http://gty.im/468334920 Tom Burford looks at the potential eleven that will represent England at the 2018 World Cup. Plenty of the current crop will be long gone by the time this tournament comes around. So who will line up in Qatar for England? Joe Hart (GK) He’ll be 31 by the time this tournament comes around, but Joe Hart has proved over the last 2 seasons that, at the moment, nobody is anywhere near him. Superb shot-stopper and always in command of the penalty area, he’s our best keeper since Seaman. Ryan Bertrand (LB) Hasn’t put a foot wrong since making…
Author: Tom Burford
http://gty.im/474766664 On this day in 2012, Brendan Rogers became the youngest man to be appointed manager of Liverpool football club since Graeme Souness. Rogers joined after a successful period at Swansea City where he took them to 11th in the Premier League. His previous clubs included Reading, Watford and a spell as reserve team manager for Chelsea under Jose Mourinho. Liverpool principle owner John Henry said of the appointment “Brendan Rodgers’ appointment today as manager of Liverpool Football Club is one of the most important steps we will take in building the kind of club on and off the pitch…
http://gty.im/473644650 West Ham’s owners may still be looking for their ‘big name’ manager, but this doesn’t seem to have halted their recruitment drive at Upton Park as both Max Gradel and Pedro Obiang are linked to the club. Former Charlton keeper Darren Randolph joined earlier in the week on a free transfer from Birmingham City to replace Jussi Jaaskelainen as likely understudy to Spanish stopper Adrian. And, now they’re looking to bolster their midfield, with Alex Song saying a public goodbye to the supporters on the club’s website earlier in the week, a like for like replacement would be wise, and they have been…
http://gty.im/475094652 Football Express News’ Tom Burford looks at the Heysel disaster which happened 30 years ago today. Today marks the 30th Anniversary of the Heysel disaster, where escaping fans were crushed against a collapsing wall at the Heysel Stadium in Brussels before the start of the European Cup Final between Liverpool and Juventus. It started when Liverpool fans broke into the neutral area of the stadium, the majority of which were fans of Juventus, and chased them towards a concrete wall where some fans were already sitting. Those sat were crushed as the wall collapsed, with some able to climb…
http://gty.im/474925482 FA Boss Greg Dyke has this morning called for the resignation of FIFA president Sepp Blatter. This follows on from our story yesterday of 6 FIFA officials being arrested on bribery charges totaling over $100m dollars since 1990. Since then the number of indicted officials has risen to 18, with FIFA themselves provisionally suspending 11 of those. The news comes at an awful time for current president Sepp Blatter in the wake of his latest re-election campaign. But Dyke is of the opinion that Blatter should stand down before the election scheduled for Friday. “Blatter has put out a…
http://gty.im/114942576 Today marks the 4 year anniversary of Manchester United’s disappointing 3-1 defeat to Barcelona at Wembley Stadium. After finishing top of their group, United beat Marseille, Chelsea and Schalke 04 on their way to the final, looking to avenge their defeat to Barca 2 years previously. After chances for both sides in the opening exchanges, Pedro gave the Catalan’s the lead on 27 minutes before Wayne Rooney equalised with a calmly placed effort from just inside the box. In the second half 2 wonderful strikes from Lionel Messi and then David Villa won Barcelona their 4th Champions League title.…
http://gty.im/72722306 Football Express News looks back on one of English football’s most controversial transfer’s which saw Alan Smith ditch Leeds United and join rivals Manchester United. Alan Smith causes controversy amongst the Leeds faithful by making the dreaded trip across the Pennines from Leeds to Manchester United for £7m. It came after the well documented financial meltdown of Leeds United which led to their relegation in the 2003-2004 season, 3 years after their 3-0 defeat to Valencia in the Champion League semi-final of 2001. The darling of the Leeds fans said after his transfer that “Not a lot of people…
View image | gettyimages.com Wales manager Chris Coleman has called for Gareth Bale to resist the urge to leave Real after the heaps of pressure landed on him by the Madrid fans and Spanish media. This comes after reported interest from Chelsea, who are supposedly lining up a £150m for the player. The last few months have been tough for Bale, with many tipping him to leave the Bernabeu over the summer. Coleman disagrees, and feels Bale should stay and fight for his place at Real. Speaking back in March Coleman said; “He should stay where he is. Chelsea are…
http://gty.im/474615752 Four dramatic years of Sam Allardyce’s reign at the helm of West Ham United came to a disappointing end after their 2-0 defeat to a Newcastle side who were in free-fall. Fourth at Christmas and with scalps such as Liverpool and Manchester City under their belts, most West Ham fans could be excused for dreaming the ultimate dream…..Champions League football? That barnstorming start to the campaign provided an impressive 32 points from 19 games for the Hammers. But an obvious return to the tactics and style of play that nearly saw them in a relegation battle last term provided a measly 15 points, leading to a pretty much unthinkable 12th place finish, light years away from their…