Frank Lampard has been confirmed as England’s new World Cup vice-captain.
The Chelsea midfielder will assist new skipper Steven Gerrard following the knee injury which has ended former captain Rio Ferdinand’s hopes of playing in the finals in South Africa.
Gerrard was installed as vice-captain when Ferdinand was named skipper in February after the media storm which surrounded the axing of John Terry as captain in Fabio Capello’s squad.
The Liverpool midfielder has now stepped up to the full captaincy role with Lampard taking the vice-captain’s slot.
“I am vice-captain,” confirmed Lampard, who has won 78 caps since making his international debut in 1999.
“I was told by the manager and (assistant) Franco Baldini yesterday and I am very proud of that.
“Obviously I am very disappointed for Rio. He is a mate.
“But what can I do? I shall just try to give my input as a vice-captain.”
Meanwhile, Lampard has expressed his disappointment for former West Ham academy and first-team colleague Ferdinand.
The Manchester United defender damaged knee ligaments during training on Friday and has been replaced by Tottenham’s Michael Dawson in the squad.
FootballFanCast General Stay ahead in the world of football analysis, commentary, and fan insights with FootballFancast. FootballFanCast General Stay ahead in the world of football analysis, commentary, and fan insights with FootballFancast.
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 am very disappointed for him to say the least,” continued Lampard.“I spoke to him last night and he is obviously very down.
“He is such a good mate and for this to happen in the build-up to the biggest tournament made me feel sick in my stomach.”
Subscribe to Football FanCast News Headlines by Email
UEFA’s plans to establish a much more attractive secondary competition in Europe looks to be on the right track. And this season’s Europa League tournament is likely to catch the eye in the same way that last season’s knockout phase did.
American sports fans have it good: Four very different sports on offer and only four leagues to keep an eye on – because who really watches the Canadian Football League? And while I’m hardly complaining about the wealth of football on offer in Europe (that would be bordering on blasphemy), the Europa League is doing well to add its name to a growing list of leagues worth watching.
Now, most won’t be too bothered unless their team is competing. Like Serie A, La Liga and all the other leagues, the Europa League will fall into a category of completely dispensable competitions. Maybe it will have to take Barcelona or Manchester United competing in it regularly to draw the widest possible audience.
But like last year, the Champions League’s little brother, who was given an absolutely necessary makeover, will feature a host of teams that are worth watching.
Falcao should be enough to peak the interest of most neutrals, for lack of a better word. And his excellent performance both last year for Atletico and the year prior with Porto is likely to continue. He’s made the competition his own, and his two wonder goals in last season’s final were of a high enough standard to be included and immortalised in the Allianz Arena.
[ad_pod id=’dfp-mpu’ align=’right’]
But it’s the stigma that UEFA will struggle to shake. The Thursday nights joke may never come to an end within football banter, and who really wants to be associated with that competition? Certainly not regulars of the Champions League.
But are football fans concerned about the name on a trophy or the quality of football? Bilbao’s game against Manchester United at Old Trafford last season was one of the better matches in all of European competition, and there is no escaping the talent that will be on display again this season. It’s often that you hear fans bemoaning a lack of football and having to wait until the weekend. Should we apologise for your club not competing in a tournament outside its domestic league? There doesn’t have to be a negative view of a competition that UEFA are desperate to change the fortunes and image of.
Edinson Cavani will lead a determined, albeit noticeably weaker, Napoli into the tournament, and Tottenham should be good viewing with a manager hungry for success for the second time in three years. Inter Milan, Liverpool and Leverkusen will also add to the weight of high-profile names.
FootballFanCast General Stay ahead in the world of football analysis, commentary, and fan insights with FootballFancast. FootballFanCast General Stay ahead in the world of football analysis, commentary, and fan insights with FootballFancast.
By subscribing, you agree to receive newsletter and marketing emails, and accept Valnet’s Terms of Use and Privacy Policy. You can unsubscribe anytime.
The inclusion of Manchester United and Manchester City last season did a lot to boost the interest in the competition. And even though there are a number of fans who would be keen to follow clubs like Ajax in Europe, UEFA are deeming themselves extremely fortunate to have another round of big names to draw in sizable audiences.
Prior to the change of name, you’d either have to have been keen on the talent at Shakhtar Donetsk, or a Werder Bremen supporter to switch over to the Uefa Cup. It will take a lot more than just half-a-season’s worth of play to change the makeup of the Europa League, but at least things are moving in the right direction for UEFA.
Arsenal and Manchester United still have intentions to sign target Michel Bastos despite the Brazilian recently signing a new deal at current club Lyon talkSPORT understands.
Bastos has been the subject of interest from the Premier League giants in the past only for Lyon’s refusal to sell causing the duo to halt their pursuit of the 28-year-old.
However recent reports indicate that both clubs remain keen to secure his signature which has prompted the Ligue 1 side to offer the left sided player a new contract.
That deal was duly signed keeping Bastos at the Stade de Gerland until 2015 and putting an end to any speculation over his future in France.
Since moving Les Gones in 2009 Bastos, who can play in defence or midfield, has been linked with a switch to England with United boss Sir Alex Ferguson reportedly keen to utilise his versatility on the left.
Gunners manager Arsene Wenger also considered a bid for the Brazil international after losing Gael Clichy in the summer but opted to sign fellow countryman Andre Santos from Fenerbahce instead.
Despite Bastos penning a new deal at Lyon both clubs haven’t been perturbed in their efforts to secure his services.
[divider]
FootballFanCast General Stay ahead in the world of football analysis, commentary, and fan insights with FootballFancast. FootballFanCast General Stay ahead in the world of football analysis, commentary, and fan insights with FootballFancast.
By subscribing, you agree to receive newsletter and marketing emails, and accept Valnet’s Terms of Use and Privacy Policy. You can unsubscribe anytime.
Aston Villa boss Gerard Houllier has expressed disappointment that his side twice gave up a lead in their 2-2 draw with Fulham on Saturday.
Houllier’s men led 1-0 at half-time thanks to an own-goal from Fulham’s Ghanaian right-back John Pantsil but the visitors hit back after the break through an Andy Johnson goal.
Villa’s advantage was restored by a great goal from Kyle Walker and they looked on course to claim all three points until Clint Dempsey headed home from a corner with Villa goalkeeper Brad Friedel stranded in no man’s land.
Houllier said he was disappointed to have dropped points at home after twice edging in front.
“The entertainment is one side of the game, but the other side is that we feel extremely disappointed because we played extremely well first half and could have done better in terms of goals,” Houllier told Sky Sports.
“Even before they equalised we had a great move and could have been 2-0 up but once they equalised it looked as if it affected a bit of morale.”
“We managed to get back in front but I thought we only have ourselves to blame for not holding on to the result, because Fulham at the moment is full of confidence. In the second half they deserved their equaliser.”
Fulham boss Mark Hughes, meanwhile, was happy with the spirit shown by his men to keep fighting after falling behind.
“I’m pleased with the performance, obviously we had a setback of an own goal early in the first half and that could have knocked us out of our stride, but it didn’t.” Hughes said.
“We came back strong in the first half and for the last 20-25 minutes restricted them to very few chances.”
FootballFanCast General Stay ahead in the world of football analysis, commentary, and fan insights with FootballFancast. FootballFanCast General Stay ahead in the world of football analysis, commentary, and fan insights with FootballFancast.
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 thought we were excellent in the way we took the game to Villa and the way we came back twice shows great character and great resolve.”
“That what we’ve been showing in recent weeks and from our point of view it’s a good result. It’s a difficult place to get a point but we did really well.”
“You see in our play we finish games stronger and that’s a quality that’s been growing since we’ve come into the new year.”
Pre Ryan Shawcross, Aaron Ramsey was an incredibly exciting prospect for Arsenal fans. Stolen from under the noses of Manchester United for a very reasonable £5m, Ramsey went from strength to strength in Arsenal’s team. He displayed a pleasing level of ability in almost every aspect of the central midfielder’s role – a quite remarkable feat for such a young player.
Then, one game against Stoke changed that. The Welsh captain was left with such an horrific broken leg that his attacker was left in tears and the Arsenal team was left in shock. Arsenal fans had seen this sort of incident before with both Eduardo and Abou Diaby but there was something quite sickening about such a young, promising player coming so close to ending his career before it had even begun.
Ramsey did eventually return to football, with mixed success. He made his comeback with a month to go in the 2010/11 season. Some reasonable performances were capped of with some pleasing link-up play with Jack Wilshere and the winning goal in the home game against Manchester United. Since then, however, his fortunes have been somewhat tempestuous.
The added pressure of being the creative midfielder to replace Cesc Fabregas, Samir Nasri and Jack Wilshere last season was something that a veteran would struggle to deal with, let alone a 21 year old starting his inaugural season as a first team regular.
Nevertheless, his form at the beginning of the 2011/12 season was reasonably impressive with goals against Spurs and Marseille and some decent passing in the 5-3 victory over Chelsea at Stamford Bridge.
Eventually though, the pressure seemed to take over. Gary Speed’s death and the pressure of being national captain was a considerable burden for a player who was also charged with being the creative spark in an Arsenal midfield that was lacking any real dynamism.
Whether it was a loss of confidence or a remarkable bout of over confidence is unclear but what is obvious is that Ramsey lost his form. Perhaps he was simply exhausted after playing so much football after such a long absence from the season before. Whatever the case, inconsistency and mistakes found their way in to most of his performances.
The crowd got on his back and, on occasion, so did his team mates. His wastefulness in possession became common practice and penchant for elaborate flicks only exasperated the situation.
Ramsey may not have deserved all of the abuse he suffered last season but he will undoubtedly need to improve in the coming campaign. Arsenal fans will hope that Wilshere will return to share the burden, but they cannot count on it.
Whilst Wenger has commented on how well the two young midfielders have linked up in the past it is important to stress that Arsenal need Ramsey to be a valuable player in his own right.
He has the potential to be a brilliant player but Arsenal are not short of central midfielders. He will be competing with Arteta, Song, Wilshere, Coquelin, Rosicky, Diaby, and Frimpong this season. He is at a stage in his career where he needs to be playing regularly. His development has already suffered as a result of his year on the sidelines, he lost his place at the end of last season, and he cannot afford to do so again.
FootballFanCast General Stay ahead in the world of football analysis, commentary, and fan insights with FootballFancast. FootballFanCast General Stay ahead in the world of football analysis, commentary, and fan insights with FootballFancast.
By subscribing, you agree to receive newsletter and marketing emails, and accept Valnet’s Terms of Use and Privacy Policy. You can unsubscribe anytime.
Gary Speed believed in Ramsey, enough to make him one of the youngest national captains in the world. Wenger believed in Ramsey, enough to spend £5m on him. This season Ramsey needs to start repaying that faith. Arsenal have an oversized squad as it is, there’s no space for players who can’t deliver.
The deadline-day sales have caused discontent in the blue half of Merseyside and the unwillingness to strengthen has left the squad looking thread-bare. After their opening day clash against Tottenham was postponed, Everton suffered a surprise 1-0 loss to QPR at Goodison Park, before they survived two Blackburn penalties misses as the soon-to-be departed Arteta sealed all three points with a penalty of his own.
Villa have once again added to their squad bringing in Tottenham pair Jermaine Jenas and Alan Hutton before the window shut last week and both could feature in the game. Villa fans will be hoping that Darren Bent who is a doubt after missing England’s Euro 2012 qualifiers with a groin-strain is able to start.
Everton’s attacking stocks are also depleted after the deadline-day sales of Beckford and Yakubu, while Louis Saha is another fitness concerns. They have added Real Madrid’s midfielder Royston Drenthe and Argentine forward Denis Stracqualursi to their squad, with both expected to make their debuts on Saturday but Leighton Baines is a doubt with a hamstring injury while Seamus Coleman is still ruled out with a long-term injury.
Alex McLeish has got his Villa side playing some great football to start the season and they have already picked up five points from a possible nine. I think they could continue this fine start on Saturday against an under-strength Everton team who will be low on confidence piling more pressure on Kenwright and the Everton owners to bring in some loan players.
Key Player
Tim Cahill: After losing a number of their attacking outlets on deadline day Cahill will now have the big task of stepping up for the team to give them some sort of threat up-front.
Richard Dunne: Dunne who was so impressive for his national team in mid-week and he is enjoying a fresh-start under McLeish, he will be an important player if Villa want to maintain their unbeaten start to the season.
Verdict: 0-1
FootballFanCast General Stay ahead in the world of football analysis, commentary, and fan insights with FootballFancast. FootballFanCast General Stay ahead in the world of football analysis, commentary, and fan insights with FootballFancast.
By subscribing, you agree to receive newsletter and marketing emails, and accept Valnet’s Terms of Use and Privacy Policy. You can unsubscribe anytime.
To see the Premier League round-up and preview ahead of the weekend fixtures – download the excellent ESPN Goals App
Youngster Daniel Martinez had the final say as Palermo beat Parma 5-4 on penalties on Tuesday to reach the semi-finals of the Coppa Italia.
Paraguayan Martinez, 17, struck the winning penalty after Hernan Crespo had his effort saved and Francesco Valiani blazed over for Parma.
Neither team had been able to find the back of the net in regular and extra time, ensuring the game had to be settled from the spot.
Fabrizio Miccoli wasted a chance early on for the hosts at the Stadio Renzo Barbera, when the Palermo captain sent a tame drive straight at goal.
Slovenian Josip Ilicic also went close, forcing a save from Parma goalkeeper Nicola Pavarini with a volley on 18 minutes.
Raffaele Palladino threatened twice for the visitors in the opening half, before Palermo midfielder Giulio Migliaccio went closest to breaking the deadlock when he headed against the bar from a Miccoli free-kick.
Bulgarian front-man Valeri Bojinov shot wide for Parma and substitute Sebastian Giovinco could have scored twice, drawing excellent saves from Palermo goalkeeper Salvatore Sirigu.
Argentina attacker Javier Pastore should have snatched a winner for the hosts but spurned two simple chances – one with seven minutes left in regulation and another from close range in the final moments of the extra-time.
FootballFanCast General Stay ahead in the world of football analysis, commentary, and fan insights with FootballFancast. FootballFanCast General Stay ahead in the world of football analysis, commentary, and fan insights with FootballFancast.
By subscribing, you agree to receive newsletter and marketing emails, and accept Valnet’s Terms of Use and Privacy Policy. You can unsubscribe anytime.
Parma’s veteran Argentine striker Crespo and Palermo defender Mattia Cassani missed the opening penalties of the shootout before Valiani fired over the bar for the visitors, leaving teenage substitute Martinez to convert the winning spot-kick and make himself the hero for Palermo.
They will now face the winner of Sampdoria against AC Milan on Wednesday, while in the other half of the draw Napoli meet holders Inter Milan on Wednesday and Roma take on Juventus on Thursday.
Newcastle United are this morning said to be improving their bid for Lilleand France right back Mathieu Debuchy according The Mirror.
The Magpies last week put a £4 million bid on the table for Debuchy, who had an impressive campaign for his country at Euro 2012. As Lille categorically denied the offer, Alan Pardew is now set to up the bid to £6 million in an attempt to strengthen last seasons surprise package even further.
The team from St James Park have endured a frustrating summer transfer window so far, as they also frantically chase FC Twente striker Luuk De-Jong, tipped by many to be the next Robin Van Persie.
By adding the signings of De-Jong and Debuchy, the hope is that Alan Pardew’s men will send out a strong message of intent which will enable them to keep hold of Demba Ba, Yohan Cabaye and Cheick Tiote as well.
Lille boss Rudy Garcia claims; ‘He (Debuchy) is torn between staying with us to play in the Champions League in our new stadium or going elsewhere.’
FootballFanCast General Stay ahead in the world of football analysis, commentary, and fan insights with FootballFancast. FootballFanCast General Stay ahead in the world of football analysis, commentary, and fan insights with FootballFancast.
By subscribing, you agree to receive newsletter and marketing emails, and accept Valnet’s Terms of Use and Privacy Policy. You can unsubscribe anytime.
Should Lille accept the latest bid from Newcastle for the 26 year old right back, he may find himself with a tough decision to make.
Newly promoted Queens Park Rangers may be on the verge of a change of ownership.QPR, who won the Championship last season to win promotion to the English Premier League, released a statement on their official website on Thursday announcing that the club was in talks with a potential new buyer.
Current owners Bernie Ecclestone and Flavio Briatore have received much criticism from the club’s support during the off-season, with the pair seemingly reluctant to spend on the squad.
The only new arrivals at Loftus Road have been striker Jay Bothroyd and midfielder Kieron Dyer, who were both free transfers.
Ecclestone and Briatore also markedly raised the club’s ticket prices in a move which further angered the fans.
But that might all be about to change, with the Italian duo entering into negotiations over the club’s future.
The statement confirmed that the potential buyer was not the same one that had showed interest in March.
“The Company has entered into preliminary discussions with a different party,” the statement said.
“Accordingly the Company confirms that is it no longer in an offer period. We will be making no further comment at stage.”
Chelsea blew the opportunity to close the gap at the top of the Premier League as a last gasp Ciaran Clark goal gave Villa a share of the spoils. The result has left Ancelotti claiming that the Manchester United game is now make or break for the Blues, in their hope of retaining the title.
In the papers this morning there has been a mixed bag of stories which includes Fergie reveals the outrageous demands of agents; Spurs demand £29m for trio, while FIFA launch force to fight corruption.
Ancelotti: we have to win United clash – Daily Telegraph
Redknapp waiting on Beckham – Sky Sports
McLeish: Hleb must fit the bill – Sun
Spurs demanding a whopping £29m for want-away trio – Mirror
Coe backs West Ham’s stadium plan – Guardian
Bit late, Blatter! FIFA launch force to fight corruption after World Cup farce – Daily Mail
FA looks to BOA to salvage Fifa trust – Daily Telegraph
FootballFanCast General Stay ahead in the world of football analysis, commentary, and fan insights with FootballFancast. FootballFanCast General Stay ahead in the world of football analysis, commentary, and fan insights with FootballFancast.
By subscribing, you agree to receive newsletter and marketing emails, and accept Valnet’s Terms of Use and Privacy Policy. You can unsubscribe anytime.