Tag Futebol

The narrow minded attitude of the BBC has sparked plenty of criticism over the past month or so as two Football League Shows over the Christmas period were cancelled, suggesting that the show could be scrapped altogether. Rumours were flying about on social networking sites but it is still unclear whether the 72 football league clubs’ supporters will be able to watch action from their teams.

The BBC claim it is in negotiations over whether to recommission the Football League Show, which is in the final year of a three-year contract, but whether they are successful is still to be seen as the Premier League is once again showing its distance between the rest.

A BBC spokeswoman made a statement on the recent cancellations: “The Boxing Day and 2nd January fixtures are outside our contractual obligations,” she said. “Many factors come into play when planning the busy Christmas schedules and we were unable to schedule a programme for New Year’s Eve. To address the shortfall, we will be doing an additional programme later in the season.”

Football League Show host Manish Bhasin attempted to squash any rumours that his show will be no longer after this season is finished.

“Budget decision I’m afraid … but all the goals will be online on the BBC Football website,” he said on Twitter “The FLS has NOT been scrapped! It’s on till May and who knows maybe even longer … but …”

Whatever the decision come May, the nonchalant decision to not show crucial fixtures for waiting fans is a clear sign that the BBC have more interest in the Premier League than ever. The gap between the top two divisions in England is widely thought not to be a great deal in footballing terms, but financially and in people’s priorities it is now huge.

The funding for the Championship sides is decreasing consistently and clubs falling from the top division are finding it harder and harder to compete at the lower level due to financial restrictions and a shock to the system.

It is staggering to think that the Championship, League One and League Two clubs get so little TV time but yet I am confident that West Ham, Birmingham City, Southampton and possibly Cardiff City would not look out of place in the declining Premier League this season. The parachute payments are a ticking time bomb for clubs such as Blackpool who will take a long time to match the heights of Premier League football last season and without excellent owners will have that debt for a long time.

The Football League Show will return this weekend even though the BBC claim that this weeks’ Carling Cup games were more important than the Football League in recent weeks, but the timing of the show usually passes midnight and not all supporters will be able to watch it which once again shows priorities that are not welcomed in modern day football. I am interested in all levels of English football, not just the top 20 teams so why should I not be able to watch the rest because the BBC feel it is less important.

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Do you think the Football League Show is worth keeping on? Let me know on Twitter: @Brad_Pinard

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Real Madrid striker Gonzalo Higuain hit a hat-trick in their 6-3 thrashing of Valencia in La Liga on Saturday.Jose Mourinho’s side was in devastating form as they held a 4-0 half-time lead at the Estadio de Mestalla, although they failed to make up any ground on first-placed rivals Barcelona, who also had a win.

Higuain was the provider of the first in the 23rd minute as his pass led to Valencia goal-keeper Vicente Guaita palming into the path of Karim Benzema, who hammered home into an empty net.

The Argentine got his first goal of three in the 31st minute with a tight finish, before setting up Kaka for the team’s third six minutes from half-time.

The Brazilian returned the favour twice to Higuain, either side of the interval, as Real Madrid led 5-0 after 53 minutes.

Valencia striker Roberto Soldado pulled a goal back on the hour mark before Kaka completed his brace after an assist from Benzema two minutes later.

Substitutes Jonas and Jordi Alba provided some respectability to the scoreline with goals in the last 10 minutes as the third-placed Valencia crashed to a heavy defeat.

Barcelona maintained their eight-point lead at the top of the table, however, with a hard-fought 2-0 win over Osasuna.

Goals from David Villa and his second-half replacement Lionel Messi ensured Pep Guardiola’s team kept their buffer at the top.

Villa finished smartly in the 24th minute after benefiting from a slick team move that led to a superb pass from Jeffren in his direction.

Messi wrapped up the points two minutes from time with a neat finish after Dani Alves slid him behind the Osasuna defence.

The loss continues Osasuna’s nervous finish to the season, still sitting two points above the drop zone.

Stoke City boss Tony Pulis is hoping to strengthen his squad following an injury-plagued start to the new season.

Pulis saw Mamady Sidibe join fellow striker Kenwyne Jones on the sidelines during Saturday's 2-1 defeat at home to Tottenham.

Club record signing Jones was already facing a spell in the treatment room with a knee problem picked up on his debut against Wolves before Sidibe ruptured his Achilles tendon on Saturday.

He is likely to be sidelines for around ten months which has left Pulis short of attacking options.

"Mamady will be out for a year and that's a massive disappointment because the effort and commitment he puts in for us every week is just first class," said Pulis.

"We've already lost Kenwyne Jones for the trip to Chelsea and though it's not going to be the six or seven months we first feared, it's still a ligament injury that could be another two or three weeks.

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"We're looking to bring in another three or four players but this has been our toughest start since we came back up."

Meanwhile, Pulis has laughed off reports linking him with a move for Tottenham's England striker Peter Crouch.Subscribe to Football FanCast News Headlines by Email

Celtic’s good form in 2018 continued on Saturday as they saw off the threat of Hibernian in the Scottish Premiership, winning 1-0 at Celtic Park.

It was always going to be a tough 90 minutes for the Scottish champions, Hibs have performed well against them all season, but a Leigh Griffiths strike was enough to secure all three points and maintain their lead at the top of the table.

While a positive day, fans were left disappointed by injuries to some key first team players like Leigh Griffiths and Craig Gordon, who were both forced off early in the match.

Griffiths has struggled with a number of calf injuries already this season and today was his first start since Boxing Day, with Brendan Rodgers opting to utilise Odsonne Edouard and Moussa Dembele in other matches.

He was visibily upset at realising he would again face treatment, especially when given a big chance to impress, and he’ll be hoping the injury isn’t serious.

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Supporters took to Twitter to discuss the injury and what it means for the team…

Newcastle’s entire season can be best be summed up in this 8 second video:

[youtube FfnhmuZ27eQ]

The clip is of John Cleese in Clockwise; a film in which Cleese’s character Brian Stimpson finds things consistently going wrong for him despite his best efforts. Stimpson is helpless to change his fortunes. He is little more than a spectator in his own life as the world transpires against him.

“It’s not the despair Laura; I can stand the despair . . . It’s the Hope!”

Struggle we can deal with. We know how to struggle. Struggle is constant. You’ve just got to accept your struggle and keep at it.

But hope, hope hurts. Hope allows you to believe that things may get better. We invest in hope. It consumes us. And when our hope is invariable dashed the fall is much the greater. The low is always lower than the high that hope allowed us.

And there has been a lot of reason to hope at St. James’ Park recently.

First there was Andy Carroll. And then there was Demba Ba and Yohan Cabaye. There was the rise of Tim Krul and Fabricio Coloccini, and the fall of Joey Barton. There was the 2011/12 Manager of the Season and the 2011/12 Goal of the Season. There was the 11-game unbeaten run only ended away by Manchester City.

There was even European football.

But then came the fall. And the fall was tough.

Struggling to fight the good fight on four fronts lead to a season of strife. But there was an acceptance that the 2012/13 season was never going to be as easy as the previous, and everyone knew deep down that the team wasn’t as bad as the table suggested.

It was a struggle, but a struggle with pride. Struggle is something they can do at Newcastle. They’re used to struggle.

But the worst was yet to come.

Worse than selling your local lad to Liverpool. Worse than fighting against relegation when it was supposed to be ‘your season’. Worse than losing 3-0 at home to Sunderland.

There was mediocrity.

The mid-table of the Premier League can be a tragic place. Some are happy to be here, but this happiness is only fleeting. The inevitable demands for European football come a calling. And with European football, the fall back to mid-table mediocrity.

At the top you can win. At the bottom you can survive. But in the middle; in the middle you can only be forgotten.

Nothing happens in the middle. The middle is made up of nowhere men.

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This may sound alright to some. It may even sound appealing. None of this messing around with highs and lows, give me a safe slice of the middle.

But anyone who’s spent anytime here will know different.

We watch football for the excitement. We watch football for the fun.

But there’s nothing fun about knowing that if any of your team’s players actually turn out to be good, they will inevitably be sold. There’s nothing fun about winning seven out of 10 games between November and December, hoping that this time might be different, only to see your team then give up. There’s nothing fun about having nothing to gain, nothing to lose, about knowing your season is essentially pointless.

It would have been easier without the hope. Despair may seem like the worst possible outcome, but those familiar both know that it’s the hope that really hurts.

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The world of football transfers can be fascinating. For an extended period of the year, fans dedicate multiple hours each day trawling the internet or waiting for that yellow banner on Sky Sports News, in an attempt to discover just who their club are in negotiations to sign.

Many moves down the years have collapsed, frustrating managers, supporters and players, and while some of these issues ultimately benefit all those involved, there are a fair few cases of the ‘one that got away’. Whether it be wage demands, stubborn chairmen or a sudden sense of realisation, a number of promising moves have broken down, which would surely have changed the landscape of British football as we know it

This list looks at 15 transfers that never quite came to fruition for various reasons.

Click on Kaka below to get the ball rolling

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Earlier this week, Football FanCast revealed that a staggering 79% of Arsenal fans want Unai Emery to reunite with Steven Nzonzi this summer. The powerful defensive midfielder was a key player for Emery’s Sevilla side as the engine room anchor behind an exciting and vibrant attack – lifting the Europa League title together in 2015/16.

But how would signing the France international – who Transfermarkt value at £27million – truly impact the Gunners? Football FanCast take a look at the potential consequences of a summer swoop for the Sevilla star.

Emery makes his mark

Emery’s preference for playing in a 4-2-3-1 setup is no great secret and it’s probably exactly what Arsenal need right now, placing two deep-lying midfielders in front of a defence that was painfully exposed during the latter part of Arsene Wenger’s reign. Nzonzi is perfect for that sitting role and particularly within this Arsenal team; not only does he offer the sheer physicality they lack in midfield, but he’s a classy passer of the ball as well – completing 92% of his passes in La Liga last season.

Most importantly though, the 29-year-old represents a signing that brings Emery a step closer to really making his mark on this Arsenal team – something that’s only amplified by the fact Nzonzi already understands the system and the Gunners gaffer’s methods.

Opportunities dry up for Maitland-Niles

Ainsley Maitland-Niles’ rise was one of the few positive stories from Wenger’s final season in charge but Nzonzi’s arrival could make it a little more difficult for the exciting 20-year-old to get game-time.

In fairness, Maitland-Niles did show some versatility last season, also featuring as a left-back and a wing-back under Wenger, but central midfield appears to be his best role and signing the Frenchman would only increase the competition there with the likes of Granit Xhaka, Mohamed Elneny and Jack Wilshere already at Emery’s disposal.

While many Arsenal fans will argue he’s a better option than some of the above names, the fact is Emery will want to get off to a strong start in north London and that will likely see him favour experience and new signings over youth.

Arsenal’s defensive record markedly improves

Arsenal conceded a staggering 51 goals last season, the most of any side in the top seven by a margin of twelve, and arresting that porousness will surely be one of Emery’s first ports of call during the summer – whether that’s working with the backline on the training pitch or overhauling its personnel via the transfer window.

But defending well doesn’t begin with the back four – the fact is, Arsenal’s defenders had an incredibly tough job under Wenger because of how open the rest of the team was, especially in midfield.

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Nzonzi brings the discipline and defensive awareness Arsenal glaringly need, and that extra slab of protection could drastically change opinions of certain defenders at the club, such as Hector Bellerin and Shkodran Mustafi, who have probably been made to look worse than they actually are over the last few seasons.

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According to World Football Index, Liverpool have agreed a deal to sign Colombian teenager Anderson Arroyo.

What’s the story?

Arroyo is believed to have previously undergone a trial with Liverpool, who have been closely monitoring his progress over the last 12 months.

According to World Football Index, the Reds have now agreed a deal with Independiente del Valle in order to secure the signature of the highly-rated 18-year-old defender.

Arroyo is also believed to have had a trial with Mallorca, and it is understood that he will be loaned to the Spanish outfit – who operate in the second tier of Spain – in order to secure a work permit.

It is a transfer that has largely gone under the radar, but Liverpool are said to be excited about the potential of the full-back, who is already an Under-20 Colombia international.

Who is Anderson Arroyo?

Capable of operating on either side of a back four, Arroyo had a trial with Liverpool in 2016 at the age of 16, and has been monitored by the Reds ever since.

Arroyo is believed to have been a wide midfielder during his youth career, but has now developed into an attacking full-back.

He represented Colombia at the 2015 South American Under-17 Championships, and has since become an Under-20 international for his country.

World Football Index calls Arroyo a player with ‘excellent acceleration and athleticism’. Meanwhile, the teenager’s qualities on the ball are also referenced in the report.

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It appears that Arroyo’s immediate future will be at Mallorca after joining Liverpool, but the club’s supporters should be excited about the potential of the young defender.

Liverpool have struggled to find a consistent performer at left-back in recent years, and Arroyo could well develop into a future star for the Premier League club.

The Merseyside derby is one of the Premier League’s most unique fixtures that never fails to disappoint. This afternoon, Everton made the short trip across Stanley Park to Anfield, looking to leapfrog local rivals Liverpool in the table and make a statement of their Champions League intentions.

But the Reds are gunning for Europe too, and came out of the blocks flying. Liverpool skipper Steven Gerrard put them ahead after 20 minutes, and the rest was simply one-way traffic. An injury to Toffees talisman Romelu Lukaku certainly didn’t help proceedings, and soon after the Belgium international came off, Daniel Sturridge recorded a stunning brace within two minutes, his latter effort being a sensational chip, making it 3-0.

Luis Suarez then stopped any chance of a comeback ten minutes after the interval to get the home side’s fourth of the evening.

It could have been more; Daniel Sturridge missed a penalty just before the hour mark with a horrendous effort that didn’t even work Tim Howard, and the England international also wasted an opportunity to square the ball to Suarez in the box, instead shooting wide.

In yet another thrilling and unpredictable Merseyside clash, it’s Liverpool who go away with all three points and solidify their hold on the Premier League’s fourth spot.

After lots of sustained pressure from the home side in the first 20 minutes, Steven Gerrard finds the net for Liverpool with a header:

A few moments later, Romelu Lukaku is forced off with a nasty injury from a collision with Gareth Barry:

And after 34 minutes, Daniel Sturridge increased the home side’s lead:

The England international made it a brace just seconds later:

After 50 minutes, Luis Suarez made it four for the home side.

Five minutes later, Liverpool won a rather dubious penalty, which Daniel Sturridge failed to convert in typically English fashion:

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Then Suarez and Sturridge had a little tiff about not passing the ball…

Tottenham have the opportunity to extend their 8-game unbeaten run when stuttering Aston Villa travel to White Hart Lane on Sunday.

Andre Villas-Boas has been doing his utmost to silence his critics, and last weekend enjoyed arguably his finest moment in English football so far, as his side picked up a win over Manchester United at Old Trafford – the club’s first since 1989.

AVB fielded a strong team for the midweek draw with Panathanikos, but changes are set to be made for Sunday’s clash.

Villa have been the model of inconsistency this season, drawing 1-1 with West Brom last time out having beaten Manchester City 4-2 at the Etihad the game before.

Emmanuel Adebayor has recovered from a hamstring problem and will challenge the in form Jermain Defoe for the lone striker role.

Brad Friedel is expected to start in goal once again, despite France captain Hugo Lloris producing another good performance in Europe on Thursday.

Benoit Assou-Ekotto, Younes Kaboul, Jake Livermore, Kyle Naughton and Scott Parker are all out injured.

Aston Villa remain without Stephen Ireland and Richard Dunne through injury, but Lambert’s biggest decision will come in attack.

The Scot must decide whether to start Darren Bent against his former club, after the striker came off the bench to rescue a point against West Brom last time out.

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He was reportedly unhappy at being left out of the starting line up, and is desperate to feature against his former employers.

Prediction: Tottenham 3-1 Aston Villa