Arsenal’s defeat at Stoke last weekend was representative of how the end of the season has gone from bad to worse for the Gunners. Another season has gone by without a trophy for Arsene Wenger’s men, but there has been one positive for Arsenal in this campaign, namely Jack Wilshere. The young English midfielder has been outstanding in the middle of the park and looks like someone who will be wearing the Arsenal shirt and the Three Lions of England for many years to come. Perhaps somewhat understandably seeing that Jack is just 19, the youngster is still a bit raw and doesn’t half like flying into tackles. Here he is getting acquainted with Stoke’s Dean Whitehead at the Britannia Stadium last Sunday, but how are Wilshere and Whitehead making their introductions?

Leave your suggestions below…

This week you can win a copy of Arsenal: The Double 70/71 on DVD!

This year marks the 40th anniversary of the 1970/71 Double winning Arsenal team and to celebrate a special DVD is being released so that you can relive that season in all its glory, or see it for the first time if you’re a young Gunner. Arsenal: The Double 70/71 allows you to take a trip back to the days before the Premier League and relive the season that has gone down in Arsenal’s history and will always be remembered.

Click here to read our review of Arsenal: The Double 70/71

For the FootballFanCast.com Caption Competition Terms and Conditions click here

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Check out our Caption Competition Gallery for some inspiration and to see the winners so far.

Last week’s winner: Nils – click here to see all entries

Harry Redknapp is resigned to losing out on the Champions League this season after Tottenham drew 1-1 with Blackpool on Saturday.Spurs are now seven points off Manchester City with three games to go following a disappointing draw and Redknapp was left frustrated following another opportunity missed.

Charlie Adam scored a penalty to put Blackpool 1-0 up but Jermain Defoe equalised with a fierce drive three minutes from time.

It was not enough for Spurs, though, and Redknapp admits his side have a mountain to climb.

“I am disappointed as it was a game we needed to win. We have struggled to score at home lately but we haven’t managed to beat teams,” Redknapp said.

“We haven’t taken our chances. Strikers haven’t scored goals this season and it’s difficult to put your finger on it.”

“Credit to Blackpool, they had a real go and they are a breath of fresh air. They lifted their game and full credit to Ian. We have thrown it away in the last nine games.”

“Whether the Champions League has taken its toll, I don’t know. We played great football in spells. We had half a chance today but it’s going to be very tough now.”

“We will keep going. The Champions League spot is very difficult – you have to be realistic for next season. Manchester United and Chelsea won’t drop out. Manchester City are getting stronger and Arsenal are there every year.”

“We were just short this year and maybe not good enough.”

Ian Holloway said he was proud of his players after earning a point which moves them out of the bottom three.

“Quite a day for us. I feel so proud. I couldn’t have asked for any more I thought my lads were terrific,” Holloway said.

“It’ll go right to the wire, we know that, but we looked today like we could win a game at this level.

“We believe in ourselves again after having a bit of a wobble but there’s a lot of football still to play and if we continue to play like that who’s to say we can’t get out of this.”

“Charlie’s had a tough season. He’s only going to improve, he’s only 24, and that shows the character he’s got. Today shows me there’s massive hope for the future. We don’t want to give up our place in this league. I loved it out there.”

Dutch Footballer of the Year Theo Janssen has joined Ajax from Eredivisie rivals Twente for an undisclosed fee.Midfielder Janssen, 29, played an influential part in Twente’s season as they reached the Europa League quarter-finals and defeated Ajax 3-2 in the Dutch Cup final.

Twente failed to retain their Eredivisie title by two points after losing away to Ajax on the last day of the season.

And the man who scored 13 goals for them in the campaign will line-up for their rivals next season after agreeing a two-year deal with the Amsterdam outfit.

“I want to become champions again,” Janssen said.

“I leave Twente with a good feeling, they are a top club. They will be at the top again next season.”

Janssen put the reason for an impressive season down to the greater freedom he was allowed under Michel Preud’homme, who replaced Steve McLaren as coach in May 2010.

“When I arrived there, I had a more controlling role but under Preud’homme I was given more freedom. He said from the first day on, ‘You will become the best player in Eredivisie’.”

You sensed a sigh of relief came out of Anfield at the club’s failure to secure a Europa League spot last weekend. Jamie Carragher in particular believes that missing out will enable the club to focus solely on getting back in the top four without the added interference of Thursday night games to trips all over Europe.

At FFC this week we have seen a mixed bag of Liverpool blogs that includes the right transfer attitude for Liverpool to adopt; Barca’s success bodes well for Liverpool FC and Carragher caught red faced.

We also look at the best Liverpool articles around the web this week.

*

Caption Competition: Carragher caught ‘red faced’

Liverpool’s transfer plans are commendable but foolish?

Wilshere and Carroll’s omission shows the attitude is all wrong

The right transfer attitude for Liverpool to adopt?

Liverpool set sights on Monaco ace

What next for Liverpool’s young duo?

This Liverpool transfer saga rumbles on and on

Why Barcelona’s success could bode well for Liverpool FC

A Liverpool player that deserves his plaudits

Signing for Liverpool…I guess we will know soon enough

*Best of WEB*

Why I can’t see the sense in this £13million bid – Live4Liverpool

Kenny v The Top 5 – Half A Season In Stats – Tomkins Times

Guardiola not the first manager inspired by Cruyff – This is Anfield

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The Future is Bright, The Future is Scouse – This is Anfield

[Video] Top 4 Liverpool goals of the season – Our Kop

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Click on Wayne Bridge’s current lady below to unveil our WAG XI of the season

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Despite the rumblings of the Tottenham hierachy insisting that Modric will not be sold it seems his departure is now inevitable with the player declaring in the Daily Mail “If somebody comes to the club and the offer is good for me and acceptable to them, then I want to leave.”

Well, so far the £22m offer that has been received has been neither good or acceptable to his employers representing a mere £5.5m profit on a prospect they spent a £16.5m gamble on on from Dinamo Zagreb in 2008.

Now the players potential has come to fruition at Spurs the Tottenham chairmen will no doubt play hard ball.  Should player power prevail then Levy will be a reluctant seller and hope to instigate a bidding war between prospective suitors to maximize the players fee.  Modric’s recent comments will anger the chairman though as it will compromise his market value meaning Spurs may eventually be forced to negotiate a price for a player who has openly stated he wants to leave.

Modric who only signed a new contract last season committing his future to Spurs until 2015 has now put his cards firmly on the table. His ambition to further his career is perhaps understandable but his timing barely 2 months after Spurs quarter final Champions League departure in a thrilling campaign where they superseeded Chelsea’s own progress will no doubt disappoint fans.

You would have to be naive to think that such commitment by Spurs would be met with enough loyalty by the player to give the club one more season to win back a coveted Champions League spot.  However Luka is either ill-advised or extremely naive himself to think he can “leave Tottenham as friends” after admitting “It has happened to Tottenham before. It is normal for a player to dream about playing for a bigger club” like Chelsea.

Time for Tottenham to start looking for a replacement.

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Manchester United defender Nemanja Vidic insists his side are not afraid to face Barcelona.The Red Devils have been successful domestically in recent years, winning four of the last five English Premier League titles, but lost Champions League finals to Barca last season and in 2009.

After the second defeat, manager Sir Alex Ferguson himself admitted that Pep Guardiola’s men are the best team his side have ever faced.

But Vidic insists fear is not an emotion that he would feel if he is confronted with the prospect of playing Barcelona again.

“I don’t know why you are always asking Manchester United players how we are going to bridge that gap,” Vidic told reporters. “Like I say again, this team is successful. We are doing some good things.”

“We don’t have any problem with the Barcelona players. We respect them but we are not scared to play against them. It is hard when you get to the final and lose, especially because it was the last game. It is always in your mind.”

“Barcelona performed much better than us. We could and should do better. But this is a new season. We have to forget what happened, take some points from that game and improve.”

With Paul Scholes having retired, Inter midfielder Wesley Sneijder has been heavily linked with a move to Old Trafford.

When quizzed about whether the potential signing of the Dutchman would represent the completion of the rebuilding of the squad, the captain said: “We have a lot of players for that position.”

“We have Anderson, [Darren] Fletcher, [Ryan] Giggs, [Michael] Carrick. Tom Cleverley can play in that place.”

“It is important to have new players to bring energy and hunger and to fight for positions. We have really healthy competition in the team.”

“The most important thing for a team like Manchester United to remember is that in the last five years we have won four titles and played in three Champions League finals.”

Ferguson has so far taken to bringing in younger replacements for players who have left the club this year, with Wes Brown, Gary Neville, John O’Shea, Scholes and Edwin van der Sar among the players to have moved on.

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United’s rivals Manchester City have managed to make a plethora of big signings since the takeover of the club by Sheikh Mansour in 2008.

Now Vidic feels that the Red Devils need not feel threatened by their city rivals, but should instead concentrate on improving themselves for the challenges that lie ahead.

“It is clear Manchester City have the money and they will sign new players,” he said. “They will definitely be in position to fight for the league.”

“But we have to focus on ourselves. We have to think about what happens at our door not our neighbours and I believe we have enough good players and a good team to challenge for the trophy.”

Aston Villa on the verge of signing West Ham captain Scott Parker for a fee of around £7m, according to The Mirror.

The imminent departure of Stewart Downing, as well as Ashley Young’s move to Manchester United last month, has left Villa with a midfield to reconstruct and almost £40m to help them do so.

Parker, voted the Football Writers’ Player of the Year last season, is anxious to leave Upton Park, but up until now, West Ham chiefs David Sullivan and David Gold had only been keen on discussing a possible loan move for the 30-year-old. Sullivan insisted that whilst the club “would love a deal” for their captain, “when we get promotion, he comes back to us.” The possibility of a loan move was believed to have been of interest to Chelsea with Michael Essien ruled out for up to 6 months with a knee injury, however it seems as though Villa are only interested in a permanent move for the midfielder, and are preparing a bid that they hope will secure his signature for longer than just the one season.

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Villa are also said to be chasing Charles N’Zogbia and Joe Cole in order to fill the voids left on each wing, however it seems as though new boss Alex McCleish is just as eager to acquire the services of Scott Parker in the centre of his midfield and considers the Englishman to be the kind of player that a new Aston Villa midfield can be built around.

A theme has been developing in recent transfer windows. Whilst there have still been the big money moves, the back pages of newspapers have been dominated by numerous stories of transfer sagas. Clubs across England have had to face unhappy stars looking for moves or potential deals that have dragged on and on. Whilst Cesc Fabregas continues to redefine the term with his now tedious transfer tug of war between Arsenal and Barcelona, Arsene Wenger is not the only manager having to deal with the headache these transfer sagas can cause.

Pre-season is best used as a time to plan, build and strengthen your team ahead of the new season. But all this can be thrown off course when your star player announces they desire to move on before the new campaign. If these wantaway players are not moved on quickly then their continued presence can become destructive ahead of the new season.

Some of the biggest transfers of this summer are still in the pipeline even though the start of the season is under a week away. The biggest of these as I mentioned previously is Fabregas and Barcelona. Arsenal’s Spanish captain clearly wants to make the move back to the Camp Nou but the London side’s resistance (and a inability by both clubs to agree a fee) has meant that this potential move has dragged on for years. Once again it has cast a shadow over Wenger’s pre-season plans and the inevitable move continues to be destructive around the Emirates.

Arsenal’s London rivals Tottenham face a similar dilemma with their star midfielder Luka Modric. Modric has publicly stated his desire to move to Chelsea but so far Spurs have rejected Chelsea’s approaches for the playmaker. You could say that chairman Daniel Levy is right to hold firm when it comes to his best players but with no big names arriving at White Hart Lane this summer, Tottenham’s pre-season has been dominated by talk of Modric’s desire to leave. The effect on the dressing room is questionable but it will be hard for Modric’s focus not to falter as his own transfer saga drags on with no clear conclusion in sight.

The continued presence of Carlos Tevez at Manchester City has also become a saga but in this case both club and player seem willing for a deal to be done (at the right price). For now Tevez remains with City but questions and doubts still remain for Roberto Mancini about the role he could play this season.

But what options do these managers have? The clear choice would be to get rid of their wantaway stars. If the hierarchy of the club can agree then all three could slip away to their new clubs, leaving a healthy bonus in a club’s bank balance (though possibly less than the club’s would want if they really pushed for a quick deal) and a more settled squad focused solely on looking forward to the new season.

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Arguably Liverpool avoided a potential transfer saga by selling Fernando Torres to Chelsea in January rather than holding on to their obviously unhappy star. The Reds’ cashed in on the striker at the right time before it became a saga and potentially affected their revival under Kenny Dalglish (the sale also freed up funds for the captures of direct replacements Andy Carroll and Luis Suarez).

The other option would be to keep hold of the players and resist any possibility of a move. Fabregas’ transfer to Barca has been on the cards for years yet he has continued to play for the club with reasonable success. These footballers are also professionals and whilst their heads may get turned, it is unlikely they would choose to sit on the sidelines for a whole season if a move doesn’t materialise. But this is a risky move for any club and manager as players with one eye on the exit door can easily become a destructive liability on the pitch and in the dressing room.

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Whilst the idea of selling their key players may not be a manager’s ideal plan for pre-season, managers like Harry Redknapp and Wenger may be better off letting these players leave now in their search for stability and success over the next ten months.

Should Arsenal and Spurs sell their wantaway stars before the start of the new season? If you want to read more of my bite size, 140 character views and thoughts follow me on Twitter @jennyk5

The average shelf life of a football manager has been a matter for great debate in recent seasons and with this new Premier League season well under way, under pressure bosses could suddenly find one foot getting far too close to that over-used managerial trap door. But in a job where results are key, how long should a manager be given to turn it around?

Nearly all managers in the Premier League face uncertainty about their future if their clubs go through a bad run, the only real exception probably being Sir Alex Ferguson at Manchester United who is unlikely to ever be shown the door at Old Trafford thanks to his fantastic achievements at the club. As I write this no managers across the leagues have be sacked yet this season, with only Peter Jackson leaving his position at Bradford City after he handed in his resignation.

However, two managers that have been the subject of the most intense speculation in the Premier League have been Arsene Wenger and Steve Kean. Arsenal boss Wenger has been under pressure during the summer and his side’s poor start to the season, summed up by their humiliating 8-2 defeat at Manchester United, has meant the once unanimously loved Wenger suddenly faced calls to be sacked. But Arsenal’s qualification for the Champions League group stages and eventual movement in the transfer window has given the Frenchman more time to turn it around. Ultimately his future will depend on Arsenal’s upcoming Premier League games but the pressure is on Wenger as he has had a lot longer than most (six years to be exact) to turn around Arsenal’s trophy drought.

But Steve Kean, a man on the top of most people’s lists for first in line to be sacked, is under the most pressure at Blackburn Rovers. His side have slumped to three straight defeats in the league and find themselves in the relegation zone. Kean has been under constant pressure from the owners since he was appointed as the shock replacement for Sam Allardyce. But should Kean be sacked if Blackburn don’t pick up points soon? If this bad run continues I doubt whether the owners will keep faith with Kean but he, like many managers before him that have been sacked before Christmas, would deserve better.

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Like I previously mentioned football is very much a results game but how can you properly judge a manager and team’s performances without having at least a couple of months worth of proof? Very few managers deserve to be sacked until the turn of the year, a point at which most teams’ seasons could still be saved. Last year Newcastle United shocked fans across the country by sacking Chris Hughton at the start of December, a departure that seemed horribly premature. The unfortunate case of Hughton at Newcastle is also an example of how long a manager has readily depends on his own boss.

Mike Ashley at Newcastle is not a man often praised for his footballing decisions and likewise the Venky’s takeover at Blackburn was met with less than enthusiastic views when they got rid of Allardyce upon their arrival at Ewood Park. As owners of football clubs and ultimately businesses it often comes down to the temperament of the man in charge as well as the results that will determine the longevity of a manager.

But do managers need to take the ultimate blame if their team has a bad run? For a team like Blackburn a terrible start to the season can be disastrous and mean the issue of relegation is suddenly whispered around Ewood Park a lot earlier than expected. Clubs can also profit from bringing in fresh faces. Whilst the departure of Hughton and Roberto Di Matteo from West Brom looked to be unfair, their replacements in Alan Pardew and Roy Hodgson did well in taking over at the respective clubs. In contrast West Ham waited far too long to sack Avram Grant and paid the price.

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Whilst a bad run of results will rightly see their job under consideration, clubs should hold off from sacking their managers too quickly this season. Whilst a change in the helm at a club can work wonders, owners need to find the right balance between turning results around and showing enough respect to hardworking managers.

How long do you think managers deserve to turn it around? If you want to read more of my bite size, 140 character views and thoughts follow me on Twitter @jennyk5

It’s apparently open season on Liverpool’s 35 million pound man Andy Carroll, as critics seem to be lining up to have a dig at the big number nine. Is this criticism over the top, and is it simply due to his fee?

Clearly having the label of the most expensive British footballer in history is always going to leave you open for high scrutiny and inevitable criticism. However, the scathing manner of the criticism of Carroll has been a bit far fetched, particularly at such an early stage of the season. The fee and the media hype surrounding him, isn’t Carroll’s fault, and for a young player with everything to prove, it hasn’t helped his cause.

Carroll joined Liverpool with a serious injury problem, and he has struggled to regain full fitness since the injury. It was unfortunate for him, that he couldn’t hit the ground running, and he wasn’t fully fit when he played for the reds at the end of last season. He still doesn’t quite have his full fitness and match sharpness back, but he is certainly getting there with each passing week. He has obviously lost a lot of confidence after his injury problems, and it will be important for him to start building that up again.

It seems that Andy Carroll’s past mistakes are also counting against him, as critics continue to bash his lifestyle choices and even Fabio Capello has somewhat harshly chipped in with his thoughts on Carroll’s extracurricular activities. Critics are quick to suggest that he is wasting his talent, however this seems to have little bearing on his time at Liverpool, where nothing has come out to suggest anything other than the fact that he has got his head down at the club.

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Criticism of Carroll rather than other players also seems unfair, as Liverpool have not really played to his strengths as of yet. When Carroll is on the pitch they seem to revert to a manner of play whereby they hoof the ball downfield to him, which inevitably ends in nothing. They have yet to get the service or movement around him correct, they should be playing it down the wings and providing great service to Carroll in the centre, the return of Steven Gerrard should help Carroll out in this department.

To be fair to Carroll, he was unlucky not to score against Arsenal and had a perfectly good goal disallowed at Sunderland, if those two incidents had been slightly different, everyone would be raving about him, as the biggest hope for the future of English football, so we need to put things in a little perspective.

Carroll is in good hands with Dalglish, who will endeavour to get the best out of him, and his experience and know how will definitely be a help to Carroll. Liverpool have wrapped him up in cotton wool up to now to protect him from further injurys, but now is the time for him to be given a regular first team place so that he can fully regain his sharpness and match fitness, as well as his confidence.

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Carroll won’t get forever to prove himself, but we have to at least give him a fair chance, and the constant criticism of him is over the top and unjustified. The expectation due to the fee that he should have hit the ground running is harsh, and he should be judged by what he does on the pitch after a full season not four games.  Everything is now in place for him, he’s at a great club with a good manager, so now it is up to him, but he needs to be given a fair chance and that is not something he has been given so far.

Do you think criticism of Andy Carroll has been over the top? Let me know your thoughts by commenting below or following me on Twitter @LaurenRutter

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