Duncan Ferguson Returns and Hopefully For Good

Duncan Ferguson has return to his beloved Everton to help out with their academy team, while he continues to work towards gaining his UEFA coaching badges. 

In what are currently grim times for Evertonians, with the clubs much publicised financial problems starting to become a major issue, the return of Big Dunc is at least one positive for Blues fans. 

The Goodison faithful will be eager for Ferguson to remain on a permanent basis, with a hope that he might too inspire the first team during his time at Finch Farm, as they look to improve on recent performances.

During his time at Goodison, Ferguson wore his heart on his sleeve. He even played through injury, pushing his body to the limit and running himself into the ground for the club. If you were in the trenches and the whistle was blown, Big Dunc is the kind of man you would want by your side. In dark times for Everton, he was the shining light.

‘The Big Man’ had previously paid a visit to Goodison Park when the Toffees faced Manchester City in May. After an absence of five years, you might think he might have been forgotten. If you did, you were very wrong. As he stepped onto the pitch before kick-off he received a rapturous reception from the Everton fans, who have idolised him since his move from Rangers, which actually moved Ferguson near enough to tears. His appearance inspired Everton to a 2-1 victory with the supporters singing his name throughout the match.

Later that month, his legendary status was confirmed when he was awarded the Everton Giant award for 2011. Ferguson, a striker who at his peak was regarded as unplayable said:

“This is an unbelievable honour. I have been away for a few years and you think people have forgotten you. This Club has been a big part of my life and this city has been a big part of my life. You are a long time retired, I have been retired for five years and it feels like twenty five. So to the players that are here now, stay in football as long as you can and stay at this club as long as you can because there is only one way after leaving this club, and that is down.”

As a player, Ferguson truly fell in love with Everton and their fans and the love given back to him from the fans over his ten years at the club was something that has always stayed with him.

“The fans here have always been great towards me. They are unbelievable. They took me in and they are the best fans in the country, if not the world.”

England at Euro 2012 – Over already?

England have qualified for Euro 2012 after a 2-2 draw in their final qualifying match away against Montenegro. However, an unconvincing second half performance and a red card for talisman Wayne Rooney has left many of the country's football fans fearing that England’s tournament could be already be over.

England were reduced to ten men with just over 15 minutes to go when Rooney was sent off for needlessly kicking out at Miodrag Džudović. Rooney’s behaviour was inexcusable, even given the understandable stress he must be under following his father’s recent arrest in connection to betting irregularities. Rooney is a professional, he should act that way. He is undoubtedly England’s best hope for success in Poland and Ukraine but through his own immaturity he has hindered the tournament campaign before it has even begun.

His quality is unquestionable. England need him to play every game and to play well in those games if they are to have any chance of competing for the trophy. By stupidly getting himself sent off in the manner that he did, he has removed his own ability from the team causing it to painfully weaken.

The Manchester United striker is already guaranteed to miss at least one group game and that ban could be raised to two games by UEFA officials once they have received and viewed the referee’s match report. For Rooney to miss two group games would be a disaster. Without wanting to disrespect Darren Bent, Danny Welbeck or any other forwards hoping to make the England squad, they simply cannot fill the Wayne Rooney sized hole that will be left in England starting eleven. They are good players, but they are not that good.

Due to the level of ability at Fabio Capello’s disposal, England should qualify for the knockout stages of the tournament with relevant ease even with Rooney absent for possibly all but one group game. I say should, but after the disgraceful showing at last year’s World Cup in South Africa, that saw England only reach the last 16, I will not be holding my breath.

Should they progress into the quarter finals, there is every chance England will come face to face with one of Europe’s big guns such as Spain, Germany, Italy or the Netherlands. The entire squad, particularly Rooney, will need to perform to the peak of their ability if England are to stand any chance of reaching the semi-finals. There is just one problem; the feat has not been managed by an England team in a major tournament since 1990. So if history is to repeat itself, which it most likely will, the squad and travelling fans will be boarding their planes back to England sooner than later.

Club or Country?

As England prepares to face Montenegro in their final Euro 2012 qualifying match tomorrow with qualification all but ensured, you could ask ‘Does anybody actually care?’ and the answer from a lot of fans would be ‘Well, no.’

For a long time now fans and in some cases even the players themselves put their club before their country. Most recently, Manchester United legend Paul Scholes, who collected 66 England caps before his international retirement in 2004, said that strong rivalries at club level caused suspicion whenever the players met up for England fixtures, which in turn hampered the team on the pitch.

On the mistrust at international level Scholes said: ''We weren't just footballers, we actually loved the clubs we played for and the rivalry was always there. You can't build a team or a spirit when that rivalry is always close to the surface. It was always too big to get over.''

This was not the first time a player had spoken out on the issue. In his autobiography Carra, Liverpool defender Jamie Carragher confessed that he’d “rather miss a penalty for England than for Liverpool.”

He continued to say “defeats wearing an England shirt never hurt me in the same way as losing with my club. I wasn't uncaring or indifferent; I simply didn't put England's fortunes at the top of my priority list. Losing felt like a disappointment rather than a calamity.”

The way Scholes and Carragher describe their experiences gives the impression that it is true that club does comes before country, and I’m sure if you were to put the current England squad through a lie detector test a high majority of them would admit to similar feelings. So, if nobody cares then what is the point?

England failed to qualify for the last European Championship in 2008 and while there was initially a lot of screaming and shouting along with the removal of ‘the wally with the brolly’ after a few days you can bet the average Englishman got over it and returned to supporting his club team with as much undivided passion as before. Essentially for a lot of fans, the England team is second best. For me it is a case of ‘Oh, England are playing. Yeah, I’ll watch that.’ When really I only care about our performances it at World Cup which usually ends in let-down anyway.

Though not every English football fan is a ‘club before country’ person. There are those committed minority who follow England all over the globe, spending thousands of pounds in the process. But even with current England star Wayne Rooney questioning the loyalty of their support with his infamous rant after last year’s World Cup draw with Algeria, it must not be long before they too begin to lose interest.

Money in Football

Premier League squads can now potentially play in excess of sixty games across a number of competitions in one season. This applies to those who have been previously successful and find themselves in a European competition such as the Champions League and the Europa League, but even those who are not ‘going on a European tour' can find their schedule packed with fixtures. Progression in the early rounds of the Carling Cup and then after Christmas further success in the FA Cup, possibly via a replay match, means that in domestic cup games alone a team could face up to the task of having to playing an extra seventeen games on top of their thirty eight Premier League matches should they reach both domestic finals by the longest routes. The likelihood of these events unfolding is low, but the point is that it could happen. For those who, as previously said, are also committed to playing in Europe the number of fixtures can reach a point where they appear to be endless and with success in those Europe competitions a high priority the need for strength and quality in depth to deal with the mass of fixtures is vital.

There is only one way to acquire such a squad of class – money. Money is becoming more and more important season after season. If you do not have it, you simply cannot compete for trophies and for the European places in the league. If you do then it is nothing short of a miracle. But obviously not every team has a bottomless pit of money to fund a shopping spree on the best talent the world has to offer, so whatever money teams can gather they must spend it wisely to ensure success. Take Manchester United, they have money but it is not a case of ‘money is no object’ for Sir Alex Ferguson when the transfer windows are open. He must carefully pick who he needs to succeed. This year his major signings were Spanish goalkeeper David De Gea, England under 21 defender Phil Jones and Aston Villa’s Ashley Young. Each of those additions have settled quickly, putting in some excellent displays in the seasons early fixtures, helping United to reach the top of the table and once again become the team to beat.

For those with no money at all, they must do their best to contain wealthier opponents when they meet. Last weekend, the Premier League’s richest club hosted the poorest when Manchester City welcomed paupers Everton to the Etihad Stadium. Everton were the only team in the entire Football League not to buy a player this summer and were forced to sell star midfielder Mikel Arteta to ease the money worries at Goodison Park. The gulf in class on the pitch was huge, with Everton parking the bus with the aim of securing a draw. Man-marking City’s most creative player David Silva and playing what was essentially a 4-6-0 formation in an attempt to hold off City was not enough. They lost 2-0. Amazingly, it was City’s first home win over Everton since 2007 with the Blues winning the last four fixtures away to City, becoming somewhat of a bogey side for them in the process. However, team spirit and a willingness to battle to the death, which has seen Everton through in recent years, no longer appears to be enough with the wealthier clubs like United and City pulling further and further away from those clubs without two pennies to rub together as they find themselves being left behind.

Success in football is now a case of ‘it’s all about the money’.

Review of Saturday's Premier League Games

The early kick off at Ewood Park saw a seven goal thriller finish in favour of Blackburn Rovers and three players get their first goals for their new clubs. Arsenal twice threw away the lead as Rovers’ never-say-die attitude saw them through in this tough game. It was an own goal from Laurent Koscielny which ultimately won it for the hosts although they didn’t start too well though with visitors Arsenal dominating the opening stages of the game. Winger Gervinho scored his first goal for the club when he finished from inside the box with a well-placed shot after a precise through ball from midfielder Alex Song. Still, Rovers had chances of their own. The aerial threat of captain Christopher Samba was constantly a danger to the Arsenal goal, especially from set pieces, but he wasted a free header from inside the six-yard box. They soon drew level though after a defence splitting pass from Junior Hoilett saw debutant striker Yakubu take his chance to shoot early, toe poking the ball past Wojciech Szczesny into the back of the net for his first goal in Rovers colours. The Gunners however,  soon re-established their lead after clever off the ball movement from Aaron Ramsey saw him find himself in space and able to cut the ball back for Mikel Arteta to  the ball into the top of the goal with ease making it a memorable first goal for Arsenal. As the game moved into the second half, Blackburn equalised for the second time of the afternoon when Alex Song failed to react to Ruben Rochina’s chipped free kick, dosily letting the ball hit him on the leg and trickle into his own goal. Arsenal’s defence were all over the place by this point and were caught napping when in a packed penalty area they failed to pick up Yakubu as he turned in Steven Nzonzi’s drilled low cross from close range for his second, and Rovers third, of the afternoon. Then following a swift counter attack involving Hoilett, Yakubu and Martin Olsson, Koscielny’s horrendous gaffe came. The French defender somehow managing to bundle Olssons cross into his own net to make the score 4-2 to Blackburn. At the other end, Marouane Chamakh gave Arsenal hope when with five minutes to go he headed home a whipped centre from Robin Van Persie. Arsenal then piled the pressure on ensuring a nervous final few minutes for Rovers fans with Gunners players Per Mertesacker and Chamakh both squandering late chances to equalise.

Everton carried on with their uncharacteristically good start to the season with three points at home to Wigan Athletic. The 3-1 score line complimented the Blues but they will nonetheless be happy with the performances of two of their match-winning substitutes Apostolos Vellios and Royston Drenthe. With his side struggling to break down the Latics resilient defence and the score level at 1-1, manager David Moyes first introduced Drenthe in place of Diniyar Bilyaletdinov then soon after brought the Greek youngster Vellios on for Seamus Coleman. The changes worked a treat as the pair both went on to score their first Everton goals. Vellios put the Toffees ahead with a terrific towering header from a pin point Tony Hibbert cross, while Drenthe sealed the win deep into injury time as he raced onto a flick on from debutant Denis Stracqualursi, getting clear of the Wigan defence before coolly slotting the ball into the bottom left hand corner of the goal. Wigan got the first goal of the game when Franco Di Santo’s shot from a tight angle deflected in off Hibbert past Everton stopper Tim Howard, but within two minutes the scores were level once again. Tim Cahill headed Leon Osman's corner against the bar and Phil Jagielka, captain in the absence of Phil Neville, reacted to send a header of his own past Ali Al Habsi. Then game then seemed to die off a little with a draw looking the most likely result, until the arrival of Everton two super subs.

At the Liberty Stadium, Swansea got their first win and first goals of the season against West Bromwich Albion. Scott Sinclair wrote his name into the history books as he successfully scored from the penalty spot becoming the Swans first ever Premier League goal scorer. The penalty was awarded after the eccentric Paul Scharner upended Joe Allen with a clumsy challenge giving the referee any easy decision to make. Sinclair stepped up, calmly sending the goalie the wrong way as he passed the ball into the goal to put the Welsh side ahead. Albion could easily have drawn level but Shane Long sent his shot from the edge of the area flying over the crossbar and into the crowd.  Things got worse for them soon after when Leroy Lita, a replacement for the injured Danny Graham, stabbed the ball in from close range to double Swansea’s lead. To add to West Brom’s misery, the Swans went further ahead when Nathan Dyer used his blistering pace to get on the end of Lita’s flick on before sliding the ball through Ben Foster’s legs to make it 3-0. A memorable day for Swansea was marred however when after a clash of heads between Albion’s Peter Odemwingie and defender Neil Taylor, the Welsh international had to be stretchered off the pitch wearing an oxygen mask, but this no doubt will be a day that lives long in the memory of the Swans fans.

QPR got their second away win of the season as they battered Wolverhampton Wanderers 3-0 at Molineux. Larger than life captain Joey Barton got the London club underway in the 8^th minute, before a couple of minutes later Alejandro Faulin doubled the lead, striking from the edge of the box into the bottom corner of the Wolves goal. Barton’s nemesis Karl Henry could have given Wolves a lifeline but his drive from long range hit the post. Despite a hectic first twenty minutes, there was only one team in the game with the home side looking increasing lethargic. Shaun Wright-Phillips’ pace was causing Wolves all sorts of problems and with three minutes to go he exploited the sleepiness of their defence as he linked with Armand Traore who in turn set up DJ Campbell to put Rangers 3-0 up. Game over. Or was it? There was still time for Barton and Henry to add to their running feud. First, Barton skinned Henry before he was immediately scathed down by the former Wolves captain then when no free kick was given he knelt on the ground gesturing ‘3-0’ with his fingers at the jeering home crowd. The final whistle went but that didn’t stop Barton and Henry continuing to argue as all the players shook hands after the game.

Bolton again failed to take any points from their game at the Reebok stadium with Norwich City as they slumped to another home defeat. Summer signing Anthony Pilkington put Norwich ahead when the Bolton defence failed to pick him up only to see him turn in Steve Morison’s cross with ease. Wanderers were soon further behind when their poor marking allowed Bradley Johnson to glance a free header past the helpless Jussi Jaaskelainen further highlighting the defensive frailties shown in last week’s 5-0 thumping at the hands of Manchester United. Things got worse for Bolton though when they were reduced to ten men after striker Ivan Klasnic saw red for his supposed head butt on Marc Tierney. The Croat was unlucky to go as the contact with Tierney was minimal although the intention was there. It was a day to forget for Klasnic, first he was sent crashing to the ground when he was accidently jumped upon by Norwich’s Leon Barnett and then his own stupidity got him sent off shortly before half time. A Martin Petrov penalty got Bolton back into the game, but they couldn’t get an equaliser and the match finished 2-1. A penalty for the home side was almost a certainty seeing as Norwich have conceded a penalty in every single Premier League game they have played this season.

Two unbeaten teams met at Villa Park, as Aston Villa hosted Newcastle United. Villa have won just once all season but remain unbeaten after another draw. Scoring for the second successive match, Gabby Agbonlahor put the Villains in front sliding his shot under Dutch keeper Tim Krul. Villa’s £24m record signing Darren Bent couldn’t however put them further ahead as he missed a glorious opportunity that was actually easier to score than miss. Yohan Cabaye was looking the most likely to score for Newcastle, with the Frenchman regularly testing the excellent Shay Given from long range. Given however was helpless to stopping the Magpies equalise when Richard Dunne’s missed header allowed Leon Best to pounce. Given fantasically saved the initial shot from Best but the rebound fell straight to the striker to crash into the back of the net. Bent could have won it for Villa when he swooped on Steven Taylor’s mistake only to see his chip cleared away from the recovering Taylor.

Premier League Preview

After a number of midweek matches involving English teams in the Champions League and Europa League, Premier League clubs now turn their attention back to their domestic fixtures this weekend.

Current champions and early season table toppers Manchester United welcome title rivals Chelsea to Old Trafford on Sunday and with manager Sir Alex Ferguson missing a number of players due to injury, he may have to stick with a similar starting eleven to the one that gained a point in their opening Champions League game away to Benfica on Wednesday evening. David De Gea and Rio Ferdinand however may be recalled to the side after they sat out the game at the Estádio da Luz. Visitors Chelsea have kept just the one clean sheet in their past eight league fixtures, while United have taken maximum points from their opening four games and scored eighteen goals in the process suggesting that they look set to lengthen their winning streak. Chelsea are also unbeaten this season taking ten points from four matches and following a 2-0 victory over Bayer Leverkusen in midweek they will head to Manchester with a considerable amount of momentum behind them.

Elsewhere, United’s neighbours Manchester City travel to Craven Cottage to face Fulham in confident mood, aiming to continue their 100% start to the Premier League season. The Cottagers have struggled to hit the back of the net so far this season having managed to score just two league goals, while City have the destructive attacking partnership of the equally in form Edin Dzeko and summer signing Sergio Aguero to call upon. With Fulham yet to win at home this season, the Citizens will be disappointed to come away from the capital with anything other than another three points.

Saturday’s lunchtime kick off sees a new look Arsenal away at struggling Blackburn who find themselves at the foot of the table with just a solitary point to their name. Buoyed by the return of Gervinho and Alex Song from suspension, the Gunners head to Ewood Park eyeing a win to put an end to their dismal away form, hoping to give their fans something to smile about after their 8-2 demolition at the hands of Manchester United in their last Premier League outing. Rovers simply need a change in luck after a series of unlucky results in recent weeks. Their last home game saw them miss two penalties only to see Arsenal new boy Mikel Arteta show them how it was done, sticking away a late penalty of his own in his final game for Everton confining Blackburn to an undeserved defeat.

Everton meanwhile, intend to build on their encouraging performance last week against Aston Villa by taking three points at home to Wigan. With Victor Anichebe the only player missing, manager David Moyes can call upon an almost fully fit squad for the first time this season and after an impressive debut as a second half substitute against Villa, Dutch loanee Royston Drenthe is pushing to make his full debut. Moyes’ opposite number Roberto Martinez will look to score his first Goodison Park victory as Latics boss as they aim to maintain their impressive start to the season.

Tottenham head into their match against Liverpool at White Hart Lane searching for their first home win of the season after getting the ball rolling with a 2-0 victory away at Wolverhampton Wanderers in their previous league fixture. Spurs have enjoyed recent success at home to The Reds and with Liverpool skipper Steven Gerrard unlikely to be risked following his long injury lay-off they will go into the game fancying their chances. Liverpool though have started well, with their loss away to Stoke last week the only setback in an otherwise solid first few games and with new boys Charlie Adam and Jordan Henderson showing promise in the early stages of their Anfield careers the mood is cheerful as they head down to north London.

Newcastle, who find themselves in the top four after strong start to the season, travel to the Midlands and Villa Park to play Aston Villa hoping to continue their four game unbeaten run. Despite having won just once this term, Villa too are unbeaten and with a number of ex-Magpies in their ranks they have a point to prove as they look to shake their tag as this seasons draw specialists. However, manager Alex McLeish is yet to record a victory over Newcastle in his managerial career.

Newly promoted Swansea City aim to get their inaugural Premier League win at home to West Bromwich Albion following an unfortunate loss to Arsenal in their previous game after a disastrous blunder by goalkeeper Michael Vorm. The Swans are the only team yet to score in the league this season and will see this game as the ideal opportunity to get off the mark. Albion, on the other hand, recorded a 1-0 triumph in their previous game away to Norwich and with star striker Peter Odemwingie turning in a man-of-the-match display they will hoping he can follow up with another high quality to display to lead them to victory.

Wolverhampton Wanderers, who have lost just once this season, see Queens Park Rangers visit them at Molineux. Mick McCarthy’s men will look to build on their solid start which has seen them turn from what ‘experts’ believed to be certain relegation candidates to a team that has flourished under the captaincy of summer acquisition Roger Johnson. QPR head to Wolves having scored only one goal all season and will need to polish their shooting boots if they are to defeat Wolves as the home side have managed to keep three clean sheets in their last four competitive games.

Bolton Wanderers welcome promoted Norwich City to the Reebok Stadium and will have to be on their guard as Norwich look for revenge after they were robbed of what was potentially a point gained when last week they were denied a late penalty after forward James Vaughan was elbowed in the face inside the penalty area by WBA’s Gabriel Tamas. Bolton too will be looking for a change in fortune after being on the wrong end of a 5-0 hammering at the hands of Manchester United in their previous home fixture.

Finally, it’s a battle of the red and white stripes as Stoke head to the North East eager to secure a win over Sunderland. Three points on Wearside would go some way to banishing the gutting memory of their trip to Ukraine in midweek, which saw them just miss out on what would have been tremendous 1-0 victory only for their Europa League opponents Dynamo Kiev to equalise in injury time. Sunderland will be aiming to record their first win of the season and will draw on the fact that Stoke are yet to come away from the Stadium of Light with all three points in the Premier League.

Hello!

Hello, first of all I would like to thank anyone who takes the time to read anything I post on this page in the future. I'll try my best to add new content on a regular basis but if I do not then it will mostly likely be due to commitments at university. I have never attempted to do anything like this before but I'll try to keep the posts to a reasonable standard anyway. I am doing this purely to get my name out there and see where it takes me.