Since FootballFanCast reported on the breaking news last week that West Ham co-owner David Sullivan had unilaterally blocked Tottenham Hotspurs’ reported approach for Scott Parker, the story has continued unabated. Rumours and press reports have duly circulated, suggesting that Liverpool may now be interested, that the player wishes to hear Spurs’ offer and that the Lilywhites may have received some form of encouragement from West Ham prior to their bid. David Sullivan’s fervent remarks were widely welcomed by Hammers fans but is there any substance to these reports? Is the colourful co-owner reassessing his stance or is media speculation simply rearing its head over Upton Park?

The new Irons boss Avram Grant has echoed the comments of David Sullivan in the past week regarding the sought after midfielder. “We want to plan to improve for the next few seasons and Scott Parker is a big part of this process.” For West Ham fans the hope was such comments would put this unwanted story to bed. The club’s evident displeasure at Spurs’ bid for Parker was counteracted by Harry Redknapp’s criticism of Sullivan’s decision to make the bid public. “I’m sure the chairman got some form of encouragement or he wouldn’t have made the offer.” In scenes reminiscent of a school slanging match, Grant hit back claiming that there was no truth in this suggestion. It is worth recalling that relations between the two London clubs have not been amicable in the recent past. West Ham’s former chief executive Scott Duxbury stated that under his watch the club would not do any transfer business with Spurs and the new owners remain bitter at their rivals’ late and successful attempt to sign Eidur Gudjohnson earlier this year. However, do Redknapp’s comments allude to a conscious decision by West Ham to unsettle Parker and increase his price tag?

Sullivan is not averse to saying one thing when meaning another. Shortly after his takeover of the east London club with partner David Gold, he made a series of comments about Gianfranco Zola’s affability and the need for players to take a sizeable pay cut before a home clash against Birmingham. When West Ham came through that contest Karen Brady portrayed Sullivan as a ‘smart old bird’ as he had purportedly united the dressing room and took the pressure off the players. It was a tactic he had employed before but had it gone the other way it would have been less of the wily old fox and more of the old man in the fanciful claret smoking jacket.

Does this raise the prospect of Sullivan attempting to be double-handed by unsettling Parker whilst securing the best possible price for him? West Ham fans would not welcome such a strategy but there are a few reasons why media outlets, including talkSPORT are intimating a potential U-turn. The co-owners were not reticent to outline the size of the club’s debts following their takeover which they estimated at over £100 million. Player sales are the most efficient way of raising revenue and despite saying the best players would not be sold, the top performers at a club will attract the most attention. The Hammers have signed four players this summer but the only players who have left have done so on free transfers. With twelve senior midfielders on their books this is the area where player sales are most likely. Following the signing of Thomas Hitzlsperger and the improvement of academy graduate Mark Noble, are the club hierarchy reviewing the stance adopted last week?

The West Ham faithful will hope not and the duration of this story will depend on Parker who has given no concrete indication that he is seeking a move away from the Boleyn Ground. His commitment and passion on the pitch have made him a revered figure at West Ham. The fans may just be starting to realise, however, that Sullivan’s comments should always be taken with a pinch of salt.

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CSKA Moscow's Serbia international winger Milos Krasic is moving closer to joining Juventus, having definitely decided against trying his luck in England with Manchester City.

The 25-year-old has made it known that Juve is his preferred destination, even though a deal is taking some time to be agreed.

Krasic's agent, Dejan Joksimovic, told Tuttosport:"There hasn't been direct contact in the last week, but the situation is now favourable.

"Milos can't wait to be able to sign his contract with Juventus. He has been waiting for this moment all summer.

"He refused Manchester City's offer and he expressly told the CSKA directors that if they were to let him go to Juventus, he would be happy.

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"Juventus only have to resolve some questions linked to the sale of one or two players. They won't be able to proceed with Milos' signing until these have been resolved."Subscribe to Football FanCast News Headlines by Email

Soon after he had signed for Aston Villa Stephen Ireland launched a barrage of abuse at Manchester City after one of the most acrimonious transfers of the summer involving James Milner. Ireland did not pull any punches and his assessment of his former club was scathing, The Guardian quotes the midfielder as stating,

“I don’t think loyalty is much in anyone’s mind at Manchester City. I felt like I would be next (to leave). A lot of players felt like that as well.”

His words are in stark contrast to those of Craig Bellamy, who perhaps surprisingly was respectful and did not have a bad word to say about Manchester City, it is true that he is still a City player of course but it would not have been a shock had Bellamy torn into those at Eastlands. More often than not the best way to respond to a perceived injustice is to do it on the pitch rather than sounding off about the situation in the media. Stephen Ireland obviously takes an alternate view however in his acerbic criticism of the club.

The Guardian also quotes Ireland as stating “I’ve really landed on my feet here (Villa). I think it’s a family club and one that will get the best out of me…Even the young lads are so polite. I’m actually quite shocked with that. At City they’re not like that. They’re coming in with £10,000 watches on their wrists and walking around as if they have played 200 Premier League games.”

This might be a valid critique, but coming from Stephen Ireland it reeks of hypocrisy. The Irishman is certainly no miser and ostentatious displays of his great wealth are not rare events, this is the man after all who said he wanted a shark tank installed under his kitchen. Ireland is one of the most ‘blinged’ up players in the Premiership so for him to moan about others doing the same is somewhat ridiculous.

Stephen Ireland has never had any problems with self-esteem, and in The Guardian he is quoted as saying “I can easily say I’ve got, if not more ability, as much ability as any player they have signed this year”.

Given the standard of players that City have signed this year, this is no mean feat but surely if he had such skills he would have been a regular last season. Ireland will point to the manager in this regard, whom he also slams for having no relationship with the players. As well as claiming Milner is in for an unpleasant shock when his Man City career gets underway, Stephen Ireland also publically stated that Shay Given should leave the club, on Tribal Football the Irishman is quoted,

“I would like to see Shay go. He needs to be playing every week.”

Stephen Ireland then, is definitely not short of a word or two on the subject of his former club. But whilst he claims he is delighted to be at Aston Villa, his words have a whiff of bitterness about them and one gets the impression that Ireland is very disappointed to have left Manchester City. Ireland has made these comments now, and they cannot be taken back, they may not have been totally advisable but he is an outspoken character. In the future though, perhaps he should be a little more reticent on the subject, and let his football do the talking. This by far the best way to show Manchester City what they are missing this season.

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Manager Carlo Ancelotti will be in the Chelsea dugout for Sunday's Premier League showdown with Arsenal despite the death of his father.

Ancelotti's father, Giuseppe, passed away in Italy on Wednesday night following a lengthy illness.

"Carlo Ancelotti's father Giuseppe passed away in Italy last night aged 87 with his son at his side," read a club statement.

"Everyone at Chelsea Football Club sends our deepest condolences to Carlo and his family. They are all in our thoughts at this time.

"The funeral will take place in Italy on Saturday. Carlo will return to London for Sunday's match versus Arsenal."

Speaking recently, Ancelotti had admitted the difficultly he faced in balancing his personal and professional life at such a difficult time.

"My father is not well. He is an old man. He has a lot of problems. When possible I fly back to Italy to see him and he has good support from my sister," he explained.

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"He has a lot of problems and it's tough emotionally when it's your father.

"But this is life and I have to do my best to stay close to him. Everyone at the club knows my situation and they have all given me good support."Subscribe to Football FanCast News Headlines by Email

One of the more prominent players in European football who could be available for free next summer is Philippe Mexes, the AS Roma centre-back is in the last year of his contract and a new one is not signed, there will be a host of clubs interested in talking to the Frenchman. It has been widely reported that one of these interested parties is Chelsea, with the Daily Mail saying that Carlo Ancelotti is monitoring the defenders contract talks. The question that needs to be asked then, do Chelsea need Philippe Mexes?

Mexes has been a stalwart for Roma since signing for the club from Auxerre in 2004, forming a strong central pairing with Brazilian centre-back Juan in recent seasons. The arrival of Nicolas Burdisso on loan from Inter last season though saw Mexes drop down the pecking order, and he started only 17 games. Burdisso was signed permanently in the summer so Mexes must have some concerns over how much game time he is going to get this term, and with a new manager in the form of Laurent Blanc at the helm of the France national team, Mexes will want to play in order to cement his place in the international set-up.

Despite being an almost ever present for Roma, Mexes has thus far experienced a frustrating international career, so does this say something about his quality? Since 2002 Mexes has only picked up 14 caps, a very disappointing return for a player who is regarded by many as a very good centre-back. What needs to be taken into account of course is the fact that Raymond Domenech was in charge for six years, and he is a manager not exactly known for making sound, rational decisions. Maybe Domenech did not like Aries, because why Mexes was hardly ever selected is a mystery to most. Under Laurent Blanc, Mexes has played in the first three games, and will be looking to become a regular under the new boss.

Philippe Mexes is now 28 and so as a centre-back he should be in the prime of his career. Mexes is a tall, strong and determined defender who gives his sides real steel in the backline and is hard to beat aerially. He can be a rash player however, and can give away poor free-kicks or penalties and is not averse to ill-discipline.

In my opinion, both John Terry and Alex are better players than Mexes and Branislav Ivanovic is a more than capable deputy for either one of them. If one of these three were to pick up a serious injury however, you would worry about a lack of cover in central defence, and Mexes would therefore be a welcome addition to the squad if not necessarily an automatic first choice. If he could be brought in on a free transfer that would make the deal even sweeter, and if this became an option for Ancelotti, I certainly wouldn’t advise him against a move.

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Competition for Philippe Mexes will be hot if his contract talks do not amount to a new deal, and Chelsea would certainly be an attractive club for him to join. I would not be convinced about Mexes if Ancelotti was planning on making him a first choice player, but Chelsea do lack a bit of depth in central defence and if he was added as a squad player I think Mexes would be a fine acquisition. If Dutch duo Patrick van Aanholt and Jeffrey Bruma can show some worth this season though, Ancelotti may want to concentrate on giving youth a chance rather than signing another experienced centre-back.

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With the Wayne Rooney contract saga out of the way, it is time to look at the cost that huge wages of Premier League stars are having on both fans and clubs alike. Wayne Rooney, who was in the stands for the game against Tottenham on Saturday evening, should be showing Manchester United fans more humilty than he has over the last week as new figures have shown that 10% of Manchester United’s gate receipts will be needed to pay just a week of Wayne Rooney’s new contact.

The Mail reported, ‘7,407 of them. Because that is the number required through the turnstiles to pay just a week of his new £10million annual wage, a staggering 10 per cent of the club’s average home gate.’

Over at Manchester City the figures are even more staggering. Manchester City’s Yaya Toure’s £221,000-a-week wages need even more paying supporters, more than 10,000 a game. But Rooney’s new deal is a significant escalation in the value of English players, part of the inflation that has now taken the Premier League’s total annual wage bill close to £1.5billion.

This is the chance for fans to vote with their feet. How out of touch have these players become, and can fans keep flooding through the gates to support their clubs. Fans have taken the brunt of this boom in Premier League salaries. Ticket prices across Premiership grounds have increased to record levels, when is the time that we say enough is enough. Fans are now realising that the burden of this is being placed solely on their shoulders and its time for them to act with their feet. At Old Trafford the process in under way. Thousands took to the streets on Friday to demonstrate against the American owners.

After the Glazer’s takeover at Manchester United, Mike Turton and others founded FC United. This club embodies the disgust that Manchester United fans have towards what is happening at Old Trafford. The Mail reported that, ‘their crowd of 3,229 in the last qualifying round was bigger than those at four of that Saturday’s League Two matches. It would take the cash from just 15 of them to pay the weekly wage of their own star striker, Mike Norton, who is on about £120 a week.’

On this subject, Mike Turton said to the Mail, ‘I followed United for 30 years and I was a season-ticket holder but the Premier League is less interesting for me now. There is a lack of soul and quite a few mercenaries just passing through.’

This is a common feeling from many football fans. Can we really have heroes on the pitch when they earn such vast sums of money, and have no humility on their earnings. Of course some footballers do some amazing charity work, and that always has to be applauded but are the majority of footballers so out of touch with the real world. Next season when the governments cuts come in, these top earners will not be effected. However the vast majority of fans that pile into grounds across the country each week will be – and they will expected to pay huge sums of money to fund wages.

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Football is loosing touch with reality. Fans can have a huge say in the future direction of the game if they vote with their feet. Why should fans be expected to finance debts and fund wages with money they work so hard to find. If fans groups got together and unified on the same position, football would be better for it. A small percentage of Manchester United fans taunted Wayne Rooney on Saturday – a reaction that is very understandable.

We need to take our game back from the money men that are conspiring to destroy it. If every Premier League ground was empty on a weekend they would have to take notice. Fans are the life blood of clubs. Chairman’s, director’s, managers and players will come and go but fans will always be their to support their badge. If the balance isn’t restored between player and fan what future does football have. Fans can have a massive say in the future of this discussion. Passion is something that fans want from their players. Passion is something fans have for their team. It is now time to passionately stand up for every fan who is being mistreated by their club.

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It isn’t any secret that Roy Hodgson will be extremely interested in strengthening his Liverpool squad when the January transfer window commences. With the new ownership having publicly declared their approval of Hodgson, he now has the comfort of knowledge that will allow him to plan for the acquisition of new players. The January transfer window is notoriously flooded by clubs looking to add to their squad due to poor performances, injuries or such like and this saturation of the market can lead to the ‘panic buying’ mentality. This mentality is often employed by managers when under extreme pressure which is brought on by demands for instantaneous success. Will Hodgson succumbed to this pressure or will he manage to buy the players he deems necessary?

Hodgson as quoted in the Daily Star says of this matter: “I’m prepared to accept that a number of players we’re looking to sign do make five or six – but I don’t wish to specify positions other than one is obviously a front player.” With fans still undecided or declaring their reservations against the current Liverpool manager, there is obviously the desire to go out and spend your woes away by signing players to satiate the fans. What can’t be warned against enough is the dangerous avenue of signing players merely in a state of panic. To ward off those negative comments and forms of derision emanating from loyal fans isn’t a motivating factor that should be condoned.

Hopefully though Hodgson won’t succumb to this, for he is a fastidious manager and one that is eager to prove that the beginning doesn’t determine the way in which things are to proceed. With the mandate at Liverpool being one of success, there is a tendency, as with the majority of clubs, that with the instigation of a new manager must follow a period of improvement and if not imminent there is little time afforded to rectify the situation. This is why Hodgson will be desperate to acquire signings of superior quality that can assist him in the resurrection of Liverpool, but if these signings are hard to come by then Hodgson has already sealed his fate by issuing statements as highlighted above.

He further adds: “In January we should be really looking to solve one or two situations. We are desperately short of players. Front players. Having three front players at the club, and that’s if you include Ryan Babel, is nowhere near good enough.” The pressure gravitates towards Hodgson at an accelerated rate and will continue to do so until score lines end favourably, even then the fans will expect signings of a high caliber in order to compete for the Premiership in the coming years. For if Fernando Torres becomes injured and knowing his luck it is more than likely, Hodgson will effectively have to hand his future over to David N’Gog until January and if forwards aren’t forthcoming, he may have to settle for a ‘panic buy’.

With declarations such as these Hodgson could easily be seen to make rash signings when the all too competitive and despised transfer window opens. Liverpool are in desperate need of some fresh faces, as when Steven Gerrard and Torres aren’t producing creatively there are few who may hold the torch to lighten their burden. But will the influx of players require an outflow and if so who would it be? I hope for Hodgson’s sake that the players of quality are easily attainable and not mediocre players brought from a sense of agitation. If successful fans will think themselves felicitous in having had Hodgson to see through a period of uncertainty and change, even if the beginning was a little more worrying than they would have enjoyed.

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This year’s Premier League must be the toughest to predict in years, and of course this week will be no different. While Manchester United’s home game against Blackburn appears to be a home banker, the other top clubs face potential banana skins.

Arsenal kick-off the weekend with a tricky tie at Aston Villa knowing that they can ill-afford to drop more points. However, Arsene Wenger will be heartened to know that Chelsea and Manchester City both face tough away days at Newcastle and Stoke respectively. Tottenham’s game against Liverpool at White Hart Lane on Sunday also promises to be an interesting affair.

Bolton are a team creeping towards the top four and they’ll fancy themselves in a home game against Blackpool on Saturday afternoon.

With so many unpredictable matches picking your fantasy football team could be tough, but here are my 11Kicks week 14 picks to give you a helping hand. It’s not often that I ignore Chelsea players, but this is a weekend where Carlo Ancelotti’s men don’t seem to offer many good options. I’ve chosen a 3-5-2 formation because I think that midfielders give you the best chance to score big every week:

Tim Howard

Everton are still looking a little dodgy at the moment, but they will take heart from coming behind twice to take a point from Sunderland. Everton and West Brom both have 16 points so according to the league it should be a close game, but in reality the Baggies are on a slippery slope so Everton will hope to take a clean sheet from this one.

Nemanja Vidic

As I said, Manchester United’s home game against Blackburn appears to be one of the easier games to call so Vidic seems like a good shout. Despite their good little run of form, Blackburn seem lacking in the striker department so United look good to keep things tight this weekend.

Richard Dunne

Clean-sheets have been few and far between for Villa so far this year, as anyone who has had Dunne in their team all season will be able to testify. However, a home game against a struggling Arsenal team is a perfect time for them to break this duck.  Even if they don’t, the memory of Younes Kaboul finding a gap in Arsenal’s defence last week could bode well for Dunne.

Brede Hangeland

Birmingham have shown that their strength this year is in stopping goals rather than scoring them, which bodes well for Hangeland’s Fulham. It appears to be a decent match-up for the men from Craven Cottage so for that reason I’ve chosen Hangeland.

Gareth Bale

You don’t need me to tell you how good he is, so I won’t. Tottenham didn’t exactly have to run themselves into the ground to beat Werder Bremen in midweek so presumably they’ll be fresh on Sunday afternoon. Liverpool will be tough so Spurs will need a real match winner and with Van der Vaart doubtful, Bale could be the man.

Continued on Page TWO

Tim Cahill

Cahill is on the scoring run of his life and it doesn’t seem like Everton can go a game without him scoring so for that reason Cahill is my captain this week. West Brom are in dreadful form, Cahill isn’t. Simple as that.

Chung-Yong Lee

The great thing about changing your team every week is that you can jump on the bandwagon of any player who’s experiencing a purple patch, and Bolton’s Lee is one of those players. A few weeks ago he was well off the radar, but after his good showings against Wolves and Newcastle I expect another at home against Blackpool.

Stewart Downing

Arsenal’s back five to look shaky to say the least so it makes sense that Villa’s biggest attacking threat this season will be looking to have a profitable day. With a goal and two assists in his last three games Downing is hoping to impress this season to get his name back into England reckoning.

Kevin Nolan

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Nolan and Carroll have been Newcastle’s most important players this season and despite Chelsea’s slump, Newcastle will need big performances to take three points. Nolan has a very impressive seven league goals this season and Chelsea seem to be inconsistent at the back of late.

Kevin Davies

Davies is experiencing one of his most productive seasons in the Premier League. With six goals to date he is only one goal behind his tally for the entirety of last season, and even though Blackpool have accrued more points in away games this season I think Bolton will win convincingly.

Frederic Piquionne

Despite only winning one game this year, on more than one occasion West Ham have proved that they can be tough to beat. The Hammers, and Piquionne especially, were pretty bad last week at Liverpool, but Wigan at home is a totally different proposition and Piquionne could guide West Ham to their second win of the season.

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As we approach the Christmas period, it’s fair to say that 2010 has not been kind to Liverpool fans. We had a mediocre 2009-10 season; Rafa Benitez was sacked which, for a large number of Reds fans, was the years lowest point. Then the announcement of Roy Hodgson as his replacement was greeted, largely, with bemusement. The second half of 2010 has staggered from pillar to post, like a middle-aged drunk trying to find his way home in the dark. In plainest terms: the year can’t end soon enough. So, as 2011 steam-rolls toward us, here are a few things I’m hoping the club – belatedly, in some cases – gets for Christmas.

New Manager – I welcome all criticism for this, as I have been loud and open in my opinion of Roy from the start; writing a number of articles in the past 4-5 months surrounding his performance, methods and suitability for the job. In contrast, I have equally given praise where it’s due. We were asked to judge him after 10 games, he’s had nearly 30. An overall record of 12 wins; 7 draws and 8 defeats is incredibly average and can’t mask a league record of 6 wins; 4 draws and 7 defeats. By comparison, our league form is – to quote Tom Werner – ‘unacceptable’. Call me a typical fan; call it a knee-jerk reaction but the man has to go.

Players – Paul Konchesky anyone? Christian Poulsen? Brad Jones?? (I know – who?). Apart from the re-signing of Fabio Aurelio and the great form of Raul Meireles, we have had a dearth of good signings this year. While the jury will remain out on Joe Cole for some time, there are a number of players and positions that need to be addressed and we can only hope that Santa (or perhaps, John Henry) sends a few crackers our way in January. If he has any plans to start reform in the playing squad he should start at left back. My initial anger at the signing of such a low-quality player has since been replaced by pity. I now actually feel sorry for Konchesky, in the same way you had to feel for Djimi Traore; it isn’t his fault he’s out of his depth, he didn’t sign himself and he doesn’t pick himself every week. He just happens to vaguely resemble a deer in headlights. As such (and unless Aurelio suddenly finds some kind of miracle injury cure), we first need a new left back.

Second, we need goalkeeping cover. After the odd game in ‘unimportant’ early-season games, Brad Jones has clearly been found out – he’s tosh. The fact that Reina has played in pretty much every league, cup and European game this season says a lot. We let a perfectly good back up go in Cavalieri – for buttons – and used those buttons to pay for Jones. They often say you get what you pay for and unfortunately we paid far too much for a below average keeper. This needs to be addressed; Pepe needs at least the illusion of competition.

Finally, in terms of players, we need better attacking options. They should come in the form of an actual, real-life wide player, not a converted forward or ‘left-midfielder’; somebody who can actually take a man on and provide proper width. (As I have done already, I’ll avoid speculation and suggestions as to who this could be, as without prior knowledge of the transfer budget there’s no way of knowing which bracket we’re working in.) Along with a wide-player, we desperately need an experienced, proven striker; one who can contribute an extra 12-15 goals per season and who can bear the brunt of being the attacking focal point in Torres‘ absence. Because as good as Ngog is becoming, he is not ready for that responsibility yet. And besides: we need more options from the bench!

New Stadium/Refurbishment – This is the least important in the short-term but our future relies on it. While we don’t necessarily need any news on it right now, if the end of the year/start of 2011 was to bring some definitive news regarding what the plan was, Reds fans could rest easy in the knowledge that plans were at least being made up. If however, there were dates, plans, time-frames and more that would just be the icing on the cake.

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There are other issues, I’m sure, for Liverpool and its fans at the moment but I would hazard a guess that these 3 are foremost in 99% of fans minds and as we head toward next year, we can only hope that we will start to get answers to certain questions and solutions to these problems. Roll on 2011.

Written By David Tryer at the excellent Live4Liverpool website

Arsene Wenger believes Arsenal can handle Elland Road’s daunting atmosphere when they face Leeds United in an FA Cup replay on Wednesday.The two sides drew 1-1 at the Emirates Stadium on January 7, with Arsenal captain Cesc Fabregas’ last-minute equaliser from the penalty spot cancelling out Robert Snodgrass’s opener.

Crippling debts saw Leeds go from Champions League semi-finalists to League One in a matter of seasons, but the club have now recovered some of their standing to sit in the Championship promotion places.

Throughout their freefall, however, the club maintained their healthy support, though Wenger is confident his side has the mettle to deal with Leeds’ parochial home fans.

“I believe no matter what they do, the fans will be behind the team at Leeds,” Wenger said.

“But on the other hand, we are used to that. It would not be any excuse for us. We have played all over the world – everywhere – in vociferous stadiums, and I don’t think that will be any excuse for us to say, ‘OK they had a massive support’.”

“It’s normal. It’s natural. You want that to happen. What is important is that you show your quality no matter in what kind of environment you play.”

Wenger was impressed with the ‘tactical discipline’ and ‘positive attitude’ in the 1-1 result at the Emirates, but said his side knew where it had to improve to get a better outcome at the second time of asking.

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“We want to be sharper, more positive,” he said.

“We started the game a little off our usual level, and that means first of all, mentally you want to switch on much quicker.”