Beck (@becktheyidcoys)

Who do you think will survive? Tell us in the comments section below!

Thanks for reading, I hope you enjoyed it!

Is Money Ruining Football?

“What is a club in any case? Not the buildings or the directors or the people who are paid to represent it. It’s not the television contracts, get-out clauses, marketing departments or executive boxes.

It’s the noise, the passion, the feeling of belonging, the pride in your city.

It’s a small boy clambering up stadium steps for the very first time, gripping his father’s hand, gawping at that hallowed stretch of turf beneath him and, without being able to do a thing about it, falling in love.” - Sir Bobby Robson

What a beautiful quote from one of football's greats. It sums up everything important about the beautiful game. A club is not about the players, it's about the people who are part of it, the fans. In an age where a family day out at a match can break the bank, we take a look at the effect of money on football.

A very average footballer, Stephen Ireland in a very expensive
car.

Firstly, wages, they are rapidly spiralling out of control. They've taken the desire to succeed out of the game in my opinion. Why should a player care about whether he wins or loses when he knows that whatever happens, he'll still go home to a beautiful house and snazzy car with all the latest gadgets he could find. Many players play with such little desire to win, they are only there for the paycheck. Money has even taken loyalty out the game, how rare is a one-club-man these days? When a player has joined a team purely because of how much they're willing to pay him, then he doesn't deserve the money in my opinion. Money should be the last reason you chose to play for that team, not the first. What I also find disgusting is that players are now even willing to sit on the bench, just to get their wage, they don't even care about playing these days. When it gets to this point then you know that for them, football is dead. They represent an army of fans who adore their team and support them every week, willing for them just to give their all for the club, but they don't care, not when they earn more in a week than most earn in a year.

Agent fees are another thing that tarnish our wonderful spectacle too. It is becoming increasingly common for a transfer to collapse, solely due to a greedy agent. Whether it is true or not, an example can be taken from the January transfer window. Mohammed Diame, contracted to West Ham was the subject of interest from many clubs, however it seemed Diame just wanted to stay at Upton Park. His agent, Willie Mckay was not having this and constantly tried to persuade him to move on for more money. He tried to force Diame to seek a more lucrative contract instead and even reportedly manufactured rumours in order to get the wheel spinning to attract interest in his player! He had no care for the player or any of the clubs involved, only in himself. He just wanted a big fat agents fee and nothing else. 

Perhaps the most important reason money is ruining football is in terms of the cost of watching. In the Premier League, most tickets for adults are over £35 and if you're a family of 4 with 2 kids on top of travel and food costs it can become a very expensive experience. As Sir Bobby Robson said, a club is about it's fans but it seems football is trying very hard to drive them away with such extortionate prices. The atmosphere is one of the best things about going to football for me but it seems with the loss of terracing and ridiculous pricing, it is declining at many clubs (not all!). If the prices continue to rise then I'm sure many people will turn their back on going to the games and seek to spectate through a television screen. 

What I think needs to happen is a cap on wages for clubs and this will in turn help other aspects of the game. If clubs can't just throw all their money at players' wage packets then hopefully they can invest it somewhere else, whether that be into their youth system or into making tickets cheaper. That might not be the best or only solution but one thing is for sure, something needs to happen before money completely takes over.

Do you think money is ruining football? What should be done about it? Tell us in the comments section below!

Thanks for reading, I hope you enjoyed it!

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The Race for the Champions League [Guest Article]

2/3 of the way into another gripping Premier League season and it’s all to play for to grab a Champions League place, with 5 teams going for 2 places to join Europe’s elite next season. Currently, Chelsea and Spurs sit in pole position to nab these places but Arsenal, Everton and arguably even Liverpool still remain in the running for a top 4 berth. Below is a team-by-team guide to the contenders, rating their chances and analysing what has to go right for them to stand a chance of top 4.

Chelsea

There’s no doubt that Chelsea are in the driving seat to yet again secure Champions League football; but it hasn’t been confirmed yet. They are a mere 5 points clear of Arsenal in 5^th, and still have to play the two Manchester clubs and Spurs. A lot will depend on the continued form of their attacking midfield trio, of Oscar, Hazard and Mata: if they perform well, then it is hard to look past Chelsea for one of the Champions League berths.

Key to success: The Midfield Trio                              

Chances of top 4: 85%

Tottenham

Spurs are currently on a hot streak of form – having not lost in the League since the 9^th December – and the key to their success will be to maintain this form for the next 12 fixtures. Under AVB, they are much more solid defensively – helped by the inclusion of Jan Vertonghen – and look like a much more gritty and determined side, eager to grind out results. But it’s impossible to analyse Spurs’ chances without focussing on one man: Gareth Bale. I don’t believe Spurs are a one-man team – Bale doesn’t contribute defensively, yet Spurs are still so solid – but his form could be key as he can change a match in an instant.

Key to success: Gareth Bale                                       

Chances of top 4: 60%

Arsenal

Inconsistency is the word of the season from an Arsenal perspective. At times they play fluent, exciting and vibrant attacking football yet at other times they seem lacklustre and disinterested. Defensively, they seem vulnerable – even under the new coaching of Steve Bould – but their experience could yet let them out of their sticky predicament at the moment and see them qualify for the Champions League for the 15^th consecutive year. Jack Wilshere and Santi Cazorla could prove vital in dictating the flow of games, although Arsenal are hindered by the 4 point gap they will need to overturn to overhaul Spurs. The result in the North London derby on the 3^rdMarch could well prove pivotal.

Key to success: The North London Derby              

Chances of top 4: 55%

Everton

Very much outsiders for the top 4, yet they can’t be ruled out just yet. They have been here before under Moyes – admittedly not for 7 years – but, looking at the squad, they do have both the depth and the talent to enter the Champions League. Over this autumn and winter period, they have been pulled back by some disappointing home draws, against Norwich and Villa to name a couple  - putting winnable home fixtures to bed will be a key to their success in the League.

Key to success: Seeing out winnable fixtures      

Chances of top 4: 20%

Liverpool

12 points adrift of 4^th, yet I refuse to rule Liverpool out of the running just yet. Player by player, their squad is actually extremely good – not quite Champions League, but very close – but they are going to have to win virtually every game if they want to stand a chance of qualification. Even if they win all of their games, they will (only) have 72 points – which Spurs and Chelsea might be able to reach anyway. Still, the key – which I’m sure few will have any arguments with – will be Luis Suarez. If the little Uruguayan rocket can bang in the goals at an alarmingly high rate, then Liverpool can’t be ruled out just yet.

Key to success: Luis Suarez                                          

Chances of top 4: 5-10%

It will be an incredibly close race – most likely going down to the last day – which will be decided by key fixtures. The North London derby on March 3^rd could well be definitive, as could Chelsea v Manchester City on Sunday. If I were a betting man, I would go for Chelsea and Spurs to round off the top 4 – with Arsenal very close behind – but, to use a cliché, it truly is too close to call.

By Alex Beck (@becktheyidcoys)

Who do you think will grab the last Champions League places? Tell us in the comments section below!

Thanks for reading, I hope you enjoyed it!

Why the ‘Race for the Title’ Is Still a Race [Guest Article]

Many pundits, fans and players seem to have it etched into their minds that Manchester United have already won the Premier League this season. But whilst it is mathematically possible, there is still the chance that they may slip up. A variety of factors could yet work against Manchester United to allow Manchester City to prevail in their place. 

Form

There’s a famous first half to a phrase that states “form is temporary”. And that is the exact reason why City could yet catch up with United. 12 points is ‘only’ 4 wins, and if United hit a dry spell and draw and lose a couple, then a rampant City could be ready to pounce. The 2 sides still have to meet at Old Trafford at the start of April, and if City win there and sit between 4 and 6 points behind United, then they will fancy their chances of spoiling the Reds’ party.

Law of Averages

This is similar to form, but instead of City being able to catch up because they hit form and United lose it, this is simply down to luck. A fortunate refereeing decision, a close goal-line call or a debatable sending-off going against United or for City could be the pivot required to send the Citizens closer to the Red Devils.

Precedents

You don’t have to look back very far to find a season where the title-race has chopped and changed even though teams seem to have secured an unassailable advantages. Take last season, for example. Both teams were 8 points adrift of the other at some point in the season yet they were virtually equal again by the final game of the season. If 8 point gaps can be turned around, then a 12 point gap can – if everything, or most things, discussed in this article, go in City’s favour.

Injuries

If RVP gets injured then United could be in a bit of trouble. I know they have Hernandez, Welbeck and Rooney but none of them match up to the clinical Dutchman who has let them off time and time again. Or, if Michael Carrick gets injured, suddenly their midfield doesn’t look like a title-winning one and they might start to struggle to break down supposedly weaker teams. Of course, the same could happen to City, for example, if Aguero and Toure (Yaya) got injured…but if injuries conspire against United then the title race isn’t over yet.

Manchester City

Manchester City are a very good team. If they turn it on between now and the end of the season there is no reason why they can’t go close to a 100% record. Aguero, Tevez, Toure, Dzeko, Milner, Silva, Kompany, Hart etc. are all world-class on their day and with players like these in any squad you can never write them off.

There’s no doubt that Manchester United are clear, overwhelming favourites to win the title back from the blue half of Manchester; but there is still hope for City yet.

By Alex Beck (@becktheyidcoys)

Do you think the race for the title is still on? Tell us in the comments section below!

Thanks for reading, I hope you enjoyed it!

Jack Wilshere Vs Tom Cleverley

Many football fans have recently been making the comparison between Jack Wilshere and Tom Cleverley due to them both being young, up and coming central midfielders. Both look extremely promising and possess huge potential but we're going to take a look at who comes out on top when they're compared. 

Tom Cleverley began as part of Bradford's youth set-up after growing up in West Yorkshire. He joined Manchester United as a trainee in 2000, developing there before representing the under-18's in the 2005/2006 season. In January 2009, Cleverley went on loan to Leicester, however this loan spell was ended early as he suffered a serious shoulder injury that would require surgery. In August of the same year, he bounced back with a loan spell at Watford where he scored on his debut. Cleverley enjoyed success in this loan spell and happened to extend it into 2010, although again it was one cut short through injury. He did however, receive the player of the season award. After returning to United, Cleverley then came across a third loan deal, this time it would take him to Wigan where he was one of their standout players in the season. After his succession of loan spells, Cleverley would finally progress into United's first team, emerging as one of the top talents around in his position and being rated very highly by Ferguson. He made his full debut for the National team on 15th August 2012 in a friendly against Italy and has since accumulated a total of 7 caps for his country.

Wilshere's young career was not so full of loan spells, experiencing just the one at Bolton Wanderers where he impressed many and made a name for himself. Before this he only featured in Arsenal friendlies and a rare first team game. He became Arsenal's youngest ever debutant at the age of 16 however his appearances were rather scattered. It took until the season of 2010/2011 for Wilshere to really breakthrough into the Arsenal team properly, when he made 35 league appearances, grabbing 1 goal and 3 assists, whilst at the same time developing into one of the hottest prospects around. He was called up to the senior National squad in 2010 and made his debut against Hungary. However, his progress would be halted by an awful injury and he would face 14 months on the sideline, not ideal for anyone but especially not for a youngster just coming through. Similarly to Cleverley, Wilshere has now accrued 7 caps for his country at the time of writing.

If you take a look at how the two have performed this season: 


















Despite this being Wilshere's comeback season and the first few of his appearances being short in duration, he seems to come out on top in these stats. Cleverley just betters him slightly in terms of pass accuracy and goals, everywhere else Wilshere dominates. However in Cleverley's defence, he is playing at Manchester United and rarely does he get a full 90 minutes and understandably so with the talented midfield they have. United have strength in depth in their squad and this means Ferguson does a lot of rotating meaning Cleverley isn't a regular every week.

I feel that it is difficult to compare the players, solely based on stats as whilst they're both central midfielders, they're different types of players. Cleverley is a creative midfielder with a touch of magic in his boots, whereas Wilshere is your tough tackling, box to box midfielder who drives his team forward with the ball. However, this season, I feel that Wilshere has been playing with a little more freedom and has been able to receive the ball higher up the pitch. This is reflected in his chances created stat in which he surprisingly beats Cleverley. 

In conclusion, I would say that both players are incredibly talented and have very bright futures ahead of them, however I think Wilshere just nicks it. Wilshere is just 21 and has 2 years on Cleverley and with his 14 months out, I find it staggering how he is already competing at the level he is. Don't get me wrong, both are excellent players,  I just feel that Wilshere has the talent to become a world class player, whereas Cleverley will become one of the top midfielders in the League, however this is all just my opinion. One thing that is for sure, the combination of both for England will definitely be a partnership to be feared in the future, hopefully building the core of a great team.

Who do you think is the better player? Tell us in the comments section below!

Thanks for reading, I hope you enjoyed it!

Is Rio Ferdinand's Absence From The National Team Deserved?

Rio Ferdinand has not played for his country since June 2011 but even at the age of 34 many are still calling for his recall. Roy Hodgson has repeatedly played down the situation and claimed that the snubs have been down to 'footballing reasons'. As the once England captain has regained his place as one of the first names on the Manchester United, we ponder the question - Does he deserve to be left out the National team?


Recently Ferdinand stated that he would love a return to the England team, claiming that he loves playing for them. His most recent snub was the squad to face Brazil in a friendly at Wembley and it doesn't look like he'll be returning any time soon as Hodgson stated his irritation at the constant barrage of questions surrounding the United defender. Hodgson said

 "I am not prepared, every time we play, to keep revisiting something which I have revisited at every single press conference for the last 10 months."

Throughout the whole scenario, Hodgson has claimed that Rio's omission from the squad was solely down to 'footballing reasons', however I think there are a number of other factors involved.  Not least the whole 'John Terry and Anton Ferdinand saga' which Hodgson feared would cause animosity in the squad if he were to select Terry and Rio. Perhaps a sensible suggestion, not to have them both in the squad. Although if you look at it then really it should be Terry looking at the door as he was the one in the wrong in the situation. In my opinion, Terry is the better defender, however he was the one in the centre of the situation, why should Rio face consequences from his brother, not even him, getting racially abused? 

Rio's most famous snub was undoubtedly his absence from the EURO 2012 squad which was unexpected by many. Rio responded with a rather inappropriate photo on twitter in which he asked "Woy, do I look bovered?" picking up on Hodgson's speaking impediment. A rather foolish act on Ferdinand's behalf in my opinion and one that was truly disrespectful to his manager. Although Hodgson had already made his decision about Ferdinand before the picture, surely this can't have helped any future chances that Rio had of making the squad.

Ferdinand has been key in United's last few games and seems to be re-finding his form from the days when he was once one of the most imperious defenders in the world. Although at the age of 34 and not getting any younger, perhaps he does have a case for a recall. If like Hodgson says, his absence is down to 'footballing reasons' then we should take a look at how he has performed this season in comparison to those beating him to the call-ups. Gary Cahill seems to have staked a rather large claim to be a regular in the National team as of late and if you look at his performances this season then you'll see that 

In the table constructed, I have taken stats from this season alone and only performances in the Premier League. If the box is highlighted green then for that particular stat, that defender has the best or equal best result. If highlighted red then for that particular stat, the defender has the worst result. Orange is simply to indicate that the particular stat is neither best not worst. In terms of the stat for 'Defensive Errors', that has been defined as 'an error that led to an attempt on goal for the opposing team'.

If you take a look at these stats then I think you'll agree that they seem fairly balanced. Perhaps the weakest candidate there is Phil Jagielka who only comes top in the appearances category and has a considerably lower result for pass accuracy compared to the others. Taking a closer look at Ferdinand, it appears that he seems to have had a decent season. Only coming joint bottom in the goals scored (not all too important for a defender) and defensive errors (equally as bad as Cahill and Lescott!). He has the equal best pass accuracy, although his tackle success, 1 on 1 success and headed duels won stats aren't great. In my opinion, the stand out player here is John Terry, who despite a hugely disrupted campaign through injury and what not,  comes out on top in 3 stats: Tackle success, 1 on 1 success and defensive errors. Terry also just misses out on a top pass accuracy and headed duels won stat too. 

Overall, if you look at the stats, Ferdinand is by no means the worst defender compared to his National team rivals. There appears to be no sign of any footballing weakness as he matches up to the majority extremely well in my opinion. If you combine this with the fact that he is recently pulling out some top draw performances and in good form, then I see no reason why he shouldn't make the next squad. In terms of the John Terry saga, then I think Hodgson needs to sit them both down, see if they can agree to grow and get on with it like grown men should and get their heads down to try and bring back the World Cup next Summer, becoming the feared defensive duo from the golden generation again that they once were.

Do you think Ferdinand deserves to be in the next England squad? Tell us what you think in the comments below!

Thanks for reading, I hope you enjoyed it!

The Story of the Transfer Window - Part 2

So the January transfer window of 2013 has come to an end and £127.8m has been spent. It wasn't so frantic, however, plenty happened over the course of the month and the final part will take a look at all that went on, including the infamous 'Deadline Day'.

There was a slight lull in events during mid-January as the window calmed down a bit. This was before Newcastle decided to raid France in order to turn around their season. They had been chasing Frenchman Loic Remy of Marseille and he looked destined for St. James', however QPR swooped and offered mega-bucks, luring him to West London. This seemed to spark some rage as they went on the offensive, signing a further 4 French players, on top of Debuchy in a foreign raid. First up was Montpellier's central defender, Mapou Yanga-M'Biwa for a fee believed to be around £6.7m. The big man was to be just the first player to cross the channel for football in the upcoming days. In between all this was the move of Dutch playmaker Wesley Sneijder. The midfield maestro had fallen out with Inter Milan months ago and hadn't really featured this season, leading to him wanting a move away from the club. The club he chose was Turkish giants, Galatasaray and they managed to pick him up for an incredible £8.4m! This was an absolute coup in my opinion for a world class player who was one of the only players who performed for the Netherland at EURO 2012. Many football fans were disappointed that he chose to go to Turkey as they wanted a chance to see him in the Premier League. For some time it had seemed like that might just happen after he was linked with Liverpool, however it just wasn't to be.

The next part to Pardew's master plan involved bringing in Yoan Gouffran from Bordeaux, he was the third Frenchman to join in the window on the 23rd January. The next day he was joined by Massadio Haidara from French club Nancy for an undisclosed fee. Haidara had bee linked with a number of Premier League clubs including West Ham but he chose Newcastle, a decision perhaps influenced by his French companions already at the club. This move happened on the same day that long time QPR, Arsenal and Tottenham target Yann M'Vila finally left Rennes. However, it was not for any of those clubs, he decided to go to Russian outfit Rubin Kazan for a fee rumoured to be around £9.6m. Another part of the Russian jigsaw as their league continues to attract an influx of stars to join them as it grows. 

The 25th January was a rather busy day and involved a move for an exciting young player from the Championship joining the Premier League leaders. Wilfried Zaha had lots of clubs chasing him throughout January but eventually he struck a deal for him to join Manchester United. After recently making his England debut, the Crystal Palace gem joined the Red Devils for around £15m. However, the deal also involved Zaha going back on loan to Crystal Palace for the remainer of the season, so we'll have to wait a little while yet to see him playing in a Man United shirt. This was also the day that completed Newcastle's French swoop as they picked up midfielder Moussa Sissoko from Toulouse for an undisclosed fee. Sissoko went on to impress in his debut for the Magpies in a win at Villa Park. Another notable move was made by Diego Lopez as he moved from Sevilla to Spanish giants, Real Madrid. In my opinion this was another indication that Iker Casillas' time as Real Madrid number one was coming to an end. Lopez is a top class shot-stopper and £3.8m was some good business by Madrid, perhaps he will be the replacement for the long-standing legend that is Casillas.

The days leading up to deadline day itself were rather quiet with only 2 deals of note. Lewis Holtby joined Tottenham with immediate effect after the clubs had agreed a deal for him to join in the Summer but Spurs couldn't wait and decided to bring the move forward. The German midfielder cost just £1.5m, many think this will be good value for money. On 30th January, Liverpool splashed the cash again in brining in Brazilian midfielder Phillipe Coutinho. They paid around £8.5m for the youngster and many are tipping him as a player for the future. 

Deadline day arrived and so did all the normal crazy antics with players being rumoured to join one club whilst signing for another. Aston Villa did their business fairly early, bringing in Yacouba Sylla, many think this was a foolish move as it has been long said they are a team that needs experience and Sylla is just 22. Stoke signed young American Brek Shea eventually as they seemed to spend ages trying to negotiate a work permit, he is a promising young talent so keep your eye on him! Paul Scharner rejoined old club Wigan on loan and hours lates was pictured in a fur coat and a Wigan hat in ASDA, deadline day at it's best! The first major deal to happen involved QPR as they signed former Blackburn man Chris Samba. The powerhouse joined from Anzhi for a fee of around £12.5m, a risky buy from a club in a poor position who will be in huge trouble financially if they don't beat the drop. Another deal that raised a few eyebrows was the swap deal between Norwich and Leeds. It had been well publicised that Leeds hero Becchio had handed in a transfer request and as it happened, he got his wish as Norwich City signed him in exchange for Steve Morrison going the other way. 

QPR were again in the headlines as they signed Jermaine Jenas, however that wasn't the whole story as he turned up at Loftus Road only to be locked out! Eventually they did let him in but he was left red-faced in front of the cameras. Sunderland signed Swansea man Danny Graham for £5m, surprising move by the forward after he was booed when playing for Swansea at Sunderland in the week! Stoke completed their dealing for the window with the signing of promising young Birmingham goalkeeper, Jack Butland. They grabbed the 6 foot 4 keeper for just £3.5m, although the deal involved him going back to Birmingham for the remained of the season so similar to Zaha, we won't see him playing for his new club for a while. Arsenal surprised many by forking out a fee believed to be between £8m-£10m for Spanish internnational left-back Nacho Monreal. They were desperate for some cover in that position as Keiron Gibbs recently tore his hamstring and unsurprisingly, they're reluctant to play the rather unpredictable Andre Santos. Perhaps the biggest deal of the day was that of former England captain, David Beckham who joined PSG on a 5-month loan deal. He claimed that he would donate his wages to a French children's charity, a nice gesture, however one that is all too rare in football with the millions that float around in my opinion. 

Finally, the story that got everyone laughing was one that didn't actually result in a transfer. West Brom striker Peter Odemwingie had stated on his twitter that he wanted to leave the club and had been linked with QPR. The Sky Sports cameras picked him up at Loftus Road and interviewed him where he seemed to be pretty certain that QPR would be his next club. However, it turned out that West Brom had not actually given him permission to go there and QPR would not let him in! Embarrassing doesn't quite cover it for the Nigerian!

What did you think of the transfer window? Tell us in the comment section below!

Thanks for reading, I hope you enjoyed it!

The Story of the Transfer Window - Part 1

So the January transfer window of 2013 has come to an end and £127.8m has been spent. It wasn't so frantic, however, plenty happened over the course of the month and part 1 of 2 will dissect all the events that went on in the early stages.

The window got off to a flyer with a big money £12m deal taking place on just the second day of January. The deal involved Chelsea's Daniel Sturridge moving to the North and Liverpool FC. It had been a deal talked about for a while as it had been publicly known that Sturridge was unhappy at Chelsea and Liverpool were desperate for a forward to support Suarez. Sturridge managed to get off to a flyer too, scoring on his league and cup debut. He's now bagged 3 in his first 5 games, now that's what you call hitting the ground running!


It didn't take long for football to hit the headlines again with young lad Zeki Fryer joining Tottenham from Standard Liege for a fee of £3m. In isolation, this news may have sounded rather innocuous, however it left Sir Alex Ferguson seething. Fryers had previously left Ferguson's Red Devils in the Summer and Sir Alex claimed that Tottenham had been interested in taking him on. Spurs took him on trial before they decided they couldn't afford the youngster. United were then forced to sell him to Standard Liege for a smaller fee than the £6m they were holding out for from Spurs. Ferguson was then left red faced as Tottenham had to pay just £3m for Fryers this window. Whether he will pursue his claims, only time will tell.

Next in the window came the rather busy day of the 4th of the month. Mathieu Debuchy finally signed for Newcastle after what seemed like an age since they were linked with him in the Summer. However, this would only be the start of Pardew's 'French Revolution'. West Ham also did a bit of business on this day, most notably bringing back former player Joe Cole. Cole, formerly a fan favourite at Upton Park, has always been loved in East London and he was given a hero's welcome by the Boleyn faithful upon his return and set up 2 goals in the FA Cup tie at home to Manchester United on his home debut. Since then he has managed to score a goal too, getting on the scoresheet against QPR, his celebration clearly showed just how good it felt to be back and how much it meant to him, attacking the corner flag with pure passion! The Hammers also bought in Moroccan Marouane Chamakh from Arsenal on loan that day, they weren't altogether impressed, even Jack Sullivan, son of co-owner David Sullivan tweeted: "I am very sorry about this news Chamakh has sign a 6 month loan deal! not my pick :(". However, perhaps the biggest deal of this busy day was that which included Senegalese forward Demba Ba joining Chelsea. He joined for a reported £7m due to a release clause that meant Newcastle had to accept any bid that exceeded that fee. Similarly to Sturridge, Ba also got off to a flier, and at the time of writing has notched 3 goals in 5 League and FA Cup appearances. What a hectic start there had been to the January transfer window!

The next big news came on the 11th day of the month in 2 moves. West Ham signed Brazilian striker Wellington Paulista on loan. He has a good scoring record in Brazil and can even say he has scored a goal against Barcelona! Despite this, many are tipping him to have a minimal impact, however he did bag a goal in a 2-0 win over Arsenal reserves, something that can only be a good sign for the Irons. The other big deal that happened involved Turkish midfielder Nuri Sahin. Sahin had joined Liverpool on loan from Real Madrid in the Summer however he haasn't been overly effective and present in the Liverpool team. It was not going well for him at Anfield and he managed to get himself a move, 'back home' as he claimed, to Borrusia Dortmund, where he played before joining Real Madrid. He expressed his utter delight at a move back to old club Dortmund and I personally think it is a very clever move by Dortmund and that Sahin will rediscover the form he had in his last spell at Signal Iduna Park. 


What did you think the biggest deal was in the first half of the transfer window? Tell us in the comments section below!

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Transfers XI

Now that the January transfer window has reached it's climax, I thought I'd put together a team of players who have switched clubs in the window. Here's what I came up with! 

Obviously it was extremely difficult to narrow down the choices as there were so many options, especially in attack with just 2 free slots! 

Special mentions go to our subs who didn't quite make the team:

Diego Lopez
Joe Cole
Yann M'villa
Moussa Sissoko
Daniel Sturridge
Loic Remy
Danny Graham

Who would be in your transfer XI? Tell us in the comments section below!

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Why Britain Needs More Footballers Like Alan Hutton

Alan Hutton recently signed for Spanish side RCD Mallorca so guest blogger 'The Game On Paper' decided to evaluate - Why Britain Needs More Footballers Like Alan Hutton.

Lineker, Beckham, Owen, Woodgate, Carson, Mancienne - and now Alan Hutton can join that list. If you haven’t figured it out yet, it’s a list of British players who have played abroad. Of course there are more than that, in fact at this moment in time there are 302 English players who are playing for foreign clubs (note that this includes people playing for Swansea and Cardiff as well due to them technically being Welsh). Out of those 302 English players, 130 of them play in the Welsh Premier League, the SPL, or the Scottish 1^st Division. Of the remaining pack, there is one player in the Bundesliga (Michael Mancienne), one in Ligue 1 (Joey Barton) and well, as for players in the major foreign leagues, that’s as far as it goes. Two players playing in a standard considered high enough to be in the running for the national team. 2.

Then you look at the likes of Spain (Silva, Mata, Cazorla, Javi Martinez, Llorente), Germany (Ozil, Khedira, Podolski, Mertesacker, Holtby) and France (Ribery, Benzema, Nasri, Lloris, Ben Arfa) – all contain players currently (or very soon in the case of Llorente and Holtby) plying their trade away from their home countries who are still in consideration for their national team. There are many more for these and other countries as well. The depth of quality that these countries have means that they can have top standard players in both their own domestic league as well as all over Europe - England however have a much more limited selection option than other international sides. This is another problem that we aren’t producing enough top standard players good enough to play in foreign leagues

Our lack of players who are in the top foreign leagues is a worry. Is that due to a lack of technical ability? The overpricing of our players? A reluctance to move away from the Premier League? Perhaps it’s a combination of all of them. What is certain, however, is that our players lack experience of the world game. Recognition of both that and an improved understanding of other cultures of football, as well as the proposed changes to our Grass Roots set up, will undoubtedly lead to improvement in the standard of our players – physically, technically and mentally.

Do we really want our best English players to be playing in La Liga or the Bundesliga instead of the Premier League? No. Would you want to see Jack Wilshere, Joe Hart and Phil Jones at Barcelona, Juventus and Bayern Munich instead of Arsenal, Man City and Man Utd? No. Of course we want our best players to be in our own domestic league, our own pride and joy. However for our players to develop into their full potential for our national team, successfully playing abroad could be the best thing that could happen to them.

This article was written by guest blogger @TheGameOnPaper go and give him a follow! Tell us in the comments if you liked the article and would like to see more from him!

What do you think?

Thanks for reading, I hope you enjoyed it!