Scott Sinclair cannot wait for tomorrow’s match as he travels with the Manchester City to squad to face Real Madrid, Sky Sports reports.
The former England Under-21 international arrived at the Etihad on deadline day, and says that it is this type of game which saw him decide to leave Swansea and join the Premier League champions.
He said: “This is why I came here – to play with the best and be in a world-class team.
“I don’t know if I’ll play – I’ve just made my debut and all I can do now is concentrate on the next game, and on training every day, and give 100%.”
The 23-year-old made his City debut in the 1-1 draw at Stoke on Saturday and has seemingly been brought in to fill the void left by Adam Johnson, who joined Sunderland in the summer.
It is Sinclair’s second chance at the big time, after failing to force his way into the Chelsea team following a frustrating five-year spell between 2005 and 2010.
He was loaned out to six different clubs during his time at Stamford Bridge and eventually decided to join Swansea- where he scored the club’s first-ever Premier League goal in a 3-0 win over West Brom last season.
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Sinclair admits he is uncertain whether he can keep his place in the starting line-up for tomorrow’s match, but will just keep working hard to stay in Roberto Mancini’s plans.
“I am just looking forward to playing any games, to be honest, whether it’s my City debut in the Premier League or a Champions League game. All I can do is try to make an impact,” he added.
It seems like the criteria for being a Manchester United goalkeeper is not just how good you are in between the sticks, but also how good you are at pulling gorgeous women! We have previously featured David de Gea and his WAG Edurne García Almagro and now Anders Lindegaard’s other half Missé Beqiri takes centre stage.
Missé Beqiri is a Swedish model who doesn’t seem to be a big fan of clothing. The 24-year-old is actually Albanian-born but has resided in Malmo, so it’s easy for her to get the train to Lindegaard’s homeland, Denmark. Misse not only models, she even has her own blog and is quite a wordsmith.
Rumours of the pair hooking up emerged on Facebook, as Misse replied to Anders’ brag that he had the best girlfriend in the world by saying: “as good as it gets”. The pair also follow each other on Twitter, where Bequiri’s bio states: “it’s simple”. As is viewing the Missé Beqiri WAG Gallery.
Click on Misse Bequiri below to see her WAG Gallery
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We live in a world that is fuelled by stereotypes and within the cliché driven environment of Premier League football, that notion is by no means any different. And for the public persona of the professional footballer, there is no short supply of ill-feeling, no matter who you are or who you play for.
And to some extent, how could you possibly expect any different? Within recent times, we’ve been exposed to certain somebodies taking air rifles into the training ground, igniting pyrotechnics in their country mansions and a whole backdrop of stories detailing a seeming perpetual hobby of adultery. It’s fair to say that sympathy isn’t exactly in abundance for the current crop of pros basking in the top flight.
But are we often too quick to paint all footballers with the same brush? Has the sort of exposure given to the likes of the John Terry’s, Wayne Rooney’s and Ashley Cole’s of this world been so prominent that it is now almost impossible to view a footballer with any sort of objectivity?
Such is the way that scorn is poured – often more than justifiably – upon the likes of Cole et al, that footballers seem to represent more characters, than real life people. The personal lives of top-flight players have always been tabloid fodder since what feels like the beginning of time, but it feels uneasy to think that popular opinion has been built up over a lifetime of News of the World ‘exclusives’.
A tabloid newspaper’s job is to first and foremost, sell itself and make a profit. A back page exclusive of ‘Premier League footballer opens soccer school in poverty stricken country’ is hardly going to see copies start flying off the shelf. But throw in a celebrity, reality television star and a little bit of kiss ‘n’ tell and you have yourself an instant classic. As close to a scientific formula for marketing success as you’re ever likely to find.
Of course, the argument is that there aren’t that many charitable footballers or men of good measure residing in our leagues. But that feels like an aged and certainly an unfounded opinion, at best. With a tabloid media that are unremittingly ruthless in their baying for footballer ridden gossip, has it been any surprise that players resemble something of a distant, enigmatic and frustratingly out of touch breed?
Indeed, The Guardian’s resident anonymous man on the insider, The Secret Footballer, has spoke at length about the reluctance to let their guard down. Digressing about life within the public realms, he said:
“Today if I go out to see friends, I have to be on my toes. Everybody seems to be a reporter. If you meet a footballer and he comes across as a rude, arrogant *****, the chances are that he is simply trying not to give anything away.”
Some will rightly deride such a viewpoint, although it gives an interesting insight into the thinking behind a modern day footballer. Public opinion is unlikely to seismically shift away from the current derogatory viewpoint, if players are simply too fearful to parade any part of their natural persona: good or bad.
Because the issue with stereotypes is that so often, it allows a certain minority to come to represent the majority. In truth, how much do we really know about the characters and the people behind the players that we see every weekend?
The hideously inflated and horribly out of proportion wages that they receive every week will always draw a rightful degree of negativity. But it’s unfair to decree that all who earn such money to be harness such woeful characters.
Indeed, one Craig Bellamy has taken pelters his whole career for his perceived abrasive attitude on the pitch and he is often a popular figure of derision within the media. Although despite being more than capable of earning another lucrative Premier League contract, Bellamy dropped down a division and took a permanent pay cut to move to Cardiff, for the good of his family. That got almost as little exposure as his self-funded football academy in Sierra Leone has. But hey, let’s never let the truth get in the way of a good story.
Didier Drogba is another who takes his share of relative flak from supporters. His connection to the likes of Cole through his professional background has most people tarring him with the same brush. But we’ve never seen too many back pages dedicated to his long-standing work as a Goodwill Ambassador for the United Nations Development programme.
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Even in recent weeks, the news that Manchester United winger Ashley Young, had stopped en route to the Tottenham game to attend to an injured child, was greeted with a sense of surprise and genuine malaise on the Internet. Some commented that they were surprised he’d do something 99% of the rest of the country would do. On what grounds have they formed that opinion about Young the human being, not the footballer?
With such unimaginable wealth and an unrelenting amount of media interest in their every move, it is almost impossible to harness any form of relatability towards a Premier League footballer. But can we honestly say that we don’t often unfairly bracket them as a group of people, based on the extreme actions of a very select group of their peers?
No one is suggesting to cut them any slack, to refrain from judging their every decision on the pitch or to even offer an element of sympathy towards them. Perhaps more, just a degree of fairness.
Are footballers unfairly typecast? Or do they deserve such a generalised reputation of negativity? Let me know how you see it on Twitter: follow @samuel_antrobus and bat me all your opinions.
Mikel Arteta has demanded Arsenal beat QPR at the Emirates Stadium this weekend and get their season back on track after two defeats on the spin, the Mirror report.
The Gunners followed up their defeat at Norwich last Saturday with a feeble display in the Champions League against Schalke on Wednesday, in which they failed to register a shot on target until the 93rd minute.
Spanish midfielder Arteta has vocally admitted his concerns that Arsene Wengers’ men have taken their eye off the ball and says they need to stop making errors at crucial times during games.
“We have to bounce back. We have two days now to get this result behind us and hopefully we can get a win on Saturday,” he said.
“The way we are giving these points away, for me it is not good enough.
“We are controlling most of the games but then we seem to make mistakes at certain times which is costing points.
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Harry Redknapp has dismissed reports linking him with the vacant managers position at Blackburn Rovers, report The Metro.
The ex-Tottenham boss has been linked with the role as the Championship club look to rebuild after the departure of Steve Kean.
The Scotsman stepped down as manager of the Ewood Park club at the end of last month and as of yet they have been unable to find a replacement.
Redknapp has been suggested, but he insists that he is not interested in taking on the job:
“I haven’t met anyone from Blackburn and have no plans to.
“When we saw the speculation, I asked where it was all coming from – it’s not for me.
“They’ve got a good squad, a good support but it’s not for me.
“Blackburn is a good club with great traditions going back many years. (But) it’s not something that would be for me.”
Redknapp has been working with his local side AFC Bournemouth in a voluntary capacity of late, but is believed to be interested in a return to Premier League management.
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He has been linked with QPR, should Mark Hughes be shown the door, but there is no concrete deal in place.
Blackburn may turn to former Argentina coach Diego Maradona who is believed to be willing to take on the role.
With Harry Redknapp taking the QPR job and announcing his intentions of keeping them in the Premier League (despite them only securing four points from their opening 13 games) it has got me thinking about the most influential managerial appointments the Premier League has ever seen.
Of course, Harry Redknapp has worked wonders at other clubs before and he did make it into the top ten, but there are also a couple of surprising choices for you to mull over. The criteria I used to select my most influential ten were their ability to save their club from relegation, the stability they have given their club during their time and/or the success they have achieved during their tenure.
So, ladies and gentleman, without further ado, click on ‘Arry to see the Premier League’s most influential managerial appointments of all time
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Norwich came out smiling in a seven goal thriller with Swansea at the Liberty Stadium to extend their unbeaten run to nine games.
Chris Hughton’s men have hit a rich vein of form of late and find themselves just four points shy of a Champions League spot despite sitting 11th in the Premier League table.
The Swans came into the game brimming with confidence after vanquishing Arsenal at the Emirates Stadium last week but were brought back down to Earth on home soil by a vibrant Canaries side.
Despite only scoring five times on their travels Hughton’s charges needed only 16 minutes to make the breakthrough when Steven Whittaker surged into the penalty area and lashed beyond Gerhard Tremmel after exchanging passes with Robert Snodgrass on the right.
That lead was doubled five minutes before half time, Sebastien Bassong popping up to bury head home Grant Holt’s cross. The Norwich striker then got his own name on the scoresheet as he beat Ki Sung-Yeung to nod Snodgrass’ free kick past Tremmel.
Whatever Laudrup said to his players at the interval paid immediate dividends and six minutes after the restart Michu had reduced the deficit after latching on to Ben Davies’ pass and burying his shot past Mark Bunn.
And nine minutes later there was hope of restoring parity. Nathan Dyer sped past Javier Garrido on the right and his cross found its way to Jonathan De Guzman, who found the net with a powerful volley.
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But their hopes of completing a remarkable comeback was all but ended when Snodgrass bent a wonderful free kick over the wall and past the despairing Tremmel.
Swansea continued to chase and set up a tense finish when Michu headed in De Guzman’s cross. And they were denied an equaliser minutes later when Bunn tipped Itay Shechter’s strike over the bar to ensure the Canaries equalled their best top flight unbeaten run set back in October 1989
Arsenal striker Gervinho has insisted that his side will go all out to ensure a win in their Champions League final group game against Olympiakos this evening.
The Gunners have already qualified for the knockout stages of the competition, although they do have a chance to finish top of their group with a positive display against their Greek opponents.
Wenger may decide with survival in the Champions League secured that it is time to rest some key personnel ahead of their Premier League clash on the weekend with West Bromwich Albion.
Gervinho insisted thought that this will not play any part in how Arsenal approach the game in Athens, and insists they will be looking to win all 3 points:
“It’s a bit different for us because first place of the group is still up for grabs so we do have something to play for, even if we have qualified already,” he told Arsenal’s official website.
“Also, the manager might rotate the team and then it becomes a good opportunity for some players who don’t always play to play well and they will be very motivated.
“Even if we have already qualified, we have to stay focused and humble. For the rest of the competition, it would not be good to finish the group stages with a defeat.
“Anything is possible in football. Montpellier drew in Schalke earlier in the season so they can do it at home.
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“I hope Olivier (Giroud) will make a few phone calls to the manager, the president and his former team-mates to make sure they help us! “More seriously, if Montpellier win and we don’t, it will be pointless anyway. So first of all, we need to do our part of the job.
“We will stay focused on ourselves and beating Olympiakos and then we will have a look at how Montpellier are doing.”
Much has been made of Arsenal already this season. Shock results, lackluster performances and transfer/contract speculation have been hot on the lips of every fan in the country. How can Arsene, if ever, turn it around at the Emirates? Just what can he do to get the Gunners back competing for the Premier League?
The news last week that Jack Wilshere is on the verge of signing a new contract at the club is a huge boost for Arsene Wenger. Since the 20 year-old’s return from injury earlier this season he has been the outstanding performer in an increasingly average bunch.
If he can also persuade Theo Walcott to sign on the dotted line he will be finally making some positive steps on Arsenal’s bid for long-awaited success.
The young, English contingent at Arsenal is one that is in danger of getting away from them if they fail to secure their futures at the Emirates. The other three young Englishmen who have bright futures ahead of them in the Premier League are Carl Jenkinson, Alex Oxlade-Chamberlain and Kieron Gibbs, all of which have represented England like Walcott and Wilshere.
The importance of keeping these players is, I feel, instrumental to the future of Arsenal. Wenger has a good solid nucleus there in which he can build a team around in the long term. These players can add stability to a side that is regularly losing its best players to rivals and as a result falling behind in competition.
There should be no more high profile sales at Arsenal and Wenger must start to build a team around his current best players. With both Lukas Podolski and Santi Cazorla proving to be good buys in the summer, Wenger can now concentrate on getting it right instead of tinkering.
I have written in the past about how Wenger must spend money in January but, of course, we all know that. He already has a group of players there who are capable of bringing success back to the Emirates, while Wenger should now concentrate on replacing the dead wood with players who can add to the quality he already has at his disposal.
The English contingent at Arsenal holds the key to Arsenal’s future. All five of them have represented England and are set for exciting careers both at club level and internationally. Wenger must recognise that and keep them together.
Furthermore, the longer you keep them together the more they will understand each other, and that will help them gel on the pitch, while England could also benefit from them all playing together on a weekly basis.
It is rare to see five young, promising and, most importantly, English players all in the same side and good enough to compete at the highest level. With the help of some high-profile acquisitions and some stability on the pitch Arsenal might finally be able to celebrate once more.
Because it is stability that they are in need of so desperately. It’s all very well claiming that the club is run brilliantly financially but, if the football isn’t working then things must change. To already have a solid nucleus of talent there ready to have a team built around them is something of a team-in-transition’s dream. With what he already has at his disposal, Wenger doesn’t really need a great deal of improvement in order to start getting it right.
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A couple of defenders and another striker and they might well be on their way again. The English players are key, though. Key to the stability the squad, key to the success of the success of the club and key to Arsene Wenger’s reputation.
What do you think? Is the English contingent at Arsenal the key to Arsene Wenger getting right after all these trophy-less years? Leave your comments below.
Chelsea have been linked with a move for ex-Arsenal midfielder Alex Song, according to reports in the Metro.
Song has had a torrid time at Barcelona, since his summer move from the Emirates, and it appears that Tito Vilanova is willing to cur his losses on a player that cost £15m in the summer.
Song was recently voted the second worst signing in La Liga this season, behind Luka Modric, but there is no question that the Cameroonian remains a quality player and Chelsea will unlikely be the only suitors, with Liverpool reportedly keen.
The Blues are looking for midfield reinforcements, with Rafa Benitez being forced into moving David Luiz into the holding role in midfield in recent weeks and Alex Song proved during his time at Arsenal to be the all-action box to box midfielder that would be the perfect complement to the array of attacking quality at Stamford Bridge.
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