Here are some of the strangest and daftest tweets from the world of football from week just gone.
henrywinter
Van Bommel backs `sweet guy’ De Jong. `He shouldn’t change his game but maybe he should occasionally go into a tackle slightly differently’
Yes perhaps he should.
SkySportsNews
Ben Afra – I’ll be back: Newcastle’s Hatem Ben Arfa has vowed ‘I’ll be back’ as he prepares to undergo surgery.
Somebody warn Sarah Connor.
JacquiOatley
Great video. Hertha Berlin player ‘gropes’ female ref’s breast
Jacqui loves a bit of sexual assault.
guardian_sport
Mirko Vucinic shows his drawers as #Montenegro pull off another win.
The Guardian – the only people in Britain who still use the word ‘drawers’ to refer to boxers / undies.
mrjamieohara
At the chancery court hotel trying to de stress my brother before his big wedding day, I’m gonna cane him in his speech lol
I’m sure he feels much more relaxed now.
danwalkerbbc
Ok #saturdaybreakfastnews I’ve gone full English. Slightly let down by the fact that the hotel has run out of tea!!!!
Four exclamation marks!!!! Dan Walker really likes his tea!!!!
rioferdy5
2nd day a training, good session too! What to do now….fifa, COD, read, ipod, movie, sleep…or tweet…hahaha!
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It’s a hard life isn’t it? Getting £100,000 a week and finishing work at 1 in the afternoon.
DMReporter
Following his call-up to the England squad to face Montenegro, 33-year-old Kevin Davies believes he can be the new Emile Heskey.
Kevin Davies keeps his ambitions low.
Some pretty good tweets this week, what with Jamie O’Hara ribbing his brother and Mark van Bommel getting cosy with de Jong.
This week’s winner (again) is Jacqui Oatley. She was so impressed with a video of sexual assault she had to share it with the world, and I like that.
Follow me on Twitter – http://twitter.com/CraigMorris21
Manchester United winger Nani believes he is one of the world's greatest players on current form.
The Portugal star has showed a huge improvement in his all-round game this term after a number of average showings last season.
But the 23-year-old, who has scored seven times this season and four in his last four outings, is adamant his startling displays deserve to be recognised.
"As a player I think I'm close to being as complete as I can be," he suggested.
"Now I can say I'm one of the top players in the world. I play for the best club in the world and my role in the team is as a decisive player, scoring goals or setting up and so the team can win.
"You have to believe in yourself and believe in your abilities on the pitch. Big games are for big players. I want to be one of the best. I'm not scared to play in the big games, they are the most beautiful in football – you play with very high quality.
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"Beautiful football, that's what everyone likes. And that helps lift my performance too."Subscribe to Football FanCast News Headlines by Email
With the January transfer window inching its wicked way closer and closer every day, a number of players may as we speak be weighing up their options. When the competition gets too tough and you’re just not getting a look in, it’s time to move on. When you’re a quality player, but you’re utilised primarily as a benchwarmer, it’s best to look elsewhere. There will be a number of players doing just that this January. They have reached a crossroads in their career. Whether or not the path they pick will be fruitful remains to be seen. The fact of the matter is, all ten players on this list have a large decision to make regarding their career. Do they stick or twist?
Click on SWP to see the top 10 players whose career has reached a crossroads
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Roman Pavlyuchenko has hinted he needs to be assured of more first-team football if he is to sign a new contract at Tottenham.
The Russia international has endured a difficult time at White Hart Lane since joining the club two years ago, failing to secure a regular starting spot since Harry Redknapp took over as manager.
The 28-year-old has strongly been linked with a return to Russia in every transfer window since his arrival, while Birmingham were reportedly close to signing him in January.
However, Pavlyuchenko has impressed this season, scoring eight goals in all competitions and featuring regularly for Spurs.
He has made made eight of his 13 Premier League appearances from the bench and while he says he would like to stay he firstly wants some assurances over his first team place.
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"I definitely want to stay here," Pavlyuchenko said in the Daily Mail. "But, nevertheless, before I actually sign a new contract I need to consider the situation. Sitting on the bench, even at a club as strong as Tottenham have become, is not good."Subscribe to Football FanCast News Headlines by Email
Whilst 2010 hasn’t been a great year in terms of silverware for Arsenal, it has been rather revealing in regards to the nature of their squad. Unfortunately, this year has seen the Gunners susceptible to the same problems that have plagued their Premier League campaigns in the past. They are too offensively-orientated, too brittle at the back and don’t have enough chutzpah in big games. Arguably all these problems have their root in Arsene Wenger’s managerial style and tactics. Given that Arsenal’s style of football has varied very little over the last 3-4 seasons, many of the problems that they faced in the past are the same one’s that still plague them today. Of course 2010 has seen some players take their development to the next level, whilst others have been cast into the wayside. Watching this team develop and struggle through the same problems as the past has been frustrating and exciting in equal measure.
It’s clear that the potential is there. Whether they meet it remains to be seen. Here’s what we’ve learned by watching Arsenal this year:
Jack Wilshere is the future:
Wilshere’s loan move to Bolton last season was the perfect jumpstart to his Premier League career. He came back from the Reebok Stadium a well-rounded player. Despite his small stature, he’s feisty, tough and loves to snap into tackles. By adding a steely side to his game, the 18-year-old has risen rapidly through the Arsenal ranks to become a key part of Arsene Wenger’s first team plans. He’s a fast learner, naturally talented and with a manager like Wenger watching over him, is sure to turn out to be an Arsenal great. With Cesc Fabregas’ future unknown (he’ll ship off to Barcelona at some stage, but who knows when) it’s likely that Wilshere alongside Aaron Ramsey will be the perfect replacement.
Samir Nasri is one of the Premier League’s best:
What is there to say about Samir Nasri that hasn’t already been said? The Frenchmen may not have won any silverware since joining Arsenal in 2008, but he’s playing as though he means to single-handedly put an end to the Gunner’s dry-spell. Nasri has contributed 12 goals in all competitions and is beginning to look like the real deal. He’s great in possession, passes well, gets past players with ease and works hard for the team. With his Zinedine-Zidane-like quick feet he is always capable of game-changing moments of magic. Along with the likes of Carlos Tevez, Rafael van der Vaart and Leighton Baines he has been one of the best players in the Premier League this season.
Arsenal’s only consistency is inconsistency:
It’s been yet another topsy-turvy season for the Gunners who have yet to add consistency to their game. After the high of taking apart a bewildered Chelsea, there was the low of a draw against Wigan – a team that Arsenal should be brushing aside with ease. After demolishing Braga 6-0 in the Champion’s League at home and beating Shaktar Donetsk 5-1, the Gunners would later suffer defeats to both sides in the return legs. These slip ups led to Arsenal finishing second in an easy group, and drawing Barcelona in the knockout stages. Whether Arsenal can match Barcelona remains to be seen, but they wouldn’t have wanted to draw the Spanish champions at such an early stage in the competition. If Arsenal don’t develop consistency soon, it’s likely they’ll suffer through another trophyless season.
Alex Song needs to be shackled:
Yes, I realise that it is Alex Song’s attacking spirit that bought Arsenal one of their most important goals of the season against Chelsea on Monday. Yet that doesn’t change the fact that Song’s runs forward often leave Arsenal caught out at the back. As the Gunner’s defensive midfielder Song should offer the back-four better protection than they currently get. Sébastien Squillaci and Laurent Koscielny have got a lot of flak from fans and critics alike but they wouldn’t be made to look so inept if they were better shielded by Arsenal’s midfield. In this case the buck has to stop with Arsene. He needs to imbue his midfield with a more defensive mindset. Alex Song must become an anchor in Arsenal’s midfield. Until this happens they will continue to be caught out at the back.
Arsenal still can’t defend from set pieces:
A rather disturbing statistic from @Orbinho: 50% of the goals Arsenal have conceded this season have come from set pieces. That’s the highest in the Premier League. For a side with title aspirations, that’s really not good enough. A statistic like that just highlights the how badly the Gunners need to bolster their defence. This doesn’t just mean adding height to the defence, it also means practising free-kick situations over and over until the players can learn not to switch off and lose their mark.
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Niklas Bendtner needs to keep his mouth shut:
Given the rise to prominence of Marouane Chamakh, Arsenal’s big Dane Niklas Bendtner has struggled to work his way into Wenger’s first team plans this season. This proved to be almost too much to take for the young striker who brought to light his dissatisfaction to the Press. “If the situation doesn’t change – if I keep sitting on the bench at Arsenal – I must leave. It’s as simple as that.” Wenger responded in the best possible manner to Bendtner’s provocative remarks. Days later Niklas was left out of Arsenal’s Champion’s League squad for a game that he could easily have been a part of. A month or two on and the 22-year-old seems well and truly humbled by the experience. He’s vowed to stay and work hard to get into the first team. Making demands gets you nowhere but hard work might just see Bendtner make his mark.
Arsenal CAN beat the big teams:
Before the start of this week the Gunners had already met with Chelsea and Manchester United this season and been beaten by both. Back in October a Drogba goal and a spectacular Alex freekick saw Chelsea dispatch Arsenal 2-0. More recently the Gunners visited Old Trafford and came back with a 1-0 defeat. These defeats exacerbated the myth that Arsenal aren’t big game players – that they crack when they meet with opponents of the calibre of United and Chelsea. This all changed when Chelsea visited the Emirates on Monday evening. Alex Song had one of his best games in an Arsenal shirt, Fabregas controlled the midfield, Theo Walcott was electric and the whole team worked hard. The result was a high-tempo Arsenal performance that Chelsea couldn’t keep up with. A 3-1 victory should be enough to put to bed the myth that the Gunners can’t beat the big teams. The next challenge is Barcelona in March. Fingers crossed.
Theo Walcott is well on the way:
If you believe Chris Waddle, Theo Walcott is a youngster with no footballing brain. If you’ve watched him play this season, however, you’ll have seen a player who has finally found his feet in the Premier League. Yes, his pace remains impressive, but he’s added a degree of decisiveness to his game that has taken it to the next level. Too often in the past Walcott would dawdle on the ball and give away possession. His undeveloped decision-making process (or lack of a footballing brain as Mr. Waddle might say) often meant Theo would cross when he should shoot and vice versa. This year has seen a change in the young winger. He takes players on, shoots more and is always looking to move play forward. With 9 goals already this season, despite being troubled for some time by an injury, it’s safe to say that Walcott is now beginning to fulfil his potential.
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Without Vermaelen, the Gunners lack defensively:
The state of Arsenal’s defence over the last couple of seasons has left a lot to be desired. Both Sébastien Squillaci and Laurent Koscielny were drafted in over the summer, but have failed to impress. Individually they don’t look too bad (though Squillaci strikes me as a little too error prone) and they haven’t had much time to blood themselves in the Premier League, but when played together they make for a rather weak defensive partnership. In recent times Arsenal have lacked a tough, tall, dominating presence amongst their back-four. Thomas Vermaelen is a defender with all these qualities, but an Achilles injury has seen him sidelined since August. Vermaelen is scheduled for a January return, but may be out longer if he suffers yet another setback. You can’t help but feel that the sooner he’s back, the better for Arsenal’s title chances.
Marouane Chamakh may just be the clinical striker Arsenal have been waiting for:
Arsenal’s best summer signing by quite some distance has to be Moroccan striker Marouane Chamakh. He arrived from Bordeaux on a free transfer and has fast become a fan favourite. With Robin Van Persie and Nicklas Bendtner sidelined by injury, Chamakh was thrust into the spotlight a little sooner than he’d probably have liked. Despite this, the 26-year-old striker has played an extremely important role for the Gunners this season. His impressive fitness levels and eye for goal has meant that he has handled the lone-striker role with aplomb. More impressive still is the manner by which Chamakh drops into the midfield to link up play before bombing forward to provide an option upfront. He’s a smart footballer, provides goals (he’s currently Arsenal’s second top goalscorer this season behind Samir Nasri) and he’s a welcome addition to Arsenal’s squad.
That’s what I’ve learned from watching Arsenal this season. What have YOU learnt? Are Arsenal ready to collect some silverware this season?
For more comment and debate please feel free to follow @ThePerfectPass on Twitter.
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Fatigue maybe setting in at Tottenham after three games in a week, but another three points maintains their maximum return of points during the festive period.
It wasn’t pretty to watch but a vital 1-0 victory moves Harry Redknapp’s men back into the top four and very much in contention for the title. They say that the sign of a good team is one that still manages to bag maximum points even when they don’t play, the North Londoners more than proved that theory right this afternoon.
So how do Tottenham fans feel about today, and what are the five things we learnt about Spurs this afternoon?
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South Korea have booked an Asian Cup semi-final showdown with Japan after a 1-0 win over Iran on Saturday at the Qatar Sports Club Stadium.
Second-half substitute Yoon Bit-Garam scored the winner for the Koreans in the dying stages of the first period of extra time with a stunning left-foot shot, a clear highlight in a dour encounter that failed to live up to expectations.
In a physical first half it was South Korea who started the better, but for all their territorial domination they struggled to carve out clear chances.
The first opportunity fell to the Koreans, with Lee Yong-Rae flashing a volley just wide of the upright after 23 minutes.
Celtic full-back Cha Du-Ri looked to get forward at every opportunity as Iran struggled to gain a foothold in midfield against the industrious Koreans, whose pressure and tackling was a standout.
But for all their possession, it was Iran who came closest to taking the lead on 27 minutes when a vicious in-swinging free-kick was nodded on by Ji Dong-Won and flew towards goal, forcing a brilliant diving save from Jung Sung-Ryong.
A corner from Ki Sung-Yong was nodded back across goal by Hwang Jae-Won, prompting Iran goalkeeper Mehdi Seyed Rahmati to punch the ball clear.
Just before half-time, Ji – whose close control was giving the Iranian defenders some headaches – shimmied inside and blazed a curling shot just wide of goal.
Two minutes after the restart, Rahmati had to acrobatically swat away a corner that appeared goal-bound and a short time later Cha found Ji inside the penalty area but the striker’s header flew straight to the keeper.
Reza Mohamad Khalatbari could have scored for the Iranians when a good ball from substitute Khosro Heydari created a goalmouth scramble, but Jung was on hand to avert the danger.
Ehsan Hajsafi went close for Iran with a strong shot on 70 minutes that flew just wide as his side began to come into the game with the Koreans tiring, and with 13 minutes to go a free-kick from Jayad Nekounam hit the side-netting.
With neither side able to break the deadlock in the closing stages, extra time was needed to find a winner.
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As the first half of extra time petered out, South Korean substitute Yoon collected the ball on the edge of the box, cutting inside both Pejman Noori and Jalal Hosseini before lashing a stunning left-foot shot past Rahmati to the delight of their supporters.
Iran threw everything at the South Koreans in the dying stages, with Andranik Teymourian having a great opportunity but the midfielder blasted his shot straight to Jung.
A short time later Masoud Shojaei went close with a beautiful chip that floated over the crossbar, and despite the strong pressure from Iran, South Korea held on to claim their place in the semis.
They will, however, be without defender Lee Jung-Soo, who picked up his second caution of the tournament in the second half and will miss the semi-final through suspension.
Denmark international Nicklas Bendtner is ready to face up to English Premier League friends and foes when they play England on Wednesday.
The Arsenal striker will be up against team-mates Theo Walcott and Jack Wilshere in Copenhagen, and will likely be man-marked by Chelsea captain John Terry, Bolton’s Gary Cahill or Spurs defender Michael Dawson.
But Bendtner is excited to be competing against his regular club opponents when he dons his country’s shirt.
“Well I’m looking forward to it a lot. It’s going to be good fun playing against some team mates and some friends. I think it is going to be a tough game and it’s going to be really exciting,” he said.
Bendtner said his side were well aware of the lightning pace of 21-year-old Walcott, who displayed his burst of speed on Saturday when scoring the opening goal inside 60 seconds in the Londoners’ 4-4 draw with Newcastle.
“Well with his (Walcott’s) pace it is always going to be difficult and he’s going to be a threat and that is his big, big strength and everyone knows that,” he said.
The 23-year-old said he had no excuses for a poor performance in front of his home fans in Wednesday’s highly-anticipated affair.
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“I do feel good as you said. It’s been a funny ride for me because it’s only after the last four weeks, I had absolutely no pain anywhere and I’ve gone 100 percent back into fitness and I’m starting to get 100 percent sharpness as well,” he said.
“I think I have been able to see that on the pitch and see that myself and I’m very much looking forward to the game and I think it will be a really, really good game.”
Alan Pardew is ready to fight to keep Newcastle stars Joey Barton and Jose Enrique.The duo are still contracted to Newcastle until the summer of 2012 but there have been no positive movements on either of the pair’s new contract talks.Pardew hopes that by signing Cheick Tiote until 2017 the pair will follow but the extension of the Ivory Coast star’s deal at St James’ Park was a major boost going into the clash with Bolton Wanderers on Saturday. Now Pardew hopes that others will follow and said: “I think that’s something that we need to resolve between now and the end of the season.””Hopefully we can manage to keep our best players. The negotiations are never straight forward.” “Cheick is the story today and I’d rather focus on that.”Tiote has been in great form for the Toon since signing from FC Twente last summer.Pardew feels his commitment will send out the right signal to fans.”Mike Ashley wanted to make a statement after the sale of Andy,” Pardew said.”He wanted to show the future could be bright here.””Signing Cheick is a big step forward. He’s had a fabulous first season here with Newcastle.””It’s important that we secure a player of his magnitude, he’s dynamic and that’s what we want the team to be.””He can set the tone here – he’s the kind of player in a midfield of four that covers so much ground.””It was important to send out that message and Mike wanted to make that statement with Cheick.”It’s fantastic news for the fans – they were hit by Andy Carroll’s departure.””The team have performed well without Andy but the signing of Cheick was a further boost for them.”Newcastle could name an unchanged line-up for the third game running as they prepare for Bolton with Steven Taylor and Ryan Taylor are both back in contention to make the bench.
AZ Alkmaar resumed their pursuit of the Eredivisie top three with a 2-1 win at 10-man Roda JC on Saturday, while Heracles thumped Excelsior.AZ, who fell to sixth on the Dutch table following last weekend’s 4-0 defeat to Ajax, moved within six points of the third-placed Amsterdam club at the expense of Roda after this week’s win.Iceland international Kolbeinn Sigthorsson broke a goal-less deadlock in the 52nd minute at Parkstad Limburg Stadion, the 20-year-old getting a header to Rasmus Elm’s free kick for his 11th goal of the season.An error by Esteban Alvarado handed Roda an equaliser in the 72nd minute, the AZ goalkeeper fumbling while diving to trap a loose ball and gifting Denmark international Mads Junker the easiest of finishes.But AZ were back in front two minutes later through Maarten Martens, whose scorching attempt from outside the area rocketed into the bottom-right corner.Things only got worse for the hosts from there, with Pa Modou Kah sent off with a second caution for his front-on challenge on Australian Brett Holman as the game entered injury time.Elsewhere, Heracles improved to three straight victories with a 4-1 dismantling of relegation-threatened Excelsior.Excelsior were down to 10 men in the 23rd minute when Daan Bovenberg was sent off with a straight red, and it took just nine minutes for Mark-Jan Fledderus to capitalise on the advantage from the edge of the area.Kwame Quansah (50) and Mark Looms (62) scored within 12 second-half minutes to put Heracles 3-0 up, before Guyon Fernandez pulled one back for the visitors in the 75th minute.With the result all but decided substitute Heracles striker Glynor Plet added his own exclamation mark to the proceedings, finding the net in injury time for his first goal since October.Finally, a last-gasp Daryl Janmaat goal ensured Heerenveen recorded a 1-1 draw at Vitesse Arnhem, ending their run of three straight losses.On-loan Barcelona midfielder Marti Riverola nabbed his first-ever professional goal in the 43rd minute, the 20-year-old rising unmarked to nod home Michihiro Yasuda’s whipped-in cross for a 1-0 Vitesse lead.But Janmaat saved Heerenveen’s blushes in the 87th minute, the Dutch midfielder’s third goal of the season stealing a point from the hosts.