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Fabio Capello insisted on Saturday that he does not yet deserve to be compared to Sir Alf Ramsey, the man he hopes to emulate by transforming England into world-beaters.

Ramsey coached England to their only World Cup success back in 1966 but Capello's impressive first year in charge of the national squad already has many observers tipping the Italian's team as champions in South Africa in 2010.

But Capello says there is plenty of work ahead if the England of Rio Ferdinand, John Terry, Theo Walcott and Wayne Rooney are to be kings of the world.

“Someone spoke to me about this big manager (Ramsey) but we have to wait. He's up here - I'm still down here,” said Capello.

“It's a very long way to arrive at the level of Sir Alf Ramsey - it is difficult and very, very long.”

Capello has overseen a dramatic improvement in the national team's fortunes in 2008.

After the low of failing to qualify for Euro 2008 under Steve McClaren, England have reached the end of the year on course for the World Cup finals boasting a perfect record in the qualifiers.

For good measure, they ended 2008 with a 2-1 friendly win over Germany in Berlin with their only loss in the year coming against France.

“It's been step forward, step forward,” Capello said.

“I'm very happy because the last game against Germany we played very well. The first 11 was new players, some players who hadn't played a lot of games, and we won and this is very important for the future.

“We had another (stepping) stone for the future.”

Capello added that, unlike McClaren, he was determined to maintain barriers between himself and his players.

“It's not important to play cards or games with the players. It's not important to me to be one of the lads,” said the Italian.

“The important thing is respect. I always say a manager is one against 24 always - there is one boss, one leader being judged by 24 players, in every moment he is under scrutiny and it's important the players know that is my role. The leader is the leader.”

Written by SoccerNews · Tags: English Premier League, World Cup

Four out of ten in the predictions yesterday. That’s pretty good for me! You can’t predict into the future though. Who could possibly predict the results for future? Who could possibly know where a player is going to be by the end of January?

We are just a few days away from the silly season that is the January transfer window. It is silly because everyone will be linked to a move from everywhere to anywhere and the media will heighten the tension and speculation by reporting on every time a player sneezes in a manner likely to mean he is on the move!

Semblance of truth

I just want to point out that this site will be no exception! We will tell you about every rumour, whether it is based on a semblance of truth or whether it has come about because the friend of one of my mate’s cousins works in Rochdale and he says that one of his mate’s sister’s friend’s auntie definitely saw Lionel Messi going into the Rochdale players entrance in disguise!

The rumours annoy me and interest me in just about equal measures. The stories very often turn out to be totally untrue but the fun is in trying to spot the ones that actually are possibilities.

In the week before Christmas alone, I saw the following rumours:

Carlos Tevez from Manchester United to Arsenal
Diego Lopez from Villarreal to Manchester City
Adriano from Inter to just about anywhere
Arsenio Halfhuid from Excelsior Rotterdam to Aston Villa
Eljero Elia from FC Twente to Ajax
Andrei Arshavin from Zenit to Barcelona
Andrei Arshavin from Zenit to Real Madrid
Andrei Arshavin from Zenit to Tottenham
Andrei Arshavin from Zenit to Arsenal
Massimo Donati from Celtic to Milan
Roque Santa Cruz from Blackburn to Manchester City
Gokhan Inler from Udinese to Arsenal
Gianluigi Buffon from Juventus to Manchester City
Didier Zokora from Tottenham to Portsmouth
Stewart Downing from Middlesbrough to Tottenham
Matthew Upson from West Ham to Manchester City
Any top player in the world from anywhere to Manchester City

That is just a very few of the hundreds and hundreds of rumours that are wildly circulating around the media fuelled transfer frenzy in football as the window prepares to open.

Most likely

As I say, the exciting bit is to work out which of them might be based on truth. From the above list, the most likely move seems to be the last one. Any top player from anywhere to Manchester City!

Robinho proved that top players may be prepared to move to an under achieving club rather than a Champions League club if the money is right. Having said that, Robinho couldn’t establish a regular place in the Real Madrid team and they hardly set Europe alight in his time at the club.

Well renowned

Other likely moves in England I think will invole Tottenham who may well ship out a few and bring in a few. Harry Redknapp is well renowned for his transfer dealings and he will be looking to stamp his mark on the team. I also think it likely that Santa Cruz will leave Blackburn.

In Italy, I would expect Jose Mourinho to expand his Inter squad although whether he will raid his old Stamford Bridge hunting groundis less certain.

I would also expect Juande Ramos to try to strengthen his Real Madrid team with more signings than just Lassana Diarra.

Square root

So there we have it. Although most of the rumours will be based on the square root of bugger all, the transfer window always leads to some interesting and exciting speculation.

SoccerNews will be bringing it all to you as it happens and we can all dream that the signing that will make all the difference to our team is going to be the one that makes the headlines.

As a Watford supporter, I am told by the board of the club that we will be selling in January to ensure that the club balances the books and manages to survive. I accept that, but I’m sure we’ll make one big signing that will see us roaring up the table towards the Championship play-off places.

In fact, my brother told me that a friend of his in Watford was shopping in WH Smith in the town the other day and he had spoken to a bloke he used to work with who told him that a friend of his uncle’s had been told that one of his mates had seen Thierry Henry walking towards Watford’s Vicarage Road ground.

Written by Graham Fisher · Tags: Editorial, General Soccer News, Transfer News & Transfer Rumours

Friday 26th December 2008

# Aston Villa v Arsenal

The battle for fourth place hots up with this one on Boxing Day. For those people who feel that there shouldn’t be football over the festive period, this is a mouth watering game to prove them wrong.

I’m not happy about the Summer break so I certainly wouldn’t support a Winter one. All year round football I say!

I think Arsene Wenger’s knowledge of how to get in and stay in that top four will see them through against the young pretenders to their fourth placed throne. They might have had a poorish season but wins against United and Chelsea and a ten man draw against Liverpool show that they are still one of the best four.

SoccerNews prediction: 1-2
# Chelsea v West Brom

I’d love to give West Brom some Christmas cheer but it just isn’t possible with this fixture.

On the plus side, teams that have ‘shut up shop’ at Stamford Bridge have shown that Chelsea can be frustrated and have managed to get decent results. On the negative side, West Brom have absolutely no idea how to ‘shut up shop’.

SoccerNews prediction: 3-0
# Liverpool v Bolton

Stuttering at home Liverpool against unpredictable away Bolton. That’s an easy one to predict then!

I think the Reds might keep their title dreams alive for a bit longer here and maybe make Gary Megson wonder if his team could be in trouble after all.

SoccerNews prediction: 3-1
# Manchester City v Hull

One of Manchester City’s last games before they spend goodness knows how many millions of pounds in the transfer window.

I have consistently predicted that the Hull bubble will burst but even I have been convinced that it might not. Having said that of course, the 4-1 defeat at home to Sunderland might be the start of things to come. They need to bounce back and I fancy them to get something here by attacking City’s fragile looking defence.

SoccerNews prediction: 1-2
# Middlesbrough v Everton

Just when Middlesbrough looked as though they were returning to type and slipping down the table, they turned in a great performance against Arsenal a couple of weeks ago. After that though they produce a dreadful performance at Fulham and they are now the only Premier League side without a win in their last six games.

Everton are back in the race for fourth or fifth place and they have done so without playing well and without any strikers. It’s a good effort by them.

SoccerNews prediction: 0-1
# Portsmouth v West Ham

The eleven Portsmouth players are still only looking half the side under Tony Adams than they looked under Harry Redknapp. I still haven’t worked out why that is.

West Ham are beginning to fight a little more now that they have realised that they really might be in a relegation scrap.

SoccerNews prediction: 1-1
# Stoke v Manchester United

Stoke have upset Arsenal and Liverpool this season and they will be looking to do again against the might of Manchester United.

They’ve got no chance.

SoccerNews prediction: 0-2
# Sunderland v Blackburn

This looked as though it would be the battle of the poor sides without a manager. Blackburn acted very quickly to appoint Sam Allardyce but Sunderland are still dragging their heels.

No doubt both sides will for inexplicable reasons continue to play better without the old Manchester United influence of Roy Keane and Paul Ince.

I don’t think this will be a game for the lover of pass and move football, that’s for sure!

SoccerNews prediction: 1-0
# Tottenham v Fulham

Two teams that have continued to surprise. Tottenham are so much better than they were at the start of the season and Fulham are so much better than they were last season.

The two managers are very different. Harry Redknapp is full of personality and Fulham have got Roy Hodgson.

SoccerNews prediction: 2-1
# Wigan v Newcastle

Wigan are a decent side but Newcastle are definitely getting better under Joe Kinnear. Many of their injured stars are back and things are finally beginning to look ever so slightly up for the Toon Army.

Written by Graham Fisher · Tags: Editorial, English Premier League

Christmas day is here. To all of you who celebrate Christmas I wish you a very merry one and I hope that you have a great day. To all of you who don’t celebrate Christmas, I hope you have a good December 25th as well!

Peace

At a time such as this it is worth remembering just what a power for peace and good, football is. In a world of famine, fear and violence. In a world of hatred and jealousy, football is one of very few things that can unite us all.

Take this simple football site. I write things about world football from my home in Southern England. The few hardy readers come from all over the globe. Many of you disagree with much of what I write and many of you disagree with each other. It is rare for anyone to agree on matters about the clubs we actually support. You can attack me or my family, but don’t criticise my football team!!

Love

Despite our differences of opinion on the game and our different backgrounds, lives and cultures, we all agree on one thing. We love football.

So at this festive time of year we should never under play the importance of the game. Some strange people say they can’t understand why people get so excited by watching twenty-two grown men (or women) chasing a ball around a field. Well, whilst not quite agreeing with the famous Bill Shankley quote about football being more important than life and death, the game is so much more than just a game.

Joy

It gives us excitement, frustration, joy, anger and despair. In fact, you name an emotion and football can, and does, produce it.

Written by Graham Fisher · Tags: Editorial, General Soccer News

It also has the unique and incredibly important ability to transcend politics and arguments and loathing to bring the people of the world together.

Football is an important piece of all of our lives and long may it continue.

To football fans everywhere, have a wonderful day.

Written by Graham Fisher · Tags: Editorial, General Soccer News

World football body FIFA announced it has lifted its suspensions on the federations of Kuwait, Samoa and Peru.

Kuwait was suspended in late October for political interference and the lifting of its ban is only provisional to allow them to play in Asian Cup qualifying starting in January and the Gulf Cup.

Whether the ban returns will be reviewed at FIFA’s Congress in March.

In the case of the Samoans, they were suspended for “repeated management problems” in October, but this has been resolved following meetings of the FIFA executive committee on the sidelines of the Club World Cup here.

A row with the government over alleged political interference in Peru saw that federation suspended last month, but they too are now in the clear.


Written by SoccerNews · Tags: World Cup

Impractical

In a week whereby the Scottish managers have agreed an extremely laudable but impractical deal in which they will refuse to comment on refereeing decisions after games, and a season that has been dominated by the FA’s ‘respect agenda”, the reaction of the manager’s becomes more and more interesting.

Let’s start with the most famous of the allegedly blinkered manager’s, Arsenal’s Arsene Wenger. On Sunday he probably was dealt a harsh blow when referee Howard Webb sent off Emmanuel Adebayor for a second bookable offence. The first yellow card was fairly clear cut and there were few arguments about it. The second card was, having seen the incident in slow motion and from several different angles, a little bit harsh.

Over the ball

What referee Howard Webb saw was that the striker had his foot raised as he competed with Alvaro Arbeloa and caught the defender with his elbow as he spun. On first view it looked like he had gone ‘over the ball’ and had also raised his arm. In fact, he probably did neither of those things but it was obvious to everyone watching, why Howard Webb produced the card. Everyone that is except Arsene Wenger.

“It was very soft. If we get red cards like that from opponents away from home then I’m very happy. It was not a red card, it was not a second yellow card. I don’t know what it was for and I’m sure he (the referee) doesn’t know.”

I can understand Wenger being bitterly disappointed by the decision, despite the fact that his side were so much better with ten men than they had been with eleven, but to say he doesn’t know what it was for is stretching the truth.

Leg breaking

The second incident involved Middlesbrough’s Julio Arca. As I said yesterday, Arca is not a dirty or malicious player, but the awful challenge he put in on Fulham’s Andrew Johnson on Saturday was a potential leg breaking disgrace. There is no doubt that it should have seen the player given a red card and facing at least a three match ban.

Unbelievably the referee, despite having seen the incident clearly, decided it was worthy only of a yellow card. Middlesbrough were incredibly lucky to keep eleven men on the pitch but went on to lose 3-0 anyway.

At 1-0 down, Middlesbrough conceded a harsh penalty for handball when the ball clearly struck a hand but there was little the defender could have done to get out of the way.

Try to guess which incident Middlesbrough manager Gareth Southgate wanted to talk about afterwards.

“There was huge decision given against us when we were 1-0 down when they were given a penalty and scored from it. We have had three unbelievable decisions against us in the last three weeks. We refuse to criticise referees but it is there for everyone to see.”

What a shame that Southgate didn’t also criticise the decision not to reduce his team to ten men and condemn the tackle made by his player.

The third incident involved Plymouth player Simon Walton being sent-off in their Championship defeat at Barnsley. Walton has a chequered disciplinary past and is Plymouth’s record signing. He has only just forced his way back into the team after falling out of favour.

Criticise the referee

Did his manager Paul Sturrock criticise the referee or look to other decisions in the game to blame his side’s defeat on?

No. He spoke very clearly about his own player’s lack of discipline.

“I just cannot believe the boy’s mentality to get back in the team and then show that kind of stupidity, it will cost him dear. He’s cost us dear as far as the game’s concerned. It’s very difficult to play with 11 men in this league never mind 10.”

Well done to Sturrock for his honesty. So who else has been honest and accepted the sending-off of one of his players?

I know it is hard to believe but despite losing his immense defender Nemanja Vidic for the first leg of the Champions League battle with Inter, Sir Alex Ferguson calmly accepted the referee’s decision to send him off in the Club World Cup final.

“It’s a soft sending off but he swung an elbow. When you do that in front of the referee you’ve got no chance. He gave the referee no option.”

Now surely if Sir Alex can be that mellow, anyone can! Maybe the Scottish managers have got it right and managers should not be allowed to comment on referee decisions.

Written by Graham Fisher · Tags: Editorial, English Premier League, General Soccer News

This morning’s Sunday Mirror newspaper goes with a remarkable story that Arsenal are preparing to sign Manchester United’s loan star Carlos Tevez in a deal that will shatter their previous £11m record transfer fee. Whilst the idea of Arsenal signing a Manchester United player who struggles to get a regular first team game seemed absolutely ludicrous to me until I remembered Michael Silvestre.

Pecking order

The twenty-four year old Argentinian striker has been pushed down the pecking order at Old Trafford with Sir Alex Ferguson preferring the combination of Wayne Rooney and Dimitar Berbatov in his forward line this season so far. Tevez will get another chance to stake a claim for a regular place in the team when the club world cup final gets underway later but he would willingly swap that for a place in the United line-up against Stoke on Boxing Day.

When Carlos Tevez arrived at Old Trafford back in 2007 a new United hero was born. He signed from, well, nobody really knows, but his last club was West Ham! After scoring the goal for West Ham against United at Old Trafford that kept West Ham in the Premier League, Fergie stepped in to bring him to Manchester.

110% effort

His all action, hard working, 110% effort style of play is always going to make him a crowd favourite and he quickly established himself in the side alongside the likes of Rooney and Cristiano Ronaldo. In fact, those three became a mainstay of United’s wonderful double winning season. As the Summer break began, Tevez had no reason to fear for his future at the club.

The arrival of Dimitar Berbatov at the last minute of the transfer window deadline day will have been a blow to Tevez. He said all the right things about, ‘welcoming the competition’. ‘looking forward to the challenge,’ etc, but it must have been a severe blow to him in reality.

Goal spree

Since the start of the season, Tevez has been a bit part player and despite performances like his four goal spree in the Carling Cup victory over Blackburn, he is still the current third choice striker. For a man who is not on a permanent deal and is an Argentina international looking forward to playing and starring in the 2010 world cup under Diego Maradona, a bit part role will surely not keep him happy.

It doesn’t seem likely that he would move to North London, but if he was offered the chance of a permanent deal and regular first team football, it might be a difficult move to refuse.

What would Arsenal be getting for their money if the deal became a reality? This compilation shows what he can do.

At United, assuming that Wayne Rooney’s role will continue to be pretty secure, the other striking berth is a straight choice between Tevez and the mercurial twenty-seven year old Bulgarian, Dimitar Berbatov. You get great quality from both of them but that is where the similarity ends.

Worker

Tevez is a worker. He chases everything, hassles defenders and regards nothing as a lost cause. He can produce moments of brilliance but what he will always produse is ‘blood, sweat and tears’. Berbatov, on the other hand is a completely different character.

In contrast to Tevez, he always appears to be strolling through games. I often wonder if he even bothers to shower afterwards as he hasn’t actually broken out into a sweat at any stage. Having said that, he can also produce moments of footballing magic that have rarely been seen in the game. His first touch and his vision and awareness are second to none.

Infuriate

I like them both as players but Berbatov would infuriate me with his workrate. I would have to put up with it though, because he can produce things that nobody else can. It is a fact that although Berbatov would make me pull what is left of my hair out with his apparent lack of effort, I would almost certainly select him ahead of the wonderful, hard working, but slightly less talented Tevez.

Obviously I have no idea if there is any truth in the Sunday Mirror story, but I would imagine a move for regular first team football would appeal to Tevez at this stage of his career. Sir Alex wouldn’t want to lose him but he has to pick his best side and at the moment, that doesn’t include him.

I’ll be watching this one unfold with more interest than most of the transfer rumours, because I like Carlos Tevez. In fact, I don’t know anyone who doesn’t like him.

Written by Graham Fisher · Tags: Editorial, English Premier League, Transfer News & Transfer Rumours, Videos