Blackpool manager Ian Holloway has blamed himself after Marlon Harewood picked up a hamstring injury during training.
The 31-year-old former West Ham United striker could be sidelined for six weeks after suffering the setback in the build-up to Saturday's match against Bolton Wanderers.
Holloway said:"I wanted it to be competitive at the end of training and it went on too long. It was my fault.
"I'm in the doghouse from the physio. How long is Marlon likely to be out for? Five or six weeks."
Harewood added:"I did it in training on Wednesday. We were doing sprints and I tore my hamstring. I can't believe it as I was feeling good and thought I was playing well.
"I'm not a happy man at the moment but I'll keep going and hopefully I'll be back before too long."
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Harewood has been a revelation for the Seasiders, finding the net five times in six starts and five appearances from the substitute's bench so far this term.Subscribe to Football FanCast News Headlines by Email
Arsenal captain Cesc Fabregas remains a huge doubt for Monday's game with Manchester United, according to boss Arsene Wenger, who is definitely without Kieran Gibbs.
The Gunners captain is struggling with a hamstring injury that has kept him out of action for two weeks already, and before Wednesday's 3-1 win over Partizan Belgrade he was only rated as 50-50 for the trip to Old Trafford.
Fabregas has now returned to training but still remains a doubt for Monday's crunch clash and Wenger says he will give the World Cup winner as long as possible to prove his fitness.
"We could have Cesc Fabregas [back]," said Wenger. "But there is a big uncertainty if he can be in the squad or not. That will be decided very late."
Wenger will definitely be without Gibbs who sustained an ankle injury in the first-half against Partizan, and will now miss the games against United, Stoke and Chelsea.
"We have lost Kieran Gibbs from Wednesday night but he should be the only one. We think today that he will be out for three weeks," he added.
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"I am very disappointed [about it]. I hope it will not put in his mind that he is an injured player. It was just an accident and you cannot do anything about it. Time will help him get over that and it is not major damage in his ankle."Subscribe to Football FanCast News Headlines by Email
There is no doubt that Hatem Ben Arfa, Newcastle’s newest acquisition, is a real talent, and it must be said that if Newcastle are to continue their Premier League campaign as they have done so far this season, then signings of this nature should not become one offs.
The 23-year-old French midfielder made an immediate impact at St James’ Park after joining the Magpies on loan last summer. He scored the winner against Everton on his full debut and was in fine form before suffering a broken leg at Manchester City in October.
There is a certain quality that Ben Arfa brings to the team when he is playing, he is the type of player that can produce a bit of magic when all else seems to have failed. At the tender age of 23 the player has played for France 8 times and has proven at all levels of the game he has the potential to become one of the game’s greats.
At Newcastle United, Ben Arfa when fit will have the freedom to express himself on the pitch as he has that creative spark which can turn games in an instance. If Newcastle are serious about competing at the top end of the table, this is the exact type player that they will need fit and in form playing in their ranks.
If Ben Arfa can reach the potential he has already shown in his career he will quickly become a fan favourite at St James’ Park, not an easy feat may I add. Alan Pardew, the Newcastle manager acknowledges that he’s delighted to secure Hatem as his first signing and once he’s back fit, he has no doubt he’ll confirm just what a superb player he is.
A coup like Hatem Ben Arfa certainly marks the intent of the club and the board, and for all those attached to the club signs like this coming out of the club must be a massive positive considering the negative remarks that surrounded the club when former manager Chris Hughton was dismissed from his job.
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Aston Villa fell to a 2-1 home defeat to Tottenham this evening in a result that leaves them looking nervously over their shoulder to the relegation zone. Gerard Houllier’s men were second best for large periods of the match and despite piling on the pressure at the end, could not force a result.
After a high-tempo start to the match, Aston Villa would have been disappointed not to score first and also to concede the way they did, with James Collins failing to cut out a cross that was finished by Rafael van der Vaart. Jermain Defoe was then harshly sent off, giving Aston Villa the man advantage, but Villa couldn’t capitalise and it was van der Vaart who finished a sweeping break to put Spurs 2-0 up. Marc Albrighton’s cross-shot did reduce the arrears, but Villa couldn’t find an equaliser and are now just four points above the Premier League relegation zone.
So what five things did we learn about Aston Villa today?
Hat-trick hero Victor Obinna drew praise from West Ham boss Avram Grant after he fired his side into the FA Cup fifth round on Sunday.
The Nigerian striker opened the scoring against Championship outfit Nottingham Forest before Forest scored twice to take the lead in the 40th minute 2-1.
Not to be denied, Obinna struck back before half-time, In the second half he converted a penalty to seal his hat-trick.
Grant said he was thrilled his striker made the most of his opportunities with the London club.
“He is a good talent. He has not played so many games in the last few years and he is developing,” he said.
“He will get better and better. He scored three goals but we need him to be efficient in the league games.”
Grant said while his side have a cosy fifth-round date with Burnley at Upton Park, he remained focussed on his main objective of the campaign.
“It’s always good to play at home, they know how to support us and push us. I hope to be in the quarter-finals and then it will be interesting,” he said.
“But our target is the league, that is the most important thing, but winning in the FA Cup or the Carling Cup is also a good feeling.”
Nottingham Forest manager Billy Davies was proud of his side’s commitment to the cause, as they trailed, then led, before going down to West Ham.
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“We played some great football, lost a terrible goal early on not clearing the box quick enough and then we deservedly got on top and then from where I was sitting the second was a little bit fortunate but I’d like to see it again,” Davies said.
“And if it was, that’s the break you need, but the first 45 minutes we played fantastic football, had great possession blowing chances galore.”
“(In the) second half you say to the players, ‘start the first 15 minutes well’, but gave away another early goal but (I) have to say I am very proud of the players, in the end a great experience.”
Marseille are set to put together a £5 million a year package, in a bid to tempt Chelsea striker Didier Drogba back to the club where he made his name. Drogba has already expressed an interest in signing for the French Ligue 1 side, stating in an interview with French TV Channel, Canal Plus that he was not sure he would finish his career at Chelsea.
It’s now common knowledge that Drogba is going to be on the move during the Summer transfer window. Galatasaray have supposedly already put together a strong bid for the Ivorian, offering him wages in the region of what he receives at Chelsea. But Marseille are supposedly banking on Drogba taking a significant pay-cut to join the club, seen by many to be his ‘first love.’
In an interview with Canal Plus last year, Drogba suggested that his career with Chelsea may be coming to an end. He said, ‘when I signed a new contract at Chelsea I always said I wanted to finish my career here. But I am well placed to say that anything can happen. When I was at Marseille I said I would finish my career there, but one week later everything changed.’
It would seem that Drogba is unhappy with the atmosphere at the Bridge. Following the loss to Liverpool at the weekend, Drogba claimed the defeat had ‘cut away our legs and jeopardised are chances of winning the title.’ He also said that there was ‘a bad mood around the place.’
Fellow Chelsea striker Niclolas Anelka has apparently already had an offer from the New York Red Bulls, and Marseille are set to offer Drogba a two-year contract with sponsorship to compete with the player’s Chelsea wages. It is looking more and more likely that the big man will take them up on their offer and return ‘home’ to finish his career.
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If you have been out of the continent for the last couple of days, you may have missed that the Champions League has rolled back around for the all important knock-out phase. Tottenham have the backing of the majority of the country after defeating AC Milan in the first leg at the San Siro, while Arsenal defeated the masters of football in Catalan giants Barcelona. I make it all sound very glamorous, but in seriousness, am I the only one who finds most of Champions League football incredibly boring?
The Champions League is the pinnacle of club football which ever way you look at it. Players want to play in it, clubs want to be in it. But up until recently, English teams haven’t really managed to compete, minus a few exceptions: Manchester United in 1999 and Liverpool in 2005. It would seem the English style just couldn’t cope with the crème of crop from foreign shores. Now, however, we’ve found a way of doing well. We’ve found a way of out-witting the Milan sides, or the magic of Real Madrid. It’s called being boring.
That is a little naïve, I know. Teams have to be tactically astute to cope with the demands of European football these days, so the old ethos of ‘let’s just have a go’ is no longer able to withstand the ultimate test. Saying that, Tottenham have been refreshingly honest in their pursuit of the unlikeliest of European glories this season, as that is the exact attitude they have taken into all of their games. They have translated Premier League form into the European game, and they currently fare no worse than Manchester United or Chelsea do. The only difference is Harry Redknapp’s sides exploits against Werder Bremen and Inter Milan were a lot more entertaining than any other Champions League game we’ve seen this season.
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My point is, Spurs aside, Champions League fixtures no longer fill me with the excitement they used to. Tuesday and Wednesday nights used to make for good sporting entertainment. Now, part of me is tempted to flick the channel over to find out if anyone survived that tram crash on Coronation Street or not. (I’m joking, of course).
The Premier League on the other hand, with all it’s flaws, still provides us with that unpredictable factor. The smaller teams can beat the big guns. We have derby clashes, players moving clubs, managers going back to former teams, and most importantly we have attacking sides scoring plenty of goals – a far cry from Champions League football, Tottenham aside.
For any fans of the four English sides taking part in the Champions League this season, they will all tell you it will be a dream come true for their side to be crowned the best team in Europe. Of course it would, what a status for your club to hold. But what about everybody else? What would they rather watch on TV this week? Arsenal and Barcelona play the chess version of football, or Birmingham and Newcastle have a right go at each other?
For all of the quality on show at the San Siro and The Emirates over the last couple of days, if I really think about it, a muddy, wet St Andrews isn’t such a bad choice. It may be miles away from Barcelona in quality, but it sure is entertaining. Robin van Persie v Lionel Messi or Obafemi Martins v Nile Ranger? Not such an easy decision after all…
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We’re told that before Sunderland manager, Steve Bruce, signed his new contract, he gave considerate thought to the possibility of taking a break from football. Obviously, he didn’t. But it makes you think – why not? There are a few characters in football who could possibly do with the same, like Fernando Torres and Wayne Rooney. It’s been a difficult season for both, so maybe a short spell away from the game is exactly what they both need.
I’m not talking a long time, clearly. I’d hate to see two great footballers disappear from our television sets just because they are no longer the nation’s favourite strikers. But I’m betting both can’t wait for the summer. Fernando Torres spent half of this season throwing his toys out of his rather expensive pram, before finally getting his way and moving to a club who could possibly be in danger of challenging for a trophy some time soon. But £50 million is a lot of money for any player and it invites its own type of pressure. Just because the Spaniard hasn’t netted for Chelsea yet, we are all spending our spare time trying to convince our mates that ‘I always said he was a waste of money’. But if we’re honest, he has been, and will be for some time yet, one of the best strikers in the world. Signing for a new team half way through a season – especially one of your rivals – is never the easiest thing to do, so I’m guessing the 26-year-old can’t wait for us all to become rugby experts whilst watching the World Cup in the summer, just to take a little heat off him.
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Wayne Rooney isn’t in too dissimilar a position, either. No one will ever know what went through his head when he decided to hand in a transfer request. What I am sure of is this: he’s definitely seen the error of his ways. But in the eyes of every football fan in the world (other than Manchester United supporters, of course) the forward can do no right. Every time he misplaces a pass, or doesn’t manage to find the net with an overhead kick, he is scrutinised and judged; ‘Rooney isn’t the same these days. He hasn’t looked right since last season – I’ve been saying it for ages’.
If we put aside loyalties, which if we are honest, is what these opinions are borne out of, we should all be able to recognise that neither player has lost it overnight. Torres wants trophies, and didn’t see it happening at Liverpool, so he left. Rooney had his head turned by money and ended up with a new contract, so he stayed. Neither have been covered in glory for their respective dramas, but it has happened and we are all slightly bitter and twisted about it. What we need, and what both players need, is a break.
When the next big name decides to hand in a transfer request the second he feels he should be earning more than £3 million a day, which seems to be a growing trend, the spotlight will soon move off of Rooney and on to someone else. With the way money is splashed around these days, especially by Premier League clubs, this summer is sure to bring another multi-million pound transfer, so maybe Torres can get back to making defenders look stupid and scoring goals.
I’ve no doubt both will be back amongst the goals very soon. I never thought I’d hear myself justifying a player’s selfishness, but such is life in modern football. In the summer, Wayne Rooney and Fernando Torres can get away from life as the most famous stars around and concentrate on getting back to the norm – scoring goals. It’s not really an excuse for people who get paid as handsomely as they do, but all they need is a little time. Let’s just hope they don’t spend their summer holidays in brothels or anything. Lesson learnt, Wayne…
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After Tottenham came back from 2-0 down to win 3-2 against Arsenal in November, Redknapp talked up his side’s chances of winning the Premier League. But, by last week, he had changed his tune; “You need top players if you are going to compete with your top four rivals. We were looking at an extra striker in the January transfer window like Andy Carroll or Sergio Aguero, but it’s impossible. We could never have afforded them.”
But is this really the case, or is he just making excuses for his side’s potential failure to finish in the top 4?
The first point to make is that, come the end of the season, Harry will not have to make excuses to anyone. The Champions League run shows he is one of the best managers in the League. Tottenham have had a fantastic season, even if they do finish 5th in the League.
But can he really blame financial restraint if his side do not finish in the top 4?
It is not a secret that Tottenham have spent a lot of money on transfer fees in recent seasons. With this in mind, you could say that Tottenham have had money to spend and have just not spent wisely enough.
The table below shows the net spending on transfer fees for the last 4 years, by the clubs that currently sit at the top of the Premier League.
Net Spending on transfer fees (£)
Team
2007/08
2008/09
2009/10
2010/11
Total
Man City
39.1
117.9
99
126.5
382.5
Chelsea
7.5
-10.8
17.5
87.5
101.7
Tottenham
33.9
19.4
-0.5
17.5
70.3
Liverpool
39.8
6.35
-8.7
-5.1
32.35
Man Utd
36.7
33.7
-64.5
13.5
19.4
Arsenal
-13.4
0.05
-31
6.8
-37.55
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Tottenham may have spent £100m more than Arsenal and finished lower in the League every season, but Redknapp’s issue does not lie with Arsenal. Arsenal are one of the best clubs in the world at developing players and one of the only clubs who consistently play in the Champions League, and make a profit on net spending on transfer fees.
They have shown that it is possible to create a top class side team through player-development; Arsenal buy talented players young and develop them. However, this does not make for overnight success. Even now, as a team, they are yet to fulfil their full potential. Harry’s issue instead lies with the fact that he cannot compete with Manchester City or Chelsea’s spending.
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Yes Tottenham have a large net spending the last 5 years, but only 1/5 of Manchester City. Chelsea have spent £30m more, despite already having a world-class squad in 2007/8. Chelsea might have not spent that much in the previous 3 seasons, but this year, when they were struggling they spent masses in January to try and rectify their problem, and this table does not include the £300m Chelsea spent on players in the early 2000s. It is amazing that Redknapp’s side have competed as well as they have done, considering this difference in net spending on transfer fees and wage bills.
Harry is frustrated that he could not buy a world-class striker this January. It is this type of player that Tottenham have missed and this kind of player that is hugely significant to a side finishing in the top 4. On Sunday he said, “If the top players get offered a £150,000 a week at Manchester City they are not going to come to Tottenham for £60,000 a week, are they? Their wage bills are far in excess of ours.” Yes, Tottenham have bought a lot of players and spent a lot of money, but what really sets City and Chelsea apart is the signings of proven players for colossal fees and the wages they can afford to pay.
For example City have bought Tevez (£25m), Adebayor (£25m), Dzeko (£27m), Balotelli (£24.5) and Santa Cruz (17.5) all for more than Tottenham’s record transfer fee. Chelsea have bought Torres(£50m), Drogba (£24m), Anelka (£15m) and Schevchenko (£30m). These strikers will also be demanding £100,000 a week and more.
Tottenham have been unable to spend that kind of money. If you take the current Tottenham squad and add to it Tevez and Carroll, I am sure they would finish in the top 4. That is what Redknapp is saying.
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Critics might argue that it would have been wise to spend less on players and more on individual’s wages. It could have been wise to save the £14m on Pavlyuchenko and put it towards a £30m bid for the likes of an Aguero, but hindsight is a wonderful thing. Even still, would the Tottenham board have been willing to pay their wages? Additionally, before Christmas, Tottenham’s strength over Liverpool was their strength in depth. However, with Liverpool’s recent acquisitions, and their new found exuberance under Kenny Dalglish, it is only going to be harder for Tottenham to finish in the top 4 next season.
Harry is not making excuses; he is just being a bit more realistic now than he was earlier in the season. The Tottenham board may be generous, but they are not in the same League as Abramovic or Sheik Mansour. Had it not been for Man City, Redknapp’s side would have finished in the top 4. He is not making up excuses, he is presenting facts.
Blackburn manager Steve Kean believes he is safe from the sack after a midweek trip to see the club?s Indian owners.Kean?s future has been questioned after a run of just two points from six games has left Blackburn just one point above the relegation zone.
Rovers have a tough task on Saturday when they visit Arsenal.
“There have been stories about my future, but I’ve been to India and it could not be further from the truth,” Kean said.
“I have a good relationship with the owners and I’m still enjoying it.”
“It was a really good meeting. It always comes around on the 27th or 28th of the month.”
“I get my e-ticket on my phone, get on the plane and get out there.”
“We never discussed anything negative that was putting any pressure on me or the lads.”
But Kean admits that neither he nor the owners are totally happy with how things have progressed since he succeeded Sam Allardyce as manager.
“We talked a bit a bit about the last month and about where we are in the table,” he said.
“We’d like to be higher but we’re only two points further back than we were this time last year”
“They’ve watched the games live and they can see there’s a determination and a fight.
“They know that’s a quality you need at this stage because it’s so tight.”
“We’re all fairly comfortable with the way things are progressing but I know we have to get the points and we have to get them quickly.”
“Relegation was not discussed, not at all. If it happened to any club there’s a massive financial implication but we haven’t discussed that.”
Blackburn will be without defender Vince Grella (Achilles) for the season and midfielders Keith Andrews (groin) and playmaker David Dunn (hip) for the trip to the Emirates.