Category Uncategorized

For too long Arsenal fans had to battle against the reminders, both pointless and spiteful, of how long it had been since the club last won a trophy. Saturday’s FA Cup win was a watershed moment, a release of built-up tension, anxiety and hurt.

There wasn’t any need for discussion about transfer activity or in-fighting on the future of the manager. Saturday – in fact the entire weekend – was a feel-good moment for the supporters as well as the players, many of whom had waited with great impatience for their first slice of silverware.

The unity among the supporters was fantastic to see. The joy of the cup win stretched well beyond north London, with fans across the globe sending in their stills of how they saw out the final and what transpired following.

There’s an argument to say the bad times are necessary. Under Arsene Wenger, Arsenal’s supporters have been spoilt, both in bringing home titles and in at times exquisite football. But the last nine years have been painful, some moments well beyond any reasonable explanation. There have been cup losses, the departure of club captains; that haunting night in Paris. This past weekend put those moments and memories into perspective and gave them purpose. You need the lows to really appreciate the highs – and how Arsenal fans have been enjoying this particular high.

There are still unnecessary jabs, of course. “It’s only the FA Cup,” “look at how poor you were on the day,” “it’s a one-off that won’t lead to anything else in the near future.” Mesut Ozil has drawn his critics once again. But it’s all been water off a duck’s back. Arsenal supporters are lapping it up and rightly so. There’s a trophy in the Emirates cabinet, finally. There’s now vindication for the new stadium; the starting point and finale of the trophy parade on Sunday couldn’t have been more fitting.

The relentless tirade against the club has come to an end. The remaining pieces of that nine-year-wait nonsense and all that came with it has been wrapped up and thrown into the sea. Many other clubs in England and Europe have used domestic cups as a starting point for further success, and that fact isn’t lost on Arsenal at this time. The barren spell is over, the period that facilitated, rightly or wrongly, the questioning of a manager who has done so much for the club. Arsenal have finally rediscovered the taste of tangible success, the critics have been silence, for now, and pride and self belief have been restored.

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

---

Subscribe

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

It may only be a domestic cup, a couple of steps down from the grand prizes. But Arsenal and its fans deserve to sip from the FA Cup long into the summer.

[ad_pod id=’ricco’ align=’center’]

Didier Drogba is Chelsea’s hero. He scored the winning goal in the final for the trophy it seemed like they had wanted forever. As a footballer he will go down in history, but as a man he is so, so much more. Whilst writing several features on footballers who have done nothing short of fantastic charity work it was hard not to be impressed with what they had done yet when it comes to the Ivorian striker, he simply blows them all out of the water.

Drogba is not just heavily involved in several charity projects, with the Didier Drogba Foundation prominent amongst them, he is simply a God in the Ivory Coast, playing a vital role in bringing the country – which was embroiled in a bitter Civil War- to peace. Drogba himself made the plea for a truce live on television begging on his knees, after the nation had qualified for the World Cup and it worked.

Less than a week later the country was coming out of the war that had ripped them apart and chief instigator in said peace was the striker the English press and fans have on occasion vilified for being a poor human being and a diver. Well if that is a poor human being I think we could do with one in the Middle East sometime soon.

Since his epic speech, Drogba has been elevated past the status of a hero in his home nation and is now simply something beyond that, becoming a representative of an Ivory Coast panel for reconciliation and being named as one of the hundred most influential people in the wold back in 2010 by Time magazine due to his successful role in bringing peace to the country.

Politics aside, Drogba is also one of the most charitable people around and has not only the aforementioned foundation which has been in existence since 2007 now and aims to not only educate people in Africa but also provide them with better living and health care conditions –most notably allowing for a hospital to be built in his home town with a whole host of other vital homes and buildings at his own personal expense being created.

The player felt that the first act of the foundation should be to build a hospital so that people could have the ‘basic chance to live’ and access healthcare that is a given to all of us reading this at home but for an African child living in poverty is nothing more than a distant dream. Chelsea FC also donated money for the project and three million pounds of Drogba’s own money went towards this too – it is hard to imagine certain other footballers doing this and that only speaks to how much the former Chelsea striker has done and how much more there is left to do.

A man like Drogba does not stop here however and has been involved in a wide range of activities, including helping to support the Special Olympics Cote d’Ivoire alongside the Solomon Kalou Foundation and becoming a goodwill ambassador for the country after the United Nations Development Programme approached him on the back of his previous charitable contributions and profile.

Drogba has an annual dinner in order to raise money for the projects he is involved in and fellow professionals and celebrities attend – this is where most people stop their involvement and interest – it is all too often we hear about a player hosting a fund raiser for charity and donating his time or a few shirts that have been signed but Drogba does so much more than that but financially and physically, using his fame and status to become what is turning out to be a saviour for the people of the Ivory Coast and an inspiration to the rest of the world.

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

---

Subscribe

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

To see the reaction of his fellow Ivorian’s to the player is nothing short of mind blowing – he is revered and has more influence than most in much higher positions of power than himself. The player will state he is only doing a small bit – what he can – and there is plenty more work to be done both politically and with the health, social and education side of things, hence the creation of the Didier Drogba Foundation, and the need for continuous work in Africa. Chelsea fans may see Drogba as a hero because of his performance in Munich but for the people of the Ivory Coast he is their hero and one that has brought peace to a warring nation and is doing all in his power to both keep it and improve the standard of living for his people.

Crystal Palace are rumoured to be interested in Marseille right-back Hiroki Sakai, according to the Evening Standard.

According to the report, Palace boss Roy Hodgson was keen on Fulham player Ryan Fredericks before he joined West Ham, and he is looking for a player to replace soon-to-be out of contract Joel Ward.

The 28-year-old Sakai joined Marseille in 2016 and has been a mainstay in their defence ever since, and could be available for £12million.

Equally confident on the right or left of a back four, Sakai is a versatile defender that may not offer the pace of Fredericks but is an assured and calming presence at the back, with the ability to join the attack and grab an assist.

He is definitely more of a classical defensively-minded full-back than the current trend of wing-backs, but this could be ideal for Palace as it would ease the pressure on their pacy wingers who want to join the attack as much as possible.

Popping up with three assists this season in Ligue 1, two more than Ward managed for the Eagles, the World Cup-bound Sakai relies on his strong passing accuracy to cut through defences rather than his ability to beat a man and whip in a cross.

However, Sakai really shines with his defensive statistics, an area Palace clearly need to improve having conceded 55 goals last season.

Averaging two tackles, 2.1 clearances and 1.4 interceptions every game, Sakai is tenacious when breaking down attacks and quickly moving the ball onto a teammate, which he does with an 82 per cent success rate.

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

---

Subscribe

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

Full-backs who want to defend are hard to come by these days, and if Hodgson could negotiate towards a price of £9-10million, Crystal Palace would be making a very sensible signing which would bolster their defence for the coming season.

[brid autoplay=”true” video=”252976″ player=”12034″ title=”Watch 21 things that will definitely happen at the World Cup”]

According to reports in The Sun, Crystal Palace have had a £9m bid rejected for FC Midtjylland striker Alexander Sorloth as they look to sign a new centre-forward before the January transfer window slams shut on Wednesday.

The Sun says that the Eagles will now consider an improved package to land the 6ft 4in attacker before the close of play on Wednesday, with manager Roy Hodgson determined to provide Christian Benteke with some competition up top.

Sky Sports add that the south London club’s budget for a new striker this month is between £10-12m, which suggests that they are confident that they will be able to bring the Norway international to Selhurst Park for a fee in that price range.

Meanwhile, Newcastle United lost out to Premier League rivals West Bromwich Albion in the race to sign Liverpool striker Daniel Sturridge on loan on Monday, and Rafa Benitez is still yet to add the centre-forward to his squad that he wanted to this month.

The Magpies have only scored 22 goals in their 24 top flight matches this season with the Tyneside outfit are in desperate need of reinforcements in attack, and bringing Sorloth to St James’ Park could prove to be a shrewd move.

Here are three reasons Newcastle must hijack Crystal Palace’s move for the 22-year-old…

Goals

Newcastle are in desperate need of goals if they are to retain their Premier League status this season, and Sorloth’s record suggests that he could be the player to shoot them to survival.

The 22-year-old has scored 15 goals and provided a further nine assists in 25 appearances in all competitions for Midtjylland this term, while he scored 14 in 29 during a loan spell for Bodo/Glint previously.

His record at Groningen in the previous two seasons was a little less impressive, but the form he has shown during the current campaign will mean that he is full of confidence if he does arrive in the Premier League before Wednesday’s deadline.

His qualities

According to WhoScored.com, Sorloth has plenty of strengths in his game, including his ability to make key passes and through balls, while his defensive contribution, dribbling and strength in the air are also commended.

While the 22-year-old can play as a target man because of his height and strength, he has also played out wide on a handful occasions for Midtjylland because he is also quick, agile and able to run with the ball.

That versatility should appeal to Rafa Benitez, who is desperate to add a new spark to his side’s faltering frontline.

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

---

Subscribe

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

Price tag

While Newcastle clearly have the money to bring in a new centre-forward this month given their links and rumoured bids for Feyenoord’s Nicolai Jorgensen, they can’t afford to pay a huge, huge sum for a new striker.

Signing Sorloth – who could cost between £10m-12m – would certainly be an attractive option for owner Mike Ashley, and it may be a more realistic deal for the Tyneside outfit given they won’t have much time to sort out everything involved with the deal before the deadline on Wednesday night.

Do you agree, Magpies fans? Let us know below.

Fulham have moved to replace manager Rene Meulensteen with Felix Magath in a bid to avoid relegation from the Premier League.

The Cottagers are currently rooted to the foot of the table after a disappointing season, but they have shown signs of improvement lately with a shock 2-2 draw away to Manchester United and a narrow defeat at the hands of Liverpool.

But, Fulham’s owners acted swiftly to dismiss the Dutchman and draft in Magath as first-team coach.

A statement from Fulham’s owner Shahid Khan on the club’s official website read:

“I’m very happy to welcome Felix Magath to Fulham Football Club. Felix is an accomplished manager with multiple honours in the Bundesliga and a hunger to replicate his success with Fulham in the Barclays Premier League.

“I’m especially impressed with the reputation Felix has for coming into clubs at difficult times, often late in the season, and lifting them to their potential and beyond. Felix knows that is precisely the task awaiting him at Fulham, and he made it abundantly clear that he wants and is ready for the opportunity.

“Our Club has shown promise in recent matches, but the fact is we haven’t won a league match since 1st January. Given our form, we can no longer merely hope that our fortunes will finally turn. And with 12 matches remaining and at least four points separating us from safety, we certainly can no longer post empty results. Action was required.”

Magath has a wealth of managerial experience and has enjoyed spells with the likes of Bayern Munich, Wolfsburg, Schalke and Werder Bremen.

Meulensteen had taken over from Martin Jol earlier this season, but the ex-Manchester United coach was unable to alter the poor form of his predecessor.

Click below for great Mercedes offers!

As Arsenal’s fortunes on the pitch continue to improve, the Gunners have been boosted by the news that star midfielder Jack Wilshere is set to make his long-awaited comeback.

Wilshere has been out injured for over a year, but is set to return to action on Monday in an Arsenal v West Brom U21 match.

The 20-year-old returned to training last week and here he is pictured with fellow Arsenal teammates, English duo Theo Walcott and Alex Oxlade-Chamberlain.

Can you come up with a funny caption for this Arsenal trio?

Leave your suggestions in the comments section below…

[divider]

Genius or rebel, magician or maverick?

Maradona split public opinion like no other footballer.

From his rise to the top of the world to the ‘Hand of God’, 1986 World Cup glory, perhaps thegreatest goal ever and his downward spiral, this is his remarkable story, told in his own words and by those who knew him best.

Out now on Amazon.co.uk

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

---

Subscribe

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

For the FootballFanCast.com Caption Competition Terms and Conditions click here

Check out our Caption Competition Gallery for some inspiration and to see the winners so far.

Last week’s winner: Boco – click here to see all entries

Manchester United fans are eager to sign Chelsea attacker Willian this summer after being impressed with his performance for Brazil against Croatia on Sunday.

While the club football season may be done and dusted, the summer of action is just beginning with countries warming up for the World Cup in Russia, which starts in less than two weeks time.

Brazil continued their preparations with a friendly against Croatia at Anfield on Sunday afternoon, winning 2-0 thanks to goals from Neymar and Roberto Firmino. Willian was another player who stood out for the South Americans and their attacking front free are set to impress everyone in Russia.

Man United fans were keeping a special close eye on the Chelsea man, who has been linked with a move to Old Trafford in recent months.

Rated at £28.8m by Transfermarkt, the 29-year-old had a fine 2017/18, scoring 13 goals and assists eight times for the Blues. Is he the kind of player that Jose Mourinho needs to complete his attack?

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

---

Subscribe

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

Supporters took to Twitter to share their thoughts…

Paul Lambert is one of those football managers that has a busy CV having coached at numerous clubs.

The Scotsman’s longest spells were in charge of Norwich City and then Aston Villa.

After taking the position at the Midlands outfit in 2012, Lambert had a shaky term, during which he oversaw a damaging 8-0 defeat to Chelsea.

In the end, the club managed to stay in the Premier League and the former Borussia Dortmund player managed to guide the team to the semi-finals of the League Cup.

The 2013-14 campaign was fairly mediocre, and the following season was not completed by Lambert as he was sacked in February 2015.

Since then, the 48-year-old has had stints as manager of Blackburn Rovers and Wolverhampton Wanderers.

After being out of work for almost eight months, Lambert has been picked up by Stoke City, who have hired him on a two-and-a-half-year contract following the recent dismissal of Mark Hughes.

The news prompted a number of Villa fans to tweet their views on the appointment.

The World Cup draw isn’t just about finding out who you will be playing in the tournament in six months time. Managers learn one of the most important things: where they will be playing.

The match venues are so crucial for teams in the group stage. Behind the scenes in the FA, workers are desperately trying to configure travel times, local weather, and where to base their team. Last time out, England players said “they were bored” in between matches during their time at their Rustenburg base in South Africa, so this year Hodgson’s side will be hoping that Greg Dyke and company find somewhere more suitable to their needs.

With the tournament being held in Brazil, the locations were even more important. If England were hosting the tournament, the only real differences between venues would be the travel links, and maybe some evening entertainment.

But in Brazil, everything is magnified. Suddenly teams could have to fly over a 1000 miles to reach their stadium, to a city reaching 30 degrees in the daytime. Suddenly the group you are in is arguably as important, possibly more important, than the teams that join you!

So with that in mind, lets have a look at where England will be playing, and the conditions they will experience.

Estadio Amazonia – Manaus

England’s first game of the World Cup will be against Italy in the heart of the Amazon rainforest. Originally built in 1970 as the Estadio Vivaldao but demolished in 2009, the new ground was due to be finished by FIFA’s deadline by the end of December. However, it appears to be one of the many projects to be behind schedule. Costing the public £186million, 95% of the material from the old stadium will be reused, in this lookalike of Beijing’s Bird Nest stadium.

The Three Lions will kick off at 6pm local time, meaning fans that don’t fly out to watch the match will have to stay up until 11pm to see their country. The fans back home will be grateful that the kick off time has been moved from 2am English time in order for both sets of fans to watch the game at a reasonable(ish) time, however it may effect the players. With daytime temperatures averaging at 31 degrees, both sets of teams will be hoping that has dropped even slightly by the time they kick off. With a 40% chance of thunderstorms, and a likely 80% humidity, expect a fair few drinks breaks! Fortunately for Roy Hodgson, Italy won’t be too used to the climate either.

But with the fantastic support England get, expect every one of the 42,374 seats to be filled, no matter the weather. If you’re watching from home, then set your alarm clocks for a 11pm kick off on June 14th.

Arena de Sao Paulo – Sao Paulo

A stadium that has been in the news recently, and for all the wrong reasons, the future home of Corinthians is a complete new build ahead of the World Cup. However, at the end of November, the stadium was said to be “94% complete”, until a construction crane collapsed onto part of the stadium, killing two workers. The stadium is now set to be completed in February.

England play their second match of the tournament there against Uruguay, just five days after facing Italy. The stadium will hold 65, 807 fans during the tournament, with 20,000 of those seats temporarily placed specifically for the competition. A much cooler climate awaits Roy Hodgson after Manaus, as well as a more sociable kick off time for fans back home, 8pm to be exact. Uruguay are obviously used to playing in the South American climate and will be a huge threat for the Three Lions, but at least the temperatures aren’t too unknown for Hodgson’s side, unlike Manaus.

Estadio Mineirao – Belo Horizonte

England’s final group game, but hopefully not their last of the tournament, the Three Lions play Costa Rica at the Estadio Mineirao in Belo Horizonte, a stadium with a capacity of 62,547. The stadium is one of the most historic venues in Brazilian football, and has been greatly refurbished, with the stadium now more accessible, and the pitch lowered. This allowed for the running track to be removed, and more seats to be added.

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

---

Subscribe

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

Temperatures are likely to peak at 25 degrees, so a manageable temperature for the English side, who could potentially go into this game needing a win should things not go to plan against Italy or Uruguay. The match will kick off at 5pm English time, which is 1pm local time. The stadium normally asks the question ‘Atletico Mineiro or Cruzeiro?’ the two teams that call the Estadio Mineirao home, but on the 24th June it will be ‘Costa Rica or England?’

[divider]

Click on the banner below to join the boys in Brazil!

Manchester United captain Nemanja Vidic has called for a sense of perspective ahead of what is certain to be an emotionally-charged clash with Liverpool at Anfield on Sunday.

The Premier League encounter, always one of the most fiercely-contested in the English calendar, is the first home game for the Merseyside club following the publication of the Hillsborough Independent Panel’s report into the 1989 disaster. Liverpool are planning to honour the memory of the 96 supporters who lost their lives during the FA Cup semi-final with Nottingham Forest, but there are concerns any tributes could be overshadowed by the actions of a minority of visiting supporters. Centre-back Vidic has joined Red Devils manager Sir Alex Ferguson in issuing a plea for all involved in Sunday’s game to show respect for each other, and knows the eyes of the world will be on Anfield. The defender told Sky Sports:

“Football is important, but it is never more important than life, any life. It doesn’t matter if it’s in England or Serbia or any part of the world, but football has had to deal with many tragedies too.  There is a lot of history with these two clubs. We have some history as well, we have some tragedies, just like Liverpool. We should respect each other because we are big clubs and clubs that are respected in the world. We have to show an example and be on top of the bad situation and behave well and, I would say, be an example.”

Liverpool striker Luis Suarez and United defender Patrice Evra will be under greater scrutiny than their team-mates in the wake of the racism storm of last season and the missed handshake between the duo at Old Trafford. Vidic does not want to give too much thought to the pre-match meeting between the duo, with it widely expected that they will not cause further controversy on such a sensitive occasion, and admits he and his team-mates must focus more on the game. He continued:

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

---

Subscribe

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

“It’s important to not do any stupid things in the game, to go there and play football – what we dream of, to play that derby and to be all about the football, not about the fighting or any other things.”