Striker Garry O'Connor does not know whether he has a future with Birmingham City beyond January.
The Scotland striker was handed a six-month contract during the summer following an injury-plagued last season.
The 27-year-old started Saturday's 2-0 home victory over Blackpool after steadily climbing the pecking order in recent weeks but his long-term future remains a mystery.
"Nothing is being said at the moment about a new contract," he explained.
"The gaffer has got faith in me. It is just about people upstairs at the club.
"I would love to stay at Birmingham. It's a fantastic club and I've enjoyed my time here and hope it can continue.
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"I've got to keep my head down and keep working hard.
"But, if it doesn't happen for me here, I can move on being happy with my form at the moment."Subscribe to Football FanCast News Headlines by Email
STOP THE PRESSES! ADAM JOHNSON IS UNHAPPY WITH LIFE AT MANCHESTER CITY AND WANTS TO LEAVE THE CLUB UNLESS HE STARTS TO PLAY MORE OFTEN! HE SAID SO HIMSELF, WITH WORDS FROM HIS OWN MOUTH! EVERYONE PANIC! RUN FOR YOUR LIVES! WON’T SOMEBODY THINK OF THE CHILDREN? ETC. ETC.
I might have over exaggerated the situation a little, but isn’t that what everyone does?
Here’s what Adam Johnson actually said, speaking to The Sun after the Manchester Derby: “Every footballer has to think about it when the time comes. It is still early but I definitely would consider it. It is disappointing when you are not playing from the start in games like [the Manchester Derby]. I was itching to get on. I was dying to play from the start not just come on.
“The manager has to make decisions but I was gutted to be left out. With the players we have it will be a rotation but I am full of confidence and I just want to be playing. I have got to train and get on with it, nothing is going to change. I have to keep the right frame of mind and get in the team because I want to play for the national team as well.”
Of course, there’s not really much in what he’s said that suggests he’s making an ultimatum to Roberto Mancini. Yet that doesn’t stop The Sun running with ‘Adam Johnson’s Manchester City Quit Hint’. After checking The Telegraph, The Daily Mail, The Independent and The Guardian, the story was reported in pretty much the same way. And, after checking The Daily Express, I’ve come to the conclusion that Diana might have died…
The fact that Johnson understands that he needs to work hard in training and insists that he will do that is glossed over (after all, it’s not actually the quotes that people will remember). The quotes where he says that are buried near the bottom of the story, while the report centres around the implication that he might need to leave City in search of first team football sometime in the future.
That could be in two years’ time if he is still playing in dribs and drabs or in ten years’ time when there is younger talent available to whoever is in charge of the club (“Every footballer has to think about it when the time comes”). There’s no ‘play-me-or-I-will-leave’ threat there: he’s just confirmed that he’s unhappy at starting most games from the bench. In fact, it reads more like he’s looking forward to getting on the pitch for City, not looking at which clubs he can move to.
Since this article has appeared in The Sun, I’ve heard City fans talking about Johnson “spitting his dummy out” or “making thinly veiled threats” or “running to the tabloids”. Of course, none of which are likely to be true. Saying something is disappointing is not to spit one’s dummy out, for one thing, while affirming a desire to play regularly isn’t a thinly veiled threat. And it would seem most likely that The Sun approached City (or England) for an interview with Johnson and posed the question ‘would you consider leaving if you needed to get first team football?’
It’s cracking journalism: it’s turned a dull story that, without that question and subsequent quote, would barely be touched, into a story that every City fan has an opinion about. And, of course, The Sun has a few more pound coins in the bank account. And then the other papers got in on the act by using the quotes along with the words ‘speaking to The Sun, Adam Johnson said…’
I understand the frustration of the fans. Coming off the back of two disappointing goalless draws and reading that one of the club’s prospects for the future isn’t happy at not starting matches isn’t the ideal opening to the week. That being said, however, there are positives to be taken with City’s ‘dip in form’ (plus it’s good to know that one of the players wants to play for the club instead of sitting on the bench every week – yet that’s a bad thing?).
Continued on Page TWO
For a start, having conceded two silly goals against Wolves, two soft goals against Blackpool and having a man sent off (and subsequently shipping three goals) against Arsenal isn’t a great way for a defence to be performing, especially if that defence belongs to a team looking to challenge for honours sometime in the future. City have actually conceded 10 league goals all season and eight of them came in October over a period of four matches.
It would seem that Roberto Mancini has gone back to basics: the foundation of any good team is a solid defence and, with Birmingham being City’s seventh Premier League clean sheet (from a possible 13) this season, City are showing they have just that. In fact, Joe Hart hasn’t had a meaningful save to make in the last three matches, and no team that leaks goals for fun will do well in the long term.
And despite the recent leakage, only Chelsea have conceded fewer goals this season.
That being said, it would be wrong of me to sit here with a desire for crisps or chocolate (in a house that is deprived of both of those snacks) and make excuses for City not beating Birmingham. On paper, the squads aren’t even near each other in quality. It’s that very reason I think many City fans – and perhaps even one or two City players – expected to turn up last weekend and win. Birmingham, to their credit, had other ideas and restricted City to half-chances and long range efforts.
Watching an inherently defensive performance isn’t a great way to spend a Saturday afternoon, but, given the choice between attractive, free-flowing football and another season without success and occasionally dull, but mostly effective and efficient performances with success, can we, as City fans, honestly say we’d prefer not to win something? I’ve been starved of any success for my team for all of my lifetime: it’s a very difficult choice.
City played no differently against United and Birmingham than they did against Chelsea earlier in the season. Except they failed to score, obviously. Thinking back to the Chelsea game, I can barely remember a chance for either side, other than Tevez’s goal and Ivanovic’s header. Yet that winning goal is the dividing line between many fans (myself included, in all fairness) saying that it was a good performance instead of a disappointing one.
I agree that Roberto Mancini needs to find the correct balance between defence and attack and that, at this moment, he is currently more focussed on keeping the opposition out than he is sticking the ball in the net. But, as silly as this may sound, the performances aren’t too far away from what’s needed to be classed as ‘free-flowing’ and ‘entertaining’. The possession football City have been playing has been good; it just needs to be a bit quicker.
The reason, I think, that City are currently struggling to open teams up is because they are allowing their opposition too much time to get back into position. Moving the ball quicker doesn’t give them that time and allows gaps to be exploited, resulting in more chances and, potentially, more goals. Add that to the current defence and you’re no longer talking about a manager who’s on the verge of losing his job, but a manager who’s on the verge of revolutionising a club that’s been a laughing stock for years.
Speaking of which, to the fans who are disillusioned with the current state of affairs: a laughing stock is not what City are. That was a title reserved for being beaten by York City to sink to the lowest point in the club’s history. Neither is this a crisis or disaster: that is needing to beat Stoke and pray that one of QPR, Portsmouth or Port Vale lose.
This is just a blip.
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The frustration is that any side looking to win the league (or, indeed, finish fourth or above) doesn’t fail to win that match at home to Birmingham. Manchester United don’t drop points at home to West Brom, or Chelsea don’t lose to Sunderland at the Bridge, or Arsenal aren’t beaten at The Emirates by West Brom or Newcastle…
Ah, no, hang on…
The truth is, City will drop points in matches they should win. They’ll also do it at infuriating times in the season: last weekend was, in essence, a ‘good’ time (if that’s possible) to fail to win, given that Chelsea lost, Manchester United drew, and, from the teams around City, only Arsenal won. City were always going to stay in fourth by not winning, but, on the bright side, they’re not as far behind the rest as they could have been.
So, City aren’t currently playing like Real Madrid or Barcelona and they aren’t winning every game by three or four goals. But is anyone in the Premier League doing that?
Besides, as fans of the club, we’re in it for the long haul. We have to be – it’s the very nature of being a fan of one club; whatever they do, wherever they go, however they play, we support them.
Bolton’s lofty position in the league thus far this year has come despite some very inconsistent performances against some of the divisions lesser lights. Despite manager Owen Coyle and striker Johan Elmander being named manager and player of the month for November, dropped points over the last two weekends have tarnished what was an excellent league position.
For Blackburn, a win at the Reebok could propel them into the top six, and for former Trotters boss Sam Allardyce, there is no doubt that this fixture will be of major personal significance.
Rovers bounced back admirably from their hammering at Old Trafford with a home win against Wolves, however if they are to move away from the chasing pack and challenge for a top ten finish, getting points out of away fixtures such as this will be crucial.
Prediction: 1-1
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Tottenham move into the top four with an excellent 2-0 victory at White Hart Lane.
It was a pulsating affair although Tottenham always seemed the team most likely to take the points throughout. Harry’s men didn’t make life easy for themselves after Younes Kaboul got himself sent off with an act of petulance, although it is fair to say that perpetrator can consider himself fortunate that he was even on the pitch at that stage after the referee continually gave him the benefit of the doubt after some late tackles went unpunished. Tottenham were able to hold on with 10 men for the second time in so many days and a wonderful solo strike by Gareth Bale sealed the points for the home side, much to the delight of the White Hart Lane faithful.
So how do Tottenham fans feel about today, and what are the five things we learnt from Harry’s men this afternoon?
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It is indeed with a heavy heart and a frown upon my face that I write this blog entry. Upon waking up this morning, I was greeted with the news that Chelsea had reignited their interest in my beloved Fernando Torres. Liverpool swiftly issued a statement saying that Torres was not for sale at any price. However, rumours have emerged that Liverpool’s number nine has asked the club’s hierarchy to consider offers from the London club.
The Spaniard’s future came under heavy scrutiny last summer after Liverpool’s dismal 09/10 campaign, but a mooted move away from L4 failed to materialise and Torres committed to another season at Anfield. I personally felt at the time that the intense speculation and conjecture surrounding his future had been exacerbated by the media, and was immensely pleased when he reiterated his love for and commitment to the club.
There are several reasons why Torres has endeared himself so emphatically to the club’s supporters. His signing in the summer of 2007 was a huge signal of intent, and marked the first time since Michael Owen’s early ‘00s peak that the side had a genuinely world-class striker within their ranks.
The former Rojiblanco man took to the English game like to the duck water, an assertion ably supported by his absolutely phenomenal goalscoring record. At the time of writing, Torres has scored 81 goals in 141 appearances for Liverpool, managing to break a frankly ridiculous range of club records along the way.
The Spaniard has been important off the pitch too. For the last two seasons, Torres was the most popular surname printed on replica shirts worldwide. The fresh-faced 26-year-old is an extremely marketable man, a fact confirmed by former manager Rafael Benitez, who once said:
“”He’s a nice boy and the fans love him. He is a good representative for the club and a good example for many people.
“Women (in Asia) go crazy for him. Thanks to him Liverpool has become much bigger in Asia. He’s the cornerstone for our sponsor.”
What I love most about Torres though, is how refreshingly loyal he is when compared to the plethora of Premier League mercenaries and primadonnas. Despite growing up roughly 1,300 miles away from Anfield, Torres appears to love and ‘get’ the club just as much as the likes of Steven Gerrard and Jamie Carragher.
He has immersed himself in the life and culture of the city and club, and spoke of how proud he would be if his children speak “English and Scouse”. His tribute to those who lost their lives at Hillsborough in 1989 after scoring against Blackburn in April 2009, and his ‘we’ve won it five times’ hand gesture to the crowd after scoring against Manchester United at Old Trafford in the same season are also indicative of his love for and understanding of the club.
As an avid and passionate supporter of the club since the age of seven, I have seen my fair share of heroes exit the club. Indeed, I vividly remember crying my eyes out when Steve McManaman left for Real Madrid, and coming very close to doing so again when Gerard Houllier sold God to Leeds United (a sale that still irks me to this day). The sale of Xabi Alonso in the summer of 2009 is probably the most recent transfer that managed to evoke similar sentiments.
However, such sadness would be trumped and then some if the boy from Fuenlabrada decides to part ways with the club.
Please don’t go Fernando.
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YNWA
Follow me on twitter at www.twitter.com/zarifrasul
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Barcelona were at their brilliant best in a 5-0 demolition job of Almeria in the Copa del Rey semi-final first leg on Wednesday.
The result was not quite the 8-0 win Barca pulled off over Almeria in their La Liga meeting in November, but it was still wholly convincing.
Midfielder Lionel Messi scored a double, while David Villa, Pedro and Seydou Keita all netted in the rampant result which all but booked Barca spot in the Spanish cup final at the expense of La Liga strugglers Almeria.
The Catalans were 4-0 up inside 31 minutes, but failed to score for the best part of an hour before Keita topped off the victory in the 89th minute.
Elsewhere, Karim Benzema struck a vital away goal in Real Madrid’s 1-0 triumph over Sevilla in their first-leg encounter.
The France international is under pressure to hang on to his spot in Real’s first team following manager Jose Mourinho’s acquisition of striker Emmanuel Adebayor, but Benzema fired his side ahead in the 17th minute at the Estadio Ramon Sanchez Pizjuan.
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Benzema took possession outside of the penalty area, dribbled into the 18-yard area, snuck the ball past Sevilla defender Julien Escude before slotting under veteran goalkeeper Andres Palop.
Birmingham City will look to move further away from the relegation zone when they tackle Newcastle United at St Andrew’s on Tuesday.
Alex McLeish’s men, in 14th place on the table on 30 points but only two behind Newcastle, have proved difficult to beat at home this season.
They have lost only twice on home turf but the seven draws have proved expensive and may ultimately be costly in their hopes of grabbing a place in Europe next season.
In comparison, Newcastle’s away form has also been patchy but they did start 2011 impressively with a 1-0 win at Wigan Athletic, Shola Ameobi scoring the winner.
Amoebi will miss Tuesday’s match with a fractured cheekbone and, with Andy Carroll’s departure to Liverpool still a sore point on Tyneside, the pressure is mounting on Alan Pardew to find a goalscorer.
Former Newcastle marksman Obafemi Martins has the chance to shine against his former club but the man Toon will have to watch closely is in-form striker Nikola Zigic.
The Serbian international has scored in each of his last three league games, including the winners against West Ham and Stoke.
Saturday’s victory over Stoke was particularly pleasing for City fans – it was the first time the club had achieved back-to-back league wins in 14 months.
With City’s squad having one eye on the Carling Cup final against Arsenal at Wembley Stadium on February 27 – Martins is eligible – the competition for strikers is hotting up.
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Cameron Jerome, Kevin Phillips and Matt Derbyshire are the others in the mix to partner Zigic.
Defender Scott Dann’s absence through injury is something Newcastle will look to capitalise on.
Dann tore his hamstring in the Carling Cup semi-final first leg at West Ham and surgery has ruled him out for the remainder of the season.
Real Madrid coach Jose Mourinho is hoping his homework will pay off as his side aim to end their Champions League jinx against Lyon.Ligue 1 giants Lyon have an unbeaten record over the Spaniards in European competition, and eliminated Real Madrid in last season’s first knock-out round.
The French side went on to reach their first ever Champions League semi-final, but were themselves defeated by eventual runners-up Bayern Munich.
“Ever since we drew Lyon, we have been studying and learning about them,” Mourinho said.
“It’s been years since Madrid made it (to the quarter-finals), and it’s because they have never beaten Lyon. I am not losing sleep over Lyon or any other team.”
Madrid striker Karim Bezema will once again return to his former club, but the the 23-year-old believes his current side have developed enough to quash Lyon’s record.
“If I’m lucky enough to play I will do everything I can,” he said. “This match will be different to last year. Our team has changed … I think we are going to defeat Lyon and win the Champions League.”
Lyon’s cause will not be helped by the absence of key striker Lisandro Lopez.
The 27-year-old Argentine has found the target eight times this season, but injured his hamstring during training this week.
“You have to respect the player,” said Lyon coach Claude Puel. “He is injured and it’s a handicap for us.”
However, goalkeeper Hugo Lloris remains confident that Lyon can get the better of Real Madrid yet again.
“Faced with a great team like Real, we know that by giving 200% we are not even sure of the result,” he said.
“They are a favourite for the Champions League. And we are an obstacle for Real. We hope to cause an upset.”
Barcelona assistant Tito Vilanova was full of praise for his side’s gutsy 1-0 La Liga win over third-placed Valencia at the Mestalla on Wednesday.Vilanova – speaking in the absence of manager Pep Guardiola, who had been admitted to hospital with a back problem – said they were relieved to take all three points from a fellow top-four side, despite not being at their clinical best.”We know that there are many games to go, both away and at home. We always know that we can draw or lose, because this can happen against any team in this league,” he said. “We knew that this was one of the difficult grounds, and we hadn’t been able to win here in two years. We had many chances in the first half, especially for (goalscorer Lionel) Messi. We knew that anything could happen, and that is why we celebrated so much.”Vilanova said the La Liga champions were expectant of victory at the Mestalla, but knew it was going to be a tough contest with their Champions League rivals.”We expected a good result, but not a 0-4 or 0-5 here. We knew that it would be hard, the result is great for us and we know that you can’t win every game by a landslide,” he said. “We made changes to be more attacking, not to be more defensive. We are happy, because in the first half we had more chances on goal than them. We are satisfied.””The minutes were ticking away and we had to risk a bit more. We put Pedro on as a goalscoring option, knowing that we could concede a goal as well.” “We saw that Valencia were a little more tired and that we had more of a chance. He played a good game and was good up front, which is what we hoped for. Sometimes you think about the effects of travel, but this isn’t the case.”
The future of Cesc Fabregas has been discussed in detail for the last two years. Ever since he has become a top class midfielder, he has been linked to his boyhood club, Barcelona. Arsenal do not rely on Fabregas and his presence in the squad has become disruptive. I think Arsenal should sell Fabregas this summer.
If Fabregas leaves, Samir Nasri can take over the central role. Nasri has been excellent this season and I fully believe he will become as good as Fabregas (if he is not already). In Jack Wilshere, Arsenal have another exciting central midfielder. Wilshere has out-performed Fabregas at times this year and I believe he is good enough to play in a three man midfield. With the combination of Wilshere and Nasri I don’t think Arsenal will miss Fabregas.
So, not only do Arsenal have sufficient cover, but I also think Fabregas has given all he can for Arsenal. It seems to me that everyone has been talking about the fact that Fabregas has not won any major silverware, more than they do about Arsenal not winning any silverware. This is a distraction for the other members of the squad.
Before the Barcelona game, Fabregas hugged and joked with the Barcelona players. That night Fabregas looked like a kid in a playground, not a general going into battle. I cannot imagine Patrick Vieira or Tony Adams acting in this way. The night was ‘his’ not Arsenal’s; he was returning to his old club. I don’t think that benefitted anyone in the team, a captain should be more professional. At the Nou Camp, he put personal history before the future of Arsenal.
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Arsenal is a club where the future is always talked about. They have developed ‘next-year syndrome’ where improvement and development are more common than success. This is something they need to rectify. The Fabregas-Barcelona saga in the last two years has contributed to an attitude where people consider the future of Arsenal and not the present. I say let him go this summer and be done with it.
If Fabregas leaves, Arsenal could be left with between £35-45m; a huge amount of money. With that cash, Wenger, being Wenger, could buy four good players with the potential to become great. I would rather see him buy two quality players in their prime.
Which areas to invest the money would be another matter, personally I would like to see them try and involve Mascherano in the transfer, a defensive-minded midfielder, who is disciplined in a positional sense, could be just what Arsenal are missing. But there are also problems on the wing and in goal to remedy. If Fabregas leaves, who should Arsenal bring in?
I have heard many people calling for the purchase of a new defender but I don’t think that is necessary. Thomas Vermaelen is going to be fit next year, his return will make a difference. Furthermore, Djourou has developed well. Interestingly, Arsenal have conceded just 8 goals in the 17 Premier League games Djourou has started and kept 9 clean sheets.
But before I get any more carried away with future transfers, it needs to be said that Barcelona might not buy him. Their fans are definitely not convinced. Xavi and Iniesta currently boss the Barcelona midfield and are two of the best players in world football. Xavi is 31, so while Fabregas is the ideal long term replacement, he might not be a regular for another three or four years.
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I doubt Fabregas would want to leave Arsenal for anywhere other than Barcelona. So if they do not make a good enough offer this summer, the player will remain at The Emirates. This could mean another few years where the Fabregas story takes precedent over Arsenal’s.
If you agree that Fabregas should be sold this summer you can follow joe on twitter @joeaustin8