Chelsea regained fourth place in the English Premier League as Didier Drogba inspired them to a 4-0 victory at Bolton on Monday.
Drogba thumped home his 10th goal of the season with a stunning strike from 30 yards to open proceedings at the Reebok Stadium, with Florent Malouda, Nicolas Anelka and Ramires also scoring as the Blues cruised to victory.
It was Chelsea’s first away win in any competition since October’s league defeat of Blackburn, and it now looks like their miserable run of form has finally ended.
The result means the champions are not yet out of the title race – although they remain seven points behind leaders Manchester United with a game more played – and has seen them rise above London rivals Tottenham into the top four.
Bolton only have themselves to blame for the defeat, with all Chelsea’s goals coming as a result of poor defending.
The first, against the run of play in the 11th minute, saw Gretar Steinsson lose possession at right-back after an unnecessary pass across his own back four from Zat Knight.
Drogba took full advantage, hitting a 30-yard shot so fiercely that it beat goalkeeper Jussi Jaaskelainen even though it was right in the middle of his goal.
It was Drogba’s fourth goal in the last eight league games, which indicates he is finally over a bout of malaria that seriously affected his form before Christmas.
And Chelsea were 2-0 up before the break when Malouda was inexplicably allowed time to fire home from a narrow angle inside the six-yard box after 41 minutes.
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The killer third came when former Bolton striker Anelka was also allowed time and space to pick his spot in the 56th minute.
From that moment Chelsea, who were playing without injured Frank Lampard, knew the points were in the bag.
But Bolton’s misery was made worse when Jaaskelainen fumbled Ramires’ shot into the net with 16 minutes to go as Chelsea completed only their fourth away league victory of the season.
London 2012 bid chief Sebastian Coe believes West Ham should inherit the Olympic Stadium ahead of Premier League rivals Tottenham.
Spurs have tabled a bid which involves transforming the arena into a football-only venue, while West Ham intend to retain the multi-purpose original.
Tottenham have offered to redevelop the ageing Crystal Palace National Sports Centre to compensate for the loss of athletics at the new Stratford site.
But Lord Coe believes the London Olympic committee have a moral obligation to safeguard the future of the venue after their original bid promised to maintain the athletics track at the stadium.
“It’s serious we deliver what we said we were going to unless we’re prepared to trash our reputation,” Coe said.
“It’d be very difficult for us to be taken seriously in the corridors of world sport and arguably beyond.”
“I remember delivering a vision about a generation of young people being inspired to take up Olympic sports, I remember talking about young people in a poor community in East London fashioning their future through sport.”
“I don’t recall a whole heap about bulldozing down a publicly-funded community facility, replacing it with a football club and inspiring a generation of Tottenham season ticket holders, however many there may be on a waiting list.”
“We set up legacy board when we were bidding and there is a viable bid on the table (West Ham’s) which is presenting exactly the case we made.”
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“The West Ham bid meets those commitments; I would have to vote for it.”
A decision on the future of the site is expected Friday.
There’s been many crazes at Old Trafford over the years, moo hoodies, upturned collars, clear plastic mackintosh’s, green and gold scarves, the list is endless. One craze that seems to be gathering momentum of late is the idea of blaming a certain Darron Gibson every time United put in a below-par performance.
It seems regardless of how other players perform if young Darron’s on the pitch then it’s surely his fault that United haven’t played as well as they could and he deserves to be chastised accordingly. The disappointing results against Rangers, West Brom, Birmingham and more recently the poor performances in the first half against Blackpool and Southampton were blamed by many on Gibson.
Take the draw at home against West Brom for example, Gibson entered the fray with United 2-0 up at the end of the first half when Ryan Giggs picked up a knock. Cue lots of ranting and laying the blame squarely on Gibson’s door as surely if he comes on when United are winning and then they draw- it’s obviously all his fault. Such fallacies of logic are commonplace when it comes to analysing the impact of Gibson.The game against Blackpool was the same with many citing the introduction of Giggs in Gibson’s place as the games turning point. This is actually true but it wasn’t Gibson who was the only poor performer in a United shirt in that first half at Bloomfield Road, there were other more experienced players who were equally as bad.
A quick glance at the stats for this season will tell you that Gibson has one assist and no goals in eight EPL games, however a more in-depth look will tell you that of those eight games- only three were starts- and he was subbed in two of those. In the Carling Cup Gibson fared a little better with a goal and an assist in just two games.
While those stats hardly make you drool with excitement at the prospect of Gibson’s next United appearance they do tell us that the term ‘stop start’ would be something of an understatement for the midfielder. Playing less than 1/4 of United’s games is hardly enough to give any player either the run or the confidence they need.
Part of the problem for Gibson has been his penchant for shooting at almost every opportunity- so much so that ironic shouts of “shoot” echo around Old Trafford when he gets the ball anywhere near the opposition penalty area. Yet Gibson has risen above many other United prospects-arguably due to his reputation of packing a decent long-range shot. Last season was a case in point, when his long range efforts against the likes of Spurs, West Ham and Bayern Munich seemed to cement his reputation as someone who could score from distance. Unfortunately for Gibson those goals, haven’t been forthcoming in his brief appearances this time round and he’s struggled to convince many of the Old Trafford faithful of his value to the team.
Here-in lies part of the problem, Gibson has had no real run in the side, yet is expected to show his worth when he does play so what does he do? He tries to score from long range efforts, yet when he fails it merely convinces everyone he shouldn’t be in the team, it’s a bit of a catch 22. If Gibson was given a decent run then there’s no doubt his shootig would improve and the goals would come, yet with Anderson, Scholes, Fletcher, Carrick and even Giggs all standing in his way then his chances are limited to say the least.
It’s not as if Gibson is a bad player- following his goal against Bayern Munich last season – I’m sure I wasn’t the only United fan eating a bit of humble pie after questioning his inclusion in the team that night. Sir Alex obviously rates him otherwise he wouldn’t have picked him for such an important game and he wouldn’t have kept him in the squad this season.
I’ll be honest and admit at times, I’ve questioned why Fergie persists with him but as I’ve learned over the years, the United manager is seldom wrong when it comes to deciding who’s good enough for the side and even I’ll confess that there are times when Gibson looks as though he could give United a different, useful option in midfield.
Some people have compared him to Paul Scholes and suggested he could replace him one day which is grossly unfair. Not only is Scholes one of the greatest midfielders of all time- that may sound over the top but I whole-heartedly mean it- but he’s a different type of player to Gibson altogether. Gibson may shoot from range, which Scholes does- or used to do a lot better than anyone- but other than that I can’t see too many similarities.
Gibson is no Paul Scholes, but there’s no shame in that- after all Michael Carrick is no Roy Keane and we don’t expect him to be.
The point I’m making is that it’s time to get off young Darron’s case and realise he’s not the root of all evil. You can almost feel the contempt some United fans hold him in at times and it reminds me of the way a certain Bulgarian was treated by some not a million years ago.
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At United I’ve seen players such as Berbatov, Anderson, Fletcher, Carrick and Jonny Evans all come in for harsh criticism over the past few years and by and large they’ve proved their detractors wrong.
Gibson may not be perfect but as long as he dons the Red shirt I for one will be getting behind him, you never know with a bit of support he may even surprise us all.
Read more of Justin Mottershead articles at the NEW Red Flag Flying High
Midfielder Franck Ribery has hit back at former national coach Raymond Domenech for his attack on France’s World Cup squad.Ribery was a member of Domenech’s squad during France’s infamous player walkout at the 2010 World Cup in South Africa.The French players refused to train in a show of a support for Nicolas Anelka, who was sent home for a heated verbal exchange with Domenech during France’s loss to Mexico.Domenech, who was replaced by Laurent Blanc after France crashed out in the group stages, slammed the players as ‘brats’ for their part in the affair.But Ribery, who competes at club level with German giants Bayern Munich, has criticised the former manager for the timing of his outburst.”I don’t know why he says these things. I find it a shame,” Ribery told L’Equipe. ”The World Cup has gone, I don’t want to talk about Domenech anymore. I am very motivated to get back in the France team with a new staff and new coach.””In South Africa Domenech didn’t talk to us. He should have done it immediately, not only now. He should have said it to our face, it’s not good.”Domenech broke his silence over France’s World Cup disaster on Tuesday, saying he was unfairly singled out when blamed was being apportioned following the humiliating opening round exit.”Everyone is talking instead of me. I want to restore the truth. I’m not the moron that people are describing me as,” he told L’Express.”Let’s be clear: I got it wrong, I mustn’t have chosen the right players nor found the words that were needed.””With hindsight, I see them mainly as a bunch of foolhardy brats.”
Everton boss David Moyes will not relax until his side is a mathematical certainty to avoid relegation from the English Premier League.A 2-1 win over Newcastle on Saturday went some way to securing Everton’s future in the top flight for another year, but their realistic manager is not prepared to rest on his laurels ahead of Wednesday’s clash with Birmingham City.”If we had lost at Newcastle, we might have been looking over our shoulders,” said Moyes, whose side lie in 10th and six points from the relegation places.”And if we don’t get a result in the next few home games, we might be back looking over our shoulders again. I think that is the way the league is at the moment. I think everyone is in that position.””It’s not quite gone yet, and it won’t be until we are far enough up the league and it is mathematically impossible.”The former Preston manager is too cautious to reveal the figure he believes will ensure his side’s safety.”Nobody knows what the points total is. I think everybody’s suggestion is that it’s going to be higher than what it’s been in the past,” he said.”If that is the case, then everybody is battling to try and get the points.”Birmingham suffered a crushing defeat to West Brom on Saturday, bringing them back to earth after their Carling Cup win against Arsenal on February 27. Moyes, however, is mindful that their Wembley performance is a warning of how good they can be.”I think they did great to get a result against Arsenal, and I think that showed you the level of the Premiership and how tough it is,” he said.Everton captain Phil Neville has been ruled out of the game after picking up a hamstring injury in the win over Newcastle.Dutch utility man John Heitinga took his place from the bench and is set to start on Wednesday. Moyes will also be without his first-choice midfield pairing of Tim Cahill (foot) and Marouane Fellaini, with the latter ruled out of the rest of the season with ankle injury.
Felix Magath has returned to Wolfsburg as head coach just two days after his departure from Bundesliga rivals Schalke.Magath, 57, parted company with Schalke on Wednesday and has already agreed a two-year contract with Wolfsburg, the club he walked out on after winning the Bundesliga title in 2009. The former Germany international departed Schalke acrimoniously despite guiding the club to the DFB Cup final and the last eight of the Champions League. Magath claims he resigned, but other reports indicate he was sacked. He is now tasked with saving struggling Wolfsburg from relegation.”I agreed immediately,” Magath said in regards to the offer from his former club.”When I left Wolfsburg after the amazing success, there was a lot of sadness. I was always happy here.” “Of course the contact from Wolfsburg a few days ago came as a surprise, but I did not have to consider it for a second. Everything then went very quickly.”Wolfsburg sacked English manager Steve McLaren in February and the team have since lost four out of five matches under caretaker Pierre Littbarski and are second bottom in the league, two points from safety. General manager Dieter Hoeness has paid for the failures of McLaren and Littbarski with his job – the former Bayern striker will now leave the club, with Magath set to take over his duties. “We had several open and constructive discussions to analyse the situation, but we had different opinions,” Wolfsburg chairman Dr Garcia Sanz said, referring to Hoeness’s stance on the new manager.”We therefore decided to part company mutually. We would like to thank Dieter Hoeness for the work he has done.””We made contact with Felix Magath on Tuesday evening and then everything went quite quickly.”
Ahead of the Euro 2012 qualifier between Wales and England at the Millennium Stadium on Saturday, former Wales international Chris Coleman has been talking about the future of Welsh football, and why it is definitely on the up…
Wales have two outstanding young players in Gareth Bale and Aaron Ramsey. Could they head a ‘Golden Generation’ of players for Wales over the next few years?
Well, if there is to be a golden generation around the corner then Bale and Ramsey will be at the head of it. I’m sure there is though, because we have been waiting and waiting for it, but some of these players are not 19 or 20 anymore, they are 24 or 25 now. They’ve got to step up to the plate. It’s no good just talking about Bale, Ramsey and Craig Bellamy, the other player have got to step up. They need to have some pride in pulling on the Wales jersey and turning up for every game.
If you look at the last half a dozen games, if you can show me another country which has had more players pull out then I would be incredibly surprised. Wales are having about a dozen withdrawals every game, and you can’t have that, I’m not putting that all down to injuries and suspensions, no way. Whether players had a problem with the previous manager or not, as a player you still turn up and do your best because playing for your country is one of the highest accolades you can have in your career. I just feel that because we were having a bad time with Wales, putting that red jersey on has been watered down a little bit by certain people, which disappoints me. If you can’t get your best squad together on a consistent basis, the results are not going to be good, especially for a small country like ourselves.
So, first and foremost, let’s make sure we have our best players playing every game, because that’s when we can start climbing the rankings. That’s when we get a bit of pride and confidence back.
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Which other Welsh players should we watch out for aside from Bale and Ramsay?
I have been very impressed with Andy King, the Leicester midfielder. Sven-Goran Eriksson has been getting the best out of him. I saw him a few years ago and I thought he was a good player. He plays that central midfield role very well, either in a flat two or as part of a three pushing forward and trying to run in behind the striker. He times his runs into the box very well.
Joe Ledley left Cardiff and went up to Celtic where he has performed well. He’s a good midfielder with a great left foot and I actually think that he’d have made a big impact at a Barclays Premier League team.
At the back, Ashley Williams of Swansea is a very good player, and obviously he plays with James Collins of Aston Villa at centre-back. I think those two complement each other very well.
We’ve got some good players, we really have, if we can get them all together and if they are all fit. There is not a lot of pressure on them for this game because England are expected to win, but we have a couple of players in there who can do a bit of damage ourselves.
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How much would a Welsh side (or possibly two) being in the Premier League boost the Welsh game as a whole?
I’m a die-hard Swansea City fan, a born and bred Swansea Jack. But also I am a football enthusiast and I love football and I love my country, so I’d like Swansea and Cardiff to get there. I really would. Obviously, if it were a toss-up I would want Swansea to get there, but I would love the pair of them up there. It would give welsh football a massive boost. The Barclays Premier League is the best and most publicised league in the world, and it would be a tremendous step forward for Wales as a football nation.
Visit the Dugout www.yahoo.co.uk/dugout for new interviews every week with England’s top football managers
This article may be perceived by many as an easy swipe at a still target, but let me assure you readers, I’ve felt this way for quite some time. Steve Bruce stated today that he was the right man to lead Sunderland forward in the future, but after daring to delve a little deeper into Bruce’s muddled team selection and transfer policy while at the club, it’s fair to say that the only thing keeping Bruce in a job at the moment (in my opinion) is his relatively high standing within the game, all of course, garnered during his time as a player, as a manager, however, Bruce leaves a lot to be desired.
Sunderland at the moment look to be a club in absolute freefall. On form, they are currently the worst team plying their trade in the top flight, with just one point and seven defeats from their last eight league games. The main mitigating factor in Bruce’s defence has been the at times crippling injury list which he has had to work with. But this article isn’t solely about the dismal run the club are currently on, but whether Bruce remains the best man for the job.
Bruce stated that: “Eight games ago, I was the best thing since sliced bread – in some people’s eyes – and within eight games, now all of a sudden people want me out” before going onto add “It is what it is, managing in the North East. But I still don’t regret it, I am still confident I am the right person for the job.”
Now an eight game winless run, in a league as difficult to read and close as this year’s Premier League is always likely to render you in trouble. Sunderland have gone from a side challenging for a European place, to one which is now just six points off of 18th placed West Ham and in real danger of being sucked into a relegation dogfight.
One thing to extrapolate from Aston Villa’s troubles this season has been their relative success since the acquisition of Darren Bent and his former club’s troubles since his departure. With Bent at the club, Sunderland managed to gather 34 points from 23 games, since he left for Villa they’ve only accrued 4 points from 9 games. Aston Villa on the other hand have added a much needed 15 points from 10 games, whereas prior to his arrival it was 22 points from 22 games.
As of now, Villa now stand just one point behind Sunderland in the league, despite the troubles of Houllier’s spell at the club. Should Villa leapfrog Sunderland in the league and go onto finish ahead of them in the league at the end of play, then there will be no greater vindication of Bent’s move than that. With the price of relegation ever more costly, the £24m Villa shelled out on Bent in January is starting to look like something representing value for money.
Asamoah Gyan has proved a successful signing, yet he cannot be relied upon in the same way to deliver a consistent stream of goals in the way Bent was during his time on Wearside. It’s fair to say that they’ve felt his loss a lot more keenly than they had ever previously anticipated.
Bruce thinks he remains a divisive figure among Sunderland fans due to his Geordie heritage, however, I think this would prove to be nothing more than a useful deflective tactic of the manager to use when under pressure. In a league as competitive as the Premier League, where hopes are dashed and reignited on an almost weekly basis, would Bruce still be in a job were it not for his standing within the game as a player?
Also, when looking at the Sunderland squad, it’s difficult to define quite what a Steve Bruce player is. Baring the smorgasbord of nationalities, which make a mockery of the petulant tantrum by Marcos Angeleri earlier on in the campaign, Bruce has no definable quality that he looks for in a player which makes entrusting him with the task of rebuilding the squad in the summer all the more worrying. The squad lacks a coherent plan behind it and the shape of the first-team line-up looks like an ever-changing scenario, even without the bad run of injuries that they‘ve had.
During his time at Sunderland, Bruce has received significant backing from messrs Short and Quinn, yet there has been little progress made to represent value for money in the faith emplaced in Bruce in the transfer market so far. The side still looks short of width and pace as well as a leader or two among the ranks.
Such is the paucity of quality within the bottom rungs of the Premier League, that Sunderland should be just about safe come the end of the season. They have a modest run-in in which they should be able to pick up the points required to ensure their safety, yet there has to be real concern around the hierarchy of Sunderland football club that Bruce’s time at the club is spent and that in order to rouse the troops going into a new campaign, fresh ideas and methods are needed at the helm.
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Under Bruce‘s management, Sunderland remain a Premier League side (just about) lacking direction and in search of an identity; it is because of this that Bruce deserves to go, not because of his Geordie roots or the eight game winless streak that he will inevitably point to as reasons for discontent on the terraces. His failure to arrest the club’s slide and the downturn in performances on the pitch is an indication of a wider, larger problem at the club and one that I very much doubt Bruce is capable of turning around.
Despite reaching a Champions League quarter final and still challenging for qualification again through their league position, Tottenham’s forwards of Jermain Defoe, Roman Pavlyuchenko and Peter Crouch have only managed 31 goals between them in all competitions. With constant speculation that Harry Redknapp will be looking for a new striker in the summer transfer window, who represents the best option?
Lisandro López
Known as ‘licha bianca’ (the one who wears you down), López was seen as the ideal replacement for Karim Benzema after the Frenchman’s move to Real Madrid, and the Argentinian forward duly obliged in filling his predecessor’s boots. López can either be deployed as a lone striker, wide on the left or behind an orthodox centre-forward; the former Porto’s man versatility would be a key asset in Tottenham’s side, allowing Harry Redknapp to partner him with any of his current mis-firing forwards, should they still be there after the summer.
Asamoah Gyan
A favourite amongst fans for his obvious love for the game, is truly a real entertainer and arguably one of the signings of the season. The Ghanaian international thrived in the early stages of his Black Cats career, forming an understanding with fellow forward Darren Bent, however, since the Englishman’s departure to Aston Villa, Gyan has only added two goals to his tally (with one of them being against Spurs). My point is that Gyan is without a doubt a real talent, but the Black Stars striker needs a fellow competent forward alongside him, something Spurs do not have. They are looking to sign an attacker who can lead from the front and score goals consistently, not another supporting striker.
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Didier Drogba
We all know the talents of the Ivorian forward, and rather surprisingly he is rumoured to be available for transfer despite still overshadowing £50 million signing Fernando Torres. Drogba would be the perfect solution to all of Tottenham’s attacking troubles, with an eye for goal, a powerful presence in the attacking third and vast amounts of experience; the only slight hesitation ‘Arry may have about signing the Chelsea man is that at the age of 33, Drogba has two seasons left in him at most and despite his age, the reported figure for the former Marseille man is £13 million, just £2 million shy of the supposed fee for the much younger López.
Diego Milito
Any forward that averages just over a goal every two appearances over his entire career would be a player any manager would want. Last season Milito was voted UEFA Club Footballer and Attacker of the year; the Argentinian had a fantastic year, but ignoring accolades, is he the man to lead the Lilywhites front line? The Argentinian is a fantastic forward, with the ability to score all sorts of goals, including the big match winning goals against the likes of Arsenal, and with rumours rife of the prolific forward being available for a mere £5 million many of Europe’s elite will be surely sniffing around the San Siro. Milito, it seems, ticks all the boxes for the striker that Tottenham need.
Giuseppe Rossi
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The Italian has been linked with Tottenham for at least 12 months now and despite having had a successful spell with Villarreal, Rossi still has his doubters after a very poor spell with Manchester United; perhaps he has just found his level at La Liga? Coupled with the inflated price required to sign the former Parma man (after he signed a contract extension last year), and also the fact that he plays in much the same role as Van Der Vaart, a deep lying attacker, means that the Italian really isn’t the best option for Spurs.
Mirror Football is reporting that WBA manager Roy Hodgson is ready to offer Chris Brunt a bumper new contract in a bid to kill off interest in the player from Liverpool and Aston Villa. Hodgson is keen to tie West Brom skipper Brunt down to a longer contract and prevent his exit from the Hawthorns this summer.
Liverpool’s director of football Damien Comolli is a huge admirer £8m rated midfielder – who was made West Brom captain by former Anfield boss Hodgson earlier this year. Aston Villa is targeting the 26 year old as a potential replacement for Ashley Young at the end of the season.
Brunt really made a name for himself in the lower leagues with Sheffield Wednesday and in the earlier part of his spell with West Brom. Brunt has since proved himself to be a highly accomplished Premier League footballer and also won over 20 caps for Nothern Ireland.
However, Hodgson has recommended a new deal for Brunt – who has two years remaining on his current deal. Hodgson said on the issue “At the moment, we have spoken internally about plans and ideas, but if it was up to me I would not want to make wholesale changes.”
West Brom are also keen to tie down leading scorer Peter Odemwingie and defender Abdoulaye Meite to longer term deals.
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