Reading boss Nigel Adkins will welcome back Russian striker Pavel Pogrebnyak for Saturday’s clash against Arsenal.
Adkins takes charge of his first game at the Emirates Stadium and will be delighted to have Pogrebnyak available after he served a three-match ban following his sending off against Wigan.
Fit-again trio Jimmy Kebe, Adam Federici and Danny Guthrie are also in contention to make the starting line up so Adkins has plenty of options, but Jason Roberts is still out with a hip injury.
Everyone seems to have returned safe and well from international duty, and although Adkins has not had much time to prepare for the game, he still thinks they are capable of getting a result.
“Our spirit can take us a long way,” stressed Adkins. “We’ve got a great game coming up and we’re going to relish that.
“It’s an interesting challenge, some players won’t get back until Thursday afternoon. It’s a great challenge to pull all that together, but Andy and I are really looking forward to it.
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“Reading have good players who fight for each other. We’re going to scrap for every point. Forget about the future, we’re concentrating on the here and now and giving ourselves every opportunity against Arsenal.”
In the modern game, the role of a manager has drastically changed. From the days of being involved in almost every aspect of the club, you are more likely to find a new managerial appointment being described as a ‘head coach’ rather than a ‘manager’, and thus with it the indication that their role will be sufficiently limited to their efforts on the training ground and on match days, with little or no influence upon the business side of things.
Although it makes sense in the current climate of Premier League club’s becoming business and financial institutions in their own right, which operates and determines success almost completely independently to results on the pitch, my underlying concern is that the seperation of monetary issues and footballing issues has in effect taken the power of the transfer market away from those who need it most – the managers.
Whereas in the past, it was not unusual for managers to rely upon the knowledge of their coaches and their own scouting network to provide them with acceptable transfer targets, creating a consensus which would also be discussed in financial terms with the chairman, it appears more and more that the actual influence a manager has altered from having the final say, or at least their say carrying considerable weight to an overall decision, to little or no say, despite the fact that ultimately it will be the manager or head coach who will bear the full brunt of responsibility for a team’s failings.
The most promenant example which comes to mind is the story of Manchester City this season. Whilst perhaps Roberto Mancini deserves his fair share of due criticism for not getting the best out of his star-studded cast throughout their almost non-existent title defense, and similarly, at the start of the campaign, the Citizens failed to adapt to the Italian’s impractical use of a 3-5-2 formation, some blame has to be attatched to the club’s backroom officials for failing to bring in new recruits of a high enough standard in the summer.
Whilst Manchester United bought Robin van Persie, in a £20million deal that essentially handed them the Premier League title, Sporting Director Brian Marwood oversaw the purchases of Jack Rodwell, Scott Sinclair, Matija Nastasic, Javi Garcia and Maicon. Whilst perhaps the three youngsters are prospects of the future, Javi Garcia has had a rather unceromonious and average inaugural season, whilst Maicon appears to be firmly into his twilight years.
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The fact is, none of these players, excluding Nastasic, possess the current ability to be holding down a regular first team place, or keep the likes of Yaya Toure and David Silva, or even Gareth Barry, on their toes in fear of losing their slots in the starting XI, whilst no additions were made up front, despite Mario Balotelli’s future being in doubt for some time, and the Italian finally imploding his own City career by January.
Mancini has openly discussed how he has felt let down by those in control of the club’s transfers in press conferences this season, as reported by the Daily Mail. The Italain stated at the end of the summer after being quizzed by reporters about a lack of transfer activity; “These questions you should ask other people. I don’t know what I can say. After three or four months… nothing. You should talk to Brian Marwood for this.’Not me. Talk to Marwood please… No I’m not happy. I don’t want to say anything at the moment. For me we have a good team. But we need to continue to improve.”
Despite his glaring indication of disappointment, it is Mancini’s job which is currently being scrutinised and held up for review in the British media, and no doubt also behind closed doors.
It’s a similar story at Newcastle; this season, the Magpies have shifted from the Premier League’s overachievers to the top-flight’s most underperfoming team.Although I am not a fan of Alan Pardew, and I believe many of the club’s poor showings this year can be attributed to his failings as a manager in terms of tactics, motivation and understanding of his opponents, he has been by no means helped by Mike Ashley and Graham Carr – whom share a power vacuum over transfers which excludes the former Charlton and West Ham boss – who brought in just one summer signing in Vernun Anita, despite Newcastle having one of their most hectic and fixture-filled seasons to date with their qualification and involvement in the Europa League.
But, considering the finer details, perhaps it is more understandable. Even Alan Pardew’s biggest fan would admit that his knowledge of European football, and thus his pool of sourcing new signings, is sufficiently lacking, with the majority of his purchases at former clubs coming from the lower tiers of the English leagues.
Similarly, despite being offered an eight year contract by Mike Ashley, it would take a brave man to bet on Pardew seeing out its full tenure, and separating transfers from footballing duties at least creates some longevity and stability in the club’s overall transfer policy, which counteracts the managerial merry-go-round of hiring and firing that has encompassed English football in recent years.
As well as the culture of managerial appointments being an underlying factor in removing transfers from a head coaches’ sphere of influence, another is the rise in power of the modern owner. Whereas in the past, owner’s may have had the power to veto specific transfers on grounds of it being financially impractical, it has now become the norm for owners and chairmen to be directly involved in sourcing players, with the most obvious example being Roman Abramovich.
The club’s inability to hold on to a manager for more than a matter of months has given the Russian billionaire free reign in terms of bringing in players, which has no doubt been a factor in Fernando Torres’s torrid £50million move to Stamford Bridge. Whilst to a businessman and a football fan, the move may have made sense, in practical terms the Spaniard was never the perfect fit for a team based around organisation, physique and stability. Furthermore, he was never Carlo Ancelotti’s signing, and he was never Andre Villas-Boas’s signing, he was the owner’s signing.
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I fear their recent purchase of Andre Schurrle will suffer a similar fate. Despite it being just two months away from the end of the season, by which time Chelsea should have appointed a new manager to replace the outgoing Rafa Benitez, the club’s officials have brought in a new recruit, without even considering the implications for their new head coach. It may be quite simply that he is not preferred by the future Blues boss, and thus, the club will face another battle between success on the pitch and actual financial investment; the same dilemma which lead to Torres becoming horrendously over-played, despite his poor form.
In the modern game, there are several deviations from the past that due to the rise in the business side of the game, one most accept, despite presenting relatively little business sense or defying the traditional logic of how a club should be run. However, whereas in some cases, the seperation of transfers and first team duties can be of benefit, due to the limited attributes of a particular coach in terms of their prowess in the transfer market, overall I believe it has sufficiently weakened the position of managers in the Premier League.
It limits them from installing their own vision upon the club, and furthermore, presents the opportunity for a rift to develop between a head coach and club officials, such as Sporting Directors. It can create a contrast in views that if left unresolved can result in a team’s eventual demise, and I believe it contributes more to the hire and fire culture than it does alleviate the risk from an owner’s perspective. More trust should be given to managerial appointments in the transfer market, or else they must stop being held fully accountable for their team’s failings.
Liverpool manager Brendan Rodgers is hoping to sign highly rated Brazilian defender Douglas on a free transfer this summer, according to the Daily Mail.
Douglas is out of contract at the end of the season and is not expected to sign a deal at FC Twente, leaving him able to talk to clubs about a free move when the transfer window opens.
Newcastle were close to agreeing a £4million for the Brazilian last summer but the central defender opted to stay in Holland for one more season to allow his contract to run down.
Liverpool are desperate to replace the retiring Jamie Carragher and have been linked with a whole host of defenders in recent weeks including Swansea’s Ashley Williams and Tottenham’s Steven Caulker.
The Reds will not splash the cash this summer, unlike recent years, and the free signing of Douglas would be the perfect switch for the club and the player.
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Mark Schwarzer claims he must be the number one goalkeeper at Fulham next season if he is to sign a new contract at the club.
The 40-year-old Australian international goalkeeper will be out of contract at Craven Cottage at the end of next month, but has contradicted boss Martin Jol’s claims that a new contract offer is on the table waiting to be signed.
Schwarzer said: “I am out of contract and as of yet I have had no official offer of a new deal, contrary to reports.
“I still want to play in the Premier League and still believe I have the ability to do it.”
And, while the former Middlesbrough custodian would be open to staying with the west Londoners, he also insisted that he wants to be the first-choice keeper in order to fulfil his ambition of playing for his country at next summer’s World Cup finals in Brazil.
He added: “The bottom line is I have to find a club that believe in my ability as a goalkeeper. I still have the hunger to play at the highest level and I want to go to another World Cup.
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“If that means I need to go elsewhere then I will move elsewhere.”
When Kenny Jackett took over at Wolves he promised a “young and attacking side” and stated that “there has never been a better chance for players aged between 18 and 23 at the club”, with in a few days these words were backed up with actions.
The new boss subsequently transfer listed four big name players without a moments hesitation. Realising the negative effect, two of those big four at least, have on the rest of the young squad. This was met with universal appraisal from many Wolves fans that praised a manager who was big enough to challenge, and not be beaten by, the egos in the dressing room that had hampered quite a few managers in the recent past.
After three wins and a draw in pre season, Wolves fans are beginning to realise, if they had not already, that the first eleven can quite comfortably cope, in fact, they tend to do better, without these four players. However, there was one sticking point, not a single club had contacted Wolves over the sale of any of the transfer listed players. This all changed when QPR, under the stewardship of Harry ‘imaginehimasEnglandmanagernow’ Redknapp, agreed a fee for Wolves’ long standing captain, Karl Henry.
It is time then to evaluate Karl Henry as a captain and as a midfielder. After seven years at the club was the man from Ashmore Park a success? Or was it more of a case of what could have been?
He arrived at the club in the 2006/2007 season in Mick McCarthy’s first year as boss. Henry joined from Stoke City after clocking up over a hundred games for The Potters, he made his debut, for Wolves, against Plymouth Argyle. Initially deployed as a right back, he soon established himself as a starter for Wolves, in the centre of midfield, teaming up alongside such household names as, Michael McIndoe, Lewis Gobern and Darren Potter. He made thirty-four league appearances in his first season and was already beginning to show how consistent he could be. To be picked so many times in his first season is remarkable, he helped Wolves reach the play-offs, only to be defeated by they-who-must-not-be-named, 4-2, over two legs.
He was first given the captains armband in the Christmas of 2006 because of the injury to Jody Craddock. Injury was a common theme in his first few years at the club, despite making forty-two appearances, his second season, like his first, was cut short by injury. On a more positive note, Henry was displaying his ability as a captain, he was given the armband the year Wolves were promoted and never looked back. Solid, stable and reliable, with a number eight on his back and drive and steel in his heart, he was an enforcer, no nonsense. You can see why Mick adored him. He was there in that memorable promotion season, when Wolves, at times, swept oppositions aside, with the help of the more forward thinking midfielder, David Jones.
In May 2009, he and Jody Craddock lifted the Championship trophy to a backdrop of confetti, cheering and celebration, the armband was now permanently placed on the former Potter, a firm favourite in the eyes of the adoring fans. Mr. Reliable.
The absolute epitome of Mick McCarthy’s playing/management style, and the man who was about to lead his men into a Premier League battle for the first time in six years. This came to be true as Henry missed just four league games for the club as the team finished comfortably in fifteenth place, with a double over Tottenham being remembered as a particular highlight.
Wolves and Henry were riding on the crest of a gold and black wave, fans expected the club to kick on and try to establish themselves as a Premier League club. If Wolves bought intelligently and managed to hold on to our best players, there is no reason to say that Wolves could not sustain a fifteenth place finish, or higher, over the coming seasons.
This transfer window and the subsequent months that followed were pivotal and we began to see the first few cracks begin to appear. Wolves bought, most notably, Steven Fletcher and Adlene Guediora but apart from that the squad was not supplemented with enough quality players. Wolves survived, by the hairs on their chinny chin chin, Henry again a major figure in the first eleven, playing twenty-nine times.
During Wolves’ time in the Premier League we saw a side to Karl Henry that was all too familiar, his ‘tackling’. incidents including Jordi Gomez and Bobby Zamora were notable low points in the midfielders career. There was one incident though that went above all this and it happened in the final season before Wolves plummeted through the ‘relegation trapdoor’. Karl Vs. Joey, the big fight live. The best thing was, we didn’t have to pay fifteen quid to Sky to watch it.
The match in question was against QPR (this event, with hindsight, looks even better with the news that Henry is on the verge of signing for the same team that houses Mr. Barton) a game in which Wolves got the stuffing knocked out of them. The result was insignificant when you watch the events that unfolded on a warm Saturday afternoon in Wolverhampton. You see a man who actually goes out of his way, disrupts the teams shape, rhythm and balance just for the satisfaction of settling, what can only be described as a vendetta against someone. Admittedly, almost everyone reading this would like to give Joey a bunch of fives but ultimately, Karl is a pressure footballer oh yes, and a grown man. He should have just risen above and made Joey look like the little man, which would have had a greater affect. It did not reflect well on the club at all.
Mick McCarthy took the stern decision, in Wolves’ final season to drop Karl Henry as captain. Whether that was because Mick felt that Henry could focus on his game without the burden of the captain’s armband or that after the disastrous end to last season, Mick thought that Henry was not the leader he may have thought he was. Whatever Henry says there is no doubt that having the captain’s armband taken off him will have knocked his confidence.
Over the three Premier League years Wolves fans could see a problem occurring in the midfield. Wolves had Karl Henry as a starter, McCarthy’s captain and leader, but there was no one beside him. We soon discovered that we could not rely on Jamie O’Hara for 38 games as his injuries were far too frequent. An injury prone O’Hara, plus the fact Wolves did not have a back up/replacement in mind, caused a conundrum, the squad was clogged with a lot of defensive minded midfielders and not enough creative players, it was a significant factor that was holding Wolves back from securing a solid place in England’s top division.
Wolves never plugged this gap and, over time, they were found out and exploited. Nowhere near enough creativity in the middle and relying too heavily on wing play, bread and butter stuff for any competent Premier League team. Henry was extremely exposed in the midfield, without a creative midfielder beside him, he was forced to perform roles in the team that were not attributed to his natural game. His exposure was not helped when David Davis was introduced into the team, he played a similar game to Henry, except he was able to get up and down the field a lot more than his predecessor and show a wider range of abilities.
Henry’s future at Wolves looked doomed when Stale Solbakken took the reins at the battered old club. With the promise of a more expansive, pressing style of football, some people found it difficult to see how Karl Henry would fit into this new look Wolves side. He did play a part, funnily enough, under Solbakken and played an important role whilst Stale was finding his feet in English football, under the disastrous reign of Dean Saunders however, Karl Henry was dropped from the team. Henry played just seventeen times in his seventh season and with a successive relegation under his belt it seemed that Henry’s time was up.
So after an extremely long stay in the midlands what can we say about Karl Henry? Well firstly we have to acknowledge his years of service for this grand old club, in times were contracts are written using crayon and loyalty is as rare as rocking horse excrement. Lets take a moment to just enjoy the years that he has had here, not one to get on the score sheet, hardly ever, but a player, at one stage that you could rely on and trust to do his up most. In the nicest possible way, Henry is a one dimensional player and once that dimension fails to be as good as it used to be, you are never going to be as good as you once were without adapting the way you play.
Cynics will say that the only reason he did not move was because he was not good enough to move, but I am sure there were opportunities to move in the past, and he turned them down. I believe that he genuinely loves the club and, in his ideal world, he would retire here. But some players have to be made examples of, the four that have been listed are such examples. A massive sea change was needed and under Jackett this change is happening, as much as we once adored these players, there time has been and gone. Henry’s time has passed, he has failed to adapt his game and was finally revealed to be not up to much in a League where Wolves were once again out thought on tactics, team selection and technical ability.
The fancast and I asked the Wolves fans on the Twitter sphere what they thought about the departure of the former Wolves captain. We asked them whether Karl Henry should have been dropped as captain?
Daniel Glover (@DanGwwfc) says that “he should of never been bought, never rated him since the first time I watched him, 07 v PNE, lost 3-1”
We also asked the listeners whether they thought that Karl Henry leaves with your respect and thanks?
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Jordan Banks (@Banksy4Wolves) thought “he was good for a spell but then let us down with poor performances”
Meanwhile, Kevin Astley (@kevtheman10) though “Henry could not tackle without getting a yellow card most games, fire & passion is one thing, getting the ball is another”
Rob Smith (@RobSmith1877) is quite magnanimous “like most players, they run their course. As did Karl. But he was in the team that got us up and kept us up.”
Finally, Steve Wiles (@wiles_steve) appreciates Henry’s love for the club “has a great heart but a very limited footballer. Loves his hometown club but, time is right for him to move on.”
Henry will do well at QPR, I’m sure, under the laissez faire leadership of every one favourite wheeler-dealer. He is not going to be bombarded with instructions every five minutes about pressing or formations. ‘Arry will let him get on with his game, a game that, at times, evoked a passion and will not seen since a certain William Wright donned the old gold.
I say, good luck Karl, do your best. Thanks for the memories we certainly won’t forget them. We will need those good memories now, more than ever, when we are 2-1 down, at home to Crawley, we will look back in fondness at better days, whilst this sleeping giant begins the absolute mammoth task of rebuilding it self.
For fans, football is all about the experience of cheering for their favourite squad, chanting against the opposing fans and feeling a connection with players on and off the pitch.
Social media sites such as Facebook and Twitter are being used to expand the fan experience to a whole new level. In such a social-media powered generation, it is essential to be able to connect to fans in a way that will engage them.
It is vitally important, if there is going to be communication between the club and its fans that they are “in the now” as far as social media and marketing strategies go. The biggest things fans want to see is exclusive, behind-the-scenes access; stuff they can’t just find on Google.
The advantage of today’s social media over traditional advertising and marketing is that it is not just the brand talking to the consumer, but the consumer has an opportunity to talk directly to the brand or socialise with others about the brand. The Premier League as a whole, as well as each individual squad, stand to gain so much from utilising their millions of fans and followers on social media, but many are failing to capitalise on this untouched market. Team owners should acknowledge the fact that social media is an inexpensive marketing approach and also a way to gain important knowledge about their fans. And it’s right at their fingertips… literally. Making social media a main focus in a team’s marketing strategy would not only be cost-effective, but they would obtain much more feedback much quicker than ever before.
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Premier League Chief Executive Richard Scudamore commented on social media in a recent interview: “Social media is doing a good job of allowing fans to feel closer to the players. There is a more human side now to some of the players and the public can communicate more directly with them.”
Earlier this year, Liverpool FC’s official Twitter feed (@LFC) was voted the world’s best from any sports team at the Shorty Awards in New York City. The Shorty Awards are often hailed as the ‘Grammys and Oscars of social media’ and annually recognises the best social media users in a variety of different categories. To earn such a prestigious accolade over the likes of Real Madrid and Manchester City, not to mention the countless NFL and F1 franchises, is an honor indeed. Liverpool FC demonstrates perfectly how a social media platform such as Twitter can do much for a brand or club. Liverpool realises how important it is to interact with its fans and they do a great job at it. Even with over 1 million Twitter followers, the club is constantly communicating with its fans and often retweeting their comments. In this day and age, a retweet from your favorite celebrity is considered by many to be the new autograph. By hosting such events as Twitter Q&A’s with popular Liverpool players, the club continues to draw in followers each day by keeping the stream of contact between club and fan constantly open.
While many individual clubs have made great strides in their use of social media platforms, the Premier League as a whole could actually stand to learn a thing or two from the American NFL. Jeff Berman, the General Manager of the NFL’s digital media group, revealed in an interview that the league has recently partnered with a leading American social marketing company to create new and useful social media platforms for not only the NFL in its entirety but also each individual team. Currently, every one of the league’s 32 teams has a large social presence, and their staff constantly monitor Facebook and Twitter to see what is being said about their organisation.
Berman described their changing social media strategy by stating: “In the past, we were really focused on driving traffic — the purpose of every post was just to bring people back to NFL.com. And while that’s still a priority, we’re increasingly focused on engagement, acquisition and community.
“How do we engage fans in a conversation, whether it’s serious or fun or controversial? And then how do we lead them to engage their friends?”
That is something the Premier League can learn from; they have massive amounts of fans and followers, now they just have to figure out how best to utilise them as a tool.
One way that NFL teams have made it easier for their fans to get involved is through mobile devices. Every single team has implemented mobile-optimised websites so fans can quickly and easily access team news on their phones. This quick-and-easy way to interact with their favorite team is not only upping fan enthusiasm, but is increasing the NFL’s marketing reach exponentially.
The downside to being as social media savvy as the NFL has become is that they are beginning to see a growing trend of fans who would rather watch the game in their own home and stay connected through one of the many available apps. At a time when people expect to have instant Internet connection at any time, stadiums have lagged; packing thousands of smartphone-wielding fans into one building is a formula for an overwhelmed cellular network. In response, teams have begun spending millions of dollars to install their own wireless networks. Lucas Oil Stadium in Indianapolis, MetLife Stadium in New Jersey, and the Mercedes-Benz Superdome in New Orleans were among the first.
The Baltimore Ravens have gone one step further and developed one of the more technologically advanced stadiums in the entire league. This season the Ravens will have a Verizon Wireless 4G network to service their fans. And those attending the game can view different camera angles, the RedZone channel, stats and replays via a free Ravens mobile app (the app is also available to all fans but does not have all the same features outside the stadium).
“We want [fans] to have access to the same information, have access to our RedZone, have access to highlights, be able to engage in social media, including fantasy football,” explains NFL Commissioner Roger Goodell.
“When you come to our stadium, we want to make it a great experience.”
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The benefits of social media for fans and their experience are innumerable, and clubs themselves stand to gain so much from expanding and properly utilising social media. We also see the benefits of social media in bringing players closer to the fans, breaking news and giving them a voice when false allegations or comments are made in the traditional press. This is an aspect of social media many don’t consider; the voice and power it places directly in the players’ hands. With stars such as Cristiano Ronaldo boasting close to 15 million followers on Twitter, the impact he can make with a single tweet is immeasurable. That impact could be used for both good and bad.
Players have to be especially careful now with what they reveal on social media sites. With such a large audience having 24-hour access to their social media accounts, players cannot simply ‘say how they feel’ without any regard for the repercussions. The Premier League has recently released a set of rules and guidelines as far as social media is concerned.
The Premier League is quickly catching on to the numerous benefits of an in-depth social media strategy, but they still have much to learn if they want to take full advantage of all it has to offer. By implementing some of the tactics used by the NFL, the League could see a huge boost in its fanbase.
What could your club do to improve its social media output?
PUMA yesterday kicked off its 2014 Nature of Believing campaign, with the launch of the revolutionary new evoPOWER football boot at a live event in Barcelona. PUMA Power players Cesc Fàbregas, Marco Reus and Mario Balotelli put their football skills to the test on the evoPOWER wall, the custom built football simulator that utilises Hawk Eye technology to measure players’ power and accuracy. evoPOWER was inspired by the freedom of movement of a bare foot – Fàbregas, Reus and Balotelli showcased their skills and the boots performance enhancing technology through four interactive challenges.
An audience of media and competition winners from around the world joined PUMA in Barcelona to test the new evoPOWER boot and see the live and interactive event. The launch was co-hosted by football legend and PUMA player Thierry Henry, who guided the players’ through the challenges and offered valuable insight into the design inspiration and product benefits.
evoPOWER is a new performance boot designed to enhance a player’s natural kicking ability, and optimise a player’s power and accuracy when striking the ball. Inspired by the power generated from the freedom of barefoot kicking, evoPOWER features the most advanced PUMA footwear technologies to date in its football category, and will be worn on pitch by Cesc Fàbregas, Marco Reus, Mario Balotelli, Yaya Touré, Nemanja Vidic, Dante and many others.
Cesc Fàbregas said, “I really enjoyed the experience; it was a great product launch. To unveil the new PUMA evoPOWER boot though a live demonstration and showcase the technology and benefits that the boot brings to a player was an excellent idea. The challenges were very competitive, seeing our power and accuracy score from each shot really was an incentive to try and beat those other guys.”
Marco Reus added, “I first saw an early version of evoPOWER boot some months ago and have been really impressed with the thinking behind its design. It was a fitting stage to launch the boot, there was an electric atmosphere and everyone in the room was clearly impressed by the evoPOWER wall and the technology of the boot. The challenges were designed to really put us all to the test and having some of the competition winners join us for the final breaking down the wall challenge was a nice touch. I always like to meet football fans and an experience like this event was a great thing to be a part of.”
Mario Balotelli commented, “The launch was great fun with all the guys together. Having only joined the PUMA family last month, it was a privilege to be able to take part in the event and join Cesc and Marco in launching the new evoPOWER boot. There’s been a lot of hype about this new boot over the last couple of weeks as we’ve been wearing a camouflage test version on pitch and in training. We finally revealed the proper boot and showed the world the impact the evoPOWER boot can have.”
Cesc Fàbregas, Marco Reus, Mario Balotelli and Thierry Henry feature in an exciting short film showcasing field tests conducted exploring the unbelievable power and accuracy of evoPOWER. Check it out below:
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The PUMA evoPOWER football boots are available from ProDirectSoccer.com from February 1st. Head to PUMAFootballClub.com to conquer unique challenges and get closer than ever to PUMA players.
The winds of change were gusting hard last summer as Tottenham undertook what has got to be one of the more notable overhauls in recent years. Given the go ahead to spend the Bale millions, Baldini set about resurrecting the title ambitions of the Premier League club with an audacious summer spending spree.
The centrepiece of the revolution was arguably the acquisition of Valencia’s top marksmen Roberto Soldado in what was a then club record transfer of £26m. Up there with the best in Europe in terms of goals in recent years, there was a genuine hope that the Spaniard would hit the ground running.
Yet it hasn’t quite panned out like that. For one reason or another Soldado, along with many of his team mates, has struggled to adapt to the English game. We all know too well how finite a commodity patience is in football, so is it time to be concerned about Soldado’s form?
The Spaniard’s form has been patchy at best; just the sole goal from open play in the league against Villa and a handful of others coming in the Europa League. This certainly isn’t the clinical and potent striker we were promised in the summer.
In fact the difference between Soldado and Defoe last weekend was pretty stark; the latter playing with all the confidence and assurance of an in-form marksman and the latter seemingly unable to hit a barn door. To some the Defoe deal to Toronto looks like a transfer market gaffe from Spurs, clearly the better frontman of the two and a major asset lost going forward. I don’t doubt Defoe’s ability and eye for goal, but personally I think Spurs have got this right long term.
Soldado offers so much more to the club. Even when he isn’t scoring he is consistently looking to link up with and bring others into the game, a characteristic that is pretty alien to someone like Jermain Defoe. A lot of Soldado’s play in the final third is world class, some of the flicks and knock ons are just simply on a different level to the one that Spurs currently operate on. Rather than the monotonous midfield passing that many have criticised the club for, Soldado really tries to make things happen and naturally he will make a few mistakes at this stage. But given what a fledgling partnership this is with Adebayor, I think perseverance is the key.
Spurs fans though are right to be concerned. Spending £26m on a player who was meant to be a guaranteed success is always going to carry certain expectations. Clearly these aren’t being met, but really this is true of a lot of the new crop that have arrived at the club – people really need to lengthen their time horizon’s for this ‘project’.
The reassuring thing though is that Soldado will be given the time and opportunity to adapt and show off his very best. With Defoe an imminent departure and Sherwood looking to continue with an adventurous 4-4-2, Soldado will get plenty of game time.
This isn’t a question of making do with what Spurs have, Soldado’s contributions have still been marked. Spurs thought they had bought a goalscorer, but potentially they’ve got a lot more. Having topped the assists charts for the club most of the season it is clear that the Spaniard is a lot to a complete player – more than he is given credit for.
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Fans should be concerned, but not to the extent where they write off Soldado. Having had a difficult start both on and off the pitch, a bit of patience and faith are in order here.
Belgium manager Marc Wilmots has publicly reprimanded Everton star Kevin Mirallas for his comments on Manchester United youngster Adnan Januzaj’s prospects of making it to the World Cup.
After almost a year of anticipation, Januzaj recently declared his international allegiance to Belgium and the winger has been immediately rewarded with a spot in the preliminary World Cup squad. While Wilmots has clearly welcomed the youngster with open arms, Mirallas was not quite so welcoming.
“I don’t think he should go to Brazil. It would not be fair to leave out another good player for someone who does not know the others and has not played a lot for his club in recent months,” the Everton winger said.
Mirallas went on to add that participating in the 2016 European Championships would be a “more realistic target” for the youngster.
This astonishing attack prompted Wilmots to publicly condemn Mirallas and urge the player to “stop talking nonsense.”
Football fans have been quick to discuss the outburst on Twitter.
Whilst most agree that Mirallas was wrong to raise his concerns publicly, the Everton winger’s comments have prompted much discussion over whom should start for Belgium this summer or even if Januzaj is worthy of a place in the squad.
Does Mirallas’ outburst suggest that he is worried about losing his place? Or has Januzaj not played enough in the Premier League to warrant being selected ahead of the Everton winger?
There was no doubt about Edinson Cavani’s status in Uruguay’s starting XI for their World Cup opener against Costa Rica.
Injury to Luis Suarez allowed Cavani to take up the central striking role and carry the scoring responsibility for his side. But, first-half penalty aside, it was an indifferent performance from the Paris Saint-Germain forward, who is coming off his worst season in terms of goals in four years.
16 league goals is by no means a bad return; Cavani’s final tally was also a result of playing second fiddle to Zlatan Ibrahimovic for much of the campaign. But the lofty heights reached by the Uruguayan while at Napoli means there is an expectation from a striker widely considered as one of the best on the continent.
In defence of Cavani, Uruguay as a whole were poor, being outplayed in midfield by a team clearly inferior. The invention and unpredictability of Luis Suarez was a big miss, and had the Liverpool forward been involved, it’s likely we’d have seen more from Cavani in the final third.
But this isn’t the first time Cavani has been offered the reins to lead his side’s attack in the absence of the first choice. Ibrahimovic’s injury in the first leg of the Champions League quarter-final to Chelsea meant Cavani was allowed to play centrally in the return leg. PSG’s failure to hold onto their 3-1 lead and advance can be partly attributed to Cavani’s wastefulness in front of goal.
It’s been reported that the Uruguayan isn’t happy in Paris, a story that’s rumbled on for much of the campaign. There may not be too many sympathisers for Cavani’s frustration. His issue is in Laurent Blanc being unable to accommodate him in his favoured position with Ibrahimovic in the squad, but Cavani would have been well aware of those problems when he chose to sign with the Ligue 1 club last summer.
It’s not to say it’s been all bad for the forward. There have been some breathtaking goals throughout the season. Cavani, often deployed on the right of attack for both club and country, has an excellent work ethic. He’ll see to his defensive duties in the way most prolific forwards wouldn’t. He’s powerful, skilful and, despite the drop from his Napoli days, still registered 25 goals in all competitions last season.
But he’s in need of a good World Cup, just as much as Uruguay on the whole are. Considering their wealth of attacking talent, Uruguay should be dispatching sides like Costa Rica, who were initially deemed the whipping boys of a group also featuring Italy and England.
Manchester United may or may not decide to revisit their reported offer of £56 million for the striker, but not too many will be convinced he’s completely worth it after the events of the past year culminating in a poor showing in Brazil. With Robin van Persie showing no signs of decline, Cavani may see most of his playing time out on the right flank if he moves to Old Trafford this summer.
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He has two more games at least. It wouldn’t be a surprise if that’s all Uruguay have left at this tournament. After their semi-final finish four years ago in South Africa, it was a huge surprise to see them perform so poorly at the Summer Olympics in London in 2012, crashing out at the group stage.
But these two final group games against England and Italy will be an opportunity at redemption for Cavani. This isn’t a poor player who’s been troubled in front of goal all year. It’s simply a case of a world-class striker rediscovering his best form when it matters and convincing those who are starting to doubt.
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