Harry Redknapp is still looking for that first win as QPR and his side’s first Premier League victory of the season. You would not blame some supporters for thinking it may never come at this rate.
The R’s are currently in their supposedly easier run of fixtures and it is about to get a whole lot harder for them to pick up results very soon.
Martin Jol’s Fulham travel to Loftus Road looking to secure back to back wins for the first time since September.
Fulham have too been on the decline recently and a 2-1 victory over Newcastle on Monday to take them to 20 points was a welcome relief to halt the slide.
They secured nearly double the point’s return in the first eight games of 13 compared to the next eight games of just 7 points.
Redknapp still has to contend without two of his main strikers in Andy Johnson and Bobby Zamora with both out for the long term till the New Year with knee and thigh injuries.
Julio Cesar still hasn’t been able to shake off his groin injury either which is why Robert Green is expected to maintain his place in the starting XI in goal.
Fulham have a few absentees too Bryan Ruiz (hamstring) and Simon Davies (neck) remain out till at least January. Brede Hangeland made a successful return from suspension on Monday and will retain his place in the side. A last minute decision is due on Mahamadou Diarra with the midfielder needing a painkilling injection to play, so the midfielder may not be risked ahead of a busy festive period.
The Cottagers have earned an average of 0.33 points per game without Hangeland in their team. With the Norwegian in the side, they have averaged 1.54.
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The return of the influential defender could prove pivotal to a Fulham revival as it did on Monday.
Liverpool manager Brendan Rodgers has hit back at recent criticism of club captain Steven Gerrard.
The midfielder has taken the brunt of the blame for the Reds’ recent poor Premier League performances, with some suggesting that the 32-year-old is past his best.
Rodgers has leapt to the defence of his skipper, who has scored two goals so far this term:
“He’s carried this club for nearly 13 years, and it’s about time there was more than Steven picking up the baton of responsibility for Liverpool, ” he is quoted by SkySports.
“I don’t want to focus too much on him, other than that he’s been brilliant since I arrived here. His inspiration and leadership within the team has been phenomenal.
“He might not have got the goals he would have wanted this season, but you can see how effective he’s been and the quality of his game.
“Against Spurs, his range of passing, his commitment and his drive into the box was superb.”
He also confirmed that Lucas Leiva may return to the squad for this weekend’s clash with Southampton:
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“Lucas Leiva will return to the squad, which is great news because he’s been working very, very hard and played the reserve game last week.
“He’s been training for a few weeks and looked very good, so we’ll look forward to bringing him back in.”
Jordan Henderson is not good enough to replace Steven Gerrard, said former Liverpool star Steve Nicol in an exclusive interview with TalkSport.
Henderson left Sunderland for Liverpool in 2011 for a £20 million fee, and over time, has begun to reveal his potential, including his equalising goal in the win over Aston Villa on Sunday.
Nicol, however, is not convinced that the 22-year-old midfielder has what it takes to succeed Steven Gerrard when he retires, claiming that Liverpool will need to sign a midfielder when the time comes. “Stevie G is only going to last for so long,” said Nicol. “I don’t think Jordan Henderson has shown or has had a run of games in the middle of the park to show he can [replace Gerrard].”
The former Reds defender added that physically, Henderson can fill Gerrard’s shoes. “He can get around the field but whether he has the knowledge and the understanding of the game to play in there we have yet to see.”
Nicol went on to say that Rodgers needs to fight to strengthen his team immediately, explaining that Liverpool doesn’t have several years to build a team. “ If you’re Liverpool…you need to get fighting and competing for the top four and to do that you need to be strong right up the pipe.”
The retired Scot pointed out that, as well as Gerrard, both Pepe Reina and Jamie Carragher are reaching the end of their career, and the Anfield side will need “a proper centre-back who is dominant, big and strong and can lead.”
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Arsenal winger Gervinho has stated he will follow the example of Gunners legend Robert Pires, and hopes to build on his debut season in England.
Against Sunderland at the weekend, the Ivory Coast international was part of a three-man frontline, deployed on the left wing with Theo Walcott on the opposite flank in roles designed to support Lukas Podolski in a central role. With a 0-0 draw against the Black Cats, and a tough and entirely different challenge at the Britannia Stadium against Stoke on Sunday, it is possible manager Arsene Wenger will make line up and formation changes.
Gervinho, though, has every confidence he can build on his debut campaign in England with a strong showing this time around – just like Pires. Talking to the official Arsenal website, the 25-year-old stated:
“You should always look at these examples from the past. Robert is a fantastic player, very experienced, and I saw this for myself [when Pires was] training here. I really hope to emulate Robert Pires in my second season, hopefully do even better, but I hope to carve out my own niche of course.”
Gervinho, who signed from Lille in an £11m deal last summer, added:
“I hope to push on personally, also to progress with the team and to showcase my qualities. I have learnt lots of things, coming to a new club, being new to the Premier League. I have learnt to adapt on the pitch and, when I think back, also in front of goal. I really feel that I’ve come on a lot, I feel really good in training and I’m ready for my second season.”
Shinji Kagawa has distanced himself from speculation about a future move as he instead concentrates on being a success at Manchester United.
The Japan international looks set to establish himself as a Old Trafford favourite after building up a burgeoning reputation while playing in Germany with Borussia Dormund.
Despite already playing for one of biggest teams in world football in Manchester United, there has already been speculation that he end up at Barcelona one day. However Kagawa has been quick to dismiss these reports.
“I have never thought about Barcelona or Madrid,” Kagawa is quoted as saying by Sky Sports.
“Paris are a great team that will continue to grow this season. It is also a very nice city, but I am focused 100 per cent on life in Manchester.
“You never know what the future will hold.”
In the meantime Kagawa is still getting used to playing for such an illustrious club that has dominated the Premier League era in England.
The 23-year-old playmaker, who scored a memorable winner for Japan in their 1-0 friendly victory over France on Friday, added: “I am now a Manchester United player and the fans and my teammates expect more from me.
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“Since arriving in Manchester I have had to watch my behaviour on and off the pitch. In Japan and Dortmund I didn’t have so much pressure.
“Three years ago I couldn’t have imagined evolving so quickly and being at a great club like Manchester United. It is proof that you never know what can happen.”
Liverpool midfielder Jordan Henderson has stated that proving former Man United boss Sir Alex Ferguson has made him a stronger player, Mirror reports.
Henderson will play an important role in England’s midfield after an outstanding season for his club, in which the Reds became unexpected challengers for the Premier League title.
The Liverpool regular has been criticized by the media in recent year but claims that his selection for the World Cup has proved doubter wrong.
He is expected to play alongside Steven Gerrard with the Three Lions, the same midfield partnership he has at Anfield.
The former Sunderland player has received some harsh criticism from Joey Barton on Twitter – labelling him as the ‘fall guy’ in last summer’s U21 tournament – and Alex Ferguson, who in his biography hit out at his gait and running style.
However all this only made the 23-year-old stronger.
“In football you are going to have times where you have got to be strong, and you have got to keep believing in your own ability,” he said. “That is just part and parcel of the game.
“Hopefully I can keep progressing as a player and getting better. There were a few people who did help me – the big players at Liverpool when you’re around them help you a lot.
“But at the same time you have to deal with stuff like that on your own and try and get through it on your own. No one else can change it – except yourself, to be honest.
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“There is no one more disappointed than us when we don’t have a good game or are not playing well – I just had to keep battling and try and prove them wrong.”
In regards to Ferguson’s comments about his running style, Henderson said: “I think everybody blew it up to be more than it was.
“But looking back I took it as a bit of a compliment because he said he was watching us and thinking about buying us so I must have been doing something right.
Wales midfielder Joe Allen has confessed not being happy with his performance since he arrived at Anfield and hopes to start reverting the situation with a victory with Wales against Austria this Wednesday.
The Welsh international player admits he has not performed at the desired level so far this season: “Everyone knows my form hasn’t been great”, Allen said to the Daily Mail. However, Liverpool £15 million transfer looked confident to reach his level soon: “It’s up to me now to work hard and get myself back in the team and improve my level of performance”, concluded.
The former Swansea player has had the support of reds manager Brendan Rodgers, who has counted on him in every game this season:“It’s been disappointing not to have been involved in every game and play every game” Allen assured to the tabloid. The 22 year-old has played a total of 31 games in all competitions this season, scoring just one goal against Oldham Athletic in the recent FA Cup defeat.
Allen, who deals with the pressure of being the most expensive Liverpool signing this season, has been recently criticised by Match Of The Day pundits Mark Lawrenson and Alan Shearer. The young player accepts the comments and sets himself as his biggest critic: “They’re top pundits. When Alan Shearer speaks, people listen. I want to improve all aspects of my game. I’m a perfectionist and maybe that’s my problem -sometimes I get frustrated and disappointed when things aren’t perfect”, he stated.
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This last week may have been a quiet one on the field for Millwall with this being the international break, but this was a very busy week off the field with FA cup semi final tickets going on sale.
On just the first day of sales, the Lions sold 15,000 tickets, around half of the allocation, this was a interesting figures as this more then double the season ticket holders the club has.
Surprisingly it was also around a 50% increase on an average Saturday afternoon at The Den.
So, where are all these new fans coming from? And why only for wembley? The 10,000 strong crowd usually at The Den will be found at Wembley, but there will also be 20,000 worth of “daytrippers” usually family and friends and lapsed fans who will come just because it’s Wembley.
There’s not a problem with this, but why don’t some fans come to more home games instead of the big ones?
We average around 10,000 at home, one of the lowest in the division, which of course will have an adverse effect on the team as it means a low budget, not many teams will have as a low a budget as Millwall.
We are the closest club to central London which should be a vying point when attracting people in, this seems to work. Just like at the Blackburn game – I had around 20 Norwegians behind me wearing Millwall/Norway scarfs and looking like they spent a fortune in the club shop. It seems a lot harder to attract people alot closer to home.
Lets face it, with the reputation the club has it will always struggle to pick up “Floating fans” if you’ve not been born into, or not a fan of the club, your very unlikely to go.
For families a day out at football is expensive. Where would you rather go? At Millwall where you’ll end up spending around £70 for a family of four, or go down the road to Charlton where it will be around £50 with a friendlier atmosphere?
After all, this is how Charlton get such big crowds, selling cheap tickets in the hope that floating fans and daytrippers will fill the ground. Chairman John Berylson has talked about more fans needing to come to games in order for more money to be spent.
But I feel the club could do more with ticket offers to get people in. Yes the club offer £2-£3 off a ticket if bought in advance but I don’t think this is enough.
Why not use the Wembley euphoria in order to attract new fans?
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Why not for the many Tuesday night home games we now have, thanks to the cup run, offer anyone who shows a receipt or ticket stud from Wembley 50% off all tickets bought. Or spend over over £50 on tickets and receive a free home shirt, as it’ll most likely be on sale for a tenner by the end of the season.
A 2-1 win over West Ham on Saturday afternoon gave Louis van Gaal some respite from an otherwise difficult start as Manchester United boss, but Wayne Rooney’s red card for an exuberant professional foul on Alex Song, deemed violent conduct by referee Lee Mason, typified how tensions are still high at Old Trafford.
Indeed, despite spending £150million in the transfer market this summer, the Red Devils find themselves in seventh place in the Premier League – the exact position they finished last season under van Gaal’s ill-fortuned predecessor, David Moyes.
Few United fans will be calling for the Scot’s return at LVG’s expense; after all, the former Everton boss recorded the worst title defence in the history of the 38-game Premier League season during his torrid ten months at Old Trafford.
But with both managers suffering from similar issues and undergoing paralleled stints of poor form, can we all agree that the problems at Manchester United stem far deeper than simply the man in the dugout? Furthermore, as David Moyes claimed in August; can we all agree that he should have been given more time – and money – to prove himself at Old Trafford?
Things admittedly looked bleak under Moyes, especially towards the end. The underlying logic behind his sacking – apart from a dramatic fall in United’s share price – was the lack of obvious progress in terms of performances; the absence of signs to suggest better times would be just around the corner. In fact, as the season dragged on, it felt as if United were regressing further.
But Moyes thought he was walking into a summer transfer window with a £150million cheque; the funds he should have been allocated twelve months earlier when it was clear Manchester United’s great era of dominance had come to an end for many of the players, as well as Sir Alex Ferguson. Should rumours be believed, he already had a deal in place to sign German World Cup winner Toni Kroos and we know that Luke Shaw and Ander Herrera were signings that van Gaal essentially inherited from Moyes.
Not that the former United gaffer was banned from spending big. The Red Devils outlaid around £65million in two transfer windows under Moyes, breaking the club’s record transfer fee to bring Juan Mata to Old Trafford last January. By no means small fries, but van Gaal was allowed to near-triple that sum and demolish that record transfer fee once again, this time on Angel Di Maria, after just a handful of first competitive fixtures as United boss.
There’s been a considerably higher sense of patience surrounding van Gaal too. Losses to Swansea City and Leicester City were disappointing but accepted as eggs broken in the Dutchman’s plans to revolutionise United’s philosophical roots. A shock 4-0 defeat to MK Dons in the League Cup was seen as an opportunity to focus more on other competitions – you can’t imagine David Moyes, even at the beginning of his short Red Devils career, being given the benefit of the doubt in that kind of manner.
And Moyes had to deal with arguably tougher circumstances last season. Granted, he inherited a side that strolled their way to a Premier League title the year previous, but it’s no secret that Ferguson’s immense quality as a manager had been paving over the cracks – particularly in regards to a lack of recruitment in defence and midfield – for several seasons.
Tellingly, only twelve players who recorded one or more league start for United during the 2012/13 campaign are on the club’s books for current season and some of them, such as Chris Smalling, Ashley Young and Anders Lindegaard, probably shouldn’t be.
Moyes’ limited reputation, having never won silverware at Goodison Park, gave United cold feet and they replaced him with a manager who, in dramatic contrast, boasts an incredible CV, featuring spells with Ajax, Barcelona, Bayern Munich and the Netherlands national team. Van Gaal’s Carrington arrival immediately followed an incredible World Cup campaign with Oranje, demolishing low expectations pre-tournament to mastermind their way to the third place play-off.
But that in itself epitomises why Moyes should have been given more time. LVG remains one of the most respected and qualified managers in world football, yet, like Moyes, he’s struggled with formations, selection policies and balancing out the new with old at United.
Some results have arguably been worse under the Dutchman; United never conceded five goals under Moyes as they did to Leicester City this month. They also beat Swansea 4-1 on the opening day of last season. Most troublingly, van Gaal is yet to face any opposition that finished above his side last year. In direct contrast, Moyes had faced Chelsea, Liverpool, Manchester City and Arsenal by mid-November.
Van Gaal’s ambition is to build Manchester United a new identity, a transition process that will inevitably lead to teething pains, but Moyes was never given that luxury; he was obliged to provide continuity from the previous regime. Perhaps with more time, money and distance from Ferguson, tacit consent would have naturally moved towards the Scot being allowed the freedom to create his own United.
Of course, it’s now all just hypothetical conjecture. One can easily claim David Moyes should have been given more time because it can never actually be proved or disproved. An argument of ignorance, as it’s known.
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Yet, in my opinion, a situation emerged where it became easier to make Moyes a scapegoat for many of the problems that still exist at Old Trafford, particularly a lack of long-term investment in a malnourished squad, a poor showing from chief executive Ed Woodward in summer 2013 and the fact Ferguson is virtually irreplaceable as a manager, than offer him the support LVG now receives.
With more time and money, Moyes could have been a success at Manchester United. Unfortunately, the club weren’t prepared to wait that long.
The good thing about these high-intensity back-to-back games for Arsenal is that there are chances for immediate redemption. It’s even better, in a way, if there’s a rematch of a recent fixture, as is the case in the FA Cup.
Arsenal have it all to prove, all to play for and everything to lose. Liverpool, conversely, can afford to lose this weekend’s FA Cup match at the Emirates if Brendan Rodgers decides that resting players for a tilt at the title, or just to stay in the top four, merits more attention.
Arsene Wenger doesn’t have that luxury now that his side have been unable to score from open play in their last two Premier League matches, of which it’s hard to pinpoint what was harder to take for supporters: the 5-1 drumming at the hands of Liverpool, or the inability to beat or even score against the weakest Manchester United side anyone has seen in decades. There is no chance to focus efforts elsewhere.
This is very much about gathering momentum. Yes, in some way it is an opportunity for revenge against Liverpool, but that isn’t the main theme going into this Sunday; the club and its supporters are likely looking at the bigger picture here.
Lose to Liverpool and it could indirectly spell the end of more than just one trophy pursuit. The club as a whole are down on luck and sapped of confidence. Wenger needs to ensure that is put right this weekend more than anything else.
From a tactical point of view, and even one concerning the confidence of the players, there isn’t really a chance for another showing like the one offered up against Manchester United on Wednesday, when both sides were clearly conservative in their approach. With Arsenal’s squad as stretched as it is, Wenger will want to avoid a replay and start on the right foot from the get go. It’s what he promised, after all.
On the whole, it is a frustrating position for Arsenal to be in. They must be cursing their luck at having drawn three of the Premier League top five in three out of four cup games this season. There isn’t really much of a consolation that all have been home ties, as a loss against Spurs would have been particularly demoralising, and now the clash with Liverpool once again leaves little to no chance of making wholesale changes.
It’s all about painting the bigger picture in a better light. It’s about letting the supporters know that the team can get through this torrid run of games having at least won a game; with Bayern next up next week, Liverpool represent the best chance of a win.
But it’s also to put wind back in the sails ahead of the next round of Premier League fixtures. Let’s revisit that oft-trumpeted saying that there are no easy games in the league. Two of the next three are Sunderland and Stoke, both of whom have put three past Chelsea this season. Sunderland knocked out United in the League Cup after a convincing first leg at the Stadium of Light, and Gus Poyet’s team have become a constant thorn in Manchester City’s side for the past few years. Arsenal’s players can’t be in a position where they’re feeling sorry from themselves, because those waiting in the wings following the games against Liverpool and Bayern will be looking to take full advantage.
Arsenal over the years have shown themselves to be a team who buckle under the pressure. In fact, you can manipulate that theory to the game on Wednesday against United. The pressure was on for Wenger’s side to bounce back but also to take full advantage of Chelsea’s draw the evening prior. They couldn’t take all three points, and circumstances aside, it’s something we’ve seen many times in the past.
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The pressure will once again be on this Sunday, with the first wave coming from the Arsenal support. But far more than acting on revenge, Wenger’s side will be working to put their season back on track.