Newcastle managing director Derek Llambias has stated that the club have total confidence in manager Alan Pardew, hence the reason why they have handed the coach a startling eight-year contract.
The trainer led the Magpies into an excellent fifth-placed finish in the Premier League last season, and has since been rewarded with a new four-year deal on top of the existing four years that remained on his previous deal.
Llambias has explained that the club want continuity and will continue to back Pardew.
“What we believe, is that for one we have the right manager and he has ambition and it is all about stability and we believe Newcastle needs to have this to go forward and have success,” he told Sky Sports.
“There is no coincidence that Manchester United with Sir Alex has been there over 25 years and has created stability and with that has come success, and along with Arsene Wenger stability has come success.
“What we have achieved over the last five years has been tremendous, we have put a lot into the model, financially we are stable and that will continue and now it’s all about stability on the pitch, and having the right managing and coaching staff and chief scout. It is a fantastic move for us and those individuals.
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“The long-term contracts with the players and the manager can only make things better going forward, Alan is delighted he loves the job, he loves the North East and has a real drive to bring a trophy to us and hopefully we will get there in the coming years,” the executive concluded.
David James has stated that racism is not a problem in the modern game.
John Terry and Luis Suarez have been found guilty of racist language in the last year, but James does not feel that it is a pressing issue in the sport.
“The JT situation went on for months and months and months,” he told The Daily Mail.
“‘The governing body should have said: “Look, an incident has taken place.” They should have dealt with it there and then. The evidence was there.
“There was an issue about where these comments were aimed and whether someone was offended. But the more pressing issue was that it was done on a football field, in an environment that doesn’t allow racist comments, and that should have been dealt with straight away.
“The rest of it could have been a private case if needs be but it just dragged on and dragged on,” he continued.
James also commented on the lack of black managers in the game, but does not feel that it is down to racism.
“I don’t think it’s a racist thing. If you go on the A Licence course there are not many ethnic players on there. On the B Licence for sure I don’t think any of them had played at a high level.
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“It’s just a case of the numbers aren’t there. I think genuinely it’s whether you’re good enough. Chris Houghton hasn’t spent much timeout since he begun management and he’s been decent.
“Other managers, quite frankly, have been given too long. They have not done very well and justified not being in work.
“I struggle with the racist issue in football because I don’t see it. That’s not because I’ve got my head in the sand. In the earlier days yes, but things have changed.”I’m not going to fly anyone’s flag to join some gang that doesn’t need to be joined. If you want to go on a coaching course to become a manager, give yourself a chance. If you want to moan about not having a job, well not going on the course is probably why you haven’t got a job,” he concluded.By Gareth McKnight
Tottenham won at Old Trafford for the first time in 23-years to record their third win on the spin as they beat Manchester United in a five goal thriller.
Spurs last triumphed in the red half of Manchester in 1989 but ended that barren run with a sparkling performance with goals from Jan Vertonghen and Gareth Bale sending them in at the break with a two goal advantage.
Sir Alex Ferguson will be furious with his defence in what was the Red Devil’s second defeat of the season and left them four points behind Premier League leaders Chelsea.
A course of the Fergie hair dryer treatment will undoubtedly have been doled out in the dressing room at the break with Rio Ferdinand the main recipient. With England boss Roy Hodgson watching from the stands Ferdinand was at fault for Spurs opener in the second minute as his half-hearted challenge allowed Vertonghen enough space to strike a low shot that deflected off Jonny Evans and past Anders Lindegaard.
The hosts struggled to conjure any rhythm to their play as Spurs barely gave them a sniff of goal in the first half as Clint Dempsey and Moussa Dembele won the midfield battle with veteran pair Ryan Giggs and Paul Scholes. It was Dembele who had a huge hand in the away sides second goal just past the half hour mark with a superb run and pass to set up Bale who made no mistake with his finish.
Ferguson threw on Wayne Rooney and Michael Carrick after the interval but a crazy spell of three goals in as many minutes saw Nani reduce the deficit in the 51st minute, putting the finishing touches to a Rooney cross, before Dempsey punished Lindegaard after he spilled Bale’s effort 60 seconds later.
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Shinji Kagawa reduced the arrears once again in the 53rd minute but Tottenham held on to secure a famous victory.
Seven Premier League games into the season and it can no longer be ignored that Sunderland are playing badly.
Four draws and a slightly fortunate win against Wigan Athletic masked this, but after showing a real lack of invention against Newcastle United and taking a beating at the hands of the Premier League champions, the team’s failings can no longer be ignored.
One real area of concern for Black Cats fans is the failings of their best players. Last year Stephane Sessegnon shone above all on Wearside, displaying a level of guile and creativity rarely seen outside the top four clubs. But this year he has been anonymous, ineffective and at times lazy, the Benin international was hauled off after 64 minutes during the Wear-Tyne derby and if anything, was lucky to last that long.
Early claims of a lack of match-fitness bought the 28-year-old time with both the fans and manager, but now in mid-October the time for excuses is over. Rightly rewarded prior to the season with a new lucrative contract, perhaps Sessegnon has become complacent on Wearside; Martin O’Neill may be keen to drop the diminutive forward to teach him a valuable lesson.
Hype and excitement gathered at the Stadium of Light when news broke of Adam Johnson’s arrival, after all the England international was a real marquee signing with Sunderland fending off Liverpool and Tottenham Hotspur to secure his signature. But the former Middlesbrough man has yet to reach the high standards expected of someone signed from the Premier League champions.
A decent performance against Wigan Athletic and a couple of assists in the Capital One Cup against Morecambe are a summary of his achievements so far. Johnson has been injured and suffered badly with illness against his former club, but fit and healthy taking on Newcastle United, in the biggest game yet for his new club, fans expected more. The 25-year-old was doubled up on brilliantly by Davide Santon and Jonas Gutierrez especially in the first half, but as the game progressed and the Toon Army tired, Johnson’s quality never shone through and like Sessegnon, he was substituted.
Any team would struggle if their two best players were playing poorly, especially when there’s a large gulf between those two and Sunderland’s next best performer. Manchester City needed Joe Hart to bail them out against Borussia Dortmund and a key reason why they struggled was the poor performance of both David Silva and Yaya Toure, their two greatest talents. Chelsea are unlikely to be anywhere near as effective if Juan Mata and Eden Hazard are off their game.
But to blame just Johnson and Sessegnon would be unfair – James McClean has been highly disappointing and others have failed to step up to the late but more importantly, so has the manager.
Much has been made of the lack of chances created and goals scored this year by Sunderland and while Sunderland’s top creators’ inept performances is partly responsible, so is the manager. Negativity and organisation have become synonymous with Martin O’Neill’s Sunderland this year. While a tough set of fixtures also defined this approach to an extent, it seemed the Black Cats suffered a culture shock playing against a ten-man Newcastle and dominating possession.
On top of nerves, expectation and the difficulty of playing against a well-drilled defence, lack of experience at keeping possession and dominating teams also impacted on how poorly Sunderland played when on the attack against the Magpies. A negative attitude and unwilling attack definitely impacted on Sunderland’s last minute sacrifice at West Ham where Sunderland looked like the newly promoted side giving Mark Noble and the Hammers’ other dangerous passers too much time and respect.
Another disappointment in the way the Ulsterman has drilled Sunderland this season, is the lack of freedom footballers have been allowed. Sunday’s derby was the only time this season we’ve seen central midfielders go beyond the ball when Sunderland were in possession. It was also the only match full-backs have ventured often into the opponent’s half regularly and the only match I can recall when the defenders actually went beyond the wingers in attack.
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If Sunderland are to make an impact in the Premier League this season, not only must key players improve but also the management must improve. It is paramount the Black Cats taste victory against either Stoke City or Aston Villa, while advancing to the last eight of the Capital One Cup. Redemption is imperative after looking so inferior to their most bitter rivals.
Let me know your thoughts on Sunderland this season on Twitter: @jimmylowson
If any Sunderland fans are heading to the Stadium of Light on Tuesday night, then don’t forget to download the FREE Screach App and vote for your ‘Man of the Match’
Roberto Mancini has reportedly given his Manchester City players a severe ticking-off after their abject performance in Wednesday’s 3-1 defeat against Ajax in the Champions League.
But many members of the squad feel Mancini should shoulder some of the blame, with the Italian deciding to use just three defenders in their back line; a formation which the players found difficult to adjust to.
City now have just one point from their opening three games and must win all their remaining matches to stand any chance of progressing into the knockout stages.
The relationship between manager and players is reportedly strained, but apparently this is not highlighted when the team wins on a regular basis; although is this lack of unity threatening to undermine City’s chances of success this season?
Mancini himself made a good point in stating that good players should be able to adapt to any formation; but it could be argued that his constant tinkering with the side is not helping matters, especially in defence.
It is not the first time this relationship between player and manager has been tested, when Joe Hart gave a heartfelt post-match interview in City’s last-gasp defeat to Real Madrid, claiming that the result was unacceptable after twice leading the match.
The City gaffer responded in his own post-match press conference that it was his responsibility to assess the team’s performance, not Hart’s in an obvious dig at his goalkeeper.
Mancini also does not appear to have anywhere near the same respect as the likes of Sir Alex Ferguson at Manchester United enjoys; especially when players such as Mario Balotelli are allowed to get away with murder and Carlos Tevez can go on a self-imposed exile and return just in time to act as hero in City’s title triumph.
Therefore, there is a strong belief that the star players are much more important than the manager at the club and of course, this should not be the case.
But at least Mancini is beginning to stamp down his authority at the club; after previously shouldering the blame for any defeat in the past and putting all the pressure on himself in City’s successful quest for the Premier League title last season.
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This is the first real time where Mancini has publicly criticised his players and recognises that he needs to be tougher in order for City to stay at the top.
The prospect of early elimination from the Champions League is not simply down to tactics, but to complacency and a degree of naivety; with the players needing to recognise that now is the time to listen to their manager and be prepared to adapt in order to stay apart of Europe’s elite.
Confidence is key. In any given situation, having confidence in your abilities improves your performance. For the modern day footballer self-belief is imperative should you want to become one of the world’s best.
There is no one who promotes this better than Cristiano Ronaldo, who, for all intents and purposes, believes he is the best in the world. While this may not be true in some Argentinian’s eyes, scoring 165 goals in 162 games allows you to have an overwhelming large ego.
However, not every egotistical player has either the abilities or goalscoring record of Ronaldo and these are the players who are on a knife edge, in danger of ruining their careers due to their unwarranted egocentricity.
From the player who believes they are too good for their club, to the star caring more about their looks than their performances on the pitch, this list of ten footballers highlights why some of them, should let their feet do the talking.
Click on Mario Balotelli to reveal the full list of egocentric footballers
Tottenham are monitoring the situation of Inter Milan playmaker Wesley Sneijder, according to the Metro.
The Dutchman has not played for the Serie A giants since September, as a dispute surrounding a pay-cut rumbles on.
Sneijder is reportedly unwilling to agree to the terms being put forward by his employers, which could see him make a cut-price January exit.
Premier League rivals Manchester United, Manchester City and French big spenders Paris Saint-Germain were thought to be leading the race for his signature, but Spurs have emerged as latest team to register an interest.
Italian newspaper Gazzetta dello Sport believe that Andre Villas-Boas sees the 28-year-old as the ideal man to fill the void left by Luka Modric, who joined Real Madrid over the summer.
AVB drafted in the likes of Moussa Dembele and Gylfi Sigurdsson to replace the Croatian, but, as of yet, the duo have failed to provide the required creativity.
A bid of £8m is thought to be enough to tempt Inter Milan to part company with the midfielder, a fee considerably lower than the speculated cost of Joao Moutinho, with whom the White Hart Lane club have been strongly linked.
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Sneijder began his career at Ajax, before joining Real Madrid in 2007.
A turbulent two-year spell in the Spanish capital was brought to an end during 2009, as Inter paid just over £10m for his signature.
Arsenal manager Arsene Wenger faces a selection headache ahead of this weekend’s Premier League clash with West Brom.
The Gunners’ chief will be without four of his top names for the home clash with the high-flying Midlanders, despite hopes that some of his stars may make a return.
Theo Walcott, Lukas Podolski, Bacary Sagna and Laurent Koscielny will all be absent according to the Frenchman:
“Lukas Podolski and Theo Walcott (calf) are out,” Wenger is quoted by ESPN.
“Bacary Sagna and Laurent Koscielny are not back.
“From Tuesday night in Greece there are no new injuries so we have a selection from the combined squad of Tuesday and Saturday.”
This will come as bad news to the North Londoners, who will be looking to recover from their worst start to a domestic league season since 1996.
Last time out they suffered a shock defeat at the hands of Swansea, leading to criticism of Wenger form some of the clubs’ fans.
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Wenger is expected to recall a number of his big names following his decision to field a team of fringe players in their mid-week Champions League clash against Olympiakos.
It’s unclear as to whether the likes of Tomas Rosicky, Marouane Chamakh or Andrei Arshavin will be able to force their way back into the starting XI, following their 2-1 defeat in Greece.
It was all about hope and not much expectation wasn’t it?… It was confirmed on Boxing Day that Chris Wood would sign for Leicester City after rejecting the chance to sign for Millwall.
Now, the large majority of Lions fans were so disappointing by this but we’ve got to remember he wasn’t our player, it was hard to take. Maybe because this was the first time in our history that we were willing to break our transfer record and try and compete with the big boys.
Even though we did not sign him I am still happy with how the club handled this. John Berylson matched West Brom’s evaluation of Wood three times, only for the Baggies to change the price. We bid to nearly double our transfer record, for that I am happy.
To be honest, if you were a footballer with no emotional connection to either club, you would chose Leicester, where he’s rumoured to now be paid 20K a week.
Yes Wood was a big player for us but he wasn’t the be all and end all of the team. He wasn’t the main cause of the form, our defence was unbeatable at times, Forde was starting to find form, Trotter was becoming more and more consistent, Wood was just a good part of that.
Realistically we are one of the smallest clubs in the division, we are seen as a shop window for the bigger clubs, for example, I remember seeing on a Leicester forum after we beat them in December “That Trotter looked decent, lets sign him, maybe Shittu as well” ‘Wall fans could only dream about saying this about their players.
It’s now up to KJ to see where we go next, but we know this, we need strikers and quick!
With Reading’s Simon Church being the main target, a decent player, but whatever signing we make, it’ll feel slightly underwhelming compared to Wood. Another rumoured target is David McGoldrick from Nottingham Forest, currently on loan at Coventry and is the top scorer in League One with 16 goals in 21.
Martyn Waghorn moving from Leicester to the Den is also among the gossip, maybe a goodwill gesture after them after beating us to Wood?
Whatever happens in January I’m proud of how the club tried to sign Wood, it may not have come off but at least we are starting to spend money. I trust KJ to get the right players in, look at January 2012, we were desperate, and we brought in Andy Keogh and Shane Lowry….
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‘Wall fans, what strikers would you like the club to sign in the transfer window to replace Wood?
AC Milan are willing to sign Manchester City striker Mario Balotelli, but only if the Premier League champions drop their asking price.
There has been much speculation surrounding the Italian’s future at the club recently, with a series of off-field incidents and poor performances frustrating his manager Roberto Mancini.
Milan are rumoured to be highly interested in the front-man, who could be tempted to end a turbulent spell in England and return home.
However, the San Siro club are unwilling to break the bank for his signature, despite losing a number of established stars, including Zlatan Ibrahimovic, Thiago Silva and Alexandre Pato, for big money.
The club’s vice-president Adriano Galliani is hopeful that a deal can be reached in the near future, but he believes that the decision will ultimately be down to Manchester City:
“It all depends on Manchester City, ” he is quoted by Sky Sports.
“Should our request fail, we will move on. At the moment we will stay where we are. We must wait and see what happens.
“Could we play in instalments? It is possible if we can agree on a sum to be paid.”
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Milan are believed to in the market for top, young talent and Balotelli, 22, appears to fit their plans. They have also been linked with Newcastle full-back Davide Santon.