West Brom want Hargreaves

Owen Hargreaves could be handed a chance to resurrect his Premier League career after entering into talks with West Brom.The 30-year-old only managed 27 games during a four-year spell at Manchester United thanks to a litany of injuries, and was released as the end of last season.

Baggies sporting and technical director Dan Ashworth revealed his club are interested in the former England man and added that, if fit, his signing would be a “no brainer”.

“We have been in talks with Owen,” he told West Brom’s official website.

“He’s based over in the United States at the moment so we might try to get to meet him in the next week or so and see if he would consider coming to us.”

“If Owen is fit to play Premier League football, it is a no-brainer.”

“Make no mistake, Owen Hargreaves is a fantastic player. He’s shown he’s a top, top player from his England, Manchester United and Bayern Munich days.”

“Obviously, Owen has had a few medical issues over the last few years. But we would be absolutely delighted to get a fit Owen Hargreaves.”

“That would be a wonderful signing for us.”

Ashworth claimed that his club have the medical department to handle a player that has had more than his fair share of injuries.

He added that while Hargreaves does have other options – with Championship Leicester City reportedly interested – West Brom were the first to make contact.

“The three things we’ve got going for us are: one, we’re in the Premier League, which is attractive in itself; the second thing is we’ve got a fantastic medical team. We had an unbelievable hit-rate last season in terms of player availability,” Ashworth added.

“I think that’s attractive to Owen, that we’ve got a proven track record in the last couple of years of maintaining players and keeping them out on the pitch, which is the most important thing.”

“Thirdly, we were the first club to contact him. He’s told me that, and he appreciates that.”

“I’d like to think we’ve got a chance – but Owen has plenty of other options as well.”

THREE Arsenal players that I’m happy to see leave in January

The Arsenal squad has pretty decent strength in depth. If you’re an Arsenal player and you don’t perform over a few games, chances are there’s a youngster ready and waiting to take your place. With quality young players like Aaron Ramsey, Henri Lansbury, Craig Eastmond and Jay-Emmanuel Thomas waiting in the wings, some players may have to move on if Arsenal’s youngest and brightest are to get the chance to develop as best they can within the team. Assessing this Arsenal side, there are two or three players who just don’t seem Arsenal quality. With that in mind, these are the three players I’d be happy to see the back of at the Emirates.

The first is Manuel Almunia. Good thing too considering he’s likely to be the first Arsenal player out the door during the January transfer window. Almunia isn’t a bad goalkeeper by any means – he is, for instance, a good shot stopper – but the consistency of his errors have always been a cause for worry. Wenger persisted with Almunia for quite some time but now seems content to let the Spaniard move on. It’s likely that Almunia will attempt to engineer a move to a Spanish club in January. One benefit of this is that we’ll get to see more of 20 year-old goalkeeping prodigy Wojciech Szczesny.

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Another player I’m ready to see move on is Nicklas Bendtner. I don’t like to say it, but at the moment he isn’t quite good enough for Arsenal and I’m not sure I can see him becoming a force to be reckoned with any time soon. He has a tendency to lumber around the pitch, he’s slow and he has a bad touch. He’s also not the great goal-scorer people like to make out. Robin van Persie and Marouane Chamakh have the quality necessary to compete at a club like Arsenal. Bendtner, on the other hand, I’m not so sure about.

My final choice is Carlos Vela. I realise that this might ruffle a few feathers. He’s young, talented and looks to be a genuine prospect. However, he’s really struggling to get a look in this season. Arsene already has to contend with Theo Walcott who impresses and frustrates in equal measure. They are a similar age, but it’s clear that Wenger rates Walcott higher.

On the odd occasion we’ve seen Vela this season, he has appeared to be lacking in confidence. Given that Arsenal already have bundles of talent down the wings, perhaps the best thing Vela can do for his career is move on.

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I imagine there will be a few people readying their “but so-and-so is a good squad player” defence. Yes, all these players are decent enough, but the three I’ve listed are players I don’t believe are capable of challenging for a regular first-team position at the moment. There must be competition for places at all times within the squad so that the team avoids complacency. Why settle for second-class squad players?

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No Last Day Drama, Only Joy At St. Marys

In the end there was no final day drama, no slip ups, no excessive nail biting, with the exception of a nervy opening quarter of an hour, there really was nothing to worry about in the end.

I would be lying if I said that I wasn’t nervous before kick-off, but then most Saints fans probably were, the thought of slipping to third on the final day, after being in the top two all season was not a pleasant thought. This day had the potential to turn into a disaster had the unthinkable happened, yet there were early nerves from a group of players who knew that they were 90 minutes away from either fame or infamy.

There were no signs that this was going to be a comfortable home victory in the early exchanges as Coventry acquitted themselves well in the first 15 minutes or so. Then came the early breakthrough that we craved, as centre-back Jose Fonte’s surging Hansen-esque run from deep, helped to set up the opening goal that was cunningly deflected by Billy Sharp, from Lallana’s low shot from the edge of the penalty area.

Jose Fonte then got himself on the score sheet only minutes later with a diving header, and the nerves were all but gone now as the collective sighs of relief by the 32,000 Saints fans present, was probably strong enough to blow the planes passing low over St. Marys slightly off course!

Further goals in the second-half by first, Jos Hooiveld, and then Adam Lallana sparked the biggest celebration the city has seen since at least the FA Cup semi-final win over Watford in 2003. As the players and officials ran for the sanctuary of the changing-rooms at the final whistle, the crowd ran on to the pitch to celebrate what most fans would have thought to have been unthinkable at the start of the season, back-to-back promotions.

Most of us and that includes myself, would have been happy, and were probably expecting, a season of consolidation and mid-table mediocrity after gaining promotion from League 1 the previous season. Yet like Norwich before them, the Saints got off to a fantastic start and despite the odd dip in form, they completed a remarkable journey from Premier League, to League 1, and back again, in 7 years.

After years of suffering at the hands of men who could not run a chimps tea party, let alone a football club the size of Southampton, the long suffering Saints fans have at last something to smile about. The dark clouds have blown away from St. Marys and now there is a bright new horizon in front of us, there is also going to be a lot of hard work to do over the close season, in order to establish the club as a permanent Premier League side once again.

The last thing we want is to be one of the many yo-yo clubs that are constantly up and down, clubs like Wolves, Birmingham, Middlesbrough, and Reading. We need to take our time and not make hasty decisions in the transfer market, as our new found status will inevitably bring us to the attention to every mercenary footballer and their agents, who are in search of one big last pay day.

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The team spirit we have at the club is fantastic and reminds me of the spirit that we had when fighting all those final day relegation battles in the nineties, something we lacked when dropping out of the Premier League in 2005.

Whatever happens over the coming summer months, it is in all likelihood going to be one of the most fascinating close seasons in the clubs history. From a fans perspective, it is also going to feel like one of the longest, Euro 2012 and the Olympics? Pah! We can’t wait for August!

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Why Manchester United fans shouldn’t expect an instant return

The news that United had made a deal to bring Phil Jones to Old Trafford was met with a wave of satisfaction rather than excitement by most Reds.

A proven Premier League player –of sorts- who was still in his teens could only be a welcome addition to the record breaking title winner’s squad.

Jones had shown for much of the season that he was a capable defender/defensive midfielder who’s peak years were ahead of him so it made a lot of sense for Sir Alex to fork out £16.5 million on him.

The funny thing is that in the space of only a few days Jones has gone from a capable defensive player to a ‘colossus’ -according to that stuffed donkey aficionado Stuart Pearce, thanks to an assured display against the mighty Ukrainian under 21 side.

Then there was the period last week when it looked as though Liverpool may hijack United’s deal, cue lots of deluded Scousers, on phone-ins and forums hailing Jones as the greatest defender in the history of football, a player so good that his Majesty Daglish could build an entire team around him and duly deliver the Premier League to its rightful home of Anfield.

While Liverpool fans have duly changed their tune about a player they are no naturally glad they didn’t get ‘cos he’s not even all that anyway like la’ most United fans and members of the national press- not to mention Pearce, have been getting a tad over-excited at just how good Jones is.

Don’t get me wrong, I’m confident the former Rovers man will have a long and illustrious Old Trafford career ahead of him but some of the praise and expectation being heaped upon him worries me slightly.

Many people both Red and less fortunate, have been quick to predict a similar impact from Jones at Old Trafford to the one Smalling delivered in his debut season.

The former Fulham man was outstanding last season and not even his mum could have envisioned Smalling settling in so quickly and looking so much at ease in a United shirt.

Smalling’s excellence, coupled with Jones’s showing both at Blackburn and for England under 21s has meant that the expectation around the 19 year-old has suddenly increased to almost ridiculous levels.

A player that would do well to reach double figures for United next season is now being touted by some as a possible choice to fill the defensive midfield role already.

I’m not about to be foolish enough to state: “you’ll never win anything with kids” only a total idiot would say such a thing- but I do think a modicum of rational perspective is needed.

Jones has been bought for the long term of that there should be no doubt and if it takes him a while to adjust to life at such a huge club as United then there can be no real complaints.

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Players such as Gary Pallister, Andy Cole, Teddy Sheringham and even Cristiano Ronaldo all took at least a season to truly find their feet at Old Trafford before becoming legends so it’s not too negative to think Jones may take at least a year.

All the recent hype from the media and pundits around just how good Jones is has seaped through to many fans -myself included- whereby it’s easy to lose sight of the fact the lad is a teenager who’s barely played 30 top flight games.

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All of a sudden there’s a sneakiy feeling that with all the money at Old Trafford seemingly being spent on players such as Luka Modric or Alexis Sanchez, we may have to make do with the defensive players we’ve got- particularly in midfield.

Could Jones come into the United side immediately and do a job in midfield? Probably -at least against the so-called lesser teams, but we shouldn’t expect him to. £16.5 million is a lot of mony I admit but it’s an investment and it’s important, as with all investments, we look for the long-term gains rather than the short term rewards.

I’m as excited as most Reds that we seem to have bagged a future star, but I don’t want to see the eagerness for instant success affect how United handle a player who could turn out to be one of Sir Alex’s most savvy signings.

It’s important that not just the club but also the fans remember that Jones needs time to settle into United and that time may be longer than the US tour, not everyone is a Mexican forward after all.

Read more of Justin’s articles at Red Flag Flying High

Ashley Cole: I’ve no intention of slowing down

Chelsea defender Ashley Cole admits he still has the hunger and drive to play for years to come as he approaches his 30th birthday.

The England left-back, who has claimed 86 caps for his country, has no desire to start winding down his career as he prepares to enter his fourth decade next month.

Looking at the club's youngsters pushing through the ranks, Cole admits to feeling his age, but insists everything is still in place to make him stick at the game at the highest level for the foreseeable future.

"You do get a bit reflective at this stage in your career," he told the London Evening Standard."There are a lot of youngsters coming through – we have Josh McEachran, who is 17, and you sit with him thinking: 'How old are you?'

"You do feel your age, but being on the pitch makes me feel young and enthusiastic and healthy. That's what keeps me going every day in training. I am just doing my job – playing as well as I can for Chelsea and trying to win things.

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"I try my best for England, too, and what people think is out of my hands. I can't do anything about it."Subscribe to Football FanCast News Headlines by Email

Manchester United’s transfer pledge

Manchester United chief executive David Gill has admitted that he expects a busy summer transfer window at Old Trafford, with a number of players coming to and leaving the club.

The Red Devils are on the verge of clinching the Premier League title, and the supremo has admitted that it is a tense time of the year and that he is starting to think about new players for next season.

“It’s been an amazing run and it’s going to be a tense end to the season. If we do it, it will be fantastic,” Gill told the club’s official website.

“This time of year’s not good. You do get tense but we’ve done very well and are in good shape now – five points ahead with four games to go. It’s going to be tight but it’s been wonderful.

“We’re looking at new players. The work goes on all year round but obviously intensifies as we come to the end of the season in terms of players.

“There’s various contracts we’ve got to do, we’ll look at some acquisitions and there will be some players who will leave. It’s an interesting time,” he concluded.

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By Gareth McKnight

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Ivan Gazidis’ Q&A with the Arsenal Supporters Trust

This evening before over 200 members of the Arsenal Supporter’s Trust, Ivan Gazidis the CEO of Arsenal Football Club flanked by senior directors of the Trust replied to questions from his audience.

Before doing so he made a 15 minute statement, he prefaced these comments by reminding the audience that the meeting was being televised and that this would be going out on the official website of the Club. As such he indicated that he would not be giving ammunition to the circling media vultures who presentation of the meeting would probably not be as accurate as the meeting itself. Indeed, some of you may already have early news of what was discussed, via the various social media networks like Twitter. So given that the meeting is going out on Arsenal Player at 10pm tonight, this blog will be short and hopefully to the point. He started by reminding everyone of how proud he was of the values that underpinned Arsenal Football Club, throughout what struck me was that Ivan Gazidis is a slick and very eloquent communicator. He never allowed his face to reveal any emotion in response to some of the difficult questions. Given his undoubted eloquence, I have to say that I came away frustrated because of his reliance upon the usual formal Arsenal rhetoric. I am not suggesting that Mr Gazidis was unhelpful or insincere; however I do believe that as CEO he acted in accordance with the word that we heard repeatedly throughout. “Balance”

Key points:

This was a profoundly disappointing end to the season which ended in a familiar way, with expectations dashed in the final stages of the season.

Arsenal FC’s primary function was to be a social institution, yet it was also a business and there had to be a balance struck between the competing interests in the short and long term. These being the self sustaining model of the Club’s revenues and the need to remain at the top of the game. Arsenal had laid down examples of what it stood for. It had obligations to the fans, the local community and of course the wider game in general.

He addressed the issue of ticket price rises head on and said that Arsenal FC had been mindful of the likely discomfort of fans in taking the decision to increase ticket prices. He went onto counter criticism very oddly by saying seeing as there had only been two price rises in 6 seasons, the club could have increased the ticket prices by a greater amount given that running costs of the stadium had doubled in some areas.

He was tasked with increasing the commercial revenue streams of the club, and in order to do this AFC had invested in a world class Commercial team. They have been working well and he now saw the green shoots of recovery.

He detailed the ownership status of the club, with SK owning 66.6% and AU owning just under 30%. He said that SK had grown to love AFC following his involvement and understood what the club stood for and was 100% behind the self sustainability model of the financial model.

Questions ranged from the predictable to the unexpected and IG adhered firmly to his brief

He was not going to discuss specifics such as individual players; neither was he going to give away commercially sensitive information.

He played a straight bat throughout and my impression was that he only answered questions directly where there was not likely to be any media controversy arising from his responses.

He acknowledge the failings, and expressed that changes would take place, but he was not at liberty what changes and when.

Continued on Page TWO

He gave AW his 100% backing and refused to acknowledge that AW was either stubborn or error prone. He acknowledged that player wage inflation was making the business model difficult, and the challenge was to increase revenues by activities such as the pre-season tour to Asia.

In response to a question which suggested that AFC needed a David Dein, he said that there were no plans to bring him back.

Several questions were highly critical of Arsene Wenger and his seemingly unaccountable control of the club, the wage budget was there and IG refused to say if AW had spent all of it last season. He mention balance repeatedly, and referred to having to balance the need to spend at the right time compared to the final benefits of those decisions. He refused to explain how it was that we had two players who were close to doing a Matt Flamini and being able to walk away from the club on a Bosman, or being sold at far below the real market value.

AW was in charge essentially as he knew the real values of the players. He appealed for unity, and in response to a question highlighting some disrespectful comments about the attitudes of fans made by our Chairman and AW himself. He conceded that we could all do better.

He refused to state whether SK had taken out loans to pay for his purchase, and certainly on the subject of the introduction of share dividends, SK was committed to what had gone on before at the club, and had taken pains to reassure fans.

He said that he would look at the possibility of safe standing areas in the stadium, but his intial thoughts was that any rearrangement might be too expensive.

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The rest of the questions failed to prise anything of note bar the following

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There were gasps of astonishment as he replied to a question from the Le Grove Blog about who was AW accountable.

He said Arsene Wenger was accountable to the fans, and it was the fans that could in theory make it unsustainable for AW to remain at the club. Happily later on he conceded that AW was also accountable to the Board and the vision of widespread fan protests and adverse chanting faded from my mind.

I asked a question about reducing the debt on the club by asking the two Billionaires to buy out the existing loans on the stadium in strict proportion of their current share holdings. This was considered by IG as being too expensive in business terms, and there were doubts if the proposal would meet the UEFA fair play rules. I had the opportunity to get him to clarify how much this would cost, after the end of the meeting and he indicated a figure of around 50 million pounds. So if the debts are 230 million, it would cost under 300 million to release 20 million pounds a season. I still think that whilst we are waiting for commercial revenue streams to come on tap. Some alternative must be found rather than expecting the loyal fans to pay for the inflationary costs.

The meeting ended as it had begun, with rounds of applause for passionate questions from longstanding fans of the club. IG would not indicate if changes might take place to the coaching staff, or which players would be brought in. It was all a question of balance.

He received a polite round of applause, but I left there thinking that I had been witness to a very diplomatic and professional defence of the Club’s reputation and this was balanced by acknowledging the failures of last season and the disappointment of fans who had been effectively priced out of the club.

Check out the actual content on the Arsenal player later, because sadly after the first ten or so questions, I could have given the same answers myself. i.e. I am not going to reveal any sensitive information, we are all in this together, and we can do better. Remember, it is all a question of BALANCE.

Article courtesy of FTK at the excellent Arsenal Insider

Four transfer targets for Tottenham to ponder

Since Harry Redknapp took over as Tottenham manager he has compiled a squad that has strength and depth at every position. However, as most Spurs fans are able to identify there is a key weakness in the squad which needs to be resolved – Tottenham need a new striker. Quite how immediately this issue needs resolving is dependent on how quickly Jermain Defoe recovers from his injury and how well he is able to link up with Rafael Van der Vaart. The January transfer window isn’t a great time to sign a star-striker, teams are reluctant to sell in mid-way through a season and you are presented with the problem of star players being cup-tied, but if Harry is looking to splash the cash, who should he go for?

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1. Diego Forlan

Age: 31

Clubs: Independiente, Manchester United, Villarreal, Athletico Madrid

Pros: Despite being remembered in England for his disastrous spell at Old Trafford, Diego Forlan is undoubtedly one of the best strikers in the world. He has a strike rate of better than one goal in two games for both Villarreal and Athletico Madrid and also weighs in with his fair share of assists. We saw at the World Cup that he is a striker in every sense of the word, scoring a variety of goals from a variety of distances.

Cons: At 31 years old, Forlan is no spring chicken. He arguably has two or three top quality years left in him and would demand a large wage and transfer fee. It has also been seen that his style of play isn’t best suited to the English game, so despite his caliber his signature would still prove to be a gamble.

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2. Luis Suarez

Age: 23

Clubs: Nacional, Groningen, Ajax

Pros: For a player of 23 years of age, Luis Suarez already has over 100 career goals to his name. Ajax’s mounting debts meant that they were prepared to listen to offers for Suarez over the summer, and this means good news for any potential suitors weighing up a bid for the Uruguayan frontman in January. Up to last season he had scored 81 goals in 106 games for Ajax, and has followed that up with a further seven goals in ten games this season. As a further plus, Suarez could always fill-in in goal should Gomes spend any more time on the sidleines!

Cons: Ajax are his current employers and they are also currently competing in the Champions League, so if Spurs make the next round he would be ineligible.

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Continued on Page TWO

3. Edin Dzeko

Age: 24

Clubs: Zeljeznicar, Teplice, VfL Wolfsburg

Pros: Edin Dzeko is built like a classic centre forward: big, strong and 6 ft 3in tall. His stature means that he is threat from all over the field and is very good in the air. He can fill a number of roles, from link-up play to being the lone target man. Unlike all of the other players on the list, Dzeko isn’t playing in a European competition with Wolfsburg this season so Champions League football could prove to be tempting for the Serbian front-man.

Cons: Since his breakthrough with Wolfsburg in 2007 just about every major team in Europe has been linked his signature, so if Spurs are to sign him they will have to beat a whole host of competition.

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4. Luis Fabiano

Age: 29

Clubs: Ponte Preta, Rennes, Sao Paulo, Porto, Sevilla

Pros: Luis Fabiano has scored a lot of goals both at club and international level. He starred for Brazil during the World Cup and his international strike rate reads 28 goals in 43 games. But perhaps the most attractive aspect about a move for Fabiano is that, despite signing a new contract over the summer, he is growing restless at Sevilla. Since the start of the season Fabiano has only made four appearances and said about his current situation: “If my life continues like this until January, I will need to find a solution”

Cons: Over the summer Harry Redknapp expressed his liking of Fabiano, but refused to meet Sevilla’s high asking price, and this price is unlikely to have dropped over the space of a few months.

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Who would you like to see Harry Redknapp bring in during the January window?

Bradford’s relegation fears deepen after home defeat

Ask any hardened Bantam twelve months ago if they believed relegation beckoned again this season you’d have probably received a fairly standard Bradfordian response – ‘Playoffs again next year don’t worry, let’s just get through this season’.  It’s a phrase we have grown accustomed to, the only trouble being players have never appeared to share those blind views of grandeur.

But this latest failure has potentially catastrophic consequences. Gone are the days of slight embarrassment and a few howls of laughter from our peers after a 17th place finish in Professional Football’s bottom tier. This is a club now facing the very real threat of oblivion.  It’s difficult to feel anger when all you feel is deep anxiety.

The day began with the heart-wrenching news from BD6 that neighbours Bradford Bulls had to find the paltry sum of £1million pounds within the next four weeks in order to fulfil their fixtures for the season and more importantly survive.  It seems the word ‘survival’ gets banded around quite a bit in this dark area of West Yorkshire.  It’s almost surprising Bear Grylls hasn’t visited more often.

The Bantams then had an immediate opportunity to lift the growing gloom enveloping Bradford Sport and look to extend their gap on the trap door clubs of Macclesfield and Hereford to seven points.

The ever popular Steve Evans brought League Two’s answer to Manchester city up the M1 in a bid to cement their top three place.  It’s a Crawley side that have attracted few in the way of admirers over the course of the season, with accusations of rough and tumble tackling and direct but effective football annoying admirers of the beautiful game.  What any Bradford fan wouldn’t give to be much maligned but sitting atop of the League Two tree.  Or even near the playoffs for that matter.  There’s that ‘P’ word again.

The game itself however was well fought, with the Bantams matching up to a clearly well organised, well disciplined side whom attacked with pace and power down the flanks, while defending with, just occasionally, the odd tasty tackle in and around the penalty box.  It was a Crawley side who always seemed in control, unlike their desperate counterparts.

It wasn’t the ninety minutes however and the subsequent 2 – 1 defeat suffered that will determine the rest of the season.  In fact, ask many a Bradford fan as that final whistle blew and you could sense contentment in the air and a belief that the side was at least equipped to beat the drop, the only thing left to achieve in yet another season to forget.

But this is of course Bradford city Football club, a drama containing more spice than a late night episode of Hollyoaks.  Not even with the full time whistle blown could we call it a night, have a swift pint in the local and concentrate on Saturdays six-pointer at Plymouth.  No.  Things of course always seem to take a turn for the worst.

So enough of the match, it’s not really that important anyway.

Looking down at my feet and pondering our desperate predicament (which usually involves kicking a few empty cups of Bovril), a stir suddenly arose from the Main Stand.  It escalated quickly to all four corners, but not half as quickly as the mass brawl that had enveloped beneath the Bradford End.

Andrew Davies, in my opinion the finest centre half the club has had in years, had completely lost it.  A Rocky moment followed when he flattened veteran and namesake Claude Davis, who later saw red himself, clearly picking the wrong moment to speak out of turn.

So it began.  Bradford and Crawley’s very own answer to Mel Gibson’s mob in Braveheart.  The thoroughly professional John Mclaughlin, known for his mild persona was seen wind-milling through a crowd of white shirts, his water bottle acting as a makeshift knuckleduster.  Add to that Luke Oliver, who like Mclaughlin also saw red for his involvement.  After a few minutes of utter madness, with the crowd still perplexed by events, referee Mr. Williamson ushered the final few Green Street wannabees down the tunnel and the night was finished.  So could be said for Bradford’s league status.

As it later transpired, Bradford had lost more than the football match, even if the boxing match had been won on points.  Their best centre-half faces a minimum five games due to his third red of the season, their second best faces a three game ban and the same fate had been applied to John Mclaughlin, their number one Goalkeeper.  The entire central defensive backbone of the team gone, with just seven games to play – all down to one petulant comment towards a frustrated centre-half.

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If the Plymouth game wasn’t already huge, it had now become Titanic in proportion. The Bantams also face a crucial game at home to Macclesfield before the season is out, as well as fronting up to the daunting prospect of facing four of League Two’s promotion hopefuls.

47 points, or somewhere near at least, appears to be the safety net which assures a Football League pardon.  With just one point from five games, just a four point gap from safety and now a decimated side boiling with frustration; you could be forgiven for wondering how these seven points will be accumulated.

The ‘P’ word is very much yesterday’s word in Bradford.  Not even the dreaded ‘R’ word can come close.  For now, all across Bradford, ‘survival’ rules.

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Kenny wins transfer battle, Liverpool eye shock £5m move, Daniel Pacheco should ply his trade at City? – Best of LFC

Liverpool fans must be wondering what if Kenny had been appointed manager sooner as the Reds close in on a top five finish. Dalglish has performed absolute wonders at Anfield and you sense it is only a matter of time before he is given the job on a permanent basis.

At FFC this week we have seen a mixed bag of Liverpool blogs that includes a transfer masterstroke by Kenny; 5 to lead Anfield clearout, while don’t be fooled by Kuyt’s eager feet.

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

*

FIVE Liverpool young guns hit a career crossroads

Liverpool find the perfect recipient of the fabled No.7 shirt

A transfer masterstroke by Kenny Dalglish?

The 5 to lead the Liverpool clearout this summer?

King Kenny breaks the mould in more ways than one

Why Liverpool’s biggest transfer battle has already been won

Don’t be fooled by Kuyt’s eager feet

It pales in significance compared to Bob Paisley

An ideology that the likes of Wilshere and Carroll would be key to

The man who brought Liverpool FC into the modern era

Liverpool linked with a Royals swoop

Where do Liverpool and Daniel Pacheco go from here?

*Best of Web*

Dalglish and Clarke: The Formula is Complete – Tomkins Times

The French International to solidify the Liverpool midfield – Our Kop

Dalglish’s five-point plan – Daily Telegraph

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A Very Big Decision For Kenny Dalglish To Make – Live4Liverpool

Magic Maxi Books Taxi For Next Season – This Is Anfield

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