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 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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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
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.
[youtube JYg9yNzjBhM]
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[divider]
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?
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.
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
Stoke City manager Tony Pulis has dropped a hint that he is likely to try and keep winger Jermaine Pennant beyond the end of his loan spell in January.
The 27-year-old has made seven appearances since his arrival from Real Zaragoza, with Pulis impressed by the performances of the former Arsenal and Liverpool wideman.
He told The Sentinel:"I wouldn't say Jermaine is on trial here, he is too good a player to say that. I have been really pleased with him and impressed with his attitude in training.
"When we signed Matt Etherington, he had been written off really and he wasn't in the West Ham team.
"But Matty has been a revelation. His performances have been top drawer.
"We're hoping we can do the same for Jermaine – give him a new start, a new opportunity and a chance to prove what a good player he is.
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"The big thing with Jermaine is getting him at a place where he is comfortable and happy and then making sure you look after him properly."
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In the words of Sir Elton John, sorry seems to be the hardest word. Yet, Manchester City’s surly striker Carlos Tevez has issued a belated apology to his club, following the much talked about incident in Munich.
The former captain delivered an official apology through City, stating his desire to get back into action and help his side, after three months away from the set-up:
“I wish to apologise sincerely and unreservedly to everybody I have let down and to whom my actions over the last few months have caused offence.
“My wish is to concentrate on playing football for Manchester City football club.”
The apology came after Tevez met with City’s football administrator Brian Marwood, and is believed to have been accepted by boss Roberto Mancini, despite no specific mention of him in the Argentine strikers statement.
The pair have yet to come face-to-face since the forward’s return, but there are rumours that Mancini may be willing to put the whole episode in the past, and welcome back his talented front-man.
This could, however, be a terrible decision on the part of the Italian coach for a series of reasons. Any backing down from Mancini would signal as a victory for Tevez, who would have undermined this manager’s leadership and been welcomed back into the fold. We live in a society that encourages forgiveness, second chances and rehabilitation, but after declaring that Tevez and City were ‘finished’ Mancini’s authority over a squad, possessing more than its fair share of big egos, could be called into question.
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With the dressing room at the Etihad believed to be a settled environment with on-field performances reflecting this, the re-entry of Tevez could serve to disrupt the harmony. The striker is definitely not one to hold back with his thoughts, and after letting down his teammates with his refusal to play, he could find himself side-lined by other squad members. This in turn could cause a rift, and the effects of cliques in dressing rooms have been well documented down the years.
The motives behind the apology must also be analysed, after Tevez was so adamant that he wanted no further part at the club. The forward and his representatives have been searching for a team willing to take on the talented yet temperamental striker for a few months now, and as of yet their quest has been unsuccessful. Tevez needs to get playing again to get himself back on the world football radar, and justify his wage demands to potential suitors, who were believed to all be unwilling to meet the suggested figures. As a result City would not have a player fully committed to their cause, instead somebody using the rest of the season as a stepping stone, to manoeuvre an exit to pastures new. One thing the club need during the close of the campaign are players willing to put themselves on the line to press home their points advantage, as rivals Manchester United have the benefit of experience in title run-ins.
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Tevez may be an extremely talented footballer, and one many clubs would be willing to welcome home. But, in the case of Manchester City there is just too much bat blood, and the Argentine could prove to be the catalyst for a complete meltdown at the Etihad.
What are your views on Carlos Tevez? Follow @Alex_Hams on Twitter and have your own say
Well, that’s that, then. Thirty five years of no success over in the blink of an eye. Actually, it’s been twenty three for me, but then I suppose I’m just one of the lucky ones. As lucky as one can be, being a Manchester City fan, obviously… some would say that being a blue is rather a life sentence. I must have done something pretty awful in a past life to have to put up with everything I have done, so I dread to think what those who have suffered for longer did. I suppose the point I’m trying to make is that the FA Cup win from Saturday still feels quite unreal, all told.
In truth, City were the better team throughout most of the final, aside from the fifteen minute spell where Stoke got themselves secured in the City half. And to be fair to Stoke, they hung in the game well with some good tackles on the edge of their box, some great saves from Sorensen and could (perhaps should) have taken the lead with their best chance of the game through Jones. But a great save from Hart denied that and then a great finish from Yaya Touré was the decider in the end.
And while Yaya Touré will get the plaudits for the two goals he scored at Wembley this season (rightly so, since they were two good finishes and he has picked his time to start putting the ball in the net on a more regular basis), there are some players who should get some credit for City’s first trophy win in over three decades who have, perhaps, been overlooked.
Joe Hart’s role in the cup run had been pretty minimal until we reached the semi-final stage. In fact, it was his error in the first FA Cup game at Leicester that resulted in an unwanted third round replay, though he held his hands up for the mistake and put it behind him almost immediately. After that, however, he didn’t really have much to do in rounds four through six but keep his concentration and collect some crosses, knock downs and simple saves.
And, as big as the decision to pick Hart over Given had been at the start of the season for Roberto Mancini, it turns out that the decision was vindicated. In three of City’s most important matches in the last few weeks – Manchester United (FA Cup semi-final), Tottenham (Premier League) and Stoke (FA Cup final) – he has made crucial saves at crucial points in the game. He was off his line quickly to deny Berbatov, he reacted instantly to flick away a Pienaar header, and he was big and spread himself to block from Jones. And had the opposition scored from any of those chances at those points in those games, I doubt City would have gone on to win those matches.
As City fans, we know how good Nigel de Jong has been for the season. In fact, when de Jong isn’t playing, City have looked vulnerable and, while he doesn’t do scoring (except for that freak goal against West Ham, naturally), he adds a lot more in an attacking sense than many people think. He moves the ball quickly and is always an option when there is nothing on further forward, meaning he can switch the play and catch the opposition defence out.
This was just half the job he did in the FA Cup final, along with his general break-up play and defensive solidity. In fact, while Stoke are known for having tough and strong players, you would have thought it the other way round with how it was the Dutchman who dominated the midfield, taking the pressure off the blues’ back four. With the injured Etherington unable to influence the game and de Jong always hassling the rest of the midfield, Stoke just couldn’t get enough possession of the ball.
Kompany and Lescott were both on top of their game and Stoke’s well renowned long-throw in and set piece strength was negated by the centre-half pairing’s winning of headers. Constantly. And we’ve seen in the past how badly City have coped with Stoke’s aerial threat, so their performance shouldn’t be understated. There should also be honourable mentions for Balotelli, who had perhaps his best game in a City shirt, David Silva, who created so much and should have scored, and Gareth Barry, who used the ball well when in possession.
Oh, and to Yaya Touré, who did something or other to win the game.
City’s first FA Cup victory since what feels like ever was very much a team achievement. Not just on the day (I think from what I’ve written about each of the players that started the final, it’s obvious that that one game was a team display), but throughout the tournament itself. Edin Dzeko scored his first City goal away at Notts County; in a game where City didn’t look like scoring and could have crashed out of the competition to the underdogs. James Milner put in a shift at Leicester, scoring one and making another. There was Mario Balotelli’s potential goal of the season against Aston Villa. Micah Richard’s winner against Reading didn’t look like coming either, this time because City looked like they were going to keep missing chances for fun that day.
It’s a whole world away from the cup exit in 2007, just four seasons ago, under Stuart Pearce. City had stumbled past Sheffield Wednesday (thanks to a Samaras penalty at Hillsbrough to earn a replay), then played pretty well to beat Southampton and Preston North End, and had been drawn against Blackburn at Ewood Park. City fans were confident that this could have been the year when the baron spell ended.
Goals from Aaron Mokoena and Matt Derbyshire ended City’s cup run and the spineless display from the visitors against ten men was hard to swallow for a lot of the visiting fans. The Sunday evening finished in chants of “you’re not fit to wear the shirt” and fans fighting with fans. It seems such a long way away from the victory of Saturday afternoon. And this, according to those from the outside, was a team with spirit and with a soul… one that hadn’t been sold to billionaires.
The in-fighting in the dressing room and the general sense of disappointment hanging over the club was conveniently ignored, just as has happened with the team spirit and optimism of fans towards the current squad. The dressing room video on City’s website shows just how much the squad have gelled and what the spirit in the camp is like.
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With Champions League football and the FA Cup secured, you could be forgiven for thinking that the season was over. But, with Arsenal’s insistence on handing out points as the season comes to a close, there’s a real possibility of third place in the league and the avoidance of that tricky qualifier at the start of next season. It needs another victory over Stoke, this evening.
For the first time in a very long time, it’s good to be a City fan.
Birmingham City vice-chairman Peter Pannu has called on his club's fans to show patience following a disappointing start to the new Premier League season.
The Blues have won just once in their opening seven league games, but Pannu is confident that Alex McLeish's side will pick up in the near future.
He told the Birmingham Mail:"I understand that, seven games into this season, there are some fans exhibiting some impatience, which I fully understand.
"Nevertheless, the way I see this is when they voice their opinions, it is a sign they care. I will be worried if they are deaf, mute and aloof to any club stimulus – good or bad.
"Having said that, I would call for them to demonstrate a bit more patience. The team needs some time to gel.
"By and large the fans are behind the manager, who did a good job last season and I'm sure that form will continue this season too.
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"I speak to Alex McLeish regularly and, rest assured, he is listening to the fans who are legitimately raising their concerns.
"Their constructive views are not ignored, they are taken on board."Subscribe to Football FanCast News Headlines by Email