Great Dane Football Blog - UK Edition

Premier League: Football, sex and investigations

2015-03-03T05:42:00.001-08:00

Once Premier League was all about football; players now a day are having trouble keeping focus on the pitch after another sex scandal have emerged in England.

Monday, Sunderland midfielder Adam Johnson was arrested and released on bail on suspicion of having sex with a 15-year-old girl, as well as suspended by the club. Another sex scandal haunts the Premier League.

It's far from the first time a Premier League player is in trouble for playing in the bedroom rather than on the pitch. Through time, we have seen John Terry taking well care of his teammate's wives, Ashley Cole and Olivier Giroud doing anyone else than their (well fit) wives. If we go back to the late 1990's, some will remember (or desperately try to forget) Mark Bosnich and Dwight York being spanked wearing women's clothing. Oh, the Premier League is more than 20 teams and a shit load of money!

And there are much more where that comes from, but do we as fans really need to know what the players are doing outside the pitch? The answer is both yes and no.

Yes, because as a Premier League star, you are a role model for lots of children and young people around the world following and copying their favorite player. Being a role model means you have to maintain a strong ethic and moral and not put yourself in a spot where your acts can be questioned. That includes adultery and having sex with minors.

No, because players have a life outside the pitch as well. They should be allowed to live a life outside the media eye, but when you are famous for what you do, you must expect that the press will be keeping a eye on you - constantly.

The FA has a history of investigating and punishing racial abuse from players. The question is if they should start investigating players when they are involved in cases as harmful as Adam Johnsons. However, in Johnsons case the alleged crime has been committed during his time off, and it can be argued that the FA has nothing to say then.

One thing is for sure; if the players either need to control their sex life or at least keep it under the media radar.

Match of The Week: Can West Bromwich keep going?

2015-03-02T12:22:00.000-08:00

Tony Pulis' West Bromwich Albion are on fire and moving upwards in the table, with struggling Aston Villa coming up next; can the Baggies keep going?

Aston Villa v West Bromwich Albion

Premier League

Villa Park

03-04-2015 @ 19.45 UK

How are the two sites current form?

Sacking Paul Lambert and hiring Tim Sherwood haven't changed anything for Aston Villa, hopelessly struggling at the bottom of the table. The Lions haven't won a Premier League match in 12 tries and need to change the statistic on Tuesday if they want to stay in the Premier League.

Tony Pulis can do magic with the smaller Premier League teams; first Stoke and now West Bromwich Albion. The Baggies are unbeaten in four consecutive Premier League matches and are still taking part in the FA Cup after a 4-0 win against West Ham United.

What are the probable line ups?

Nathan Baker, Aly Cissokho and Philipp Senderos are rated doubtful for the match against West Brom while Chris Herd, Libor Kozak and Kieran Richardson are out with injuries. Victor Anichebe, Saido Berahino and Brown Ideye are doubtful for The Baggies.

Guzan

Hutton - Vlaar - Clark - Richardson

Gil - Sánchez - Delph

Agbonlahor - Benteke - Sinclair

________________________________

Ideye

McManaman - Berahino - Gardner

Fletcher - Yacob

Brunt - Lescott - McAuley - Dawson

Foster

Worth keeping an eye on

Aston Villa - Ron Vlaar: The Dutch defender is the key player for the Lions' defend, and he will be crucial against the West Bromwich attack with Ideye and Berahino as the biggest threat.

West Bromwich Albion - Saido Berahino: The English U21 International shines for West Bromwich Albion this season and is currently 7th on the top scorer list in the Premier League. Great Dane Football Blog is not the only one keeping an eye on this talent.

What to expect from this match?

Things have to change for Aston Villa at some point; but not against West Bromwich. Tony Pulis' men are flying sky high at the moment, and it is hard to see the Lions taking them down from the clouds. Villa are playing without confidence while the Baggies are full of it; a safe victory to West Bromwich.

What are the odds?

Aston Villa: 7/4 (Spreadex)

Draw: 11/5 (Betfred)

West Bromwich Albion: 21/10 (Bet365)

Match of the Week: Can Villa stay above?

2015-02-09T13:21:00.001-08:00

While Hull City got an unexpected point against Manchester City, Aston Villa are struggling to scrape together just one point.

Hull City v Aston Villa

Premier League

KC Stadium

10-02-2014 @ 19.45 UK

How are the two sides form?

Hull City have only won 2 of 11 matches at KC Stadium this season and finds themselves stuck in the relegation zone with one point from safety. The Tigers are struggling to find the back of the net as well and have only hit the target 21 times so far.

The same issues apply to Paul Lambert and his players from Birmingham. Aston Villa are currently 16th in the Premier League only two points above the relegation line and are struggling even more when it comes to goalscoring. The Villa players have only managed to get the ball behind the opponents goalkeeper 12 times this season.

What are the probable line-ups?

Hull City are without James Chester, Mohamed Diamé, Liam Rosenior and Robert Snodgrass for the Aston Villa match. Villas injury list have been shortened the last month with only Libor Kozak and Philippe Senderos left.

McGregor

Dawson - Bruce - McShane

Elmohamady - Huddlestone - Livermore - Mayler

Ramirez - Brady

Aluko

__________________________________________

Weimann - Agbonlahor - Gill

Delph - Westwood - Cleverley

Cissokho - Clark - Okore - Hutton

Guzan

Worth keeping an eye on

Hull City - Ahmed Elmohamady: The Egyptian International have developed to become one of the most important players for Steve Bruces Hull. The midfielder currently plays as a wingback and has impressed the last couple of matches. His clever play and ability to read the game will be crucial against Villas pacy strikers.

Aston Villa - Gabby Agbonlahor: The pacy striker is back for Aston Villa and will make an impact on a struggling team. In a time where Christian Benteke is playing way under his normal standards alot of pressure is resting on Agbonlahors shoulders.

What to expect from this match?

Hull managed to get a point against Manchester City while Aston Villa scored their first goal, for a long time, against Chelsea lost 2-1 in the end. Paul Lamberts job is on the line and a loss against Hull could be the end of his reign. Steve Bruce will be hoping to build on his draw against Manchester City and take a win against Aston Villa to bring his side out of the relegation zone. Despite Hull home statistics we can expect them to be the dominating side and take all three points against Aston Villa.

What are the odds?

Hull City: 13/10 (BET365)

Draw: 9/4 (Betfred)

Aston Villa: 14/5 (BetVictor)

Match of the Week: North London Derby (02-02-2015)

2015-02-02T13:14:00.002-08:00

This weekend one of the traditional English football derbies is taking place in North London, when two sides in great form clashes in the North London Derby.

Tottenham Hotspur v Arsenal

Premier League

White Hart Lane

07-02-2014 @ 12.45 UK

How are the two sides form?

Spurs are current 4th in the Premier League after a great start to the season. The North Londoners have only lost one of their six last matches and are unbeaten at White Hart Lane in the same number of matches. Striker Harry Kane, whom today signed a new contract with Spurs, is the top scorer with ten goals so far this season.

Arsenal are on fire at the moment and are currently 2nd in the Premier League after smashing Aston Villa with a 5-0 victory at Emirates Saturday. The Gunners have lost one of their last six matches, however, the current away form shows two losses and a draw during the last six matches. The summer signing Alexis Sanchez is the teams top scorer with 12 goals so far this season.

What are the probable line ups?

Nabil Bentaleb is currently the only player doubtful for Spurs match against Arsenal. In the other end of the pitch it looks much worse; Mikel Arteta, Mathieu Debuchy, Diaby, Alex Oxlade-Chamberlain and Jack Wilshere are all out of the match. At the same time, Sanchez and Danny Welbeck are rated doubtfully.

Lloris

Walker - Fazio - Vertonghen - Rose

Mason - Stambouli

Eriksen - Kane - Chadli

Soldado

________________________________

Giroud

Ozil - Cazorla - Ramsey - Sanchez

Coquelin

Monreal - Mertesacker - Koscielny - Bellerin

Ospina

Worth keeping an eye on

Harry Kane - Tottenham Hotspur: The secondary striker keeps impressing in the Premier League and shines in his play with Christian Eriksen and Nacer Chadli. With the support of the front man, Roberto Soldado, Kane is a dangerous weapon for Spurs.

Francis Coquelin - Arsenal: The defensive midfielder was brought back from loan in Charlton Athletic and has immediately taken the 6'er position in Arsenal. Coquelin has proved that he can take over for Arteta and control the defensive midfield. It will be his job to keep an eye on Chadli, Kane and Eriksen.

What to expect from this match?

The North London Derby is a classic in English football, and goals are guaranteed. The last ten matches between the two sides have had at least one goal, and most Spurs fans want to forget the two matches in 2012 when Arsenal won 5-2 at Emirates. However, this match is played at White Hart Lane, and Spurs are unbeaten at home. That said, The Arsenal offensive is a constant threat to any Premier League defense and they will be a handful for Spurs. At the same time, Eriksen is the form of his life and can be the player who will win this match for Spurs.

What are the odds?

Tottenham Hotspur: 5/2 (StanJames)

Draw: 11/4 (StanJames)

Arsenal: 6/5 (BetFred)

Ballon D'Or - Will anyone else ever win? (13-01-2014)

2015-01-13T06:13:00.001-08:00

Sergio Ramos wants it, no British-based player seems to be any near it, and a German goalkeeper almost had it; Ballon d'Or is only for Cristiano Ronaldo and Lionel Messi.

Since 2010, Ballon d'Or has had Messi and Ronaldo written all over it, and it seems no one can get near the trophy as long as the two players are active. But are Ronaldo and Messi really the best players in the world? The question is raised every year.

This year Manuel Neuer was in the run for the title, but the keeper lacks something the two other players are masters at - scoring goals. It seems that in order to win Ballon d'Or you have to be a goalscorer. The last non-attacking player, which won the price, was Fabio Cannavaro back in 2006, and before Cannavaro, we have to go back to 1996 to find the defensive midfielder Matthias Sammer. Sergio Ramos announced that the title is as a goal for his career, but the trophy is arguably only for attacking players.

There is no doubt that Ronaldo and Messi are two important players for their respective teams, but are they really as decisive as Manuel Neuer is for Bayern Munich? Real Madrid has an overflow of talented wingers and attackers - with Ronaldo as the best - but still a team of strong individual players who can create and finish matches all by themselves. The same applies for Messi and Barcelona. However, in Neuer Munich has a world class goalkeeper who contributes to the play as a sweeper and creates the game from his part of the pitch. Is is a wonder to me why the best goalkeeper in the world could not win the title.

It seems that when the captains of the worlds national teams vote for their favorite of the three nominated players, they look at how much the player contributes in the last third part of the pitch and not in the first. It is a shame, isn't it?

As long as Ronaldo and Messi are active, no defensive player will ever get the chance of winning the Ballon d'Or... Sorry for the bad news Sergio!

Match of the Week: Can The Clarets beat Spurs?

2015-01-12T05:18:00.001-08:00

For a long time, Tottenham Hotspur was ready for the 4th round of the FA Cup; Burnley wanted it different. The Match of the Week is the second leg of Spurs and Burnley - a winner has to be found!

Tottenham Hotspur v Burnley FC

FA Cup 3rd Round, 2. leg

White Hart Lane

14-01-2014 @ 20.00 UK

How are the two sides form?

After a draw in the first leg against Burnley, Tottenham surprisingly lost against Crystal Palace in the weekend. Despite being in most possession during the 90 minutes, a stupid penalty and an easy goal led to the Crystal Palace victory.

While Spurs lost against Palace, Burnley took an important win against the Queens Park Rangers and brought themselves on the safe side of the relegation line.

What are the probable line ups?

Nabil Bentaleb is away on African Nations Cup duty while Ryan Mason and Erik Lamela are doubtful for the match. Burnley goes into this match without Stephen Ward and Kevin Long while Michael Duff and Jason Shackell are doubtful.

Lloris

Walker - Fazio - Vertonghen - Rose

Dembele - Stambouli

Townsend - Eriksen - Chadli

Kane

___________________________

Ings

Barnes

Boyd - Marney - Jones - Arfield

Mee - Shackell - Keane - Trippier

Heaton

Worth keeping an eye on

Tottenham Hotspur - Harry Kane: The 21-year old striker is a true Spurs wonderkid. Not many had expected him to have a season like this, and he can be a decisive player for Tottenham against Burnley.

Burnley - Dean Marney: The former Spurs midfielder is an important part of Burnleys midfield. Marney is a typical box-to-box midfielder and his defensive work will be important against a strong Spurs attack.

What to expect from this match?

Tottenham was the best team on the pitch at Turf Moor but had to settle with a draw. Spurs' attack is deadly at the moment, and they will be a challenge for the Burnley defends; Chadli, Eriksen, and Townsend can win this match alone. However, the first match showed that Burnley is a team that keeps fighting and with the spirit they have shown the past week, they can surprise Spurs and move on to the 4th round.

What are the odds?

Tottenham Hotspur: 1/2 (WilliamHill)

Draw: 19/5 (BETVICTOR)

Burnley FC: 7 (Bet365)

Thursday Transfer Rumours (08-01-2014)

2015-01-08T06:17:00.003-08:00

Newcastle United are on the hunt for a new manager and Tottenham is looking to buy an Aston Villa legend. Here are the Thursday Transfer Rumours!

Liverpool have made an approach for Bayern Munich midfielder Xherdan Shaqiri at a fee of £19m and a 3£m approach for Fiorentina keeper Neto (The Mirror) - Probability: High

Julian Draxler is a target for Manchester City manager Manuel Pellegrini (Daily Star) - Probability: Low

Chelsea and Manchester United face a £21m price tag for Real Madrid defender Raphael Varane (Daily Express) - Probability: Medium

Tottenham goalkeeper Hugo Lloris could leave the club for £25m (The Sun) - Probability: High

Glen Hoddle is thought to be one of the candidates for the Newcastle job (Newcastle Chronicle) - Probability: Medium

But Frank de Boer is the top target to take over as head coach (The Mirror) - Probability: Low

Fabian Delph is a target for Tottenham offering Villa £3m for the midfielder (The Mirror) - Probability: High

At the same time Paul Lambert is targeting a £2.5m swoop for Manchester City winger Scott Sinclair (Daily Express) - Probability: High

Arsenal target Winston Reid has already agreed to leave West Ham for a Premier League club, according to Sam Allardyce (The Mirror) - Probability: High

Sunderland are plotting an £8m swoop for Celtic defender Virgil van Dijk (Daily Mail) - Probability: High

Barcelona superstar Lionel Messi has hinted a shock move to Chelsea by following the club on Instagram (The Mirror) - Probability: Low

Chelsea are ready to offer former England defender Micah Richards a contract this summer (The Guardian) - Probability: Medium

West Ham are interested in Atletico Madrid midfielder Mario Suarez (The Daily Mail) - Probability: Low

Liverpool wants James Milner of Manchester City when his contract expires at the end of the season (The Times) - Probability: Medium

Arsenal have been lined with a move for Chelsea goalkeeper Petr Cech in the summer (The Telegraph) - Probability: Low

League of rotation

2015-01-06T05:34:00.002-08:00

The Christmas and New Year have been hard to some of the Premier League managers; Alan Irvine

and Niel Warnock have been shown the door and replaced by a couple of well-known names. The Premier League is a league of rotation when it comes to the managers.

All football managers dreams of one day being in charge of a Premier League side, but coaching in the Premier League seems to be limited to a certain group of men. As a matter of fact, the clubs often hire managers with a background in other Premier League clubs. A look on the current 20 managers in the league only seven have not been managing another Premier League club, including Newcastle interim manager John Carver.

Tony Pulis has taken over from Alan Irvine in West Bromwich - that's his seventh spell in a Premier League club, two of them in Stoke. Just after him are Harry Redknapp and Sam Allardyce - two other long time serving PL managers.

When comparing the clubs, it is worth noticing that the top sides all have foreign managers with no more than two or three Premier League clubs on their resume. Manuel Pellegrini, Jose Mourinho, Louis van Gaal and Ronald Koeman have experience from some of the best leagues in the world before joining the Premier League while Arsene Wenger has been in Arsenal for a decade. But it is worth noticing that the clubs considered to be the best in the league all are managed by a foreign manager, while clubs as West Bromwich Albion, Stoke, West Ham and QPR all have managers with long experience from other Premier League clubs.

Could it be a sign that the British managers are not following the evolution of football? It seems so as the foreign managers contribute to the development of the league and are in charge of the best clubs. However, the foreign managers are most in charge of clubs with money and success and perhaps not the best in the business when it comes to saving lives. Let's take a look at Tony Pulis again - last season he was brought in to save Crystal Palace and managed to do so. This season he is brought in to save West Bromwich Albion and might just do so. The British managers style might be old and out of date, but it works time and time again when needed.

But, by the end of the day the Premier League is a league of rotation between the managers. A closed club for a limited number of persons why it is so hard for new managers to come in. But, if the lower- and midtable teams wants to mingle with the top new faces is needed.

Match of the Week: Swansea v West Ham

2015-01-05T12:14:00.000-08:00

Big Sam and West Ham are having a blast of a season, but Swansea are on their trail before the match at Liberty Stadium. Here is the Match of the Week.

Swansea City v West Ham

English Premier League

Liberty Stadium

10-01-2014 @ 15.00 GMT

How are the two sides current form?

Swansea felt the heat against Liverpool in the last days of 2014, as Fabianski had a nightmare on the pitch. At least two of Liverpool's four goals could be blamed on the Polish goalkeeper. However, The Swans took a draw against QPR last round and are in form after a 6-2 win against Tranmere in the FA Cup.

West Ham had a terrible Christmas with two defeats against London rivals Chelsea and Arsenal, but kept their position in the table with a draw against West Bromwich Albion,

Swansea have only won one of the last five matches against West Ham; back in 2012.

What are the probable line ups?

Swansea will have to do without Jefferson Montero suffering from a hamstring injury and Jonjo Shelvey serving a ban.

West Ham are without Diafra Sakho who is suffering from a back injury.

Fabianski

Rangel - Fernandez - Williams - Taylor

Britton - Ki

Dyer - Sigurdsson - Routledge

Bony

______________________________

Sakho - Carroll

Downing

Nolan - Noble

Song

Cresswell - Reid - Collins - Jenkinson

Adrian

Worth keeping an eye on

Swansea - Lukasz Fabianski: The Polish goalkeeper had a nightmare against Liverpool, but the former Arsenal man is back in form. He can be a decisive player against West Hams Sakho and Carroll attack.

West Ham - Winston Reid: The Danish-New Zealand defender is soon to be former West Ham player, but at the moment he is vital to the West Ham defense. He has the pace to keep up Bony.

What to expect from this match?

The statisctics talk for a West Ham win, but Swansea are not going to make it easy for the Londoners. The Swans have played well this season and especially Gylfi Sigurdsson have been in great form. West Ham is hanging on to the top teams and need a win to stay in touch with Arsenal and Tottenham. The East Londoners have played well on away days and have three draws, three losses and three wins. Saturday, they are most likely to add another win to the statistics.

What are the odds?

Swansea: 11/8 (Totesport)

Draw: 5/2 (StanJames)

West Ham: 23/10 (Williamhill)

Bye to a French legend

2014-12-16T09:45:00.000-08:00

Thierry Henry is what Barney Stinson from the American tv-series How I Met Your Mother would call legen - wait for it - dary! Now, the French striker has tied the boots for the last time.

The - now - former Monaco, Juventus, Arsenal, Barcelona and New York Red Bull striker has decided to end his career after his contact with the Americans ran out earlier in December.

360 goals in 792 club matches later, and with a World Cup- and EURO-trophy in his bag, Henry is now starting a new career.

Instead, Henry will now start a career as Skysport pundit and spread his wisdom to the British football fans.

We have seen the Arsenal darling on TV before, and to celebrate the striker's new role, Great Dane Football Blog takes a look on what to expect for the future - and what we will miss from the past.

But as much as we will miss the incredible goals, we can look forward to this:

Thursdays Transfer Rumours

2014-12-11T09:18:00.000-08:00

The transfer window opens next week and the Premier League clubs are lining up their transfer
targets! Here are the Thursdays Transfer Rumours!

Tottenham is set to rebuild in January with The Saints Schneiderlin and Rodriguez and Napoli's Raul Albiol (The Mirror) - Probability: Medium

Leicester City have had a £7m bil rejected for Croatia striker Andrej Kramaric, 23 (Daily Express) - Probability: High

Harry Redknapp wants to bring MLS MVP Robbie Keane to struggling QPR on a loan deal (Setanta) - Probability: Low

Benfia wants £4m from Liverpool if the Reds wants Uruguayan right back Maxi Pereira (The Mirror) - Probability: High

Manchester United has been told they must stump up £28.5m for Atletico Madrid defender Diego Godin (Daily Express) - Probability: Medium

Newcastle target highly-rated Anderlecht striker Aleksander Mitrovic (Daily Mail) - Probability: High

Southampton are favorites to sign the 'new Zlatan Ibrahimovic" Gianluca Scamacca of Roma (Daily Mail) - Probability: Medium

Sol Campbell is being lined up to start his coaching career with Ajax (The Mirror) - Probability: High

Liverpool are still on the hunt for a Simon Mignolet replacement targeting Chelsea back-up Petr Cech and Stoke's Asmir Begovic (Daily Mail) - Probability: Medium

Portuguese midfielder Joao Moutinho could swap Monaco for Arsenal, Chelsea or Manchester United in a £30m deal (Daily Express) - Probability: High

Match of the Week: 'The Greatest of English Football Club'

2014-12-08T03:22:00.002-08:00

These two sides both claim to be 'The Greatest of English Football Club' - The Match of the Week will show which club is the greatest.

Manchester United v Liverpool FC

Premier League Round 16

Old Trafford

14-12-2014 @ 12.30 GMT

How are the two sides form?

Manchester United haven't looked back since they lost the Manchester Derby early in November. The last four matches in the Premier League have added 12 points to the Red Devils account and brought them back in the position for European football next season. The can get into the fun zone with a win against Southampton tonight.

Liverpool are four points behind United and have the possibility of closing the gap with a win on Saturday. The Reds have five points for their last three matches after they drew against Sunderland last week.

Manchester United have won five of the last ten matches against Liverpool.

What are the probable line-ups?

Not less than six Manchester United players are injured or doubtful for the match against Liverpool, including Wayne Rooney, Luke Shaw and Angel Di Maria. Daniel Sturridge is back on the training ground after his injury, but is unlikely to play against United why he is sidelined along with Mario Balotelli and five other players.

De Gea

Valencia - Smalling - Rojo - Young

Carrick - Fellaini

Herrera - Mata - Januzaj

van Persie

________________________________________

Lallana - Lambert - Sterling

Henderson - Lucas - Allen

Manquillo - Skrtel - Touré - Johnson

Mignolet

Worth keeping an eye on

Manchester United - Robin van Persie: The Dutch goal getter has had a disappointing start of the season, but now it seems he is back in his best form. If he plays his best, he will be a challenge for the Liverpool defends.

Liverpool - Adam Lallana: Lallana left his impressing form in Southampton, but the expectations are still high to the England international. Lallana will have to improve and against Manchester United he should be able to challenge the defend.

What to expect from this match?

Brendan Rodgers is under pressure, and a win against United will give him some time to reestablish his side and bring them back around the top positions. However, van Gaal has got the best out of his injury struck squad and United are beginning to find the level we know they have. United are the favorites against a struggling Liverpool side.

What are the odds?

Manchester United: 19/20 (Betfred)

Draw: 45/17 (888sport)

Liverpool: 16/5 (BetVictor)

Thursdays Transfer Rumours

2014-12-04T07:37:00.001-08:00

Brothers meet in America and Mourinho is ready to sign a new contract - Read all about it here in the Thursday Transfer Rumours!

Frank Lampards future in Manchester City is still uncertain with Manuel Pellegrini yet to decide whether to extend his loan from New York City (Telegraph) - Probability: Medium

Arsenal have been warned by Celtic that they will have to pay out for Virgil van Dijk (talkSPORT) - Probability: Low

Chelsea are ready to hand Jose Mourinho a new contract as Barcelona shows interest (Express) - Probability: High

Tottenham misfit Paulinho is a target for Brazilian clubs Sao Paulo and Corinthians (The Mirror) - Probability: High

Yohan Cabaye is considering a move back to the Premier League - just a year after a £19m move from Newcastle (The Mirror) - Probability: High

Roma is considering a move for Chelsea keeper Petr Cech (Daily Mail) - Probability: Low

Sevilla are ready to help Juan Mata escape Manchester United in January (The Mirror) - Probability: High

Tottenham are ready to swap Roberto Soldado for Porto striker Jackson Martinez (Metro) - Probability: Medium

QPR winger Shaun Wright-Phillips could join his brother Bradley in Major League Soccer this summer (talkSPORT) - Probability: High

Thierry Henry - Can he be arsed to return to Emirates?

2014-12-02T05:04:00.001-08:00

After four-and-a-half year in New York Arsenal legend, Thierry Henry has left Red Bulls - Rumours link him back to London and The Gunners, but is the club even interesting for the striker?

He is a true legend and Arsenal fans from all over the world travels to the Emirates Stadium to worship the statue of the French striker. Now, Henry is free of his contract in New York after some impressing years for the Red Bulls.

Some of the fans will have woken up this morning with a morning glory hoping to see Henry in the red and white Puma shirt, and the oddsmakers are already setting the odds for Henry return to Arsenal.

But, nothing is settled and at this point we don't even know if Henry is ending his career or hoping for a few more years. After all, he is 37-years-old and has played his part in the history of football.

Wenger today says he is certain Henry will return to Arsenal in some non-playing role at some point, and reading behind the lines this means Arsenal has no interest in signing him as an extra striker. And looking at the squad, Henry is probably not the player Arsenal needs at the moment.

But Henry could return to Arsenal and play a role in the backroom staff and move on to become an assistant as we have seen with Ryan Giggs and Paul Scholes in Manchester United. Most fans would love to see Henry take over for Wenger at some point, and even though many are losing fate in manager, this might not be the right time.

Henry is interesting for Arsenal and Arsenal is interesting for Henry, but we might have seen the last of him in the Red and white shirt. The Gunners have to dream about him in the manager's seat for the future.

Match of the Week: Bendtner vs Howard

2014-11-24T12:02:00.001-08:00

Everton travels to Germany just to face a former Premier League "star" . It's Wolfsburg against Everton, Germany against England and Tim Howard against Nicklas Bendtner!

Wolfsburg v Everton

Europa League

Group H

Match Day 5

Volkswagen Arena

27-11-2014 @ 18.00 GMT

How are the two sides current form?

Wolfburg are second in Europa League Group H only a point after Everton, before the two sides meet at Volkswagen Arena. The last match between the two sides ended with a comfortable 4-1 win to Everton by goals of Seamus Coleman, Leighton Baines, Kevin Mirallas and an owngoal by Wolfsburg left-back Ricardo Rodriguez.

What are the probable line-ups?

Daniel Caligiuri, Adelino Vieirinha, Felipe Aliste Lopes and Patrick Ochs are all sidelined for Wolfsburg while Everton has to do without nine players including Gareth Barry.

Benaglio

Knoche - Naldo - Trasch - Rodriguez

Guilavogui - De Bruyne - Luiz Gustavo - Perisic

Vierinha - Olic

_____________________________________________

Lukaku

Barkley - Naismith - Mirallas

Osman - McCarthy

Hibbert - Distin - Jagielka - Coleman

Howard

Worth keeping an eye on

Wolfsburg - Kevin de Bruyne: The former Chelsea talent is the creative playmaker on the Wolfsburg side and the star at Volkswagen Arena. If he gets the space needed to perform his best, he will be a problem for Evertons defense and chances in Germany.

Everton - Ross Barkley: Ross Barkley just keeps getting better and better and the talent is one of the primary forces in the Everton attack. He might not score as many goals as hoped for, but he often creates the chances for Romelu Lukaku.

What to expect from this match?

Everton are the favorites at Volkswagen Arena, especially after the match at Goodison Park. The Toffees looks stronger than Wolfsburg at the moment, and I think we will see that in the match on Thursday. However, the Germans are not a side that gives at the door and we can expect them to put up a fight against Everton.

What are the odds?

Wolfsburg: 1 (Coral)

Draw: 11/4 (BetVictor)

Everton: 16/5 (BetVictor)

Keep an eye on: Marco Larsen

2014-11-22T05:43:00.000-08:00

Name: Marco Larsen
Age: 21 (15-05-1993)
Position: Attacking midfield/striker
Club: FC Midtjylland
International Caps:

Denmark U21

4 matches
0 goals

Denmark U19

9 matches
0 goals

Denmark U18

4 matches
1 goal

Denmark U17

9 matches
2 goals

Denmark U16

7 matches
2 goals

Value: £440.000

He left family and friends behind and moved across the country to follow his dream of becoming a professional football player. This week we keep an eye on FC Midtjyllands attacking talent Marco Larsen.

"Moving to FC Midtjylland, was a natural next step in my career. It wasn't a hard decision because I knew that it i needed to do it if I wanted to become a professional football player," says Marco Larsen with a strong voice. There are no regrets in his voice.

At the age of 13, while still playing in the Danish 1. Division club Køge, he was signed by the Superliga club FC Midtjylland. There was only one problem; Midtjylland were not allowed to sign players under the age of 15, and the media were quick to make a story out of the controversial signing. The main man in the whole story hardly remembers what the whole controversy was about.

“I don’t think there was anything in it, then what the media made of it. The papers blew it out of proportion, and all that happened was that I got a new and legal contract," Larsen says.

By the age of 15, Marco moved from Zealand to Jutland and joined the FC Midtjylland Academy, along with other talents from across the country. And the talent didn't take long to prove he was worth his contract. In fact, he did so well that Manchester City started following him, and it resulted in a trial at Carrington Training Ground.

“Of course I hoped to make an impression that would make them want me at the club, but it was also just a great experience for a young player.

“The technical and physical level is much higher in Manchester City, but the players we trained with were also brought in for the occasion. We then had one training session with their team, and it was clear that they had better physics and were faster when it comes to reading the game," he says.

Unfortunately for Larsen it only came to one visit in Manchester City and the career continued in Midtjylland where he kept impressing. At U19-level he was the top scorer and was promoted to the senior squad where he had his debut in the Danish Cup against Jægersborg from the fourth tier.

“When I heard that I was to play that match I was full of joy. It was another step towards becoming a professional and as I remember I scored, so that just made it even better. Especially because my family was there to witness it. I will always remember that experience."

Since then, Marco Larsen have proved himself to be one of the next great talents of the FC Midtjylland Academy. After making his debut in the Danish Superliga in 2012, he has been a regular part of the senior squad playing 19 matches from start last season.

However, a thigh injury set him back in the start of the season and with FCM leading the Danish Superliga it has proven hard for the talent to make his way to the starting line-up. There is simply too hard competition for the position as attacking midfielder.

“It’s obvious that it is harder for me to get in the starting line-up when the team plays as well as it does. I have always said that when a team plays well, it is hard to make any changes, and we have won a lot of matches, so it has been hard to get time on the pitch,” the talent acknowledge.

“The team is the most important and I always congratulate my teammate when he does well, even if it means he will be playing instead of me. Obviously I want to play, but in the end I have to be able to look in the mirror and like what I see. If a player in my position is better than me, then there isn’t much I can do about it, other than just keep on training and wait for my chance,” Larsen says.

The next chance for Marco Larsen might come tomorrow when FC Midtjylland faces the rivals from Aalborg BK at home in Herning. However, should he not get his chance in Midtjylland he has no problem leaving the club.

“All football players needs to play, and if I can’t play in Midtjylland I have to move on, but it is not something I think about at the moment. I’m still young and have the time in front of me," says Larsen before ending the interview telling about his dream club, Liverpool:

“Steven Gerrard is an amazing football player, and Liverpool is a great team. My entire family are Liverpool fans, so they are my favorite club.

“I would love to play in Liverpool, but anywhere abroad will do. It is something I hope to achieve someday.”

Who knows? Gerrard is moving towards the end of his career, and Daniel Agger has left the club. Maybe it is time for Liverpool to bring in a new Dane?

Arsenal fans: Lower ticket prices or give us better players

2014-11-21T02:24:00.000-08:00

It is well known that Emirates Stadium is one of the most expensive football grounds to visit in England. Last season the prices increased three per cent and now the fans have had it.

It feels like a decade since Arsenal last won the Premier League trophy, but that doesn't stop Arsenal chairman Sir Chips Keswick from increasing the ticket prices. However, in a letter to Sir Keswick, the fans have warned the club not to increase the ticket prices unless Arsene Wenger goes on a shopping spree in January.

According to The Mirror, Tim Payton of the Arsenal Supporters Trust said: “Fans have had enough of sky high ticket prices while clubs rake in ever growing revenues from TV and sponsorship deals.

“We are calling on Arsenal to recognise the loyalty of their fans who still turn up in great numbers by freezing ticket prices next season.

The supporters do not believe that the club have any basis for a price rise as Wenger did not use up all of the cash at his disposal in the summer. Therefore, they demand Arsenal to spend money on high profile players during the January window.

Otherwise, we might see an empty Emirates Stadium in the near future.

Thursdays Transfer Rumours

2014-11-20T11:51:00.002-08:00

The transfer window is fast approaching and Arsenal is on the hunt for a new striker, while Roberto Mancini is planning a spending spree in the Premier League. Here are the Thursday Transfer Rumours!

Tottenham scouts have been in Argentina to check out Colombia's striker Teo Gutierrez (The Mirror) - Probability: High

Roberto Mancini is planning to bring in Aleksandar Kolarov, Fabio Borini, Joes Campbell and Erik Lamela to his Manchester City squad (The Mirror) - Probability: Low

Chelsea led both Liverpool and Arsenal in the race for Marco Reus with Andre Schurrle to move to Dortmund (Express) - Probability: Medium

Roma are ready to sign Liverpool right back Glen Johnson on a free transfer next summer (Daily Star) - Probability: High

Yohan Cabaye will return to the Premier League in January according to ex-Magpie Olivier Bernard (Newcastle Chronicle) - Probability: High

Southampton wants Harry Kane and Andros Townsend in exchange for Jay Rodriguez if Spurs makes a bid for the striker (The Mirror) - Probability: Low

Rafa Benitez fuels speculation of a Liverpool return after hinting an Napoli exit (The Mirror) - Probability: Low

Chelsea, Liverpool and Tottenham har all battling for Bayern Munichs Xherdan Shaqiri in the January window (Daily Star) - Probability: High

Southampton and Queens Park Rangers are keeping an eye on AIK Stockholm striker Kennedy Igboanaike (The Mirror) - Probability: Medium

Manchester City are eying Swiss defender Stephan Lichsteiner in a move taht could send Matija Nastasic the other way (Manchester Evening News) - Probability: Medium

Anderlecht sensation Dennis Praet is ready for a move and Arsenal is the perfect club according to his agent (The Mirror) - Probability: High

The Uprising of The Saints

2014-11-18T04:51:00.001-08:00

They surprised everyone last season and have kept going despite losing the successful manager and five key players. Great Dane Football Blog takes a look at the uprising of Southampton FC.

Not many had seen it coming when Southampton mingled with the top clubs of the Premier League last season. Mauricio Pochettino had created the perfect squad, with the right numbers of talents and established Premier League players. The two talents Calum Chambers and Luke Shaw were a joy to see on the backs; Dejan Lovren controlled the central defends and Adam Lallana, and Rickie Lambert was the men behind the attacking play. Today, all of the five profiles has left The Saints; Chambers is in Arsenal, Shaw in Manchester United and Liverpool have bought the rest. On top of that, Pochettino took over in Tottenham Hotspurs.

So, this could be the end of a short era of success for Southampton, but this season they are back in the top of the league. As this post is being written, The Saints are second in the Premier League four points in front of last seasons winners from Manchester City. Looking at their form so far, Southampton is the best home side in the Premier League with five wins and one draw at St. Mary's Stadium, and an impressing goalscorer of 17-1. Lovren, Shaw and Chambers might have left the club, but the back four is still standing strong at St Mary's.

Toby Alderweireld has taken the position next to captain José Fonte in the central defends and Nathaniel Clyne, and Ryan Bertrand are now the main men on the two backs. Despite losing two talents and a strong central defender, Southampton has fully managed to fill the empty places and perhaps make their defend even stronger.

Pochettino has to be given credit for his managing and ability to bring in players and get the best out fo them. But, Ronald Koeman, the new manager in the hot seat is not a bad name for a Premier League club of Southamptons size. The Dutch has a great network, and he can bring in respectable players as Alderweireld. From the Dutch league, he has brought in Dusan Tadic to replace Lallana, and the Serb has the potential to become a legend in the club. He is not the same type of player as Lallana, but he has what it takes to make it in the Premier League - even in a bigger side than Southampton.

Graziano Pellé joined the club this summer, and the Italian has become the new goal getter for the club. However, with his 29-years he is not a man for the future. And the future might be a problem for The Saints as Pochettino seems to try and get all the background staff to Tottenham. However, once again Koemans name might help Southampton to keep the development going with some of the great coaches from around the world. Furthermore, a Champions League- or Europe League-spot will not only bring better players, but also better coaches to the club. The sky is the limit for The Saints, they just need their wings to fly.

Match of the Week: The oldest international fixture in the world

2014-11-17T13:15:00.000-08:00

The rivalry has been ongoing since the first match in 1872, and now 142 years later the battle goes on; It's Scotland against England in the Match of the Week.

Scotland v England

International Friendly

Celtic Park

18th November 2014 @ 20.00 GMT

How are the two sides form?

Scotland gave Ireland a lecture in the perfect goal during the weekends EURO 2016 qualification-group matches with a 1-0 victory. The Scotsmen are unbeaten in their last three matches

England are unbeaten in their group after winning 3-1 against Slovenia during the weekend, and are looking secure their place in the EURO. Therefore, Roy Hodgson probably will try out some of the younger players against Scotland.

England won the last match between the two sides, 3-2.

What are the probable line ups?

Marshall

Whittaker - Martin - Hanley - Robertson

Maloney - Brown - Mulgrew - Anya

Fletcher - Naismith

________________________________________

Sterling - Rooney - Welbeck

Henderson - Wilshere - Lallana

Clyne - Cahill - Jagielka - Gibbs

Hart

Worth keeping an eye on

Scotland - Ikechi Anya: The Watford winger socred a wonder-goal against Germany and the Anya will be a handful for any defender.

England - Danny Welbeck: Hodgson has named Welbeck as his plan A and the manager has strong believes in the Arsenal striker. He scored twice against Slovenia and will be a handful for the Scotland defend.

What to expect from this match?

This match has England written all over it, but Scotland is not a bad side and a win against England will mean the world to the fans. England looks strong at the moment, and they should be clear winners against Scotland, but as we saw against Ireland, the Scots are capable of scoring some wonderful goals and create chances out of nothing. The England defend doesn't seem as strong as it could be, and this might be the Scots chance.

What are the odds?

Scotland: 11/4 (Betfred)

Draw: 12/5 (Betfair)

England: 6/5 (Paddypower)

Thursdays Transfer Rumours

2014-11-13T12:03:00.000-08:00

Manchester United is selling out and Chelsea are on the brink of making an ambitious bid for a Real Madrid star. Here are the Thursday Transfer Rumours!

Liverpool are hoping to land Fulham wonderkid Patrick Roberts (The Mirror) - Probability: Medium

Chelsea are preparing a £19m bid on Real Madrid defender Raphael Varane (Fichajes.net) - Probability: Low

Celtic midfielder Scott Brown is a target for Crystal Palace (The Scotsman) - Probability: Medium

Inter Milan is preparing a bid for out-of-favor Liverpool forward Fabio Borini (The Sun) - Probability: High

Arsenal are ready with a double raid on Barcelona pair Dani Alves and Pedro (Express) - Probability: Low

Victor Valdes is set to join Manchester United (Express) - Probability: High

Steven Gerrard is to begin contract talks with Liverpool this week (The Guardian) - Probability: High

Newcastle are keen on the transfer of Anderlecht striker Aleksandar Mitrovic (The Mirror) - Probability: High

Manchester United flop Anderson is set to return to Gremio in Brazil (The Mirror) - Probability: High

Juan Mata is also set to leave United with Atletico Madrid, Juventus and Valencia all keen on signing him (Express) - Probability: High

Liverpool starlet Suso could be on his way to AC Milan next summer (talkSPORT) - Probability: High

Match of the Week: Top battle in Group E

2014-11-10T13:38:00.001-08:00

Can England keep their winning streak going or will Slovenia put a spoke in the wheel? The Match of the Week will show when England and Slovenia clash at Wembley.

England v Slovenia

EURO 2016 Qualification

Group E

Wembley Stadium

November 15th 2014 @ 17.00 GMT

How are the two teams current form?

England is top of the group with maximum points after three matches and a goalscorer of +8. Danny Welbeck is the topscorer on the England side with 3 goals so far.

Slovenia is second in the group with six points for three matches after losing to Estonia in the first round. Milivoje Novakovic is second on the topscorer list with equal number of goals as Danny Welbeck.

England has won the last two matches against Slovenia.

What are the probable line-ups?

Hart

Chambers - Cahill - Jagielka - Baines

Henderson - Wilshere - Delph - Lallana

Welbeck - Rooney

____________________________________

Kampl - Novakovic

Pecnic - Kurtic -Kirm

Stevanovic

Brecko - Ilic - Cesar - A Struna

Handanovic

Keep an eye on

England: Danny Welbeck - The former Manchester United forward have impressed in Arsenal and is the main striker on the England team. The goals are expected to come from his feet in this match.

Slovenia: Jasmin Kurtic - Kurtic is the playmaker on the Slovenia team and the Fiorentina midfielder can cause problems for Jagielka and Cahill.

What to expect from this match?

England have played well so far in the qualification and should win at home against Slovenia. However, the Slovenes are not to be underestimated. Their squad contains players from top leagues in Europe and even though their starting line-up looks less impressive than the English they can cause problems. There is no doubt that this is a battle between the two qualifiers of Group E. The fact that Slovenia is three points behind England just makes the pressure on England even harder. I expect a well played match with great attacking football from both sides.

What are the odds?

England: 1/3 (StanJames)

Draw: 4 (SkyBet)

Slovenia: 11 (Ladbrokes)

Thursdays Transfer Rumours

2014-11-06T11:38:00.001-08:00

The weather is getting colder and that means we are heading towards the January transfer window!

David Moyes is wanted as manager for Real Sociedad (The Mirror) - Probability: Medium

Steven Gerrard could follow Spain legend Raul to the MLS side New York Cosmos if he fails to sign a new Liverpool deal (Daily Mail) - Probability: Low

Arsenal target Fabian Schar has admittet that he is ready to leave Basel (Daily Express) - Probability: High

Tottenham will try to sign Bayern Munich winger Xherdan Shaqiri in January (Goal.com) - Probability: Medium

Liverpool misfit Fabio Borini is attracting interest from Inter Milan (The Mirror) - Probability: High

Manchester City and Bayern Munich are battling it out for Marco Reus (Daily Mail) - Probability: Medium

Fenerbahce have asked Manchester United whether Robin van Persie is available to sign (Daily Star) - Probability: Low

Frank Lampard will stay on loan at Manchester City for another 6 months (Daily Express) - Probability: High

Manchester United are looking to sign Aston Villa defender Ron Vlaar in the January window (Daily Mail) - Probability: High

Liverpool are planning a January swoop for Mexican World Cup hero Guillermo Ochoa (Le10 Sport) - Probability: Low

Match of the Week: Time for revenge?

2014-11-03T13:28:00.000-08:00

Real Madrid only needed 41 minutes to beat Liverpool at Anfield - Can Liverpool bite back at Estadio Santiago Bernabeu?

Real Madrid v Liverpool

Champions League Group B

Estadio Santiago Bernabeu

4-11-2014 @ 19.45 GMT

How are the two sides current form?

Real Madrid are unbeaten in their last seven matches in the La Liga, as well as they are unbeaten in the Champions League Group B, so far. Cristiano Ronaldo is here, there and everywhere at the moment scoring 17 goals in ten La Liga matches and will be a mouthful for Liverpool.

Liverpool are struggling in the Premier League this season and seems to be unable to follow up on last seasons impressing play. They are currently third in the Champions League group with three points for three matches.

What are the probable line-ups?

Real Madrid are struggling with injuries as Jesé, Sami Khedira, Illarramendi, and Daniel Carvajal are all out with injuries. Fabio Coentrao is back from injury but is doubtful for the match. Liverpools injury list is long as well with Jose Enrique, Daniel Sturridge, Mamdou Sakho, John Flanagan and Suso sidelined.

Casillas

Marcelo - Pepe - Varane - Arbeloa

Modric - Kroos

James

Ronaldo - Benzema - Bale

____________________________________

Balotelli

Coutinho - Sterling

Can - Henderson

Gerrard

Moreno - Lovren - Skrtel - Manquillo

Mignolet

Worth keeping an eye on

Real Madrid: Cristiano Ronaldo - Cristiano Ronaldo is here, there and everywhere these days. The Portuguese has played well the last many seasons, but this season he has been incredible. He alone can send Liverpool out in the dark.

Liverpool: Simon Mignolet - The Belgian goalkeeper has to play his best against Real Madrid, if Liverpool is to have any chance.

What to expect from this match?

Real Madrid seems unstoppable this season and Liverpool is just another bump in the way towards the Champions League title. Liverpool needs a miracle if they are to get points on Santiago Bernabeu. There is no doubt that Real Madrid will play their usual quick attacking play, and the Liverpool defend will have to play a match above the standards shown in the Premier League this season. I have no doubt; Real Madrid will win this match.

What are the odds?

Real Madrid: 1/4 (Coral)

Draw: 33/5 (Matchbook)

Liverpool: 12 (Boylesport)

Thursdays Transfer Rumours

2014-10-30T13:04:00.000-07:00

We are only two months away from the opening of the transfer window, and the clubs are preparing their bids. Great Dane Football Blog is taking a look on the transfer rumours from the Premier League.

Arsenal are in the hunt for West Ham defender Winston Reid who is set to be out of contract in the summer (The Mirror) - Probability: Medium

Manchester United want to sign Gareth Bale and include Javier Hernandez in the deal (Caughtoffside) - Probability: Low

Arsenal and Newcastle are keeping an eye on Marseille striker Andre-Pierre Gignac after the club admits they may lose star striker (The Mirror) - Probability: Medium

Manchester United are eyeing a move for 18-year-old Belgian winger Zakaria Bakkali of PSV (Daily Express) - Probability: High

Sami Khedira is on the short list at Manchester City (Daily Star) - Probability: Medium

Harry Kane is a target for Southampton (The Sun) - Probability: High

Chelsea are preparing a bid for Gerard Pique - who is unwanted in Barcelona (Star) - Probability: Low

Mauricio Pochettino is planning a January bid for Southamptons Jay Rodriguez (The Mirror) - Probability: High

Manchester United, Liverpool and Spurs are all interested in 25-year-old Bayer Leverkusen defender Omer Toprak (Daily Star) - Probability: Medium