Win at Reading gets Arsenal back on track but Wenger must keep Walcott

Arsenal bounced back from last weeks humiliating defeat to League Two Bradford in the Capital One cup by trouncing bottom placed Reading tonight in the Premier League, but will it be enough to please Arsene Wenger's critics?

A 5-2 win away from home against any Premier League team should always be applauded and tonight should be no different as the Gunners simply blew away their opposition, however the victory seemed to pose more questions of Arsene Wenger than answer them.

Theo Walcott who Wenger seemed reluctant to play up front was given the chance tonight with Podolski and Chamberlain either side of him and there is no doubt it worked. The youngster looked electric and even managed to get on the score sheet as he rounded off a superb team effort to comfortably fire home the visitors fifth to ensure victory. Arsenal could lose Walcott this January as the clock runs down on his contract and Wenger must move quickly to ensure the Englishman stays at the Emirates but he must promise Walcott more starts as a striker, and after tonight he should have no qualms in doing so.

Another player who stood out tonight was summer signing Santi Cazorla who again was the master of the midfield for the Gunners as he majestically passed players with ease, played fine sweeping balls across the park as well as chipping in with a superb hat-trick which saw him leave Reading with the match ball. Cazorla has looked fantastic for Arsenal this year and can be regarded as one of very few shining lights for them this season.

Again questions were asked of the Arsenal's back line as at one point they looked like capitulating as Reading stormed back to 2-4 after being 0-4 down. Again questions were raised as Arsenal failed to keep a clean sheet. The back four looked terrible at times and twice they were caught trying to play the offside trap and clearly messing it up as firstly Adam Le Fondre strolled through to score Reading's opener before Jimmy Kebe followed suit as the Gunners back line froze on a sub zero night in Berkshire.

There will be positives for Wenger to take from the game, none more so than the three points which see Arsenal climb to fifth in the table, however this win alone will not shake off the critics that have hung over the club like a bad smell over the past few weeks. This victory was expected by the Gunners fans and critics alike, however the next few weeks will be important as to whether Wenger will keep his job in North London or whether the club will look for a fresh face to take over.

Arsenal will also look to exploit the transfer market this January and a marquee signing might just quieten them critics a little more, however Wenger must make sure his first signing this winter is that of a new contract by Theo Walcott.

What do you think? Will Wenger keep his job at Arsenal and will Theo Walcott sign a new contract this winter?

Top two? Your having a laugh........surely?

This week Liverpool manager Brendan Rodgers claimed that the club should be looking to finish higher than fourth and instead should be chasing Manchester City in second.

Those comments came just one day before Liverpool crashed to an humiliating 3-1 home defeat to Aston Villa who before the clash at Anfield found themselves struggling in 17th place in this seasons Premier League. So what can Liverpool fans really expect for the remainder of the 2012-2013 season?

It has been a difficult few years now for the Reds on and off the field of play and most Liverpool fans want stability at the club, but is that enough? Rodgers took over the reigns of one of the biggest clubs in Europe who appeared to be on their last legs. Liverpool had finished eighth the previous season and even club legend Kenny Dalglish could not provide the magic spark to blast the sleeping giants into good form.

Many fans argue that Dalglish was making a difference and a League Cup last season was proof of that argument, however that sits uneasy with me as Liverpool just were not performing in the league and an eighth placed finish was not good enough. Another disappointment during the second coming of Dalglish was his willingness to spend large amounts of money on average players. £35 Million on Andy Carroll and £20 Million on Jordan Henderson clear proof.

So what has Rodgers done differently? In all honestly not a lot. Liverpool have endured their worst start to a Premier League season and still find themselves in the bottom half of the table as we approach Christmas. Rodgers has no right to demand his side chase second place and should firmly set his sights on ensuring his side qualify for European football next season.

I am not knocking Rodgers for showing a bit of outward belief in himself and his players and in fact it should be applauded that he has the courage to make such bold statements, however he is only adding pressure to his already broad shoulders as Liverpool fans have a tendency to get carried away, something I fear Rodgers latest comments could spark, however Saturdays defeat at home to Villa would have brought some Liverpool fans back to earth rather swiftly.

Rodgers must buy in the January window, but he must buy players that will perform in the Premier League and the likes of Fernando Llorente, Daniel Sturridge and Darren Bent all fit into that bracket. Liverpool need to rebuild quickly, defensively they are fine, the midfield could do with some adjustments although not much, however it is up front where Rodgers must relieve some of the pressure that is currently being carried by top goal scorer Luis Suarez.

Liverpool fans expect every season for their team to be challenging at the top end of the Premier League table and it saddens me at this current time in its history that some fans still expect that, even though it is not on the horizon anytime soon. With the right reinforcements in January, Rodgers can guide Liverpool to a top six finish this season and then look to build upon it next season, however his comments last week will mean the Reds fans will expect more and sadly that wont be possible this season.

Let me know what you think. Will Liverpool challenge for a top four finish or will Rodgers and co have to settle for a top ten finish?

FA should focus on players feet rather than tweets

Today the Football Association stooped to a new low as they decided to charge Ashley Cole for an abusive tweet aimed at them while choosing to ignore the actions of Robert Huth, Cheik Tiote and Manchester United’s Robin Van Persie on the pitch.  

Cole who tweeted last week “Hahahahaa, well done £fa I lied did I, £BUNCHOFT****” was today charged and could face a fine in excess of £50,000 after the FA decided to ignore the Chelsea left back apology after deleting the tweet just hours after it was posted.

Cole is not the first to land himself in trouble with the FA over the John Terry racism row after Manchester United defender Rio Ferdinand was found guilty and fined £45,000 for an abusive tweet earlier in the summer which labelled Cole as a ‘Choc Ice’. Terry’s race row has dominated the back pages for nearly a year now and the FA will be keen to see the saga come to an end.

The news that Cole has been charged will come as no surprise to most football fans who have now began to lose faith in the games governing body as they seem intent on kicking out criticism of themselves rather than violent conduct on the pitch, racism and homophobia within the game.

This weekend saw three incidents on the pitch which should have seen the FA use their powers to eradicate poor behaviour on the field rather than focusing their attentions on tweets off it. The first incident which the FA should have intervened took place at Anfield as Stoke defender Robert Huth violently stamped on Liverpool striker Luis Suarez.

The other two incidents both took place at St James Park in Sunday afternoon’s late kick off. Firstly Newcastle midfielder Cheik Tiote was lucky to not see red as he dived in with a two footed lunge and only escaped with a yellow card. The second incident took place minutes later as Robin Van Persie was clearly seen swiping an elbow in the face of Toon midfielder Yohan Cabaye.

It is disappointing that the games governing body has refused to intervene in any of these incidents when clearly if any of them were to take place in the street by me or you we would be serving a prison sentence for GBH.

The FA clearly needs to re-evaluate what their role is within the game of football. They must begin to learn how to take criticism and should probably accept that tweeting and social media now is a vital part of player interaction with media and fans.  The FA must focus on eradicating incidents that took place on the field at Anfield and St James Park this weekend.

Were the FA right to charge Cole but not Huth, Tiote or Van Persie?

As always let me know your opinion. 

Why Crouch should be towering above Carroll for England

22 goals in 44 appearances for your country and five goals in seven games for your club would often mean an international call up, however Stoke City’s striker Peter Crouch looks likely to miss out again ahead of England’s World Cup qualifiers against San Marino and Poland next week.

The 31 year old has been in fine form so far this season; however his refusal to be on standby for Roy Hodgson during this summer’s European Championships means the current England boss rubbishes the striker every time it comes to picking his squad. Crouch last played for England two years ago in a 2-1 friendly defeat against France at Wembley.

That game saw Crouch score the last of his 22 goals for his country; however after netting twice against Swansea last week, it is becoming harder for Hodgson to continue to ignore the 6’7 striker. England’s disappointing 1-1 draw against Ukraine last month at Wembley highlighted the lack of goal scoring strikers within the squad. With no Wayne Rooney or Andy Carroll in that fixture, the exclusion of Crouch seemed even odder.

Crouch offers England a target man as well as goals. Not many strikers across Europe currently have a better strike rate than Crouch and Hodgson’s continuous exclusion of him could eventually cost the manager.

Ahead of Hodgson naming the squad tomorrow (Thursday), Crouch said “Playing for my country is the best thing I have ever done, but at the moment I just have to keep my head down and play well.

Of course there are those fans that think that Crouch doesn’t deserve his place in the side after turning his back on his country this summer. One England fan on a fans forum wrote “It should be a privilege to do so, so for me if you don’t want a chance at playing don’t bother, plenty of other players who would love to be on standby I'm sure.”

With Rooney and Carroll fit again it is unlikely that Crouch will feature in this or any future England squads. Crouch however is unique, he holds the ball up well, can use both feet and ultimately scores vital goals at vital times.

I feel Crouch could still offer a lot to England and should he continue to score goals for Stoke as he has done then Hodgson cannot simply ignore him, especially after taking on the job claiming he would only choose the squad on merit and not reputation. Behind Jermaine Defoe, Crouch is probably the most deserving English striker of a call up tomorrow when Hodgson names his 23 man squad.

What do you think? Should Roy Hodgson forgive Crouch and select him again or is the boss right to ignore the 31 year old and continue to look towards the younger players? 

@Ryanday100

Sheiky City must improve to impress in Europe

This week the Champions League returned to our screens and provided the sort of excitement we would expect from the biggest competition in club football.

Again we saw the usual suspects Lionel Messi and Cristiano Ronaldo explode into action on the biggest stage, meanwhile only two of the four English teams managed maximum points while current holders Chelsea managed a point against Juventus.

Perhaps the biggest game of week one took place in Madrid as Real welcomed money bags Manchester City in what was being described as the game of two giants…..but was it?

Madrid are chasing their 10^th Champions League trophy while City are chasing their first, while taking part in just their second Champions League adventure under mega rich owner Sheik Mansour. Agreed both sides lined up with some of the best footballers in the world going toe to toe, however the end result went someway to showing that City may still not be ready to lift the trophy, and cannot yet be labelled as a European giant.

In time Mancini will develop the blue half of Manchester into genuine Champions League contenders, however he will have to ensure his side provide much sterner performances when making the journeys to the likes of Madrid.

City led the game 2-1 in the 86^th minute only for their defensive frailties to show again as firstly Benzema curled Mourinho’s men level before that man Ronaldo unleashed a shot that somehow evaded the normally solid Vincent Kompany before swerving underneath a stranded Joe Hart who in fairness had performed sensationally to keep City in the game.

Mancini will be well aware that City must become more solid in defending if they are to make it out of what is a very tough group. With games against Dortmund and Ajax to come, Mancini will have to ensure his side gain six points, otherwise it could be Europa League football post-Christmas.

If City do make it from group D it would be hard to see them finding themselves getting past further tests like Barcelona, Real Madrid or Bayern Munich in the latter stages. Of course City fans believe that now is their time, unfortunately for them and Mancini the club remains yet to be considered a giant of Europe and will continue that way for several years to come.

Let me know what you think. Can Manchester City win the Champions League this season? 

Sulky Suarez Saves Liverpool.....Just

In what can only be described as an emotional week for Liverpool FC, it took a Luis Suarez 70^th minute equaliser against Sunderland to earn the Reds just their second point of the campaign; however the draw fails to cover over the major cracks that are forming over the red side of Merseyside.

This week the families of the 96 that tragically lost their lives on the 15^th April 1989 in the Hillsborough disaster received some justice as it was revealed that the Liverpool fans were no way at fault for their own deaths, however it was a major cover up from the police who changed 116 official documents to make it seem that fan behaviour was to blame.

While the families have received at least some justice, one man on Merseyside is certainly not getting any justice from his players who he works closely with to try and restore the glory days to Anfield, however after four games Brendan Rodgers is not getting the performances neither he or the fans expect.

Against Sunderland, Liverpool were confident on the ball but yet again lacked any attacking penetration as the decision to allow Andy Carroll to leave Liverpool on loan looked even more peculiar as an ineffective Fabio Borini struggled while a stroppy Suarez offered little other than a neatly taken goal to level the game.

Worryingly for Rodgers even the likes of Steven Gerrard were unable to drag Liverpool out of their slump and while he remains Liverpool’s most influential player, the club cannot continue to expect their very own legend to lead them out of their dark days.

Luis Suarez again looked uninterested for the majority of the game and even threw himself to the floor in a pathetic way to try and earn a penalty which rightly lead to the striker being yellow carded.

No one ever said that Rodgers had an easy task when taking on the role as manager of Liverpool, however four games in and with no league win, the task is becoming increasingly tougher for Rodgers.

I for one hope that after the emotion of this week has passed the club will be able to look ahead to establishing themselves back amongst the big teams in Europe.

Let me know what you think. Will Liverpool and Rodgers get it right this season or should Liverpool accept for now that they are a long way from Europe’s top table?  

The FA must 'shake-up' the pre-match routine to save respect

Having read lots of articles and blogs on the subject of whether the FA should abolish the pre-match hand-shake after the refusal of Luis Suarez to shake the hand of Patrice Evra (the man he was found guilty of racially abusing) in the Liverpool-United clash at Old Trafford last weekend I thought I would share my thoughts.

Manchester United manager Sir Alex Ferguson said after the game that Suarez could have caused a riot, slightly over the top; however, Fergie continued that Suarez was “A disgrace to Liverpool and English football”. This I completely agree with. Suarez had the opportunity to put the whole thing to bed by a simple shake of the hand, but could the FA have done more by abolishing the pre-match handshake before the game?

I personally see the handshake as nothing more than a pre-match marketing tool where sponsors on shirts get extra coverage meanwhile TV broadcasters use the hand-shake to go to advert breaks. Rightly the FA will argue that the hand-shake shows respect between the two sides, however I argue that if the players genuinely respected each other we wouldn’t see some of the awful challenges that we see on the field and we certainly wouldn’t see scenes such as Evra’s pathetic celebration after the game in the face of Suarez which in Ferguson’s own words ‘Could have caused a riot’ in itself.

The FA already undermined their ‘respect’ campaign weeks ago when they decided to abandon the pre-match hand-shake between QPR and Chelsea players in the wake of the John Terry and Anton Ferdinand racial abuse accusations. The removal of that hand-shake appeared to have removed the tension between the two sides and a clean game was played between the two.

Where to go from here? In all honesty the FA must abandon the pre match hand-shake as soon as possible. The players don’t need to prove their respect for the other players before a game, their actions on the field should show that. It is nothing more than a PR stunt from the FA and must be scrapped. If they insist on keeping it then it should be moved to the end of the game after the players have finished. By moving it to after the game not only are the players showing respect to their opponents they are also teaching younger players to lose and win graciously as well as putting an end to the childish behaviour we saw from Evra and his team-mates after Manchester United’s win against Liverpool.

What do you think? Should the hand-shake be scrapped or does it promote respect?

As always let me know. 

FA must 'arry up and appoint Redknapp to forget latest mess.

Fabio Capello sensationally resigned as England manager this evening leaving England without a manager and a captain just four months before Euro 2012.

The Italian decided to step down this evening after talks with FA chairman David Bernstein and secretary Alex Horne over comments made to Italian TV over the decision to strip the captaincy armband from John Terry after allegations of the Chelsea defender racially abusing QPR defender Anton Ferdinand.

On Sunday evening Capello was quoted as saying he 'absolutely disagreed' with the decision to take the armband away from Terry as he was still under suspicion and had not actually been found guilty as of yet. The comments from Capello were badly timed and were frowned upon fiercely by the FA who would have wanted to avoid this type of controversy just months before a major tournament.

With Capello appearing to be undermined by the FA as they made the decision without the managers opinion, Capello made the decision tonight that he could no longer manage the national side and resigned with immediate effect. Reports this evening from Italy say that Capello has said that the FA "really insulted me and damaged my authority". Regardless of people's opinion on the Italian, he is England's most successful manager based on win percentage with a 66.7% rate.

Capello's decision to resign has come as a huge shock to many fans although the feeling from the majority fans was 'Bring on Harry Redknapp', however it is clear that Capello did have his supporters with retired groundsman Ray Baker saying "The FA have insulted Capello's intelligence, he did a good job with the England team".

Harry Redknapp, cleared today of tax evasion is the favorite to take over the job on what could only be explained as a dream day for the current Tottenham manager. Former Arsenal defender Martin Keown said on Redknapp: "He started the day facing prison, he ends it in heaven." Despite Redknapp seeming to be the only candidate there are other names that are already being mentioned. Stuart Pearce, Jose Mourinho, Guus Hiddink, Gareth Southgate and Gary Lineker have all been linked with the post.

England have done what they do best and shot themselves in the foot just months before a major tournament, however, this self implosion seems to be repairable should England have a successful European Championships.

What do you think? Who will England turn to next?

Carroll exit could be the only way forward for Liverpool

Five goals in 28 appearances simply isn’t good enough for any striker, especially when they cost £35 million. So is it time Liverpool cut their losses and sell Andy Carroll in the summer?

Liverpool manager Kenny Dalglish continues to throw his full support behind the former Newcastle striker, however, there is no doubt that the Scotsman is becoming fed up with his striker, not that Dalglish would admit that in the media.

With the return of Luis Suarez to first team after serving his eight game suspension for being found guilty of racially abusing Manchester United defender Patrice Evra, Carroll could find himself on the bench in the coming weeks especially with the continued success of Craig Bellamy in the absence of Suarez.

People argue that Carroll brings to the side so much more than goals, however, at the moment he isn’t even bring assists to the team as Liverpool continue to struggle to find the net. Liverpool’s performance against Tottenham on Monday evening was frightfully poor in an attacking sense for the Liverpool fans at Anfield and those watching at home on TV. Despite having Carroll up top Liverpool still looked inept to understand that balls floated on to the 6’3 strikers head is the best way to use the 23 year old.  Instead Liverpool still insist on playing beautiful football on the floor while trying to zip balls into the middle, all very well if you have a striker that is quick and has good movement, the problem is Carroll is anything but.

The striker enjoyed his time at St James Park because the Toon knew how to use him and they played to their strengths, however Liverpool continue to remain stubborn and cling onto the belief that they are a top four club and playing beautiful football along the floor is the only way to win games, unfortunately with Carroll in the team, playing ugly and playing to their strengths is the only way they will win some games.

Liverpool and Kenny Dalglish may well decide to keep Carroll on the books although that would mean altering the way the team play and no one at Liverpool seems ready to admit to that meaning it is more than likely the club will sell the 23 year old in the summer.

Should Liverpool sell Carroll? Would Newcastle take him back?

Capello comment's couldn't have come at a worse time.

“I absolutely disagree with the decision to remove John Terry as the captain”. These were the comments made by England manager Fabio Capello yesterday on Italian TV which has caused fury at the FA headquarters this morning.

Last week the decision was made by the FA committee at their Wembley headquarters to remove the prestigious armband from the Chelsea defender after his trial for allegations of racial abuse against Anton Ferdinand was delayed until the 9^th July 2012, one week after the European Championships in Poland and Ukraine.

With the hearing delayed, FA bosses believed they couldn’t allow a player who is up against such allegations lead the country in a major competition, however, strangely it emerged afterwards that England manager Fabio Capello was not involved in discussions whether to remove the armband from Terry. After the announcement, it was made clear that Capello supported the FA’s decision and would begin the search for his new captain who would hopefully lift the European Championship trophy on July 1^st; however, comments on Italian TV from Capello have since indicated he is not supportive of the decision.

Capello could have landed himself in huge trouble after the remarks with former FA chairman David Davies saying he might have ‘breached his contract’, the punishment for that obviously being dismissal. It is unlikely the FA will dismiss Capello, in fact they should be moving heaven and earth to avoid that situation as a calm build up to a competition would be what the Association hope for. Capello’s argument is that Terry as not yet been found guilty and until he is so then he should remain as captain.

One argument that continues to show its face against the boss is that Capello is undermining whoever is asked to take over the role. While it is true Capello stripped the armband from Terry before over the incident of the player sleeping with team mate Wayne Bridge girlfriend, Capello clearly supports his skipper in this bitter row which could cause dressing room unrest, particularly as Terry’s central defender partner at the Euros could be Anton Ferdinand’s brother Rio.

While it is highly unlikely Capello will get the sack over his comments, it is something the FA bosses will take extremely seriously as again it shows a lack of unity in the run up to another major tournament and Capello can expect some punishment, however nothing more than a quiet word from David Bernstein along the lines of ‘Just focus on winning Euro 2012’ is expected.

Was Capello right to say what he did? Should the Italian be sacked?

As always let me know your thoughts?

FA decision is Terry-ble news for John

‘Innocent until proven guilty’ is the way the Football Association normally react to situations that don’t sit easy at the headquarters, however, today the FA went against their own policy as they stripped John Terry of the England captaincy over allegations that the Chelsea defender racially abused QPR defender Anton Ferdinand when two sides met in October at Loftus Road.

On Tuesday, John Terry’s legal team pleaded not guilty on behalf of the Chelsea defender, while the club itself threw their own support behind their player as they insisted Terry could ‘Have as much time off as necessary to clear his name.’ The court hearing was adjourned until July 9^th, eight days after the final of the European Championships which England and Terry will be hoping to be involved in.

The 31 year old defender was informed this morning by the Football Association chairman David Bernstein that he would no longer be captain until the situation was ‘resolved’ meaning that Fabio Capello will have to find a new leader to captain the side out in England’s opening game against France on 11^th June.

Oddly, Capello was not involved in the decision to remove the armband from Terry with many at the Association fearing the decision not to allow Capello his opinion could backfire on the FA, however, it has appeared since the announcement that Capello has respected the decision not to include him in the decision process.

So the question that remains is who next? A various amount of candidates are in the running with Liverpool midfielder Steven Gerrard currently odds on favourite at 4/5, while Tottenham midfielder Scott Parker is second favourite at 9/2. One man that seems to have a lot of backing is Manchester City goalkeeper Joe Hart. Starting the day at 20/1, odds have considerably shortened to 6-1 as support for the 24 year old increases. The need for a long term captain seems to be the main reason for many supporters tipping the Shrewsbury born keeper with 19 year old student Luke Stone saying “If it was up to me JT would still have it. The FA should stick behind their captain until proven innocent.  But Joe Hart would be my choice for the next captain as he is likely to be in the side for years to come and we need a long-term captain”.

Support continued from Southampton Solent University student Ollie Eden who said that Joe Hart would help England ‘form a new generation’. Support has also been thrown behind Liverpool captain Steven Gerrard from 21 year old Glenn Noble who stated: “Gerrard for the Euros, let’s see how he goes and what the new manager will have planned”.

Odds of England captain at Euro 2012 (Odds from Skybet)

Steven Gerrard 4/5
Scott Parker 9/2
Joe Hart 6/1
Gareth Barry 7/1
Frank Lampard 9/1
Rio Ferdinand 25/1
Ashley Cole 25/1
Phil Jones 25/1

One man that is no longer in the running is Manchester United defender Rio Ferdinand after he tweeted this afternoon "I just want to concentrate on playing for Manchester United." That will come as a blow to some supporters who would have hoped the experience of Ferdinand would have helped the younger players along in the pressure cooker of a major championship.

Of course there are those supporters who support the Chelsea skipper, his club manager Andres Villas Boas who after the announcement humoured with the gathering press that “I have nothing to say on the matter- except I think it was the wrong decision”. 21 year Old Sam Copson from Watford said the whole situation was a sorry mess: “The whole situation is a mess; it should have been dealt with by now. Think it’s all been overhyped and Terry can feel hard done by”.

Capello would have wanted to avoid these scenes heading into his final major competition as England manager. It is expected that Capello will go with what he knows meaning that he will choose Gerrard to lead his side in Poland and Ukraine and then leave the manager following in his footsteps to choose the next permanent captain of English football after the Euros are completed. 

Credit where it's Pardew, 'Toon' Boss could be the next England manager.

So if you believe the old hacks of Fleet Street then you would believe that current Tottenham boss Harry Redknapp is a certainty to take over the reins from Fabio Capello after the Italian has led England through the Euro 2012 tournament in Poland and the Ukraine, but is there one name that everyone is missing that could yet take on the role of Three Lions manager?

At the age of 50 it feels as if the name of Alan Pardew has been in the footballing world for an age but could the current Newcastle boss force his way into the minds of the FA ahead of their big decision in July? Pardew has transformed the ‘Toon’ since being appointed manager on the 9^th December 2010. An alleged Sky Sports vote reported that just 5.5% of their poll taken by 40,000 Geordies offered Pardew their backing. Since then the ‘Toon’ boss has flourished and after their latest 1-0 win over QPR which moved Newcastle above Liverpool and into 6^th, Pardew challenged his side to push for a European place.

Of course there is one thing that could deter the FA from choosing Pardew, his former controversies. On pitch scuffs with Arsene Wenger, Resigning from Reading FC as manager after being refused permission to speak to West Ham and his comments of Michael Essien “absolutely raping Ched Evans” will be fresh in the minds of the FA. Of course those comments made about Essien refer to his physical presence, although the BBC was criticised for never offering an on screen apology. Weighed against Harry Redknapp’s court case this month for tax evasion maybe Pardew would be the safer choice.

So what makes Pardew a candidate for the England job? Firstly his managerial record can never be disregarded. From his 576 game managerial career, Pardew has won 250 of them with a win ratio of 46%. The 50 year old also led West Ham to the FA Cup final in 2006 which they would have won bar Steven Gerrard’s 30 yard drive in stoppage time.  Promotions with Reading and West Ham are also on the C.V yet this year’s achievements at Newcastle surely top the list. Should Newcastle qualify for Europe then I see no reason why Pardew should not be interviewed for the job.

For those that thought the only candidate was Redknapp then I suggest you open your eyes and minds to the possibility that the next England manager could be the current Newcastle manager rather than the current spurs one.

What do you think? Could Pardew become England manager? Who should be the next Three Lions boss? As always let me know. 

Is the King of Anfield about to be dethroned?

It’s just over a year since ‘King Kenny’ returned to Anfield with the belief that he would be the man to lead the Merseyside club to the League title or European football at the very least, forward to today and Liverpool’s 0-0 draw at home to Stoke left the ‘Reds’ five points behind fourth placed Chelsea and a massive 13 points behind league leaders Man City who have played a game less.

The one thing that will worry many Liverpool fans is that a win for Newcastle against QPR on Sunday would see the ‘Toon’ move above Liverpool into sixth placed and leave Dalglish’s men languishing in seventh, outside of any European spaces available.  There is no doubt that Liverpool do have a better squad than when Roy Hodgson departed, however, that can only increase the calls for Dalglish to fix Liverpool’s stuttering season or face the consequences.

With Luis Suarez banned for a further six games after being found guilty of racially abusing Patrice Evra and Andy Carroll struggling to score goals Liverpool are struggling for both goals and points with the club having only scored 24 league goals so far this term which could prove costly for Dalglish soon. The January transfer window could prove vital as to whether Dalglish will be in charge next time the window opens on 1^st June. Should Liverpool spend and rise to the heights of fourth and above then Dalglish will remain, should the club not make European football for the second year in succession the kings reign may come to a sour end.

Draws against Blackburn, Stoke, Norwich, Swansea, Wigan and Sunderland while defeats at Fulham and Tottenham have left the pressure on Dalglish but will the Scotsman get the boot? Like Sir Alex at Manchester United the Liverpool fans love their boss, however, with results continually disappointing for Liverpool I seriously think his honeymoon period has come to an end and patience is beginning to wear thin throughout Merseyside.

However hard it is to imagine I don’t think we should be too surprised if in the coming months we see ‘King Kenny’ removed from his position.

What do you think? Would Liverpool sack Kenny Dalglish? How can he turn Liverpool’s season around or do you think he is doing a good job? As always let me know.

Non-league hotshot could steal the January headlines

With the transfer window in full swing, this week saw the return of Arsenal legend Thierry Henry to the Emirates Stadium from the U.S while Robbie Keane also joined Villa on a similar deal from LA Galaxy; however, there is one Non-League striker on the South coast that could yet steal the headlines of this transfer window.

Margate FC striker Kwesi Appiah has found the net 33 times already this season and a move away from the Kent club is highly expected before the window slams shut on the 31^st January but where will the hotshot go to and how much can Margate expect for such a player? In truth Appiah could be a Premier League player by the 1^st of February 2012, however, many people think his likely destination could be the Championship.

The latest clubs to be linked to the striker include Premier League sides Aston Villa, QPR and Swansea while a whole host of Championship clubs ranging from Watford, Bristol City and Leeds are all expected to keep a close eye on Appiah. With no game this week for the 33 goal hero to showcase his talents even more so, Margate will hope to earn some breathing space this week meaning that Appiah could feature against Lewes on the 21^st of January and three days later when Margate entertain League One side Charlton Athletic in the Kent Senior Cup Quarter-Final clash at Hartsdown Park.

Fans of Margate will be hoping that their main man will stay beyond this transfer window and help fire the ‘Gate’ into the Play-off places and beyond into the Blue Square Bet Conference South. Despite them hopes there would be no fan at MFC that would begrudge Appiah the chance to resurrect his League career after his last chance at Championship side Peterborough was ended when he was released before returning to the Non-league stage.

So finally what can Margate earn from the possible sale of the star man? Realistically the answer is a lot. Margate would be well within their rights to demand an upwards fee of £50,000 (perhaps higher) as well as a sell on clause of up to 10% while also earning a lucrative friendly against the side that Appiah could join.

All at Margate FC hope Appiah will lead the club to promotion ahead of what looks like to be an exciting new era for the club, however, I would like to offer my thanks to Kwesi for his contribution to the ‘Gate’ should he decide that his future lies elsewhere.

What do you think? Would Appiah suit your club? How much is a 33 goal machine worth in January? As always let me know.