Manchester United boss Sir Alex Ferguson has angrily hit out at suggestions that Bebe has failed to make a positive impression in his first days at Old Trafford.
Ferguson broke with tradition to sign a player without first seeing him in action when he paid £7million to land the 20-year-old striker from Portuguese side Vitoria Guimaraes last month.
Bebe's absence from a reserve team fixture in midweek led to reports that the youngster had disappointed the United coaching staff.
However, Ferguson has dismissed suggestions that he has made a mistake in the transfer market with a staunch defence of the player.
"Bebe is on a programme doing endurance work because his fitness levels are not near the ones we are at," said the veteran Scot.
"Other than that he has done well. I know he has had a couple of vicious attacks on him for why he wasn't playing in the reserve game but he was never going to be playing on Tuesday.
"The boy did not deserve that.
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"He is a young man trying to make his way in football. They didn't need to do that. It was a really bitter attack. Ability-wise he is excellent. He is a terrific finisher.
"We have been very impressed with that. It is just the fitness levels he needs to get to."Subscribe to Football FanCast News Headlines by Email
Gary Neville’s frank admission last year that playing for England was ‘a massive waste of time’, is hardly a surprising revelation and may simply confirm what a lot of this country’s supporters already suspect; that playing and performing well for England is just not a high priority for many of today’s Premier League superstars. It also backs up the claim that this has been the problem with England’s national team for years.
We’ve all grown accustomed to it. Every time an international tournament comes along the press is quick to build up England’s hopes, promoting them to one of the favourites on the evidence of…’inventing’ football? 1966? Whilst I may be (only slightly) exaggerating, the main cause for England optimism is of course the English Premier League and its vast array of stars. However, it seems lost on many in this country that perhaps boasting the self proclaimed ‘best league in the world’ doesn’t equate to the best players in the league being English. For all the grandeur, splendour and quality of the Premier League, a lot of that quality has been provided by the non-English. But, that’s not to say there hasn’t been a plethora of English Premier League stars over the years, as quite clearly there has. It just ensures the success of the Premier League and the teams in it helps build the great expectations of the English national team, which always ends in ‘catastrophic’ failure. But I digress a little. But not much…
You see the success of our Premier League teams and the failings of the National team can be intrinsically linked by Neville’s comments. As a member of the most successful team in Premier League history he was used to winning at club level. Whilst he counts himself as ‘patriotic’, he also states that playing for England was just a ‘bonus’. Winning for Manchester United was always the most important thing to him. These comments have been echoed by many others in the past – Jamie Carragher is another with similar sentiments – but obviously with Liverpool winning rather than United! As a supporter, I put my club first so can take comfort from my players doing the same – but can see how other fans take issue with such comments.
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You see the Premier League era and the success, glory and obscene amounts of money it has brought, has given today’s top player everything they could possibly ever want. They are rich, they are famous – world renowned in fact, and they are successful with their club teams. When the inevitable happens and the great expectations are not reached with the English national team, they are slaughtered by the press and public. Many England players, past and present, have stated on occasions they have been barracked by the home support. It was particularly prevalent in the old Wembley days. Some supporters club allegiances are not put to one side and abuse will be given to a ‘domestic’ opposite player, rather than channelling support for their country.
It has become a vicious circle; the more England fail, the more abuse the players receive – and today’s Premier League star just isn’t used to receiving such criticism – be it too harsh or not. The fear of failure is so much so that players, such as Neville, see representing their country as something they could do without – rather than it being the pinnacle of their career. Now too many players spend too much time fearing the consequences of failure when they pull on an England shirt, scared of what will be written or said of them if a mistake is made.
The modern Premier League English international has much to occupy his mind, other than the failing of the national team. Discipline has always been a key issue when talking about England, and again Neville brought to light that players would rather be gambling on the horses or playing card games, rather than focusing on the job in hand. Other stories regarding mobile phones in training and the infamous WAGS issue have all dogged fairly recent campaigns, but that seemingly came to a close with the appointment of the strict Fabio Capello as England manager. However, on the pitch, when it come to tournament time, not much changed with England’s ‘golden generation’ coming to a humiliating end in South Africa.
It’s hard to know who to blame for all the failings; the previous/current managers and their lack of man management or flexible tactics? Or is it the press, the media and the fans for the unrealistic expectations, then the incessant abuse that follows the failures? Or is it simply down to the players, who in today’s game are too pampered and precious, put their country second, and have simply achieved too much too soon, without achieving the heights of the legends of yesteryear?
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Liverpool are arguably still the most famous team in England, despite what them down the road say (the last time I checked, Liverpool still had a few more European Cups anyway). However, this season, whilst United have already added a League Cup to their cabinet, Liverpool have been languishing in the Premier League, and got knocked out of the Champions League. However, do not fret Liverpool fans, as you do not walk alone. It appears that whilst you may not be top of the Premier League, you are well represented with REAL fans in celebrity circles. Here are Liverpool’s top ten celebrity fans…
Click on Billy Bob Thornton to see Liverpool’s TOP 10 Celebrity Fans
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Well there you have it. Liverpool have some rather blooming huge Hollywood stars supporting the Reds, as well as locals like Tarbuck, Charles and Peel. However, if you think you know of more celebrity supporters, feel obliged to add to the list at your own discretion.
To say the transfer window (so far) has been uneventful is tantamount to saying the Arctic is a bit nippy, as the majority of Premier League clubs are seemingly being careful with their finances. In some cases clubs simply have to sell before they can buy, much to the frustrations, no doubt, of many managers and supporters.
The lack of spending at the top of the Premier League has surprised many, especially given the open nature of last season’s title race. You would have thought the likes of United and Chelsea would have looked at a big outlay this summer, to ensure the also-rans remain at an arm’s length in their pursuits of the title. Only City have made substantial moves this summer, although you do feel that they may well struggle to strike a balance. This means this season’s race for the title, Champions League and Europa League places are very much as they were last year, unless we witness a major change in the transfer wind in the coming fortnight.
The media is predicting that a transfer storm is set to erupt, but it begs the question as to whether West Ham really need to partake in some last minute shopping, or has the clubs five new additions ensured that the Hammers side is adequately equipped this season?
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Does Avram Grant need to bring any players in before the transfer window shuts in 16 days time and if so who would you like to see him bring in?
Gonzalo Higuain’s father and agent has stated that the striker has no intention in leaving Real Madrid, and has distanced his son from a move to Chelsea.
The Argentina international competes with Karim Benzema for a place in Jose Mourinho’s starting XI, and reports in both the Spanish and British press have linked the South American attacker with a move to Stamford Bridge come January.
Despite this, Jorge Higuain has stated that the 24-year-old will not be leaving the Santiago Bernabeu.
“Nobody at Real Madrid has said anything about wanting to sell Gonzalo and he doesn’t have any intention of leaving,” the representative told La Stampa.
“In fact, he wants to continue with Real Madrid until his contract expires in June 2016.
“If somebody told us we weren’t welcome (at Real) I’m sure we would receive very good proposals,” he stated.
Serie A giants Juventus have also been speculated as a potential suitor, but Higuain senior has said that there has been no contact from the Turin club or Andre Villas Boas’ men.
“Regarding the rumours that say Chelsea and Juventus are interested in my son, the only thing I can say is that they are both two great teams.
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“They would be two important opportunities, but nobody has gotten in touch with me,” he concluded.
Manchester United’s Wayne Rooney will contest the two-match ban for using inappropriate language, the Football Association confirmed.Rooney plead guilty to the charge on Tuesday, but will contest the severity of his sentence.
If the penalty is downgraded to one game, Rooney will be free to face Manchester City in the FA Cup semi-final on April 17.
The Football Association handed down the charge for ‘the use of offensive, insulting and/or abusive language’ on Monday, following the striker’s foul-mouthed rant after scoring his third goal against West Ham United at the weekend.
With the prospect of missing the City clash and the English Premier League game with Fulham, Rooney accepted the charge but not the resultant penalty.
“Rooney has submitted a claim that the automatic penalty of two games is clearly excessive. A commission will hear the submission on Wednesday,” a statement from the FA read.
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Rooney, who scored a hat-trick in the 4-2 win over West Ham United, issue an apology after the game.
The Premier League Season is almost upon us and transfer rumours are surrounding every club including Chelsea. Carlo Ancelotti’s target for this season is bound to involve winning more silverware and the Champions League is the one trophy Chelsea have failed to grasp to date.
The majority of the transfer talk involving Chelsea has included the name Fernando Torres. He’s young, athletic and when he’s not injured he is one of the world’s best strikers. The problem comes with his price tag and the simple fact that Chelsea don’t actually need another striker. Although Didier Drogba and Nikolas Anelka may be heading towards the end of their playing career they are still world class strikers. Florent Malouda, Salomon Kalou and the young Daniel Sturridge can all be called on too if goals are required. However, if Manchester City are serious about signing Didier Drogba then the situation changes and Chelsea will need a new striker who can guarantee goals.
Instead of spending a huge amount on one player Chelsea should bolster up their midfield. With the departures of Joe Cole, Michael Ballack, and Juliano Belletti; Chelsea require at least one player with some finesse and talent. An ideal candidate would be Bayern Munich’s Bastian Schweinsteiger. He had a terrific World Cup which didn’t benefit Chelsea as his price tag as increased but he’s still a worthwhile target. In a recent survey on Goal.com 90.1% chose Schweinsteiger as the man Chelsea should try and sign.
Chelsea have already made one new signing in the form of Yossi Benayoun. The Israeli captain cost a modest £5.5million and the attacking midfielder is likely to replace Joe Cole with a role down the wing. The newspapers have been having a field day with news that Jose Mourinho is after Ashley Cole. The Chelsea left back is a skilled defender who loves to go forward and is a vital player in the Chelsea squad. Losing such a player would create a big hole in Chelsea’s side and finding a replacement could prove difficult. Things could worsen if the Spanish Newspapers are true and Ricardo Carvalho is heading back to Real Madrid to reunite with Mourinho. Another defender would need to be drafted in.
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Ancelotti should concentrate on strengthening his midfield and developing the youth team and forget about Torres. Chelsea spent big money before, remember the record breaking £30.8 million pound signing of Andriy Shevchenko back in the summer of 2006. The hype was huge at the time but his time at Chelsea was less than impressive, he scored 22 goals in 2 seasons and never secured his place in the first team line-up. Chelsea don’t want to make a huge big signing and then regret it. They need to spend where necessary and where needed and just because teams throw money at a problem doesn’t mean Chelsea should.
With a third of the Premier League season now gone by, the table is starting to find its level and supporters are starting to get a better understanding of where their respective clubs are at this season and the challenge that faces them in the coming months. Once again the Premier League has been broken up into three tiers, with each team facing their own private battle.
Unlike previous years there has certainly been some stability on the managerial front with only Steve Bruce succumbing to the bullet so far, as clubs look to show patience with their managers to turn around their current plights. The managers may not be so patient with players at their disposal and may look to make significant changes in the January transfer window.
The January transfer window is loved and loathed in equal measures, with many managers and supporters alike welcoming the opportunity to freshen things up, while others see it as a source of distraction. History shows it is a renowned place for panic buying, as last January certainly proved, but there have been notable successes in the past that shows it can be a significant period to turn around a club’s fortunes. I feel the African Cup of Nations and the unprecedented amount of long term injuries we have seen will force many club’s hands and subsequently we can expect to see another expensive month for many Premier League chairman.
So how do you feel about Aston Villa’s fortunes so far this season and would you look to see changes made in January? Who would you like to see brought in and ultimately who would you like to see moved on in the up and coming window?
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Bayern Munich president Uli Hoeness says incumbent manager Jupp Heynckes was always the club’s number one choice.Heynckes is currently the manager of Bayer Leverkusen, who sit second in the Bundesliga, but will leave his post at the BayArena to manage the Bavarian giants next season.
Hoeness admitted Heynckes needed some time to think about the decision but was pleased that the club’s preferred choice had signed on for his third stint with the Bavarian giants.
“He is the candidate we all wished for,” Hoeness said.
“The board had no problems to back this decision. We all agreed that if we could get Heynckes then we should get him, and only him. He knew he was our number one candidate and that we have not talked to anybody else.”
“He did ask for some days to think it through since he has grown close to Bayer Leverkusen over the last two years, he also was very successful with them. But in the end we all knew that we could make it happen to bring him back.”
Hoeness believes that with the appointment of Heynckes, Bayern have a ‘good chance’ of winning next season’s Bundesliga.
Bayern have struggled under Louis van Gaal this season and face a battle to qualify for the Champions League.
But the Bayern president says things will change with the new appointment.
“We are a club striving for success,” he said.
“We want to win titles again next year and I think we have a good chance to do that.”
You may love or loathe the transfer windows but it certainly has most football supporters fixated to the rumour mills on a daily basis. I don’t know many fans that don’t go straight to the BBC’s gossip column as a first port of call every morning, before they move on to SkySports.com. Most of what is written is complete tosh; however it doesn’t stop many buying into what they have read. I guess everyone just loves a rumour, despite how outlandish they might be.
One thing that does amuse me about those who bite at the rumours is their sheer naivety and this belief that the club have a bottomless pit of money and cannot understand why player X Y and Z won’t be playing for their club next season. There is a lot to be said for a little bit of realism and general understanding of the complexity of club finances. Sometimes players have to be sacrificed in order to raise funds to strengthen elsewhere, or clubs have a restricted budget due to incompetent owners or the need to finance new stadia. Money doesn’t grow on trees and therefore clubs have to live within their means.
So what about your club this summer? No doubt you have been taken in by some of the rumours, poured cold water over some and I’m sure there is a long list of players that you will be happy to see the club cash in on during the coming weeks. The transfer window, with the exception of City, has been somewhat constipated up to this point, although I’m sure it won’t be long before the transfer storm starts to erupt.
Who would you like to see arrive at the Anfield during the next five weeks, and equally who should be issued with their P45?
Click on image to see a gallery of the BEST BABES at the World Cup this summer
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