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Robinho’s time in England is over. Seemingly incapable of producing anything close to form away from Eastlands meant that every mercurial performance he produced in front of his home fans went hand-in-hand with total anonymity when City went on their travels.

It is the type of expensive mistake that really only Man City can afford to make. £32.4m is a lot to spend on a player that was sceptical of coming in the first place. His desire to leave Real Madrid was never in doubt, but his preferred destination was Scolari’s Chelsea team. When Abramovich stalled over the fee, City made their move.

Now despite calling Robinho’s time at the club an error, I still believe the club were right to do it in the first place. City needed to make a statement of intent, and Robinho was the marquee signing to do that. It is almost as if the club were prepared to pay £30m to show the rest of the world what they were capable of. If it worked out, then brilliant, they would have a gifted player on their books, if it didn’t then at least people knew they meant business.

Despite Robinho’s away day blues, his first season was relatively impressive. He was an important part of what was becoming a very exciting City team to watch. When Roberto Mancini was appointed, the relationship between manager and player began to dwindle. Mancini may have been one of the beautiful footballers to play the game, but he is still an Italian, and with comes the infamous catenaccio style.

Mancini won league titles in Italy with a defensive set up (and the fact that he inherited a team far better than his rivals), and a player that didn’t pull his weight defensively was always going to struggle in one of his teams. Robinho is essentially a luxury, and teams that wish to compete at the absolute peak, can’t afford them, no matter how rich they are.

Now that Robinho is at Milan, he will probably do quite well. He will make up a trio of Brazilians up front with Pato and Ronaldinho, as well as the hulking sulk that his Zlatlan Ibrahimovic. They are reasons for optimism for the Rossoneri, but that is a lot of ego to manage and I can’t imagine they will become a harmonious partnership for years to come. Robinho has signed a four year contract at the San Siro, whether he will be there for the duration is questionable.

Maybe Robinho should be viewed as a fling; a glamorous affair that was short and exciting when it all began, but eventually turned sour, and split after various bust-ups. City shelled out money treating him to good times, and in return they got some good nights out, but there was never any future in the relationship. It is almost impossible to know whether Robinho was misunderstood or mismanaged, because I’m not sure if anyone has answered that question yet. There have been spells in his career where he has been in scintillating form, but never over a considerable period of time. In Brazil, Spain, England and now Italy, some of the best managers in the game have failed in fully realising his undeniable potential.

It is difficult to call Robinho mismanaged because we then have to believe that everybody has been at fault, rather than the man himself. So does that make him misunderstood? Well, to the extent that no one can understand why he has struggled at the clubs he has played for. His managers must become so frustrated with trying to help him succeed. City should be glad that he is no longer their player; while Mancini tries to mould a team together, the disruption that Robinho brings is the last thing they need.

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A welcome addition to the Premier League’s Wag arena – Click on image below to view gallery

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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.

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

By Gareth McKnight

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Blackpool manager Ian Holloway has set his side a survival target of just two more wins this season.Next weekend’s game at home to Wigan has been touted as a relegation decider, but Holloway said that game will not be the only crucial match in the run home.

Blackpool host Arsenal on Sunday – a game Holloway insists they can win.

“We can lose our next five and win our last two and still stay up because I believe 39 points will be enough to survive,” Holloway said.

“I have already heard people going on about Wigan – it is being made out to be the game that could decide whether we stay up or not.”

“Our season won?t depend on what happens against Wigan. But that is nonsense as it will decide nothing.”

Blackpool have won just twice since the turn of the year and Holloway knows they will have to do better than last weekend?s 3-0 capitulation at Fulham if they are to compete with title-chasers Arsenal.

“We will have to play better than we did at Fulham,” Holloway said.

“We?ve got to get back to our attacking ways and against Arsenal, with the ground bouncing, the fans can help us do that.”

“Everyone can beat everyone else in this league on any given day, and we know we are capable of scoring goals and getting victories.”

“‘Who’s to say Arsenal will not turn up at Bloomfield Road on a cold Sunday afternoon with our fans roaring and not fancy it?”

?It is unlikely because Arsenal are a class team, but you never know.?

Richard Kingson will continue in goal as Matthew Gilks (knee) is still unavailable, while defender Chris Basham (broken leg) and forward Billy Clarke (knee) will also miss out.

Barcelona have expressed their disappointment at Cesc Fabregas' decision to stay at Arsenal for at least one more season.

The Spain international finally ended speculation about his future by releasing an official statement on Friday that confirmed he had no intention of leaving the Emirates Stadium.

Barcelona then issued a press release of their own, which read:"In the light of the statement released regarding the contractual future of Cesc Fabregas, Barcelona regrets the decision of Arsenal to declare the player not for sale and their decision not to take into consideration the offers proposed.

"None of those offers, in any way, exceeded Euros 40million."

The 23-year-old has been the subject of a persistent campaign from Barca players and officials to try and tempt him back to the Camp Nou, despite Gunners boss Arsene Wenger insisting that no deal would be done.

Fabregas told the club's official website:"Firstly I would like to apologise to all the Arsenal fans for not speaking sooner about my future, but I have not known what I was going to do until this moment.

"I cannot deny that joining a club like Barcelona was not an attractive move for me.

"This was the club where I learned my football, it is my home town where my friends and family are and a club where I have always dreamed of playing.

"There are not many players in the world who would not want to play for Barcelona.

"I have had many conversations with Arsene Wenger both in person and over the phone over the last few months and although the content of those conversations will remain private, the conclusion is that Barcelona have had two formal offers rejected by Arsenal.

"I am a professional and I fully understand that it is Arsenal's prerogative not to sell me.

"I owe a lot to the club, manager and the fans and I will respect their decision and will now concentrate on the new season ahead with Arsenal.

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"I can assure all the fans that now the negotiations have ended I will be 100 per cent focused on playing for Arsenal.

"I am an Arsenal player and as soon as I step out on to the pitch, that is the only club I will be thinking about.

"I am looking forward to the start of the season and putting this speculation behind me."Subscribe to Football FanCast News Headlines by Email

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.

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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.

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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.

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Aston Villa are confident of retaining their English Premier League status, according to keeper Brad Friedel and manager Gerard Houllier.
Houllier was jeered at their most recent loss – a 1-0 derby defeat by relegation-threatened Wolverhampton – and the French boss is confident the Midlands club can stay in the top flight, despite sitting just one point outside the drop zone with eight games remaining.

“We know exactly where we stand and the difficulty of our task,” Houllier said.

“You have to remain positive. You can’t spend your time reflecting on what happened.”

“We have eight games ahead of us now and never mind what has happened in the past. This is our league and the eight games ahead are vital for our future. Everybody is concerned because we are not dreamers.”

Houllier said the mindset was to tell his players that the new eight-game league starts on Saturday, when the Villans take on Everton at Goodison Park.

“There is a new league starting up for us of eight games and the mood is positive. A lot of players are internationals so they have that experience and they know what pressure is. I also know their personalities and they want to do well for the fans and the club,” Houllier said.

Veteran Friedel acknowledged his side’s woeful predicament – just 12 months after ending the season in sixth place and gaining a Europa League spot – but the American emphasised their remaining fixtures can be Villa’s saving grace this season.

“We’ve got eight cup finals (remaining this season),” Friedel told Sky Sports.

“We’ve got enough quality in the changing room and we’re confident to get the points on the board to stay in the Premier League.”

“It’s a shame we’re in the position we’re in. I can assure the fans that we’re all pulling together as one. We’re going to be taking these games incredibly seriously.”

“We’re determined to get enough points on the board to ensure our Premier League safety.”

After Liverpool ended the 2008/09 season with their highest points tally since the Premier League began, finishing second to Manchester United, many fans believed the men in red had their best chance in years to finally end their title hiatus last season.

In reality, it could not have been much worse for the 18 time league champions. Reports of rising debts, in-fighting between the manager and owners and a failure to find fresh investment provided a tumultuous backdrop for a side struggling for both form and fitness.

The only thing more dire than the club’s performance off the pitch was their performances on it. Former Valencia charge Rafael Benitez knew his time was up following a season which included the club’s worst run in 22 years, a group stage exit from the Champions League, bust-ups with players and an abysmal seventh placed finish. After six years of mixed results on Merseyside, Benitez and Liverpool parted company, as the appointment of Roy Hodgson signalled the start of a new era for The Reds.

Elder statesman of the game Hodgson ticked all the right boxes for a club crying out for stability and a calm hand to steer them through increasingly choppy waters. As opposed to the often stubborn, remote and negative Benitez, South Londoner Hodgson represented a diplomatic and approachable change. The 62-year-old is a football idealist and prides his sides on playing the free-flowing attacking football Anfield season ticket holders have been crying out for following the reigns of Benitez and Frenchman Gérard Houllier. Hodgson is also unlikely to use the media to air any grievances towards the owners, which became common practice under Benitez in his final dreadful months at the club.

Hodgson certainly has his work cut out if he is to turn Liverpool into regular title contenders, something which Benitez failed to do and which ultimately cost him his job. The Premier League is now more competitive than it has ever been, with up to seven teams fighting for the top four Champions League places. The landscape of English football has changed and there is no longer a level playing field at the top. Manchester City and Chelsea have inflated the transfer market and can afford to lavish millions each season on the best players available on the market. Liverpool are £350 million in debt and desperately trying to find a buyer and can simply not compete in

the current transfer market. Hodgson has to attempt to build a competitive side on a minimal budget.

Hodgson may be an excellent manager with an impressive CV, but until the club is sold and new investment found then Hodgson will have to continue working with one hand tied behind his back. Liverpool need to start work on a new stadium and increase the club’s revenue to compete at the top. Manchester United create huge income from their 76,000 seater Old Trafford stadium, while Arsenal have 60,000 capacity at the Emirates, compared to Anfield’s 45,000. The club’s ownership problems and the issues surrounding a new stadium, which was initially due for opening in 2011, are likely to rumble on in the background well into the new season and will continue to serve as an unwelcome distraction.

The new manager faces a baptism of fire in the Anfield hot seat, facing Arsenal, Manchester City and Manchester United in the club’s opening five games of the new league season. Failure to grab some valuable points out of the three fixtures would increase the pressure on Hodgson from the start and give those supporters who have doubted his appointment some welcome ammunition. Although picking up some points from these tough fixtures would fortify the squad in the important early stages of the season.

Liverpool and Hodgson still have a great deal of work to do in the transfer market ahead of the opening game of the season against Arsenal in less than two weeks time. After adding to the squad with the intelligent signings and attacking talents of winger Joe Cole and Serbian forward Milan Jovanovic on free transfers, Hodgson has confirmed he aims to make several more signings before the start of the season.

Argentine skipper Javier Mascherano is expected to depart in the coming weeks and wheeler dealer Hodgson needs to find his replacement. A move for Standard Liege’s highly-rated Belgium star Steven Defour is expected. It also appears Liverpool are in the market for cover at right-back following the collapse of Luke Young’s transfer from Aston Villa. While the re-signing of Fabio Aurelio has added depth at left-back, Hodgson is expected to sign a first-choice defender, with a reported £6m deal for Wigan’s Maynor Figueroa 90% done. Hodgson faces a race against time to add the finishing touches to his squad and will want to conclude his business before the season kicks off.

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The season ahead looks set to be a tough one for Liverpool and its supporters. Success in cup competitions could see Liverpool play up to 60 competitive games, after entering the Europa League at such an early stage, and a marathon season would provide a huge test for the newly assembled squad. Hodgson experienced a similar situation during Fulham’s marathon 63 games last season and coped admirably, prioritising his side’s cup run and league priorities in impressive fashion.

With the club still searching for a new owner and a limited budget in the transfer market, Hodgson finds himself in a similar position to his predecessor Benitez. One win in four games in pre-season, does not give supporters great confidence heading into the new season, however Hodgson has yet to welcome back his World Cup stars after an extended break. The fact club captain Steven Gerrard has committed his future to the club and Fernando Torres expected to do the same this week, shows Hodgson has convinced his star players he can to take the club forward.

Success this season for Liverpool would be to break back into the top four, while a cup triumph would be an added bonus. A new owner and stadium should be the club’s main priority however, giving Hodgson a fighting chance of turning Liverpool back into a force in English football once more.

Juventus’ Milos Krasic may yet be set for the Premier League, according to comments by his agent Dejan Joksimovic. (MirrorFootball)

The 27 year old shone for Juve last season and has previously been targeted by Manchester United and Borussia Dortmund, however he has made just six appearances this season as ‘The Old Lady’ have reached the summit of Serie A.

Just last month, Krasic seemed to rule out a move away from Juventus, stating that despite interest from Dortmund and United, ‘all my plans are connected to Juventus.’

However, Krasic’s agent has opened the door to a potential move after admitting the Serb required regular football if he was to stay at Juve.

Joksimovic stated, ‘His future depends on what happens at Juventus in the next months. If he starts playing regularly then he could stay in Italy otherwise he will have to go.’

‘He would certainly move to a top division like the Bundesliga or the Premier League.’

According to his agent, two offers for Krasic have already been rejected, with Juve keen to keep hold of the winger.

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However, if the former CSKA Moscow man continues to be deprived of first team football is may only be a matter of time before United and Dortmund renew their interest.

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Lazio manager Edy Reja says it is time to move on from what he describes as a ‘terrible’ week.Reja, 65, watched his side slump to a 2-0 defeat in a tense derby against AS Roma on Sunday in a match in which Stefan Radu and Cristian Ledesma were also sent off.Lazio have now dropped two of their last three Serie A games and slipped to fifth on the table after showing good form earlier in the season.”I’ve had a terrible week,” Reja said.”I am mortified and I am very sorry for our fans. I’ve lost my fourth derby in a row and this doesn’t make me happy above all because this time we did little, but Roma have had five penalties in the last four derbies.”But Reja said the time to turn things around is now, starting with Saturday’s home match against relegation-threatened Cesena. Lazio also face third-placed Napoli and Inter, who sit second, in the next five matches.”Saturday’s game is fundamental. We can’t allow ourselves any more false steps,” he said.”I have spoken with the team. It seems to me that they’ve put the disappointment behind them and I’ve seen a great desire to react.”

Atletico Madrid striker Sergio Aguero believes a deal to join Chelsea could finally be agreed this summer.

The Argentina striker has been continually linked with a move to Stamford Bridge during recent transfer windows.

The 22-year-old has been one of the most prolific marksmen in Spanish football in recent seasons, but believes this summer could finally see him join the Blues.

Aguero, who was restricted to cameo appearances off the bench during Argentina's World Cup campaign, is valued around the £25million mark.

"If an offer comes in from the right club and Atletico feels it is the right price, then a deal can be done," Aguero told the Daily Star.

"Of course Chelsea is of interest to me as they are one of the most powerful teams in European football.

"They show their intent summer after summer in the transfer market and more often than not that intent will see them end the season with at least one trophy.

"What I need to consider is where I can win things and I know for sure I can win things at Chelsea.

"You look at their players and you are excited about any future you may have there.

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"To be the strike partner of Didier Drogba is a thing many players would love to be.

"But it's not just Drogba – it's Lampard, Terry, Anelka, Essien, and maybe even Fernando Torres.

"They have quality players everywhere."Subscribe to Football FanCast News Headlines by Email