Former England manager Terry Venables has stated that the FA should hire Harry Redknapp as soon as possible to give the Tottenham boss the best opportunity to excel at Euro 2012.
The Three Lions have been without a permanent head coach since Fabio Capello walked away from his job earlier in the year, and Redknapp has emerged as the favourite to replace the Italian.
Venables has stated that the next national selector should be given as much preparation time as possible and that the FA should stop dragging their heels.
“I think Harry is the candidate and he has done such a capable job,” Venables told Mirror Football.
“The more time you can get in, the better. There’s nothing for you doing it off cold. You need everything to be in your favour because it’s such a big job.
“They have to get someone in there straight away do to something about it.
“I don’t see any benefit at all in coming in at the last moment with a rah-rah-rah. He’s got to know those players, not just from what he has seen, but how they talk and what they feel is important, really getting into the individuals.
“The cogs have got to be strong to make that chain strong.
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“It just seems to have gone on too long for me. There’s now a double take, and no-one seems to really know what’s going on, apart from those who are in the seat,” he concluded.
Betting has become an essential part of football for many supporters in recent years. While Manchester United may be odds-on favourites to win the Premier League title every season, there are plenty of other betting opportunities open to fans.
You can bet in the traditional markets, such as whether a team will win, lose or draw in their upcoming match, go for the first goal scorer or the correct score and so on. There are usually plenty of specials available as well, which are as random as which player while perform a Nani-esque celebration.
One of the big football betting developments in recent years has been the introduction of in-play betting. This allows you to follow the game and make all your usual bets but in real time, so if the Arsenal defence looks a bit shaky then you might bet on them conceding before half-time.
However, for some you just can’t beat the football accumulator. Pick from a handful to a dozen teams all to win over the course of a weekend and if all the results go your way then you’re in for a tidy amount of cash to spend down the pub or on your next bet.
What are your football betting habits? Answer a few simple questions in our survey below and you’ll be in with a chance of winning a pair of Premier League tickets* for next season…
Create your free online surveys with SurveyMonkey, the world’s leading questionnaire tool.
*We will endeavour to provide tickets for your first choice match.
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QPR manager Mark Hughes will be given a £1 million bonus by owner Tony Fernandes if he can keep the club in the Premier League, according to The Daily Mail.
The Loftus Road club are still in a relegation dogfight going into the last day of the season, but have their fate in their own hands after beating Stoke 1-0 last time out.
With Bolton two points adrift of Rangers, Hughes men need a point against Manchester City at the Etihad Stadium to ensure survival due to their superior goal difference.
With Hughes’ former club City needing to win to claim the Premier League title, it is sure to be an all-or-nothing clash for both sides, and Fernandes has issued the reward as a motivation to the Welsh boss.
Coaches Mark Bowen and Eddie Niedzwiecki are also believed to be in line for a handout if QPR stay up.
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Manchester United midfielder Ji-Sung Park has stated that he expects new club signing Shinji Kagawa to be a hit at Old Trafford.
The Japan international joined the Red Devils from Borussia Dortmund this summer and is expected to give the United midfield a shot in the arm with his energy and skill.
Park feels his new team-mate will be a worthy addition to Sir Alex Ferguson’s squad.
“I know United have agreed a deal for Kagawa and I’m happy because we’re signing a good player,” Park told ManUtd.kr, translated to English by The Daily Mail.
“Manchester United is a huge club and every season we sign new, world-class names.
“I hope Kagawa shows how good he is next season and I think he will do,” he stated.
Despite the increased competition for places in the United midfield, Park has targeted a starting berth for next season.
“There is a lot of competition in the squad but it doesn’t matter who I’m competing with. We’re a team and I just want to concentrate on producing better performances.
“We’re starting our pre-season tour next month and those matches will help me to prepare for the new season.
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“As always, when I begin a new season I am determined to improve,” he concluded.
Chelsea midfielder Ramires has urged his club to sign countryman Hulk, who has been rumoured to be the next high-profile new face at Stamford Bridge.
The Champions League winners are conducting an overhaul of their squad this summer, and have already captured the likes of Marko Marin, Kevin De Bruyne and Eden Hazard.
With Didier Drogba leaving the west London club a new striker is thought to be next on the agenda, with a fee in the £40 million mark believed to have been agreed last week.
However the deal is yet to be completed, and Ramires has stressed that his fellow Brazil international would be an excellent addition at Chelsea.
“I’m following here from Brazil the news about Chelsea’s likely signing of Hulk,” Ramires told Lancenet, translated to English by Sky Sports.
“I hope he does come, I have played with him for the Brazilian national team, and I also played against him when I was at Benfica and he would surely add a lot to Chelsea’s squad.
“If it was up to me, everything would be done already.”
Roman Abramovich is said to be personally taking a role in the transfer agenda this summer, and will look to bring in a number of new faces before the end of the summer.
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Manchester City have moved to try and tie key playmaker David Silva down to a new contract according to The Daily Mail.
The talented attacking midfielder is currently on international duty with Spain at Euro 2012, and played a part in the Iberian nation’s penalties victory over Portugal on Wednesday night.
Silva has been a star man for the Premier League winners also, and as such has been linked with a move back to his homeland, with Real Madrid said to be keen to sign the player this summer.
Despite this, Silva has already stated that he is happy at Roberto Mancini’s men, and the Etihad Stadium outfit have moved to secure the player’s long-term future in England.
City executives are thought to have flown to Barcelona over the weekend to meet with the player’s agent and advisors, with initial discussions over a contract extension underway.
Silva has two years left on his current deal at the club, and has been one of the Premier League’s top players since moving from Valencia in 2010.
Meanwhile, Mario Balotelli will not be leaving City either, with his agent stating that a move back to Italy is not a possibility.
“Italian football’s economic situation means that at the moment top players can’t come to Italy,” he revealed.
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Aston Villa’s attempts to sign Dutch defender Ron Vlaar seem to have broken down after the player claimed that he is focussed on playing for Feyenoord next term.
The Midlands club are looking to strengthen this summer after a disappointing campaign in 2011-12, with new boss Paul Lambert already raiding the Eredivisie for midfielder Karim El Ahmadi this summer.
Vlaar has been in the Scottish manager’s cross-hairs and a switch to Villa Park looked likely for the Netherlands international after he flew to Birmingham last week to meet with the Premier League club.
However, with negotiations seemingly stalled, a deal to bring the experience centre half to England seems to have hit the rocks.
“Feyenoord is in my heart and I have been through a lot here,” Vlaar told RTV Rijnmond, translated to English by Sky Sports.
“I think the chance I will move to Aston Villa is not so big anymore. I don’t want to be kept on a leash, so a transfer is off for now,” he stated.
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Daniele De Rossi has stated that he wants to stay at Roma and has no interest in moving to Manchester City.
The Italy international is a long-term target for Citizens boss Roberto Mancini, with the Premier League champions eager to add the midfielder to their squad this summer.
However, despite rumours of a big-money move by City, De Rossi has committed to the Serie A outfit.
“I’m staying for this team, for the affection of the fans, because I am a Roman and because I believe in this project,” he told Italian reporters, translated to English by The Guardian.
“I’m happy here. I feel good here. I haven’t asked anyone to leave. What I promise is that the day I want to leave Roma to win the Champions League or to earn more money, I’ll say so publicly.”
The news will be another blow to City in their blunt transfer period this summer.
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The transfer window is now done and dusted until January and for some teams, it was far more successful than others. Certain sides completed their business early, signed the players they wanted and generally enjoyed a decent summer. For others, it’s been nothing but months of frustration, ending in a frantic rush to change their fortunes in this particular transfer window.
As per usual, Tottenham spent August the 31st lighting up deadline day with their traditional scramble to beat the deadline. This year, they just failed to sign Portuguese midfielder Joao Moutinho, but will certainly feel happier with their lot than Liverpool fans who look rather short in the striking department. One thing though. Why don’t teams just follow Sir Alex Ferguson’s example and finish their dealings before the season begins? His new signing seems to have bedded in fairly well…We take a look at the 15 real losers of the transfer window this time around.
Click on Dimitar Berbatov to unveil the 15
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Maybe this is a case of a footballer getting exactly what they deserve—and not because he’s a bad person. David Bentley seemed to make poor decision after poor decision in his career, with recent injuries really bringing him to his knees. He has now been banished, seemingly, to one of the far corners of European football, with very little left of the promising player we once knew.
It said a lot when Bentley couldn’t find his way into a Birmingham side who were relegated in the season he went on loan with them. It was also incredibly disappointing that he had his spell with West Ham cut short by injury, but maybe we should be looking at the level of clubs that were interested in him.
This is a player who once scored a hat trick against Manchester United, was compared favourably to David Beckham, and cost Tottenham a fee around £17 million in 2008. You wouldn’t think that now when you look at his recent years, but his career has spiralled downwards and is very close to becoming irrelevant. Who can speak about Rostov in Russia with any great confidence? A club who aren’t competing for league titles or even European competition, but maybe it’s good that the player has put all that aside and is just intent on getting back on course.
The lure of Russian money isn’t there, nor is the chance of playing to large crowds usually associated with top European football. But is David Bentley’s case even remotely similar to what we saw with Joe Cole last summer? Both previously hailed as great internationals for their country, but both of whom fell heavily out of favour at their parent clubs. It said something about Joe Cole when he ended up at Lille in France. No disrespect to the then reigning French champions, but a title-winner at Chelsea, an England international and Liverpool star (at least that’s what his wages suggested) should maybe have landed a little higher.
Cole proved to have a good spell while in France, perhaps opening that door a little further for English players to explore leagues beyond their comfort zone. Russian football, like all the other empires under construction around the world, are looking at leagues like the Premier League for the next big opportunity. And while there’s no certainty what will happen with Bentley at Rostov, he’s definitely fallen into a minority who are willing to go abroad for the good of their career.
David Beckham, Michael Owen and Steve McManaman are different cases, because who would turn down Real Madrid if they came calling?
David Bentley surely would not have expected his career to pan out this way. Coming through the Arsenal academy, he already seemed too big for his boots before firmly establishing himself as a Premier League footballer. His attitude to the senior players sometimes bordered on the embarrassing, while his decision to pull out of the England U21 squad in 2007 also heaped the pressure and bad feeling on the player.
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He spoke so highly of Spurs when he joined the club, and maybe he could have been an integral member of the first-team even now. But there were mistakes, notably his lack of ability to really take his chances, and lets not forget the ice bucket incident with Harry Redknapp during that interview.
Nothing spectacular will come from this move to Russia. He may get back to full fitness and find a good home in a team for the next four-months or so. But if not, then it’s as good as over for him, at least in top-flight football. Not too many will be paying attention, and he certainly won’t force the sales of Rostov shirts in England, but this is really make or break for Bentley. A chance to get his career back on the right path or a confirmation of what we’ve all known for a good few years.