All posts by h79snht.top

With all the talk and controversy that’s surrounded Andy Carroll in the past couple of years, it is sometimes easy to forget just how young and inexperienced he actually is.

At 23 years of age, Carroll is the most expensive British player of all time. He has worn the famous number 9 shirt for his hometown club, been the subject of a £35million transfer to Liverpool, played for his country at a major tournament, and been a part of one of the most controversial and seemingly senseless transfer fiasco’s of all time, which saw him eventually join West Ham on loan.

It seems an awful lot for a player who’s in fact only made 68 Premier League appearances, with a large chunk of those  coming as a substitute, particularly for Liverpool. In that time Carroll has managed just 17 Premier League goals, with 11 coming during his spell at Newcastle between August and December 2010, which prompted Liverpool to make their outrageous bid in January 2011.

Carroll has managed just six Premier League goals since then, and is currently on a run of just one in his last 22 appearances, and is yet to get off the mark for his new club West Ham. The statistics do not make good reading, but as always only tell part of the story.

There have been a few murmurs of discontent surrounding Carroll and his failure to get off the mark from press and pundits, as will always be the case. The problem lies in the fact he will always be known as the ‘£35million striker’, which for a fee like that demands 20-plus goals a season.

Those expecting that from Carroll will be waiting for a long time, as he is simply not the sort of goal scoring centre forward everyone expects him to be. He’s still a young player, with time on his side to evolve and improve, but a return of 10-15 a goals a season is the maximum you can expect from him. The pressure of the ridiculous price tag Liverpool paid for him alongside injuries has hindered his progress, but his overall form has steadily improved.

The criticism aimed at Carroll when he first signed for Liverpool, was his lack of mobility. He looked sluggish, his touch was heavy, and his usual strength and power was often missing. It later became apparent that Carroll was still feeling the effects of the injury that he sustained while at Newcastle, and it wasn’t until Carroll was given playing time due to the eight game suspension handed to Luis Suarez that Liverpool fans started to understand why he was rated so highly.

From January onwards Carroll looked an entirely different player. Having been given a run of games to restore his fitness, he set about causing havoc among defenders, chasing lost causes, and creating chances for his teammates, which sadly for Liverpool were often spurned. His back to back performances against Chelsea in the FA Cup final, and the 4-1 Premier League victory were outstanding, and he looked every inch a top class centre forward.

The thing missing for Carroll was goals, and has sadly been the case since. He has managed six domestic goals since January, coming against the likes of Oldham and Brighton from the lower divisions, and Premier League strikes against relegated Wolves and Blackburn. His performance in the FA Cup final and for England during the Euros showed he has the ability to produce on the big stage, which is why Liverpool fans were so disappointed about the decision to send him on loan, just at the time he was starting to regain some confidence.

Since his arrival at West Ham, Carroll has looked hungry and eager to impress. His debut performance against Fulham was outstanding until he picked up a hamstring injury, which has only served to delay his progress further.

Since his return to action he has shown the desire to put himself about and impress, and the West Ham fans seem to have immediately taken to him. However you feel he needs a goal as quickly as possible to keep the critics off his back. Carroll looks very much a confidence player, and his desire to impress and win people over often leads to him rushing and over complicating things for himself.

It seems Sam Allardyce has set about getting back to basics and playing to his strengths. The pressure has eased considerably since his time at Liverpool, but he will undoubtably be desperate to end his goal drought. With his overall play being so much improved, you feel once the first goes in the floodgates could open. There are not many with the attributes Carroll possesses, the incredible strength, heading ability and hammer of a left foot. At 23-years-old he is still learning, and needs to be given time to bring all those attributes together. The signs have been there.

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The crucial thing for Carroll now is that he continues doing the right things, and ignores those seemingly out to get him and who will constantly ridicule his price tag and goal scoring record. The sooner people understand what he is about and stop demanding him to be something than the player he actually is, everyone will see the best for him. And for West Ham and England, this is a very exciting thought.

What have you made of Andy Carroll’s form this season? Follow me on Twitter @LukeGreenwood89 and let me know your thoughts. 

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One of the things that sends me most irate in life – refereeing decisions in el clasico aside – is that of stereotypes. In any capacity I genuinely feel they are grossly unfair and would be the first person to say something if I felt pre judging was occurring.

Being female, blonde and a sports journalist you can imagine I get my fair share of idiots making a variety of remarks I can only assume they feel are terribly original, witty and are worthy of an article in themselves. It drives me mad, and I have always been careful not to fall into the trap of tarring everyone with the same brush, yet last week I wrote a top ten tell tale signs of a Premier League footballer, including trips to Nandos, ill-timed comments on twitter and amnesia when it comes to wedding vows. As it was pointed out to me over the weekend, that was a prime example of stereotyping all footballers and yet again only focusing on ones who show the excess and negative side to the game.

Not all footballers are like that – in fact the majority are not. Think about players such as the Nevilles, Scholes, Carragher and especially ones from elsewhere in Europe, who for them the culture of excess and Wags is literally foreign to them – in his wildest dreams I doubt Kompany could even behave half as crassly as people like John Terry.

It is just a very few who are so public about what they do and how they live their lives that it becomes hard to break away from such an image, and the sport as a rule gets far more coverage on the front pages than any other. Look at cricket, rugby and even the Olympics – over the past few years there have been stories in the tabloids about misdemeanours from the sportsmen involved, yet that dies down after a couple of days and is conveniently forgotten about whereas a footballer does something wrong once and it is red top fodder for weeks on end.

Perhaps there is more discretion in said sports and certainly less money involved, yet to assume all footballers are in the Cashley Cole mould or the John Terry one is vastly wrong and quite insulting. For anyone who has not, I would urge you to read the secret footballer’s column in The Guardian newspaper, which is a fantastic insight into the world, and whilst there are disclosures that make you raise your eyebrows there are equally things that make you feel some footballers are harshly done by. The same can be said about Louis Saha’s book, Thinking Inside the Box – a very frank look at the harsh world of football, behind the glamour and tabloid fodder and a definite read for people who are interested in that side of the game.

People can be too quick to forget that footballers are human and susceptible to the temptations that all of us face – as a 22 year old I am sure most of you did some less than stellar things, yet a journalist is not there to plaster it on the pages of a paper. Footballers like all of us will make mistakes and need time to grow up, and some will turn out to be shall we say naughty, some will get sick, some will suffer from a mental illness or addiction and need help and some will be stand up members of society. You get all types of people in life, so of course you do in the beautiful game – perhaps it is time we started to realise it.

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Arsene Wenger is reportedly ready to scrap his transfer philosophy of signing young players for Arsenal by making a shock move for Chelsea’s Frank Lampard.

The Blue’s midfield legend is in the last year of his contract at the club and new manager Rafa Benitez has revealed the player will be free to leave Stamford Bridge at the end of the season.

Signing Lampard, 34, would be going against Wenger’s usual preference of looking to sign and develop stars for the future rather than those who have already reached their peak.

Lampard has been subject of rumours linking him with a move to LA Galaxy but the England international is reported to be keen on staying in Europe.

With the midfielder able to move on for free in the summer, Wenger will be weighing up the decision of whether to make a cash offer to Chelsea for him in January in a bid to prize him away early.

Arsenals miserable start to their Premier League campaign sees them in 10th position in the table and Wenger has fallen under increased pressure to turn the clubs fortunes around.

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The Frenchman has also been heavily linked with moves for strikers Klaas-Jan Huntelaar of Schalke, and Atletico Madrid’s Adrian Lopez, as well as Everton midfield Marouanne Fellaini amongst others.

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Liverpool midfielder Lucas Leiva is out for three months with a knee injury.

The Brazilian missed six months of last season with knee ligament damage and is now sidelined again following a knock which forced his early exit from Liverpool’s 2-2 draw with Manchester City.

It remains unclear as to whether or not surgery will be required on the injury.

On Twitter, the 25-year-old had this message for his followers: “No words to describe my feelings at the moment. It is been hard to be positive but I am sure better days will come. YNWA.”

It is arguable whether anyone at Anfield offers the same protection to the Reds’ defence from midfield, but despite the former Gremio man’s absence Brendan Rogers still has a plethora of midfield options.

Nuri Sahin arrived at Anfield following a season-long loan from Real Madrid, while Jonjo Shelvey impressed replacing Lucas against City. Out of favour Kenny Dalglish signings Jordan Henderson and Charlie Adam could also be brought in provided they aren’t offloaded before the closure of the transfer window.

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recent away loss to Norwich would naturally have sent a number of supporters into an angry frenzy. Arsene Wenger’s team had no right to play as poorly as they did, and one step further would suggest that Norwich had no right to win that game. But the major talking point—as it always is when Arsenal lose in embarrassing fashion—is what the club should be doing with all that cash that’s currently stuffed away.

There wasn’t too much said following the arrival of Santi Cazorla, although many were still upset at a lack of obvious replacement for Alex Song. But Arsenal had seemingly identified and addressed the problem areas in attack. All that was missing was transmitting the good-on-paper to good-on-the-pitch and getting results.

But Arsenal are still short—they always will be because Arsene Wenger appears powerless to stop big players leaving at the end of every season. He’ll replace, hopefully, but it is often never enough. Meanwhile, the cash reserves—a figure that would turn many other clubs around Europe green with envy—sits in a pot and gives Arsenal supporters plenty of ammunition to fire back at the club.

But regardless of how well Wenger did to land his three summer signings, there are still a number of holes in the team which need addressing.

Yaroslav Rakitskiy

Yaroslav Rakitskiy has three league titles to his name as well as three domestic cups. He’s a regular in the Shakhtar defence and has also gathered together a solid number of international caps. But the recently turned 23-year-old would bring plenty to an Arsenal defence that has improved but may still be lacking in quality in numbers. Per Mertesacker has been excellent for the best part of the season so far for Arsenal, and Laurent Koscielny proved to be the Gunners’ best defender last term. But Arsene Wenger’s side are not shy of dancing with a disastrous injury plague. Rakitskiy really impressed two seasons ago when his side played Barcelona in the Champions League. The Ukrainian champions were on the end of a heavy loss but the young centre-back managed to get himself a goal. He also picked up a number of links to major clubs in western Europe, signifying that he was perhaps one of the best young defenders in Europe. He’s versatile and would be able to plug a gap in midfield if needed, but he reads the game well and is positionally very good. As mentioned, Arsenal’s defence are improving, but how many are totally satisfied with what they’re seeing and the options available?

Yevhen Konoplyanka

Yevhen Konoplyanka might sometimes find himself in the shadow of Andriy Yarmolenko whenever the two share a pitch for their national side. After all, the latter has been described as one to lead this generation of Ukrainian football. But Konoplyanka seems to have much more natural ability and is a player rightly picking up plenty of praise in eastern Europe. He’s a player who would greatly improve Arsenal’s wide position, where Lukas Podolski is the sure-starter on the left while Gervinho, Theo Walcott and Alex Oxlade-Chamberlain are the other options for the right. Arguably, neither of the two England internationals are natural wide players, while Gervinho’s inconsistency should prove to be a real problem going forward. Konoplyanka has the trickery of a successful and natural wide player. He also has excellent delivery on his crosses into the box while in open play and from corners—something which Arsenal have lacked in quality for many years. But he’s a player who can really bring an attack to life. He’s not afraid to shoot from distance and is a very good striker of the ball. The Dnipro midfielder is already a regular in the national team and undoubtedly fits the bill of a typical Arsene Wenger signing.

Klass Jan-Huntelaar

There has been plenty of talk about Adrian Lopez or Fernando Llorente arriving at Arsenal in the near future to reinforce the attack. However, there’s been surprisingly less said about the availability of Klaas-Jan Huntelaar. The Dutch striker is currently in the last year of his contract at Schalke and has expressed a desire to leave Veltins Arena once the season is over. He was the top scorer in the Bundesliga last season, a natural predator around the box and is the favourite among Dutch supporters to start for the national team ahead of Robin van Persie. Huntelaar is sure to see interest in him rise as the season continues, but Arsenal would do very well to add a proven and natural scorer such as him to their squad. He’s managed to settle in Germany and could once again be ready for another big move. He’s comfortably one of the finest finishers in Europe at the moment.

Marc-Andre ter Stegen

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Borussia Monchengladbach goalkeeper Marc-Andre ter Stegen is part of the current rising group of impressive goalkeepers in Germany. The Gladbach keeper’s age should not deter potential suitors as, even at the age of 20, he has already picked up his first international cap and is the regular starter for Lucian Favre’s side. Arsenal don’t have any real competition for goalkeepers and Wojciech Szczesny is hardly the most comfortable in goal. The Polish international has seen a string of errors over the past season result from laziness and lack of focus. Szczesny is simply too comfortable in the knowledge that the other options at Arsenal won’t displace him, but the introduction of ter Stegen, regardless of his age, would be a big boost to the goalkeeping position at the club. Szczesny is a good keeper but needs real competition.

Lars Bender

There were a few really hollow links with Arsenal and Bayer Leverkusen’s Lars Bender towards the end of the last transfer window, but the German international’s versatility would be extremely welcome in Arsene Wenger’s side. Bender is naturally a central holding midfielder, one with excellent defensive abilities. But he’s also capable of slotting in at right-back and performing well. The lack of real quality in that position for the German national team may see Joachim Low opt to deploy the 23-year-old into the right side of defence. But Arsenal are notably short of reliable quality at right-back. There’s no telling what Bacary Sagna’s future holds following his two serious injuries, and Carl Jenkinson, despite some very good performances, is still young and learning his trade. Lars Bender would act as another much-needed body for the midfield and could work extremely well in a two-man pivot with Mikel Arteta. Much of this praise, however, could be equally sent over to Dortmund and his brother Sven, who would also be a great addition to the Arsenal team.

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Liverpool back-up goalkeeper Brad Jones has admitted that team-mate Pepe Reina is the club’s first-choice stopper despite erratic form at the start of the season.

The Spaniard has been at fault for a number of goals that the Merseysiders have conceded and as such there have been rumblings in the press stating that Brendan Rodgers was getting fed up of the goalkeeper’s mistakes.

However, despite being expected to start for Liverpool against West Brom on Wednesday night, Jones has backed Reina as the Reds’ No.1.

“Pepe’s consistency is massive and a lot about being a goalkeeper at Liverpool is concentration because you aren’t getting peppered every week,” The Guardian have Jones as saying.

“You have got to look at it in context. Goalkeeping can turn on one decision at any given time. Sometimes you make the wrong decision but get away with it. Other times someone moves. It doesn’t matter who you are, you are going to be criticised over the odd mistake over the course of a season.

“You look at the top teams and every goalkeeper has made a mistake. For people to jump on the bandwagon and start criticising someone who has been at the top of his game, been in the top tier of football, for so long, is wrong.

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“Pepe’s still only 30. You can’t start dismissing people and say: ‘That’s it.’ He’s a brilliant keeper and I don’t think there is any reason to start questioning him now,” he concluded.

By Gareth McKnight

If I was to ask you who Nathaniel Chalobah was, you’d probably point your finger to a stunning goal scored away at Leicester a few weeks back.

And of course you’d be right on both points. One, yes it was an absolutely stunning goal. And two, yes it was scored by loanee Nathaniel Chalobah.

For many years he Captained and shone both in the Chelsea reserves and Youth sides, and even lead them to the FA Youth Cup in 2012, going onto win the competition as well as that years Championships..

The current Watford loanee, who is being borrowed from parent-club Chelsea, is believed by many reputable people to be the successor for John Terry in years to come.

However the Sierra Leone born player has dominated midfields in the Championship this season, so much so that the player is now being urged to fight for a future place in the Chelsea midfield, rather than the defence.

The first time we were really highlighted to the youngsters midfield capabilities was against Brighton and Hove Albion back in December.

It was a game in which Chalobah proved his versatility, work-rate and fitness levels, and proved to be a real catalyst in midfield as the Hornets took all three points on their quest for promotion.

It earned the youngster an extended contract, and Zola has been rewarded for his faith by Chalobah, who has had a key influence in helping them reach this season’s play-offs.

It’s no secret that Zola has taken full advantage of his contacts in Italy this season to get himself some valuable loan signings, but arguably his best contacts were the ones at Chelsea who let him take Chalobah on a loan.

Former Chelsea legend Zola has even been quoted as saying that Chalobah has what it takes to be as good as Lampard, although the Italian feels that he’d have even more of an effect as a holding midfielder.

It’s of no surprise to many to see Chalobah earning rave-reviews, considering that Chalobah signed his first professional contract at Chelsea in 2012, and even travelled with the squad to Munich as the Blues’ won the Champions League final.

That was the second time that Chalobah was named in a Blues’ squad, having made the bench during a Premier League fixture against Newcastle when he was aged just 15-years old.

His performances in the reserve and Youth sides have also helped him catch the eyes of International coaches as he earned his place in the England U19’s, he has since been named Captain of the Three Lions U19’s squad.

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Chalobah also earned his first call-up for the U21’s late last year as he came on in the second half for Liverpool midfielder Jordan Henderson in a friendly against Northern Ireland.

Despite having already represented England at International level, he is still eligible to play for Sierra Leone.

Although I’m sure coaches and supporters throughout the country will be hoping that Chalobah can become a Premier League regular, and an influential midfielder for England in the future.

Manchester United manager Sir Alex Ferguson has once again broached the somewhat thorny issue of when he plans to finally step down from his position in charge of the club by revealing that he plans to become a director at Old Trafford, but would this simply create a power vaccum and leave his successor little chance of success with such a commanding figure of authority just down the hall?

Having been manager of the club for 27 years and led United to 12 league titles, 5 FA Cups, 4 League Cups and 2 Champions League triumphs, what is clear is that whoever replaces Ferguson at the helm of this European juggernaut is tantamount on a hiding to nothing. It’s not only his success, though, that makes this pretty much an impossible act to follow, but his presence and both are intertwined so closely that unless Ferguson is gone for good, he will continue to loom large over the next man in the dugout.

In an interview with twentyfour7magazine, Ferguson said: “There’s no getting rid of me. I will probably become a director. Nobody knows. Neither do I. It won’t be a doctor that tells me to quit. That’s a long time away (being a director at the club), I hope.

“The role Bobby Charlton has played at the club has been fantastic. He has been a tremendous support to the manager and a lot of the players. I think Bayern Munich is the perfect model. It’s no problem having a replica of that for this club who have had so many great players over the years and who are now ambassadors now like Andy Cole, Bryan Robson, Peter Schmeichel. There are quite a few of them here now and that’s a role we should be using as well.”

By referring to Bayern Munich, Ferguson is obviously pointing to the fact that club legends Uli Hoeneß is chairman and Karl-Heinz Rummenigge is the chairman of the executive board in what represents a complex and bureaucratic system which has helped ensure the club has become one of the best run and financially sound in the entire world. As models go, Bayern isn’t a bad one to reach for, but when it comes to Ferguson taking up a similar position at United, it just looks not only impractical but overbearing.

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The aforementioned figures at Bayern were certainly legends at the club as players which has facilitated, like Franz Beckenbauer before them, a voice in the running of the club, but that is not to say that it is an environment without conflict, and various managers over the years have found the inner wranglings and behind closed doors power struggles impossible to work with. Could Ferguson really promise to stay out of all team affairs if he saw something that he didn’t like? A club with two masters would only serve to create and cause confusion when they should be speaking, listening and leading with one voice.

Ferguson is not just any other figure to Manchester United, he is the man who has transformed them from a sleeping giant into a world powerhouse and the richest club in the world just ahead of Real Madrid. The reason Charlton, like Hoeneß and Rummenigge found it easier was that they were never closely linked to team affairs after they retired and it’s a completely different kettle of fish because their opinions on certain matters concerning the team wouldn’t be sought with quite the same vigour or have been lent quite the same measure of weight.

It’s extremely likely that Ferguson will be heavily involved in picking his successor, with David Moyes, Jose Mourinho and Pep Guardiola the favourites for various reasons, but every principle they come to encompass between them the 71-year-old Scot possesses. He’s able to hold the club together and its various strands, from youth-team development (an area of weakness for Mourinho), to European experience (an area of weakness for Moyes) to battling in an environment unfamiliar to your methods and having to change styles to suit the players at your disposal (a Guardiola weakness soon to be tested at Bayern).

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Much like Liverpool had to eventually ban Bill Shankly from the training ground for frequently turning up and talking to the players after he stood down as the club’s manager only to discover he missed the job too much and took the leap too early, Ferguson’s presence could destabilise the new era that comes in after he’s finished. Dario Gradi tried and failed numerous times to step up to board level at Crewe only to be roped back into management when a new boss failed and you can see something very similar happening at United.

Nobody is telling Ferguson to retire right now, or even next season, because as he steers his side to yet another record-breaking league title, he clearly has something to offer and will continue to do so for a few more years yet, but when it comes to him taking a senior role within the administration of the club after he retires, unless it is merely a hand-holding exercise and a ceremonial post, unlike the ones at Bayern he mentions, then it could have a toxic effect on his legacy with visions of a man who simply didn’t know when to move on, let go and call it a day.

As we near the half-way point of the season, the Premier League table is starting to take shape and pressure will start to grow on the managers who are under-performing. However, those who have done well are earning their rightful praise, but who do you think has been the manager of the season so far?

As seems to be the case every year, David Moyes is once again working wonders at Everton. While the Toffees have stuttered a bit recently, having won just once in the last six, they are unbeaten in the last five and find themselves sixth in the table, just two points off Tottenham and a place in the top four.

One of the surprise packages of the season have been West Bromwich Albion, with Steve Clarke doing well in his first season at the helm at the Hawthorns. West Brom are equal with Everton in seventh place in the Premier League table and while they haven’t won in the last four in the league, the Baggies should be really proud of their achievements so far.

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A manager of the season shortlist wouldn’t be complete without the inclusion of Sir Alex Ferguson. The experienced Scot has again taken Manchester United to the top of the Premier League table, six points ahead of rivals City and looking good for another domestic crown. The Red Devils’ squad may not be as strong as some previous title-winning sides, but Fergie still manages to get the best out of them.

Who do you think the Manager of the Season has been? Have your say by Tweeting @RNRFootball with your choice of manager and the hashtag #TellWrighty

Tottenham boss Andre Villas-Boas is already under a degree of pressure, just three games into the new Premier League season, but the club’s chairman Daniel Levy needs the former Chelsea manager’s long-term vision, as they continue to recover from the short-term approach of predecessor Harry Redknapp.

The media, by and large, do not like Villas-Boas very much, which increases this sort of fictional pressure from outside; he doesn’t win friends easily, he has a cold demeanour and he doesn’t indulge journalists with quote after usable quote like Redknapp used to.

The fact that during transfer deadline day, I heard the Sky Sports News journalist by the name of Gary actually mutter the words “we’ve had none of when Harry was manager, driving in, winding down his window and telling us who would be leaving and who might be coming in. We miss him” says it all really. This self-serving attitude pollutes the media when objectively judging managers.

There’s also the club’s new style of play which the Portuguese manager is trying to implement which will take time to gel. Villas-Boas wants his side to press much higher up the pitch and win the ball back early, while under Redknapp, it was simply a team-sheet with the players names on it and they were told to go out and play.

A poor start to the season has already seen many ex-pros trying to play amateur psychologists, claiming that the likes of Gareth Bale and Aaron Lennon are already ‘not playing for their new manager’ and that they ‘don’t like all the tactical work’. Former players now who say things like this are often the sort of players themselves that didn’t like tactical work, you see, they don’t understand it all that well, so they believe that they are speaking on behalf of every professional footballer, which whenever this happens, they end up only speaking for themselves.

The deadline day scramble and the way that the club missed out on Joao Moutinho as Luka Modric’s replacement will have also hurt Villas-Boas’ plans and the fault lays squarely at the door of Daniel Levy, and the club appear to have strangely prioritised securing the signature of Hugo Lloris instead.

Out went Rafael van der Vaart on deadline day too, as he returned to Hamburg, confirming his status as a luxury player, and he simply didn’t fit the side’s new style, seemingly either far too unfit, lazy or both to fit into it, even if he still has a wand of a left foot.

Emmanuel Adebayor, the focal point of their attack last term to the tune of 17 goals and 12 assists, is still in the process of getting match fit after dragging his heels during negotiations and the team have been forced to field their only senior striker, Jermaine Defoe – a player that doesn’t suit playing as a long front-man and is far too easily pushed off the ball.

At the back, Ledley King has retired, Younes Kaboul has been ruled out for three months with injury and Jan Vertonghen is new to the league, while just in front of them, Scott Parker has been ruled out through injury so far and he was a mainstay in the side Right through the spine of the side there has been change, some forced upon Villas-Boas, others he’s made as he looks to tinker with the side and stamp his own authority on their style, making them more disciplined in the process.

As manager of Chelsea, Villas-Boas was accused of trying to change too much, too fast, but that was the remit which he was brought in under, so it’s hardly his fault that the goalposts were moved midway through the campaign. During his short tenure at White Hart Lane so far, the pace of change has been equally as dramatic, but it was certainly needed as they fell away terribly last season, finishing fourth in a three-horse race, but the same criticism has lazily been levelled at him.

Every manager always pleads time upon taking over a new club, but Redknapp only ran it last season knowing that he wanted the England job in the future; he was biding his time, waiting for an approach from the FA over the England job and their January business shows both him and Levy knew that.

Now the team has a young, forward-thinking manager willing to implement a vision for the future and stick around for quite a few years. His doubters has an agenda and those fans which booed them off the pitch against Norwich should be embarrassed of themselves.

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Rome wasn’t built in a day and the fans need to be patient, despite the cringe-worthy overkill of the word ‘project’ by many. Levy came up short on deadline day, not Villas-Boas and he needs to back his manager both on and off the pitch now and make sure that they present a united front despite the obvious early teething problems.

You can follow me on Twitter @JamesMcManus1

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