Don’t worry – this isn’t a Daily Mail, ‘Foreigners, o’ heck ain’t they grim’ style article. Consider this Top 10 a celebration. In their own way all these players have managed to make the Premier League a more colourful place. Their stories and antics will live on in the memory for a long time. Perhaps longer than some of the success stories of players finding themselves at home in the Premier League. This is a celebration of the substandard, the atrocious and the deficient. Some people just aren’t cut out for the rigours of the Premier League. If this is a balanced world, then for every Thierry Henry, there must be a Marco Boogers – now that’s a scary thought.
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Newcastle winger, Wayne Routledge, has insisted that Newcastle are not a one man team after Alan Pardew revealed that Newcastle could be without Andy Carroll for up to four weeks. Following the performance against Wigan on Sunday, Newcastle clearly missed their talisman, but the team pulled together and managed to get the win. Clearly the squad is united but against better sides the feeling is Newcastle will struggle without Carroll.
To be fair to Wayne Routledge, his comments came before the win against Wigan. It wasn’t a reaction to the win but quite a considered point he was making. It is clear that the whole Newcastle team will have to bring goals to the side whilst Carroll is injured, something that Routledge recognises.
Routledge admitted: “Andy will be a big loss. He’s the focal point of our attack, but we’ve got to get on with it. We’re not a one man team and we’ve got to step up to the mark.”
Against a Wigan side who clearly were shattered from their midweek game against Arsenal, Newcastle were able to come away with the victory. However, in the Tyne-Wear derby on January 16, Newcastle will struggle without Carroll. Against a top quality team, Shola Ameobi does not have the presence to scare defenders. Most Premier League defenders know what Ameobi is about. He will not intimidate defenders into making mistakes like Caroll has, nor has he proven he can share the goalscoring burden. Without the goals from Carroll over the next four weeks, many pundits believe Newcastle could find themselves in a relegation battle come the start of February.
It would be unfair to label Newcastle a one man team, but one thing is clear. Andy Carroll is their best player by a country mile. If you take 11 goals out of any newly promoted side, they are going to struggle – that is obvious. Against Wigan, Newcastle showed phenomenal team spirit and played for each other. That is what Alan Pardew will bring to the club. Newcastle have warriors in their line up. Jonas Gutierrez, Cheik Tiote, Joey Barton and Kevin Nolan will give everything for the cause, without having the sufficient quality to keep Newcastle in the Premier League. Andy Carroll is the man that will score the goals that keep Newcastle up. I am not sure that makes them a one man team, just Carroll is clearly a class above.
Alan Pardew may now be tempted to go into the transfer market and look for a short term solution to the Carroll problem. Players like Robbie Keane and Michael Owen have been touted as possibilities, with the Irishman looking the most likely. It would be sensible for Pardew to look around and try and find somebody to ease the problem. Going forward, Newcastle will struggle without Carroll, but with Steve Harper returning – Newcastle look in good shape across the rest of the pitch. Newcastle proved on Sunday they are not a one man team. They will miss Carroll, no doubt, but such is the spirit of the squad, they may surprise a few people.
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Manchester United manager Sir Alex Ferguson has pushed striker Wayne Rooney to match the efforts of in-form Dimitar Berbatov, and aim for 20 goals this season.
Berbatov’s latest hat-trick took the Bulgarian to a personal record of 17 goals in the Premier League so far this season, and he leads the club’s tally in contrast to Rooney’s poor run in front of goal.
The 29-year-old has inevitably been a key contributor to Manchester United’s 22-game unbeaten run in the Premier League this term, scoring numerous key goals including three hat-tricks, and propelling the club to top spot amongst England’s elite.
However, in order for the Red Devils to remain there, Ferguson realises that they can’t afford for Berbatov to enter a barren patch, and he has urged other players to step up to the mark and start contributing to the goal tally.
Nani has been in prolific form since August, and has been the key ‘Ronaldo factor’ in the squad – providing 11 assists for others and grabbing seven goals for himself.
“Dimitar is getting up towards that 20-goal mark, which is going to be important for us,” said Ferguson, according to ESPN Soccernet. “Hopefully we will get another one to that level too. Once you do that you know it is a substantial season.”
Rooney scored 34 goals last season, but has failed to really hit top-gear so far this campaign following revelations about his private life, speculation over his future and the debilitating effect of various injuries.
Now Ferguson is challenging Rooney to get back to his best.
“We hope so, he [Rooney] deserves it. He is working his socks off and is playing some great football,” said Ferguson. “The third goal [in Saturday’s 5-0 demolition of Birmingham City at Old Trafford] was very, very exciting with the interchange between Berba and Rooney. It was right at half-time and it killed the match,” he added. “Wayne showed fantastic control in the fourth goal to bring the ball from Edwin [Van der Sar] out of the clouds. The control of Rooney and setting up Ryan [Giggs] to square the ball for Berba – it was a fantastic goal.”
Despite the former Everton striker’s unselfish work, which yielded two memorable assists against Brum, he struggled in front of goal himself, heading a cross wide from two yards out.
Berbatov wrote his name into the United record book by notching his third hat-trick of the season, equalling Ruud Van Nisterlrooy’s haul from the 2002-03 season.
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The Bulgarian has managed double figures in every one of his seasons in England, and is finally looking the £30.75m player United bought from Tottenham in September 2008.
“Dimitar is realising his ability,” said Ferguson. “The other players sense it too. They are playing their part in playing with him. He has special qualities. I think we are using them.”
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Liverpool rode their luck at Anfield to beat Fulham 1-0, with John Pantsil’s own-goal moving the Reds up to seventh in the Premier League.
Pantsil sliced the ball past goalkeeper David Stockdale in the 52nd minute, with goal enough to hand Kenny Dalglish the first home win of his second spell in charge at Anfield.
It leaves Liverpool only one place outside the top six and only six points from a European qualifying place.
But although the Kop celebrated a crucial victory and chanted their manager’s name, it was a nervy night in which Fulham created a string of chances worthy of earning at least a draw.
They were only kept out by poor finishing and excellent goalkeeping from Pepe Reina.
Liverpool had captain Steven Gerrard back from suspension but never really hit top gear, although they started brightly.
Torres was unlucky to be ruled offside after finishing off a smart Raul Meireles through-ball in the opening minutes, but Fulham dug their heels in during an even first half to match their rivals.
Meireles had a header well saved by Stockdale and the Fulham custodian also tipped over a stunning effort from Glen Johnson.
But the visitors were not without chances of their own.
Dempsey and Dembele were both denied by Pepe Reina and it took a piece of good fortune to finally put Liverpool ahead in the 52nd minute.
Torres’ shot was deflected onto the post and then, in the confusion that followed, Fulham defender Pantsil sliced the ball backwards past his own goalkeeper.
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Fulham, to their credit, refused to buckle and three times went close to equalising; first when Reina saved from a Hughes header, then when Meireles cleared frantically off the line from Brede Hangeland.
The final scare for the Kop in a frantic finish came when Dembele wasted an excellent chance to score, firing straight at Reina.
But the Reds held on for a confidence-building victory – their second in succession after also winning at Wolves on Saturday.
Leaders Borussia Dortmund travel to Kaiserslautern, while Bayer Leverkusen visit Eintracht Frankfurt in this weekend’s Bundesliga action.
With 13 games remaining, Juergen Klopp’s Dortmund side head to the Fritz-Walter-Stadion 13 points clear of second-placed Leverkusen, seemingly on an unstoppable march towards a seventh Bundesliga title.
Captain Sebastian Kehl, recovering from a hip flexor injury that has kept him sidelined since September, emerged unscathed from a midweek training game and could feature.
The experience and defensive nous of the 30-year-old would be welcomed as the title race nears its closing stages.
Second-placed Leverkusen face a must-win trip to Eintracht Frankfurt if they are to keep alive their dreams of a first German league title.
Bayern Munich, who relinquished a 2-0 lead before losing 3-2 to relegation battlers Cologne on Saturday, welcome Hoffenheim to Allianz Arena.
Louis van Gaal will be able to call on the services of prized Dutch winger Arjen Robben, who missed the Cologne game through illness, as his side look to improve on their fifth-place standing.
In other Saturday matches, Schalke host Freiburg while Stuttgart will look to haul themselves out of the relegation zone when they welcome Nuremberg to the Mercedes Benz Arena.
Following this week’s sacking of Steve McClaren, caretaker manager Pierre Littbarski takes charge of Wolfsburg for their home clash with Hamburg, while bottom-placed Borussia Monchengladbach visit St Pauli.
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On Sunday, Hannover will aim to continue their European ambitions alive when they visit struggling Werder Bremen, who are just one point outside the bottom three.
Sunday’s other match sees Cologne, fresh from their stunning comeback win over Bayern, welcome third-placed Mainz to the RheinEnergieStadion.
Birmingham City boss Alex McLeish will sweat on a knee injury to Alexander Hleb ahead of next Sunday’s Carling Cup final against Arsenal.Hleb was stretchered off the pitch during the Blues’ 3-0 FA Cup fifth round win over Sheffield Wednesday on Saturday, souring what should have been a celebratory moment for the club as they reached the quarter-finals with ease.The on-loan Barcelona midfielder left St Andrews on crutches and will undergo scans to determine the severity of the injury, but McLeish is hopeful the Belarus international will be back in action in time for the trip to Wembley.”The latest is he’s limping heavily in the dressing room,” McLeish said.”He’ll hopefully have a scan in the next 24 hours. I need to firm that up with the doctor. We’ll know after that if there’s any damage.””It’s his knee. We don’t believe it’s a cruciate (ligament) problem. He got a fair rattle. The guy was late in the tackle.””He’s a great player and we still believe he’ll make an impact for us at some stage this season and hopefully he’ll be okay for the final.”Striker Cameron Jerome should be available despite a minor ankle injury suffered in the win, which was achieved by a squad of fringe players following a number of changes to the first-team side.”(Jerome) went over on his ankle. We don’t think it’s too serious. He should be available,” McLeish said.”We’ve got a thin squad as it is. If Alex misses out then that’s another man down.””In terms of allowing players to recharge batteries, being able to change the team and give the players some much-needed match practice it was a good day for us.””The strength of the squad was shown today. All of the guys who came in all played extremely well. I don’t think we had a passenger today.”
Inter Milan manager Leonardo thanked the heavens after his side stole a Champions League quarter-final spot from Bayern Munich on Tuesday.Inter, who defeated Bayern in the Champions League final last season, looked set to be dumped out of Europe in the last 16 as they travelled to the Allianz Arena on the wrong side of a 1-0 aggregate.Samuel Eto’o levelled the tie at 1-1 with a goal in the fourth minute, but first-half goals to Bayern duo Mario Gomez and Thomas Mueller put Bayern up 2-1 ahead.But Leonardo’s men rallied in the second half as goals to Wesley Sneijder and Goran Pandev sealed a 3-2 victory for Inter on the night, with the 3-3 aggregate result seeing the Italian champions progress on away goals. Leonardo, who was overcome with joy after witnessing Pandev’s 88th-minute winner, was still too moved to speak of the game after the match.”It is very difficult to explain this game – we won, that’s all that matters,” Leonardo said.”I don’t want to go into technical details now. I prefer to focus on my players’ heart.””I’m so happy for Pandev, who has had a very difficult period. He has been criticised for missing a few chances but he has always continued to work hard and he has been repaid tonight.””It’s a great moment, a fantastic joy and I can only thank God for letting me experience this feeling tonight.””It’s a sign that these players have great faith in the team, we never give up. The European champions are still standing.”Bayern coach Louis van Gaal, who is resigned to departing the club at the season’s end without a trophy, said his side simply wanted victory too much.”It is a pity. It’s not the first time this has happened, four or five times already this season we have given away a match we should have won and today it happened again,” van Gaal said.”We could have settled matters earlier. Instead Inter are still standing, still have a chance – even if they hardly created any tonight, they did convert them. That’s always a possibility in football.””We should have stayed compact, but we didn’t and ran into trouble. That’s what I meant when I warned them not to want too much. We made too many defensive mistakes, conceded too easily.””The players gave their all, which is the criteria for a coach to judge if he is still getting through to the team.””They enjoyed the match and so did the fans; now we are all disappointed we lost but we witnessed a good match.”
Yesterday saw John Terry in his first press conference since being reinstated as England captain and the Chelsea defender was as defiant as ever, with what he said being analysed in great detail by the British press today.
Elsewhere in the sports pages of the country’s newspapers, the link between Daniele De Rossi and Manchester United has emanated once again, while Roberto Mancini is reported to be lining up a replacement for Manchester City bad boy Mario Balotelli, and could Guus Hiddink be set to return to Stamford Bridge in the near future?
Terry defiant over actions at World Cup – Daily Mirror
Man United set for £18m move for Italian midfielder – Daily Telegraph
Mancini has already identified replacement for Balotelli – Daily Star
Guus Hiddink could be set for shock Chelsea return – The Sun
van der Vaart expects substitution storm to blow over – Daily Mail
Man United’s parent company posts record losses – Guardian
Mourinho has unfinished business in England – Daily Telegraph
Arsenal seal deal for young defender – Daily Mail
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Ferdinand could return to Upton Park – Daily Mirror
Terracing could be reintroduced to English football – Guardian
England meet World Cup quarter-finalists Ghana in a friendly at Wembley with another new captain and seven changes to the team.Fabio Capello has released six players who started England’s 2-0 Euro 2012 qualifying victory over Wales on Saturday.
With reinstated skipper John Terry among those to return to their clubs, Gareth Barry becomes the next man to inherit the armband, despite being left out of the team at the Millennium Stadium.
Tottenham Hotspur’s Michael Dawson has also been released, meaning Gary Cahill will be rewarded for his excellent form at Bolton Wanderers with a place in the centre of the defence.
Cahill will partner Everton’s Phil Jagielka in Tuesday’s match.
Another Goodison Park man, Leighton Baines, will take over from Ashley Cole at left-back.
West Ham United captain Scott Parker is a doubt with a slight niggle.
If passed fit, he is expected to remain in midfield, alongside Arsenal’s Jack Wilshere.
In attack, Wayne Rooney will not be involved, leaving room for Liverpool striker Andy Carroll to make his second full international appearance.
England will already be familiar with some of the Ghana squad, a number of whom ply their trade in the Premier League.
Captain John Mensah, striker Asamoah Gyan and attacking midfielder Sulley Muntari all play for Sunderland, John Paintsil is at Fulham and Richard Kingson keeps goal at Blackpool.
“I have never played at Wembley so it is like a dream come true,” Gyan said.
“This is a huge game for us Ghanaians.”
One Ghanaian star of the Premier League who will not be involved is Chelsea’s Michael Essien.
The midfielder has suffered two serious injuries on international duty in the past two years and is reluctant make himself available again.
“I will definitely return to the team at some point in the future however it won’t be for the upcoming games,” Essien said in February.
The 28-year-old’s decision has not been well received back home.
“Essien … has shown little commitment to the cause of the Black Stars, and it is high time we forgot about him,” former Ghana FA president Dr Nyaho Nyaho-Tamakloe said earlier this month.
With Manchester United and Real Madrid possibly on course for a Champions League final meeting at Wemblet next month, current Madrid boss Jose Mourinho has said that he’ll be the man to replace Sir Alex Ferguson at Man United. The Special One looks set for a return to the Premier League sooner rather than later, and Old Trafford could well be his destination.
Elsewhere in the morning’s newspapers, rumours are circulating that Harry Redknapp is ready to discard his error-prone Tottenahm goalkeeper Heurelho Gomes, while off the pitch Spurs have joined forces with Leyton Orient to fight the Olympic Stadium decision. Finally Birmingham’s place in Europe may be under threat as their finances are investigated, as the other Blues, Chelsea, have upped their top ticket prices.
Mourinho says he will be next Man United boss – The Sun
Redknapp ready to discard error-prone Gomes – Daily Mail
Kroenke has fight on his hands to keep Cesc – The Sun
Dalglish close to finding ‘justice’ for families – Mirror
Manchester United missed out on Raul in the summer – Daily Mail
City happy to be underdogs – Guardian
Villa and Sunderland to battle it out for ‘keeper Kirkland – Mirror
Warnock looking for Aston Villa escape – Daily Mail
Birmingham’s European place under threat – Guardian
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Chelsea rise top-rated AA football tickets to a whopping £88 – Independent
Spurs and Orient join forces – Telegraph
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Listen to the first episode of our brand new podcast – The Football FanCast. Featuring Razor Ruddock, Gary O’Reilly and Toploader’s Dan Hipgrave makes a special appearance!