Any team that goes into the final Test of a three-Test series 1-0 up must feel that half its job is done. Would Sourav Ganguly go for a draw on a batting-friendly surface at the Chinnaswamy Stadium in Bangalore to secure the series win?Ganguly said he would not.”We will play this Test like we played the last two,” he said. “We will play to win.”Inzamam-ul-Haq, Pakistan’s captain, who will be playing his 100th Testtomorrow, agreed that the pitch would help India play for a draw. “Butwe have no choice,” he said. “We have to go for a win. It doesn’tmatter if we lose, but we must win.”The conditions and the pitchThe weather at Bangalore was unusually warm, and bowling in theafternoon sun would be sapping. Both teams had fifth-bowling optionsin Shahid Afridi and Sachin Tendulkar, and these men would no doubtplay a key part in giving the frontline bowlers a break. There mightnot be much work for the faster bowlers here: the pitch was stripped bare, and Bob Woolmer, Pakistan’s coach, described it as “a batting paradise”. The pitch was expected to help the spinners later in the game, though. Winning the toss, thus, was important, as whoever batted first would have a great opportunity to pile up a big score in ideal conditions, and then bowl fourth.The teams
Pakistan“We’re going to play with aggression,” Inzamam-ul-Haq said the day before the Test at Kolkata began. “We’re going to try and play a positive game.” He said that the Kolkata match was Pakistan’s for the saving. “On the pitch we could have batted through the whole day. It was a failure on the part of the batsmen that we didn’t.”Inzamam indicated that two changes were likely in the Pakistan side. He did not say what those were, but birdies indicated that Yasir Hameed would replace Taufeeq Umar, and Arshad Khan would replace Mohammad Khalil.IndiaWinning this Test would be a “big achievement for the team”, said Sourav Ganguly, not just because it would give India a 2-0 series win, but also because they would jump to No. 2 in the ICC’s Test rankings. “The 14-15 guys who have worked for this over the last three, four, five years will be satisfied,” he said. “It will be great for Indian cricket.”No changes were expected in the Indian team, but Ganguly’s form withthe bat was a worry. “I understand that I need to get runs,” he said. “I’ll try and get a big score here.”
For the second time in eight days, England showed their mettle to eke out a tense and closely fought draw in the second Test at Kandy. Michael Vaughan led the way to safety with a gritty seven-hour 105, before Chris Read and Gareth Batty batted out the final hour to leave England seven wickets down – and still all-square in the series.Sri Lanka, though, will be wondering how they again managed to let England off the hook. They only took five wickets in the day, and will be left to reflect on the decision to take the bad light on the third evening. One man who must take some of the blame is Hashan Tillakaratne, the captain. Just like at Galle, he paid the price for being over-cautious in his field placements, his delay in declaring yesterday – and for his side’s lack of urgency today.Admittedly, though, it would have been a different story if it hadn’t been for a magnificent effort from Vaughan. He gutsed it out until 40 minutes after tea and faced a monumental 333 balls in all, as he led England’s stubborn resistance. Against a surprisingly defensive field set by Tillakaratne, Vaughan rolled up his sleeves and displayed immaculate determination and concentration.A model of coolness, he was solid in defence, but also kept up the tempo with the ones and twos, as well as the odd boundary. He added an invaluable 77 with Graham Thorpe, who made a brave 41, and put on a gutsy stand of 41 with the battling Paul Collingwood.While he was at the crease, England were in safe hands, but after Vaughan had chalked up his tenth Test hundred, Muttiah Muralitharan – as he so often does – made the big breakthrough for his side and set English hearts jumping. He fizzed down a doosra towards leg stump and Vaughan got an inside edge which was sharply taken by Tillakaratne Dilshan, diving to his right at short leg (239 for 7). It wasn’t one of Vaughan’s most elegant of centuries – but one of his most important.The only slight blemish in Vaughan’s innings were the delaying tactics he used by frequently walking down the pitch to chat with his partner. The Sri Lankans – and the umpires – didn’t like it and the bowlers became more and more frustrated as Vaughan refused to budge.After Vaughan was snaffled out with 15 overs still remaining, Sri Lanka were eyeing a dramatic victory. Tillakaratne took the new ball and Chaminda Vaas and Muralitharan – Sri Lanka’s big two – were charging in with their tails up. However, Batty and Read – England’s most inexperienced two – showed professionalism beyond their years as they used all the old tricks to waste time between each delivery. Even Matthew Hoggard, the 12th man, needlessly came out with gloves and water, but was roundly booed by the crowd, and promptly sent back by the umpires – much to his amusement.
In the nervy finale, Batty, who’s becoming an old pro in these situations, played with his usual steely and watchful eyes. He and Read knuckled down and, in the end, calmly shepherded England to a tense draw in closing scenes similar to Galle. It was a fitting reward for a side who never gave up throughout the match.As the day wore on, the appeals became more frantic, more words were exchanged, and the usually smiley Tillakaratne was beginning to look a tad concerned. And things boiled over in the afternoon when Tillakaratne charged towards umpire Aleem Dar during yet another appeal. Daryl Harper had to step in to reprimand Tillakaratne and Kumar Sangakkara for their excessive appealing, and for using foul language, which was picked up by the match referee on the stump microphone.It all represented how much England’s resistance was getting under their skin, especially after Vaas had given them a dream start – and thoughts of an early finish. With his fourth ball of the day, Vaas removed Nasser Hussain, caught behind by Sangakkara. And things could have got even worse for England in Vaas’s next over, when Vaughan edged fractionally short of Mahela Jayawardene at first slip. It was a fraught beginning for England and Sri Lanka were cock-a-hoop, but Thorpe entered the fray to push quick singles to good effect, and he slowly steady things down and put England back on track to safety.He nudged and nurdled in his own trademark style and provided good support for Vaughan. The pair batted through the majority of the morning session and kept the score ticking along. However, Thorpe was unluckily given out by Dar straight after the lunch break. He pressed forward to a Murali offbreak, and the ball flicked the pad on the way to Sangakkara. However, the umpire thought it found the edge and as the fielders appealed, he sent a dejected Thorpe on his way (167 for 4).Collingwood slotted into the groove straight away with little fuss. He mixed defence with the odd boundary before he was caught by Jayawardene at first slip off Kumar Dharmasena. Instead of playing straight, Collingwood tried to turn a straight ball through midwicket, but only got a thick edge (208 for 5).A nervy Flintoff then battled away for 35 balls until Murali trapped him plumb in front of middle with a quicker ball. Flintoff should have been forward to the big-turning offbreak, but chose to stay back and paid the price (233 for 6). Vaughan soon followed and that set up another tense finish which Read and Batty successfully saw out – and left Sri Lanka again cursing their failure to finish off England.
Cameras won’t only be monitoring close decisions and players’ behaviour on the field in the series between the West Indies and Pakistan in the neutral venue of Sharjah, starting with the first of two Tests on Thursday.In a scenario straight out of the CIA, the KGB and MI5 files at the height of the cold war, they are to be placed outside the doors of team dressing rooms and in the hotel foyers by the International Cricket Council (ICC) Anti-Corruption Unit (ACU).The object is to deter players from any dealings with bookmakers eager to repeat the match-fixing deals that have thrown a dark shadow over the game and brought about the banning of two former Test captains, Hansie Cronje of South Africa and Mohammed Azharuddin of India.The closed-circuit cameras will be monitored by one of the officers of the ACU. It was formed by the ICC in 1999 at a cost of over US$4 million under the direction of former London police chief Paul Condon, after Cronje’s involvement with a Bombay bookmaker was exposed by India’s Central Bureau of Investigation (CBI).The ICC has said the measures will be applied to all matches under its jurisdiction in future in its drive to root out corruption.A report presented by Condon to the ICC last year identified Sharjah, one of the seven United Arab Emirates in the Arabian gulf state, as one of the main locations for illegal gambling and match-fixing.The Indian government has banned its team from competing in tournaments in Sharjah until it is cleared of the allegations.In response, the Emirates Cricket Board mounted its own inquiry into corruption last year. It was headed by British Queen’s Counsel George Staple but its findings are still to be published.The former Pakistan and Kent captain, Asif Iqbal, organised the several international tournaments staged in Sharjah for the Cricketers’ Professional Benefit Fund (CPBF) that paid sizeable endowments to outstanding former Test players, many West Indian, but mainly Pakistani and Indian. But he moved into another overseas cricketing position in recent months.Abdul-Mohammed Bukhatir has recently set up Taj Television, a new channel based in the Emirates, devoted to cricket and mainly aimed at the cricket-mad markets in India, Pakistan and Sri Lanka.He has also constructed another cricket stadium in Rabat, Morocco, that was mooted as a possible venue for the West Indies-Pakistan series but is now expected to become operational in April.Former Test captains, Clive Lloyd of the West Indies, Sunil Gavaskar of India and Ian Botham of England, have been engaged by Bukhatir.In another controversial decision, the ICC has appointed former England captain Mike Denness as match referee for the upcoming series.Denness was at the centre of the furore late last year when the Board of Control for Cricket in India (BCCI) refused to accept him as referee for the final Test of the series in South Africa after he disciplined six Indian players for breaches of the ICC code of conduct in the second Test.The ICC declared the third and final Test unofficial after the South African board, on India’s insistence, replaced Denness with former South African wicket-keeper Dennis Lindsay as referee.Pakistan and the West Indies have both accepted Denness’ appointment. But the ICC has subsequently set up a committee to look into the terms of reference for its referees.
Geeta Samantharay scored a fine 88 to help Bihar score 246against last year’s runners-up Air India at the end of the firstday in the semifinal of the CricInfo Trophy Senior Women’sNational Cricket Championship at the Jorhat Stadium in Jorhaton Wednesday.Electing to bat, Bihar got off to a sedate start with openersNeetu Singh (37 runs of 70 balls) and Kamini Kumari (10) puttingon 30 runs off 13.1 overs. Then Geeta, who got her runs off 99balls with 17 fours and one six and Neetu Singh increased thescore by 59 runs during a second wicket association that lasted13.4 overs. This was followed by a fourth wicket stand of 48runs off 12.1 overs between Geeta and Seema Desai (49 runs off91 balls with five fours).Even after Geeta’s dismissal, the innings was kept going by afifth wicket partnership of 33 runs in 12.1 overs between PiyaliMoitra (6) and Seema Desai and an eighth wicket stand of 36 runsoff 20 overs between Gargi De (3 runs off 87 balls) and Babusha(31 runs off 75 balls). Usha Bogada (3 for 60) and Poornima Rau(3 for 64) were the pick of the Air India bowlers.
David Moyes’ West Ham United side head into tonight’s FA Cup clash with Southampton on the back of a much-needed win, with the Hammers’ defeating Wolverhampton Wanderers 1-0 on Sunday – a result which saw their push for a top-four finish get well and truly back on track.
However, with a challenging fixture against Liverpool coming up this weekend, as well as the extremely tough task of visiting Sevilla in the Europa League round of 16 next week, it would not be surprising to see the Scot field a heavily rotated side at St. Mary’s.
So, how many changes will Moyes make to the team that started the victory over Wolves last weekend? Here’s how we think West Ham could line up against Saints, as well as the latest team and injury news…
With David Moyes recently revealing that he has no fresh injury concerns ahead of the trip to the South Coast – although Vladimir Coufal, Ryan Fredericks, Arthur Masuaku and Angelo Ogbonna remain sidelined, while Andriy Yarmolenko is also a doubt – we predict that Moyes will make seven changes to the side that lined up against Wolves on Sunday.
The first of these changes comes between the sticks, with the £138k-per-week Alphonse Areola – who Peter Drury one dubbed “remarkable” – taking the place of Lukasz Fabianski, as has typically been the case in cup competitions this season.
In defence, Aaron Cresswell and Ben Johnson start at left and right-back respectively, while 21-year-old Aji Alese – dubbed “gold dust” by Tom Edwards – is handed a rare start alongside Issa Diop at centre-back.
In midfield, Mark Noble comes in alongside Declan Rice in the middle of the park, while Pablo Fornals and Manuel Lanzini make way for Nikola Vlasic and Said Benrahma on the left and in the number 10 role, with Jarrod Bowen starting on the right.
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Up top, promising 18-year-old centre-forward Sonny Perkins is handed just his second senior start of the campaign, while Michail Antonio is handed a well-earned break amongst the substitutes.
In other news: £14.5m wasted: Pellegrini’s £75k-p/w “shocker” has been rinsing West Ham for 191 weeks
It was the first time I’d been in the home dressing room at Chelsea for half a century. In fact, I hadn’t visited Stamford Bridge at all since Roman Abramovich took over. Many ex-players love going back to the scenes of former glories, and each to their own, but Boris Becker summed it up for me while talking wistfully about Centre Court at Wimbledon, as he watched Pete Sampras heading towards another title. “This place used to be all mine but it’s his court now – it all belongs to Pete.”
That’s why I rarely return either to the Bridge or White Hart Lane. When you used to be the main man, the king of the hill, it feels discomforting to turn up and watch someone else in your place. It was my 11-year-old grandson Harry who brought me back to the Bridge. He’s the only one of my 10 grandchildren who supports Chelsea. My missus Irene, who has supported the Blues since I was a kid there, made damned sure of it by sticking a plaque on his bedroom wall saying: ‘A Chelsea fan sleeps here.’
So for the Boxing Day derby against Fulham, I went along with my son Andy and Harry, and the club invited us on to the pitch at half-time as well as arranging for Harry to meet his hero Didier Drogba, post-match. Given the disappointing 1-1 scoreline, I didn’t expect to be ushered into the dressing room – approximately twice the size it was in my own playing days – but there we found ourselves, in the inner sanctum.
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Harry enjoyed a good chat with Drogba, John Terry gave him his shirt and I had a chat with Frank Lampard, whose dad used to be my West Ham team-mate. Sticking my head around the corner to the treatment area I spotted Ashley Cole having a massage. “A massage?” I asked him, “What’s that all about?”“Someone trod on my foot,” said Ashley. “I suppose in your day you’d be having a beer and a fag by now?”“Too bloody right,” I told him. “It wouldn’t be a bad thing if we went back to those days,” he said. “I don’t think, so, Ash, the money wasn’t quite the same!”
He could hardly disagree with that one, given his infamous comments about negotiating a contract with Arsenal, but when you meet Cole you get the distinct impression that his public image is all wrong. There was a bit of speculation in the press about whether I’d offered Fernando Torres any advice. We did meet and say hello but the last thing he’d have wanted was some fat old bloke telling him how many goals he had scored for the club.It was interesting to watch Torres from up in an executive box in the West Stand, which used to be the vast West Terrace, one of the biggest standing areas in football, and a place I was unfortunate enough to have to sweep as an apprentice.
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The most remarkable thing for me was how incredibly supportive the Chelsea fans were towards him. For a £50million striker, who has only scored three goals in a year, to be backed to the hilt, without a murmur of criticism, is a great credit to those supporters and a real blessing for Torres. The Spaniard actually put in a decent all-round team performance but his lack of confidence was all too apparent.
Alan Shearer was right when he said Torres is spending too much time with his back to goal, and that Andre Villas-Boas needs to be seeing the No.9 on his shirt more often. But a goal drought is an awful thing for any striker. It eats away at you and Villas-Boas needs to give Torres more support – I’d love to have seen him play up front with Drogba more often.
I don’t buy into the opinion that they cannot operate together. They are two top players, they aren’t particularly similar and it’s the manager’s job to find a way of accommodating both. In the meantime, though, Torres will be on his own up front, with Drogba away at the African Cup of Nations. It ain’t going to be easy, but I know one little 11-year-old who would be delighted to see Torres succeed.
Ligue 1 leaders Lille will be wary of the threat posed by a Monaco side battling to avoid relegation for the first time since the 1970s.Monaco were French champions in 1999-2000, and progressed to the Champions League final in 2004, where they were beaten 3-0 by Porto, but since then have dropped off the pace considerably.
After claiming third-place in 2004-05, Monaco have finished 10th, ninth, 12th, 11th and eighth, and Laurent Banide’s men are sitting in the drop zone – one point behind 17th-placed Auxerre.
Lille will also have history on their mind heading into Saturday’s clash, and after setting the pace for much of the Ligue 1 season, their chief objective is to break a 57-year championship drought.
Rudi Garcia’s men are four points clear of Marseille on top of the table with nine games to go this season, and make the trip to the Stade Louis II on the back of a four-game winning streak.
Also on Saturday, third-placed Rennes – who are seven points behind Lille – visit a Brest side keen to put some more breathing space between themselves and the relegation zone.
Paris Saint-Germain, who are fifth, will look to close the gap on fourth-placed Lyon and keep their hopes of European football alive when they visit a Caen side just three points clear of the relegation zone.
Bottom side Arles can keep their slim hopes of survival afloat when they visit Jean Tigana’s Bordeaux side, seventh-placed St Etienne take on Auxerre at the Stade Abbe-Deschamps and Lorient welcome Sochaux.
Nancy make the trip to Valenciennes in a battle of two sides in the bottom half of the table, and on Sunday second-placed Marseille will look to keep the pressure on Lille when they host Toulouse, who are in 11th place.
Elsewhere on Sunday, fourth-placed Lyon welcome second-from-bottom Lens, and sixth-placed Montpellier will look to keep their chance of European football alive when they host Nice.
In an age where footballers are as equally recognised for their obscene pay packets, fast cars and playboy lifestyles, as for their actual ability on the football pitch, it’s good to know that there are some players who still uphold the long-established and time-honoured traditions on which the game was built. Fernando Torres’ decision to stay at Liverpool this season, made with a minimum amount of fuss and objection, was a victory for the purists of the game and for class, tradition and good old fashioned loyalty.
It comes as no surprise that a player of Torres’ class and quality on the pitch is as equally so off it. Torres upholds the game’s morals of hard work and fair play every time he crosses the white line and appreciates the privileged position he is in by getting paid a handsome sum for kicking around a football. You do not see Torres diving around the pitch looking for free kicks or penalties, or play-acting to deceive referees. You also get a humbleness and humility from Torres and not the arrogance and egotism often seen with similarly gifted players such as Cristiano Ronaldo and Didier Drogba.
The Spanish striker could have easily requested a move this summer following three years of underachievement and broken promises at Anfield but has decided to stay and help the club turn a corner under new manager Roy Hodgson. As seen with Javier Mascherano’s refusal to even return Hodgson’s phone calls over the summer to discuss his future and Arsenal captain Cesc Fabregas shamelessly trying to engineer a move to Barcelona, some footballers show a distinct lack of regard for the club that employs them and pays their wages. Torres chose to keep a dignified silence amid speculation regarding a transfer before returning to the club to clarify reports and publicly commit his future to Liverpool.
Torres is now entering the prime of his career and has still yet to win a major trophy at club level. With Chelsea and Barcelona, as well as the ambitious Man City, all reportedly keen on the Liverpool No.9, the Spaniard would have been tempted to pack his bags and leave. Liverpool are a side that finished 7th last season and are faced with the prospect of Europa League football this season. The club’s inability to find new investment this summer and finally start work on a new stadium would have also all been crosses in the ‘against’ column as Torres was figuring out his future. However Torres must now sense new investment is close and will be confident he can fire The Reds up the table this season.
Torres’ decision to stay will further enhance is glowing reputation on Merseyside in the eyes of his adoring public who worship him following his remarkable 56 goals in 79 league games for the club. Torres now has to prove his fitness on the pitch following a season disrupted by injury last year. Should he do so, then Torres can continue to light up the Premier League in a red shirt for years to come. While Liverpool are now optimistic heading into the new season under the stewardship of manager Roy Hodgson, Torres’ decision to stay could prove pivotal to the club’s future successes.
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Why Hodgson deserved a damn sight better
Should Liverpool cash in on Lucas?
Roy’s ‘future vision’ gives Liverpool every chance
That is the question that remains in the mind of family, friends, colleagues and supporters alike, and is one that is likely to remain unanswered with regards to the death of Gary Speed. His passing is nothing short of a tragedy and has rocked the game to the very core.
I have to say I was taken aback by the news and like the majority failed to comprehend how a man, who from the outset seemingly had everything at his feet and as national team manager was at the pinnacle of his sport, found himself in such a dark place that he had little option but to end it all there and then. I am sure I wasn’t the only one that found it even more chilling that he seemed so full of energy and spirit on Football Focus a few hours previous. This wasn’t seemingly a man who visibly had demons eating him up inside, but I guess how would anyone of known.
Stan Collymore highlighted on twitter last Friday his battle against depression and how it hits you like a train at times and you are left not knowing which way to turn to. Let’s be honest most people fail to recognise the severity of depression or insecurities and to many it is derided as an illness, mainly down to our ignorance towards the disease. Full credit to Collymore for making people aware its consequences and calling on those sufferers to be open about it, and talk to doctors and friends. I guess herein lies the tragedy with Speed that he didn’t have the ability to tell those loved ones of his issues and I’m sure all his friends will be equally upset that he didn’t confide. Whether Speed did in fact suffer from depression remains to be seen; but the fact he couldn’t open up about the issues that led to his untimely death highlights a man who would rather suffer in silence than pass on his problems to anyone else. So many people will be left ruing the fact he didn’t and they will have that feeling inside for the rest of their lives.
I know it is somewhat clichéd that when tragedy strikes you evaluate and take stock of your own situation, but it certainly put life into perspective. It got me thinking of all the things that anger me in football like your players who are happy to go on strike; the parasite agents who milk their clients dry, or the workings of FIFA and I find my blood boiling even more. Gary Speed was the model professional, a fabulous ambassador for the Sport who gave everything to the game we all love – basically ten times the man of any of the above – and yet a real football man is taken from us, while the self-centred sods happily go about their business. It doesn’t seem fair and it doesn’t seem right, but it just further highlights the enormity of this tragedy.
The inquest to Speed’s death opens today and I hope that his family and friends get some answers to their questions over their tragic loss. I hope the powers that be look into the psychological side of football and ensure clubs educate their footballers of a variety of issues, including the perils of depression as Collymore alluded to. Lastly I hope that Gary Speed finally finds himself at peace with himself after leaving a world, in which judging by the heartfelt tributes he was clearly adored.
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Charlie Adam has goals, countless assists and numerous man of the match performances to his name, so it’s unsurprising that his performances have turned the heads of the Premier League’s ‘big boys.’ Throughout the January transfer window Adam was linked with Liverpool, who had a bid in the region of £4 million rejected, with Aston Villa and Tottenham also showing interest. As the season draws to a close and the window opens again, there’s no doubt that Adam will be linked with a move away, especially if reports are to be believed that Manchester United now want the Scot. With so many mouth watering propositions for Adam, it’s hard to decide where the Scottish international should ply his trade next season.
Liverpool, the first team to signify major intent on signing Adam have turned the corner since the arrival of Kenny Dalglish, but there is still room for Charlie Adam in their midfield, perhaps replacing Lucas (despite his improved performances this season) with Maxi Rodriguez and Kuyt on the flanks. Gerrard and Adam would be a dynamic duo to provide fantastic support and assists for the likes of Suarez or Carroll respectively; however such is the versatility of Adam that Liverpool could adopt a more attacking 4-3-3 formation with Kuyt, Carroll and Suarez used as out and out forwards, Adam adding a new dynamic to the Liverpool squad and without a shadow of a doubt being readily called upon as a match winner when Steven Gerrard is unavailable.
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Tottenham Hotspur failed in their signing of Charlie Adam due to certain paperwork not being completed on time and that proved very costly when Adam scored in Blackpool’s 3-1 win over Spurs in February. Tottenham have an abundance of talent in the middle of the park with Sandro, Jenas, Palacios and Huddlestone all competing for that starting berth alongside the ever impressive Luka Modric. In this writer’s opinion, Adam is a more gifted and influential player than Sandro, Jenas or Palacios however these players all offer a protective cover for Modric to get forward and thread the ball through to the likes of Bale and Defoe. If Spurs were to sign Charlie Adam it would be a bold yet risky move playing Adam and Modric in their current formation, as neither are the most defensively minded players. Spurs perhaps could adopt a different formation with three in the middle, which makes them narrow yet plays to Modric and Adam’s strengths; but how do you sacrifice a formation that has achieved a Champions League Quarter Final and has put them on the cusp of repeating a top four finish?
Manchester United being one of the world’s biggest teams renders a transition from Bloomfield Road to Old Trafford supremely difficult; the gulf in class in every element is astronomical. Sir Alex Ferguson has been impressed with Adam’s goalscoring feats and with many believing that Paul Scholes will not take up the option of an extra year with United to call time on his glittering career, Adam appears the obvious choice for an adept replacement; a simple like-for-like swap. Adam is of the Scholes mould, scoring crucial goals and generally working hard for the team, thus no formation or tactic changes would be needed, as Fletcher would provide the cover for Adam to roam; picking out passes and loitering around the 18 yard box.
White Hart Lane, Anfield and Old Trafford are some of the biggest footballing venues in the world; Bloomfield Road, however, may yet be the best venue for Charlie Adam to continue playing. With all due respect to Blackpool, Adam may just be ‘a big fish in a small pond’, as at Glasgow Rangers (which is a distinctively larger ‘pond’), Adam didn’t set the world alight and didn’t look half the player. Think back to Matt Le Tissier, a loyal servant to Southampton, who regularly pops up in the top 20 Premier League players ever. However, Le Tissier never tested himself outside of The Dell; perhaps if he had moved onto Tottenham in 1990 or Chelsea in 1996 when they both showed interest he would have faltered and not gone down in Premier League history with the nickname ‘Le God.’
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It would be a compliment to Adam to go down as Blackpool’s Le Tissier, and why not? It was Ian Holloway who managed Adam into the player he is today and it’s hard to argue that Sir Alex, Harry Redknapp or Kenny Dalglish would have or will do a better job for the Scottish international. If Adam does stay, it will be a breath of fresh air for the Premier League to have a team outside the top five or six that has a little something about them.