Adam to stay at Bloomfield Road?

May 26th, 2011 by Watch Football News No comments »

They were only relegated a few days ago, but Blackpool have already made steps to prepare for next season in the Championship. The biggest of those appears to be in relation to Charlie Adam, with the Bloomfield Road outfit activating a clause which allows them to extend his contract by a further twelve months.

The former Rangers man has been a revelation since joining the club in 2009 and after scoring nineteen goals to help Blackpool achieve promotion to the Premiership, the 25-year-old has enjoyed yet another superb campaign. Having scored a further thirteen this season, it has been no surprise to see him catch the eye of other clubs and despite only joining the club a couple of years ago for £500k, Liverpool had a £6m bid rejected in January.

With that, it’s no surprise to see Blackpool quickly invoking this clause. However, he is unlikely to give up on the Premiership that easily and speaking to Sky Sports, he has revealed that his ambitions still lie there: “I just want to keep playing and obviously the Premier League was the top of the tree and obviously I want to play there”.

As well as Adam, the Seasiders have also activated the same clause in a number of other players’ contracts. Keith Southern, Neal Eardley, Ian Evatt, Billy Clarke, Gary Taylor-Fletcher and Louis Almond are included in that list although with the greatest respect, it is highly unlikely that they will be courted anything like as much as Adam this summer.

However, it wasn’t quite as positive for some players after Ian Holloway opted to trim down his squad by releasing several. Paul Rachubka, Richard Kingson, Rob Edwards, Danny Coid, Malaury Martin, Marlon Harewood, Jason Euell, David Carney, Andy Reid, Salaheddine Sbai and Ishmel Demontagnac have all been told that their future now lies away from Bloomfield Road, hinting that Holloway has plenty of transfer activity ahead of him.

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Posted in Football Transfer Market

Aguero set for big move?

May 24th, 2011 by Watch Football News No comments »

Having bagged over one hundred goals for Atletico Madrid and become a permanent fixture in the Argentina squad, it’s been no surprise to see clubs drooling over Sergio Aguero for the past few years. Up until now he has been strictly out of bounds but there has today been a huge development, with the striker openly admitting that he is now looking to move away from the La Liga outfit.

Speaking through a statement on his website, the 22-year-old said: “I said long ago that when I wanted to go, I would say so publicly. And the time has come.

“After five intense years, this stage for me personally is over and I have to give way to a new one.”

The news will certainly alert Chelsea and Real Madrid, who have both been reported trackers of the striker over the past eighteen months. However, Atletico will not let him go without a fight and after signing a contract with a £40m buyout clause only a few months ago, it will take some serious negotiations for either side to land him.

What’s more, despite Aguero’s admission, Atletico have responded by saying they have absolutely no intention of selling their star striker. Speaking to Radio Marca, club president Enrique Cerezo said:

“There is no getting around it. El Kun has a signed contract. He has shown his desire to leave, but we say the same thing. We do not want to sell. We respect his decision, but he also has to respect ours. He has a commitment to us.”

However, no matter how hard Atletico try, it looks as though they are fighting a losing battle. Considering his blossoming reputation, £40m does not seem a huge clause and with so many big clubs chasing his signature, it will take some intense persuading to keep the Argentine.

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Posted in Chelsea FC, Football Transfer Market, Real Madrid, Spanish La Liga

No Hill for Tykes

May 24th, 2011 by Watch Football News No comments »

Since losing their manager a couple of weeks ago, there have been several names thrown into the hat for the vacant Barnsley manager position. However, despite being the clear favourite only a few days ago, Keith Hill has today confirmed that he is now no longer interested in the post.

It was revealed on Friday how the Rochdale manager had been given permission to talk to the Tykes but after early discussions, it appears as though no deal could be reached between the two parties.

Having masterminded Rochdale’s first promotion in over thirty years Hill is something of a hero at Spotland and it looks as though it will take an irresistible offer for him to give that job up. Speaking to BBC Radio Manchester, Hill said that while it was hard to turn down an offer in the Championship, the job didn’t seem right to him:

“The most difficult thing to turn down was the chance to manage in the Championship.

“Nothing has gone wrong it is just down to choice. We’ve decided to stay at Rochdale because we are ambitious but we’re also happy in our work here.

“On this occasion it just wasn’t right for me.”

It remains to be seen how the Tykes will react to this setback, after Hill was named as the preferred choice for the club. Now, it’s thought that the Oakwell outfit will conduct interviews with the likes of Kevin Blackwell, Russell Slade, Brian Laws and Alan Irvine before making a decision on Mark Robins’ replacement.

Keith Hill meanwhile, appears to be staying at Spotland. It could be noted that his odds for the Sheffield United job came crashing down over the weekend but as we’ve seen in this case, the bookmakers aren’t always right. Following his success in the lower leagues, it surely can’t be long until he gets another offer anyhow.

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Posted in General

Blackpool in the Europa League?

May 23rd, 2011 by Watch Football News No comments »

They may have suffered a cruel and narrow relegation on the last day of the campaign, but there could be at least something to smile about at Bloomfield Road. As reported earlier in the week, Blackpool were one of a number of clubs who were in contention for a Europa League place due to their disciplinary record and following Sunday’s events, there appears a good chance that they could get it.

The Seasiders had their stay in the Premier League cut short on Sunday, after champions Manchester United came from behind to beat the Lancashire side 4-2 at Old Trafford. It was certainly a devastating blow for Ian Holloway’s men, especially after other results meant that they only required a draw to keep their place in the division.

However, there could be hope. England are one of three nations who have been handed an additional Europa League place following their impeccable disciplinary record. This means that the team who top the Fair Play charts in the Premier League will be awarded that place.

However, three of the teams who would normally be competing for this additional place have already qualified for a European competition, as Chelsea top the charts while Tottenham and Manchester United sit nearby.

It was originally thought that Fulham, who occupy 2nd place in the table, would then take the place but all of that could have changed following their game with Arsenal. Zolten Gera was shown a red card in that match and while there are other factors which contribute to the league standings, this is widely thought to be sufficient to send Blackpool above the Craven Cottage outfit.

Should Blackpool make the cut, they will incredibly be the second Championship side playing in Europe next season. Birmingham were another side who suffered relegation on Sunday but following their Carling Cup victory a few months ago, they have also qualified for the Europa League.

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Posted in Premier League

AFC Wimbledon back in the League!

May 21st, 2011 by Watch Football News No comments »

They set out their intentions from the start; they wanted Wimbledon to have a football club that was playing in the Football League. That was stated all the way back in 2002 when AFC Wimbledon was founded, after the original Wimbledon opted to incredibly move over 50 miles away to Milton Keynes and then rename themselves MK Dons.

Ever since then the whole country has seemingly been supporting them and eight years on, AFC Wimbledon can proudly announce themselves as a Football League club. The Dons, who finished 2nd in the Conference this season, beat Luton on penalties in the playoff final this afternoon to claim their place in League Two.

The game had finished at a 0-0 deadlock and following a tense period of extra time, it all came down to penalties. In the end, Alex Lawless and Jason Walker were the unfortunate pair of Luton players that missed their spot-kicks, gifting the Dons their fourth promotion in seven seasons. It certainly proved to be a hugely frustrating day for Walker, who also saw a late header hit the post at the end of normal time.

Ironically, only a few days ago MK Dons were knocked out of the League One playoffs, meaning that just one division separates the two sides now. However, while many supporters deserted the Dons when they relocated, there is no doubting that they are now one of the strongest outfits in League One. Bankrolled by a wealthy chairman, the Stadium:mk side also have one of the most highly rated managers in the Football League in Karl Robinson and it’s even thought that the 30-year-old is being courted by managerless West Ham. At the moment however, there is no question as to who is the happier between the two clubs, as AFC Wimbledon start their planning towards another promotion.

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Posted in Football Post Match Review

Woodgate set for Exit?

May 21st, 2011 by Watch Football News No comments »

When it comes to injuries, there aren’t many players who can say they are as unlucky as Jonathan Woodgate. It looks as though things could get even worse for the former Middlesbrough man as well, with Tottenham manager Harry Redknapp indicating that the 31-year-old will not be offered a new contract when his deal expires in the summer.

Since joining the club in 2008, Woodgate’s appearances have been scarce and having only featured fifty times for Tottenham, it’s no wonder that Redknapp has grown impatient with the defender’s fitness. Speaking ahead of the Premiership finale, Redknapp said: “His contract is up and he hasn’t played for two years.

“If we don’t keep him then he is worth a gamble for someone on a pay-as-you-play deal because if you can get him fit you will have one of the best centre-halves anywhere.”

After bursting onto the scene as a promising youth at Leeds all those years ago, Woodgate has struggled to build on his early reputation as injuries have blighted his career. He’s played for some of the biggest clubs in the world, one being Real Madrid, and commanded some huge transfer fees, but as the years go by it looks more and more likely that Woodgate will be one of the players that should have, but never did, become one of the best players in the world.

Despite the injury problems, Woodgate is expected to feature in Tottenham’s game against Birmingham on Sunday after recovering from a groin problem. The White Hart Lane outfit are currently sat in 5th place in the Premiership and with one point separating them from Liverpool in 6th, they know that qualification for the Europa League is completely in their own hands. Opponents Birmingham certainly won’t make things easy for them though as the Blues are still embroiled in something of a relegation battle.

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Posted in Tottenham

Elmander Poised for Bolton Exit

May 20th, 2011 by Watch Football News No comments »

He has played a massive part in Bolton’s hugely successful season, yet it looks as though Johan Elmander’s stay at the Reebok Stadium is set to come to an end after Galatasaray announced that an agreement had been made with the Swedish striker.

The 29-year-old’s contract is due to expire at the end of the season and according to Bolton manager Owen Coyle, it looks almost certain that he is set to leave. The former Burnley chief said: “Galatasaray have announced on their website they have agreed something with Johan. Do I expect him to leave? In my heart of hearts, yes.

“I have spoken to Johan and certainly nothing has been signed. That is not to say it won’t be signed, maybe in the next couple of weeks. ”

Despite a slow start, Elmander has become a key fixture in Bolton’s squad and has certainly justified the club-record £8.2m that the Trotters shelled out for him. This season in particular he has been impressive, having bagged twelve goals to help the Reebok Stadium outfit finish in a respectable 12th position.

While Galatasaray’s announcement is by no means official confirmation of the Swede’s switch, it would certainly seem likely given the events over the past few months. The former Toulouse striker has refused to sit down and discuss terms over a new contract and that in itself gave a huge indication that he would not be there to start the 2011/12 campaign.

However, he still has some work to do as Bolton bid to finish in their highest position for several years. It was only last year that Owen Coyle stepped in to replace Gary Megson, with the club in serious relegation trouble. However, he has now transformed the fortunes of the Lancashire side and if they can win their final game against Manchester City on Saturday, they could finish the season in 8th.

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Posted in Bolton

Barnsley Tracking Hill

May 19th, 2011 by Watch Football News No comments »

They may not be the most fashionable club in the world, but Barnsley brought attention to themselves last week when the Championship side lost the services of manager Mark Robins. Robins opted to resign from his post at Oakwell, although after the club placed him on a 12-month notice period just days earlier, it appeared as more of a mutual arrangement. It came as a huge surprise after the former Rotherham boss had just led the Tykes to their best finish in years.

Since then, there has been plenty of speculation regarding Robins’ future although the favourite for the job now appears to be Rochdale manager Keith Hill. Hill has forged a superb reputation for himself after becoming the first man in over thirty years to mastermind a Rochdale promotion, only to then follow that up with a season of consolidation in League One. That has brought him several suitors, although it now appears as though Barnsley are the front runners.

The gambling market are fuelling this speculation after Hill’s odds for the job dropped significantly overnight. On Wednesday evening, the 41-year-old was 12/1 to take over but that has now dropped to an incredible 1/6.

However, despite the speculation, Rochdale remain defiant that Hill will remain at Spotland. Speaking to the club’s official website, Dale chief executive Colin Garlick said: “There’s been no approach from Barnsley, Sheffield United or any other club.

“Keith and I have been working together as normal making plans for pre-season.”

As the comments highlight, Sheffield United are another side who have reportedly been tracking Hill although it is thought that their advances are not as serious as their South Yorkshire rivals. Instead, United look set to ironically turn to Mark Robins, or perhaps another former Barnsley manager in Danny Wilson. They are the two names who have the most favourable betting odds and like on most occasions, it is very rare that the bookmakers are wrong.

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Posted in General

Swansea in the Playoff Final

May 17th, 2011 by Watch Football News No comments »

Welsh side Swansea booked their place in the Championship playoff final following a thrilling 3-1 victory over Nottingham Forest last night.

Following a goalless draw in the first leg, there was everything to play for as Forest travelled down to the Liberty Stadium although the tie swung completely in favor of the home side in the space of just five first half minutes. Goals from Leon Britton and Stephen Dobbie put the Swans 2-0 ahead, only for Rob Earnshaw to grab a goal back in the second half to make things interesting. Forest pushed and pushed yet Lee Camp’s decision to go up for a late corner to prove costly, as Darren Pratley broke away to crack home an effort into the empty net from the halfway line.

The result caps a fantastic season for Swansea, who only finished four points away from the automatic positions after ending the season in 3rd. As for Nottingham Forest, it’s yet more disappointment and their supporters must be bitterly frustrated after failing at the same hurdle last year.

However, Billy Davies is remaining optimistic and insists he is there to stay at the club and try to win promotion in his third attempt. However, he’ll be hoping for more of an assault on the automatic positions as the playoffs clearly aren’t his forte with the former Derby manager losing four playoff semi-finals through his career.

The second playoff semi-final takes place tonight as Cardiff host Reading at the Cardiff City Stadium. Neutral supporters will be hoping for a similarly eventful game to the one witnessed last night, after the first leg clash between these two also ended goalless last week. If the Bluebirds can manage to pull through, the Premier League will be home to a Welsh club for the first time in its history.

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Posted in Football Post Match Review

Fulham for Europe?

May 16th, 2011 by Watch Football News No comments »

There is no doubt that Fulham are experiencing an extremely successful season, with the Craven Cottage outfit looking set for a top half finish as they occupy 8th position. However, despite this moderate success, nobody quite expected to hear the news that they could in fact be a surprise qualifier for the Europa League.

England sit in 2nd place in the UEFA Respect Fair Play Rankings, which means that they are allowed one extra place for the Europa League. The rankings are based on the disciplinary record for domestic and international competitions over the past season, with the top three countries having additional Europa League places awarded.

It has been revealed that the Cottagers sit 2nd in the English Fair Play Rankings, with Chelsea currently occupying top spot. However, with the Blues already in a European competition due to their top four finish, Fulham are next in line unless there is some sort of absurd turn of events next weekend.

If that does occur and Mark Hughes’ side find themselves completely on the wrong side of the referee, it could in fact be relegation-threatened Blackpool who take a European position. They and Tottenham are both next in line and even if the Seasiders are condemned to the Championship, they are still eligible for European football under the Fair Play rules.

Of course, it is not a huge surprise to see the Cottages plying their trade in a European competition. It was only last year that Roy Hodgson masterminded an unbelievable campaign that saw the club reach the Europa League final, where they were desperately unlucky as they crashed out through a late, extra time goal. However, if they do make it to the competition via this route, their task will be slightly harder as they will be forced to play eight games before reaching the group stages.

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Posted in Premier League