Why Gareth shouldn't Bale on Spurs.....yet!

After failing to qualify for the Champions League this season, many Tottenham fans fear they could be about to lose their superstar winger Gareth Bale, however Everything Sport takes a look at why the Welsh wizard might be better to give it another go at White Hart Lane rather than hotfoot it across Europe to Madrid.

Spurs could count themselves unfortunate to miss out on a top four finish this season after finishing with their highest ever points tally in the Premier League, totaling 72, with only the extraordinary form of rivals Arsenal post Christmas preventing the White half of North London celebrating Champions League football next season.

Reports this week have linked Bale with an incredible £60 million pound move to another team in white....the one time Galacticos of Real Madrid. While all footballers dream of the opportunity to play for one of the biggest clubs in world football, Bale should reject any advance from Madrid and stick with his Tottenham team mates for at least another season,particularly as they seem on the verge of toppling the once one sided battle in North London.

At just 23 years old, Bale could be about to become the main man who leads Spurs to something that they have not done in a while and that is finish above their near neighbours.  There is no doubt anymore regarding Bales ability, he has scored goals in an abundance and crucial ones at that. While it seems wrong to label Tottenham a one man team, you can't help but ask the question where Tottenham would have finished without the supreme Bale in their line up.

Bale is a key man and his reputation at Tottenham is rising all the time, you have to wonder if a move to Madrid would mean the same. You only have to rewind to 2012 to find the last player who swapped London for Madrid, Luka Modric.

Like Bale, Modric was a key part of a Spurs squad who had qualified for the Champions League, interest from Madrid grew and the player demanded a move to Spain. Spurs no doubt lost a key player, but Modric has found it tough in Spain and reports of a return to England already seem to be circulating.

While it is unfair to say the same would happen to Bale, it is clear that Bale would go from a stand out player to just another name of stars in a team that doesn't necessarily produce what it should.....trophies. Of course their are arguments that a move to Madrid could make Bale the complete player, while there is some truth in this, there is no reason why it has to be this season, he has time on his side.

At just 23, the Welshman has his best years ahead of him and he can still evolve at Spurs and help them become a regular in Europe's elite competition before departing for the Spanish capital. Andres Villas Boas is building something special at Tottenham and he is planning to build it around the Welshman. Spurs are no longer knocking on the door of Champions League football, they are now prepared to blow it open by making some big name signings and that is something the current top four should be wary of, and while AVB and Bale are leading the army, that threat is even more serious.

Nobody will expect Bale to stay at Tottenham for his entire career, of course they don't, why would he? But what Spurs fans will be expecting is another top four push next season and they will be praying that it is with Bale, I would be surprised if he jumps ship just yet and I think AVB would as well.

Let us know your thoughts. Should Bale stay at Spurs or push through a move to Madrid?

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?