Manchester City striker Mario Balotelli has pleaded his innocence, despite choosing not to appeal the FA decision to ban him for four matches.
The Italy international initially escaped punishment after it appeared that he kicked Scott Parker in the head in the Etihad Stadium team’s 3-2 win over Tottenham on Sunday.
However the game’s governing body in England retrospectively handed down a four-match punishment, and despite not challenging the decision, Balotelli has stated that he is innocent.
“I am not a villain or a violent player,” the attacker told The Independent.
“I have accepted the ban because I couldn’t prove my innocence.
“I didn’t try to heel Parker,” he concluded.
Roberto Mancini is also very upset with the forward’s suspension, and feels his side have been hard done by.
“The referee was there, 10 metres from the tackle. He could have sent Mario off at that moment, not after the game because he watched the video,” Mancini stated.
“That is easy. I can be a referee in the next game. He (Howard Webb) can’t say he didn’t see it. He saw everything.
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“Now it is finished and Mario can do nothing. We lost Vinny (Kompany) for four games for nothing and now we are without Mario,” the trainer moaned.
“If there are not three worse teams than us in the league this season, I will shoot myself in the head.” (Guardian)
The bold and somewhat alarming verdict of Swansea City captain, Garry Monk. His confidence however appears justified, as few can question the growing trend of promoted clubs enjoying successful maiden campaigns in the Premier League.
In fact two of the three promoted clubs have avoided relegation in each of the past three seasons. The likes of Stoke, Newcastle and West Brom have all emerged from the Championship and dug their heels firmly in the hallowed turf of the Premier League. The time-honoured assumption on the terraces that ‘teams go up only to come straight back down’ finds itself under threat, especially when just once (1997-98) have all three promoted teams endured relegation.
Last year Ian Holloway’s Blackpool gained countless admirers as they proved it is possible to compete in the top flight by fighting fire with fire. This imperfect recipe for avoiding the drop has been tweaked and fine-tuned by the present-day surprise candidates Norwich and Swansea. Both teams play without fear, taking the game to their opponents and in doing so shifting all the pressure and anxiety off their own shoulders. They’ve both transformed their stadiums into the clichéd fortress and helped prove to many that the gulf in quality between the two divisions isn’t as vast as you might think.
Brendan Rodgers is a devoted disciple of the ’keep ball’ philosophy inaugurated by his predecessors Paulo Sousa and Roberto Martinez. The Swans play with the viewpoint that if you have possession then the opposition can’t score, although Brighton did their best to disprove this fact in their recent FA Cup clash with Liverpool. Norwich on the other hand play with real width and an attacking flair that Kenny Dalglish is still trying to implement at Liverpool. They are spearheaded by strikers Holt and Morrison, who are capable of battering even the most resilient of defences into submission.
A successful stint in the Premier League seems to revolve around maintaining the core squad that helped inspire promotion. No longer is there a firm belief that you have to spend big to survive, instead managers are seeking to build on strong foundations and punish any team that reveals even a hint of complacency.
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Queen Park Rangers have endured contrasting fortunes since their return to the Premier League. An influx of seasoned professionals were intended to starve off the threat of relegation but a combination of negative tactics, inconsistent player performances and unrest in the boardroom have left the R’s languishing just a point above the drop zone.
The outright refusal of promoted clubs to descend back down from their origins has meant the Championship is now inundated with names who boast a long-standing history in the top flight. The likes of Leeds and Leicester are finding it increasingly difficult to forge a promotion charge and have even suffered stints in League One since their exit from the Premier League. Just 6 of this seasons 24 clubs have never set foot in the Premier League, which gives you a real sense of the tradition, stature and expectations of the growing number of clubs desperate to win promotion. As the financial rewards for earning place in the top flight increase year on year it serves to fuel the levels of motivation and desire, which is why the Championship is now seen as an exciting, feisty spectacle.
The superior levels of wealth invested in the Premier League has enabled clubs the freedom to flex their financial muscle. Squads are now littered with talent from across the globe and the multi-million pound youth academies. With each new achievement comes further expectation, and this overwhelming feeling of pressure has created a cut-throat nature at the heart of football. New signings are given little time to impress, managers even less so, which has seen many drop down into the Championship in an attempt to relaunch their career.
The Premier League is undergoing a transition, a revival in my eyes, with the established order entering a state of flux. Manchester City and Tottenham Hotspur are currently frolicking in amongst the fabled ‘top 4’, with cracks beginning to appear in the once dominant forces of Arsenal and Chelsea. Everton and Fulham seem incapable of progressing without significant investment whilst Premier League veterans Blackburn and Aston Villa find themselves on a slippery slope. However, these changes are not the sign of diminishing quality, the unpredictable nature of this unforgiving league is what makes it truly entertaining.
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Once upon a time it was the promoted sides who were asked all the questions, are you prepared? Have you earned the right to be here? But nowadays, the new kids on the block are asking all the questions and the Premier League elite are struggling to find the answers.
Is the Premier League predictable? Will Cardiff become the next team to lose their top flight virginity? Share your thoughts on Twitter @theunusedsub
Tottenham midfielder Scott Parker has stated that his side are not worried about Arsenal cutting the gap on Tottenham to one point in the race for third.
Spurs have lost their last three league games with the Gunners winning their last three, to make it a close battle for Champions League qualification.
However, the England international feels that his side must focus on their own games and not worry about their north London rivals.
“I wouldn’t say we’re worried one bit,” he told Mirror Football.
“We’re focused. We need to win football matches. That’s it.
“We’re in such a good league. Every week you’re looking. There’s Arsenal. There’s Chelsea. Ultimately all we can do is keep performing and keep picking up results.
“We’ve got some good senior players here. William Gallas has been in this position before – he’s won championships.
“We know what we need to do. We need to all pull together and see through the last remaining part of the season.
“The second-half performance against Arsenal was nowhere near our standard. Then against United we got the performance, but we all know this is a results business.
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“Hopefully we can go on a run now. We’ve got some difficult fixtures coming up,” he admitted.
“Sometimes you wonder, do they understand the game of football? We’re 1-0 up, then there are one or two stray passes and they’re getting on players’ backs. It’s just not on. At the end of the day they need to get behind the team. Away from home our fans are fantastic, I’d call them the hardcore fans. But at home they have a few drinks and probably the prawn sandwiches, and they don’t realise what’s going on out on the pitch. I don’t think some of the people who come to Old Trafford can spell ‘football’, never mind understand it.”
This is of course the infamous rant by Roy Keane, following a Champions League tie against Dynamo Kiev in 2000, which kick-started the debate of changing atmospheres in football stadia, and whether they had an effect when it comes to on-field performances. Although he may have been a bit blunt in his criticism of the home support, it has to be said that the Irishman’s comments have some form of validity, with the atmosphere at some Premier League grounds deteriorating over the years.
It would be unfair to say that specific grounds are ‘dead’ come match-day, but there is a distinct difference in atmosphere between the stadia of today and yesteryear. Although this may have a little to do with the conversion to all-seater grounds, following the events of Hillsborough, the vast majority of top-tier venues still possess capacities of approaching 30,000. Such numbers should be able to produce cauldron-like atmospheres, intimidating the opposition and giving the home side a much needed boost.
The mood of crowds at the Emirates and Stamford Bridge have been particularly disappointing this season, with supporters openly voicing their discontent, whilst failing to produce the sort of ambiance that should be present with two of the nations leading clubs. The problems at Arsenal in particular, embody the issues surrounding support in grounds, with ticket prices rising, and subsequently forcing out those who cannot afford to attend. With football’s working class roots, the vast majority of supporters simply cannot justify the outlay on tickets to view their clubs. Prices are rapidly increasing, with seats in the red half of North London reaching around £60, forcing a majority of supporters away from the stadium. I’m not suggesting that those who do attend are not real supporters, but typically the more affluent the crowd the quieter the stadium becomes, and with prices rising only those earning higher amounts can afford the admission, either through match-day tickets or a season-long subscription.
When you consider that fathers, or mothers, will want to take their children with them to the games, then the cost really escalates. Three or four tickets, plus travel and refreshments can, for some, equate to a weeks wage, making the whole experience just too far out of reach, alienating fans and deterring the next generation. When people talk of their first footballing experience, it will often be a grainy picture in the back of the mind of walking toward the turnstiles clutching a relative’s hand, whilst wearing the scarf of your chosen team. If parents, or aunts and uncles, are deterred from taking their offspring on match day, the future generation will have greater difficulty creating a link between themselves and their chosen club.
As a result of pricing, the offers from Sky, along with various illegal internet streaming sites, become far more attractive. Although the atmosphere is never the same, viewing from the luxury of your own living room for the fraction of the cost can be more desirable, especially in the current economical climate.
All of this deters fans from attending games, and eventually erodes the vocal support at a stadium. Tickets at high prices are increasingly snapped up by tourists and fair weather fans, who may just attend a game in a fancy stadium purely to say I’ve been there. They may follow the club, but their vocal support will usually be lesser than somebody who is a life-long fan, brought up focusing on said club.
With the vast levels of income secured by Premier League clubs through Television rights, prize money, sponsorship and other financial inlets, a reduction of ticket prices by a small amount would surely not dent their financial security. A small decrease would allow some fans to justify the investment, building the atmosphere and in turn aiding the on-field performance of the team.
Although it may be forgotten in the boardroom on occasion, the fans are the most important people at the football club. Without a loyal following, teams would not be able to function, so its about time their feelings are put first.
What are your thoughts? Comment or follow @Alex_Hams on Twitter to have your say
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Big-spending Paris Saint-Germain are monitoring Emmanuel Adebayor’s situation and are prepared to make a bid to sign the striker in the summer, according to The Daily Mail.
The Togolese frontman is currently on loan at Tottenham from Manchester City, with the north London club believed to be unable to match his wages and the Premier League leaders not wanting the African back at the Etihad Stadium.
Despite Spurs preparing to try and bring Adebayor to White Hart Lane on a permanent basis, it is thought that the forward would have to take a wage cut to make this happen.
PSG are backed by the Qatari Investment Authority, and as such would have no problem in matching Adebayor’s current salary, believed to be around £170,000 a week.
A fee of £12 million is thought to be suffice to ensure City let the attacker leave.
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Manchester United are ready to splash £50 million on Borussia Dortmund trio Shinji Kagawa, Robert Lewandowski and Mats Hummels, according to The Daily Mail.
Rivals Manchester City beat the Old Trafford outfit into second place on the last day of the season, and as such the Red Devils are eyeing a busy transfer window to get back to their former glories.
Jurgen Klopp’s Dortmund side have won the Bundesliga for a second consecutive campaign this term, and dispatched Bayern Munich 5-2 in the DFB Pokal cup final on Saturday.
Sir Alex Ferguson’s men are the frontrunners to sign Japanese winger Kagawa, who has turned down a contract extension and only has one year left at Signal Iduna Park.
The German side have confirmed that they expect the Asian flyer to leave this summer, but are determined to hold onto the rest of their stars.
“We expect Kagawa to go, but no amount of money will persuade us to sell the others,” Dortmund managing director Hans-Joachim Watzke stated.
Hummels is a certainty for the Germany Euro 2012 squad and the centre back has quickly emerged as one of the best defenders in Europe.
Meanwhile, Poland international Lewandowski scored a hat-trick in the rout of Bayern, and his agent has confirmed that the striker has also turned down a new deal with Dortmund.
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“The offer from Dortmund is not enough and I can confirm there is interest from Manchester United,” Maik Barthel told reporters.
New Aston Villa manager Paul Lambert is looking to make Ibrahima Balde his first signing for the club, according to The Sun.
Balde, who scored 7 goals in 22 league appearances for Osasuna last season is rumoured to have been targeted by numerous Premier League clubs including Norwich, Sunderland and Reading.
However, after Villa scored just 37 league goals last season, new man at the helm Lambert will be looking to add some firepower to a squad short in numbers.
At just 23, Balde has already made 40 appearances in La Liga for Atletico Madrid and Osasuna respectively. He has a buy-out clause in his contract at the Reyno de Navarra that is believed to be around £8 million. Before moving to Spain, spells in Argentina with Argentinos Juniors and Velez Sarsfield at youth level, assisted the front- man in his development
The Senegalese born striker has faced some injury problems, most notably during a loan spell with Segunda Division Numancia. However, his 6ft 2” frame and goal scoring prowess could make him a welcome addition to any Premier League club.
Balde could become Villa’s second signing of the summer, with the club having already agreed a deal for Australian Brett Holman, AZ Alkmaar’s out-of contract midfielder.
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Arsenal manager Arsene Wenger is eager to find a solution to Robin van Persie’s contract situation, even if it is to sell him reports The Daily Mail.
The Netherlands international has less than a year left on his deal at the Emirates Stadium, and has made it clear that he will not prolong his stay with the Gunners.
Wenger now must decide whether to keep his captain and lose him for free next summer or sell his best player.
After last summer, when Arsenal lost Cesc Fabregas and Samir Nasri, the French coach had very little time to find replacements and as such the north London club started the season slowly.
This time round Wenger is eager for a solution to be found so he can find an able replacement and not be rushed in his transfer dealings.
Both Manchester clubs and Juventus are believed to be the frontrunners for Van Persie’s signature, with a deal in the region of £20 million in the offing.
Despite the summer signing of France striker Olivier Giroud, the Gunners are thought to be eyeing the likes of Robert Lewandowski and Stevan Jovetic as possible replacements for the Dutch hitman.
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So, as you well know our first competitive game is coming up soon when the Mighty Owls will travel to Boundary Park to take on Oldham Athletic in the newly-named Capital One Cup.
I’m not going to go shouting my mouth off about how we have an outside chance of winning this tournament, I mean come on, we know we don’t really. However, what I did want to do was have a little chat about the English cup that changes it’s title as regularly as Claudio Ranieri changed his Chelsea line-up.
Interestingly the ‘Whichever Name Cup’ is the only trophy that Wednesday have managed to win in the last 25 years, and consequently, the only one that we’ve won in my lifetime. Granted, I was only a year and three months old in April 1991 when we lifted the Rumbelows Cup, but I still count it anyway.
Despite being an ugly little baby in ’91, I’ve still spent many an hour happily watching John Sheridan smash one past Manchester United’s Les Sealey in the 37th minute before watching the boys hold out for the rest of the game thanks to some epic defensive work from captain and Man of the Match, Nigel Pearson.
Honestly, Wednesdayites both young and old, still regard the photo of Sheridan with the lid of the ‘Electrical Retailer Cup’ on his head to be one of the most iconic in the club’s history, and he went down in legend for that goal.
Anyway, since then we’ve seen English sides lift the Fizzy Drink Cup (Coca-Cola), the Old Man’s Beer Cup (Worthington’s) and the Crappy English Lager Cup (Carling) from years 1992 through to 2012 and now it’s the Credit Card Cup’s turn.
It was announced in June that Capital One were the new sponsors of the English Football League Cup, and that that the new deal would be running through until at least 2016, when the name will once again be up for sale.
Don’t get me wrong, I know that the sponsorship is important to the Football League and that a good cup run can be a crucial money maker for non-Premier League clubs like ourselves, however the £100,000 prize-money is dwarfed by the £2,000,000 that an FA Cup winner gets.
Anyway, despite my criticisms of the name changing, the Capital One Cup is definitely a worthy one. Wednesday are privileged to be one of only 22 teams to have lifted the trophy since its inception back in 1960, and, with the state of cup football these days the number of different winners doesn’t look like it’s going to grow too quickly.
So, with a game against the Latics just around the corner and the start of an exciting season on the horizon, I’m very interested to see how the blue and white wizards do in this year’s ‘Highest Bidder Cup’ and do you know what? You never know…
The year that we last won the League Cup was the same year that we got promoted back to the Premier League… More of that this year please boys!
Oh, and as a side note, I’m dead chuffed about the signing of Rhys McCabe, that one could be quite a coup for Dave Jones, and, more importantly, it looks like we’re on the verge of sealing the deal with Michail Antonio, but we’ll just have to wait and see won’t we!
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Lukas Podolski is ready to take the place of departing Robin Van Persie and hopes to fire Arsenal to the title next season.
The German international, who joined from Cologne for a fee of £11 million, believes the Gunners can put previous disappointments behind them and make a serious challenge.
He said: “The Premier League has five or six teams who can play for the title – and we are one of them. We really want to win this trophy.
“I hope I can score a lot of goals and make some assists to help the club in the Premier League.” (Daily Telegraph)
Van Persie on the other hand appears destined for a move to Manchester United, with the Dutchman expecting to pass a medical and finalise personal terms today.
Meanwhile, his international coach, Louis Van Gaal, appeared to have an open and frank conversation with the forward, which he claims was one of the best he has had with a player.
Van Gaal spoke ahead of his first match in charge of Holland in the 4-2 defeat to Belgium.
“I had a fantastic conversation with Robin. I had to tell him that his situation has changed and that I prefer Huntelaar for now”, he told De Telegraaf.
But he admitted he had no input in Van Persie’s decision to leave the North Londoners.
“I think the player always has to decide for himself,” he said.
“When he wants he can ask me for advice, but then I will speak to him, not to you.”
But one player who has committed to the Arsenal cause is Laurent Koscielny, who put pen to paper on a long-term deal at the club.
The 26-year-old, French international said: “Now I know the Premier League – I am more mature and more physical.
“I know I played a good season last year, but I want to do more for Arsenal this year. I want to win a trophy.”