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TOP GAFFERS WITH A POINT TO PROVE IN THE PL

2013-08-16T11:06:00.001-07:00

For the first time in the history of English football, the clubs finishing in the top 3 of the PL will be having different managers. With another season of English Premier League all set to kick off, all the top coaches have an enormous job on their hands to prepare their particular teams for the upcoming season and also build upon the achievements Of their predecessors. All the football fans and followers have been anticipating the start of another league campaign. David Moyes, Manuel Pellegrini, and Jose Mourinho have to start from a scratch and deliver immediate results.

Let us take a deep look into these 3 gaffers:

David Moyes

David Moyes has been one of the most known and experienced manager in the PL almost for the past decade. During his 11 year stay at Everton, Moyes has done a great job by making them a stable side in the league with very low transfer budget and at the same time He has produced good, tactical, attacking and entertaining football for the job ate toffees. Rightly so Moyes deserved the job at Manchester United. But this time He has a massive task that is to fit into the shoes of Sir Alex Ferguson by winning trophies and also develop players that are coming through the club’s youth academy. The Scot also has to build upon the great club legacy that has been made by the great SAF who has won a total of 35 trophies that includes 13 Premier League titles. In order to become a long term successor to his compatriot at the Theatre of Dreams.

David Moyes is having good domestic experience but He’s short on European experience and that may prove to be expensive for the Red Devils. The biggest tasks for the former Everton boss will be to sort out Wayne Rooney’s future at Old Traffod, He also needs a perfect replacement to the legendary Paul Scholes , to get a proper playmaker, at the same time he has to strengthen the defense as Rio and Vidic are coming to the end of their careers and they need a proper center half in order to avoid the leakage of goals and last but most important thing for Moyes is to retain the Premier League title against the likes of Manchester City and Chelsea who have been very active in the transfer window un like United who have been losing their transfer targets. Chelsea boss Jose Mourinho has tipped David Moyes to be the right man for Manchester United.

Will the journey from Goodison Park to Old Traffod prove to be Rosy for Moyes?

Only time has the answer for that.

Manuel Pellegrini

Manuel Pellegrini has been one of the top manager in La Liga for the last 5-6 years. Pellegrini’s time at Los Balacos was not very rosy and he only lasted for 1 season. But the 59 year old experienced good share of success with Villa Real and Malaga. The Chilean guided Villa Real to the semi-finals of the champions league, but He had an unlucky campaign in Europe with Malaga last season as they were knocked out of the UCL quarter finals after BvB scored 2 goals at death to knock them out.

Pellegrini has bolstered Man City’s squad with the signings of Fernandinho, Jesus Navas, Alvaro Negredo and Stevan Jovetic. But the former Malaga trainer has an enormous task at the Etihad, that is to challenge for the league title and also improve their form on European grounds, as the citizens have performed miserably in the previous 2 campaigns of UCL under their former boss Roberto Mancini. On the other hand the Chilean also has to develop the young lads that are coming through the likes of their academy. Pellegrini has developed many young players and undoubtedly his biggest achievement would be the Spanish wonder kid Isco and with the introduction of FFP , splashing the cash may backfire on them. So same will be expected from him at City. Manuel Pellegrini is having one of the best PL squad at his disposal that is packed with both youth and experience with an average age of 24-25 years.

In order to be successful in the blue half of Manchester, Pellegrini must not repeat the mistakes made by Mancini and make the most of his present squad instead of spending big in the transfer market. The former Villa Real trainer may try to initiate a Malaga style of game play that is somewhat similar to Barca’s game play so City may play football with more possession.

Can Manuel Pellegrini build upon Mancini’s achievement at Etihad?

That’s something we have to wait and see.

Jose Mourinho

One of the biggest boom of the Premier league is the return of Jose Mourinho to the Premier League and Chelsea, as the Chelsea supporters have been singing Ga-Ga on his arrival at Stamford Bridge. When presented as Chelsea manager in 2004, Mourinho famously self-proclaimed himself as “THE SPECIAL ONE” and proved it by winning the league for Chelsea after 50 years and then He went on to win back to back titles for the West London outfit. Jose won all the domestic honors for Chelsea in his tenure of three and a half years but he failed to land Europe’s biggest prize- the Champions League and eventually left in the year 2007.

Mourinho enjoyed great success at Inter Milan by making them the most dohe Chelsea minant force in both Italy and Europe by winning the first treble in the history of Italian football, Jose’s win against Barcelona in the semis of UCL in 2010 has been considered as one of the biggest European upset. But his time at Real Madrid was not very sound. Even though He won all the domestic titles with Real but failed to land their tenth La Decima which may be considered as a black mark.

On his arrival at Los Balacos, he denied that He was “Harry Potter”. But the truth lies somewhere in the middle, the Setubal born tactician is something out of the ordinary, his motivational techniques are able to make players perform above their potential. Jose’s tactical acumen is hardly called into question.

Mourinho has already said that he want to start from ground zero by developing the players in the team rather than going on a spending spree. Jose has acquired the services of Andre Schurrle and Marco Van Ginkel for Chelsea that has solved the problem of an out and out winger and a deep lying playmaker but the biggest task for the former Real Madrid trainer would be to fix the issue of a striker as Fernando Torres has not been consistent , Romelu Lukaku is a leathal goal poacher but He is low on his experience, on the other hand Demba Ba has been unable to cope with the pace of the midfield and the Chelsea playing style does not suit him as Mourinho prefers attacking football with tireless running the Senegal international may be playing third fiddle to Torres and Lukaku. If Chelsea fail l as he has in their pursuit to sign Wayne Rooney they may have difficulty in their challenge for the Premier League title but Jose’s brilliant man management may prove to be vital for the Blues as the Portuguese has vowed to revitalize Torres. He also needs to work upon the defensive aspect of their game as Chelsea have conceded 85 goals in all competitions last season so the former Inter boss needs to solve the defensive problems of his side. Jose has the record of conceding only 15 goals in the league in 2004/05 season for the Stamford Bridge outfit. Jose is a highly popular figure amongst the Chelsea faithful, but it would be interesting to see what Jose has in store for his second stint because He has to build upon his achievements in the past and so there is a big point to prove for the “HAPPY ONE”

Will Mourinho be the “HAPPY ONE”?

It is something which every football fans/ follower and all the Pundits are looking forward to!

By: Eashan Kaul

Gareth Bale would cost madrid a whopping £103 million tells Spurs chairman Levy.

2013-07-26T09:13:00.001-07:00

Tottenham are ready to sell star winger
Gareth Bale to Spanish giants Real Madrid - but it will cost a world record €120million euros.
According to reports in Spanish newspapers,
the Welsh winger is the top priority of
Real Madrid President Florentino Perez, but the
move could be is hindered by the extra money demands of Spurs chairman Daniel Levy.
Madrid do not want to meet

the €120m asking price - but they are willing to make an alternative
offer of £86million plus Argentine winger Angel Di
Maria in exchange.

Spurs boss Andre Villas-Boas is a known admirer of di Maria and he is likely to be ok with the deal as spurs are expected to make a huge profit out of this deal. While Di Maria himself
is understood to have been unsettled by Madrid’s
public pursuit for a player that would take his
position in the Real team.
It is understood that Madrid will need to break previous world record fee of £80million they
paid to sign Cristiano Ronaldo from Manchester
United in 2009.

Spurs are planning to offer Bale a new deal that
would see his wages double to £170,000-a-week
but the London club may still have problems keeping the player, with Bale last
month admitting that it would be difficult to resist
a move to Spanish football.
He told Esquire: ‘I probably prefer Spanish
football to the others.

'It’s very technical the way they play, they keep
the ball well and whenever Spurs have played
against Spanish teams in the past they’ve always
made it difficult for us.
‘So I’d say that Spanish football is probably the
best I’ve seen. Obviously, I’d like to try other
leagues in the future.
'Every player would like to get as high as they can
and try different things. It’s something that the
future holds and it’s something that I’m very
interested to try in the least.’

Side Foot Finish: The Jersey Store

2013-07-08T11:38:00.002-07:00

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Paulinho undergoes Medical wants to be Spurs Frank lampard !!

2013-07-05T04:55:00.001-07:00

Brazil midfielder Paulinho is believed to be undergoing a medical ahead of a long awaited move to Tottenham. The 24-year-old Corinthians star has been linked with Spurs for several months now and it appears that the north London club have succeeded in luring him to white hart lane with a £17 million bid.

Paulinho, who has 17 international caps to his name and impressed in Brazil's recent Confederations Cup success, will become Andre Villas-Boas' first summer signing as he looks to reshape his squad and push for a top four Finish in the Premier League next season.

The player told in an interview about being compared to Chelsea's all time top scorer Frank lampard:

“This comparison is a responsibility I will take, I will not run away from it. “Lampard is a great player not only for Chelsea but world football.

“I intend to follow in his footsteps as he is a very professional guy. David Luiz always speaks of
him on international duty.

“I’ve always looked at what Lampard does and, to me, he is a phenomenon — the way he hits
the ball, what positions he takes up. He really is incredible.” Inter Milan and Real Madrid were also believed to be interested in the Brazilian midfielder, who scored twice during the Confederations Cup. If the medical goes without a hitch, Paulinho could be announced as a Tottenham player later today.

Latest Transfer News

2013-07-04T12:01:00.001-07:00

*Real Madrid are planning up a £60 million bid for Spurs star Gareth Bale, Angel di Maria or Gonzalo Higuain can also be used as exchange in the deal.(Mirror)

*It is beloved that Manchester City have agreed a deal in principle with Napoli forward Edinson
Cavani over a summer transfer to England. (Mail)

*Manchester United, Manchester City and Liverpool are all interested in signing Sporting Lisbon forward Bruma. (Mirror)

*Chelsea are willing to allow goalkeeper Thibaut Courtois to remain at Atletico Madrid to push for a permanent deal for striker Radamel Falcao. (Mirror)

*Chelsea, Liverpool, Everton, Milan and Roma are all trying to sing high in demand Lyon's Croatian centre-back Dejan Lovren .(Express)

*Liverpool are also looking to sign Ajax's Belgium defender Toby Alderweireld. (Sky Sports)

*While Red devil's boss David Moyes is keen on recruiting FC Copenhagen striker Andreas
Cornelius for around £5 million. (Mirror)

*Spurs are considering a bid for former Arsenal midfielder Alex Song, whose appearances for Barcelona have been very limited. (Mail)

*Arsenal are trying for QPR's Brazilian international goalkeeper Julio Cesar(People)

*Arsene Wenger is also monitoring Schalke's German international midfielder Julian Draxler.
(Express)

*Liverpool shot-stopper Pepe Reina is set to be a key target for Barcelona in their attempt to replace Victor Valdes, who will leave this summer or the next. (Mirror)

Tevez to Juventus - Looks Like a Good Deal.

2013-07-02T08:10:00.001-07:00

Looks like Antonio Conte,manager of the Serie A champion team Juventus wants his team to only get better from the position where they stand right now.After leading Juventus to claim the title this season,the Italian made his side,already filled with many stalwarts,more tenacious by signing the popular Argentine and Man City forward-Carlos Tevez.

Tevez,whose performance forced Robert Mancini(former Man city manager who was recently sacked by the club owners) to appoint him as the skipper, made a commendable impact at the club making great contributions by scoring at a very good rate and leading his side to win the Premiere Laegue title in 2011-12.

His stint with City's arch-rivals Man United was also successful and ever since his carrier took off,Tevez never looked back and moved from strength to strength.With Llorente as the main striker,basking him in,under 15 million proves to be quite an outstanding deal for Juventus and as far as Tevez is concerned,he should be more than happy with the transfer after citing his problems at the english club.

From West Ham United To Juventus,one can only say that it has been an impressive journey for the Argentine and the move from England to Italy looks like a great deal both for Tevez as well as for Juventus.

By: Shashank Mudgal

The New Mourhino At Bernabeu - Carlos Ancelotti.

2013-06-28T03:39:00.002-07:00

Florentino Perez announced Carlos Ancelotti as the new manager of the prestigious club Real Madrid this Tuesday.The former Chelsea,AC Milan and PSG coach will be assisted by former France legend Zinedine Zidane on the sidelines.

With Higuain's departure(leaving Benzema as the only centre forward) and rumors about Ronaldo's rondezvous with Manu staff,Carletto has been assigned responsibility straight from the word- GO.

Gareth Bale,however,remains the club's top priority as far as transfers are concerned but Ancelotti ducked almost every bouncer bowled at him regarding the club's latest-future prospects in his first media-interaction.If the inside sources are to believe,carlos and Perez are willing to pay huge for Luis Suarez and are keeping a close eye on him.

Money is not a concern for Ancelotti with the Club's president,Perez,saying that "they earn big with big investments" and that he doesn't mind big-signings.

The Italian has a task at hand and will be willing to show his mettle.Whether or not,he makes Madrid a brutal force remains to be seen.Till then,all i got is - "tutti i migliori, Carletto".("All the best, Carletto")

By: Shashank Mudgal

It's Not All About The Players On The Pitch

2013-06-23T23:05:00.000-07:00

The game is not anymore about the players but is eminently guided by the tactics to get the right player on the pitch at the right price . Striking up the right combination with limited finances at disposal for most of the managers. The management doesn't need to make sure only that they acquire the right set of players but also to strike right the right sponsorships. Chelsea signed a 300 million deal with Adidas which is only equivalent to Arsenal's 30 million per year deal with their kit sponsors in terms of money.

When talking about the players clouds of doubt loom over the Liverpool management minds because it is speculated that the Spanish giants Madrid who have shown keen interest in Luis Suarez but are expected to wait till the end of august. Real Madrid are believed to play on the contract clause of £40 million imposed by Liverpool and the Spanish giants are known to be extravagant spenders do have a few tricks up their sleeves as they are famous for hanging the transfers till the last minute (Michael Owen £7 million 2004 which way below the real value) .

Air has it, the keen interest shown by Nike in getting CR7 back to old Trafford and Nike's willingness to see the player to get the player back into a Nike kit is evident by £70 million that Nike is willing to put up for the transfer. Now it's upon the management to get the right combination as just money wont be enough to get the star and it can be a possibility that either Wayne Rooney or Javier Hernandez goes to Spanish giants with a hefty £80 million.

So can one say the beautiful game is being suppressed OR enhanced by numbers and managerial skills at the top level ?

By: Atul Beniwal

Top 5 Highest Paid African Footballers 2013

2013-06-23T08:41:00.000-07:00

As the beginning of the year we had the African Cup of Nations which showcased numerous African talents that can compete with the modern European footballers. Major success of African players are due to the hard work they put in, desire to win and being physically very strong gives the owners an advantage to take them for high wages that the European players. Players like Toure, Drogba, Eto have achieved remarkable glories in European football in the recent past. Here we have the Top 5 highest paid African Footballers.

5. Emmanuel Adebayor - Tottenham(England) $13 M per year

4. Seydou Keita - Dalian Aerbin FC(China) $15.5 M per year

3. Didier Drogba - Galatasaray(Turkey) $17 M per year

2. Yaya Toure - Manchester City(England) $19 M per year

1. Samuel Eto’o - FC Anzhi Makhachkala(Russia) $28.5 M per year

Era of the Spaniards

2013-06-23T05:34:00.002-07:00

The year 2008 ended a 44-year trophy winning drought for the Spanish football team and marked the starting of an era which nobody thought would prevail this long.The two-time European champions and the world champions have conquered global football.

The juniors are not far behind either,in fact,the only area where the junior Spaniards are lagging is the mere fact that they are "juniors". The reason- Spain are currently the European champions at the U-19 and U-21 level as well.

"They know how to play because they have come from a country where they learn how to play" says the master,Vincent del bosque,coach of the national football team.

Spanish sovereignty over other teams is obviously an outcome,made possible by the hard-work and persistence of the talented bunch of youngsters but the fact which is often not looked at is the work ethics,upbringing of the home-grown teenage sensations,their nourishment which starts very early and lot of other factors which are responsibly and successfully taken care of,by the " Spanish System".

Have a close look and see yourself the reason for Spain's dominance-

Iker Casillas( GK-Real Madrid),Victor Valdes( GK-Barcelona),Pepe Reina( GK-Liverpool) and David de Gea( GK-Manchester United).What they have in common is that each one of them represent one country - SPAIN.

The creative style of play,the fundamentals,the values,the sharpness,the teamwork,The determination-every time they step onto the field,it looks as if they have it all.

"They go,they defeat and they conquer".

No football fan would be astonished if Spain goes on to win the World Cup next year.I don't see them off the tables for a long time,do you?

By: Shashank Mudgal

CarPort : Mario Balotelli's Garrage!

2013-06-22T12:12:00.000-07:00

The former Manchester City forward has been quite fond of cars, With his recent success at AC Milan Mario Balotelli has six rides on the count. His carport consist of sports cars to luxury saloons and one compact SUV.

Going in alphabetical order first one is the

AUDI R8 V10

Looks are deadly and also it has 5.2L FSI engine that produces 525 bhp and goes from

0-100 kmph in 3.9 seconds. His R8 has black matte paint which looks really cool. The R8 got damaged in an accident while on his way to Manchester City‘s training ground in Carrington.

Second

BENTLEY CONTINENTAL SUPERSPORT

This Bentley is capable of running on both gasoline and bio-fuel and has a 6.0L

engine under the hood which produces 621bhp and goes from 0-100 kmph in 3.1 seconds

which makes it faster than his Audi.

The Bentley also suffered a crash in Manchester City which he later camouflaged.

The Third and the Fourth cars are

FERRARI F450

FERRARI 458 SPIDER

Both of them are extremely gorgeous and have a lot of power. Both are mid exotics out of which the 458 spider produces 562 bhp at 9000 rpm and the f450 produces 500+ bhp at 10000 rpm.

Fifth

MASERATI GT(Gran Turismo)

Mario Balotelli has a stock Maserati which produces 444 bhp at 7000 rpm.

The last one is the

RANGE ROVER EVOQUE

The compact SUV was white and black initially. Mario Balotelli wrapped a golden vinyl on his white SUV.

By: Akshay Varma

Top 10 Richest Football Club Owners - 2013

2013-06-22T11:24:00.000-07:00

As we have seen the evolution of rich football owners in the past decade in world football. These have mostly have given positive results for the club as a whole. Here Side Foot Finish has shortlisted top 10 richest football club owners in 2013.

10. John Freriksen - Vålerenga

9. Philip Anschutz - LA Galaxy

8. Alisher Usmanov - Arsenal

7. Francois-Henri Pinault - Stade Rennais

6. Lakshmi Mittal - OPR

5. Silvio Berlusconi - AC Milan

4. Sheikh Abdullah Al-Thani - Malaga

3. Sultan Kerimov - Anzhi

2. Roman Abramovich - Chelsea

1. Sheikh Mansour bin Zayed Al Nahyan - Manchester City

Top 5 Defensive Mids Manchester United Should Look To Sign.

2013-06-22T07:12:00.001-07:00

So, Manchester united have just won there 20th premier league title. Hats off to them,they were very consistent throughout the season and fully deserve it. Sir Alex Ferguson has managed to put a side to challenge for the title year after year in his career. This last side however was in no means his best, one of the reasons I find is that the current crop of defensive midfielders do not stand with those in the past. After the departure of Roy Keane United have failed to find the aggressive edge that he provided while doing his defensive duties perfectly. Both Michael carrick and Tom cleverly were very good in past season,but they were unable to break down opposition attacks. In this article we will look the top 5 signings which United could make to solve this problem.

Kevin Strootman

Currently playing in his home country Netherlands, Kevin Strootman will be the perfect fit for this role at United. He’s a tough tackling box-to-box midfielder who gets himself on the pitch very well, breaking up opposition attacks then distributing the ball to his team mates with speed and accuracy.
The Dutchman’s physique and strength will also prove to be very beneficial for United, considering the Premier League is one of the most physically demanding leagues in the world. Strootman is slowly becoming a regular in the Dutch international team, which can only help the youngster’s progress, he can become one of the best defensive midfielders in Europe if he goes into the right hands.

Victor Wanyama

Victor Wanyama played an important role in Celtic's impressive Champions League campaign this season, he gave stand-out performances against Barcelona and Spartak Moscow which made him come into notice of the media. Due to this the strong Kenyan’s price increased in the market. With not only United following for his signature, but other Premier League top-guns like Arsenal and Chelsea also. Wanyama’s strength and determination are key characteristics that would see him succeed in a defensive midfield role at Old Trafford and his young age is a plus point as he can go on to become one of the greats means he could go on to become one of the greats,this aspect will surely attract any player.

Ilkay Gundogan

The 22-year-old German midfielder showed what he can do for Borussia Dortmund in their 4-1 thrashing of Spanish giants Real Madrid and he would have been in the headlines more if Robert Lewandowski had not scored those four goals that night. Gundogan is a real threat durin counter attacks, using his superb dribbling and passing skills he easily finds his forwards. His ability to keep a high level of concentration for an entire 90 minutes is a quality that every manager would want to see in a player in that position. In a recent interview the German revealed he would be interested in joining a English club in the future so he could very well be the answer to United's problems.

Marouane Fellaini

Marouane Fellaini is a name the majority of us will know too well. His performances against United over the years have been impressive, Everton’s 4-4 draw at Old Trafford in the 2011-2012 season was a game where he was the stand out performer. Fellaini’s height and strength are his two plus points that makes him different from all other players in the centre of the parkgive him a huge advantage over most players in the centre of the park. The midfielder is also very capable of scoring goals for his team netting 12 times for The Toffee’s this season. United will have to act quickly to bring in this potential Player, with Chelsea and Arsenal keen on acquiring the talented player’s services.

Maxime Gonalons

Gonalons will be more of an unknown name to some of you; the French midfielder has been perfectly playing at Lyon’s midfield for the last few seasons and is improving with every match. The 24-year-old has a big physical presence and isn’t afraid to go in for a tackle, he’ll put his body on the line to break up attacks and give his defenders the protection they want in a game. The French international impressed during games against Tottenham in this season's Europa League campaign and has caught the eye of Arsenal who want to eagerly sign him provided that he is French.

24th August - The day for Moyes and Mourinho

2013-06-21T02:07:00.002-07:00

Both Chelsea and united kick off their next season against minnows, Moyes starts with an away game against Swansea on 17-18th august and " the happy one " begins his second leg against Hull city at home which is a good omen for Mourinho since Chelsea started of there 2009 season against the same opponents on the opening day of the season and went on to win the league.

     But the day is 24th august for both Mourinho and Moyes because David Moyes will be on the sidelines of the Old Trafford for the first time and would try to succeed the SAF era, while Mourinho has been paired against the current champions for his first away game for the blues. One thing is for sure nerves are going to run high on both ends of pitch and probably that is the reason EPl is termed as the best league on the planet because the fixtures do tend to create a buzz.

   This was the first headline that emerged from the EPL fixtures with many more to come. It is being considered a tough opening game for Moyes given the emotions and expectations overcoming Chelsea will be an up hill climb. Coincidentally things are also not so easy for Mourinho with his first three away games being against United, Everton and Tottenham hot spurs.

    United defender- Rio Ferdinand labelled it a "lively start" on twitter but this particular game is set to intrigue immense interest and fuzz is going to be there regarding pre-match mind games from both united and Chelsea.

By: Atul Beniwal

Malaga star Isco wanted by both Real Madrid and Manchester City

2013-06-20T13:27:00.001-07:00

Isco confirms that the media reports linking him to both Real and ManCity are true. Malaga star Isco recently confirmed in an interview that Real Madrid and Manchester City are interested in acquiring his services.

The 21-year-old midfielder has become the player to look out for and is a top transfer target for many big European clubs among which Real and ManCity are front runners to sign him. He could join his former manager Manuel Pellegrini, who was confirmed as new Manchester City boss earlier this month.

"There are two propositions on the table," Isco confirmed. "I hope to decide soon because I still have a contract with Malaga. "I know that both Manchester City and Real Madrid are great clubs. I want that whatever happens will be the best for me and Malaga."

Isco is currently playing for Spain in the European Under-21 Championship in Israel, and he is set to make the final decision after Tuesday's final.Real Madrid are also looking to sign Bale from spurs so Isco is their second choice and will come cheap also.

Season Ticket Hits Nearly £2,000 in London, More Expensive to watch West Ham than Manchester Giants.

2013-06-20T09:36:00.001-07:00

As the pre eason training to begin for the pre season fixtures and the English Premier League fixtures being announced. Fans are eagerly waiting for the season to begin to watch their clubs play.

Even having the prospect of new players arriving this summer. Even though financial fair play is around the corner, so that the club spend only what they earn internally. Still club eying big money summer moves this transfer window. But where's the internal money coming from? According to recent reports other than sponsorship most of it is coming straight from the fans pocket.

And recently as seen fans protesting on the streets claiming for a Financial Fair Play For Fans banners. Even Manchester City traveling fans were seen showing banner last season at Emirates.

For now fans can just hope with these protests if the English FA takes any action against these hikes every year. Otherwise we could see a demise in English football at least from the fans point of view.

GIF : Incredible Neymar skill vs Mexico!

2013-06-19T14:16:00.001-07:00

Neymar jogging down the left flank and then breezing past two Mexican defenders who were all over him. Can you believe this kid is just 21? INSANE.

Manchester United In Pole Position To Sign Thiago Alcantra, Will Match £15 Mil Release Clause

2013-06-19T13:07:00.001-07:00

According to several newspapers in England, Manchester United have stolen a march on Bayern Munich and are now favorites to land Barcelona starlet Thiago Alcantra.

Alcantra, 22, has been on United's radar since a few years and have tried to pries him from Barcelona clutches before. However, it is believed that back then Thiago was prepared to fight his way into the Barca first team under the mentorship of idol Pep Guardiola. Lately though, the young Spaniard has grown disillusioned with the lack of opportunities in Catalunya under new manager Tito Vilanova.

Thiago, according to sources close to the player, has also ruled out moving to Bundesliga champions Bayern Munich despite the arrival of Guardiola as manager because, like Barcelona, Bayern have a packed midfield and first team opportunities will be difficult to come by.

That leaves Old Trafford as Thiago's likeliest destination and thanks to a loophole in Thiago's contract they could get him for as little as £15 million.

When Alcantra signed a contract extension with Barca two years ago, he had a clause inserted into his contract which stated that he must play for at least 30 minutes in 60 per cent of the matches which he failed to do.

The activation of this clause means that Thiago's buyout clause has dropped down from an astronomical £77 million to a very reasonable £15 million.

United have already submitted a bid of less than £15 million and will look to activate the midfielder's release clause if talks with Barcelona fail.

Andy Carroll Completes Permanent Move to West Ham United

2013-06-19T12:33:00.001-07:00

Andy Carroll has completed a permanent move to east London club West ham. The ex- Liverpool striker who spent last season on loan at Upton Park passed a medical on Tuesday before signing on a six- year, £100,000-a-week deal which could be extended by two years.

Carroll's signing will break West ham's previous record of offering such a high salary. Liverpool recorded a £20m loss who signed the England international from Newcastle in 2011.

'It's fantastic for me to be here. I really enjoyed last season, and that shows in me coming back and making it permanent. "It was massive, the fans, the lads and the club itself has been great to me, and what I wanted to do was come back here and play football. 'It's been a few weeks since the end of the season, I've had a lot of time to think. I've been away from the club, I've missed it and that's why I'm back. Getting promoted the season before last, then finishing where we did - we did great, and it can only get better for us. 'The way the club's being run, obviously getting the new stadium and everything like that, it's only going up.'

'I just want to keep fit now, keep scoring goals and performing week in and week out for West Ham, if I do that here, play well and keep fit, then hopefully I will get in the England team,' he said. The club's website described Carroll as their 'marquee signing' who 'represents a significant step for the club'. The striker added: 'The move to the stadium is massive. That's what I want to be a part of. The
fans are crazy here, it's never quiet and it's going to be crazy when even more people can fit in. I can't wait. 'Sam (Allardyce) is a great manager and great man. I've enjoyed working under him at Newcastle and here. Speaking to him over the summer, he's happy with the way I was last season and I'm just looking forward to working with him again. It's always good when you've got somebody behind you. He only gives me confidence to go out there and show what I'm about. 'It's always important to play football and play for your country and here, if I play well and keep fit I'm going to be playing every week. If it comes, England, that'll come.

Moyes' Baptism Of Fire : Defending Champions United Face Nightmare Opening To The Season

2013-06-19T11:58:00.001-07:00

David Moyes will begin his Manchester United managerial career with virtually no time to bed in, after the Premier League fixture list for the 2013/14 season was announced earlier today.

Moyes, who's former club Everton were known to be slow starters, will face Liverpool, Chelsea and Manchester City in his opening five games.

United will kick start their Premier League campaign away from home against Capital One Cup winners Swansea City on August 17th, before welcoming Europa Cup winners Chelsea to Old Trafford the following weekend. Their final fixture in August will be against Liverpool at Anfield on August 31st.

September will offer no respite to the Red Devils either as they are scheduled to face bitter rivals Manchester City on the 21st at the Etihad stadium.

In the Ferguson era, United were famous for transforming into a formidable force in the business end of the season. With fans, colleagues, experts and for that matter all of football waiting to see Moyes on the Old Trafford touchline, the fiery Scot could find himself in the spotlight right away.

MANCHESTER UNITED : OPENING FIXTURES 2013/14

Aug 17 : Swansea City vs Manchester United
Aug 24 : Manchester United vs Chelsea
Aug 31 : Liverpool vs Manchester United

Sept 14 : Manchester United vs Crystal Palace

Sept 21 : Manchester City vs Manchester United

CarPort : Cristiano Ronaldo's Garrage

2013-06-19T11:51:00.002-07:00

One out of many hobbies of Cristiano Ronaldo is collecting cars. Counting from Super sports to luxury saloons, he has purchased 19 exotics since 2006. Beginning from the most expensive and the fastest, he has a Buggati Veyron which has an 8.0 L W16 quad turbocharged 1001Ps engine and goes from 0-400 kmph in just 55 seconds.

Next is the Lamborghini Aventador LP 700-4, The raging bull with 690 bhp and goes from 0-60 mph in only 2.9 seconds.

Coming to the Ferrari's

1. The 599 GTB Fiorano which he purchased in the year 2008. It is an Italian gran turismo which replaced the 575 M Maranello. It has a V12 engine which produces 612 hp and has 0-60 mph time of 3.7 seconds. Later met with an accident on that car.

2. In the same year(2008) another ferrari was added to his garage which is called the Ferrari F430.

He has a red F430 which has a 4.3 L V8. It features the E-Diff which can vary the distribution of torque on the basis of steering angle and lateral acceleration. A car with a brain inside the engine composition.

3.In 2011 came the 599GTO which is very fast and only 599 of these were made out of which one is owned by Christiano Ronaldo. This car does a lot of calculations on the basis of driving to improve cornering and sending more power to the rear wheels on straights. The color of ronaldo's 599 is black with 20 inch black and silver rims.

And here are some of the other car that Ronaldo has.

Rolls Royce Phantom

Bentley GT Speed

Bentley Continental GTC

BMW M6

Porsche 911 Carrera 25 Cabriolet

Audi RS6

Audi R8

Maserati Gran Cabrio

Mercedes Benz C-class sports coupe

Aston Martin DB9

Porsche Cayenne & Cayenne Turbo

Audi Q7

By: Akshay Varma

European Under-21 Championships Best XI

2013-06-19T05:57:00.001-07:00

The European Under-21 Championship are over and as Spain are victorious once again, Side Foot Finish gets you its Best XI from the tournament.

GK: Orjan Nyland (Norway)

RB: Martin Montoya (Spain)

CB: Matteo Bianchetti (Italy)

CB: Marc Bartra (Spain)

LB: Alberto Moreno (Italy)

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DM: Asier Illarramendi (Spain)

MC: Thiago Alcantara (Spain)

MC: Lewis Holtby (Germany)

RW: Georginio Wijnaldum (Netherlands)

LW: Isco (Spain)

ST: Alvaro Morata (Spain)

In GIF: Thiago Alcantara's Hat-Trick All Goals. U21 Final - Spain Vs Italy. Left, Right & Header.

2013-06-18T13:01:00.003-07:00

First Goal

Second Goal

Third Goal

Last Season. Is It Also The Last Chance For Wenger?

2013-06-18T08:35:00.004-07:00

"Arsenal without Arsene Wenger or Arsene Wenger without Arsenal" - This statement goes beyond my imagination and a whole lot of football fans, for the Frenchmen is the reason where Arsenal is today and its not easy to think of either Arsenal or Wenger without each other.

The man who took charge of the English side in 1996 was on the spot right from the very beginning. Arsenal winning the premiere league in the very next season implied that Wenger had come to stay and mark his presence.Arsenal's 49-match winning streak in 2004 under him speaks volume for itself and points out what a great club Arsenal was at that time.

But as it turns out,the "Wenger Era" was soon over and other clubs started dominating.The last few seasons has not been very pleasant for the club and it has been a long time since the Gunners won a major trophy trophy;8 years to be precise.

The questions over Wenger's stay at the club has only increased over the years.Is it time for Wenger to follow the foot-steps of Sir Alex or can he still make his team travel back to the time when they were unsurpassable?

His contract ends in 2014 and will his contract be extended or not remains to be seen.Its the Same club,same manager but its another season and another interesting prospect to look at.

By: Shashank Mudgal

IN GIF: Tahiti’s Tehau Scores Vs Nigeria, Team Celebrate By Boat Paddling. What a Celebration!

2013-06-18T01:57:00.002-07:00