Mauro Zarate could make a return to the Premier League following interest from QPR, says the Daily Star.
Zarate has thus far failed to make an impression at Inter Milan, who have loaned the striker from Lazio for the season.
It’s reported that Zarate would like to get games under his belt away from the San Siro and would welcome a chance to return to England.
Mark Hughes is eager to establish QPR as a Premier League club and could use the combined efforts of Zarate and fellow South American target Henrique to fulfil those ambitions.
Zarate scored four goals during his time at Birmingham in 2008, but the Argentine is yet to score in the league for Inter and limited playing time could add weight to speculation of a move away.
Zarate was linked with a move to Arsenal last summer and is also being tracked by Bolton and Newcastle.
With a number of Premier League suitors watching his situation, Lazio will be keen to drive his price up as much as possible.
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After Manchester City had beaten Manchester United in the FA Cup semi-final, I was keen to soak up any footage I could of the day, and stumbled onto youtube. On there, the FA had uploaded a video showing a tunnel-cam throughout the day, a look behind the scenes. It was strangely hypnotic, devoid as it was of commentary. Players arriving, managers chatting, Robbie Savage chatting to Micah Richards for some reason, and then Paul Scholes being led to the dressing room by an official after being sent off.
It was that moment that an old thought popped back into my head. It’s always the little things that I spend too long dwelling on, the banal details behind the action, and there is one utterly insignificant thing that has always intrigued me (and probably no one else).
What does a player do when he is sent off?
Does he sit there in full kit, awaiting the arrival of the other players so that he can apologise? Does he wait by the door ready with a spirited invective about how hard done to he was? Does he get the bath running? Does he get changed and go and sit on the coach? Or just hide from the “gaffer”?
It must be a lonely place to be. Imagine being sent off after 5 minutes, and having to sit there for 40 minutes stewing on what you have done and how it has probably cost your team. Take Neil Taylor of Swansea, who as I type has been sent off for after 90 seconds in a crucial play-off semi-final game. He’s got a long 45 minutes ahead of him in the dressing room. Maybe red-carded players dig out their massive headphones and listen to yet more music – footballers seem so obsessed with listening to music that they are usually still doing it when they get off the coach, when they wander into the dressing room, and no doubt when they are putting their kit on.
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I always thought that dressing rooms (of wealthy clubs at least) would have TVs, so that the match could be watched in there. But Manchester City put their own tunnel cam video on the official website this week showing the night of the Spurs match, and Wilson Palacios, off injured in the first half, could be seen loitering around the tunnel area in the 2nd half watching the game on a monitor. Couldn’t he have just gone back to the bench?
What struck me most about the video though was the friendliness between the players. I don’t expect them to blank the opposition, but as they lined up to go on the pitch, the scene was far more relaxed than I imagined. Harry Redknapp stopped for a chat with Mike Summerbee, Dzeko was catching up on old times with Modric and Corluka (I think it was them), and Shaun Wright Phillips and Defoe were reunited after what was clearly too long apart.
And am I overreacting to see a Spurs player smiling as he walked down the tunnel after the game? Probably.
There’s a famous clip, widely available on youtube, of the tunnel before a Manchester derby a good few years ago. Peter Schmeichel is by this time the City keeper, and he goes up the line of United players, shaking hands, meeting old friends. Then he gets to Gary Neville, the captain at the front, and Neville, sporting his hard-man face, totally blanks a rather bemused Schmeichel.
Just pumped up for the match perhaps, focused, a true professional. Because clearly shaking an opponent’s hand will destroy his focus and drain away his ability. And to him, Schemichel had done the unthinkable, and joined THEM. Neville reinforced what most think of him anyway, and his majestic levels of concentration didn’t work. City won.
But back to that City v Spurs match, and briefly away from the hectic tunnel. This week saw another bug-bear of mine. Why oh why to some fans is virtually every other match now a “must-win” game?! This is especially true near the end of the season of course. This week I heard endless times how Manchester City v Spurs was a must-win game for City. It was nothing of the sort. If they had lost, they still would have been 4th. If they had lost at home the following week, they would still have been 4th. Even if they had failed to beat Bolton on the last day of the season, it was conceivable that other results would mean they would still finish in 4th. Must-win games are just that – games that, without any doubt, HAVE to be won, MUST be won. As I said, it’s the banal things that get to me.
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On Saturday, you could perhaps argue that the FA Cup final for City (and City) is a “must-win” game. The big question is this though: how will Tony Pulis pull off a baseball cap/suit combo for the FA Cup Final? And while I am on the subject of suits –how pathetic are managers who wear a nice suit on match-days just when the big boys are in town? It’s like getting the expensive china and cutlery out when your wealthiest friends are coming round for dinner. Your other friends can eat out of a bowl.
Anyway, whatever happens in the FA Cup final, the tunnel-cam video will again be a must-see. It’s the future of entertainment, trust me. I just look forward to the day they do dugout-cam and manager’s office-cam.
FootballFanCast.com WORLD Exclusive, Robbie Savage’s Face in a Baby Scan
Whenever an important player leaves a club and a new one arrives, there is generally a rule in the footballing world were people must compare that player to the outgoing hero, or a previous star. Can they fill his boots? Will he rise to the challenge? But equally, newly arriving managers face the exact same scrutiny – a task made all the more daunting if sitting in the hot-seat of those who have achieved success and had a legendary status bestowed upon them. So can managers truly succeed, when directly following a ‘great’, in the modern era were results and success needs to be instant? Or is it virtually mission impossible?
It seems a catch-22 situation to be placed in from the start. Attempting to replace a legend is a thankless task. Win, and it’s expected – the norm. Lose, and the accolades of the former manager are thrust into full view, with negative headlines splashed across the papers. You could never just be ‘your own man’. Every decision, tactic, signing and substitution is scrutinised with unfair comparisons being made. Catch-22.
The recent intense pressure placed on Arsene Wenger in the media (maybe not helped by himself in some small part by the apparent, early stinginess in the transfer market) led to talk of him possibly walking out of Arsenal, or being shown the door. If that scenario was to occur, who would replace him? He has been an absolutely legendary figure at the Gunners since he arrived back in the 90’s, transforming the club’s playing identity, whilst also bringing it into the new century with his training, dietary and psychological methods that were virtually unheard of in the English game at the time. The success that followed only added to his adulation, thus ensuring a near-impossible task for whoever replaces him, whenever that time comes.
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It’s the same at Manchester United, though even more daunting. Talk of Sir Alex Ferguson’s retirement has been around for years. As to who his eventually replacement may be has been discussed many times with various names thrown into the hat. With United’s success, it has been safe to say that whoever is attaining similar success, or hype (or both) at the time, would have been named as Ferguson’s definite heir. But whoever sits in that hot-seat faces an almighty task. How do you replace the man who has guided a team through the most successful period in their history – by far!?? Who lasted over a quarter of a century, collecting the biggest trophies for much of that period? It will be a brave man who sits in that seat. Win, and it’s the norm – but they would also have to win playing a certain style. Lose? Well losing won’t be an option.
One man who is many people’s favourite to succeed Ferguson is a coach who himself attained legendary status at not one, but three successful clubs, thus ensuring his successors a tough time even before they began work; Jose Mourinho. Directly after leaving Porto having won the European Cup, the club burnt through four managers in little under two years as none could live up to what Mourinho achieved. At Chelsea, he (along with the help of a certain Russian’s bank account) won the league title instantly; a feat the club hadn’t achieved for 50-years. More silverware followed but success in Europe was never realised and after a fallout with the owner, the Portuguese moved to Italy. Chelsea, have had five managers since he left. At Inter, Mourinho walked in to a pressure situation; Inter, fresh from being winners of Serie A, were in the ascendancy. Not winning the Scudetto for Inter in the wake of Calciopoli would be seen as a massive catastrophe, bordering on embarrassment. However Mourinho’s remit was clear: deliver the European Cup. He duly obliged, cementing his status as Inter legend and ensuring his replacement would have an impossible task. That man was Rafa Benitez, and he lasted six months.
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Back to Chelsea, who had their brief dominance under Mourinho interrupted by Manchester United, and have now turned to the ‘new Mourinho’ in order to reclaim glory; Andre Villas-Boas. The comparisons are immense. Dubbed ‘mini-Mourinho’ by the press, Villas-Boas served under Mourinho, whilst at Chelsea and Inter, and that has also brought the instant pressure and hype of being compared with Chelsea’s most iconic former manager. But there is a difference this time that will put Villas-Boas in good stead; he’s done it before. Yes, at Porto he was finally the manager who filled Mourinho’s shoes, even surpassing some of his former mentor’s records at the club.
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An immense pressure is sat on Villas-Boas’ young shoulders, as it is for any manager who chooses to sit in the seat once occupied by a club legend. Can he succeed in ‘mission impossible’?
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Wolves manager Mick McCarthy has revealed that Wigan equivalent Roberto Martinez has apologised to him over Antolin Alcaraz’s spitting incident.
The Paraguay international was sighted spitting at Molineux captain Richard Stearman in the dying moments of last Sunday’s Premier League clash, and has been handed a three-match ban by the FA.
McCarthy has criticised the South American for the act, but revealed that Martinez has apologised on behalf of the DW Stadium club.
“What happened is unacceptable. I have spoken to Roberto and he apologised on behalf of the club. I don’t think it is indicative of Wigan, of Roberto or Dave Whelan. They are lovely people, a lovely club, and I think he [Alcaraz] has just made a mistake,” McCarthy told The Guardian.
“I don’t know where it came from but he’s made a stupid mistake and got punished with a ban, and we all think that is right.
“Personally, I’d rather have a smack in the mouth than be spat upon. It’s the worst thing you can do to a fellow professional. He will be regretting it now and will have to take the consequences,” he concluded.
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Spurs threw away a golden opportunity to close the gap on the top four after wasting chance after chance at White Hart Lane this afternoon. Jermain Defoe was the biggest culprit and Harry Redknapp will be hoping that the North Londoners don’t end up ruing these dropped points at the end of season.
At FFC this week we have seen a mixed bag of Tottenham blogs that includes a stroke of transfer good fortune for Spurs; Assou Ekotto deserves great credit, while it easy to see why Harry is keen on £6m credit.
We also look at the best Tottenham articles around the web this week.
*
Is this the ‘Most Hated’ Premiership XI of all time?
Joining Tottenham would be the WORST possible move
A Champions League travel guide to Madrid for Tottenham fans
A stroke of transfer good fortune for Tottenham
Tottenham maverick deserves some credit
Would a move to Tottenham really be that unrealistic?
Easy to see why Harry’s keen on £6m Ivan
Is Gomes still a cause for concern?
Should Harry contemplate a transfer shake-up?
Why Tottenham can do without this sort of ‘attitude’
The secret behind Harry Redknapp’s success at Tottenham
Lucrative DEAL but what do Tottenham fans make of it?
Rafael van der Vaart puts his teammates to shame
How do Tottenham stand with regards to UEFA’s pending ruling
*Best of Web*
Not a bad result at all really. – Spurs Musings From Jimmy G2
Grit and Glory – Tottenham On My Mind
Referendum for Spurs fans – Martin Cloake Online
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Now that the dust has settled… – Dear Mr Levy
Aaron Lennon In ‘Lady’s Bottom’ Shocker – Harry Hotspur
‘I disagree with people when they say football is a sport. When the Sky (TV) money came in, that changed. Football is a business’. The recent admission from the former Manchester United and England captain Bryan Robson during an undercover meeting may have come as a shock to some, but to most, isn’t it something we already knew ?
For those who don’t know, or didn’t see the program, Channel 4’s ‘Dispatches’ documentary recently went undercover, posing as wealthy businessmen on the look-out to buy an English club. They met a group in Thailand, which Bryan Robson was a part of, and openly discussed the possibility of buying two clubs (which is illegal) and how they would circumnavigate the laws to achieve this. Robson was secretly filmed discussing this in the meeting, and openly talking about how his links to a certain Premier League club and other managers, would help call in ‘favours’ and loans, to build-up their newly acquired teams. They also stated they were not in it for the long-term – just looking to buy the club’s cheap, gain promotion, make a massive profit, then get out. It was when queried on the moral issues surrounding such a takeover that Robson gave the above statement.
Are many of us still naive to think that the people who invest billions into our clubs will not want the maximum return possible out of their investments, and do everything they can in trying to achieve such things? That is exactly how the business world works. However, we are talking about football – a sport. Our ‘beautiful game’ that means so much to so many, world-wide. To have our beloved club’s bandied around like toys by these rich businessmen, is not a nice thought for any passionate supporter.
Of course, the huge money invested in today’s football has changed many things for the better. The way the sport is brought to us (so-called ‘expert’ pundits aside), seemingly 24 hours a day through every kind of media possible. Clubs have better stadiums, better training facilities, better injury care, the list goes on and on. But is the most important thing any better; the actual football? Sky TV would have you believe so, but that’s another debate.
Utilising loopholes and creating deals to advance is nothing new and has been going on for years within football clubs. The difference today is that the clubs are now viewed as businesses – loopholes and deals are now used with the end purpose of creating the maximum profit; the business philosophy. Not for the end purpose of trying to make the club the best it can be; the sporting philosophy. With such large amounts of money available in the game, many an individual’s integrity is put to this test. The power to ‘influence’ sporting decisions (illegal or otherwise) has been around for some time, but in today’s game nothing attains influence greater than money.
Whilst Robson’s opinion may well be right, looking to underhandedly capitalise on the sorry state of affairs and cash-in, is disgraceful. Two wrongs don’t make a right eh Bryan?
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Fenerbahce’s Emre Belozoglu is required to testify as a suspect in the ongoing investigation into match-fixing in Turkish football.According to Turkish publication Zamen, the former Newcastle and Inter Milan midfielder will be forced to answer questions on allegations that he sent a series of text messages to Ankaragucu defender Kagan Soylemezgiller before the two clubs met in the last match of the season in May.
The messages are reported to have said: “Don’t let my president (Aziz Yildirim) be angry. Don’t play your best game.”
But the Fenerbahce club captain has denied those suggestions, with the messages supposedly sent by the Ahmet Bulut – business partner of his agent Ekrem Okumus – with the approval of the player.
Emre has also been accused of promising a number of Ankaragucu players that he would help them secure a move to Fenerbahce if they did not play in the fixture.
The midfielder’s most recent appearance in front of the media came on Monday, where he admitted the national team was struggling to focus on their Euro 2012 qualifiers with the saga hanging over their heads.
If Emre is found guilty he may join Fenerbahce patron Yildirim and Besiktas coach Tayfur Havutcu in being arrested.
In light of FFC’s focus on troublesome footballers this week, I have decided to constructed a Top Ten list of footballers misbehaving abroad. Although the sport has increased in professionalism over the last few decades, there are still a number of stories reported that show the players in a worse light off the pitch. Although, we must remember that they are only human, like us and can’t be expected to behave like machines, some of the following is inexcusable.
So whether it’s team mates coming to blows, the paparazzi snapping players boozing it up or just stupid and bizarre actions, they make it onto the list. What didn’t make it was the England WAGS from the 2006 World Cup, they reportedly distracted the players during the tournament and although it wasn’t the players misbehaving themselves, they nearly made it into the top ten. Also, quite a few people recommended Cristiano Ronaldo photographed in speedo’s as a criminal activity, but again it failed to make the ten below…..
Click on Gazza below to see the Top TEN!
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Compiled by Matt Freebody
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Frank Lampard hit two second half goals as Chelsea maintained their recent revival with a comfortable 3-1 victory at Bloomfield Road.Skipper John Terry headed Chelsea into a deserved lead midway through the first half before Lampard struck twice in four minutes – once from the penalty spot – to seal the victory.Jason Puncheon scored a late consolation for the Seasiders, who maintained their record of scoring in every home game this season.The only blip for Chelsea was that Fernando Torres again failed to find the target in his fifth game since making a 50 million pound switch from Liverpool.Blackpool were missing arguably their two most influential players, top scorer DJ Campbell and playmaker Charlie Adam, who were both suspended, while Didier Drogba started for Chelsea after his impressive cameo from the bench in the 2-1 victory over Manchester United.Both defences were on top in the opening exchanges with Blackpool keeper Richard Kingson doing well to beat Drogba as he threatened to latch on to Torres’ miscontrol, while at the other David Carney was twice muscled out when he took up good positions.The first meaningful chance led to the opening goal, Terry rising highest to head home Lampard’s corner in the 21st minute.They almost got a second within minutes when Torres’s turn and shot was blocked before Kingson tipped away Jose Bosingwa’s 20-yard curler as it headed for the top corner.Blackpool almost scrambled an equaliser on the half hour when Puncheon bulldozed through David Luiz and hit a low shot which Petr Cech was relieved to see come back of the post after he made a mess of what should have been a comfortable save.Drogba limped off shortly after the break and his replacement Salomon Kalou was soon in the action, drawing a foul from Ian Evatt to earn Chelsea a penalty. Lampard rolled the ball in from the spot sending Kingson the wrong way, and the midfielder got his second just four minutes later to kill off the game when he ran onto Kalou’s throughball and neatly sidefooted past Kingson.Torres then went close to his first goal for Chelsea but shot straight at substitute keeper Mark Halstead, after Kingson was taken off with an injury.Blackpool got a consolation goal four minutes from the end, Puncheon firing low across Cech minutes after Matt Phillips dragged a similar chance wide.
German midfielder Michael Ballack will not play in his farewell match for his country against Brazil, labelling the proposal ‘a farce’.Ballack’s national team boss, Joachim Loew, announced on Thursday that Ballack would no longer be playing for his country under his tutelage after an impressive 98 appearances for the 2002 FIFA World Cup runner-up.
But Loew did extend an olive branch to Ballack by saying he would be given the chance to turn out one last time against Brazil in a friendly in August.
The friendly had already been scheduled before it was turned into a possible ‘farewell’ for Ballack, something which angered the combative midfielder.
“Turning a friendly match, which has been planned for so long, into my farewell is, in my opinion, a farce,” Ballack told Bild.
“I know I owe it to my fans to participate in that game, but I cannot accept this offer.”
Ballack also voiced his displeasure at Loew’s lack of respect in breaking the news to the midfielder.
“The form and content of his message surprised and disappointed me because they reflect the way he has been treating me since I got injured last summer,” he said.
Germany will face Brazil at the Mercedes-Benz Arena in Stuttgart on August 10.