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French coach Marchand disappointed with Tunisia sack


By Mourad Teyeb
BBC Sport, Tunis


Marchand was only in charge of Tunisia for six months

French coach Bertrand Marchand says he is disappointed with his sacking by the Tunisian Football Federation (FTF).
Marchand was fired along with members of his backroom staff on Wednesday, after a string of poor results.
The 57-year-old had signed a two-year contract in June 2010 and was handed the task of guiding the Tunisians to the 2012 Africa Cup of Nations finals.
"I am surprised and disappointed because the federation and I recently spoke about the team's future," Marchand told BBC Sport.
Marchand seemed to have the backing of the FTF despite two losses to minnows Botswana and a home draw against Malawi in Group K of the 2012 Nations Cup qualifiers.
The 2004 African champions trail Botswana by six points with three games to go.
"We talked a lot about the future of the team and were making preparations for the African Nations Championship in Sudan," added Marchand.
"I did not really expect the decision to come at this moment."
Marchand also said he had thought of resigning more than once but was persuaded to stay on by FTF.
Apart from poor results, members of the national team have also been accused of indiscipline under Marchand.
Some players refused to play in the Nations Cup qualifiers until their bonuses were paid upfront.
But Marchand denies these issues had anything to do with him.
"These problems were there before I arrived," he said.
"Besides, most of the stories concerning indiscipline were exaggerated.
"What is important to me is the performance of the players in training and the shape they are in before games."
Several sources in Tunisia are now linking Marchand with the vacant job at Egypt's Al Ahly.

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Crowning moment for African club football

Post categories: Football
Piers Edwards | 10:06 UK time, Thursday, 16 December 2010

TP Mazembe's place in Saturday's final of the 2010 Fifa Club World Cup is not just a huge success for African football but also a personal triumph for the club's philanthropic chairman Moise Katumbi.
His hard work and huge financial investment has now been rewarded by a dream match-up against European champions Inter Milan, replete with one of Africa's finest sons, Samuel Eto'o.
"Beating [Brazilians] Internacional [2-0 in Tuesday's semi-final] has made me forget all the effort I've ever invested into the team," Katumbi laughed after his club sealed their spot in the final.
For when the businessman and governor of mineral-rich Katanga province took charge of Mazembe in the mid-1990s, the Democratic Republic of Congo's most popular club was struggling.

They had won only two league championships in a quarter of a century, meaning their African club titles of 1967 and 1968 had become indelible reminders of just how far the Lubumbashi club had fallen.
Now though, Mazembe will become the first team from outside Europe or South America to contest the Club World Cup final, with the defeat of Internacional all the more remarkable given how seriously South American sides take the tournament.

Katumbi has invested so much in Mazembe's success

"My vision when I joined this club was to make Mazembe one of Africa's strongest teams and that's why I've worked so hard to make it happen," Katumbi, 46, has previously told the BBC. "I grew up in a big business family in the province, so learned the challenge of making something work early on."
Although he has said his vision still will not be realised even if Mazembe defeat Inter, Katumbi has already put the club - thanks to a triumph that spelt humiliation for their Brazilian foes and fans - on the map.
Like many a sleeping giant, the story of Mazembe's return to the top, and then beyond, is one of an incredibly wealthy childhood fan who is happy to plough his millions into the club.
Earlier this year, Katumbi and his board announced a budget of US$10m for the team - a massive sum for an African club even when taking into account the chairman's untold riches.
"People can call me mad but if they do, they are going to have to call plenty of people mad," he explained. "Those who love cars spend millions of dollars on them, those who love women spend millions on them and holidays, while others are dazzled by gold, diamonds, etc.
"Football is my hobby so I try to budget all the money I make so I can put it into Mazembe - you have to love the game because you can't do this if you don't. I've even got my little boy, who is 17 months old, singing Mazembe songs."
The chairman's largesse does not just extend to the team but its fans as well and if you have seen Mazembe in Abu Dhabi, you cannot have failed to notice or hear their colourful band of 150-odd trumpet-wielding fans - whose entire stay (flights, visas, hotel etc.) is funded by Katumbi.
And under his control, Mazembe have flourished, winning five league titles in the last decade as well as the last two editions of the African Champions League.
He is a man who leaves few things to chance. Even after winning the opening leg of this year's final against Tunisia's Esperance by a whopping five-goal margin, Katumbi still took the team on an extended camp to Europe to focus while also stressing the need for his players to avoid complacency.
Behind this lay an intense desire to make amends at the Club World Cup following their ignominious debut in 2009, when the 'Crows' felt they had let Africa down by losing to both South Koreans Pohang Steelers and then New Zealand's Auckland City.
Then, there had been expectations that many players, especially talented captain Tresor Mputu Mabi, would be leaving the club earlier in 2010 but the floodgates have yet to open. Will they now after this year's impressive displays?

Kidiaba has made a name for himself with his extraordinary bottom-bouncing celebrations

Mazembe, who have a youth academy preparing for such an eventuality, still had to defend their African crown without their star player anyway - after Mputu earned a one-year ban, along with team-mate Guy Lisadisu, after the duo fiercely abused a referee during a tournament in Rwanda in May.
The 'Crows' also had to achieve success without their coach from last year after Argentine Diego Garzitto surprisingly left the club in September, meaning former Senegal coach Lamine Ndiaye came in and he has been credited with emphasising the need for hard work and total concentration.
The sub-Saharans, who feel the weight of African support behind them, have learnt from last year's Club World Cup experience and their own mistakes, which included sending the players on leave until only five days before their opening match.
And now they are ensuring that Africa is finishing 2010 on a high after the continent's theoretically-stellar year was dimmed by the attack on the Togolese bus at the Nations Cup and then the poor African performances - Ghana aside - at the World Cup in South Africa.
Against Inter, it will be fascinating to see how dangerman Alain Dioko Kaluyituka, who stretched the Brazilian defence with his speed when given the chance, and goalkeeper Muteba Kidiaba, who was in inspired form against Internacional (thankfully so given Mazembe's often-porous defence), fare.
Kidiaba is famed for his smile-inducing bottom-bouncing celebrations, and one wonders how he might react on Saturday should the African club be crowned the world's best - and whether he might just find Katumbi shuffling alongside him.

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• 1. At 11:47am on 16 Dec 2010, JamTay1 wrote: It's a shame but I did not realise that they had beaten Internacional until now, such has been the meagre coverage of this event in the U.K. Will be interesting to see how they compete against Inter. It would also be great for African football (and South American football) if some of these clubs can hold onto their players longer before the European clubs come calling.
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• 2. At 12:04pm on 16 Dec 2010, MukenaTheZedian wrote: Good blog Piers. Katumbi is really doing a good job. One worrying thing is the DR Congo national team which never performs like TP does. Reason? Politics!
  Complain about this comment
• 3. At 12:26pm on 16 Dec 2010, realalegoonerk wrote: Interesting stuff. I too was unaware of this result - is the final being shown anywhere on TV?
  Complain about this comment
• 4. At 12:35pm on 16 Dec 2010, the_last_devil_standing wrote: 'The chairman's largesse does not just extend to the team but its fans as well and if you have seen Mazembe in Abu Dhabi, you cannot have failed to notice or hear their colourful band of 150-odd trumpet-wielding fans - whose entire stay (flights, visas, hotel etc.) is funded by Katumbi.'
  
  Although this is a relatively small thing in the multi-million pound world of football, I find it pleasing that some wealthy owners still display enough passion and commitment to things like this...
  
  Cant see the Glazers paying for my United band anytime soon.... 🙁
  
  
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• 5. At 12:48pm on 16 Dec 2010, mjerryford wrote: Inter new coach 2011-2012: Fabio Capello
  New striker partnership: Tevez + Rooney.
  
  Yes u heard it here first.
  Complain about this comment
• 6. At 12:50pm on 16 Dec 2010, footballfutbolfitba wrote:If this competition is to gain genuine recognition across the globe, it needs strong teams from all parts of the world. An African winner would be fantastic, and the way Inter are playing at the moment, you wouldn't rule it out.
  
  Football Futbol Fitba
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• 7. At 12:53pm on 16 Dec 2010, weezer316 wrote:I too was unaware of the score until I seen it say who Inter would play!
  
  Good luck to them. I hope they trash Inter, although i feel even a poor inter with all the top european experience they have, will be too strong.
  
  Saying that, its a funny old game football. I defo be supporting the africans.
  
  PS: I think there is only highlights available in the UK. Certianly ESPN has them, but i dont think its live here....which is a shame
  Complain about this comment
• 8. At 12:59pm on 16 Dec 2010, Millonarios wrote:It is incredible that Katumbi is viewed as a hero, yet what is the difference between him and Abramovich or Sheikh Mansour. I am sure rival teams in DR Congo hate what he is doing and the possibility that he may create a league that is won by just one team. He must be getting first pick of the best players in the country.
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• 9. At 1:03pm on 16 Dec 2010, SimplyZola wrote:Their fans are MENTAL. They start blaring out Waka Waka on the trumpets during matches. BUt a brilliant job by this team from Doctor Congo.
  Complain about this comment
• 10. At 1:55pm on 16 Dec 2010, Whiteside of Red wrote:The World Club Cup just came of age.
  
  I hope that now one of the minnows has upset one of the giants of European/Sth American football that this tournament will start to get a bit more exposure and more prestige.
  
  I also wonder what the seeding will be next year. Surely, for reaching the final, next year's African champion should get a bye to the semis.
  
  Alternatively, the competition should be expanded to eight teams (6 continental champions, the host country's champions, and the holders), with a straight knockout format with all teams starting at the same stage.
  
  I think Europe's top teams can afford to extend their stay for the additional one game that this format change would require.
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• 11. At 3:02pm on 16 Dec 2010, LeeTUFC wrote:Agree with what has been said here about the poor coverage of the event in the UK, although the BBC has at least brought us two blogs highlighting the event, with another from Tim Vickery. He makes the interesting point of how we don't view the tournament as worthy of much merit in the UK and Europe, which is a shame.
  It's nice to see a team from Africa performing well at last. The national teams are starting to find their feet at world cups, and the club teams will be hoping to follow suit. Hopefully in a few years time, club teams from South America and Africa will be able to compete on a more level playing field with European sides. The shifting economic landscape will make this more possible as these sides may be able to hold on to their more talented players for longer.
  And whilst i do not agree with the decision to host the 2022 WC cup in Qatar, hopfully more Asian countries will start to perform above their current level in the future, beyond just Japan and South korea
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• 12. At 3:41pm on 16 Dec 2010, Aarfy_Aardvark wrote:Kidiaba would be fairly nondescript if were not for that haircut and bum-bouncing celebration. Although I do think he is a solid goalie.
  
  Congo DR (Zaire) - First Sub-Saharan African team to a World Cup
  Mazembe - First Sub-Saharan African team to a World Club Cup final.
  
  I think had it not been for years of civil war and problems with the organisation of the Congo DR national team, we might have seen them at plenty more World Cups. Its inexplicable why they are 124th in the World with such a massive population. Hopefully the success of Mazembe leads to greater success nationally.
  
  
  
  
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• 13. At 5:11pm on 16 Dec 2010, colmaz wrote: @5 mjeeryford:
  and pigs can fly!
  
  Excellent blog, I did see the reports on Sky News. Well done to them and wish them all the best in the final.
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• 14. At 6:36pm on 16 Dec 2010, Scorror wrote: Excellent news from Congo, I had no idea this club was soing so well. Remember them from a few champions league matches I'd watched in Nigeria.
  Don't you just love this guy's analogy; some love cars, some women ... and so it is for us all. With the super rich it is 'mega' when they find expression in their hobbies. It's a good thing he has football, it goes around more this way.
  All the best in the finals.
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• 15. At 11:03pm on 16 Dec 2010, In Off The Ghost wrote:Brilliant blog! Great to see more of African club teams on the world stage. Normally, the only time I hear about them is when their best players are being bought by European sides. Best of luck to TP Mazembe!
  
  http://www.inofftheghost.wordpress.com
  
  
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• 16. At 01:59am on 17 Dec 2010, tega wrote: Thanks to them atlist somthing good comes out off africa.
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• 17. At 02:04am on 17 Dec 2010, Blaffert wrote:I hope you all understand that this victory is not some kind of 'milestone' and that we have to take African club football seriously..very unlikely we will see any kind of competitive African club football in our lifetime.
  It was a fluke, a great fluke.
  
  I expect Inter to walk away with the tie.
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• 18. At 08:35am on 17 Dec 2010, MukenaTheZedian wrote:@Blaffert,
  
  What makes you say it was a fluke? Did the Refs give them goals to reach the final? No. TP Mazembe deserved to reach the final.
  We are not saying that Mazembe is now Barca. We are just acknowledging the fact that they made a record by reaching the CWC final. We are also saying things are improving in Africa.
  Don't be too sure about Inter Milan. Remember Mourinho is no longer there. Whether Mazembe wins the final or not, the fact remains that they have improved!
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• 19. At 09:20am on 17 Dec 2010, waldovski wrote:Inter all the way!
  
  (Stop pretending to care about African football)
  
  

Ghana clubs try to avoid Fifa ban by lifting suspension


Ghanaian football fans will be able to watch games again this week.

Ghana's top-flight football clubs have agreed to lift their self-imposed suspension on playing.
The clubs agreed to stop playing in protest against a raid on the Ghana Football Association (GFA), carried out by an anti-fraud unit.
Football's world governing body Fifa had warned of "adverse consequences" if the game did not return to normal.
The clubs have now agreed to return to action and will play FA Cup matches on Tuesday and Wednesday.
The Ghana Professional League board will confirm the lifting of a suspension of league action later on Monday.
In a separate move, GFA headquarters re-opened on Monday for the first time since last week's raid by the country's Economic and Organised Crime Office.
It is not yet clear if the lifting of the suspension and the re-opening of the GFA will be enough to dissuade Fifa from taking action.

Carlos Tevez and Man City boss Mancini set for talks


Mancini retains hope that he can talk captain Tevez into staying


Manchester City boss Roberto Mancini is set to meet Carlos Tevez on Friday in a bid to persuade the Argentine to stay.
Tevez, 26, handed in a formal transfer request last weekend, claiming his relationship with "certain executives" at the club was irreparable.
But Mancini is hoping to win round his captain - a process that will see him picked for Monday's game with Everton.
"Will he play on Monday? Yes - he has trained since Tuesday, and he doesn't have a problem," Mancini said.
Tevez was not in the party that travelled to Italy for Thursday's 1-1 Europa League draw with Juventus, Mancini instead giving a number of fringe players a run out with qualification to the last 32 already assured.
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Tevez situation will not affect team - Platt

The squad were due to fly back on Thursday evening but were forced to spend the night in Turin after the plane developed a technical fault.
Depending on the rescheduling of the flight, Mancini could be forced to delay the meeting although speaking before the hold-up, the club's first-team coach David Platt said that talks would be a priority.
"Roberto's back tomorrow [Friday] and he'll sit down face to face with Carlos. Everyone's adult about the situation and we'll see what comes of it," he said.
"He's not managed to sit down with Carlos yet because he's been in Italy but that's what will happen."
Tevez has stated that he will continue to play for the club until any transfer is agreed, but speaking on Wednesday Mancini added that he still believed the player could stay for the long term.
"I want to speak to him. He is our player and I hope he continues to play and score for us," added Mancini of a player with more than three years left on his contract.
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I want to talk to Tevez - Mancini

"I am disappointed because we are in a good moment and in a good position in the table and our focus must be on this."
Asked whether he thought he could change Tevez's mind, Mancini said: "I don't know, I don't know. Carlos is our player and will stay with us.
"It is important we speak. We have important games coming up - lots of important games this month."
Micah Richards, who captained Man City in Tevez's absence in Turin, added: "I am confident he will stay. He is a big part of our team and I think they will get it sorted out, the sooner the better really.
"We need him in our team. If we want to achieve what we want, he has got to be the main man. He is our captain. We have still got Adebayor, Balotelli and Jo, who had a fantastic game tonight. We have got players there or thereabouts but Carlos is special. If we want to get to where we want to go, then we need him in our team."
606: DEBATE
Will Mancini be able to talk Tevez into staying
Tevez joined City in 2009 following a two-year spell with rivals Manchester United.
He scored 29 goals in his debut season and has managed 10 in 18 appearances since Mancini handed him the captaincy prior to the start of the current campaign.
But less than 17 months into a five-year contract, the former Boca Juniors, Corinthians and West Ham forward asked to leave.
His adviser Kia Joorabchian, who claims to have tried to talk Tevez into staying, has said that the striker's desire to leave stems in part from City's failure to qualify for this season's Champions League.

All smiles for Carlos Tevez at Manchester City


[video]http://news.bbc.co.uk/sport2/hi/football/teams/m/man_city/9291691.stm[/video]



Carlos Tevez and his team-mates are put through their paces by the Manchester City coaching staff, after the Argentina striker's transfer request was rejected by the Eastlands club.

Wenger calls for calm before Stoke visit to Arsenal



Wenger's Shawcross plea to fans'
Arsenal boss Arsene Wenger has appealed for calm in Saturday's game with Stoke, the teams' first meeting since Ryan Shawcross broke Aaron Ramsey's leg.
"What happened in the past, happened in the past," said Wenger.
"I don't think there's any need to add fuel on it, and just focus on playing as we do and respect our opponents."
But Wenger added that Ramsey was the only person who could forgive Shawcross for the incident in Arsenal's 3-1 win at the Britannia Stadium in February.
The players will not face each other at the Emirates as Wales international Ramsey, 19, is on loan at Championship side Nottingham Forest where he is seeking to regain full fitness.
And Wenger emphasised the need for a good game on Saturday. "What is important is we want to see a football game where both teams play good football.
"It is Arsenal against Stoke. Every game is different and it is a new start."
Stoke manager Tony Pulis has, meanwhile, given strong support to Shawcross, who left the field in tears when he was sent off for the challenge on Ramsey.
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'Honest' Shawcross will be unfazed - Pulis

Saturday's game will be the first time Shawcross has faced Arsenal since that match, but Pulis said he was confident the defender would be able to handle himself in what is likely to be a hostile atmosphere.
"He's got nothing to worry about, he just needs to get out there and play," Pulis told BBC Radio Stoke.
"We're very proud of Ryan, he's a terrific player and I don't give a damn about what anyone else thinks."
"I can't control what he [Wenger] says," added Pulis. "The only thing that concerns me is that Ryan feels at home here, and that certainly is the case.
"I don't know the fella [Wenger], he is what he is. I've shook hands with him, said hello and goodbye, and that's about it.
"I know nothing about him, but if he criticises the football club for whatever reason, you have to stand up and fight for it.
Shawcross leaves the field in tears after being sent off against Arsenal

"People have perceptions, and if they actually look at the facts they'll see the perceptions are not right.
"This season, Arsenal have got more red cards than us, they've got more yellow cards than us, and they've given away more free-kicks.
"But if you speak to them out there, it'll be dirty old Stoke going to the Emirates again and that's not the case. It's not backed up by the facts."
Shawcross, who found out just after February's game that he had received his first call up to the full England squad, has recently been linked with a move away from the Potters but said last week on Twitter that "I am currently very happy at Stoke and have no intention of leaving".
The Ramsey incident marked a low point in relations between the two managers, Wenger having already been an outspoken critic of Stoke's approach.
Following Arsenal's first Premier League visit to the Britannia Stadium, when they lost 2-1 in November 2008, Wenger accused Stoke of overly aggressive tactics.
606: DEBATE
I fully expect Arsenal to have over 80% of possession and am hoping that Stoke can keep the damage down to four goals


James

Pulis leapt to the defence of his side and later criticised Wenger for "moaning" about fixture congestion.

Following the injury to Ramsey, Wenger described Shawcross's challenge as "not acceptable".
He renewed his criticism of Stoke at the start of this season, saying Shawcross and fellow defender Robert Huth were like "rugby players".
Stoke travel to the Emirates looking to end a three-match winless run, while Arsenal will be looking to bounce back from Monday's 1-0 defeat by Manchester United.

Sunderland home form down to positive approach - Onuoha


Onuoha has made 17 appearances for Sunderland this season

Sunderland defender Nedum Onuoha believes a positive approach at the Stadium of Light has been key to their impressive home record this season.
The Black Cats have lost only once at home in all competitions, a 2-1 Carling Cup defeat by West Ham in September.
"It's not about not wanting to lose games, it's about wanting to win them at home," Onuoha told BBC Newcastle.
"In the past we've played for the draw and ended up losing the game, which you deserve for the wrong mentality."
The on-loan Manchester City player has established himself at right-back in Steve Bruce's plans following his move to the Stadium of Light in August.
However injuries to centre-backs Michael Turner, Titus Bramble and Anton Ferdinand saw the 24-year-old pressed into service in the middle alongside Ghana international captain John Mensah for much of Saturday's 0-0 draw at Fulham.
"I was enjoying my time at right-back, but when Steve Bruce asked me to go inside everything felt fine and John is a great player to play alongside," Onuoha added.

"He's been a huge player, as long as he's fit and in the side you'll always see the best of him.
"He's great at rallying players around him and doing his own job to the best of his ability, which is obviously of a very high standard."
Since making his professional debut for parent club Manchester City in August 2004, the former England Under-21 international has made 130 career appearances, scoring six goals.

Tottenham's Ledley King gets driving ban for speeding

King was found to have been travelling at 105mph
Tottenham and England footballer Ledley King has been banned from driving after he was caught speeding.
King, 30, of Cuffley, Hertfordshire, admitted breaking a 70mph limit as he drove a Mercedes CL on the A14 near Newmarket in Suffolk on 29 June.
He argued he had been travelling at no more than 95mph, but Sudbury magistrates ruled the police speed gun reading of 105mph was accurate.
They banned him from driving for 56 days.
King was also fined £800 and ordered to pay £250 costs.
King also admitted the Mercedes had tinted side windows which allowed an "insufficient transmission of light" and was fined another £100.
Prosecutor Lesla Small said King was clocked on a dual carriageway with a 70mph limit at Exning shortly after 2200 BST on 29 June.
She said police had noticed the car's tinted windows after stopping King.
Phillip Lucas, defending, said the footballer had six penalty points after he was twice clocked travelling "moderately" over 30mph limits in 2009.

Avram Grant given three games to save West Ham job


Grant was appointed West Ham boss in June and has won six of his 21 matches


By Dan Roan
BBC sports news correspondent


West Ham manager Avram Grant will be sacked if he fails to secure a win in one of the struggling side's next three league games, BBC sport understands.
The 55-year-old has only one win in 11 Premier League matches, leaving the relegation-threatened club three points adrift at the bottom of the table.
It is understood Sam Allardyce, sacked by Blackburn this week, is being considered as a replacement.
West Ham next travel to Blackburn and Fulham before a home game with Everton.
Vice-chairman Karren Brady told BBC Sport a month ago that Grant would "almost definitely" remain in charge at the end of the season and the club are likely to invest in new players during the January transfer window.
But a source said replacing the Israeli if he fails to meet the terms of the ultimatum would allow the club to make best use of the transfer window, giving the new manager "a chance to make the changes he wanted".
After narrowly avoiding relegation last season West Ham sacked former manager Gianfranco Zola and signed former Portsmouth boss Grant on a four-year contract.
606: DEBATE
If we DO win just one out of three, we will have played 20 games and secured 15 points and STILL be bottom of the league!


westhammerhead

Despite sweeping aside Manchester United in the Carling Cup, defeats by Sunderland and Manchester City mean the club have collected only 12 points from 17 league matches.
Grant has faced an injury crisis at Upton Park, deprived of the services of Jack Collison, Thomas Hitzlsperger, Valon Behrami, Kieron Dyer, Carlton Cole and Mark Noble for significant periods of the season. In addition, several of his players are out of contract at the end of the season.
The club's owners David Gold and David Sullivan are sympathetic to Grant, but are aware only once in 18 years of the Premier League has a team bottom at Christmas survived the drop.
"Dismissing Avram is not something the board wants to do," said the source.
"The club are aware that we were lucky to avoid relegation last season, and that Avram inherited a 'Championship-rate' squad.
"He's also had a dreadful run of injuries, but we can't get to the beginning of the window and not do something if things don't improve."
Survival specialist Allardyce has an unparalleled track record in digging clubs out of trouble. He took over Rovers when they were 19th in the table and kept them in the Premier League.
In November, assistant boss Zeljko Petrovic departed the club and Wally Downes was brought in as a defensive coach a day later.

USA striker Edson Buddle training with Birmingham City


Buddle scored two in three play-off games for LA Galaxy this year

Los Angeles Galaxy and USA striker Edson Buddle is on trial at Premier League club Birmingham City.
Blues have scored just 17 goals in 17 league games and manager Alex McLeish has made a new striker his top priority during the January transfer window.
"He's been training with us this week and he's done ok, but we're not at a stage yet where we're going to make any commitment," McLeish told BBC WM.
Buddle appeared twice as a substitute at the World Cup in South Africa.
The 29-year-old came off the bench in the 1-1 draw against England and the 1-0 victory over Algeria, both of which came in the group stages.
606: DEBATE
Have your say on Blues' interest in Buddle


He plays his club football alongside former England captain David Beckham and scored 19 goals in 28 matches last season, in which the Galaxy reached the Western Conference final in the MLS before losing to FC Dallas.
Birmingham have allowed striker Garry O'Connor to leave St Andrew's to join Championship club Barnsley, where he has been on loan for most of the campaign.
Nikola Zigic and Cameron Jerome have been McLeish's preferred strike pairing, although the club's top scorer this season is Craig Gardner, who has netted five times from the centre of midfield.

Injury setback for Bristol City loan striker Sam Vokes


Vokes signed a four-year-deal with Premier League side Wolves in 2008

Bristol City's on-loan striker Sam Vokes has suffered a further injury blow just 18 minutes into his comeback match for the reserves on Wednesday.
The 21-year-old limped off with a recurrence of the hamstring problem that has kept him out since City's opening league game of the season.
"It just didn't feel right. I'm absolutely gutted," Vokes, on loan from Wolves, told the City website.
"Hopefully it's nothing too serious and I have to build it back up."
Vokes was signed on a five-month-deal from Wolves in August but went off in Bristol City's 3-0 home defeat to Millwall.
He's on loan until 5 January and it's unlikely he'll be fit enough for the first team before then


Keith Millen

Since then, the Wales international has been back and forth between the two clubs in an effort to regain his fitness.
City boss Keith Millen was on the sidelines as the reserves beat Cheltenham Town 5-2.
"It's been a nightmare loan for Sam and us because we know how good a player he can be," he said.
"There's clearly something wrong there and he needs to get fully fit again.
"He's on loan until 5 January and it's unlikely he'll be fit enough for the first team before then."

Fit-again Frank Lampard set to start against Man United


Chelsea have missed free-scoring Lampard bursting forward from the midfield


Frank Lampard is set to start a match for the first time since August when champions Chelsea host Premier League leaders Manchester United on Sunday.
The England midfielder, who has been battling to return from a nagging hernia problem, came through a 60-minute practice match on Thursday.
Lampard, 32, made a brief substitute appearance against Tottenham on Sunday.
Boss Carlo Ancelotti said Lampard would start against United providing there he has no reaction to the training game.
The midfielder scored in the match which took place at Chelsea's Cobham training ground, involving players from the club's reserve and youth teams.
England international Lampard played the final 12 minutes at White Hart Lane, and his full return from injury should provide a huge boost to Chelsea, who are on their worst run in the league for more than a decade after failing to win any of their last five games.
They have slipped from first to fourth and are three points behind Sir Alex Ferguson's team, having played a game more.
606: DEBATE
Can Lampard get Chelsea going?
Ancelotti this week highlighted that injury and suspension to the likes of Lampard, John Terry, Didier Drogba, Michael Essien and Alex has been a key factor behind his first really tough spell since being appointed 18 months ago.
The absence of Lampard - whose last start was a 2-0 win over Stoke on 28 August - has forced Ancelotti to use Brazilian summer signing Ramires, who has struggled to make a significant impact so far.
After one outstanding performance against Arsenal in October, the 23-year-old also impressed at Tottenham on Sunday and believes he is starting to demonstrate why Chelsea paid a a reported £18.3m for his services.
"I feel good, I feel better all the time and I think I am more adapted than I was before, and starting to show the football I played at my previous clubs," he told the club's website.
"I am working harder and harder to show that I am more at home in England."

Lawro's Premier League predictions




This season, BBC Sport football expert Mark Lawrenson will pit his wits against a new guest each week.
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Len Goodman's Premier League predictions

Strictly Come Dancing judge Len Goodman usually dishes out scores instead of guessing them, but this week he takes to the floor himself and predicts the results for the next round of Premier League matches.
Goodman, a lifelong West Ham fan, is backing the struggling Hammers to pick up a point against managerless Blackburn Rovers this weekend.
Don't forget you can see all of his predictions on Football Focus at 1215 GMT on BBC One on Saturday.
This week's predictions Score Lawro Len Goodman Arsenal v Stoke x-x 2-0 3-1 Birmingham v Newcastle x-x 2-1 1-1 Blackburn v West Ham x-x 2-1 0-0 Blackpool v Tottenham x-x 1-2 2-0 Chelsea v Man Utd x-x 1-1 1-1 Liverpool v Fulham x-x 2-0 2-1 Man City v Everton x-x 2-0 0-1 Sunderland v Bolton x-x 2-1 1-0 West Brom v Wolves x-x 1-1 0-2 Wigan v Aston Villa x-x 1-2 0-1 A correct result is worth ONE point, a correct score earns THREE points.
Last week, Lawro beat The Wire star Idris Elba 5-4.

Predictions leaderboard
LAWRO'S PREDICTIONS
(Kick-offs at 1500 GMT unless stated)
SATURDAY
Sunderland v Bolton(1245 GMT)

Both of these teams are on a really good run. They are the two sides closest to the top five at the moment and they fully deserve to be so high up the table - they are not up there by luck and they both have a lot going for them.
Bolton had a very good win last week because, when Blackburn got back to 1-1 with 11 men against 10, you thought it was going to be them who would go on to win. The way Bolton responded showed they now have belief, which is very important.
But Sunderland are very strong at home and I think they will just about edge this one.
Prediction: 2-1
Arsenal v Stoke

Stoke lost at home to Blackpool last week despite probably creating more chances in a game than they have done since they were promoted to the Premier League in 2008.
But Arsenal are a different proposition and they have lots of firepower too. Forget about what happened against Manchester United at Old Trafford on Monday night because this will be a completely different game.
It might be time to leave out Andrey Arshavin, who has been disappointing of late, but Gunners boss Arsene Wenger has got players itching to play now - with the likes of Theo Walcott, Robin van Persie and Nicklas Bendtner looking to return to his starting line-up - so it doesn't matter if he needs to rest someone.
Prediction: 2-0
Birmingham v Newcastle

Alan Pardew made a great start as Newcastle boss last week. Beating Liverpool was a very, very good result, and he got a great response from his players too.
His first away game is a tough one, though, because, before they lost at Wolves last week, Birmingham were on a great run - they were five games unbeaten in the league and Carling Cup, and are still very hard to beat at home.
Birmingham's defenders Scott Dann and Roger Johnson will make life difficult for Newcastle striker Andy Carroll and, although I think it will be very tight, the Blues will just about do enough to win it.
Prediction: 2-1
Blackburn v West Ham

I was stunned by the sacking of Sam Allardyce, and I don't really know where the new owners of Blackburn think they are going to take them.
I've heard them say they should be finishing fifth or sixth in the table and that just makes me think they don't know what they have let themselves in for.
It sounds to me like Rovers have been taken over by people who a) don't understand Blackburn, b) don't understand the Premier League, and c) don't understand that Blackburn staying in the Premier League every year is an achievement, and is something that Sam virtually guarantees you.
It's very strange to hear them talking about spending £5m in January and expecting that to make all the difference - good luck to whoever gets that job!
As for West Ham? Well, the manager Avram Grant is really on the rack at the moment. Apparently he has been told he has to win one of his next three games to keep his job, but I don't really understand that. Are they really saying that if he wins one and gets three points from his next three games that he is going to be OK?
It almost sounds like they are hoping he doesn't, so they can make a change. If they do, then everyone is going to be tipping Allardyce to get the job.
By now, you would hope that the people running the Hammers, David Gold, David Sullivan and Karren Brady, will have made their minds up on Grant. If they think he is the man for the job then back him some more in January. If he isn't, then do something about it now.
It's going to be hard for Grant to get anything out of this game, though, because it's at Blackburn and they won't change anything even though Allardyce has gone, because his first-team coach Steve Kean is in charge for now.
Blackburn are a very well-drilled side who stick the ball in the right areas. For me, West Ham are a team with too many faint hearts, which is not what they need right now.
Prediction: 2-1
Wigan v Aston Villa

Villa boss Gerard Houllier has been under a bit of pressure recently so it was a big win for them last week against West Brom, although they were a little bit lucky to come away with three points.
Wigan were battered in their draw at Everton last week but could actually have nicked it at the end themselves.
Villa's form is still not great but at least they got a win under their belts after a five-game run without a victory, and I think they will build on that at the DW Stadium.
Prediction: 1-2
Liverpool v Fulham (1730 GMT)

With three of their next four games at Anfield, this is an important time for Reds boss Roy Hodgson. He is coming under a lot of pressure from lots of supporters - and not just over results. It's as much to do with the way Liverpool play.
The problem is that fans are saying 'we are not playing very well', and Hodgson's tactics are very negative. They want to see their team playing in a more attacking style because his more cautious approach is not working anyway, so they cannot see what the difference is if they lose after committing more people forward?
I think that is a big problem for Hodgson, and a lot of people who are sitting watching in the stands at Anfield are waiting and wondering what the new owners are going to do about it in January.
When I look at Liverpool play, I just want to see their players express themselves more. I'm saying to myself 'just let them go for it a bit'. It's a bit like under Rafa Benitez, when at times they played with the handbrake on. Liverpool's players are better than they have been showing, but it is as if they are playing under a restraining order.
Having said all that, Hodgson is up against his old club Fulham and he will know absolutely everything there is to know about them. The Cottagers don't have great attacking power at the moment because Andy Johnson is feeling his way back from injury and Bobby Zamora and Moussa Dembele are both long-term absentees.
Liverpool should win easily, but there will be bigger questions asked of them in the near future.
Prediction: 2-0
SUNDAY
West Brom v Wolves (1200 GMT)

It's the second West Midlands derby in the space of a week for both these sides, and Wolves did very well last time out to beat Birmingham. West Brom were impressive too, against Villa, but got no reward for it.
Because it's a derby, I'm expecting this to be quite closely-fought, and pretty feisty too - you might see a few tackles flying in!
Wolves are in the relegation zone but I think they are heading in the right direction. It's just they have had a really bad crop of injuries that have hit them in the last few weeks.
I listened to Wolves' chief executive Jez Moxey on the radio this week and I thought he spoke a lot of sense. I liked the fact that he, chairman Steve Morgan and the manager Mick McCarthy all sit down together and all have their say about the position they are in - and Moxey and Morgan have not put Mick under any pressure by demanding wins from certain games.
Prediction: 1-1
Blackpool v Tottenham (1330 GMT)

This one is very interesting because these are two teams who just love to attack. If you fancied going to a game and were looking around the weekend fixtures then it is probably the one you would choose to go to because you are not going to be disappointed - there will be loads of chances and it won't be a case of getting men behind the ball, more 'let's pile into one another'.
With it being such an open game, and as good as Blackpool were at Stoke last week, I think Tottenham's quality will just about see them through. The thing with Spurs is that they have a strong squad and Harry Redknapp has the ability to change the game from the bench if he needs to.
Prediction: 1-2
Chelsea v Man Utd (1600 GMT)

First and foremost, you have to think that this will end up a draw. I think Manchester United boss Sir Alex Ferguson would take that now after beating Arsenal on Monday night.
Chelsea's form will eventually pick up. They will get better, and it might even happen in this game if Frank Lampard is fit enough to start.
But I don't actually think it will happen for Carlo Ancelotti's men for another couple of weeks and Ferguson will want to make sure of that anyway by keeping them at arm's length here - I think we will be seeing United line up with a 4-5-1 to keep things nice and tight.
United are two points clear at the top with a game in hand, which is against Blackpool, so that one is winnable too - which would make their position even healthier
They are three points ahead of Chelsea so they do not need to try to win this game. If they do stop Chelsea winning, it means Ancelotti's side, whose next game is against the Gunners on Boxing Day, will have gone six league matches without a victory.
Prediction: 1-1
MONDAY
Man City v Everton (2000 GMT)

You seem to get a different story every day coming out of City and the Carlos Tevez saga is the latest issue for their manager Roberto Mancini to deal with.
The positive thing I would say for City in this is that, unlike with Wayne Rooney at Manchester United, you would say that if Tevez does play then he will give his absolute all.
Everton are competitive and this will be a real battle but they are a team that just cannot score. They are a good side which is lacking a striker - if you put Louis Saha, Yakubu, Victor Anchibe and Jermaine Beckford in a blender then you would have a real top player. You know what David Moyes will be looking for in January.
They are going to Eastlands to play a City side which are solid at the back and play with a lot of protection in front of their defence in midfield, so I can't really see them getting a goal here.
Prediction: 2-0
Lawro was talking to BBC Sport's Chris Bevan.

Leaderboard Score Alastair Campbell 11 Lord Sugar 11 Graeme Swann 10 Kaiser Chiefs 9 Lee Westwood 8 Michael Vaughan 8 BBC Radio 1's Comedy Dave 8 Mark Lawrenson (average) 7 David Cameron 7 Kobe Bryant 7 Andy Murray 6 Robbie Williams 6 Idris Elba 4 Klaxons 4 Peter Shilton 4 Tim Vine 1 Lawro's best score: 13 points (week 10)
Lawro's lowest score: one point (week six)
Make your own predictions to see how the Premier League will look after this weekend.

Alan Hansen on Sir Alex Ferguson


Ferguson's desire for excellence is as strong as ever



Alan Hansen
BBC Sport football expert


Sir Alex Ferguson reaches his latest landmark when Manchester United visit Chelsea on Sunday and he becomes the Red Devils' longest-serving manager.
And a positive result of any sort at Stamford Bridge will leave the 68-year-old Scot eyeing up another in the shape of his latest Premier League title.
It is a tribute to this enduring and uniquely driven great of the game that he is overtaking Sir Matt Busby's tenure of 24 years, one month and 14 days - served over two spells in charge at Old Trafford between 1945 and 1969 and from 1970 to 1971.
From his arrival on 6 November 1986, Ferguson has rebuilt United and secured silverware on a scale that could barely have been imagined in Old Trafford's wildest dreams when he travelled down from Aberdeen to be appointed as Ron Atkinson's successor.
606: DEBATE
Which do you think would be his proudest moment? Anything over the last 24 years, or the eventual 19th title?


TRueRed

At the start of every season, the most important aspect of any club is the hunger and desire of the players and the manager that leads them. It delivers a telling insight into Ferguson's character that those qualities are burning inside him just as fiercely today as they ever were.
And, with victory over Arsenal on Monday and a trip to Chelsea coming up, Ferguson is involved in the sort of games he relishes. I also happen to believe that if United avoid defeat at Chelsea, he will be well on the way to hitting another target, overtaking the record of 18 titles United currently share with Liverpool.
When you scrutinise the levels of hunger and desire required to maintain success, unless you are an equally special case such as Ryan Giggs or Paul Scholes most players can only maintain this for 10 to 12 years.
Ferguson has done it for 24 years under the most intense scrutiny at Old Trafford and, of course, before that at Aberdeen, where he presided over the greatest era in the Pittodrie club's history.
I can only express my admiration for how Ferguson has handled the pressures of life at the top even more when I place it in the context of my own playing career at Liverpool. Everyone thinks chasing trophies is a wonderful life, and in large part it is, but let me assure you it is not easy on the nerves either.
Ferguson has shouldered that responsibility at a giant of a club for 24 years with huge success, thriving on it and constantly seeking out new goals



You finish one season with success and then you have to go again. The cycle repeats itself if you enjoy continued success and you know if you are the team at the top, as Ferguson's United have been for so long, that every game you play is at maximum intensity because every opponent is just desperate to beat you.
I had it for 14 years at Liverpool and I really felt that pressure in my final season in 1990-91. It came to March of that season and I wasn't sleeping at night. I was lying awake wondering how results would pan out. What if they got three points there? What if we didn't win that game? I knew that my time had come to retire from playing.
Ferguson has shouldered that responsibility at a giant of a club for 24 years with huge success, thriving on it and constantly seeking out new goals. He almost retired in 2002 but obviously wondered what he would do without football.
Manchester United have enjoyed much success under Ferguson

You watch him now and see he was right to shelve that decision. He looks good, wants success for United as much as ever and looks as ready to take on all-comers as he ever has.
And, while he is celebrating a Manchester United landmark, we must not forget the other strands in his incredible career. There are plenty out there who regard his successes at Aberdeen as something that can sit comfortably alongside those he has achieved at Old Trafford.
To break the stranglehold of Celtic and Rangers with the Dons in Scotland was remarkable enough, but he did it over a period of years, as well as beating Real Madrid to win the European Cup Winners' Cup in 1983.
The greats in football are recognised and measured by what they have achieved - and one glance at Ferguson's record confirms he deserves his place in that pantheon.
He came to England to revive United and, as he famously said, to "knock Liverpool off their perch." Well, he succeeded and when he does leave Old Trafford he will leave the most incredible legacy.
Ferguson has produced teams and players to grace the game, sending them out to play in an attacking style to score goals and win matches.
I recall working with Sir Alex with Scotland and he was incredibly motivated and passionate back then. The fact that he remains so today only confirms his status as one of the game's greatest figures.
On a personal level, I have always found him good fun and very affable. I take people as I find them and always enjoy his company. As for his footballing ability, it demands total and utter respect.
While he can be justifiably proud of becoming United's most enduring manager, of even greater interest to him this weekend will be celebrating it with the right result at Chelsea.
You don't need to be a genius to predict it will be close. United took three points off Arsenal on Monday while Chelsea's performance in the second half at Tottenham after Didier Drogba came on was like the difference between night and day.
This is a massive game for Chelsea. If they don't win, it extends their recent indifferent run. But, if they do get three points, the Blues will feel they can revive their season and be hoping midfielder Frank Lampard will be fit to help them achieve it.
I think Chelsea and United are the only serious title contenders, although others will try to run them close. If Ferguson's men avoid defeat and make it at least four points from back-to-back games against Arsenal and Chelsea, they will feel they are cruising.
It would leave United going into Christmas on top of the table, undefeated and entering their traditionally strong second half of the season.
I still harbour doubts about Chelsea's squad, which I feel has a threadbare look about it while United can mix and match theirs against so-called lesser sides and still expect to get results.
It is ironic that after their start to the season, there were some who suggested Chelsea could have the Premier League wrapped up by Christmas. If United draw or win at Stamford Bridge, then I can see them pulling away from the chasing pack.
Ferguson's side have the experience. They have been over the course and lasted the distance plenty of times before. No-one knows the terrain better, or has negotiated it more successfully, than their manager.
Alan Hansen was talking to BBC Sport's Phil McNulty

Uncertainty surrounds appointment of FA chairman

Post categories: Football
David Bond | 17:07 UK time, Thursday, 16 December 2010

With a series of big names distancing themselves from the post and the favourite, David Dein, still weighing up whether to apply, the search for a new Football Association chairman is not becoming any clearer.
Sir Keith Mills, Martin Broughton, Lord Mervyn Davies and Sir Terry Leahy have all declined advances to talk to the FA about the position, which has been vacant since Lord David Triesman resigned in May.
Dein, who until two weeks ago was the international president of England's failed World Cup 2018 bid, has become the favoured candidate in a narrowing field.
But despite spending the last week taking soundings from senior figures in football and government - including a breakfast meeting with Culture Secretary Jeremy Hunt on Tuesday - he still has reservations about taking the job on.
One of the reasons for that could be the FA's decision not to give the new chairman - at this stage - the ultimate say over how the England team is run.
That is currently the responsibility of the Premier League and Club England chairman Sir David Richards and although the FA is prepared to change the set-up depending on who it appoints, it is extraordinary that they would even consider trying to recruit a big-hitting chairman without making it clear from the outset that they will be able to control the most important and high-profile role the organisation performs.
This is all the more surprising when one considers the biggest job in the first 12-18 months of the chairman's tenure will be to appoint a replacement for the outgoing manager, Fabio Capello.
To be fair to Richards, he has told the FA's professional game board in recent weeks he is prepared to stand down from his role as Club England chairman. And an FA spokesman insisted today the new manager would be signed off by the main board, overseen by the new chairman.

Dein is a leading contender to be the new chairman of the FA. Photo: Getty Images

But interestingly ministers are already expressing concerns over the potential conflict of interest between Richards's dual role as Premier League and Club England chairman.
And the Premier League will also come under pressure in the next few months to replace Richards with a new independent chairman. This is likely to be a key feature of the parliamentary select committee inquiry into football governance and any subsequent government review.
But the lack of clarity on the England issue is unlikely to be the only reason for Dein's hesitancy.
The former Arsenal vice chairman's age is also considered an issue. He is 67, meaning he would have less than three years before he would have to stand down under the FA's age limit for board members of 70.
One other candidate sounded out about the post is the former Premier League and Liverpool chief executive Rick Parry.
Parry, who left Liverpool after falling out with former co-owner Tom Hicks, was approached but is not thought to be on the final shortlist - drawn up by a meeting of the special nominations committee headed by Bolton chairman Phil Gartside on Monday.
The FA remains determined to press on with plans to put two or three names to the board meeting next Wednesday.
The World Cup 2018 vote humiliation is not directly related to the FA's governance problems but it has provided the catalyst for another period of introspection. A parliamentary select committee will look into the way the game is run in the new year with the government ready to set up its own review.
But despite all this the FA feels it can't afford to wait.
It has been without a full-time chairman for more than seven months.
Plus the decision must be approved by the FA council which next meets in January. Miss next week's meeting of the FA board and that won't be possible until March, delaying the process even further.
It may well be that the FA has lined up the sort of candidate with the football and business pedigree required, but get it wrong and it could increase the pressure on a body already facing a period of intense scrutiny.

« Previous | Main
Countdown king relishing PFA role

Post categories: Football
Paul Fletcher | 14:55 UK time, Wednesday, 15 December 2010

Burnley defender Clarke Carlisle hit the headlines earlier this year when he twice triumphed on Channel Four quiz show Countdown before succumbing to an agonising 89-86 defeat third time around.
The 31-year-old still has the teapot he won but has decided it will never see active service. Instead, it remains stashed away in a cupboard, destined to remain a pristine souvenir of the time when Carlisle fulfilled a lifetime ambition.
"I love puzzles and word problems so I really enjoyed Countdown but once you do something like that it is really hard to shake it off," Carlisle told me. "It does forever stick."
That would be a shame because there is much more to Carlisle than taxing conundrums (he led in his third Countdown appearance until the final conundrum of the show) and family-friendly banter with host Jeff Stelling.
He left home at 16 the day after he finished school and moved into digs close to Bloomfield Road at his first club Blackpool. Carlisle became a father for the first time at 18 and, as a QPR player in his early 20s, battled alcoholism. Hungover on the team coach heading to a fixture at Colchester, he was ordered off by manager Ian Holloway and later had a spell in the Sporting Chance clinic as he overcame his demons.

Carlisle suffered from alcholism during his time at QPR. Photo: Getty Image

Carlisle has played in the top three divisions, represented the England Under-21 side, suffered two serious injuries, one of which kept him out of the game for two years, and experienced both promotion and relegation during a career that has so far taken him to Blackpool, QPR, Leeds, Watford, Luton and now the Clarets.
He also won a television quiz in 2002 that saw him named Britain's brainiest footballer and is in the first year of a degree in professional sports writing and broadcasting at Staffordshire University run by the Professional Footballers' Association. Until recently he wrote an insightful and engaging blog that took the reader beyond the anodyne thoughts of many ghost-written columns.
"My mum tells me that I have crammed the life of a 50-year-old into my 31 years," said Carlisle. "I have been through these things and lived to tell the tale and I think I am a better man for it."
They are experiences that give Carlisle the confidence that he will be successful in his new role as chairman of the PFA.
"For a lot of professionals I will be able to have empathy as opposed to sympathy with the experiences that they are going through," he said.
Carlisle had been on the PFA's management committee since 2004. It is made up of professionals from all four divisions and includes Phil Neville, Jason Roberts, Brede Hangeland, Zesh Rehman and Darren Moore. When previous chairman Chris Powell retired, Carlisle put his name forward and in mid-November it was announced that he had been successful.
"It was a fully democratic process," added Carlisle, who defeated one unnamed player in the ballot. "The only other time I had been that nervous was on my wedding day."
When I caught up with Carlisle he was still working out exactly what his new role will involve. He is in regular contact with Powell and chief executive Gordon Taylor to flesh out the details, but reckons a lot of it will involve him acting as a figurehead, providing the union's opinion and perspective on any issues that arise. It will be more time intensive that the quarterly meetings held by the management committee but Carlisle is confident that it will not distract his focus away from Burnley's push for an instant return to the Premier League.
After spending nearly an hour listening to Carlisle talk about the role of unions in the modern world, I have no doubt that he will represent the PFA with dignity, intelligence and assurance.
I asked Carlisle whether he thought that in our current climate of austerity he thought unions would become more active and important.
He answered: "With mass tension and pressure on the economy and the finances of the nation, and cuts here, there and everywhere, there will be rumblings in workforces the nation over - and worldwide.
"Unions are being called upon to make sure that the people they represent get what is just and fair. That is very understandable. I sincerely hope other unions are as well prepared and trustworthy as ours."
Rightly or wrongly, I always tend to think of unions as representing the blue collar worker, battling for the rights of the working man. It might seem as though the idea of a union to represent players with the potential to earn vast sums is no longer necessary. Carlisle, who reckons players are often a vulnerable and easy target for financial exploitation, is very robust in his defence of the PFA, pointing out that everyone should be entitled to a defence of their rights as employees.
"The average career is only eight years and only a very, very few earn enough to not have to work again," he said.

Carlisle is a mainstay in the centre of the Burnley defence. Photo: Getty Images

"The union has a duty of care for the individual whether earning £1m or £20,000 a year and problems can strike across the board whether illness, injury, family related or other off-field issues - the union is there to make sure everyone is protected and covered."
There is no fixed tenure for Carlisle's period as chairman and Powell filled the role for five years before he retired from playing. Carlisle is keen to use his time in the role to continue to move the game closer to the ideal of what he described to me as 'total inclusion'.
"I'm really proud of my involvement in the discrimination campaigns of 'Kick It Out' and 'Show Racism The Red Card'," said Carlisle. "Anything that helps to break down the barriers of Racism, Sexism, Islamaphobia, Homophobia, anti-Semitism and any prejudice in between, is a worthy cause. Any help I can give along the way is the least I can do."
Another area of importance to Carlisle is ensuring young players have the life skills to handle the pressures of being a professional footballer. There was very little training for Carlisle, who was thrown into the first team at 17 and expected to behave accordingly, to constructively deal with having both money and spare time. The PFA now places a strong emphasis on education and Carlisle has taken advantage of the opportunity to study for a degree.
He attended a residential week of face-to-face learning in June and returns to Stafford once a month in addition to studying online. He has so far interviewed referee Howard Webb, cricketer Graeme Swann and sports agent Casey Wasserman, who was part of the US's failed bid to host the 2022 World Cup, as well as writing several match previews and reports.
I suspect that Carlisle might make an excellent journalist when he retires; his easy manner and sharp mind a dangerous combination as he tries to tease information out of his interviewees (perhaps appropriately, one of the Countdown conundrums he solved was VINEWRITE, which he recognised as INTERVIEW). He interviewed Wasserman with a definite angle in mind. He wanted to write a piece that would align the US alongside England in their opposition to Fifa's World Cup voting process.
"I was asking him some very leading questions but afterwards when I looked at his answers he had given me a fresh angle that I had not thought of," said Carlisle. "I wanted to be quite sensationalist about it but he provided a very constructive argument about the whole bidding process."
Carlisle often spends the same amount of time it has taken him to write the bulk of his piece staring at his computer trying to conjure up a profound and insightful way to finish his article.
If he shows the same thought and care in his new role at the PFA then I am sure the organisation will benefit from the wisdom of football's Countdown king.

Villas-Boas makes Porto the toast of Portugal again

Post categories: Football
Phil Minshull | 16:23 UK time, Thursday, 16 December 2010

Porto suffered a blow, both to their self-esteem and coffers, when their four-year reign as Portuguese champions was ended by a resurgent Benfica last season.
Not only did they give up their title, they missed out on Champions League football for the first time since the 2002/03 campaign, confined instead to the relative backwaters of the Europa League.
Failing to make Europe's premier club competition cost Porto at least £8.5m (10m euros) - Braga have pocketed £11.6m (13.6m euros), Benfica £9.5m (11.1m euros) while the Europa League has only added £1.3m (1.6m euros) to the Porto bank account - and probably two key players as both Bruno Alves and Raul Meireles have both departed after advertising the fact that they were far from from happy at the club.
However, under new coach Andre Villas-Boas, the 2004 champions of Europe are grabbing the headlines again for all the right reasons, having gone unbeaten in 25 games in all competitions this season.
The 33-year-old Villas-Boas, currently the Portuguese first division's youngest coach, appears to be on a similar trajectory to mentor and former Porto boss Jose Mourinho.

Can Villas-Boas emulate the achievements of Jose Mourinho? Photo: Getty Images
Villas-Boas was part of Mourinho's backroom team at Porto, Chelsea and Inter Milan before moving from under the Special One's wing and taking over the reins at modest Academica - his first proper frontline job if you disregard a brief stint in his early 20s as coach of the British Virgin Islands - a couple of months into last season.
On paper, 11th place in a 16-team league does not look much to shout about. But when you consider Academica were looking like certain relegation candidates, lying at the bottom of the table and without a win to their name before the arrival of Villas-Boas, his success raised plenty of eyebrows in Portugal and brought him to the attention of the Porto president Pinto da Costa.
It was, as da Costa has admitted several times, a gamble to bring in Villas-Boas but one that has paid off handsomely so far.
What seems to make Villas-Boas special is that he has many of the same attributes of Mourinho. He has an obsession for researching the opposition and started off producing scouting reports for then Porto boss Bobby Robson in the 1990s while still a teenager. Famously, while at Stamford Bridge, his scouting reports included personalised DVDs for each player, outlining their opposite number's strengths and weaknesses.
Villas-Boas has also shown himself to be a superb psychologist. The Dragoes coach has managed to convince, and sound sincere even to the sceptics, that everyone is special at Porto, allowing him to get the best out of both the established first-teamers and fringe players, such as summer signing James Rodriguez.

"Every player in the squad is an important player. They all have a place," said Villas-Boas last week. "I have praised both Andre Castro and Ukra (Andre Monteiro) publicly and privately. I don't want to lose them. James has incredible potential and I intend to make him realise it. He will have opportunities (in the Portuguese Cup and Europa League) against Juventude Evora and Sofia, which will be good opportunities for him and they won't be his last, that's for sure."
James responded to the public pat on the back with two outstanding games, scoring Porto's final goal in their 3-1 win over CSKA Sofia in the Europa League on Wednesday.
A 4-0 win over third division side Juventude de Evora in the Portuguese Cup on Saturday also set a club record of 34 unbeaten matches in all competitions, taking into account the end of last season. It consigned to history the previous best run, achieved when Mourinho was at the helm.
Ever since their 5-0 thrashing of current champions Benfica in November - after which Villas-Boas publicly tore apart the tactics of his opposite number Jorge Jesus and told him how and why Benfica had been beaten - talk has been rampant about the possibility of Porto going through the season undefeated, at least in the league.
Mourinho won the Europa League's predecessor, the Uefa Cup, in his first season in charge and Porto are among the favourites to take this season's trophy. So is the apprentice set to emulate his master?
I must confess, I am a little bit hesitant to applaud Villas-Boas too loudly. I am well aware that I praised Porto back in February only for them to endure a two-month slump that saw them slip out of contention in the Portuguese title race and crash out of the Champions League following a 5-0 defeat to Arsenal at the Emirates Stadium. However, this season may be a little different.
Striker Hulk may not get the recognition were he playing in England, Spain or Italy but he remains a world-class finisher, currently topping the league charts with 12 goals.
He has been ably supported up front by Colombian international Falcao, who has seven goals. So highly rated is Falcao, who joined Porto from Argentine side River Plate for £4.7m (5.5m euros) in the summer of 2009, that there have been reports in both the Spanish and Portuguese media in recent days that he could be on his way across the border next summer if a Spanish club - Atletico Madrid get mentioned a lot in this context - make da Pinto an offer he cannot refuse.
After a lacklustre final season at Sporting and following his acrimonious transfer from the club where he started his professional career, Joao Moutinho is back to form and often sees plenty of action on the wings, in contrast to his previous role as a central midfielder.

Helton has impressed between the posts for Porto. Photo: AFP
Perhaps the big difference for Porto has been the goalkeeper. The previously error-prone and inconsistent Helton has been outstanding and putting up a very strong case for a recall to the Brazilian side after missing out on the World Cup. His heroics have meant Porto have conceded goals in only four of their 13 league games this season.
Despite their rather lacklustre Champions League campaign, Benfica have not yet thrown in the towel domestically but their away form this season - they have lost as many games as they have won - has meant they have not been able to keep up with Porto and are currently eight points adrift in second place.

Last season's svengali, Jesus - JJ to many Benfica supporters - looked a rather haunted figure on the sidelines during last week's Champions League 2-1 defeat at home to Schalke. He still has the support of Benfica president Luis Felipe Vieira but few pundits dare to speculate for how much longer.
If Benfica fans feel a bit despondent about the way this season is going, then they can always cast their mind back to the golden era of the 1960s. There have been plenty of reminders of that period in recent days as Wednesday was the 50th anniversary of Eusebio's arrival on Portuguese soil, having signed for the Eagles from his local club in Mozambique, Sporting Clube de Lourenço Marques.
Eusebio was arguably the first player from sub-Saharan Africa to make an impact on European club football, having collected a long list of honours, including the 1965 European Footballer of the Year award. In 1968, he became the first winner of the Golden Boot, a feat he repeated five years later.
British football fans with long memories or attentive parents know him for his displays at the 1966 World Cup, during which he scored nine goals. But at Benfica he is still referred to in hallowed terms for helping the side to their 1961 and 1962 European Cup wins, scoring two goals in the latter, which was to be the last Portuguese triumph for 25 years. His domestic statistics still remain stunning. He was the top scorer in the Portuguese league seven times and helped Benfica to 11 titles between 1961 and 1975.
How Jesus and Benfica fans must wish they had a modern-day version of Eusebio now.

Thirty jam doughnuts and two Skrtel doves

Post categories: Football
Dan Walker | 11:07 UK time, Thursday, 16 December 2010

Bonjour comrades and merriments of the season to one and all! In time honoured tradition, I thought I'd give you a little insight into last Saturday's show from Villa Park.
I'll be honest, I was a bit worried ahead of the programme because Villa were on a dire run of form and manager Gerard Houllier was getting grief from the fans for what he said and did when his side side lost 3-0 to Liverpool at Anfield on Monday night. Thankfully, the club were happy to play ball and gave us great access to the stadium.
My great Midlands adventure started on Wednesday, when I travelled up to film the opening, which you can watch again by taking a look at the online version here...

The producer for the shoot was Welsh legend Dave 'Mad Dog' Purchase. Dave has a reputation as a brilliant film-maker but doesn't work like most humans. I half expected to turn up at Aston University's sports ground to find a hot air balloon, a flock of geese and some plastic explosives. I discovered Dave with 30 jam doughnuts. His plan was to use the food as a bargaining chip to get the university's rugby and football teams out of bed before midday and down on the snow-covered pitch.
Villa were formed back in 1874, when members of a local church cricket team wanted something to do in the winter. They settled on a football team and their first game was against a rugby side, a contest that devoted one half to each sport. We planned to recreate that moment for the Football Focus cameras.
They were all top lads and shivered for a good 30 minutes while we did our fancy telly stuff. I have to say, though, that the rugby team's defensive formation was a little wayward during the football. They seemed to position everyone in the six-yard box and rely purely on intimidation, which worked, rather worryingly.

The football and rugby boys from Aston University pose for the camera
Once we waved goodbye to the doughnut-eaters, the rest of the shoot was relatively straightforward. We went to the church where it all began for Villa and then popped down to the ground to film various little links to chuck in here and there.
Producer Dave is seriously old-school when he composes a shot, even crouching on occasions to pull out the finger picture-frame. It's a bit like working with Francis Ford Coppola. Sadly, we had to cut the bit where I hacked a water-buffalo with a machete on the stairs of the Holte End. I'm kidding, animal lovers!
When we go on the road, we try to take the time to publicise the show as much as possible. Last week, we went into overdrive. We promoted it during BBC Two's live game at QPR on Friday night and on BBC Breakfast on Saturday morning. I also appeared on BBC WM's breakfast show and Midlands Today, while Mark Lawrenson did the local BBC Friday football phone-in and Martin Keown popped up in the Birmingham Post.
My only regret was boldly predicting the results of the Villa v West Brom and Wolves v Birmingham games on Midlands Today. Lawro texted me immediately to suggest I was an idiot. He was right... I got them both wrong.
We had one slight hiccup on Saturday morning. I was desperate for the toilet 15 minutes before we went on air. The only one close enough belonged to Houllier. Thankfully, the steward was kind enough to let me use it... I don't think I could have survived until 1pm.
The show itself went smoothly and I thought Dion Dublin and Cyrille Regis were great guests. John Motson put some tough questions to Villa chief executive Paul Faulkner and the "Football Focus does Question Time" section went down well. In the future, we might try a show in front of a live audience. If you would be up for that, let me know.
This week, we return to the sanctity of the studio, where Lawro and Lee Dixon will be joined by Dennis Wise. I'm sure one or two of you will have a question for him. Garth Crooks has been to see Joe Hart this week and I'm speaking to Alan Pardew. There is also one other signifcant interview we hope comes off. Finally, we'll have a special report from the Brighton and Notts County game, which takes place on Friday night, and look at the plans to change the face of Scottish football.
Last week, I said there would be no more random football teams on here but I will sign off for 2010 with a Festive XI from Twitter (see below). And don't forget to add your questions for Wise and any other comments you might have below. As always, you can follow the show at twitter.com/danwalkerbbc. Merry Christmas!
Festive XI:
Edwin Van Der Star
Rory Delapland
Two Skrtle Doves
Johan Djorousalem
Bacary Santa
Wayne Sproutledge
5 Torsten Frings
Frankinsence Lampard
Aruna Dindane Merrily On High
Ruud Van Christmas Joy
Chris Iweluminations
Subs:
Cracker Hislop
Deco-rations
Tiny Tim Cahill
Dennis Wisemen
David EggNog