Football fans’ willingness to show their dedication comes in all shapes and sizes. One such way is to splay their dedication over their body in the form of a tattoo. I can understand why somebody might choose to tattoo their footballing allegiance onto their body. Whilst women come and go, a football team is for life. It’s the manly man’s equivalent of getting “I love mom’ yet a tattoo is a big commitment, so it’s important to get it right. As you can imagine, this process isn’t always a success.
Below are the top 10 Liverpool tattoo’s to be found on the net – the good, the bad and the plain ugly – click on image below to unveil gallery:
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Have you got a better Liverpool tattoo? Football FanCast would like to invite the readers to submit their own entry via our Facebook Page. The winning entries will go forward to our grand competition to find the best tattoo in the Premier League.
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Liverpool manager Kenny Dalglish has backed under-fire Andy Carroll, despite the striker failing to make an impact on Merseyside.
The England international forward moved to Anfield from Newcastle in a British transfer fee record of £35 million back in January 2011, but has only scored eight goals in 47 games.
Despite the large amount of money spent on the attacker and the lack of return as yet, Dalglish has maintained that Carroll is an asset to the team.
“I’m sure whatever we say about whatever Andy had done, opinion will always be split,” the Scot told The Telegraph.
“There are always going to be people saying it was good or bad. But that doesn’t make any difference. For me, we were delighted to get him and we’re still very pleased to have him.”
Carroll returns to Tyneside for the first time since he left the Sports Direct Arena on Saturday when Liverpool play Newcastle, and Dalglish feels it would be harsh should the former attacker get booed.
“I’m not sure he will get abuse, because what happened was outside his control. They pay their entrance money and if they want to give him stick, they will give.
“But I don’t think he ever did anything other than give his best for Newcastle, and then they got £35 million into the bargain as well. That’s not bad, is it?
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“If you get booed, you take it as a compliment. Andy will be excited about going back. It’s the club he supported as a boy, the club that introduced him and gave him his chance in professional football. He will be excited about it as a local boy and will be looking forward to the game,” he concluded.
As the 2011-12 season ticks to a close, many players will have one eye on the upcoming transfer window. Whether certain individuals have disappointed, failed to settle, or performed to a level beyond that which was expected, it’s likely that numerous players will be moving on this summer.
Footballers are not known to stick around nowadays, with the one-club man becoming a dying breed in the Premier League, as a result another busy transfer window is all but guaranteed, with clubs across the nation searching for new players and look to remove certain stars from their wage bills.
This list looks at 20 players who are likely to have a long summer ahead of them, as they search for a new club for the start of the 2012-12 campaign.
Click on Gylfi Sigurdsson to unveil the 20
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What are your thoughts? Find me at @Alex_Hams to have your say
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Premier League chief executive Richard Scudamore has admitted that goal-line technology will be rolled out as soon as possible, but will not happen next season.
Many in the game have been calling for the use of technology to ensure correct decisions are made, after seeing this work well in other sports.
However the Premier League supremo admits that next season will come to soon for the extension plans.
“It’s imminent and we’ll look to put it in front of our clubs as soon as we practically can in terms of implementation,” he told Sky Sports.
“But it is unlikely to be for next season given the time scales involved – FIFA approving it and the start of our season for time, many logistical things would need to happen so unlikely for next season but as soon as we can.”
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You’d like to think Harry Redknapp spent Sunday evening scribbling a strongly worded letter to the FA. Well if illiteracy didn’t stand in his way of doing so then English footballs head honchos would be on the business end of his scorn.
Signing off with a ‘Thanks but no thanks’ the FA would feel the full wrath of the Tottenham boss’ vicious contempt. The revelation that Roy Hodgson was in line to replace Fabio Capello as England manager must have felt like dagger through the heart for Redknapp. His one chance to fulfill a lifelong ambition to take what he refers to as ‘the ultimate job’.
In the wake of Capello’s departure 82 days ago the media hyperbole machine was sent into overdrive. That fateful day on February 8th when the stars appeared to align and events seemed to jump straight from a scriptwriters imagination was to prove a false dawn. The Italian’s resignation was swiftly followed by Redknapp’s acquittal from a tax evasion charge. It was all too perfect
He was the overwhelming favourite to succeed Capello in the Wembley dugout. The Redknapp bandwagon soon kicked into gear as the media plugged the 64-year-olds credentials at every available opportunity. Spurs’ 5-0 thrashing of Newcastle looked to confirm he was the only candidate worth considering. Even influential members of the Three Lions camp championed Redknapp’s case for appointment. It seemed like it was a matter of ‘when’ not ‘if’ his appointment would be rubber-stamped. The decision to hand Hodgson the job contradicts both public and internal opinion.
Foreseeing the destructive effect the media wildfire could have Spurs’ officials instigated a no fly zone for journalists keen to cross-examine Redknapp about England. The FA also acknowledged that approaching him too soon could turn out to be disruptive as the North Londoners challenged for the Premier League trophy. At the time Tottenham were deemed serious title contenders sitting third in the table and breathing down the necks of both Manchester clubs. A champagne performance in the win against Newcastle only served to reaffirm to the media and his adoring fans that ‘Arry was England’s knight in shining armour.
Unfortunately for Spurs the hyperbole machine was already rattling along at breakneck speed. Arrogantly Redknapp had already begun to believe his own hype and Spurs slipped into free fall. Three wins from the next 11 games in all competitions saw their their title dreams wrecked along with their hopes of winning the FA Cup and securing automatic qualification to next seasons Champions League. In the blink of an eye their season had unravelled in the most spectacular of circumstances.
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Redknapp had taken his eye way off the ball and Spurs had paid the price. Speculation soared over his future at the London club with it appearing inevitable that he would be installed as England’s new leading man ahead of Euro 2012. His predestined departure caused a visible shift in the focus of his squad. Uncertainty over whether their manager would be around at the start of next season played heavily on the minds of players. The swashbuckling early season form, that saw them ruthlessly carve teams apart at will, had been substituted for a tentative style that reeked of nervousness and fear. On the pitch they appeared fidgety and restless, their passing and movement lacking in any sort of fluidity and conviction. It’s as if the trust the players had in one other to take risks has evaporated completely.
Morale had irrefutably dipped and, despite his well renowned motivational expertise, Redknapp struggled to conjure the corrective formula. His shortage of tactical knowledge also had a negative impact. Constantly switching Gareth Bale and Luka Modric into the wrong positions stifled their once vibrant play. Quite simply he failed to cope with the pressure of merely being linked with a job that is relentlessly scrutinised by the notoriously brutal national press. Graham Taylor, Steve McClaren and more recently Capello felt the sting of journalist’s keyboards following their sub-standard England reigns. Even as a media darling Redknapp has been pummelled into mental submission under the sheer weight of expectation before he even had the chance to pull on the Three Lions blazer.
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Tottenham have been a casualty of that as has Redknapp’s reputation as a specialist in man management. The FA have undoubtedly taken notice of his failure to nip Spurs’ downturn in the bud ignoring the newspaper and television headlines effectively demanding they give him the job. Opting to overlook the ex-Portsmouth and West Ham chief strikes me as a power move displaying that the English football hierarchy aren’t to be swayed by the national media’s impositions. Not to disparage against Hodgson who is a fine manager in his own right. But is he better or worse than the other pretenders to the throne?
For so long Redknapp appeared to be the only man in the frame. But the sheer level of expectancy from the press and public ultimately proved to be his undoing. He’ll surely view this as the end of his dream to manage England. Meanwhile Spurs will be left picking up the pieces in the aftermath wondering whether their manager has enough in the mental tank to carry on in their hotseat.
After Paul Jewell’s capture of young right back Elliot Hewitt the Ipswich manager will now be looking to strengthen the centre of his defence.
It is understood that Jewell’s number one transfer target was Joel Ward, but he has now moved to Crystal Palace, so Ipswich will be eyeing up any decent centre back they can find to fill this crucial position.
Ipswich are short of quality at centre back and now that Ibrahima Sonko has left the club Ipswich only have two players who can play in central defence. Tommy Smith and Damien Delaney formed a solid partnership at the end of last season but Ipswich desperately need another player to give the squad the quality it needs.
Neither Smith nor Delaney have played consistently well for Ipswich so it is key that they find someone who will command a first team place; that way Jewell can use Smith or Delaney depending on who is in the best form at the time. Additionally, Ipswich need a leader now that they do not have a real captain figure. Grant Leadbitter captained the side for the majority of last season and his lack of leadership qualities guided the team to a poor league position. Carlos Edwards took the captains armband for the last part of the season but he will be 34 years old in October and may not feature in every game next season, so the team really need another player to lead the team in the long term.
It seems like Coventry City’s Richard Keogh would undoubtedly be the right man for Ipswich. At 25 years old Keogh has played a good amount of football and has been voted the Fans’ Player of the Year for the last two seasons at Coventry. His defensive capabilities are obviously highly regarded and he would definitely strengthen the Ipswich defence. If Tommy Smith improves next season and Paul Jewell manages to capture Keogh then the defence will certainly be looking very formidable, additionally, Keogh has a characteristic that Ipswich are in dire need of, a strong leader.
It is looking very likely that Ipswich will be contacting Coventry at some point over the summer to enquire about Keogh. Coventry have supposedly already rejected a £250,000 bid from Bristol City and a £800,000 bid from Cardiff for Keogh. Judging from those figures Keogh could well cost Ipswich a 7 figure sum but it would be a great investment.
It is obvious that he is capable of playing at a much higher level than league one so Ipswich may be the ideal club for Keogh. Something fans might be surprised to hear is that Keogh was once a ball boy at Portman Road when he was an academy player at the club.
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After not impressing the youth staff at Ipswich Keogh moved onto Stoke, Bristol City, Carlisle and a number of lower league sides on loan before arriving at Coventry in 2010. However, Coventry are trying to persuade Keogh to stay and will be trying to get him to commit to the club over the next few weeks so it will be interesting to see what happens over the summer but it is obvious that Keogh would be a great addition to the Ipswich Town squad.
Surely It is hard to see the new Financial Fair Play (FFP) rules being anything but a good thing for football as a whole.
More and more clubs have over stretched themselves over the last 10 years, built up a huge amount of debt and as a result have crippled their future aspirations. The real fans are the ones who suffer the most too as they will have supported their team through thick and thin, only to be left with a future-less club.
FFP should hopefully stop clubs from wasting their money and taking the enormous financial risks that they were previously taking. However, many confuse the FFP rules for a system that will bring “a level playing field” where any club will have a shot at success.
In actual fact the best way of describing the impact it will have is to describe it as a system where clubs are forced to live within their means. By that I mean that clubs will now find it harder to over achieve and it should also be harder for clubs to under achieve. Clubs are being recommended to spend up to 60% of their turnover on wages, so the bigger their attendances are the bigger their wages will be and in theory bigger wages mean better players.
So theoretically if you made a list of every English football club ranked on attendances then that should be a highly accurate indication of what each division will look like. Some critics of the FFP rules believe that this is how the rules will change the game and they believe everything will become set in stone before a ball has even been kicked. This is a very depressing outlook in a lot of ways because the beauty of football is how completely unpredictable it currently is and the last thing fans want is for football to lose its unpredictable nature.
This idea is only theoretical of course as in reality (especially in football) anything can happen. Personally, I don’t think that financial fair play will have such an obvious and predictable effect on each clubs future purely because money doesn’t guarantee success, in the same way that a lack of money doesn’t mean the club is doomed.
Last season Manchester City did use their spending power to basically buy the Premier League title but looking beyond that there are more examples of money not being essential. Everton have limited resources but still finished above Liverpool who have spent huge amounts and Chelsea’s money only got them to 6th place. If money brought success then Ipswich would have been promoted when Marcus Evans pumped his first load of money into the club.
I believe that the FFP rules won’t change as much in the game as people think they will. First of all, without money you may well struggle like how Coventry and Doncaster did last season but you can also build a good team with little money like how Brighton and Watford did. Reading topped the table without a huge amount of money or big attendances and they are very similar to Ipswich in terms of their size as a club. The key is in how you build the squad from top to bottom and more importantly how well the money is invested, rather than how much money is invested.
I have heard fans saying that Ipswich will never be able to gain promotion unless we bring in another 4,000 to 5,000 fans each week but I couldn’t disagree more. I read some thorough calculations done by a fan a few days ago that stated Ipswich’s wage budget will be around £215,000 a week with the new rules. Further calculations show that you could have 4 star players on around £18,000 a week and the rest on an average of £3,200 a week. It seems that a lot of fans are worried that this budget will leave Ipswich struggling to compete in The Championship but I do not believe there is reason to worry.
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Like I said earlier success will depend on how well money is invested, not on the amount invested. I am guessing that at least two of the teams that gained promotion last season had a budget of around £215,000 a week or maybe even less. So you can’t really argue that the FFP rules will prevent Ipswich from gaining promotion and any fan who believes that the club will be held back by low attendances alone has a weak argument. Ipswich have wasted vast amounts of money over the last 3 or 4 seasons by having the wrong approach in the transfer market and that is why they haven’t been promoted.
In conclusion, I do not think that the FFP rules will hinder Ipswich’s chances of gaining promotion in the future. The new rules will encourage the club to search harder for players like Aaron Cresswell who are young, cheap and very talented rather than simply buying players on reputation alone like Grant Leadbitter.
A summer that has strangely been filled with international football has not made it any easier for the die-hard club supporter, but fear not, your weekly fix is soon to be returning.
The newly named Capital One Cup kicks off this weekend and will give all Football League fans a chance to get back into the swing of things, whether their club is taking the competition seriously or not. But next Saturday is where it really begins, with the opening day fixtures that have been eagerly anticipated by many all summer long. Some clubs are adapting to life in a new division, some are getting over the fact that they are not and a number of clubs have a new look squad and management to make their mark on what is looking to be another terrific season in the Football League.
If people say that the Premier League is the best division in the world, then the Championship must be the toughest, with big clubs everywhere you look, a whole host of experience and talent in a league where anybody can beat anybody.
The toughest league to predict, as last year proved, but I am going to give it a go and look at each clubs chances of establishing their goals.
Firstly, the three relegated sides from the Premier League. To Wolves, Blackburn and Bolton fans, the realisation of being in the Championship will now be sinking in and all three should be confident of an improved showing from their sides.
Wolves have new boss Stale Solbakken at the helm and he has immediately made his mark on the squad with five new singings, combining youth with experience. The main positive for the midlands club is their financial state. You will rarely find a club relegated from the top flight in England who are as healthy financially as Wolves and that has resulted in them being able to keep key players such as Matt Jarvis, Kevin Doyle, Wayne Hennessey and for now Steven Fletcher. For now only Adlene Guedioura and Michael Kightly are the noticeable departures. I give them a very good chance at making an instant return to the promise land.
Bolton and Blackburn have many similarities going into the start of the season, both losing a whole host of players over the summer, unsurprisingly the better ones, but shrewdly doing some decent work of their own in recruiting Premier League experience with the likes of Keith Andrews, Danny Murphy, the now injured Leon Best and Dickson Etuhu dropping down a division and moving to the North West.
Goals will clearly be vital for both of these sides and Bolton bringing in Benik Afobe could prove to be another loan masterclass from Owen Coyle after Daniel Sturridge’s and Jack Wilshere’s recent time at the Reebok. Similarly, Steve Kean has realised the need for goals and has attracted Portuguese legend Nuno Gomes to Ewood Park and even at his age, he still knows where the net is. I see no reason why these two clubs shouldn’t be in the top six come May.
As Reading and Southampton proved last season, it is not just the big names for big clubs that are required in this division, but shrewd signings and a team ethic to match can be just as deadly if not more so.
After missing out on the promise land via play-off defeats, Blackpool, Birmingham City and Cardiff City may still be licking their wounds, but I can’t see past Birmingham being the strongest of the three this time out. With no Europa League to focus on and a whole host of summer additions that include Darren Ambrose, Ravel Morrison and Pete Lovenkrands, positivity is emerging that could well push the Blues to the next level.
Blackpool have been quieter this summer, with only free signings coming into the club and I genuinely fear that the Seasiders could struggle this time out as their play-off final defeat to West Ham may have been the best chance they have at returning to the Premier League for a long time. Cardiff City on the other hand have had a busy summer off the field, but mainly by converting their club colour from blue to red. It will be interesting to see how the fans and players react this season to the big changes but signings such as Heider Helguson and Joe Lewis could see them sneak back into the top six once again.
Improving clubs that you can’t ignore this season for me are Brighton, Leeds, Middlesbrough and Nottingham Forest. Takeover shenanigans at Leeds and Forest have been interesting, with Ken Bates still making a mockery of a once great club but the good times seem to be back at the City Ground.
Last season’s leaky Forest defence has been completely rejigged with Dan Harding, Greg Halford and Danny Collins arriving, but the need for some attacking options is clear and they are one or two signings away from having an extremely strong squad.
Championship expert Neil Warnock hasn’t allowed takeover talk to affect his off the field plans with nine new signings arriving in Yorkshire including four from troubled Portsmouth. I’m not a Warnock fan but you can’t deny he has been clever once again in the transfer market without spending a great deal and if Ken Bates can do the honourable thing and leave, it may not be too long before Leeds are back where they belong.
As mentioned I feel Boro and Brighton will improve on last year’s average season with changes in expectations at either end of the country and under the radar activity that could see them going for a play-off spot. Tony Mowbray has got rid of any deadwood from the squad and brought back some familiar names to the Riverside that could give the small crowd the lift that’s needed. If Jonathan Woodgate stays fit (not going to happen) then he is a Premier League defender and the added flair of Grant Leadbitter and Emmanuel Ledesma could be exciting.
Brighton and Gus Poyet have attracted big names this summer with Wayne Bridge, Tomasz Kuszczak and Champions League regular Bruno moving to the south coast, but a striker is a must for Poyet before the deadline, unless Craig Mackail-Smith can vastly improve on a slow start to his Albion career.
For me the club that has had the best summer off the pitch is Huddersfield. So far keeping hold of prized asset Jordan Rhodes and adding quality to their current squad is all very positive and they could well surprise a few. In particular the singings of Oliver Norwood and Sean Scannell stand out plus stealing Adam Clayton from rivals Leeds should give them confidence that they are not too far behind their neighbours.
The other two promoted clubs from League One, Charlton and Sheffield Wednesday may not find the step up as comfortable however. A real lack of activity at The Valley must be concerning for the Addicks supporters and reported board room unrest is never a good sign going into their biggest season for years. Wednesday can be slightly more positive about their chances after adding nine players to their squad, but a lack of quality is evident to me and while Keiran Lee and Michail Antonio were decent at League One level, like the rest of the squad they need to make the underestimated step up.
Last season’s joint favourites for promotion Leicester City had a massively disappointing campaign, with millions of pounds being thrown around to try and buy their way to promotion. That was never going to happen. It’s been a quieter summer with Nigel Pearson in charge, but I think his power trip over big name players such as Matt Mills and Jermaine Beckford may be his downfall and sadly for Foxes fans I can see another mid-table mediocrity season for them.
Clubs generally seen as middle of the road outfits, the likes of Ipswich, Derby, Hull and Watford don’t stand out to me as making much of a change to that description this season. Ipswich and Derby have been active in the window, but have both mainly focused on preventing goals rather than scoring them and Hull have lost plenty of experience from their squad that could be key. However, with Steve Bruce now at the KC, I can see Hull improving, but not enough to worry the top six this time out.
Gianfranco Zola returns to English football at Watford and although he was harshly treated at West Ham I am not sure his management style suits this division. The new owners at Vicarage Road have used their contacts to bring in foreign talent, but that is usually a recipe for disaster at this level, but I can’t see them going down and expect plaudits of attractive football heading Zola’s way.
Now for the clubs I feel are really going to struggle. Burnley and Crystal Palace fans will probably disagree with me, but I can’t see where you’re going to get many points from. A real lack of transfer activity and losing key players such as Jay Rodriguez and Nathaniel Clyne, replaced with Sam Vokes and Peter Ramage is simply un-inspiring work. The need for late transfer window business is evident, but two young up and coming managers deserve to be given time to build their own squads at their own pace and I hope they get that.
In my opinion it is a lot easier to pick the bottom four or five than it is the top at the moment. A summer of rebuilding is ill-timed at Peterborough United, with numerous players on the transfer list going into the last year of their contract and no real quality being added to the squad. I am all for giving lower league players a chance to step up but United have brought in seven players from lower league clubs and it will be miracle work from Darren Ferguson if they all succeed in their first season.
Millwall have added to their squad, but mainly in defence and wide areas and although they finished the season well last time out, The Den is becoming an easier place to visit and once again they will have to prove all the doubters wrong to stay in this division for another season.
Bristol City have had arguably the worst summer of transfer activity, a club that needed three or four quality additions to make the step up hasn’t got it. A player of Sam Baldock’s quality may change things if his pending transfer is completed but if not they are in trouble.
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Finally, poor old Barnsley! Spent most of their summer attracting pay-as-you-play legend Mido only to inevitably see him injured almost immediately. Losing two or three key players to bigger clubs won’t have helped either and I can see it being a long and unsuccessful season at Oakwell.
Favourites: Wolves
Dark Horses: Huddersfield Town
Surprise package: Brighton
Doomed: Barnsley
Let me know your views on the upcoming Championship season, how will your club fair?
Footballers are often accused of being many things – egotistic, arrogant and self-centered – and for the most part, you would be right for thinking those things, but is part of the problem the way young players are hyped up from an early age? And should more be done to stop players switching clubs every other season while they are still too young to make such weighty decisions?
Manchester United have been bitten this summer by the departure of 19 year-old French international Paul Pogba, who departed to Juventus citing a lack of first-team opportunities at Old Trafford as the motivating factor behind the move. Setting aside the fact that the ranks at Juventus are swelled with Andrea Pirlo, Arturo Vidal, Kwadwo Asamoah, Mauricio Isla and Claudio Marchisio among others, which seems like a far better depth of talent than is currently occupying the squad at Manchester United, it should really come as no surprise to many in the way that he left the club, for without trying to be too patronising, it’s part and parcel of the game these days with younger players.
Upon completing his reported £20,000 per week move to the Italian champions, Ferguson slammed the player in question stating: “Pogba signed for Juventus a long time ago as far as we’re aware. It’s a bit disappointing because I don’t think he should us any respect at all. To be honest, if they carry on that way, I’m quite happy that he’s away from me anyway.”
The reaction is completely understandable, a naive young man has had his head turned by an agent, in this instance, the clearly detestable Mino Raiola, but we shouldn’t forget the circumstances in which Manchester United were allowed to sign the youngster in the first place, with any genuine outrage surely bordering on the hypocritical.
Signed as a 16 year-old from French club Le Havre, Manchester United were immediately accused of ‘tapping up’ the youngster and both clubs become embroiled in a bitter war of words. Le Havre released the following statement after it appeared the then 16 year-old had move to England: “Le Havre want to express their indignation at the actions of Manchester United officials and their pursuit of Paul Pogba.
“Paul Pogba, his parents and Le Havre were bound to a contract called a ‘non-solicitation agreement’ from autumn 2006. At the end of that contract, the three parties agreed to sign a trainee contract when the player matched certain age and scholarship criteria, taking him through to the end of the 2009/10 season. However, the player and his parents have refused to fulfil the agreement because Manchester United have offered big money to the parents to get their son to England. While a lot of voices have started to be heard coming out of the EU, governments, Fifa and Uefa against ‘minor slave trade’, Manchester United have not hesitated to uproot a 16-year-old kid.”
Strong words indeed but the crux of their argument is sound, the rush for talent and the next big thing means that many major club all across Europe can often be accused of lacking morals in their pursuit of top young talent, this in turn creates an unrivalled and unwarranted sense of entitlement in the player. They think they have made it before they have even kicked a ball, you could call them big-time Charlie’s if you will, but the fact of the matter is what talented young kid would turn a huge club like United down?
It renders the investment that clubs at all levels all across Europe make with concerns to their academies somewhat pointless if a big club can swoop in at the eleventh hour and purchase a prodigious talent in such a manner. While I wouldn’t quite go down the ‘minor slave trade’ route that Le Havre clearly went for, it’s not too far off and these players need to be protected at such an impressionable age.
Ultimately, the decision will come down to them, not their parents or guardians or whoever else may be involved, but I can’t remember when I was 16 years old being of sound enough mind to make an objective and long-term decision about my career, so footballers should be no different. Freedom of movement laws obviously dictate that these players are well within their rights to make such moves, but at the end of the day, it’s not for the good of the game or even themselves, it’s for the vested interests whispering in their ears looking to make a quick buck. Smaller clubs are getting squeezed more and more financially, so to deny them the payday they richly deserve for developing and harnessing such a player seems a tad harsh.
The only proposition that I can think of that could potentially work as a blanket rule would be to raise the age by which footballers sign their first professional contract from 16 to 18 in the hope that extra two years experience, both on and off the pitch would act as a factor in their decision-making process and counter-balance their previous lack of maturity. I’ll be the first to admit, though, that while this may potentially take a degree of power away from those hegemonic clubs to an extent, it’s still a deeply flawed idea as the knock-on effect means it just then increases player power even further and the smaller club in question could be set to miss out on a payday still, just a couple of years further down the line.
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Money is the predominant reason for such moves, with the requirement of guaranteed first-team football usually a secondary requirement. Pogba serves as a prime example of the ‘evils’ of the modern game to an extent and he’s now left two successive clubs under a cloud even though he has just seven professional appearances under his belt. Gambling on potential is fine, it’s done in all walks of life and various industries every day, but for the figures bandied about, it’s simply got into silly territory now and needs to be seriously looked at and addressed by people far smarter than myself.
Highly rated South Korean midfielder Ki Sung-Yueng has become Swansea City’s record signing after putting pen to paper on a three-year deal from Celtic.
Ki, 23, will not be able to play for the Swans as they take on West Ham in today’s lunchtime kick off but he is clearly excited to have arrived.
“When I look at Swansea I see a club that is growing and growing, and the style here is very attractive to me,” he told the club’s official website.
“Last year I watched them a lot in the Premier League and they did things very differently to a lot of the other teams. They wanted to keep the ball and pass it around, which I love to do. When they didn’t have the ball they worked so hard to get it back quickly.”
“This is something I have dreamt about since I was a child – playing in the Premier League against the best players in the world. I can’t wait to play my first game.”
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