Forgotten* Football Facts #3

The 'Arsenal Stadium Mystery' would have been entitled the 'Highbury Mystery' but for a local council injunction.

Jeff Armitage was officially the Plymouth Argyle manager but after being asked to drive the team bus from Plymouth to Doncaster, due to the normal driver's illness, was given the amusing title of 'coach'. This title stuck and is now widely used.

Andrew Humphrey had a goal chalked off for Liverpool in the 1920s as the referee was convinced that Humphrey had used a trick he had learnt in his part time job as a magician.

The penalty spot was invented as a cost saving measure in the 1890s to replace the penalty line that was previously drawn entirely across the pitch.

The ball used in professional football has remained exactly the same size and shape for 120 years.

Back in 1933 Adam Beasley, of Altrincham FC, struck a shot so hard he broke both his own foot and the arm of the unfortunate Glossop goalkeeper who tried to make a save.

Beasley was subsequently sent-off for a combination of foul and abusive language and dangerous play.

We all know that Pope John Paul II was an accomplished goalkeeper, but recent freedom of information releases revealed that he was considering affiliating the Vatican state to FIFA before entering a team into the World Cup.

The plan was scuppered when FIFA realised that the Vatican State believed it was entitled to call up any Catholic regardless of nationality - rather than the team of monks that FIFA assumed they would field.

Jim Frayne, became the first test-tube footballer when coming on as a 17-year-old substitute for Halifax Town in 1997.

* Hmmm...

Juande Ramos Takes The Bold Approach

There are broadly two ways to pursue the ambition of cracking the 'Big 4' in the Premiership-to aim for a steady progression over the seasons, or to aim for a big year of acheivement to crack the glass ceiling. Juande Ramos has come out firmly for the latter.

Ramos's approach to the transfer market recalls a French marshal of World War 1 who sent the memorable message- 'my right wing in retreat, centre collapsing- situation excellent. I attack'.

He started the summer with his number one forward (Berbatov) expected to go and has since lost his strike partner to Liverpool (Keane). Unabashed by these problems, Ramos unfurled two exciting midfield sIgnings in Luca Modric and Giovanni.

At the same time he's been negotiating with Sunderland to offload no less than 4 players in one go, plus despatching Paul Robinson, as seemed likely from the moment he stepped into White Hart Lane.

Next on the agenda is the arrival of David Bentley to add yet more creative options to the Spurs midfield. Anxious fans can also see movement on the striker front.

As well as apparently rejuvenating Darren Bent, the names of Arshavin and Pavlyuchenko are in the frame to join the club, along with more long term names such as Diego Milito. Finally, the club have also found time to extend the contracts of Jermaine Jenas and Michael Dawson to 2013.

It's all exciting stuff , though with the inevitable worries that come with sudden change. The striker positions do still need replacements and central defensive cover remains a concern. The keeper slot also needs some work.

However, the activity in the summer should also be added to the signings back in January when the names of Woodgate, Hutton and Gunter came on to the staff. This is a radical programme by a coach who knows what he wants.

The impression is far more decisive than the acquisitions late in the Martin Jol area, although to be fair to the Dutchman, he did leave Tottenhgjanm with some excellent young talent at their disposal.

It's clear that Juande Ramos has ducked the idea of edging towards the Champions League by incremental stages and by taking this route he may yet even get to keep Dimitar Berbatov, who remains on the books.

The Bulgarian will have watched the squad surgery with interest and if Ramos can bag at least one big name striker, there's every chance that the centre-forward will decide his chances of advancement are good at White Hart Lane.

Spurs incurred a good deal of opprobrium for the way they dealt with the popular Martin Jol but whatever the rights and wrongs of that decision, they now have coach with clarity of purpose, the respect of his players and an ability to attract top stars to the club.

In the next month he just needs to put the finishing touches to his recruitment drive and Spurs fans could be in for the most exciting campaign for years.

A big season for...Aidy Boothroyd

After appearing almost from nowhere to become one of the hottest managerial properties around, Aidy Boothroyd faces the toughest task of his career to date in the forthcoming season.

Guiding Watford to promotion in his first full season in management saw Boothroyd described as man with 'extraordinary ability' by his chairman and led to quotes made by the man himself treated as gems of motivational wisdom.

Last season's collapse from Championship pacesetters to just making the play-offs however has started perhaps the first real debate about Boothroyd's ability and in particular, the style of football employed by his Watford team.

As so often is the case, when a team plays a more direct game, it's fine as long as the results are being churned out.

To be fair to Boothroyd, it's not something the manager has turned a blind eye to with much of Watford's pre-season geared to a change in style but the desire for a more pleasing passing game could be hampered by the departure of some of Watford's top players after worrying talk of administration filled the local news pages recently.

January saw the loss of Marlon King to Wigan and now Boothroyd has lost the services of Darius Henderson, against his wishes according to reports and with the likelihood that he will have only a fraction of the fee to spend on replacements.

Danny Shittu has also been linked with a move away leavng the boss to try and mount a promotion challenge in what promises to be the toughest Championship season yet.

Forgotten* Football Facts #2

Forgotten* Football Facts #2

The word 'wangle' is commonly thought to derive from 1910s Arsenal wing-half Phillip Wanglesthorpe, for his ability to emerge from tackles with the ball. As in 'the wing-half has wangled the ball out of an impossible situation'.

In a recent survey of accident and emergency departments on Sunday lunchtime admissions the three most common admissions for footballers concern gashed shins, broken teeth and painful testicles.

Football teams that wear red may win more trophies, but the much less common pink shirted teams win a greater proportion of their matches.

Worldwide there are 27 professional football clubs that take a Beatles song as their nickname - Villarreal in Spain being the most famous.

7'1" Ieustyn Jefferies was once banned from appearing for his Welsh league club because his boots were bigger than the maximum stated 24" mentioned in the 'playing kit' by-laws.

There were 39 children christened Aston, to parents of different Mr and Mrs Villas in 2004/5 in the west Midlands area - and none in the rest of England and Wales.

Exeter City F.C. was targeted in the 1950s by an American Christian fundamentalist group for 'anti-biblical use of cross symbolism' in their name; the campaign was quietly dropped without warning.

Andrew Innocull is the only known professional footballer to have all five vowels in his name, in the correct order, used only once.

In guidance notes to 'prospective professional footballers' issued by the PFA in 1959, the best penalty taking technique is to 'strike the ball firmly, targeting an area that is within a foot of the base on the inside of either post'.

Oranges became the half-time fruit of choice following the outbreak of Spanish flu in 1920 in a show of solidarity between English and Spanish players.

* Yes, well ...

He Should Do Well: David N'Gog (Liverpool)

Excuse our indifference but we’ve been through this before. 

No matter how hyped up the transfer of David N’Gog is, it is hard to get excited.  Any flattery lavished on the French sounds far too similar to the praise devoted to the likes of Anthony Le Tallec and Florent Sinama Pongolle before they joined.

Both were ultimately disappointments at Anfield, even if Sinama Pongolle subsequently re-discovered his form in Spain kicking off arguments that a longer stay at Liverpool would have seen him do likewise in England.  A similar fate awaits David N’Gog, or at least that is the over-riding feeling.  That he is seen as blocking the path of two young strikers already at the club, Daniel Pacheco and Kristian Nemeth, hasn’t done him any favours either.

Those reasons, along with the expectation about the much more keenly anticipated potential signing of Robbie Keane, have watered down the excitement that traditionally accompanies any transfer, especially as it keeps getting highlighted that N’Gog only scored one goal in nineteen league appearances for Paris St. Germain and that he is the cousin of Jean Alain Boumsong, with the tacit implication being that he isn’t any good.

As if a player of his age –nineteen - could be expected to have featured more prominently or scored more proficiently.   In Paris, his path to the first team was blocked by club legend Pedro Pauleta and French international striker Peguy Luyindula.  Add to this the disastrous season endured by PSG where they only managed to avoid relegation on the last day of the campaign and you start getting a feel as to why N’Gog was used relatively sparingly and why he failed to score more regularly.

It certainly isn’t because of any lack of talent.  Those who have likened him to Nicholas Anelka (and Thierry Henry) didn’t have to tax the originality department that much seeing that his main characteristics are speed, technique and ability with the ball.

In particular it is the first element of those three that immediately catches attention.  It is also why often he was used on the side of midfield, using his acceleration to get behind defences.  It is not a tactic that is alien at Anfield, seeing that it was exactly the ploy adopted for Ryan Babbel throughout most of last season.

A similar period of marginalization possibly awaits N’Gog as well until he adjusts better to English football.  At least for him there isn’t the risk of being called up to the French Olympic team which increases the potential for an early debut, even though N’Gog has already been at the heart of an international conflict.

The son of a Cameroonian father and a French mother, he was strongly courted by the Cameronian national team in order play at senior level but eventually opted for France as have many others before him.  Within the country there is also the feeling that it is a question of time before N’Gog does make it to the national team, such is his potential and quality of play that he often puts on show for the French junior sides.

The trick now is getting Liverpool fans to have the same belief in him.

Peter Kenyon- Ace Diplomat

As the summer wears on and events like Open Golf and Wimbledon pass, the back pages fill up again with Premiership football news- unfortunately that includes more guff from Peter Kenyon.

The ex-Manchester United executive seems ready to continue his one man attempt to ensure that Chelsea by pass his old club in every aspect of the game, including how much they are loathed by the average football fan.

His latest offering has been to lecture the rest of the Premiership on how they should catch up with the 'Big 4' and explaining that he would resist any effort to see Chelsea 'dumbed down' to their level.With cool cynicism he also said that he favours the current structure of European football because it benefits his club.

Fairly routine stuff if Kenyon was the top man in an international business conglomerate knocking spots off its competitors in a tough global market place- but  Kenyon heads an organisation that owes its top position solely to the largesse of one of the planet's richest men- hardly a status that allows him to advise others on grafting their way to the summit.

Fair enough Chelsea did manage to drag themsleves into the top four under the Ken Bates regime but before Roman Abramovich hoved into view their financial situation was extremely precarious. Since the Russian took over the club has moved on to a different plane.

Kenyon's tenure at Stamford Bridge has been wholly in the Abramovich era, so he hasn't had to do a lot of  grafting to assist Chelsea's rise. Making choices between which £20 million star to add to the squad are not tasks that explicit sympathy from his peers.

Rather than lecture the rest of the Premiership on what they have to do and issue challenges to FIFA and government about '6 plus 5 'and the like, he might take a look at his own house.

Have Chelsea achieved what they should have? There is still no Champions League in the trophy cabinet and Manchester United have taken the title for the past two seasons. Another year of that and Peter Kenyon might not be around to lecture others.

Surprisingly, there was no great groundswell of dislike toward Chelsea- partly due to Jose Mourinho's charisma but equally because the Blues had only one title before 2005 and most football fans could appreciated a club suddenly having a piece of great fortune. Plus. the Manchester United-Arsenal duopoly had become tedious.

There's a world of difference between simply enjoying good fortune though and berating others who have not been so lucky.  It would be deliciously ironic if the money Thaksin Sinawatra is pumping into Manchester City made that club a serious rival to the Big 4.

Chelsea will never be loved outside their own fan base but with Peter Kenyon at the head they will certainly rival Manchester United for the odium of opposition fans. Perhaps he sees that as evidence of success.

Will Robbie Keane offer a touch of Kenny Dalglish?

In recent seasons Liverpool has spent significant sums on strikers. Crouch, Babel and Kuyt were bought in for just under or over £10m; but only the sublime Fernando Torres has really hit the mark albeit at twice the price. And now Robbie Keane has been acquired for around £20m - but how much does that strengthen Liverpool?

If Liverpool remain intent on playing one up front then it will clearly be Torres; which poses questions about the midfield. Keane is a clever player and usually played in the hole behind Berbatov for Spurs and so as a conventional number 10 he can create and still weigh in with goals. I guess that at £20m he isn't earmarked as a substitute.

Given Rafa Benitez's liking for two defensively minded midfielders then Mascherano and Alonso (provided he stays) look likely to be given the job; leaving two attack minded spots. Obviously Gerrard gets one spot and the other is between the talented Babel (who will surely be better this season), the harder working but limited Kuyt. Others less likely to initially feature include Lucas, Benayoun, Pennant, Plessis and Voronin.

Babel has the x factor that has often been missing from wide positions since Luis Garcia was at his best; and should get the nod over Kuyt's work rate. For me this is a side that is starting to resemble the 1980s - with Torres as Rush, Keane as Dalglish and Gerrard as Souness - perhaps all those evenings matching videos is paying off. And although the defence remains unfinished this is a Liverpool side with great attacking flair.

Essentially Keane comes in directly behind Torres, pushing Gerrard to the right at the expense of Kuyt with Babel preferred to Benayoun on the alternate flank.

Benitez has juggled in the transfer market and on paper the new front six seems to be a significant improvement on last season and one of the most potent strikeforces available at Anfield since Dalglish retired. Interesting times.

2008/9 Front six?

Mascherano, Alonso; Gerrard, Keane, Babel; Torres.

2007/8 Typical Front Six (league starts in brackets)

Mascherano (25), Alonso (16); Kuyt (24), Gerrard (32), Benayoun (15) Torres (29)

Are Manchester United returning to the class of 1995/6?

Sir Alex Ferguson may have many faults, but one of them does not concern his ability to bring young English players through the youth system into the first team. There is often a Championship loan or two along the way but English players do get a shot under Ferguson. Two more English youth players got league debuts last season for instance - and given the prevailing dominance of foreign stars this is not a feat that was matched by any of the other 'big four' teams - and with one or two notable examples there are few Premier League teams capable of matching this.

The PFA's Meltdown report demonstrates how the number of English players in the Premier League fell from over 70% at its inception in 1992, to under 40% now - with the fall in debuts for English trainees even steeper.

The average age of players for English champion teams is on the rise and could well pass 26 this season, which is historically very high; but United's actions this summer points to an increased focus on youth and English youth in particular.

Firstly the transfer policy has been laidback to say the least. Whereas last season three players were brought in within days of the transfer window opening - this season the only targets are to convert the loan deal for Carlos Tevez into a permanent one and an increasingly unlikely looking bid for Dimitar Berbatov. The Berbatov deal could yet go through - but if it doesn't there seems to be little probability that an alternative will be found.

Meanwhile on tour across Africa United teams packed with youth players have been winning games and threatening to replace the remaining old guard from 1995 - Scholes, Neville and Giggs.

Fraizer Campbell made his debut for United last season in the derby match and went on to bag 15 goals in 34 games for Hull in their promotion charge. At 20 years old he is still growing and already valued at £5m but has the potential to save United a huge transfer fee.

Chris Eagles could be about to leave United, as a right-sided midfielder his path is blocked somewhat by Ronaldo and Nani. He made his debut in 2003 just after his 18th birthday and has played 17 first team games; and scored a vital goal in the title run-in in 2006/7.

Ben Foster is now 25, which whilst young for a goalkeeper meant that his United debut - almost three years after signing from Stoke - came after his England debut. Foster could break through to become United and England's number one this season.

21-year-old Salford-born Danny Simpson is a barnstroming right back and made his debut in 2007/8 and played eight games with Gary Neville injured and Wes Brown playing at centre-half. This probably has to be his break through season.

Lee Martin is probably also thinking that he has to make an impression now; a goal in the South African tournament demonstrated his pace and bravery - but just two league cup games to date suggests that it is now or never.

On top of these English youngsters* are Jonny Evans who has looked assured at Premier League level with Sunderland and on tour this summer and Craig Cathcart who probably needs some Championship level experience to progress.

A United dominated by English youth players in 1995 set the tone for the decade in English football - are United going back to the future?

*yes I know these two aren't English, I can see that the sentence is ambiguous though - sorry!

Forgotten* Football Facts #1

In California there are 14 alternate ways to say 'goal' but only one way to describe a 'defensive midfielder' or 'shortstop' as they are known.

The word 'shilly-shally' is named after a Blackpool outside-left from the 1920s, Albert Shilly, who was notorious for failing to deliver crosses.

Brondby was originally formed by the clients of a barber shop that faced the clubs training pitch.

'Sporting' Lisbon got their name after its first captain refused to score from an incorrectly awarded penalty kick.

Colchester United is the only English league club to have employed a Native American scout.

897 fans complained in writing to the FA about referees' decisions in the 2007/8 Premiership season. Up 10% on 2006/7.

The word 'nepotism' is derived from a fictional winger in Gregorio Leti's 19th century novel 'Il Niptismo di Roma'.

Whilst the word 'jejune' means dull or childish in English, it was adopted by French players around 1910 to replace 'indirect free-kicks' as there was no direct French equivalent.

Glossop FC's Victor Appleton was sent off in 1893 after his false teeth got entangled in the laces of a football.

Wanderers forward, Wilberforce Montgomery, was concussed after being hit by a pie thrown by a spectator during a friendly match in Wigan.

* Forgotten, hmmm

Joey Barton unlikely to find redemption in Newcastle

With Joey Barton being released four months early from Strangeways today he faces an interesting few months. Perhaps he is fortunate that he is in contract at a club that cannot afford to waste any money and has stated that a top eight finish would be a good season. Incidentally, ninth wasn't enough to save Sven Goran Eriksson so every club with ambition will now need to fight it out for the new minimum requirement. Although that does suggest that 12 managers will get the order of the boot next term. To be honest that sounds about right.

If Barton had still been at Manchester City (admittedly he was when one of his offences happened) then I wonder if the slightly looser purse strings at Eastlands would have allowed a more moral stand that would have consigned him to the reserves or even turfed him out. For Kevin Keegan a tough financial backdrop is aimed at cutting costs, suggesting that Barton may well be needed to augment a tight first team squad - there is little room for sentiment or morals if it affects the team.

Some Newcastle fans are reportedly refusing to renew their season tickets if Barton is retained; but football is about business not sentiment. If the owner believes that there will be other fans ready to fill those seats then the malcontents will be ignored.

Whilst Keegan walks a financial tightrope it seems unlikely that he will sacrifice a player good enough to play for England a year or so ago on grounds of sentiment. Given his wages are top whack for his ability (£40,000 - £60,000 per week) though I wouldn't be surprised if Keegan tried to offload him to a team that is struggling in January - say Fulham, Bolton, Stoke or Hull.

But given Newcastle's form since January 2008 and the injuries and illnesses that have affected key players ahead of the new season there is every chance that Newcastle may need their own reinforcements by then.

Game of the week: Rangers v FBK Kaunas

Just over two months on from their defeat by Zenit St Petersburg in the Uefa Cup final, Rangers play their 10th European game of 2008, this time in the Champions League qualifiers.

Unusually for a side from Lithuania, opponents FBK Kaunas are much-talked about in Scottish football circles, given their links to Hearts' majority shareholder Vladimir Romanov.

New Portuguese coach Jose Couceiro guided Kaunas past Santa Coloma of Andorra in the first qualifying round and the star of those games, midfielder Linas Pilibaitis, told the Sunday Mail: "Rangers are favourites because they reached the UEFA Cup Final last season but we can cause them problems."

They travel more in hope than expectation to Glasgow but will be facing a Rangers side with a number of injury problems on top of what has been a frustrating summer in the transfer market.

Key men Carlos Cuellar and Barry Ferguson will be missing from the Ibrox clash and Walter Smith will have to find their replacements from within his existing squad after hitting brick walls in deals to sign Danny Shittu from Watford and Fulham midfielder Steve Davis.

Smith has strengthened his options in attack with the signings of Kenny Miller, Kyle Lafferty and former Kaunas star Andrius Velicka.

That quality should ensure they get through the first of two qualifying rounds between them and the lucrative group stages.

A big season for...Elliott Ward

23-year-old central defender Elliott Ward begins his third season with Coventry City looking to turn in consistently, the kind of performances which Sky Blues fans have glimpsed over the past couple of years.

The West Ham United youth product was sold, somewhat prematurely according to Hammers fans, in the summer of 2006 after an impressive loan spell at Plymouth had added to the reputation he built up a year earlier, helping the East London club reach the top-flight.

His signing was seen as a coup by Coventry and early performances backed that up with Ward's economical style of play marking him out as a class act.

Ward however remains a player prone to switching off at crucial times and his second season at the Ricoh Arena saw him brushed aside with embarrasing ease at times by strikers such as Marlon King of Watford and Roman Bednar of West Brom during some heavy defeats for what was then Iain Dowie's side.

With Chris Coleman now in charge, Ward has a former top centre-half to learn from and a big season could be in prospect.

"Elliott looks extremely fit," Coleman told the club's official website over the summer.

"He has lost a lot of weight, has worked hard and is in great shape.

"I have watched him as a player for about five or six years and he is in better shape than I have ever seen him before."

Book Review: Football Dynamo by Marc Bennetts

by Paul Grech

Hopes around Russia’s probabilities at the European Championships weren’t that high.  True, they had Guus Hiddink, a master in getting teams to outperform expectations, but their limitations were deemed to be too much even for him to overcome.  After all, they’d qualified for the championships largely because of England’s incompetence and their defeat to Croatia in the final group game.

Of course, that isn’t how it turned out to be.  Russia were one of the tournament’s great entertainers – their demolition of Holland in the quarter finals was arguably the best match of the whole competition - and Andrei Arshavin emerged as the true star of the tournament.

This, coupled with Zenit St. Petersburg’s greatly undervalued UEFA Cup success – this is a side that trashed Bayern Munich to get to the final – and the continued emergence of players from the Russian league where Liverpool’s Martin Skrtel is the latest example has raised the profile of the Russian game.

Given this background, Marc Bennett’s book Football Dynamo could hardly have been better timed.   

Attracted by the writing of Leo Tolstoy, Bennett decided to spend a year studying the language and culture in Moscow but has stayed there for over ten years. 

Not that it was always easy.  Understandably for someone in an alien culture, he was initially attracted by football, something that he could easily comprehend and feel an attachment for.

Yet rather than being simply a passing interest this has developed into a true passion for the local game and this book is the result of that.

The chapters are loosely dedicated to individual sides and, through a wide range of interviews – Oleg Romantsev is the only who he fails to talk to - coupled with his personal insight on Russian culture, Bennett manages to convey what each club is about.  He accepts the negative perceptions that outsiders may have of the Russian game but, rather than trying to put up arguments about why these views are incorrect, he tries to explain them so that they no longer seem so strange.

It is a successful approach, none more so when it comes to dealing with the subject of match fixing. For all the progress that has been registered and for all the money available to the likes of Zenit St Petersburg and CSKA Moscow, it is impossible to get round the rumours of corruption.  Bennett never tries to give an answer as to whether this exists nor does he ever try give the impression that he will be in a position to do so, even though he does ask the question an awful lot.

Ultimately, he himself is trying to convince himself either way.  Everywhere he goes, he is met by official denials and unofficial resignation that corruption is part of the Russian game.  Yet neither view is overwhelmingly convincing leaving the read with the overwhelming sensation is that, whilst corruption might be present, this isn’t as widespread as some make it out to be.

Football Dynamo does not have too much historical depth to it which is acceptable since Bennett has opted to focus on what has gone one since the break-up of the Soviet Union.  Even so, certain mistakes – such the claim that Liverpool never faced a Soviet side: what about Dynamo Tbilisi? – should have been polished up.

Yet these are minor quibbles.  Bennett’s passion and fascination for the Russian game are infectious and, coupled with his inquisitive thirst for deeper knowledge, are elements  that help make this a hugely entertaining book.   

If money talks, Shrewsbury Town will win League Two

Long seen as one of the most unfashionable clubs in English football, Shrewsbury Town approach the new season with the unfamiliar weight of expectation on their back as they look to mount a promotion challenege..

With Paul Simpson set for his first full campaign in charge and Shrewsbury now firmly established in the newly-title Prostar Stadium, named after a lucrative sponsorship deal with the club's kit manufacturer, the 18th-place finish in League Two last season will not be tolerated this time around.

Simpson made his name with Carlisle United at a similar level and after an ill-fated spell as Preston North End manager, will be keen to restore his reputation as one of the game's brightest young managerial talents.

A host of summer signings included the £170,000 club record purchase of Nottingham Forest striker Grant Holt, who made an immediate impact with two goals on his home debut in this week's friendly against West Bromwich Albion, after a training camp in Spain helped the new-look squad blend together.

"I'm not giving any clues, but you don't need to be a genius to work out we've got some strong players," Simpson told BBC Radio Shropshire in the wake of a 2-2 draw against the Premier League newcomers.

"But we've got good options. You need that to have a real chance of success."

Punters and bookmakers alike have taken note of the developments in Shropshire, with Shrewsbury's price to win League Two cut drastically by one bookmaker.

bet365 spokesman Steve Freeth said: "Simpson has been busy in the transfer market and punters haven’t been slow in jumping on the Shrewsbury bandwagon.

"Sheer weight of money has seen their price drop from 28/1 into 8/1 over the last few weeks and, in Grant Holt and Richard Walker, they have the best strikeforce in the division.

"It’s easy to read too much into friendlies, but having seen their last two outings, Simpson’s new look side have every chance of being in the shake up."

A big season for...Michael Tonge

No longer merely a promising youngster, midfielder Michael Tonge enters the new season at Sheffield United with nearly 300 appearances under his belt for the Blades.

Now 25-years-old, Tonge came to prominence during an unforgettable 2002/03 season at Bramall Lane as part of the United side that reached two cup semi-finals (netting twice against Liverpool in the league cup semi-final 1st leg) and also came within one game of reaching the Premiership.

Since then his name has regularly cropped up in the transfer gossip pages, something that has not changed this summer with Sunderland in particular named as a potential suitor.

Tonge remains in South Yorkshire however and although his loyalty to the Blades is commendable, the nagging doubt remains that no top-flight club has been sufficiently convinced of his qualities to make a bid that cannot be turned down.

His one season in the Premier League of course saw Sheffield United relegated and like a number of his team-mates, Tonge appeared to be feeling the hangover of that during the first-half of the 2007/08 campaign.

The arrival of Kevin Blackwell revived his fortunes to an extent although a return of only 1 goal during the season was a disappointment.

Now approaching what should be his peak years as a footballer, Tonge will be expected to spearhead a promotion push at Bramall Lane this time around and ensure, whether that is succesful or not, that he is playing top-flight football in the 2009/10 season.

Liverpool need a perfect storm to win the title

With restrictions on spending forcing Rafa Benitez into horse trading in order to get in the players he wants there must be some doubts that he can forge a title challenge. Manchester United, Chelsea and Arsenal all got at least 83 points last season and none of them look weaker ahead of the new season.

In fact the main title rivals may well feel that they are in better shape than last season.

Arsenal had so many injuries in the second half of the season that as long as they have a better run this season they will look at last season's 83 points total as beatable. The loss of Hleb and Gilberto has probably been balanced with the purchases of Nasri and Ramsey - and Walcott is starting to look like justifying the hype. The transfer market remains a worry though.

Chelsea ended 2007/8 on 85 points despite missing a number of African players in January, inspirational players like John Terry and Didier Drogba missing much of the season and of course chopping the manager during the season. Despite this Chelsea went within a whisker of the Premier and Champions' League trophies. Scolari with unlimited funds at his disposal will surely yield at least the 85 points that Mourinho/Grant managed last season.

Manchester United were champions last season on 87 points and have not strengthened significantly instead relying on the return of loanees like Campbell and Evans added to the return of long-term injured like Neville and Foster. The Ronaldo issue refuses to go away, and he will miss the first few weeks of the season in any event, and if a new forward does not arrive then they may struggle to top last season's tally. United have averaged 82 points in recent years from the recent low of 2003/4 (75, 77, 83, 89, 87) - but fixture congestion could cost them something this season.

Last season the top three finish on 83-87 points and all look capable of finishing with similar points in 2008/9.

As to Liverpool and a little tinkering round the edges seems unlikely to yield the 10-15 extra points that Liverpool need to win the title. Last season Torres and Gerrard were so crucial that Liverpool could barely dare rest them (Gerrard played in 34 league games and Torres in 33); Robbie Keane would probably be a very useful addition and Dan Agger returns from injury - but will that be enough?

With the title likely to be won by a team getting close to 90 points Liverpool will need a perfect storm that knocks all three rivals off course whilst Liverpool's main players keep form and fitness high throughout the season. It's not impossible - but Liverpool will start the season as outsiders on the big four.

Liverpool recent points tally:

2007/8: 76. (Benitez)

2006/7: 68. (Benitez)

2005/6: 82. (Benitez)

2004/5: 58. (Benitez)

2003/4: 60. (Houllier)

A big season for...Robert Earnshaw

Robert Earnshaw's £2.65m move from Derby County to Nottingham Forest at the start of the summer took the Welshman's career transfer value to over £12.5m.

Colin Calderwood thus joins Gary Megson, Dave Jones and Nigel Worthington as managers to have staked plenty on the 27-year-old striker and will be hoping to see more of the player than Megson and Jones did at their respective clubs.

Earnshaw will be hoping for that too given the fact the men who succeeded Megson and Jones, Bryan Robson at West Brom and Paul Jewell at Derby, were clearly not convinced of the player's talents.

Jewell last season, in the peculiar language of football that seeks to reassure us all that it is a job like any other, told Earnshaw that he needed to put in 'more of a shift'.

Wales boss John Toshack is not a fan either with Earnshaw's international career having disappeared out of sight in recent years.

There's no arguing with Earnshaw's record at Championship level. Prolific at Cardiff, his spell at Norwich yielded 27 goals in 45 appearances. At Premier League level, the player can point to a lack of chances and a pretty decent ratio of goals to minutes on the park.

He is likely to start the season alongside Andy Cole at the City Ground, a potentially lethal pairing of players, one with nothing left to prove and one still struggling to live up to the hype of his early years.

He Should Do Well: Diego Cavalieri

by Paul Grech

When your club is linked with a Brazilian, you’re bound to hope that it is with a midfielder or a striker, such is that country’s tradition. Learning that the player involved is a goalkeeper is therefore always likely to be a disappointment. The likes of Julio Cesar (Inter) Heurelio Gomez (PSV / Tottenham) and Doni (Roma) may have made their mark as excellent goalkeepers but the bias remains.

So it is that Diego Cavalieri’s arrival at Anfield has been met largely with disinterest. That Benitez, reportedly struggling to stretch his financial resources, has paid £3 million for him hasn’t helped. The players previously linked to fill the soon to be created void, Birminham’s Maik Taylor and Fulham’s Anti Niemi, would have been much cheaper and - given their experience in the Premiership – perhaps better options.

After all, Liverpool had tried to be clever in signing a back-up to Pepe Reina a year later and been left disappointed. Charles Itandje had arrived with a reputation of being a promising goalkeeper who would be more than capable of stepping up should the need arise. Instead, the Frenchman ultimately proved to be inadequate and a shocking display against Barnsley in the FA Cup determined his fate.

Cavalieri arrives in similar circumstances. Little is known about him yet whatever information has been gleaned sounds promising. He’s a good keeper who will be a more than able deputy for Reina, we’ve been told. At the same time, he was largely a reserve at Palmeiras so how good can he really be?

“For what it's worth, I rate him and I think Liverpool are getting him for a very good price,” that the opinion of Jon Cotterill, football commentator for TV Globo in São Paulo and the author of the blog on Brazilian football Pitaco do Gringo.

Overall, Cotterill’s impressions of Cavalieri seem promising. “Cavaleri is 25, approximately 6ft 4" and a Palmeiras youth product who turned pro in 2002. He picked up an italian passport earlier this year, which made it considerably easier for Liverpool to sign him.”

“He's a good shot-stopper but needs to work on his command of the area. He also has the Brazilian habit of trying to punch everything away instead of holding on to the ball.” The latter isn’t necessarily a problem given that Reina initially had the same habit, one that wuld appear has been coached out of him.

As for the worry about Cavalieri being a substitute at Palmeiras, Cotterill seems to uphold the views that this is only because the regular – Marcos – is something of a club legend. “I've seen quite a lot of him and I think he's actually better than Marcos because he doesn't make as many clownish mistakes.”

That of a goalkeeper is a delicate role precisely because you’re either in the side or else you’re not: there’s only one spot available. It isn’t easy to know that you’re unlikely to get a chance regardless of how hard you try. In that regard, Cavalieri comes with the right mentality: he’s already used to being second choice yet at the same time seems determined to keep on progressing.

He remains a strange choice yet is increasingly looking like the right one.

A big season for...Richard Wright

Richard Wright is back at Ipswich Town after a £500,000 deal to take him from West Ham United was completed on Monday.

“I'm joining at an exciting time," said the goalkeeper, quoted in the Ipswich Evening Star.

"The club is moving in the right direction and everything is ready for the Premier League.

“It will be difficult, the Championship is clearly a very tough league but there is a good feeling about the place.

“You can sense that everyone is positive that we can get back in the Premier League very soon and that's my first priority coming back here, to help Ipswich win promotion.”

Wright made close to 300 appearances for the Suffolk club before the £6m move to Arsenal in 2001 that was supposed to elevate him to England number one status over the coming years.

It never happened of course and Wright has played second fiddle ever since to a host of keepers including Nigel Martyn at Everton and Robert Green at West Ham. His appearance total has gone up by just over 100 since leaving Portman Road seven years ago.

However Wright is only 30 years old and need only look at the likes of David James and Brad Friedel in the Premier League to see that his best years may yet be ahead of him. Back at his hometown club and playing a manager who clearly sees him as number one, the future could still be bright.

Transfer Speculation: Brad Friedel to Aston Villa

Martin O'Neill has been nothing if not patient in the transfer market since the day he became Aston Villa manager and, in a move that will once again underline his reputation for canny dealing, is set to land Blackburn Rovers's veteran goalkeeper Brad Friedel.

Having been quoted £10m by Liverpool for Scott Carson and a hefty fee for Paul Robinson, it now looks as though Villa will sign one of the Premier League's most consistent custodians of the last few seasons.

“When Brad told us he wanted to leave, it was a bolt out of the blue – he had only signed his latest contract back in February, and a replacement keeper has not even been on our radar," Rovers chairman John Williams told the Lancashire Evening Telegraph.

“It’s an unwelcome situation for us, and particularly for Paul (Ince), who has been concentrating on other targets, as well as assessing our squad and bedding in his new backroom staff.

“We are very keen for Brad to stay but to deny him the move he clearly wants after a lengthy stint with the club is difficult. "

Manchester City are also keen on the 37-year-old but the prospect of being the undisputed number one at Villa Park is likely to see Friedel continue his outstanding career there.

Gareth Barry looks like the biggest loser of the transfer window

The transfer merry-go-round seems to have found an Anfield pivot in recent weeks. The proposed purchases of Gareth Barry and Robbie Keane are both foundering on valuations and funds - and it could come down to a choice between the two for Rafa Benitez; especially now that Juventus's purchase of Christian Poulsen probably ends their interest in Xabi Alonso.

Sales of Crouch, Guthrie, Carson, Pennant, Itandje and Finnan (not all yet completed) will probably yield about £22m; whereas the purchases of Cavalieri, Degen and Dossena have cost almost half that leaving a kitty of about £12m in broad terms (given the wide variety of payment schemes, the actual figure will be somewhere between £6m and £18m).

With Keane likely to cost £20m and Barry £18m unless the American owners have released £25m - £30m for new transfer costs it seems likely that without a significant sale, like Alonso, Rafa benitez will have to choose between Keane and Barry this summer. The sale of Crouch and the retention of Alonso would certainly point to Robbie Keane being preferable to Gareth Barry in terms of squad balance.

Gareth Barry returned to training with Villa today - and after gambling every scrap of fan loyalty on his dream move he could well be the biggest loser of the summer.

Teething troubles for Rangers ahead of European return

Just a matter of weeks after their epic UEFA Cup run ended in defeat at the hands of Zenit St Petersburg, Rangers are back in European action at the end of July with a Champions League qualifier against either Kaunas of Lithuania or Santa Coloma, the champions of Andorra.

Walter Smith moved quickly after the double blow of defeat in Manchester and Celtic's SPL title win to beef up his side's attacking options, signing Kenny Miller from Derby County, Kyle Lafferty from Burnley and former Hearts striker Andrius Velicka.

The transfer trail has since gone cold however with Rangers' status in Scotland and on the European stage counting for little it seems against the backdrop of an increasingly wealthy Premier League and Championship in England.

Fulham's £4m valuation of midfielder Steven Davis has halted progress on a deal for the Northern Ireland man while Watford's Danny Shittu talked himself out a move to Ibrox this week with some hefty wage demands.

That leaves Smith short of bodies in midfield and at the back, a situation worsened by the pre-season injury blow suffered by skipper Barry Ferguson.

And although his options have increased in attack, the return of Miller to his former club (via Celtic) has caused problems, with reports of a negative reaction from some fans during the pre-season tour of Germany.

Star men such as Allan McGregor and Carlos Cuellar remain though, with one of the financial upshots of last season's heroics being that Rangers have not had to fend off too much interest in their key men.

McGregor and Cuellar will again be important figures while David Weir will again be asked to defy his age at the heart of the defence.

Early progress in the Champions League shouldn't be too much of a mission but Smith knows his side need a fast start in the SPL to blow away the demons of the final few weeks of last season.

Increasing the size and quality of his squad is a must if that aim is to be squared with matching Celtic's achievements in reaching the last 16 of the European Cup.

Dimitar Berbatov and Robbie Keane short odds to leave Spurs

All the bookmakers are now taking bets on transfer speculation - and Dimitar Berbatov is causing plenty of activity.  Berbatov is now 1/2 (2/1 on) to leave Spurs this summer after speculation in The People (13.07.2008) that Spurs will let the player join Manchester United if United raise their initial bid (if it happened) of £20m to closer to £25m.  Mischievously The People also suggest that Spurs assistant, Gus Poyet, could become the new Manchester United number two.

The other two big money strikers at Spurs are short odds to leave the north London club.  Robbie Keane is 11/10 to leave (probably to Liverpool) with Darren Bent 6/4 to go (probably to Sunderland).

Despite the possible loss of their front-line Spurs are odds-on to finish in the top six.

Ladbrokes spokesman, Nick Weinberg, said:

"Berbatov has made no secret of his desire to play Champions League football, which would suggest that a move is likely."

LATEST BETTING

Who'll leave Spurs first
Berbatov   10/11
Keane      15/8
Bent         3/1

Who'll be at Spurs next season?
Berbatov Yes: 6/4     No: 1/2
Keane    Yes: 4/6     No: 11/10
Bent     Yes: 1/2     No: 6/4

Spurs season 2008/09
top four: 6/1
top six:  8/11

Win a major trophy (Premier League, FA Cup, League Cup, UEFA Cup)  7/4

Amidst slavery jibes a cynical person would question Blatter's motives

That Sepp Blatter should use the word 'slavery' to describe poor old Cristiano Ronaldo's position at Manchester United is bad enough in itself; that, as reported in today's Guardian (11.07.2008) he is an horourary member of Real Madrid whilst saying it smacks of self-interest at best. If Blatter is making a comment at the behest of Real Madrid then clearly this would be a resigning issue - but Blatter would never fall pey to such a blatant conflict of interests.

Blatter's comments are part of a wider campaign against transfer fees by FIFA and UEFA for a variety of political and social reasons. That the campaign would necessarily hit English clubs hardest at this stage of the football cycle is also completely coincidental.

Also coincidental is FIFA and UEFA's recent focus on the debts of clubs - specifically English clubs. That Real Madrid would need a debt facility with Santander to buy Ronaldo is a tricky one. But in no way would it entail either a conflict of interests, if say Blatter then dropped the debt issue. At different times Real Madrid have had subsidies from the Spanish King, government and local government - sometimes engineered through the purchase of conveniently priced assets.

Obviously no-one questioned that kind of thing when Real were regal.

Also on the agenda is the six plus five proposal, whilst meritorious in itself would once again hit English clubs harder than most.

Anyone with a cynical mind would think that Sepp Blatter and Michel Platini had some sort of anti-English agenda going on. But clearly this is all part of a wider coincidence.

Football League Take A Sledgehammer To Luton Nut

Luton Town go into 2008/09 with a 30 point deduction, unless any of their appeals fall on sympathetic ears. If that penalty stays it begs the question of who would part with money to watch the Hatters next season?

The Football League hierarchy might not have noticed the credit crunch but it's a fair bet that most Luton fans- and crucially their casual followers -have. With spending constricted how many irregular football fans are going to spend their cash watching a team effectively condemned to the drop from August?

Simple geography makes it plain that Luton is in a position to offer many other football options- indeed the League itself plonked a rival club up the road in Milton Keynes.

No one doubts that there were irregularities at Kenilworth Road but the penalties being paid are positively draconian. The League are giving no incentive to the consortium that have taken over the club- or what was left to take over. Presumably the League administrators are cushioned by the knowledge that there are many full-time professional outfits in the Blue Square Premier these days, only too happy to step into the breach.

Luton fans are innocent in this, as were Leeds and Rotherham fans before them, yet they are expected to turn up and pay hard-earned money to watch a competition stacked against them from the start. The diehards wll be there but the next generation and the occasional supporter will be somewhere else every Saturday- and promising young players won't sign contracts with the Hatters, threatening their long-term stability.

Brian Mahwinney claims to protect the 'integrity of their competitions' but in what sense are Luton, now consigned to League Two, trying to gain an advantage at the moment? The 20/20 group is trying to save soccer in Luton not trying to flout rules and extract money from the game.

If the League falls back on the 'rules are rules' argument then the rules are stupid if they continue to penalise a club years after the initial errors were made and the perceived attempt to gain an unfair advantage was happening Luton are two divisions down from where they were so it's hardly been a cunning master plan.

If the League are indifferent to Luton's plight and are sanguine that another club can just be admitted to replace them then they should just say so and we can be spared any crocodile tears about balancing the needs of fans against wider considerations.

The fact is most football fans- even those whose clubs can benefit from the deduction- believe the punishment of Luton has gone too far and is making a farce of the competition whose integrity the league is defending.

If the League is concerned at the number of clubs falling into financial adminstration it might look back on the part it played in ITV Digital fiasco when any knowedgable fan could have told them that the sums promised to clubs from that deal were ridiculous and bound to break down.

Draw a line under the saga from here on in, put an amnesy in place for the current crisis clubs and limit deductions to 10 points in future, or relegation for more serious situations. At least then the demoted  sides have a chance to survive and the 'integrity' of the competition is preserved.

Why a Cristiano Ronaldo to Real Madrid move is not imminent

The oddest part of the Ronaldo to Madrid transfer (I think that it has moved past a rumour today) is that Ronaldo has not requested a transfer. But given the telephone number fees at stake it is hardly surprising.

If Madrid do succeed in a £60m transfer then if Ronaldo forced the issue he would have to forgoe the standard 10% chunk that is allocated to the player when they have not requested a transfer. Given that Madrid have carefully leaked out that Ronaldo's probable wages would not be the astronomical £200,000+ per week that some papers initially claimed it could well be that his wages at Madrid would be on a par with his United remuneration. So without the loyalty bonus Ronaldo may gain no cash at all from a switch.

Ronaldo could have his sunshine and dream club if he requested a transfer - but it seems doubtful that he would gain financially if he did. In these venal times that could be a real sticking point; and could well stop the deal in its tracks this summer.

Obviously if Ronaldo just wants to play for his dream club he could offer to play for nothing to help fund the transfer. As he's already earned tens of millions in Manchester he hardly needs the money - but that is not the point. Equally he could probably get the move on similar money with no real financial injection - but equally he seems loathe to really force the issue if he has to miss out.

Manchester United appear unlikely to blink and put him on the transfer list, as this would make the deal far less lucrative as the loyalty bonus chunk would be lost - as would the edge in the the transfer fee negotiations.

Real Madrid, it seems, need to be the ones to make a proper move, that is by faxing in a bid with a lot of noughts involved rather than giving Marca another off-the-record interview. In which case it would well be too expensive. Without the player sticking in a transfer request then a £60m bid would probably be the start point from which the price would rise; suggesting that to make the transfer affordable players would need to be exchanged. And the players that United might demand - Ramos, Casillas, Sneider - may well be the players that Madrid won't exchange.

United's refusal to blink first will not stop the transfer in itself but it does mean that Madrid or Ronaldo need to make the first move - and it will be a ferociously expensive first move. And that could well make a transfer this summer too expensive for Madrid and/or not lucrative enough for Ronaldo. Despite the screaming headlines a deal is not imminent.

Manchester United Could Be Victims Of Their Own Success

Having secured a Champions League and Premiership double last season, Manchester United’s attempts to replicate or even improve on that achievement over the coming campaign looks to be an increasingly tall order, with a number of factors seemingly conspiring against Sir Alex Ferguson’s charges even before a ball has been kicked.

We’ve had the long-running (and frankly tedious) saga of Cristiano Ronaldo’s desire to join Real Madrid. As things stand Manchester United appear to be holding firm, but there will surely come a point where Ferguson will decide that keeping a disaffected player could create tensions in the dressing room to the detriment of the team. Even should Ronaldo remain at Old Trafford, will he be inclined to or capable of raising his game to the levels to which we have become accustomed? Should he stay it will also be interesting to see quite how long his period of convalescence will turn out to be following his recent ankle surgery.

There are also ongoing reports that suggest that assistant manager Carlos Queiroz is lined up to replace Luiz Felipe Scolari as the new manager of Portugal. Although he would obviously be far easier to replace that Ronaldo, it would be another unwanted distraction ahead of the new season.

Another factor that could impact on United’s season is fixture congestion. It may seem a tad early to be worrying about such eventualities, but the Red Devils already have a hectic schedule to look forward to, no matter how successful they may or may not be in the Champions League and domestic cups.

Following a summer tour of South Africa and other pre-season friendlies, there is the FA Community Shield against Portsmouth on 10 August. At the end of August, Ferguson and his team are off to Monaco for the UEFA Super Cup game with Zenit St Petersburg, but the most damaging of all could be the demands of the FIFA World Club Cup. This takes place in Japan from 12-21 December, with Ecuador’s LDU Quito and Mexico’s Pachuca the other confirmed participants as things stand. This year the decision has also been made to reintroduce the fifth-place match, dropped for the 2007 edition, so there would be no real benefit in an early exit from the competition. These tournaments may be lucrative and provide a degree of prestige, but they are hardly conducive when it comes to competing for the trophies that really matter.

Of course, Manchester United also featured in the FIFA World Club Cup (or the FIFA World Club Championship as it was then called) in early January 2000 and still went on to win the title (although their defence of the Champions League was ended at the quarter-final stage by Real Madrid). However, they also withdrew from the FA Cup that season in order to participate in Brazil at the request of the FA, which went some way to negating the impact of the trip to South America as their three matches coincided with the 4th round of the FA Cup. There will be no such offer on the table from the FA this term.

If that wasn’t enough, the announcement of Premiership fixtures for the coming campaign provides little respite, with United’s first eight away games of the season seeing them on the road at Portsmouth, Liverpool, Chelsea, Blackburn Rovers, Everton, Arsenal, Aston Villa and Manchester City – the eight teams who finished occupied second to ninth positions in last season’s Premiership.

If United are there or thereabouts in the Premiership title race after such a hectic and difficult looking opening half of the campaign they could take some stopping, but much could depend on their ability to placate their star player and Ferguson’s transfer dealings over the coming weeks.

Lampard, Ronaldo, Arshavin and Adebayor Moves Could All Hit The Buffers

Maybe it was the intervention of Euro 2008- or possibly the unprecedented all-English Champions League Final- but summer 2008 began with a cascade of speculation about multi-million pound stellar moves.

While we all enjoyed the Euro spectacle, the close of that competition has ended the 'phoney war' period in the transfer market and suddenly hard realities are biting.

Andrei Arshavin is not certain to be on his way to Western Europe because Zenit St Petersburg don't need the money and the player himself has a very clear idea of his earning power. The days when Russians were desperate for hard cash have gone.

At Chelsea, Frank Lampard has finally talked matters over with Phil Scolari. Not the talk from 'sources' in papers but a straight discussion between a world famous coach with authority and his potential star player- the result is that an Inter Milan move is not a done deal.More surprisingly, even Didier Drogba's long projected exit is being called into question.

At Arsenal the Gunners management are digging their heels in and demanding £35 million from AC Milan to take Emmanuel Adebayor- not unreasonable, given that the player is only 24 and could be a star for another 6-8 years.

Milan aren't happy with the valuation but Arsenal had hardly invited the interest in the first place. If Arsene Wenger maintains this stance the Togo international could well be still at the Emirates come August.

And of course, Christiano Ronaldo remains a Manchester United asset. Real Madrid are using increasingly desperate tactics to budge Sir Alex Ferguson; the latest is the laughable suggestion that United should be 'honoured' to be involved in a mega deal like this.

It's now quite possible that none of these four mega moves will happen this summer. If that's the case though, the question will be where will Barcelona, Real Madrid, Inter and AC Milan direct their money instead? All four Latin giants have money to splash and a tight time scale to offload it.

Harry Kewell's necessary new start

Harry Kewell arrived in England 13 years ago as a 17-year-old and quickly broke into Leeds first team. After five years with Leeds Kewell was a star, a Champions League semi-finalist in a talented team; but the club finances were overstretched and by 2003 the squad was being sold to stave off financial oblivion. Kewell was considered to be worth over £20m in 2001 - yet Liverpool managed to get him for £5m in total (much of which went in fees rather than to Leeds) in 2003.

But his time at Liverpool has been withered by perpetual injury.

Perhaps 2006/7 epitomises Kewell's Liverpool career; first game of the season on 5 May, a goal in his second game against Charlton - followed by playing in the European Cup Final against Milan. Rafa Benitez always knew he could trust Kewell in the big games and picked him for every show piece.

108 starts and 30 substitute appearances for Liverpool in 5 seasons shows a player unable to play much more than 20 games a season - but who is subsequently trusted for the big games. He played in both European Cup finals under Benitez (2005 and 2007, both against Milan), the 2006 FA Cup Final (against West Ham) and the 2005 League Cup Final (against Chelsea). Kewell has played a part in the four trophy games of Benitez's reign to date; as well as playing a full part in the 2006 World Cup after a smart recovery after another curtailed club season.

That Galatasary have signed him on a free seems reasonable until you recall the tragic deaths of Leeds fans at the time of an away Euro match against Gala. You get a feeling for how long ago this was when you realise that Peter Ridsdale was lionised for his statemanlike handling of the tragedy that night. The rights and wrongs of the situation are difficult to gauge - but other tragedies have not lead to a transfer embargo.

That Kewell has joined such a good club is a bit more difficult to fathom. Gala are regular European protaganists with a great fan base and atmosphere - it seems debateable that Kewell will impress anyone unless he is prepared to play through pain. And regardless of any other consideration that is the hard truth. Kewell is 30 in September and his body will start to let him down more - not less - often.

In the last two seasons Kewell has managed 18 games for LIverpool and Australia; and in the highly charged atmosphere of Turkish football he will be expected to earn his marquee wages. Not sure if a move to a more forgiving league may have been a more logical step, say France, Switzerland or Belgium - but I would expect in another year Kewell will be linked quite heavily with a retirement plan move to Qatar, Russia, USA or even Australia.

Championship transfers: Cardiff and Ipswich search all over for a striker

As always in the transfer market it is the pursuit of those players who can notch 20+ goals a season that excite fans and often dominate the headlines.

This summer in the Championship, the likes of Nottingham Forest, Barnsley and Burnley have spent seven-figure sums on frontmen.

Cardiff struggled for goals throughout last season and manager Dave Jones has made a new frontman his priority for 2008/09 and the promotion challenge that the Bluebirds are expected to mount.

Boosted by the club's run to the FA Cup final and the sale of Aaron Ramsey to Arsenal, fans have been expecting a big-name to arrive at Ninian Park and no shortage of players have been linked with a move, from Kris Boyd of Rangers to Marcus Bent and Manchester City youngster Ched Evans.

However to date there has only been the arrival of Ross McCormack on a Bosman free transfer after an impressive season at Motherwell.

As the sales of the relatively unproven Kyle Lafferty (£3m from Burnley to Rangers) and Martin Paterson (£1m from Scunthorpe to Burnley) show, strikers in the domestic market are being sold at a premium price.

“We recently inquired about a player – and it was not Kris Boyd, let me stress – where the selling club wanted £3.7m and the player wanted £27,000 a week," Jones told Wales on Sunday.

“So what do you think we said? We are simply not in that bracket when it comes to money and we have to be careful in everything we do.

“People ask where is the £2m or £3m striker? What those people must realise is that with a player of that sort of transfer fee comes the wages of £25,000-plus a week."

Those prices, as well as the kind of fees now being demanded by lower-league clubs (Peterborough have told Wolves that Aaron McLean for instance will cost £3m), have seen Ipswich manager Jim Magilton, another boss looking to build on solid foundations with the right man up front, look elsewhere for his striker rather than take a gamble on somebody like Nicky Maynard of Crewe.

Ipswich are also in a healthy financial state after a takeover last season, evidenced by their willingness to spend big on Newcastle's Shola Ameobi in an ultimately doomed deal.

However, Magilton feels he can buy someone of proven talent rather than potential for the same type of fee or less by looking overseas.

Josi Emilio Guerra, a prolific goalscorer with Barcelona's B team and Greece's Euro 2004 hero Angelos Charisteas, currently with Nuremberg of Germany are two names very much in the frame.

Mowbray Looks To Keep Albion Up With Style

It's one of those quirks of football that silky, dexterous ball players often go on to manage defensive, cautious teams and craggy, no nonsense defenders turn out sides prepared to take risks and play the ball around. Tony Mowbray is definitely in the latter category.

His West Bromwich Albion side played thoughtful. constructive football to get out of the Championship- no surprise to anyone who saw his teams at Hibernian. He appears to have every intention of applying the same pronciples to the Premiership.

The recent signing of Dutch under-21 defender Gianni Zuiverloon is instructive. In amongst all the usual comments about the challenge of the Premiership etc the Heerenveen defender also said that he had been attracted by the style of play employed by Mowbray's Albion.

While other managers have been making the headlines, the ex-Middlesbrough star has been quietly busy. The transfer of Roman Bednar from Hearts has been completed and Mowbray has also mined his contacts in Scotland to get Livingston's promising midfielder Graham Dorrans. South Korean international Kim Do-Heon is another newcomer.

These new arrivals will be eagerly awaited by Baggies fans after the impact made by Felipe Teixeira, who came relatively unheralded from Academica Coimbra and added great craft and guile to the promotion push.

The manager still has the stalwart Jonathan Greening in the midfield, a veteran of Albion's last two promotions, when establishing the club at the top level proved a struggle. The loss of Zoltan Gera was a blow but not unexpected and Greening now has a coterie of young ambitious players to mentor- Chris Brunt, Craig Beattie, Luke Moore and James Morrison.

The whole club has a fresher feel than when Mowbray arrived. At that time he offered a lot of established stars the chance to lift Albion to the Premiership. When they failed, he set about remodelling the club to combine energy and commitment with essential technique.

The new squad still face a daunting task in the top flight but the club approaches this season far better equipped then their last two forays. Better still, Hawthorns fans can be sure of an exciting prospect and the pleasure of seeing a team play with purpose and in composed style.

Alex Ferguson starts the mind games early

Sir Alex Ferguson is never one to miss an opportunity to spin a line to a passing journalist. Whether it is to object to speculation that is unsettling one of his players, perhaps add a little speculation about a possible arrival or simply to suggest that a rival manager is talking nonsense Ferguson is happy to use the fourth estate for his own ends.

But a new target for his games has emerged - his own players. Ferguson's widely report press conference quote has been reported mainly because of two snippets; firstly that Ronaldo is staying and secondly that only one new player will be arriving. But the broad undercurrent is that Ferguson is concerned that success will take the edge off some of his players - and that is what is unacceptable.

"We will be going to pre-season and I am sure Ronaldo will be there. We will be going with the aim of working hard together and starting off a good new season.

"There are some young players who in periods last season did very well and in periods showed their youthfulness by being inconsistent.

"I think they will have come on a bundle after winning the league and European Cup; that can only help us. Players like Anderson, Nani, Rooney, Ronaldo, they will emerge from that without doubt and become top players for us."

If Ferguson is capable of getting another couple of percent of effort from these young players then they will win more games; and with the best will in the world this could well leave Liverpool, Arsenal and Chelsea gasping for air in their wake.

Ferguson has always been a manager that tries to spot complacency and root it out at source, if Ronaldo or any of the other young players feel that last season was the pinnacle then they are in for a nasty awakening in pre-season training. The Manchester United manager will only be around for two or three more years and he clearly feels that there is no time that he dare lose left.

Championship transfers: Barnsley shop at home and abroad while Wednesday wait to splash the cash

Barnsley manager Simon Davey has become renowned for buying players from abroad during his time as Oakwell boss, using his contacts and scouting network to try and uncover gems at prices that the Tykes can afford.

Inevitably there have been plenty of misses but Davey has scored more than enough hits with his signings to leave Barnsley fans expecting good things from new boys Mounir El Haimour and Hugo Roberto Colace.

Left-winger El Haimour has arrived from Switzerland while Colace joins the Tykes from Argentina.

Just along the road at Hillsborough, Sheffield Wednesday fans are once again left waiting for news of a potential takeover rather than potential new signings.

Former Boston United chairman Jon Sotnick ended his interest in buying the club at the end of June, leaving Lancashire businesman Geoff Sheard to inch his way towards doing a deal with the various parties who own decent-size chunks of Wednesday.

In the meantime, manager Brian Laws, as well as having to read fanciful stories that have him being replaced by Alan Shearer in the near future, has his hands tied somewhat in the transfer market.

Chelsea midfielder Jimmy Smith has been secured on a long-term loan while James O'Connor has joined on a free from Burnley but the danger for the Owls is that as they stand still, their Championship rivals are moving forward apace and spending the kind of money associated with one of the richest leagues in the world.

Even Barnsley, whose average league gate last season was 11,424, have spent £1.2m on Leicester striker Iain Hume, a figure curently way beyond that Sheffield Wednesday could spend.

"That (fee)'s massive in its own right and I just have to live up to that now," Hume told BBC Radio Sheffield.

"I just hope I can repeat what I achieved at Leicester and Tranmere. Hopefully I can have a good season."

Probable Chelsea line-up for 2008/9

Chelsea 2007/8 was one of the great nearly stories, runners-up in the League, League Cup and Champions' League - all to bitter rivals. But the season was also a story a transition with Jose Mourinho replaced temporarily with Avram Grant - who creditably created the form team of the second half of the season.

With Phil Scolari in charge the easy prediction is that he will immediately change half the side (he will certainly have the cash to do it) and new players are likely to be Brazilian or Portuguese to ease the language transition and simply because he trusts them and the way they play.

Therefore the pre-Euro2008 signing of Bosingwa (£16m) was probably a Scolari choice (even if the manager was not officially in place). With Cech and Terry assets to any manager there is little chance that Scolari will look elsewhere - but Carvalho is reportedly unsettled, a situation that Scolari should be able to calm. As Ferreira has operated for Scolari at left-back the new manager may opt for a largely Portuguese defence at the expense of Ashley Cole.

In midfield Makalele is probably now a squad player if he remains although Mikel-Obi is by no means guaranteed a place. The Brazilian-born Marcos Senna was for many the best player at Euro 2008 and although 31 he would be an ideal holding player for a couple of years - after six years at Villarreal he would jump at a chance of one last big contract. The arrival of Portuguese playmaker Deco (£8m) was not a surprise. Deco's arrival will probably see Frank Lampard move to Inter Milan because the form and gravitas of Ballack and Deco suggests that they would form a brilliant central midfield pivot.

In attack there is little doubt that a big headline move will be made; and as Kaka is probably unavailable a move for Ronaldinho - long courted by Chelsea - could this time be successful. Ronaldinho will probably cost around £30m - but would pay for himself in merchandising alone. The two quality goalscorers at Chelsea - Anelka and Drogba would enhance any team, but with Scolari's liking for clever players Joe Cole seems likely to retain his place. That leaves one central striker and although Drogba may get his wish for a move - big Phil is likely to fight to retain a player that is so difficult to replace.

If Drogba is allowed to leave then a huge move for someone like Torres will probably have been lined up.

Chelsea will inevitably be linked with dozens of players, but the core of the side - Cech, Terry, Ballack, Drogba - is formidable and will probably remain. Add in Bosingwa and Deco and the scope for further players is probably limited. The current team plus Ronaldinho and Senna would be hugely competitive.

Mourinho moved in Portuguese players at Chelsea, Arsene Wenger has favoured French at Arsenal and Rafa Benitez has leaned towards Spanish players at Anfield and so Scolari will look to build a side that is at least 50% Portuguese/Brazilian before the new season starts.

Typical 2007/8 line-up (league starts in brackets):

Cech (26), Ashley Cole (27), Terry (23), Carvallo (21), Belletti (20) Lampard (23), Obi (21), Essien (23), Kalou (24), Drobga (17), Joe Cole (28)

Subs: Cudicini (10), Alex (22), Ballack (16), Wright-Phillips (20), Bridge (9), Makalele (15), Ferreira (15), Malouda (16), Shevchenko (8), Sidwell (7), Anelka (10), Ben-Haim (10)

Probable 2008/9 line-up (6 changes):

Cech Bosingwa, Terry, Carvalho, Ferreira, Ballack, Senna, Deco, Ronaldinho, Drogba, Joe Cole

Manchester City Marathon Begins In The Faroes

Getting awarded a UEFA Cup place through the Fair Play table has just one major drawback for Manchester City- their campaign has to kick off on 17th July.

Mark Hughes' first test as the new manager means a tie with EB/Streymur of the Faroe Islands which may mean an interesting trip for the more adventurous City fans.

While their fellow Premiership sides are safely in the group stages, Manchester City have to battle through the qualifiers. Hughes does have experience of this though, having taken Blackburn through the Intertoto system.

The Welshman has a very positive attitude toward the UEFA Cup in contrast to some of his Premiership colleagues- there should be no repeat of the weakened sides fielded by local rivals Bolton for instance.

Hughes will treat this competition like he did the Intertoto- very useful pre-season sharpeners that offer a competitive edge. He will be aware that Faroese sides have embarrassed a few managers over the years.

It is more the national side that has caused big upsets but EB Streymur can be expected to put up a vigorous effort- they can deploy a number of Faroese internationals who have played against some high quality sides in the national jersey.

City will also be taking on a team that is on a high. They top the Faroes top division and recently retained the Faroese Cup so they will enter the two leg contest in good spirits.

There is no reason to believe that City will trip over this particular banana skin but a tougher test awaits in the Second Qualifier. They could draw Scotland's Queen of the South or Gent of Belgium for example.

Probable Manchester United line-up for 2008/9

The most pertinent football truism for Manchester United this summer is that you should always build when in a position of strength. Interestingly you should also change things from a position of weakness or mediocrity, so really change is the underlying message but we'll skip that.

But Sir Alex Ferguson has already flagged up the difficulties of recruiting. The best players are almost all at the best clubs - and they simply don't like selling to each other. With that in mind he is talking about only one summer signing:

"Managers are back at clubs, back at training and you can get some dialogue now if you are interested in somebody but I wouldn't think [we will sign] any more than one player."

But this is hardly an anomaly, Ferguson has in recent years brought in just one major player each summer plus sometimes a couple for the future. Last season was odd in Hargreaves being the major signing - but the sudden availability of Nani, Anderson and Tevez (albeit on loan) was deemed to be too big an opportunity to miss. These purchases were mostly offset by selling Heinze, Smith, Rossi, Richardson, Shawcross and Bardsley for about £30m. Leaving a deficit of around £20m for the season.

In the summer of 2006 Carrick was the big signing, in 2005 there was no major signing as Park and van der Sar arrived in moves funded by selling Phil Neville and Kleberson; 2004 saw Rooney arrive, 2003 Ronaldo and 2002 Ferdinand. Ferguson has some history of adding just one major player in the summer.

The recruit will surely be a forward, unless Ronaldo does leave in which case there will be a requirement for a goal scoring wide player as well like Messi or Sneider; but whilst Ronaldo's future is in doubt there is little onus on United to sell.

In goal a season of transition should see van der Sar's successor emerge from the battle between Kuszczak and Foster; barring injuries the reserves will be sent out on loan or permanently.

Defensively Gerard Pique (£5m) has been sold on and could be joined at the exit door by Jonny Evans (£3m) and Mikael Silvestre (£1m) and although Gary Neville should be available there could yet be recruitment in this area. But Brown, Simpson and O'Shea do offer enough depth.

Midfield is strong and Anderson will be expected to keep progressing at Paul Scholes expense; Carrick will vie with Fletcher and Hargreaves to sit alongside - although the Champions League final pointed to the potential for Carrick and Hargreaves to play together with a flamboyant third player.

What United have missed in recent years is a striker - they have plenty of forwards but a big target man should always be an option, even if not always the first choice. Louis Saha has proved to be constructed of balsa wood and needs replacing. Although Manucho (who looked good at the Africa Cup of Nations) and Campbell (who impressed at Hull) will be available a big money forward seems likely to arrive.

I guess that the reality is that change is always needed at football clubs, but building on a strong position is always easier than changing a failing structure - and in that respect United can target just about any striker in world football (with the usual exception of Liverpool's forwards even if Fernando Torres would be a stunning addition). Dimitar Berbatov (£23m) will remind all United fans of a certain age of a certain Frenchman born in a certain 'good year for English football' - and would add the arrogance and touch that can elevate the United attack to new heights.

Typical 2007/8 Line-up (league starts in brackets): van der Sar (29) Brown (34), Ferdinand (35), Vidic (32), Evra (33) Carrick (24), Scholes (22) Ronaldo (31), Tevez (31), Giggs (26) Rooney (25)

Subs: Kuszczak (8), Anderson (16), Hargreaves (16), Nani (16), O'Shea (10), Park (8), Fletcher (5)

Probable 2008/9 Line-up (4 changes):

Foster Neville, Ferdinand, Vidic, Evra Hargreaves, Anderson, Carrick Ronaldo, Rooney Berbatov

Rangers Get Kaunas Again in Champions League Qualifiers

FBK Kaunas are becoming familiar Champions League opposition for British clubs. In recent seasons the Lithuanian side have played Celtic, Rangers and Liverpool in the qualifiers.

Rangers will expect to progress at their expense from this year's Second Qualifying Round. That is assuming the little known Santa Coloma of Andorra don't pull off a mighty shock in the First Round.

Overall, Rangers will be glad to take on FBK as they represent a known quantity. There were much tougher draws out there such as Dinamo Zagreb and IFK Gothenberg.

Kaunas are regular participants in the Champions League having virually locked up the Lithuanian title. They are associated with Hearts owner Vladimir Romanov and the best of their talent often end up at Tynecastle.

Rangers encountered FBK back in 2000 when they were at the start of their period of domestic dominance. The Gers took a 4-1 lead to Lithuania and were happy to play out a 0-0 draw.

Walter Smith probably won't spend too much time scouting Santa Coloma but the Andorran side did register a victory over Maccabi Tel Aviv in last year's UEFA Cup- the first time an Andorran side had ever won a European match.

The biggest concern for Rangers is that the squad will be back in action by 29th or 30th July after such a demanding end to the 2007/08 campaign.They will expect to progress though.

The Third Quaifying Round can provide the stiffest of tests. Among the possible opponents would be Barcelona, Arsenal or Juventus.