West Ham were by far the worst team in the Premier League last season, winning just seven games throughout the whole campaign. Avram Grant could not have done any more in helping the Hammers to relegation and should have been sacked in January when Martin O’Neill was lined up as his replacement before it was leaked to the press.

The football was terrible to watch each week and a lack of passion and commitment was obvious throughout the majority of the squad. Relegation however has been a positive learning curve for the remaining squad players, owners and fans. Lessons have thankfully been learnt at Upton Park and the club will only benefit from the changes that have been made.

Goals win games

The first lesson that has been rectified to a degree was the lack of goals. Carlton Cole has never been and will never be a prolific striker and Freddie Piquionne and Victor Obinna failed to make much of an impact at all. Robbie Keane seemed to forget what a goal looked like which left Demba Ba to be the only player that could put the ball away after his January arrival, but that was too little too late.

33 goals in 38 games is unacceptable and narrow defeats were a regular occurrence for the Irons who made sufficient chances throughout the season. Over the summer the owners and new manager, Sam Allardyce realised the obvious problem and signed John Carew and Sam Baldock to add fire power, as well as attacking midfielder Kevin Nolan. Astonishingly the Hammers have already scored more goals in the first third of this season than the whole of the last campaign and that has been the catalyst to their good form.

A lack of loyalty from some players

Another lesson learnt was probably more for the supporters than it was for the club and that was the lack of player loyalty. The East End club gave chances to players when other teams wouldn’t and perhaps assumed that the players would repay the faith shown in them. But that wasn’t the case; Thomas Hitzlsperger was out injured for the majority of the season and then jumped ship in the summer after relegation. Demba Ba was asked to stay on at Upton Park after the Hammers were the only club willing to give him a chance in January, but he turned it down. Other out of contract players such as Mathew Upson did not sign new deals and left the squad very thin on numbers when pre-season arrived.

Perhaps I was naive when I felt that maybe Ba and Hitzlsperger would stay until January at least to give something back to the club that gave them a chance, perhaps, but  only in football would that lack of loyalty be accepted.

The fans will always stick with the team

One thing that the rest of the Premier League learnt about the Hammers was that no matter how bad it got, the fans would always follow them wherever they went. Home attendances were consistently competitive and the away following would sell out 90% of the time. The trip to the DW Stadium on the penultimate week of the season sums it up perfectly. Anything less than two wins from two games would see them relegated and for a club that had only won twice away from home in 18 months, not likely. But 5,000 travelling fans sold out the away end in the North West and sang and cheered throughout the whole 90 minutes and the following three hour train journey home, even after relegation was confirmed.

Yes Blackpool fans may have done the same, but it was a first for them, they hadn’t been to Old Trafford, the Emirates and Anfield all in the same season in the top flight, they hadn’t expected anything more than relegation back in August. West Ham did.

[divider]

[gigya_reactions]

[divider]

A cup run did not help the league form

Another aspect that the Hammers will have learnt from last season is that a cup run does not always help your confidence and form in the league. Birmingham City were a prime example of that but they played just one extra game than West Ham last year and they won that at Wembley

The London club were one game away from Wembley twice last season after losing in the Carling Cup semi final and the FA Cup quarter final, both to late goals. That heartache of last gasp cup defeat, twice heavily dented the confidence of the West Ham squad that failed to recover from either result. A chance for a club like West Ham to get to Wembley is a huge achievement and would have brought the players and fans together for a joyous occasion, but it was cruelly snatched away.

FootballFanCast General Stay ahead in the world of football analysis, commentary, and fan insights with FootballFancast. Subscribe FootballFanCast General Stay ahead in the world of football analysis, commentary, and fan insights with FootballFancast.

---

Subscribe

By subscribing, you agree to receive newsletter and marketing emails, and accept Valnet’s Terms of Use and Privacy Policy. You can unsubscribe anytime.

The owners have shown their colours

The final lesson learnt is one definitely, solely for Hammers fans and it is that the clubs owners David Gold and David Sullivan are definitely putting their money where their mouths are. The two David’s are often seen in the press, speaking their minds on all things West Ham, and at first it took a while for the supporters to get behind them. But this summer and the realisation of relegation has brought the fans and owners together to get behind the manager and the team at all times.

For a club that was in unbelievable amounts of debt when bought by the former Birmingham City chairmen, to now spending money freely as a Championship club with the signings of Kevin Nolan, Sam Baldock, Matty Taylor etc, is a real achievement. They are pumping their own money into the club and they are very unlikely to see a return on that, making it a very selfless act and one that should definitely be praised.

Currently sitting in the top two of the Championship, West Ham have a great chance at returning to the top flight at the first attempt and will be bigger and stronger for the year away.

[gigya_comments]

Blackburn boss Steve Kean has stated that he expects to stay on as the side’s manager, despite the Lancashire club being beaten 2-1 by relegation rivals Bolton on Tuesday night.

First half goals from Mark Davies and Nigel Reo-Coker gave The Trotters a half time 2-0 lead; Yakubu managed to pull one back but Rovers still suffered defeat.

The loss means that Bolton leapfrog the Ewood Park club in the standings, with Rovers now bottom; despite this Kean would be shocked if he was sacked.

“I expect to be here on Boxing Day,” the Scottish coach told Sky Sports.

“I would be completely shocked if they (the owners) decide to replace me, yes.”

Kean denied that he had an ultimatum meeting in the offing, and blamed defensive issues for the side’s current state of affairs.

“That’s a report that’s not correct. I’ve not got a date when I’m going to meet the owners. I spoke to the owners before the game started.

“When I speak to the owners we will speak about the transfer window and give them an update on when I expect people to be fit.

“I’m very confident. I’ve spoken very extensively with the owners about the positions we need. We need to strengthen and we have got to address that.

“I have said it many times, we need to get a back four.

“We just don’t have a defence at the moment and it’s costing us. But when you miss Ryan Nelsen, Scott Dann and Gael Givet, these are big players for us.

FootballFanCast General Stay ahead in the world of football analysis, commentary, and fan insights with FootballFancast. Subscribe FootballFanCast General Stay ahead in the world of football analysis, commentary, and fan insights with FootballFancast.

---

Subscribe

By subscribing, you agree to receive newsletter and marketing emails, and accept Valnet’s Terms of Use and Privacy Policy. You can unsubscribe anytime.

“We always score, but we are the only team at the moment who can’t keep a clean sheet,” he concluded.

By Gareth McKnight

[ad_pod id=’writer-1′ align=’right’]

Mario Balotelli has been charged with violent contact following his stamp on Scott Parker. The Italian striker is in hot water with the FA as Howard Webb claimed that he would have issued him with a red card had he seen the incident. Manchester City have a big decision to make as to whether they appeal the decision, because if they were it would subsequently free up Balotelli to play in the Carling Cup semi final second leg at Anfield. Failure will obvious see the ban increased, as City found out to their cost with Vincent Kompany a few weeks back.

Harry Redknapp is answering charges over £587k that was paid into a secret bank account named after his dog and his age. The Taxman is investigating three deposits into the ‘Rosie47’ account, during his time as manager at West Ham and Portsmouth – Daily Telegraph

Mario Balotelli has been charged with violent contact for his stamp on Tottenham’s Scott Parker. Howard Webb claimed he didn’t see the incident in his referee’s report, which meant the FA could take retrospective action – Daily Telegraph

Alex Oxlade-Chamberlain has come out in support of Arsene Wenger; following the barrage of abuse he received by the Arsenal faithful. The substitution of the young winger is what caused the unrest among the Gunners’ support, but Chamberlain has full respect for his manager and believes he makes the right decisions in the best interests of the club – Guardian

Chris Smalling believes that Manchester City will crumble in the coming weeks as the title race heats up. Smalling reckons that if United keep racking up the wins then the pressure will hit City – Guardian

Lucas Leiva remains upbeat as he returned to Liverpool following his operation and a period of recuperation in Brazil. The Reds enforcer is positive that his surgery was a success and that he is ahead of schedule with his recovery – Independent

Queens Park Rangers may force Anton Ferdinand to shake the hand of John Terry ahead of this weekend’s clash in the FA Cup. The FA are keen to make sure that the game passes without incident and will speak with both clubs in advance to ensure that the players act responsibly – Daily Mail

Tottenham are plotting a move to sign Mauro Zarate in a loan deal from Lazio. The Argentine striker is out of favour in Rome and his agent Barry McIntosh has suggested Spurs are one of many clubs interested in bringing him back to English football – Daily Mail

Peter Crouch is facing the prospect of a three-match ban following his attempted ‘eye gouging’ incident at the Britannia Stadium – Mirror

FootballFanCast General Stay ahead in the world of football analysis, commentary, and fan insights with FootballFancast. Subscribe FootballFanCast General Stay ahead in the world of football analysis, commentary, and fan insights with FootballFancast.

---

Subscribe

By subscribing, you agree to receive newsletter and marketing emails, and accept Valnet’s Terms of Use and Privacy Policy. You can unsubscribe anytime.

Liverpool are reportedly in talks to snap up Real Madrid’s Esteban Granero. The Spanish midfielder is out of favour at the Bernabeu and Kenny Dalglish is apparently keen to secure a short term loan deal – Mirror

[ad_pod id=’unruly-2′ align=’left’]

It might be a common theme among many Arsenal fans this morning who are mixing a sense of dread with a little bit of excitement regarding Arsene Wenger’s latest comments about Eden Hazard. Excitement, in fact, may be too optimistic; intrigue might be more appropriate. Wenger is never one to openly admit he is after a player, rather looking to take a diplomatic route in respecting a player’s club and making positive comments from afar. But Wenger has a least given some light to Arsenal’s financial state, insisting that the club needed to make between £15-20 million profit each season. What he was not clear on is how and whether if affects the club’s position in the transfer market.

It’s a welcome stance that Arsene Wenger has decided to take, if only for a very disappointing revelation. Someone from the club, who the supporters can trust, has given an indication that the club may not be in the position many would have hoped following the move to the Emirates. Players such as Eden Hazard may actually be a little out of reach and players who are on the third or fourth tier in terms of quality may be all the club can hope to bring in for the foreseeable future.

Again, it’s not entirely clear what Wenger is referring to when he says the club need to make a profit. He specifically points out that it’s the duty of the manager to determine a fair price for targets, which means he may be looking for real quality as many rumours suggest, but they are likely just out of the club’s spending range. From Wenger’s position at least, his statement will likely buy him some time. He is absolutely correct in giving fans a little bit of clarification on why he refused to spend in January—one of the reasons so much vitriol has emerged recently. Instead, the supporters’ anger should now be wholly deflected onto the board, who have seemingly put the club in this very weak position financially.

[ad_pod id=’unruly-2′ align=’left’]

The problem again, however, is what the board have said in recent times, specifically Ivan Gazidis; saying that the club do give Wenger sole power of the expenditure at the club and would never deny him the funds to buy a player he needs. The summer activity suggest nothing of the sort and it clearly indicates that something is not right at the club. Why were the club so slow to get a deal done for Juan Mata, and then only at the last minute decide to go on a spending spree on players who may not have been desirable at the start of the summer? The is still too much uncertainty surrounding what Wenger has said and contrasts greatly with the board’s apparent unconditional financial support for the manager.

Does this mean Wenger is the only one paying any real attention to the Financial Fair Play ruling of Uefa? Is he referring to the Champions League income and in turn mean it is “imperative” for the club to finish in the top four? Perhaps he’s too over cautious in regards to the stadium debt. Nigel Winterburn spoke on the weekend of the lack of funding at the club and the lack of ability to pull the trigger on first choice summer targets. He referenced the fact that the club could not get the Cesc Fabregas deal done quickly enough and had held a very weak hand in the market. This does tie in with what Arsene Wenger has had to say. Maybe there is a reported £60 million sitting in the vaults at the Emirates, but it is untouchable. If so, why? Why increase the season ticket prices, why waste £3 million on a player the manager has no intention of playing, and furthermore, why keep insisting that the manager has the full backing of the board on all fronts?

FootballFanCast General Stay ahead in the world of football analysis, commentary, and fan insights with FootballFancast. Subscribe FootballFanCast General Stay ahead in the world of football analysis, commentary, and fan insights with FootballFancast.

---

Subscribe

By subscribing, you agree to receive newsletter and marketing emails, and accept Valnet’s Terms of Use and Privacy Policy. You can unsubscribe anytime.

All questions that dodge Wenger and go directly to the boardroom. Exactly what was needed. The hostilities towards the manager are getting out of hand, and he has already done too much to deflect criticism away from the board. There was nothing wrong with what Wenger had to say, in fact it was greatly welcomed and might trigger a response from those above Wenger at the club.

[ffcvideo file=’thefootballcoffeebreak_original’]

It seems that almost every week at least one manager struts into his press conference talking about how their team or players have been judged on their reputation, spouting lines such as: “These kind of decisions keep happening to us.” The claim of being victimised by officials is not a new one, but it is one that has been increasingly prevalent this term.

The likes of Kenny Dalglish, Roberto Mancini and Tony Pulis have all hit out at referees at some stage, believing that the reputation of their players have caused referees to act in a certain manner. Quite often they have a point, with some performers under the scrutiny of the man in charge from the get-go.

Okay, a reputation is often created due to multiple incidents where player, or team, has acted in a certain manner. However, referees are required to be impartial when they enter the field of play, judging an individual on the merits of the games actions, and not something that happened weeks, or even months ago. Whether you love or hate Manchester City’s Mario Balotelli, you can’t deny that he is under the spotlight every time he steps onto the pitch. Take the league tie at Anfield earlier this season, where, on as a substitute, the Italian forward picked up two bookings, for two pretty innocuous challenges. If it were a player such as Steven Gerrard would he have been given his marching orders? Probably not.

Mick McCarthy was left fuming as well, when Frank Lampard’s two-footed lunge on Adam Hammill went unpunished. Even the Chelsea man admitted he was lucky to have stayed on the pitch, and help his side to victory. McCarthy was particularly enraged, as he felt if it were Karl Henry, or any other of his midfielders, that a red would have definitely been produced for the offence.

Perhaps the biggest sufferer of victimisation on the pitch remains Joey Barton, with the mere mention of his name giving even the most lenient of referees an itchy trigger finger. Yes he has committed various awful challenges down the years, and been a less than lovable character away from the action, but did his ‘head-butt’ against Norwich’s Bradley Johnson deserve a red card? After all, it was the man in yellow who placed his head against the ex-Newcastle midfielders face, before falling theatrically knowing full well who would been seen as the felon.

FootballFanCast General Stay ahead in the world of football analysis, commentary, and fan insights with FootballFancast. Subscribe FootballFanCast General Stay ahead in the world of football analysis, commentary, and fan insights with FootballFancast.

---

Subscribe

By subscribing, you agree to receive newsletter and marketing emails, and accept Valnet’s Terms of Use and Privacy Policy. You can unsubscribe anytime.

It may be frustrating to hear managers bemoaning decisions due to reputation and subsequent victimisation, but quite often they do have a point. Referees come in for a lot of criticism, but in some cases it is deserved.

[ffcvideo file=”tfcbtitle3″ type=”mp4″ image_type=”jpg”]

Paul Merson recently said “if you read it in a book, then you would throw the book away”. He was speaking of course, of Stoke City’s dramatic rise in the past 5 years under the ownership of Peter Coates and the management of Tony Pulis, Merse said it would come across as unrealistic. And ten years ago, we would have agreed.

It will be ten years in November since Pulis first took the job and it has been an up and down decade full of extreme highs and desperate lows, most of the lows coming in his first spell. He arrived after being out of work for over two years and he dragged the Potters to survival from a disastrous position in the Championship, despite the odds being stacked heavily against him.

A couple of years of mid-table solidarity followed, with Pulis making the most of a small budget allocated by the then Icelandic owners, who plagued the club until 2006.

They, like many of Stoke’s loyal supporters, didn’t take to the Welshman and he was sacked in 2005 for “failing to exploit the foreign transfer market”.  After a brief but successful spell with Plymouth Argyle, he accepted an offer to return to Stoke after the also returning owner Peter Coates promised him funds to spend.

Within two years Pulis had taken a club tipped for a relegation scrap and transformed them into promotion winning material, accompanied by the likes of Ricardo Fuller, Liam Lawrence and Ryan Shawcross. Stoke heroes forever.

At the beginning of the clubs first Premier League season one bookie even paid out on them to be relegated come May, but that was all the inspiration Pulis needed as he incredibly took them to 12th in the league. Since then two more years have followed of Premier League security, throw in an FA Cup final (the first in the clubs 149 year history) and a creditable Europa League adventure , and you can see why everything in Stoke’s garden looks rosy.

But as is the saying in football ‘you can never stand still’ and the next challenge for Pulis and co is to take the club forward, but how? With a strong finish to the season, Stoke could achieve their first top ten finishes in the Premier League.  But where do they go from there?

With the top six looking impenetrable and the likes of Newcastle, Everton, Sunderland and Aston Villa not far behind, it is difficult to see how a comparably small club like Stoke could ever infiltrate the top half on a regular basis.

One method of progression could be addressing the dreaded style of football. The Potters ‘rugby’ style according to some (yes, I am looking at you Arsene Wenger) has been widely criticised, and arguably rightly so. At first, it was exciting, entertainment of a different kind. We can’t all play football like Barcelona and be successful (yes, I am looking at you again Mr Wenger), but there has been a growing sense of frustration around the Britannia on a Saturday afternoon this season.

The atmosphere isn’t the same, the football is becoming stagnated and teams are working it out, the Europa leagueis partially responsible, but only partially. Last season Stoke did play some nice football with two genuine wingers, but the disappearance of Jermaine Pennant and the prolonged inclusion of Ryan Shotton are as baffling as Mario Ballotelli.

Whether Pulis can implement some technically superior footballers and use them the right way remains to be seen, but the way that Pennant, Kenwyne Jones, Eidur Gudjohnson, Tuncay and Wilson Palacios have all struggled to adapt their game, does give me some doubts. Maybe Leopards can’t change their spots.

FootballFanCast General Stay ahead in the world of football analysis, commentary, and fan insights with FootballFancast. Subscribe FootballFanCast General Stay ahead in the world of football analysis, commentary, and fan insights with FootballFancast.

---

Subscribe

By subscribing, you agree to receive newsletter and marketing emails, and accept Valnet’s Terms of Use and Privacy Policy. You can unsubscribe anytime.

But he is a man who will never rest on his laurels, and if he can take the Potters and tweak their style of football, not drastically, but definitely enough for technically better players to be given a slightly free rein, like at Everton and Newcastle, while still maintaining the intensity at which they currently play at, Pulis may just win the adoration of all the fans, and go down as the greatest manager this club has ever had when he finally leaves.

Unbelievably many fans would have him out of the door now. I dread to think of the day he leaves,  Charlton’s sudden plight after Alan Curbishly left are all to revealing, also look at Bolton’s current position since a certain Sam Alladyce left. Curbishly believed he couldn’t take the club any further, and maybe Pulis can’t either. Mid-table obscurity is perhaps the limit for Stoke, but with Pulis in charge you can almost guarantee that every season. And after the past 25 years of hurt, that can’t be a bad thing.

[ad_pod id=’unruly-2′ align=’left’]

Chelsea have confirmed that they will wait until the summer before revealing a decision in terms of their next permanent manager.

After the dismissal of Andre Villas Boas, the Blues have seen an upturn in form under interim boss Roberto Di Matteo, which has included qualification to the Champions League and FA Cup finals.

Despite the Italian emerging as a serious contender to fill the role on a long-term basis, chief executive Ron Gourlay has admitted that nothing will decided until after the season finishes.

“We appointed Robbie until the end of the season and he has done a fantastic job,” the Stamford Bridge supremo told Sky Sports.

“But we will stick to our word and wait until the end of the season.

“We will take one game at a time and see where we are. We think that is the best thing for everyone and we should focus on getting the results that this football team needs.

“We need to wait because we have got a number of big games before we get to the Champions League final,” he continued.

Chelsea have been criticised slightly for negative tactics under Di Matteo, but Gourlay has hit back at the critics and is happy with the progress made this term.

“I have been at the club for eight years and that game was the biggest night ever since I have been here.

“People are entitled to their opinion. Robbie set his team out to beat Barcelona over two games and we are the ones in the final.

“We were very disciplined, defended extremely well and rode our luck at times. If you look at the previous winners of the Champions League they have all had a bit of luck in this competition and I will take as much luck that comes our way.

“As far as I am concerned we found a way to beat Barcelona when we were down to ten men for nearly an hour and two goals down so I am surprised that people have chosen to criticise the way that we did it,” he finished.

FootballFanCast General Stay ahead in the world of football analysis, commentary, and fan insights with FootballFancast. Subscribe FootballFanCast General Stay ahead in the world of football analysis, commentary, and fan insights with FootballFancast.

---

Subscribe

By subscribing, you agree to receive newsletter and marketing emails, and accept Valnet’s Terms of Use and Privacy Policy. You can unsubscribe anytime.

By Gareth McKnight

[divider]

It’s a little off centre, but Premier League clubs have begun a trend of trying to out-do each other with transfers well before the window opens.

Coupled with Arsenal’s out-of-character move for Lukas Podolski, news arrived that the club were looking to bolster their squad with Yann M’Vila. Emphatic stuff. If that wasn’t enough, Chelsea’s signing of Marko Marin raised eyebrows and plenty of questions, even if it did get drowned in the Saturday afternoon fixtures.

From Arsenal’s point of view, it could be one of two things: the club are looking to appease their fans ahead of season ticket renewals, or, and you’ve got to hope it’s this one, the club have learnt from their mistakes of last year and are taking a no nonsense attitude heading into the summer.

Normally this sort of activity would be a non-starter; there’s a story in there somewhere, but only for about as long as you can keep your attention away from what’s going on in the remaining games of the season. What is making people do a double-take is the regularity of transfer movement so early. A norm in other leagues—we’ve seen La Liga clubs and this year even Bundesliga giants move swiftly outside of the transfer windows—but it’s not what we expect in England. It’s so outlandish that it’s even met with people questioning how genuine the stories are because, you know, you can’t buy players outside of the two designated periods. Apparently.

But despite significant amounts of money being moved between clubs, it’s difficult to see this sort of activity as becoming the norm. Yes it would be great if clubs got their business done early, purely for the peace of mind of supporters, but then what would we do without Jim White? It’s not worth thinking about.

Instead, clubs are acting quickly ahead of the upcoming Euros. If international football has any positive place in the world then this is it: forcing the hierarchy at clubs to earn their pay well before they’re due to spring into action. Other than that, international football can go away for a while. A long while.

Arsenal’s pursuit of Podolski and even M’Vila hasn’t suddenly come about because of the club’s poor showing this season, they’ve both been on the radar since last summer. Naturally, both players wanted a settled environment to ensure they’d make their respective national squads for the tournament. The clubs, however, can’t risk those players having excellent seasons—because, you know, they’re both a bit good—and then watching their value skyrocket. Arsene Wenger is not going to pay £20 million for a player he could have gotten for half that. It’s just not his way.

But the club’s are also mindful that their own players could draw admirers in the tournament. The need for replacements is a must, and it must be done early, rather than producing a sequel to Arsenal’s deadline day rush ‘round the aisles.

With Chelsea, it’s another case of the owner getting involved where he shouldn’t. The signing of Marko Marin raises questions as to how clever the idea was to bring in a player without a manager in place for next season.

The other side of the coin is that the club have obviously gone and picked up a bargain in the German winger. A fee in the region of £7 million is not bad for a player of Marin’s talent, even if he is coming off the back of a particularly disappointing season. His place, after all, isn’t a sure bet in the National team as it is with other midfielders. Still, there’s nothing wrong with adding a player who could act as another creative outlet for a time like Chelsea. Just don’t look to it as a trend setter.

FootballFanCast General Stay ahead in the world of football analysis, commentary, and fan insights with FootballFancast. Subscribe FootballFanCast General Stay ahead in the world of football analysis, commentary, and fan insights with FootballFancast.

---

Subscribe

By subscribing, you agree to receive newsletter and marketing emails, and accept Valnet’s Terms of Use and Privacy Policy. You can unsubscribe anytime.

For now, all of the pre-transfer window activity is a one off. You struggle to see teams continue with this method when there are still games to be played and even managerial positions in doubt. Of course, there are exceptions. You don’t pass on the opportunity to sign a talent for a bargain price just because the sun isn’t out. But the regularity and the expectation from fans for another big name to materialise at the doorstep of a Premier League club is only due to the upcoming international tournament.

Outside of that, it’s hard to see this catching on again next year.

[ad_pod id=’unruly-2′ align=’left’]

Harry Redknapp has stated that even if Tottenham had qualified for next season’s Champions League he wouldn’t have been in charge for the campaign.

The White Hart Lane club spectacularly dismissed Redknapp yesterday, with rumours that chairman Daniel Levy was displeased that the side will not play in Europe’s top club tournament next season.

However, Redknapp has stated that this was not a factor in the decision-making process.

“We finished fourth and were just unlucky in the end, but I still think the same outcome would have come if Chelsea hadn’t have won it (and Spurs would have qualified for the Champions League), that’s the feeling that I’ve got,” he told Sky Sports.

“Even if we’d have finished fourth I still think the chairman would have gone down the same road as he went down yesterday so, as I say, that’s football.

“I had four great years at Spurs. I think it is all you can do, leave the club in better shape than you found it and one thing that I know, I did that for sure.

“I think the atmosphere at the club, the training ground, I made some fantastic friends there and I think people who support Tottenham had a lot to smile about the last four years, I think they were proud to be Tottenham fans and so that’s good, that’s the most important thing to me,” he revealed.

Meanwhile, The Daily Mail indicate that former Chelsea boss Andre Villas Boas and ex-Schalke trainer Ralf Rangnick are two of the names in consideration for the vacant post.

FootballFanCast General Stay ahead in the world of football analysis, commentary, and fan insights with FootballFancast. Subscribe FootballFanCast General Stay ahead in the world of football analysis, commentary, and fan insights with FootballFancast.

---

Subscribe

By subscribing, you agree to receive newsletter and marketing emails, and accept Valnet’s Terms of Use and Privacy Policy. You can unsubscribe anytime.

By Gareth McKnight

[ad_pod id=’unruly-2′ align=’left’]

The Croatian Football Federation have been handed a £65,000 fine from Uefa after their fans were found guilty of racism at Euro 2012.

A section of between 300 and 500 fans made monkey chants at Italy forward Mario Balotelli during the Group C clash between the teams, with rumours that a banana was thrown onto the pitch also.

Uefa have taken action against the eastern European nation, who were also guilty of setting off and throwing fireworks.

“The Croatian Football Federation has been fined €80,000 for the setting-off and throwing of fireworks, and the improper conduct of supporters (racist chants, racist symbols) at the Uefa Euro 2012 Group C match against Italy in Poznan on Thursday 14 June,” an official statement published in The Telegraph reads.

“An appeal can be lodged against this decision within three days of the dispatch of the reasoned decision.”

The incident is the latest in a number of cases of racism at the tournament in Ukraine and Poland.

FootballFanCast General Stay ahead in the world of football analysis, commentary, and fan insights with FootballFancast. Subscribe FootballFanCast General Stay ahead in the world of football analysis, commentary, and fan insights with FootballFancast.

---

Subscribe

By subscribing, you agree to receive newsletter and marketing emails, and accept Valnet’s Terms of Use and Privacy Policy. You can unsubscribe anytime.

By Gareth McKnight

[ad_pod id=’unruly-2′ align=’left’]