All posts by h79snht.top

It is often said that Manchester United are the biggest club in the world, let alone the Premier League, and I guess you could say that these stats kind of prove that. Almost everyone on the globe is on Facebook these days and it appears that a huge number of people that are support Man United! We have been scouring Facebook for the official club fan pages of the 20 teams in the Premier League and you could say that the results weren’t surprising in regards to the most followed pages.

Sir Alex Ferguson’s Manchester United were by far and away the leaders with more than 10 million fans, that’s more than twice as many as Liverpool, Arsenal and Chelsea, who are the second, third and fourth most liked official Premier League club fan pages respectively. The rest of the top ten is to be expected, with the traditional bigger clubs’ larger fan bases resulting in more followers.

So Gunners, Reds and Blues fans, make sure you become a fan of your team’s fan page to help your club become the second in the Premier League to break the 5 million Facebook fans mark. Here are the top ten…

[ad_pod id=’fox-mpu’ align=’right’]

Man United – http://www.facebook.com/manchesterunited – 10,883,239

Liverpool – http://www.facebook.com/LiverpoolFC – 4,890,949

Arsenal – http://www.facebook.com/Arsenal – 4,879,868

Chelsea – http://www.facebook.com/ChelseaFC – 4,449,082

Man City – http://www.facebook.com/mcfcofficial – 493,012

Tottenham – http://www.facebook.com/TottenhamHotspur – 489,383

Aston Villa – http://www.facebook.com/avfcofficial – 146,380

Everton – http://www.facebook.com/Everton – 137,729

West Ham – http://www.facebook.com/pages/West-Ham-United-FC-Official/129911763708715 – 136,309

Newcastle – http://www.facebook.com/newcastleunited – 131,391

[divider]

FootballFanCast General Stay ahead in the world of football analysis, commentary, and fan insights with FootballFancast. Subscribe FootballFanCast General Stay ahead in the world of football analysis, commentary, and fan insights with FootballFancast.

---

Subscribe

By subscribing, you agree to receive newsletter and marketing emails, and accept Valnet’s Terms of Use and Privacy Policy. You can unsubscribe anytime.

Don’t forget that Football FanCast is on Facebook too! Click here to join the Football FanCast Facebook Fan Page.

[divider]

There you’ll find plenty of awesome stuff, including videos like this…

[ffcvideo file=’topten_sologoals’]

Arsene Wenger has clarified that all-being-well Jack Wilshere should return to action for Arsenal in March.

The England international midfielder has not featured for The Gunners this season as yet due to an ankle injury, and suffered a setback before Christmas as his rehabilitation looked to be nearing an end.

However the French coach is looking to have his talisman back available before the end of the season, but won’t rush his recovery.

“Jack can be back within a month if all goes well,” Wenger told Sky Sports.

“The recovery of his latest problems looks very good. The latest scan was very positive.

“We go cautiously step-by-step because we tried to push him back quicker in the first instance and he had a setback. So this time we have to be cautious and not go too quick.

“He can be back before then end of the season, of course,” he stated.

Meanwhile, Arsenal take on AC Milan at the San Siro on Wednesday night, and the Emirates Stadium manager has admitted to studying Tottenham’s victory over the Italian giants from last season in preparation for the game.

“I have seen [that game], yes. Milan had a lot of the ball and Tottenham caught them on the break at the end of the game,” he told the club’s official website.

“You never decide when you break, you break when you can. It was a game which was vastly dominated, especially in the second half, by Milan.

“We will not decide at the start of the game that we will sit in our half if we have to, like Tottenham did. We will do it and then try to catch them on the break.

FootballFanCast General Stay ahead in the world of football analysis, commentary, and fan insights with FootballFancast. Subscribe FootballFanCast General Stay ahead in the world of football analysis, commentary, and fan insights with FootballFancast.

---

Subscribe

By subscribing, you agree to receive newsletter and marketing emails, and accept Valnet’s Terms of Use and Privacy Policy. You can unsubscribe anytime.

“But at the start we will try to get out of our own half and try to get up there and play. Spurs won the game when they were dominated, but that is football today,” he stated.

By Gareth McKnight

[ad_pod id=’unruly-2′ align=’left’]

Barcelona midfielder Xavi Hernandez is adamant that the referee’s sending off of Real Madrid’s Pepe was the right decision.Portugal defender Pepe was given his marching orders for a lunge on Brazilian wingback Dani Alves on 61 minutes in Barca’s 2-0 defeat of Madrid in the Champions League semi-final first leg on Wednesday, which also saw Madrid boss Jose Mourinho sent to the stands for his continual protesting over the decision.

But despite the post-match attention centring on the officiating – with Mourinho stating he believed Barca continually received favourable decisions – Xavi insisted the refereeing should not overshadow his side’s performance.

“I don’t want to talk about (Jose) Mourinho. I only want to discuss Barcelona. We put in a good performance and it’s a fair result. This is a victory for football,” he told Spanish sports daily Marca.

“I just want to talk about football. There will always be decision from referees that will be talked about. Sometimes they go against you and sometimes they go in your favour. It was clear to see for everybody that Pepe’s dismissal was a correct decision.”

The 2-0 result, courtesy of two goals from Argentine dynamo Lionel Messi, has put the Catalans in a commanding position ahead of the return leg at Camp Nou on Tuesday.

“We got the result that we deserved. We were again superior. We’re a team that wants to play attacking football and have fun on the pitch. They (Real Madrid) are just hoping that we’ll make mistakes. That worked in the Copa del Rey final, but not this time,” Xavi said.

Team-mate Gerard Pique blamed Real Madrid for naivety and negative tactics on their own turf, which he believed led to their demise.

”We fought well and had a good result. Now it is up to the second game,” he said. “It’s always the same. They didn’t want to play at football, (even) at their own stadium. They play at the limit of violence. If you play with fire, you can end up burning.”

Javier Mascherano, however, warned his Barca team-mates of complacency, insisting their rivals were capable of mounting a comeback in the reverse tie.

“I’m very content with the outcome from this match, but this doesn’t change anything about the second leg,” he said.

“There is another game to be played and Real Madrid are a very strong team that will do their utmost to turn things around.”

West Ham United boss Avram Grant has hailed Scott Parker as the best English midfielder in the Premier League this season.

The 30-year-old has impressed despite the Hammers' struggles this term and Grant believes that Parker should be back in Fabio Capello's England squad as a result.

He said after the 1-1 draw with Wolves at Molineux:"I think if you look at all the English midfielders, with respect to others, there is no doubt that Scott, from the beginning of the season, has been the best midfielder.

"I need to talk to Fabio Capello! I am not the England manager, but I am sure that Scott deserves to be there.

"He played well offensively and defensively, was good with the ball. He has a great record for blocking shots of the other team and is very clever and professional – a good guy, very positive.

FootballFanCast General Stay ahead in the world of football analysis, commentary, and fan insights with FootballFancast. Subscribe FootballFanCast General Stay ahead in the world of football analysis, commentary, and fan insights with FootballFancast.

---

Subscribe

By subscribing, you agree to receive newsletter and marketing emails, and accept Valnet’s Terms of Use and Privacy Policy. You can unsubscribe anytime.

"I think it would be good for the England team if he was there, especially in this form."Subscribe to Football FanCast News Headlines by Email

Some say it was a pointless miracle, but the truth is that Blackpool winning promotion to the Premiership is the best thing that could have ever happened for football. If the game is to escape from the dungeon of debt in which it is trapped fans, players and chairmen alike must embrace what Blackpool have done, use them as an example and then stick to their methods.

This past domestic season will be remembered as the one where the real world finally caught up with football. Portsmouth are still in administration (according to reports Palace could have escaped it), Chester City are out of business and clubs such as Hull, Preston and Southend have accounts that resemble the red sea. However, the recent Championship Playoff Final could represent the parting of the ways for the future of football.

In some ways the match between Blackpool and Cardiff was bigger than just a cup final. To many it was Holloway versus Ridsdale (the worst football chairman of all time according to one recent poll), calculated versus erratic and football versus selfishness. For Ian Holloway and Blackpool represent everything that is still great about the game whilst the way Cardiff have been run in recent times is the epitome of everything that is wrong with it.

Blackpool winning promotion was not a fluke and the reason for this is somewhat simple and much overlooked- it’s because they have good players and an intelligent manager. Brett Ormerod and Jason Euell have made 397 Premiership appearances between them and both played critical roles in Blackpool’s promotion this season, whilst Charlie Adam proved his worth by scoring 19 goals from midfield. However, the real trick is the way in which the team has been assembled and how they have gone about their play. As we all know good management is generally defined as creating the maximum amount of revenue with a minimum amount of expenditure whilst providing an atmosphere in which everyone works for each other and performs to their full potential. To say that Blackpool boss Ian Holloway has carried this out to a great extent would be an understatement. Blackpool’s record signing is Charlie Adam- bought for £500k from Rangers last summer and this campaign they have had an average crowd of just 8611 with only three stands up in their stadium- yet this season they still beat a host of teams with twice the amount of resources.

Compare this to Cardiff. If moving stadiums wasn’t expensive enough during a global recession they also chose to make their promotion bid with players on very high wages- Michael Chopra, Mark Kennedy, Mark Hudson and Jay Boothroyd have all played Premiership football recently and would not settle for low salaries, whilst local boy Joe Ledley has seen his income skyrocket in recent seasons as a way to keep him at the club. The sums simply do not add up. There is currently not enough money being generated in the global economy for a medium sized business such as Cardiff City Football Club to support this kind of infrastructure.

Theoretically Cardiff should have won the playoff final as they do have a better squad than Blackpool and most of their players are in the prime time of their careers- Ian Holloway even stressed this before and after the game. However, the fact that they didn’t demonstrates to Championship clubs everywhere that they can achieve their goals whilst living within their means- if they employ someone who can bring the art of good management to their football club. The brilliance of Blackpool’s season is typified by the way in which Holloway has managed to get the very best out of players at different stages of their careers. The likes of Jason Euell and Brett Ormerod are approaching the end their journey as footballers whilst the likes of Neil Eardley, Charlie Adam and Alex Baptiste are just getting started.

Ian Holloway managed to get the most out of what he had by finding a flexible 4-3-3 system in which all his players could blend together and perform to the maximum of their ability whilst remaining balanced and entertaining, all of which was done on a shoestring budget. Consequently Blackpool now face a lucrative future regardless if they get 100 points or ten next season, whilst Cardiff scour the world for critical investment.

There are many blueprints for success in football as different clubs have shown throughout the years. However, if the beautiful game is to escape the horrors of debt and destruction then the methods shown by Ian Holloway and Blackpool this past season are the ones that now must be followed.

FootballFanCast General Stay ahead in the world of football analysis, commentary, and fan insights with FootballFancast. Subscribe FootballFanCast General Stay ahead in the world of football analysis, commentary, and fan insights with FootballFancast.

---

Subscribe

By subscribing, you agree to receive newsletter and marketing emails, and accept Valnet’s Terms of Use and Privacy Policy. You can unsubscribe anytime.

PS- News coming out reveals that Crystal Palace may have been saved after an agreement was reached at the 11th hour between the CPFC 2010 consortium (headed by Steve Parish and Martin Long) and Lloyds Bank, regarding an anti embarrassment clause on Selhurst Park. This is the second time in 10 years Palace have chosen the Cardiff approach and the second time in ten years that Palace have escaped liquidation by the skin of their teeth. Should the CVA be completed later this week, confirming Palace’s survival, let this be a message from the whole of football to the CPFC 2010 consortium to take the Blackpool approach.

Written By Kieran Lovelock

[youtube IEu_5sP9F0Q]

Arsene Wenger has a real talent for developing and breeding young players in the hope that they might become the future stars of Arsenal Football Club. His track record would reaffirm the idea that he is one of the best, if not the best in the game at producing quality young players to make the step up.

However, whilst trawling the forums, blogs and newspapers this morning I stumbled across an immensley interesting article in the Daily Mail that pays tribute to a 62 year old French psychologist who has played an important role in the production of Arsene Wenger’s young guns.

Jacques Crevoisier has known Wenger for almost 40 years and has worked with some of Europe’s brightest young talent. Crevoisier states, “Arsene Wenger always tells me that you have to be clever to play for Arsenal and that is where he starts…Without that, you cannot fit into his system. At Arsenal I’ve done tests for all the young players. They were all outstanding psychologically. I think Wilshere’s showed him to be a bit more confident than Walcott but they all had some of the best profiles you will see.”

For Crevoisier, these psychometric tests intend to measure psychological endurance, competitiveness, emotional control, stress resistance, aggression amongst a variety of other characteristics. There main aim is to uncover strengths and weaknesses so that the manager can work on young players shortcomings and build upon their strengths. It is also hoped that the tests would detect whether these future stars have the intelligence to match their skill and ability.

The 117-question analysis has stark results. Crevoisier says that some of the results of the young English players are different compared to their French equivalents “Young English players come across as more committed and aggressive in the test but their self-confidence and concentration is not as good” Crevoisier explains this as due to a lack of first team opportunities. He furthermore makes it clear that, “If you are at an average-sized club in France you will get the opportunity to play. At the same size club in England, you have, say, a 28-year-old international with lots of caps in front of you and the chance is not there.”

Crevoisier’s work is not foolproof. He recalls his time at Tottenham and states that it does not always work. He believes that if significant steps are not taken to work on the results of these tests then there is little point in the exercise. In addition he remembers “giving the young players at Tottenham their tasks and they would do them at the end of training. The problem was that the players were not given a chance in the first team – they still aren’t. What is the point of having an academy if you don’t use those players?”

He finalises his findings by acknowledging that this is not the case at Arsenal. Arsene Wenger has created a mentality that opportunities in the first team will arise for the talented youth if they can show that they are willing to work hard and prove that they have what it takes.

If you like what I’ve written why not follow me on Twitter

Fancy playing your mates every week in a Premium Fantasy Football game?

FootballFanCast General Stay ahead in the world of football analysis, commentary, and fan insights with FootballFancast. Subscribe FootballFanCast General Stay ahead in the world of football analysis, commentary, and fan insights with FootballFancast.

---

Subscribe

By subscribing, you agree to receive newsletter and marketing emails, and accept Valnet’s Terms of Use and Privacy Policy. You can unsubscribe anytime.

Real Madrid forward Emmanuel Adebayor has insisted he’s not a trouble maker, despite disagreements with previous managers and fellow players.

Adebayor has enjoyed a fine start to his time at Real making scoring two goals in three appearances.

But the Togolese striker has made positive starts elsewhere before falling out with colleagues – most recently at Manchester City.

He had a public dispute with team-mate and Ivory Coast defender Kolo Toure which resulted in the pair being pulled apart in training.

“I’m not a troublemaker at all. I’m a very nice guy and I love enjoying my life,” said Adebayor, who is likely to feature when Real Madrid face Espanyol in Barcelona on Sunday.

“I love enjoying myself. I love laughing a lot. I love playing. I love joking. That’s how I see life. Sometimes, you know, we are all human beings, sometimes it happens that even with me and my mother we don’t find an agreement.”

“That’s part of life. That for me is normal. So, I’m not a troublemaker and I would never fight against anybody.”

Latest reports have suggested the 26-year-old’s loan deal will become permanent with City expected to make a significant loss on the ?25 million they paid for him.

Despite only making 34 appearances at Eastlands the former Arsenal striker scored 15 goals.

He’s not the only player to move from Manchester to Madrid either – and Adebayor is already enjoying linking up with former United star Cristiano Ronaldo.

FootballFanCast General Stay ahead in the world of football analysis, commentary, and fan insights with FootballFancast. Subscribe FootballFanCast General Stay ahead in the world of football analysis, commentary, and fan insights with FootballFancast.

---

Subscribe

By subscribing, you agree to receive newsletter and marketing emails, and accept Valnet’s Terms of Use and Privacy Policy. You can unsubscribe anytime.

“I think Ronaldo is, yeah, a strong player. I have a chance to train with him now,” Adebayor said.

“I can guarantee you how he works every day. He’s always in the gym working to be very fit. To push him to the floor is not easy, so whenever he got on the floor I think he got a lot of kicks.

“I think Ronaldo got a lot of kicks. But that’s the game and I think he will come back stronger and score a lot of goals for Madrid as he’s doing at the moment.”

Sunderland look set to miss out on the signing of Hector Moreno after the AZ Alkmaar defender claimed he did not want to play in England.

The 22-year-old Mexico international has revealed that, after returning from South Africa where he featured in two of his country's four World Cup matches, he would prefer to move to Paris St Germain.

"Nobody has approached to me in an official way yet, but I must admit that I would like to change to another team next season," he said.

"I don't know anything yet if there is a chance of being transferred, I haven't spoken with my agent, but I am calm.

"I know that the French press has been talking about me, but I don't know anything about if there is a negotiation.

"I have been told about Sunderland and other teams, but I am not very interested in playing in England, most of all because of the way of living they have. But Paris is Paris, that motivates me. But I am still in contract at AZ and I am happy there.

FootballFanCast General Stay ahead in the world of football analysis, commentary, and fan insights with FootballFancast. Subscribe FootballFanCast General Stay ahead in the world of football analysis, commentary, and fan insights with FootballFancast.

---

Subscribe

By subscribing, you agree to receive newsletter and marketing emails, and accept Valnet’s Terms of Use and Privacy Policy. You can unsubscribe anytime.

"Now I want to enjoy my family and recharge my batteries because the beginning of a new season is very near."Subscribe to Football FanCast News Headlines by Email

Newcastle manager Alan Pardew has stated that finishing in the top four is a realistic aim for his side this season.

The Tyneside outfit have surpassed all expectations this term and are currently equal on points with fourth-placed Tottenham.

With only a handful of games left to play, the Sports Direct Arena supremo is targeting Champions League qualification.

“I definitely think that we would really have achieved something special if we finish fifth or sixth,” he told The Telegraph.

“Any higher than that would be astounding, really, for a new team to have done what they’ve done. And we’ve got a great chance.

“The more weeks go past, the bigger that chance seems to get and we’ve got a home game now [against Stoke] and we need to win that. Come Saturday night, after Tottenham’s game, we could find ourselves in an even greater position than we are today.

“We’re batting well above our level in terms of the salaries and fees these other clubs have paid. We shouldn’t be anywhere near them, but we are.

“I haven’t really touched on the Champions League before and I am touching on it now, for sure. It would be silly not to,” he concluded.

FootballFanCast General Stay ahead in the world of football analysis, commentary, and fan insights with FootballFancast. Subscribe FootballFanCast General Stay ahead in the world of football analysis, commentary, and fan insights with FootballFancast.

---

Subscribe

By subscribing, you agree to receive newsletter and marketing emails, and accept Valnet’s Terms of Use and Privacy Policy. You can unsubscribe anytime.

By Gareth McKnight

[ad_pod id=’unruly-2′ align=’left’]

Maradona and Dunga have both seen their national teams’ exploits stunted in South Africa and, as seen in the papers immediately following Argentina and Brazil’s exits, the debate about great players not making great managers resurfaces.

But the truth is a little more convoluted. We knew from the outset that Maradona was not a good manager – his squad selections, player omissions and frequently changing tactics have been strenuously well documented. His function was to inspire rather than instruct and many have already commented that appointing him solely for the World Cup (instead of during qualification) may have proved a better circumstance. But these points are now moot.

Dunga has an entire nation’s history weighing down on what was, otherwise, a very good record as manager. The truth is despite every victory there were always rumblings that the manner of Dunga’s victories was too far removed from the tenets of flair football that Brazil’s public demand. Tactically speaking however, Dunga repeatedly showcased an astute managerial mind and his team became frighteningly efficient – we should also not forget that it was a couple of errors that set in motion the Dutch fight back.

The most glaring examples of great players becoming great managers can be found in a German and a Dutchman. Franz Beckenbauer managed to win the World Cup as a player and make two World Cup finals as a manager (winning it as head coach in 1990 against Argentina). His managerial career boasted a German title (1993-94) and UEFA Cup (1995-96) with Bayern Munich and a French league title with Marseille in 1991. Johan Cruyff is largely responsible for the brand of football so widely enjoyed at Barcelona and reached spectacular heights with the 1990s dream team. So great players have and probably will continue to make an impression in the managerial world. A more interesting and relevant debate than whether great players make great managers is whether past footballers, in general, are better equipped at management. Jose Mourinho, himself not a celebrated player, has an open stance on the matter:

“I believe that to be on the pitch as a player can be very important, but it is not compulsory. It is a bit like studying or going to university. It does not mean that you will be a success, but it does give you an advantage.”

Managers such as Arsene Wenger, Rafa Benitez, and Mourinho did not play at the top level in any distinguished fashion. Yet Fabio Capello on the other hand has spoken in the past about the intimate understanding past players – especially very good players – have with their squad and the dynamics of real life play. The argument isn’t simply academia vs. experience, though; Capello himself supplemented the talents he had as a player by coaching at the famed Coverciano school in Italy. And whilst the list of good players who made bad managers is continuously added to, we overlook the circumstances of many considered ‘flops’. The difficulty for a manager is that they’re only judged on their players’ performances rather than a method that we, as an interested third party, can discern.

FootballFanCast General Stay ahead in the world of football analysis, commentary, and fan insights with FootballFancast. Subscribe FootballFanCast General Stay ahead in the world of football analysis, commentary, and fan insights with FootballFancast.

---

Subscribe

By subscribing, you agree to receive newsletter and marketing emails, and accept Valnet’s Terms of Use and Privacy Policy. You can unsubscribe anytime.

If Dunga is added to the list of successful players who couldn’t make the transition to management I don’t think it is wholly warranted considering his record and tactical decisions. But the route to becoming a manager (and thus a ‘great’ manager) is not specified – as with a lot of aspects to the game luck and timing as well as talent become important factors.

If you enjoyed this, you can follow me on Twitter