Do we have a bias when it comes to penalty incidents?

Steven Gerrard has been accused of simulation during his career

By Laurie Fitzgerald

Another weekend of Premier League action has thrown up yet more talking points and controversy.

Some of the biggest talking points in the game occurred in Everton’s 2-2 draw with Aston Villa at Goodison Park, where the Toffees had the ball over Villa’s goalline, only for the goal not to be given and Darren Bent going down the other end to put the visitors ahead.

Whilst that ‘goal’ has opened up the endless debate of video technology, what seems to have caused less of a stir is the manner of Everton’s equaliser.

Phil Jagielka went down under an innocuous challenge from Jean Makoun, giving Leighton Baines the opportunity to level from the penalty spot seven minutes from time.

Makoun’s challenge on Jagielka was minimal to say the least; it can be argued that any contact which leads to the opponent falling over is sufficient enough to justify a penalty, but it’s difficult to imagine a committed centre-half like Jagielka going over so easily.

This is not to say he dived, but Jagielka went down far too easily. Yet there seems to be little criticism this week in the media of his actions.

Maybe I seem unfair, but with incidents like this, it does beg the question: do we have a bias when it comes to players going down too easily?

In the past we have been quick to point the blame at foreign footballers that have dived to win a penalty, therefore cheating to gain an unfair advantage.

When Arsenal striker Eduardo dived against Celtic in their Champions League qualifier at the Emirates two years ago, he was rightly pilloried for an act of simulation that saw his side receive a crucial penalty.

Another case in point was in 2003, when Arsenal midfielder Robert Pires went down without contact in the Gunners’ 2-0 win at home to Portsmouth.

Both players were rightly condemned for their actions. However, it seems when an English player goes down easily, the level of anger is nowhere near the same level.

Wayne Rooney has come under scrutiny in the past for possible simulation, such as when he went down under a challenge from Sol Campbell in Manchester United’s 2-0 win over Arsenal in the 2004/05 season.

Steven Gerrard has also been accused on numerous occasions of diving, but the Liverpool midfielder has not had the same ferocity of displeasure that foreign players such as Pires and Eduardo have experienced.

Whenever there is a controversy like this involving an English player, it’s usually linked to the assumption that there has been a negative influence from overseas footballers teaching our home-grown stars bad habits.

But there is a sense that we are turning a blind eye to certain incidents due to our white and red-tinted specs, and this isn’t right. Simulation in football is unacceptable, no matter who it is from.

So what do you think? Do we treat controversial penalty incidents differently depending on whether they are home-grown footballers? Is criticism of the incidents involving Gerrard, Rooney and Jagielka unfair? Let us know your thoughts.

Impressive England or woeful Wales?

By Tony Alvarez

  Following England’s 2-0 victory over rivals Wales in Cardiff’s millennium stadium on Saturday England top qualifying group G for the European Championships and have many fans and pundits purring over the performance of this new look England side.

However on the flip side of this coin some sections of the media are arguing that England were not that impressive, in fact Wales were so poor that it made it look all too easy for an average England side.

Where do your thoughts lie?

For me this England side with a flowing three man midfield were an improvement on previous sides we have seen, they all linked well with each other and importantly with the front line.

Again this can only be viewed in relation to Wales performance, they were poor in midfield giving the ball away very cheaply and did not get in the face on their English counterparts allowing them much too much time and thus control.

Wales were also very poor at the back, the full backs and the centre backs did not play as a unit and allowed space in the channels.

Although I was pleased as a England fan to see flowing Football in a more modern system for me the performance was not as outstanding as people would have you believe. For me this system will not work against the stronger sides ( no disrespect to Wales) Darren Bent whilst being a fine goal scorer does not offer enough in terms of hold up play thus meaning the ball would be back at our defence too quickly.

Another problem I see is our midfield does not have enough physical presence, don’t get me wrong Parker puts himself about and Wilshere does as much as he can but against the real imposing sides are we ready for battle, you can point to the fact that the best nation in the World currently Spain don’t have either a target man or a physical presence in the middle but we do not have the technical quality that they do.

Another thing that took the gloss off the performance was our shakiness at the back, in the second half where Wales in all credit did improve they looked as if they were going to score and had a few half chances, if England are to be the great side people are talking up we cannot afford to give away the amount of half chances we do because against the better sides half chances often turn into goals.

Whilst I am extremely pleased with different players being used instead of the tried and failed I don’t think this side are currently at the levels being touted, however England have always had problems travelling to the so called lesser teams in qualifying groups so I am delighted with the three points.

What are your thoughts? Do you think the current crop of England players are the real deal? Do you agree with Bent leading the line? Are we physically strong enough in midfield? Do we still concede too many chances? Leave a comment and let us know your thoughts

Is Joe Hart losing his way?

 By Tony Alvarez

Following a number of costly errors sections of the media and football managers alike have had their say on just what has happened to Joe Hart and whether he should retain his status as England number one.

    Whilst Hart has not made many if any glaring mistakes the little mistakes have been costly, pushing Ashley Young’s shot straight out to Darren Bent two yards out, failing to deal with David Bentleys cross shot regardless of whether or not Zigic got a touch.

    As previously stated these are not clangers that are likely to make it onto any end of season bloopers DVD but have cost the title chasing side 4 points out of the last 6 they have played for.

   Hart has ever really been through a tough patch in his career to date, he shone whilst on loan at Birmingham City last season and up until the last month or so had been outstanding for City. His display against Arsenal at the Emirates was one of the best I have seen from a keeper in a long time.

    But following these recent blunders his England manager has come out and said Hart needs to work on his concentration before he can be considered a world-class keeper. Whilst this may not be the most helpful of things when you are out of form is there much truth in it.

   His club manager has leapt to his defence saying “Joe, for me, is the best goalkeeper in England…The problem for a goalkeeper is that when they make a mistake you can lose 1-0. If a striker doesn’t score a goal, it finishes 0-0. That is the problem.”  Mancini then went on to display his confidence in Joe Hart by declaring “I am happy though. I will not change because Joe Hart is the best goalkeeper.”

The question you must ask if which Italian is to be believed, for me Hart is already a top class keeper for me World class is a term branded around too often and in honesty there are not too many World class keepers around.

All keepers in their time make mistakes unfortunately for Hart they have came within a few weeks of each other and in a time that really mattered for City if they were too push on and challenge for the title.

We should remember that even the legendary Edwin Van Der Sar has made hug mistakes, such as the one at Old Trafford against West Brom which gave Somen Tchoyi a tap in, but he has never been questioned its if you have the character to come through these problems a better keeper, something I am sure Joe Hart will do.

What do you think? Is Joe Hart top or even world class? Does his recent form warrant him being dropped? Was Capello right to question him publicly? Let us know your thoughts

 

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Will this be the most exciting transfer deadline day ever?

Will Torres give up on Liverpool today?

By Laurie Fitzgerald

It’s that time of the year when the rumour mill goes into overdrive; Lionel Messi has just been seen in a Little Chef off the M25 ordering an all-day breakfast, Lassana Diarra has been seen waving for a taxi at Manchester Airport, and Cristiano Ronaldo has just checked into a Travelodge in Birmingham.

Yes, welcome to transfer deadline day. When you refuse to believe your manager when he says that there will be no more signings, tuning into Sky Sports News with reporters standing outside club gates for 18 hours as they try to peer through a window, hoping that a deal hasn’t been confirmed yet because “the paperwork is still in the fax machine at the Premier League headquarters,” and continually refresh your club website well into midnight, in the hope that the picture of a top player appears with the words, ‘deal agreed’ underneath it.

While the majority of the time a transfer deadline day turns out to be a huge hyperbole of nothingness, with a couple of signings for reasonable fees and a whole host of loan signings by Football League sides, this year’s close to the January transfer window may turn out to be the exception to the accustomed waste of time.

Despite most clubs usually unwilling to lose their prized assets at this time of year, either saying that they would rather listen at the end of the season or putting a hugely-inflated price on their players, there are a host of big-name players whose futures remain very uncertain going into the last 24 hours of the window.

The biggest of which seems to be Fernando Torres. It would have seemed almost unthinkable that the 26 year-old would think about leaving Liverpool right now with his form re-invigorated under the Kop legend Kenny Dalglish, but it seems the Spaniard’s head may have been turned by a £35 million bid by Chelsea, understandably rejected by the Reds.

Torres has since handed in a written transfer request with his heart set on talking to the West London side, but it seems it didn’t tug at the heartstrings of the decision-makers at Anfield, who flatly rejected this request. It remains to be seen whether Chelsea come back in with an offer they can’t refuse or wait until the summer, or whether Torres gets on with the job in hand or starts throwing a strop for the rest of the season.

It’s incredibly frustrating for Liverpool fans, who are celebrating the signing of a top-class striker in Luis Suarez in a £22.8 million deal from Ajax. They shouldn’t be in fear of losing a top-class striker in the process, as their hope was that Suarez was brought in to partner Torres, not to replace him.

The Torres saga may have a negative impact on any other business Chelsea were hoping to conclude today. They’ve already been entangled in one drawn-out transfer this month, with their efforts to sign Benfica’s Brazilian defender David Luiz seemingly doomed to fail.

Carlo Ancelotti’s side seeked a work permit for the crazy-haired 23 year-old, but were unable to do the important thing and actually agree a deal with the Portuguese giants, with the club telling their national stock exchange they have called off talks to sell Luiz.

Keane's bench-warming days look set to be over

Chelsea and Liverpool aren’t the only ones playing their part in a potentially explosive transfer deadline day. Aston Villa were the side that brought this window to life when they made the stunning signing of Darren Bent from Sunderland, and they have been linked with signing Jermaine Jenas from Tottenham to add to their earlier midfield addition of Jean Makoun from Lyon.

Of course it wouldn’t be the end of a window if deadline day specialists Tottenham weren’t involved. Whether it’s memorable transfers (Dimitar Berbatov, Rafael Van der Vaart) or slightly forgettable ones (Grzegorz Rasiak anyone?) Spurs always seem to leave their dealings in and out of the club until the very last minute.

Today probably won’t be different. This weekend saw the club have a £23 million bid for Newcastle striker Andy Carroll rejected, with the Magpies making it clear they have no intention of selling their top goalscorer any time soon. Whether a higher bid from Spurs will change their mind remains to be seen.

Since then, they are reported to have made British transfer record bids for Sergio Aguero and Fernando Llorente, but it looks like they are set to end in disappointment too. But drama in N17 shouldn’t be too far away today.

While Carroll and co looks set not to come to White Hart Lane, another striker definitely looks set to be plying his trade elsewhere. Robbie Keane is probably made for life from signing-on fees alone, and he will get another windfall after joining West Ham on loan until the end of the season. The Hammers are one of 132 teams who were linked with the Republic of Ireland forward this January.

Will Adam get his move?

Another player to be linked with several clubs is Blackpool midfielder Charlie Adam. The Scottish international has been one of the stars of the season for the Tangerines, and has been the subject of bids from Liverpool, Aston Villa and Birmingham, none of which have met the satisfaction of manager Iain Holloway.

Adam has since handed in a transfer request, but if one of the trio of clubs mentioned come in for him again, then the seasiders have to decide whether a potential £8-10 million gain will not sacrifice a £50 million gain from Premier League survival come the end of the season.

Sebastian Larsson is another player whose future is up in the air. The Birmingham winger’s contract expires at the end of the season, and the Blues have had to decide whether they should sell him now or let the Swede leave for nothing at the end of the season.

Aston Villa manager Gerard Houllier has already said he is willing to wait until the summer, leaving Birmingham fans wondering if Larsson will be all that bothered if they go down while he moves to their fierce rivals.

Let’s not forget the ramifications of the deal that started off the drama of this transfer window. While Darren Bent settles into his new surroundings in the Midlands, Sunderland now need to find a replacement for the Sandra Redknapp-wannabe with their striking options left a little short.

The Wearsiders agreed a fee with Stoke for their striker Ricardo Fuller, which would complete a transfer triangle with Villa letting John Carew join the Potters on loan until the end of the season after their signing of Bent.

But talking of triangles, it seems this transfer may have disappeared in one around Bermuda as a fee was agreed 10 days ago, and a deal still isn’t concluded. Although Sunderland’s claims that they haven’t made a bid for Fuller may be more of a logical reason for any potential transfer being held up.

Of course, all of these mysteries and sagas will be revealed throughout the course of the day. It may turn out to be the biggest disappointment in the history of transfer deadline days, but whether deals collapse or conclude, Monday 31^st January 2011 may go down as the most exciting deadline day yet.

What do you think? Does the transfer deadline day excite you? Do you think it’s a waste of time? What deals do you feel will happen today, especially involving your clubs? Let us know

Is Carew the right man for Stoke?

By Tony Alvarez

With reports suggesting Aston Villa’s John Carew is on the brink of a move to Stoke following Darren Bent’s high profile move, Shouts From The Stands looks into whether this is a good move for club or player.

Sky sports have reported that Carew passed a medical ahead of a loan move until the end of the season, which is when his contract at Villa runs out.

While there is very rarely a bad loan deal I personally don’t see this as a good move for Stoke City. Although the move will never be a flop because they are only going to be covering his wages which I doubt are excessive.

I should elaborate I don’t see Carew being a flop and may notch a few goals and add to their game but he is not as good as Kenwyne Jones, he may be better in the air but is no where near as mobile and not as much of a handful for defenders.

Whilst he will be a good squad player I find it unlikely that he will be happy to come and sit on the bench, I would be very shocked if he played alongside Jones as they are too similar and do not have enough goals between them.

I think should this deal be complete it will stop Tony Pulis going into the transfer market for a real goal scorer as he will think they have enough options upfront but for me a real goal scorer or a poacher is what they need.

From Carew’ point of view I think this is a great move. For whatever reason he was not getting enough game time at Villa which would of only been lessened by Bent’s arrival

This move provides Carew with the opportunity to get some game time under his belt, if the move is a relative success Stoke will sign him in the summer if the move is a huge success he could attract the interest of some bigger clubs in the summer ( no disrespect to Stoke).

It is also clear that Stoke play to Carews obvious strengths they like to hit the target manarly and hope he can flick on or hold up the ball both of which Carew is very good at, they also get some good deliveries (from crosses, contrary to popular belief they don’t only throw the ball into dangerous areas)  which they will hope Carew can latch on to.

Carew is the obvious winner in this move but should his performances prove a success he could be a massive bonus for Stoke City.

What do you think? Are you happy to be taking him on loan? Do you think he will cut it at Stoke? Villa fans are you glad to see the back of him or would you of preferred to keep him? Would you of signed Carew If you were in Pulis position? Let us know

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Can Bent live up to his huge price tag?

 

By Tony Alvarez

Following his big money move from Sunderland in a deal which could reportedly end up costing the midlands club £24 million, many fans and pundits alike have questioned whether the front man can live up to his hefty price tag.

Sky sports panellist and ex Liverpool and Tottenham man Jamie Redknapp has described the move as a huge gamble due to the fee involved and described it as a move that “smacks a little of desperation.”

Whilst Bent’s goals could go along way to keeping Villa in the Premier League or gaining Villa those extra league places, which is worth around half a million per place, I cannot see him ever scoring enough goals to ever earn they money back he has cost the club.

In the current trend of the transfer market where big money is not being branded about Bent’s value is never going to rise which means this is more than likely the biggest move he will ever have, should he see out his contract at Villa it will end when he is 30 years old.

Whilst at 30 some people still have one big move left in them (Steven Gerrard would still command a decent transfer fee)  Bent relies heavily on his pace something that at the age of 30 he wont have in the same capacity he does currently.

Despite all of the above I am not saying Darren Bent will be a flop, I can actually see him doing well, he will have good service from the likes of Young and Downing as well as a good supporting striker in either Heskey or Agbonlahor.

I can see him notching up 20 league goals a season and will probably still be the highest scoring English striker. On the subject of being English I think this move could better his chances at international level.

At Sunderland he was playing with a hard working and talented bunch of players, but aside from Jordan Henderson’s single cap none of the others were England internationals, at Villa as was mentioned above he will be playing with players who are in or on the fringes of the England squad and could build a good partnership with them.

I personally think Bent is very underrated amongst fans he has always scored goals when he has been given the chance, however whilst he is under rated amongst fans judging by the transfer fee paid for him he is over rated amongst the Villa manager and backroom staff.

For the amount of goals you can expect from Bent in the current market where goal scorers are at a premium I would value Bent at around the 12-15 million pound mark not the 18 rising to 24 million.

What do you think? Villa fan are you happy with your purchase? Do you think Bent will prove he is worth the transfer fee paid? Sunderland fans are you happy with the money received or would you of rather kept him? What do you value him at? Let us know your thoughts

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Is Twitter making a twit of footballers?

By Laurie Fitzgerald

When it comes to a form of communication that celebrities and sportsmen and women use to interact with their fans, then Twitter has become the number one method for talking to their followers.

Twitter has become a common use by many footballers that build up a community of their own supporters and let them know what’s on their mind, and what they are feeling at any moment in the day.

However, there have been many instances over the past year or so, not only in football but in other sports, that make you wonder whether it is of any benefit for people within sport to use the social networking site.

Take Marvin Morgan for instance. The 27 year-old striker had carved out a career in non-league football before making it into the Football League with Aldershot Town in 2008. So how do you go and endear yourself to the fans following a disappointing defeat to Hereford Town? If you’re Morgan, something like this:

“Like to thank the fans who booed me off the pitch. Where’s that going to get you! I hope you all die.”

Yes, you read that last sentence correctly. Morgan wished the fans that pay his wages every week that he hoped they died when they had the audacity to voice their feelings after paying their hard-earned money to see their team lose. Morgan now finds himself on loan at Dagenham and Redbridge.

Morgan’s example of bad ‘tweeting’ may be the most extreme, but he is not the only one to put his foot in it via Twitter.

Who can forget Darren Bent’s tantrum towards Daniel Levy as his protracted move to Sunderland continued to drag on? Everyone could understand Bent’s frustration, but probably best to have said it to his agent, or to Levy himself. As well as saving him from insulting Hull and Stoke fans in the process.

The most recent of course is Ryan Babel’s picture upload to his Twitter page of referee Howard Webb wearing a Manchester United shirt, thanks to the wonders of Photoshop (well, one would hope so anyway) following Webb’s controversial decisions during Liverpool’s 1-0 FA Cup defeat at Old Trafford.

Now some would say that this was merely an attempt at humour, and this is a stance that the PFA took today in defence of the 24 year-old. But there is being funny and then there is questioning the integrity of a referee, and while Webb’s performance on Sunday was open to debate, Babel’s picture was no laughing matter – even if his photoshopping skills were to be admired.

Footballers aren’t the only ones to be twits on Twitter. Last year, cricketer Kevin Pietersen had to hold a press conference to apologise for his expletive tweeting after criticising England’s national selector Geoff Miller for dropping him from an upcoming one-day series against Pakistan. The 30 year-old was hit with a fine, but his tweets have been more positive recently following England’s Ashes success.

This isn’t to say that any of these sportsmen are horrible people, far from it. Pietersen for example deleted his post almost instantly. The problem is that in this day and age, one very public mistake like these ones are not going to be missed by the media.

I understand that there is a positive use in Twitter for footballers. It’s a very good way for modern day footballers to build a better relationship with the fans, especially when the public view them as living in a completely different world to the rest of society.

But players aren’t going to be able to always refrain from voicing their opinions in the heat of the moment when they can do so at the touch of a button. It seems that the more popular Twitter gets within the sporting community, the more common these twitter-gates will occur.

As well as death threats. Well, maybe not.

So what do you think? Do you like the idea of Twitter being used footballers and fellow sportsmen? Or do you think it causes more harm than good? Let us know

Will Sunderland push on this time?

By Laurie Fitzgerald

Thirteen months ago, Darren Bent scored the winner in a 1-0 win at home to Arsenal that saw Sunderland nicely placed to push on and clinch a European spot at the end of the season.

But the next fourteen league games saw the Black Cats undergo a horrific run of form, with not a single win gained from those matches. It was a run that completely undid all the hard work they had done in the first few months of the campaign.

A year on, and Steve Bruce’s side have made a similar, if not more impressive start to the season. They currently sit in sixth place, level on points with fifth-placed Tottenham and just four points off of a Champions League spot.

The results have been impressive in the process. Wins over Chelsea and Manchester City, and draws against Arsenal, Manchester United and Spurs have shown how they have been such a hard team to beat this season.

So can Sunderland learn from the mistakes of last campaign? There’s certainly no reason why they can’t when looking at the squad in place.

Not only is it a better squad in terms of overall quality than 12 months previously, but more importantly there is more balance to the squad, with strength in depth added to positions that needed strengthening.

Defensively, Sunderland have been superb this season. A lot of people scoffed at the signing of Titus Bramble, but when you look at his £1 million price tag, I think many people will struggle to find a better bargain of the season than the 29 year-old centre back.

He has developed an excellent partnership with Michael Turner at the heart of the defence, and excluding the horror show that was the Tyne-Wear derby at St James Park in October, they have helped the side keep nine clean sheets already, and are on a run of three clean sheets in a row.

Perhaps the main difference has arrived up front. If there was one criticism that could be aimed at Sunderland, it was their over-reliance on goals from Darren Bent. The 25 year-old striker had an outstanding first season at the Stadium of Light, scoring 24 goals, the rest of the squad added just the same amount as the former Charlton and Tottenham forward.

But this season, while Bent has carried on where he left off, the goalscoring responsibility is being shared by others now.

Asamoah Gyan has all the attributes to be a top striker in the Premier League (pace, power, awareness) while Danny Welbeck is maturing enormously in his loan spell from Manchester United, scoring five goals in his last six league games. People cannot accuse Sunderland of being a one-man team going forward anymore.

The heart of the midfield is also blossoming. Despite the loss of Lorik Cana in the summer, it seems to have been a blessing in disguise, with more energy and creativity from the midfield now.

Jordan Henderson has developed enormously over the past year, which is great news for club and country, while if Lee Cattermole can permanently curb his over-enthusiasm that gets him into less disciplinary trouble, we will see a big talent fully evolve. Boudewijn Zenden’s class and experience should not be underestimated either.

For Bruce, the platform is there for him and his squad to push on this time around. The 49 year-old has been backed by owner Ellis Short and chairman Niall Quinn. This is an expensively-assembled squad. There is no reason why the Black Cats cannot push on for a top-six finish now. They have a solid defence, a blossoming midfield and a potent strike-force.

A repeat of last season’s fade from a promising start will bear no excuses this time around.

So what do you think? Sunderland fans, where do you think you can finish this season? Do you need any new additions to gain a European spot? Let us know