Ginger Geordie in Europe

Campbell makes Toon bow

Newcastle United’s first appearance in a European competition in six years allowed manager Alan Pardew to field a second string team, offering the chance for several fringe players to try and prove their worth in the black and white. New signing Vurnon Anita made his first start, after appearing as a substitute in the 2-1 win over Tottenham Hotspurs at the weekend. As well as Anita, fellow new signings Gael Bigirimana and Romain Amalfitano made their debuts in Greece. The most notable debut however, is that of Adam Campbell. The seventeen year old became the youngest Newcastle player to appear in a European competition, beating the record held by former number 9 Andy Carroll by 64 days.

Vurnon Anita - The next Seedorf?

Over the course of the summer transfer window, Newcastle United have signed three players – Curtis Good, Gael Bigirimana, and Romain Amalfitano. Amalfitano being the most likely to break into the first team over the season, the three signings are seen more as to increase the quality of depth in the Newcastle squad, as opposed to strengthening the starting eleven itself.

The weakest link in the actual starting eleven is arguably the right back position. Newcastle’s Danny Simpson, now in the last year of his contract, was statistically the best right back in the premier league, yet many fans agree that he isn’t good enough to start for a team that will potentially try to crack the top four next season. And with the former Manchester United defender seemingly unwilling to extend his contract, the club have been searching for an alternative. Notable, Yohan Cabaye’s friend and former Lille team mate, Mattieu Debuchy.  The Debuchy deal has been drawn out across the summer, and appears to be dead after considerable to and fro with the powers that be at the French club, with the President refusing any sale of the want away right back.

Whilst the Frenchman has issued a come and get me plea, and seems desperate to leave the club, that he has served admirably for two decades with a move to Tyneside, it is still up in the air whether a move will transpire. However, to the delight of Newcastle fans, this doesn’t mean that there will be no incoming players this window. Recent reports have confirmed a deal between Newcastle and Ajax for versatile Dutch utility man, Vurnon Anita. Anita is a player that many English fans probably knew little of before being linked to a move to the North East.

However, the player is a well known face in Holland, having made his debut for the Dutch giants in March 2006, at the tender age of 16. In fact, the only player to make his Ajax debut at a younger age was Clarence Seedorf – a name that many will surely be familiar with. And Anita is already being compared to the Dutch legend. While he started out his career as a left back, Anita has since moved to playing as a defensive midfielder. Being only 5’6, his size would make him suit the fullback role, and not quite similar to Newcastle’s own midfield destroyer, Cheick Tiote.

So what can Anita bring to Newcastle, and why have the club decided to bring him in – despite the need for another striker and centre back being more urgent? Clearly, his versatility is a key attribute, with players like James Perch, Ryan Taylor and Jonas Gutierrez playing in multiple roles last season indicating Pardew’s appreciation of a utility man. The fact he can play at left back would certainly help for cover over the course of the season, yet it will likely be as a defensive midfielder that he has been targeted for.

In the later part of last season, when Newcastle found a scintillating run of form, they were mostly playing a 4-2-3-1 formation. With Gutierrez partnering Tiote to hold the midfield, allowing Cabaye to roam forward and adding to the attack – his two goals and one assist against Stoke demonstrating that. Personally, I feel that this is the formation most suited to the players at Newcastle’s disposal, and bringing in Anita would only strengthen that. Anita holding the midfield along with Tiote, allowing Gutierrez to move back to the left wing – with Marveaux providing competition. The only real downside to playing this formation is playing a lone striker – meaning that Ba and Cisse would have to be rotated. Clearly this would limit the potency of the Senegalese pair, and may lead to unhappiness of whoever gets benched – so it may be more a formation used in luxury, with Pardew mostly going with a combination of the tried and tested 4-4-2.

The joy of Anita being a utility player means that it gives extra options for the squad and formations, which would make the side all the more difficult to defend against – with Pardew being able to switch around formations on the fly during a match, without having to make any substitutions. Needless to say, many will be hoping that young Anita will prove to be as successful as other signings over the last year.

Bloated and inflated: Premier symptoms

The bid

£22 million, or thereabouts; that is how much Manchester City have apparently decided Daniel Agger is worth, at least on the first try. Reports of the bid have recently surfaced after previous incidents of speculation, although who isn't linked with Manchester City?

Whether the bid is real, or even their interest it would be difficult to believe that the Manchester club are not going to re-enforce what is already an impressive - and cup winning - team. After all, their local rivals and teams most people pick for title contenders in the Premier League have all been recruiting since the transfer window opened - from Chelsea's injection of creative, speedy talent to Arsenal preparing themselves should their top talent leave for once and finally even the least impressive team of the lot (in the league at least), Liverpool, have not only acquired a highly promising manager but have made transfers to pique the interest of most fans of the game.

In the face of such competition it would be illogical for a club to not look to improve their squad, especially given the few - yet crucial -  holes that were revealed last season:

1. Centre Back - From an experienced and suspect medicine to a youngster greener than a well-kept football pitch it became obvious around the point of the hectic Christmas schedule that Roberto Mancini was not so spoilt for choice in the middle of his defence as he was out wide. There has been speculation of a loan move for Stefan Savic whilst Kolo Toure appears to be less out of favour than ever. If both were to leave the club during this transfer window in one form or another then that would leave their Italian manager with only two recognised central defenders to pick from as he attempts to win as many trophies as he can out of the four (plus Community Shield) on offer.
2. Centre Forward - Not that it needs to be said to those not having lived under a rock for the past year or so but once again Roberto Mancini found himself lacking in options where he ought to have been spoilt for choice. From Super Mario's off-field shenanigans to a certain Argentinians union-esque behaviour and the maligned hot and cold specialist from Bosnia it really was a season where the Italian manager had the well-behaved Argentinian star forward to thank for digging his team out of a hole on more than one occasion.
3. Defensive Midfield - Well what do you know, the younger Toure is not merely a big destructive power! As the less informed fans of the Premier League became preoccupied with the "revelation" that was Yaya Toure it soon became apparent that the imposing Ivorian would become something of a solitary figure when it came to the centre of his side's midfield. Nigel "WAX ON" de Jong went from star pupil to untrusted rogue, whilst the obvious limitations of the often under-rated yet always trusted Gareth Barry came to the fore against players of a clever nature. Thus it was that David Pizarro joined on a loan deal in January to add some much needed calm and at times clever passing to a midfield that had at times struggled to hold back the barrage of the high intensity league they called home. To cap it all off there are two words to explain this flaw in the Premier League winners: Owen Hargeaves.

So it is from these three issues, which can potentially run along the spine of Manchester City's line up at any given moment that it would not be illogical to assume that strengthening will occur and there is no doubt that a central defender fits the profile of what is needed at the Etihad Stadium. Of course, purchasing the right personnel is often seen as a crucial part of a manager's capabilities and so the question becomes:

Why Daniel Agger?

The Player

Of prime age (27 years old), sure footed, well rounded, versatile both positionally and tactically, captain of his national team and repeatedly linked with the top club in the world over his career and with the capacity to play anywhere on the position.

Oh, he is a centre back by trade.

Surely a bid of £22 million would be considered just about right, if not a little shrewd considering that the player in question - the aforementioned Mr. Agger - has yet to showcase the full array of his talents at the very top of the game and so is only likely to cost even more during the next few transfer windows?

Sadly for the Danish international, who is on the verge of a half century of caps, his time at Liverpool has seen him break down in front of the fiercely faithful fans on more occasions than is befitting a player of his undoubted quality. Although it is a worrying trend it can also not be forgotten that his current club do not have the best record of keeping the best physical care of their star players (names such as Fowler, Owen, Murphy, Gerrard and Torres come to mind) and he is still yet to reach the age where, by convention, a football player peaks in terms of time played on the pitch and the quality they show on it.

Then there is the predicament of the club itself. Liverpool has been nothing if not bountiful for journalists of the game over the past few years, lurching from mediocrity to crisis and back to mediocrity again, unceremoniously dumping arguably the most beloved of their many legends in the process. A lack of serious league-winning credentials since the heady days of when a certain blond-haired striker displayed a penchant for scoring in the vast majority of matches he played in, as well as a less than stable connection with Europe's premier competition have left players of great potential such as Agger in the presence of lesser competition more often than not. This is hardly the breeding ground for certified world class talent and yet with his fitness troubling in it could also be seen as a blessing in disguise; it could well be that he has worked past his injuries just in time to join a genuine top level team which has both a burning ambition to the best and an insurmountable level of finance burning a hole in their pockets to achieve their aims.

More money, less problems

So it is that yet again a player who would presumably be perfectly happy where he is plying his trade may be looking at the choice of upgrading to not only real success but a significant boost to his financial future once his body decides that enough is enough; that Daniel Agger's body seems likely to say that sooner than most may very well be on the Danish captain's mind this summer.



'via Blog this'

Stuttering Defeat

Olympic exit for Team GB

It's been a good day  for the host nation with the latest batch of Olympic events. The mens rowing team of Reed, Triggs-Hodge, James and Gregory won the gold that put Great Britain into third place on the overall medals league table. Elsewhere, poster girl Jessica Ennis won the Heptathlon gold, and mixed tennis doubles partners Andy Murray, and 18-year old Laura Roberts beat the German pair and advance to the final, guaranteeing at least a silver - to couple with Murray's guaranteed silver in the single's tournament.

With the Olympics in full swing, and with Great Britain performing well, it would remain to be seen if the country's Olympic footballing talent would follow in the footsteps of those in other events. Team GB Women's team had already been knocked out on Friday by Canada, but the efforts of Jill Scott, Steph Houghton and the rest of Hope Powell's squad helped to put Women's football on the English map, and give much needed exposure to a much neglected side of the beautiful game. Team GB Men's also made it through to the quarter finals, after a surprising victory over Uruguay put them top of the group - and lead them into a clash against South Korea. 

It wouldn't be going too far to say that  Team GB did well to earn a draw in normal time about the South Koreans - with Aaron Ramsey's first penalty (the second, a few minutes later, being saved) equalising Sunderland striker Ji Dong-Won's earlier opener. Neither team managed to break the deadlock, and it head into extra time - and then, the dreaded lottery of the penalty shootout. The first four penalties from both sides in the shootout went in without issue, and it began to look like sudden death would have to separate the two sides. And up step's Chelsea's Daniel Sturridge. The young striker was disappointed not to be selected in the England squad for Euro 2012, and later fought for fitness following a diagnosis of Viral Meningitis. The striker, 22, was often played on the wing for his club - although he believes he is better suited to a more central role.

And this game, so fiercely locked, offered him the chance to try and push his country into contention for a medal. Sturridge had already scored in the 3-1 victory over the United Arab Emirates, and also in the 1-0 victory over Uruguay that put them top of the group. But neither strike would prove to be as important as the fifth penalty against South Korea. However, for reasons known only to him, Sturridge decided to stutter his penalty - pausing his run slightly before taking his kick. The technique was likely intended to trick the opposition goalkeeper into diving early, thus making the eventual kick all the easier. However, it only resulted in the South Korean goalkeeper being able to more accurately guess the direction of the spot kick, and pull off an easy save. The final opposition penalty went in - despite the best efforts of young Goalkeeper Jack Butland - and Great Britain were knocked out of the tournament.

Sturridge, who stormed off the pitch quickly after his over-exuberance cost his side the match and a place in the semi-finals against Brazil, has been linked with a move away from Chelsea - with London rivals Tottenham the most likely destination. With the signings of Eden Hazard, Marko Marin and Oscar, as well as  potential new signings including Andre Schurrle and Hulk -  Sturridge will face fierce competition at his club, even if he resigns to play on the wing. The Birmingham man may well move away from Chelsea this summer, in search of a team where he can lead the line, and prove to many that he has a talent in that central role to match his attitude.

Stylian Petrov in remission

Brilliant news!

Hopefully Stan will continue to recover. It is heartening to see some positive, life-affirming news coming out of football, especially on the back of this recent occurrence:

Football can be full of too much negativity at times and it becomes easy to forget that the industry has something in common with most under industries: people are people, regardless of how they are involved, what or who they know, how much they get paid and so on.

Hopefully both Petrov and Muamba can continue to recover from the terrible luck they have had as people and we can all remember to not get too caught up in the negativity.

Well done Stylian, and good luck.