The overwhelming sound of supporters rummaging in draws and rooting around filing cabinets was all that could be heard in Newcastle on Sunday evening. Geordie supporters embarked on a frantic forage for passports as their beloved club edged close to achieving a feat not a soul clad in black and white could have envisaged in their wildest dreams at the Premier League’s kick off last August. Eight months on and the Magpies are on the cusp of a return to European football for the first time since 2007 when under the stewardship of Glenn Roeder. Current commander Alan Pardew has led the Toon Army on a whirlwind journey into the top six with just nine games left to play. Or nine cup finals as he put it following the 1–0 triumph over Norwich at St James’ Park on Sunday. Pardew has overseen a remarkable turnaround during his 15-months on Tyneside surpassing expectations of a top half finish and assembling an exciting squad that plays an intoxicating brand of attacking football.

With entry to next season’s Europa League now a distinct possibility and fans hysterically scanning their passport expiry dates, the question now posed is would continental competition benefit or hinder Newcastle United?

From a football perspective the outlook does look gloomy. Not to paint myself as a pessimist but, whilst the current crop of players are more than capable of holding their own in Europe, the Magpies don’t possess a squad with the depth to cope with such a gruelling schedule. The demands of European competition have greatly intensified in recent years with teams required to play two games within the space of three or four days with a continental round trip thrown in for good measure. It’s an physically and mentally draining excursion that necessitates the ability to rotate players to ward off fatigue. Fulham and Stoke, both of whom have larger squads than Newcastle, struggled to manage the extra load added onto their domestic commitments. Their league form and position suffered as a result and they find themselves in the bottom half of the table with no hope of a return to the Europa League next season. It was clear that the Toon Army toiled to cover the loss of key players Hatem Ben Arfa, Demba Ba, Yohan Cabaye, Fabricio Coloccini, Steven Taylor and Cheick Tiote at differing points of the campaign. Now imagine the club trying to tackle a Thursday night fixture in Europe and then a Premier League game on Sunday deprived of one or two players from that list.

[ad_pod id=’dfp-mpu’ align=’right’]

Obviously Pardew will be recruiting new faces during the summer. However whoever he brings in will be subsidised by the sale of fringe players and one potentially big name. Tiote has been linked with a move to Chelsea and if £20 million is laid on the table it’s likely that owner Mike Ashley will gobble it up without hesitation. With Dan Gosling, Danny Guthrie and Peter Lovenkrands, all of whom are on the periphery of the first team, likely to leave along with striker Leon Best there will be huge gaps left to fill in terms of retaining the healthy complexion the squad currently has. Right now the aim for Ashley is to balance the books so, for example, if five players step through the revolving door at St James’ expect five to step out. Thats how he’s doing business right now. Irrespective of the extra riches that comes with qualifying for Europe or finishing sixth in the league he will avoid splashing out on lucrative transfers. Newcastle can’t compete on the European front with a philosophy like that. Thats not having a pop at the Sports Direct mogul because it if wasn’t for him the club would have died a slow and whimpering death. Ashley’s tightening of the purse strings has put the Magpies’ accounts back into the black for the first time in a long while. But, it’s that prudent approach that prove to be a hinderance.

No disrespect to the players like James Perch, Danny Simpson and Mike Williamson but they don’t possess the talent required  to compete at the level Newcastle aspire to reach. There are five or six other players of similar ilk. Couple that with the reliance on youth to provide backup and there just seems no conceivable way how Newcastle can marry the Europa League with their Premier League obligations without suffering a few injuries and the dreaded mid-season burnout. It would prove to be a huge burden on their domestic campaign without the necessary investment. It’s no falsehood that they need to bolster every area of their squad but the likelihood of that happening is slim.

Therein lies a decision for Ashley to make. Whilst a continental adventure will provide a significant boost to the clubs coffers it could only last for one season. What needs to be considered is would it be more beneficial for Newcastle to consolidate in the top half, strengthen the squad bit-by-bit and then make a play for Europe? If they’re going to approach the Europa League with a majority of the current players in tow supplemented by a few additions then it could prove to be a disaster. The best thing for the Toon Army at this current juncture would be to avoid the allure of the European lights and continue their rebuilding process on the home front.

FootballFanCast General Stay ahead in the world of football analysis, commentary, and fan insights with FootballFancast. Subscribe FootballFanCast General Stay ahead in the world of football analysis, commentary, and fan insights with FootballFancast.

---

Subscribe

By subscribing, you agree to receive newsletter and marketing emails, and accept Valnet’s Terms of Use and Privacy Policy. You can unsubscribe anytime.

[ffcvideo file=”tfcb7″ type=”mp4″ image_type=”jpg”]

PFA chief executive Gordon Taylor has added his backing to those campaigning for goal-line technology to be implemented in the game.

A Juan Mata ‘goal’ in Chelsea’s 5-1 win over Tottenham has renewed criticism of the current system, with other sports successfully using technology to ensure correct decisions are made.

Taylor feels that football should move with the times.

“The more that it goes on that we don’t use technology, the more perverse it’s looking for football – being the major spectator game throughout the whole world as well as being the major participant game,” he told Sky Sports.

“I don’t think the crowd would mind it at all, it’s in the best interests of the game and justice will be done. It’s so important as to whether a goal is scored, that’s the whole object of the game.

“People will say, and (UEFA president, Michel) Platini has said, that’s why he wants to use those officials behind the goal and has done so. I don’t see that as the way ahead and I don’t see that as a job for somebody who wants to be a referee or an assistant referee.

“When you see how successfully it’s been used in a game like rugby, league and union, as well as tennis and cricket, it’s what the modern sporting spectator expects – in the interests of seeing that justice is done and the right result.

“Controversy is always going to be part of the game, but I think the sooner it comes in the better.

“I know people will say it’s the thin edge of a wedge because the next point will be should it be a penalty, has a goal been scored, was it offside or not? That might be a debate for another day, but at least I think we should have that goal-line technology for starters.

FootballFanCast General Stay ahead in the world of football analysis, commentary, and fan insights with FootballFancast. Subscribe FootballFanCast General Stay ahead in the world of football analysis, commentary, and fan insights with FootballFancast.

---

Subscribe

By subscribing, you agree to receive newsletter and marketing emails, and accept Valnet’s Terms of Use and Privacy Policy. You can unsubscribe anytime.

“The technology is there and I see no reason why we should waste it any longer,” he concluded.

By Gareth McKnight

[ad_pod id=’unruly-2′ align=’left’]

Since television started ruling football, there have been some strange kick off times for many a match. 11am, 5pm, 10:30am, occasionally even 3pm on a Saturday afternoon. Now however, ITV have raised the bar by placing an FA Cup semi-final between Chelsea and Spurs on a Sunday at 6pm, to lock viewers into the final episode of Titanic (according to the Daily Mirror).

Chelsea’s original concern was that with a semi-final against Barcelona in the Champions League on the Wednesday, it gave insufficient time to recover in between the two matches. Chelsea are fine with playing on the Sunday, acknowledging Liverpool’s refusal to play on the anniversary of the Hillsborough tragedy, but have pleaded for an earlier kick off- a lunch-time kick off would make a difference, recovery-wise. In other countries, their FAs give preferential kick off times to teams in European competitions to maximise their chances. When Jose Mourinho was Porto manager, his team was sometimes allowed to play league games on a Friday night. Sam Wallace argued on the Sunday Supplement that the FA are right not to give the big teams preferential treatment as it isn’t fair on the other teams, and they have the resources to cope. I agree in principle, but when teams in other countries are getting special treatment, then it puts English teams at a disadvantage. Napoli played on Friday night before both their games against Chelsea, as did Benfica the other week.

But the main stupidity of this kick off time has nothing to do with Chelsea’s showdown with Barcelona. Apart from the fact it just feels wrong to watch a semi-final on a Sunday evening, it is inviting trouble to allow two sets of fans a whole day of drinking before kick off. The late kick off gives scant regards to families wishing to attend the match with the schools open the next day, and the usual engineering works on the rail network will only add to the difficulty in getting home at a reasonable time, especially if there is extra time and penalties.

The FA have declined to comment over Chelsea’s complaints, though I am not sure how much leverage they have over the scheduling by TV companies. Since the FA Cup semi-finals went to the new Wembley in 2008, the Sunday tie has always kicked off at 4pm. However, Manchester United play Aston Villa at that time, and ITV don’t want a clash.

Di Matteo’s suggestion of a Friday match was always a non-starter. As Sam Wallace has also commented, the dates (if not the times) are set in stone, agreed with Brent Council months in advance.

FootballFanCast General Stay ahead in the world of football analysis, commentary, and fan insights with FootballFancast. Subscribe FootballFanCast General Stay ahead in the world of football analysis, commentary, and fan insights with FootballFancast.

---

Subscribe

By subscribing, you agree to receive newsletter and marketing emails, and accept Valnet’s Terms of Use and Privacy Policy. You can unsubscribe anytime.

Money talks of course, and clubs have been happy to take this money and spend it. ITV paid £275m for a four year deal to show England and FA Cup games, and they need to recoup their outlay. A lunch time kick was thought to have risked a 50% drop in viewers. It’s a shame that the needs of football clubs at a vital time of the season are pushed to one side by a television company picking a time for a football match that gives them the maximum viewers and thus revenue, but that is the world we live in now.

[ad_pod id=’unruly-2′ align=’left’]

As the Premier League season comes to a close this weekend, with still much to play for, there will be many players glad to see the back of the 2011/12 season and looking to pastures new.

With no fewer than 124 players in the Premier League out of contract in the summer, and a plethora of players who are deemed either surplus to requirement, or simply fancy a change of club in order to progress their career and play at a higher level. There will certainly be a hive of transfer activity this summer that will keep supporters interested and no doubt give the press-men plenty of column inches to fill in the newspapers within the coming weeks.

Some player transfers will be obvious, while some will undoubtedly catch their employers on the hop as players look to force a move by various different means as we always seem to witness season on season.

This list looks at the 20 Premier League players whose career is certainly at a crossroads.

Click on Sigurdsson below to unveil the top 20

[divider]

FootballFanCast General Stay ahead in the world of football analysis, commentary, and fan insights with FootballFancast. Subscribe FootballFanCast General Stay ahead in the world of football analysis, commentary, and fan insights with FootballFancast.

---

Subscribe

By subscribing, you agree to receive newsletter and marketing emails, and accept Valnet’s Terms of Use and Privacy Policy. You can unsubscribe anytime.

[divider]

[ad_pod id=’dfp-mpu’ align=’right’]

The old-fashioned mecurial playmaker, Ganso has been tipped for big things since breaking into the Santos first team in 2008. He was since been involved in three consecutive Campeonato Paulista title wins as well as lifting the Copa do Brasil and Copa Libertadores. But for all the success of his team, the 22-year-old’s displays over the last year have failed to show why he is so highly rated on a consistent basis.

Throughout his time with the Peixe, Ganso has suffered from intermittent but lengthy injuries. He was sidelined in August of 2010 and did not make his return until March of the next year. After playing a pivotal role in the last 16 Libertadores elimination of Club America he was consigned to the treatment table once more in early May, causing him to miss the quarter-final and semi-final stage of the tournament. He only made his return in the second leg of the final, but he did manage to put in a decent performance as Santos defeated Penarol 2-1.

His delicate touch and piercing passes created some of his side’s best opportunities across the 90 minutes but it failed to be a similar story when Mano Menezes selected him as his playmaker-in-chief for Brazil’s Copa America campaign soon after. Ganso was frequently isolated in a disjointed 4-2-2-2 formation and bore a lot of criticism for the Selecao’s lack of ingenuity. It would not be the only time he would struggle on the big stage.

After limping off while on international duty against Ghana in September last year, he spent two months in the out through injury again. He was passed fit weeks ahead of the Club World Cup but against Kashiwa Reysol and Barcelona he looked devoid of ideas. He was not only one. Santos were simply outclassed by the Catalan side who eased to a 4-0 win over the Peixe.

Since then he enjoyed a consistent run in the side throughout the state championship, producing two stand-out performances. One came as Santos won the first leg of the Paulista final against Guarani, with Ganso scoring the only goal and the other in the Libertadores last 16 second-leg against Bolivar in which he netted twice in an 8-0 drubbing. It appeared he had returned to his best as he conducted the attack with consummate ease, yet these displays came against two vastly inferior sides.

As Santos’ run in the Libertadores continued, Ganso opted to undergo knee surgery which made him unavailable for the recent friendlies with the Brazilian national team. He returned for the Classico Alvinegro against Corinthians in the semi-final but he was hugely ineffectual. He may have been out of practice but he failed to unlock a team who are known for their resilient defending and his side were eliminated.

Not only did he suffer continental heartache but by foregoing the Selecao’s recent games he may have surrendered his spot in the starting line-up ahead of the Olympic Games this summer to Oscar. The Internacional midfielder exceeded all expectations and now there are questions as to whether Ganso deserves to be in the side. Menezes could opt to use both, pushing Oscar out to the right but could dampen his influence.

The 22-year-old is thus yet to be a consistent performer on the big stage despite having a Libertadores title to his name. He has put in no performances at the international stage worthy of such hyperbole. The pressure and responsibility that comes with great expectations may weigh heavy on his shoulders, yet his club and international team-mate Neymar seems to have coped with his well enough.

FootballFanCast General Stay ahead in the world of football analysis, commentary, and fan insights with FootballFancast. Subscribe FootballFanCast General Stay ahead in the world of football analysis, commentary, and fan insights with FootballFancast.

---

Subscribe

By subscribing, you agree to receive newsletter and marketing emails, and accept Valnet’s Terms of Use and Privacy Policy. You can unsubscribe anytime.

But rumours over Ganso’s future remain rife with one particular club, Porto, possibly offering him his best chance of European success. He is not ready for a move to one of the top three leagues this side of the Atlantic Ocean and he would possibly look out of his depth. Inconsistent performances and injuries mean that he remains somewhat of an unknown quantity.

It remains unlikely that he will move to Europe before the World Cup, similarly to Neymar. This may not only benefit the player, but also his potential suitors. Ganso will almost be 25-years-old come the end of the World Cup and he will have crossed the line from potential talent, to actual talent. If he impresses with his country then there will be heated competition for his signature, if he fails to live up to expectations then it would be best for the elite clubs to avoid him.

[ad_pod id=’inblog’ align=’left’]

Eden Hazard’s arrival at Chelsea this summer was a signing of intent and ambition. The Marko Marin signing, while a little perplexing at this time, was also to strengthen the core of the squad, focusing again on youth. And now with the possible arrival of Oscar from Internacional, the aging European champions are becoming an exciting, energetic and technically excellent team. Success is possible, but something fresh and adventurous on the pitch is even more likely. The goal seems simple: Snap up the best young stars available and form a dynasty—even if it is to the detriment of one of the club’s most promising youngsters.

It wasn’t too long ago that Josh McEachran was likened to Jack Wilshere at Arsenal. An academy graduate who was excelling at the game and who would likely be a regular in the England setup sooner than later. However, the new arrivals at Chelsea and the ambition to build on the successes of last season has shifted the focus even further away from youth development. There is a great concern that McEachran may never get a real chance at Chelsea.

Even though his impact at any stage has not been as significant as Wilshere’s, McEachran has been one of the few bright sparks in English youth football. A player who looks comfortable on the ball and a possible candidate to fill one of the midfield roles in any ambitious side for many years. Yes it’s a lot of talk and there are always likely to be problems along the way. But unfortunately for the midfielder, it seems as though his club are sailing away from the desire to develop him into one of their own.

From a fans perspective, it’s always a great and uplifting sign that a club are moving ambitiously in the transfer market, clearly mapping out the next few years. But surely there should be a desire to develop your own and see the products of the clubs youth system succeeding on the big stage.

McEachran’s development has not been halted entirely by his parent club, however. The midfielder’s loan spell at Swansea was greatly disappointing, showing only one league start during the six-month loan. It’s a fair argument and a good one that Swansea’s midfield were outstanding throughout and achieving results. But at the very least, some action should have been taken to ensure McEachran wasn’t wasting half-a-season’s worth of his development on the bench.

It’s also a fair point to raise that Chelsea have indeed used their younger players at various stages last season. Although not their own, Daniel Sturridge has played his part, as has Ryan Bertrand—a surprise inclusion in the Champions League final. But where is the drive to build on that? Oriol Romeu looked like he was developing well whenever given a chance under Andre Villas-Boas, but his lack of inclusion was a concern later in the season.

McEachran’s career may not be sinking at this stage—he’s got plenty of open road ahead of him to continue his development. But this summer is an important one for him, whereby the club need to decide if he genuinely is in their plans. This is unlikely to be the last summer of ambitious spending by Chelsea, so does that equate to McEachran being pushed further down the ladder due to future arrivals? A loan move picked out of a hat is no good, either. If the youngster is to go on loan then it must be to a club who have a desire to aid in his development. Another season on the bench could bring a halt to his own ambitions of succeeding in the top-flight of football.

FootballFanCast General Stay ahead in the world of football analysis, commentary, and fan insights with FootballFancast. Subscribe FootballFanCast General Stay ahead in the world of football analysis, commentary, and fan insights with FootballFancast.

---

Subscribe

By subscribing, you agree to receive newsletter and marketing emails, and accept Valnet’s Terms of Use and Privacy Policy. You can unsubscribe anytime.

Chelsea’s intentions may be clear from within, and they may genuinely have no interest in McEachran going forward. But if that is the case, then a player touted as one of England’s best should not simply by pushed to the side. It sets the wrong example and it allows the country to further become entrenched in a cycle of false dawns and very little progression.

[ad_pod id=’dfp-mpu’ align=’right’]

Manchester United skipper Nemanja Vidic has stated that his side have learnt lessons from their Premier League campaign in 2011-12.

The Red Devils found themselves eight points clear of cross-town rivals Manchester City in the run-in, but a dip in form saw Roberto Mancini’s men claim the title on the last day of the season.

The Serb has confirmed that he is back fit after a cruciate ligament injury and feels his players will be more determined to top the pile this term.

“We had some young players play a lot of games last season and they’ll have learned a lot. We all learned,” Vidic is quoted as saying in The Telegraph.

“In Europe we’ve had so much success in recent years – we’ve had three finals, a semi-final – and maybe we relaxed a bit last season.

“We were punished and we can’t allow that to happen again. We had a few injuries last season too. I hope everyone can stay fit this season.

“The young players can learn from last year, so I’m confident we’ll be better this year.

“You want hard games during pre-season. We want to be prepared as best we can for the first game against Everton.

“I think it’s important to have tough games before the beginning of the season and hopefully one of those will be Barcelona – actually, I know one of those will be Barcelona.

“But I think both us and Barcelona are concerned more with fitness and playing good football at this time of the season than we are with winning.

“Everything we’re doing is geared towards being ready for the start of the new season.

FootballFanCast General Stay ahead in the world of football analysis, commentary, and fan insights with FootballFancast. Subscribe FootballFanCast General Stay ahead in the world of football analysis, commentary, and fan insights with FootballFancast.

---

Subscribe

By subscribing, you agree to receive newsletter and marketing emails, and accept Valnet’s Terms of Use and Privacy Policy. You can unsubscribe anytime.

“For me, it was really good to have 60 minutes in Oslo. Hopefully I’ll play even longer against Barcelona and I should be fit for the beginning of the season,” he concluded.

By Gareth McKnight

[ad_pod id=’dfp-mpu’ align=’right’]

Whilst some may see pre-season tours as a way for footballers to extend their holidays and do a little bit of light exercise in the sunshine whilst fans drag themselves out of bed at ridiculous times in the morning to watch tours of America, not to mention a useful marketing tool, just how far do pre-season results matter in light of the forth coming season?

For a number of Premier League clubs, they will be hoping the answer to the above question is not very much. It is one thing losing by a goal to nil to a giant like AC Milan, but to be outplayed by Brighton when the majority of your first team is on display is something that is quite worrying, and given Chelsea’s form this pre-season, if RDM adopted the squat made so famous by the hapless AVB no one would be surprised.

Likewise, West Ham and Sunderland have been privy to a few less than stellar results, in fact the list goes on and on, with Villa looking less than impressive and Stoke creating little in front of goal on the now mandatory tour of the US – something fans grew concerned about last season.

Obviously if a team has a new manager and a great deal of new payers, it takes time to adjust to the system, and it is common to see fringe players given a chance and mass changes throughout the game. Not to mention the fact that many players at top clubs were involved in the Euros and essentially have has no break this summer, meaning a bit of give and take has to be allowed.

Manchester City however have been playing with a three at the back which includes Savic and Kolo ‘I take diet pills’ Toure and have still managed to clock up some impressive results, yet generally fans tend to disregard the results that their team gets before the opening weekend of the season, with that being the only thing that really matters.

Of course there are multiple examples of teams having god awful pre seasons and then having a fine start to life in the Premier League, where as some teams are almost expected to have a poor start no matter what – Everton are all too used to having a shocker of a start up until about October when they really get going and move their way up the table.

Perhaps the way in which teams play is more noteworthy pre-season, and if chances are being created and the team looks like being on its way to having a solid defence that is enough, with a friendly not having the same intensity of a Premier League game, and thus not really having the same meaning for players.

FootballFanCast General Stay ahead in the world of football analysis, commentary, and fan insights with FootballFancast. Subscribe FootballFanCast General Stay ahead in the world of football analysis, commentary, and fan insights with FootballFancast.

---

Subscribe

By subscribing, you agree to receive newsletter and marketing emails, and accept Valnet’s Terms of Use and Privacy Policy. You can unsubscribe anytime.

A third straight defeat however is cause for concern when virtually nothing is being created or defending is littered with school boy errors, and Chelsea more than most have something to be slightly worried about now their pre-season is coming to a close. Should they lose to City in the Charity Shield come next weekend, questions may start to be asked of RDM and with Pep waiting in the wings, no manager can afford a shaky start this season – well Martinez aside – I doubt Pep would be lured to the DW stadium even with the quality of the pies.

[ad_pod id=’dfp-mpu’ align=’right’]

Your average cup of tea usually spends longer in the cup than Plymouth Argyle do, for whom most seasons a cup game means little more than just making up the numbers before doing our customary exit in the first round.

But not this season.

It goes to show how dreadful our record really is in the League Cup (only 36 wins from 130 games prior to this fixture), when many Argyle fans were forecasting that we would lose to Portsmouth. A club who were forced to field a team full of teenagers and their first team coach in order to fulfill the fixture due to their ongoing administration.

With the game being announced as a special ‘fans re-united’ fixture by the Argyle club president a week before, some were worried that the consoling feelings of the Argyle fans would spread onto the pitch and allow the young Blues to beat Argyle, but that was far from the case. Before the 15 minute mark had been passed Simon Eastwood, the Pompey goalkeeper, had already narrowly kept out an ambitious Gorman shot and produced a stunning save to deny Matt Lecointe.

As the half progressed it seemed to become a matter of simply when Argyle would break the deadlock. The home side were dominating the possession but, to the young Pompey defences credit, created only a few clear cut chances. There were goalmouth scrambles aplenty every time an Argyle ball was crossed into the box where the sea of Blue meeting the crosses where working on a ‘when in doubt, give it a clout’ policy. Only some last ditch defending denied Matt Lecointe and Nick Chadwick shots on goal from close range.

It was just when it looked as if Pompey would hold on to go into the break level that Argyle scored, and what a goal it was. Paul Wotton played a neat through ball to Johnny Gorman on the left wing who raced towards the box. Instead of crossing if though, Gorman opted to put his foot through the ball and hammer it straight across goal into the side of the net from some way out. His finish would not have looked out of place in the Premier League.

Portsmouth, as expected, came out of their shell in the second half as they looked for an unlikely equaliser. Although they had a lot more possession than they did in the first half they very rarely threatened Argyle’s goal, as the experience in the Pilgrims defence gave them a clear edge over their rookie opponents. Adam Webster went closest for the team from Hampshire, firing a long range effort just wide in front of 700 Pompey fans.

You always felt that a second Argyle goal was on the way however, and with just three minutes to go it arrived. A Conor Hourihane corner found Maxime Blanchard at the back post who headed it across goal for debutant Paris Cowan-Hall to nod home his first goal for the club.

Within two minutes it was three as Joe Lennox found space on the right wing to cross the ball in to Chadwick who took a touch to set himself before smashing it past the hapless Eastwood.

3-0 seemed quite a harsh scoreline on a Pompey side who really gave it their all on the night, when it would have been easier for them to just roll over after Appleton stated before the game he would not criticse any of them. On the balance of play though, it was a fair result.

So into the second round we go, for only the third time in the last 21 years. We all left Home Park dreaming of a tie against one of the bigger premier league clubs that enter in the second round, Aston Villa or Everton, for example. The dreams were not realised though, and the draw for us on first sight is a bit of a stinker; Burnley away. On reflection though, it’s not so bad. We have a half chance to win this game and if we do then who knows? Manchester United coming down to Home Park? It could happen…

FootballFanCast General Stay ahead in the world of football analysis, commentary, and fan insights with FootballFancast. Subscribe FootballFanCast General Stay ahead in the world of football analysis, commentary, and fan insights with FootballFancast.

---

Subscribe

By subscribing, you agree to receive newsletter and marketing emails, and accept Valnet’s Terms of Use and Privacy Policy. You can unsubscribe anytime.

For more talk on Argyle, you can follow me on Twitter

[ad_pod id=’writer-2′ align=’right’]

A calamitous transfer deadline day at Liverpool left the club with only two recognised strikers.

Earlier in the transfer window Rodgers pleaded his need for a minimum of three strikers claiming he would have to “be a nutcase to even consider at this moment to let Andy Carroll go out, unless there are other solutions”. Carroll left Liverpool to be reunited with Kevin Nolan at West Ham and was the third striker to leave Anfield this season after both Dirk Kuyt and Craig Bellamy left the club.

A deadline day loan move for Daniel Sturridge failed to materialise, but missing out on number one target Clint Dempsey was particularly telling. Dempsey had publically declared his wish to play for Liverpool, but a fee of £6m was deemed too much for a 29 year old, who had scored 17 goals in the Premier League last season. Dempsey chose instead to move to Tottenham after rejecting earlier advances from Aston Villa as the management at Anfield headed home hours before the transfer window slammed shut with no striker in sight.

Since then the rumour mill has gone into overdrive with free agents and former players Michael Owen (now at Stoke), Emile Heskey and Florent Sinama-Pongolle all linked with moves back to the club. The possible releases of Nicolas Anelka and Didier Drogba from the Chinese Super League may be more suitable but big money moves to the US, Middle East and even Juventus appear far more likely destinations.

Rodgers and Liverpool are almost certain to shun these options and choose instead to look from within the club.

In John W Henry’s open letter, the American owner revealed the club is focused on developing its own talent and the likes of Morgan and Sterling may see their chances at  Liverpool noticeably increase following Carroll’s departure.

Eighteen year old striker Adam Morgan is favoured by Rodgers and the out-and-out striker has impressed his manager with his work-rate and desire to learn. Morgan has been at Anfield since he was 10 years old and started against Hearts in the Europa League at Anfield last week.

Seventeen year old midfielder Raheem Sterling has started against both Manchester City and Arsenal in the league and the Jamaican-born winger has impressed in the red of Liverpool with his pace and exuberance exciting the Kop. Sterling has been capped at England U16, U17 and U19 level and could feature further forward for Liverpool as his blossoming reputation grows.

Last season Harry Redknapp chose to blood youth in the Europa League for Tottenham with the likes of Rose, Livermore and Kane all featuring. Liverpool will similarly not rank the competition too highly and Morgan, Sterling and Shelvey are all expected to see game time in the competition this season.

FootballFanCast General Stay ahead in the world of football analysis, commentary, and fan insights with FootballFancast. Subscribe FootballFanCast General Stay ahead in the world of football analysis, commentary, and fan insights with FootballFancast.

---

Subscribe

By subscribing, you agree to receive newsletter and marketing emails, and accept Valnet’s Terms of Use and Privacy Policy. You can unsubscribe anytime.

The signing of Samed Yesil may be unknown to many but the German striker has represented his country at Under-16, 17 and 18 level scoring 19 times in 20 appearances, including six goals at the U17 World Cup last year. Yesil has yet to be given a squad number and like Dani Pacheco should spend most of his time in the reserves, although the German is one to watch.

After a tumultuous week, Rodgers will have to quickly develop and progress his youngsters ahead of schedule to negate the failings of the board as Liverpool look to cope without the cover of Andy Carroll.

Jonathan Day is a football betting expert who specialises in European and Premier League football. Jonathan writes for Sportingly Better a football betting blog providing free football tips, predictions and fantasy football picks.