Arsenal chairman talks Arsene Wenger

Former Arsenal chairman Peter Hill-Wood has admitted that replacing Arsene Wenger would be a difficult ask for the club.

Wenger takes charge of his 1,000 game in charge of the club, in a career at the Gunners spanning 18 years, of free flowing, fantastic football.

Hill-Wood, who stepped down from the club due to ill health, after 31 years, sung Wenger’s praises, in a recent interview…

“It will be extremely difficult – I dread to think who is coming in.

“If we were to lose Arsene it would be a nightmare

“There is nothing obvious. I am sure Arsene will have some input.

“He has an enormous amount of knowledge and has developed a lot of really excellent players, who, overall, weren’t that distinguished when they came to us.

“Many of them became household names at Arsenal. Thierry Henry is a very good example, also Cesc Fabregas, Patrick Vieira and Robin van Persie.”

Wenger’s 1,000 game is a Premiership fixture at Chelsea tomorrow, and the Gunners boss will be hoping for a first win in 10 against Mourinho’s Blues.

Hill-Wood also assured fans they had nothing to worry about, despite Wenger being out of contract at the end of the season.

“I have spoken to Ivan Gazidis he is very confident that there isn’t a problem, that he just doesn’t want to sign up right now. That’s all.

“It’s not a question of somebody dangling great riches in front of him. That actually doesn’t interest him.

“I don’t think his enthusiasm has diminished at all. He doesn’t think his job is finished yet.”

By Ben Reardon

@BenReardon1

Peter Hill-Wood hints at Martinez replacing Wenger

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Mar 21, 2014

Former-Arsenal chairman Peter Hill-Wood has dropped a massive hint that Everton boss Roberto Martinez could be the man to replace Arsene Wenger once he retires from the game or leaves his post at the club.

The Frenchman celebrates his 1,000th game in charge of Arsenal Football Club when his side goes to Stamford Bridge tomorrow to take on rivals Chelsea in a massive Premier League title-race, but with his contract expiring in the Summer, there are fears that the long-serving manager could depart the club.

Despite strong rumours that Wenger will sign a new deal as soon as this season is over, there are still small talks that the Frenchman will leave if the club fail to win a trophy this season, and when asked about a future replacement, the former-chairman at the club admitted that it could be Toffees man Martinez.

‘I’m sure Arsene will have some input in choosing his successor,’ Hill-Wood told the Telegraph.

‘Roberto Martinez? He seems like a good man.’

Written by Alex Batt – @AlexBatt – @AlexsArticles

Jose Mourinho pays back-handed compliment to Arsene Wenger and Arsenal

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Mar 21, 2014

Chelsea manager Jose Mourinho has paid Arsenal boss Arsene Wenger a back-handed compliment ahead of his 1,000th game in charge of the North London club, by stating that he admires Wenger and Arsenal because they don’t change manager even during bad times, and recently, they’ve gone through a lot of bad times.

After receiving praise and special credit from the majority of the footballing universe for reaching 1,000 games in charge of one club, Wenger would have thought that his rivalry with Mourinho would have been swept under the rug for at least this special occasion, but the Portuguese had other plans.

Speaking in his press-conference ahead of the game against Arsenal at Stamford Bridge tomorrow, Mourinho was up to his old tricks by praising his rivals, and then firmly criticising them afterwards.

Mourinho said: ‘The tribute is to say that any one of us, we’d love to have the same privilege with our clubs.

‘I admire Wenger and I admire Arsenal, a club that stands by their manager in bad moments – of which there were quite a lot.’

The two will go head-to-head once again on the special day, not only in the title-race, but also in Wenger’s career, and could it be on his 1,000th game that the Frenchman finally beats ‘The Special One’?

Written by Alex Batt – @AlexBatt – @AlexsArticles

Sir Alex Ferguson praises Arsene Wenger on career and achievement

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Mar 21, 2014

Former-Manchester United manager Sir Alex Ferguson has praised his once fiercest-rivals Arsene Wenger for reaching his 1,000th game in charge of Arsenal Football Club.

When The Gunners go to Stamford Bridge tomorrow lunchtime, Wenger will be in the hot-seat at Arsenal for the 1,000th time, an achievement that only three managers have matched, Sir Matt Busby, Dario Gradi and Ferguson.

Over the years, Sir Alex and Wenger haven’t always been best friends and they definately haven’t seen eye-to-eye, but one thing they did have for each other and still do have for each other, is respect, and in a recent interview, the now-retired Ferguson admitted that it’s a great achievement for Wenger and he is a true great to the English game.

‘I congratulate Arsène in reaching this momentous landmark,’ he said in a League Managers Association (LMA) statement.

‘Having also reached the same milestone at one club, I cannot emphasise enough the level of dedication, resilience as well as sacrifice required and for that I have for the utmost admiration.

‘Over the years we enjoyed some fantastic battles and you could say we had survived together and respected each other’s efforts to play good football.

‘I always enjoy watching Arsène’s sides – Arsenal play the right way. Playing against them always presented special challenges that I burned many hours over the years thinking about.

‘He has always been a conscientious member of our trade who makes it his business to help other managers.

‘Perhaps the biggest compliment I could give Arsène is that I could never be anything other than competitive with my rival for 17 years.

‘Overall this achievement once again shows what stability can bring to a football club and without doubt he has created a permanent legacy during his 1000 matches with the club.’

Written by Alex Batt – @AlexBatt – @AlexsArticles

Ex-Arsenal players pay tribute to Arsene Wenger ahead of 1,000th game

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Mar 21, 2014

As Arsene Wenger prepares to take charge of his 1,000th game as Arsenal manager, several of his former-players have sent him messages and sent in stories of their fond memories with the Frenchman.

Below you can read a great selection from players like; Tony Adams, Robert Pires, Nicolas Anelka, Ray Parlour, David Seaman and many, many more.

DAVID SEAMAN

“We were travelling to Aston Villa. We were in the hotel and Arsene is so obsessed with his football that we watched it every time we had a meal. This time, he went up to get his dessert – he put his apple pie on his plate — and as he has turned away from the table he’s watched the football and carried on walking, but what he didn’t know was that his apple pie had slipped on to the floor.

“We all saw this but he walked back, looking at the TV. He then got to his seat, put his plate down and then, as he’s looked, he’s gone ‘AHHHH’ in shock.”

WILLIAM GALLAS

“After a defeat, we had a meeting at the training ground and some players were late. Arsene was furious. And then he started his meeting, started to talk to us, and then one more player arrived late in the dressing room and he was still furious. He started to speak again about how badly we played.

“And then one more player arrived in the dressing room and he could not be angry any more so he started to laugh. All of the players started to laugh as well and it was a really, really funny situation.”

EMMANUEL PETIT

“We were travelling by train from London and I had a big problem in my personal life.

“My second wife was pregnant and she didn’t want to keep the baby for difficult reasons.

“I was very quiet and Arsene came to me on the train as he’s known me for a long time.

“Then he asked me what was my problem and I told him the truth.

“He said: ‘Life is more important than football so if you have to go and miss the game, I give you the permission to go back to France’.

“I really appreciated that.

“He said: ‘I’ll let you go and take all the days you want. If you want to stay for one week, two weeks, you regroup your problems and you come back with a free mind’.

FREDDIE LJUNGBERG

“I see him as a very intelligent and respectable man, I almost see him as my own father figure.

“I think it’s funny when I see Arsene — who has such a calmness — throw his water bottle when he gets annoyed on Match of the Day.

“I always giggled because it’s not really his personality when you talk to him normally.”

JENS LEHMANN

“We drew at Villarreal and I saved a penalty in the last minute.

“We were cheering in the dressing room, and he came out and said: ‘Well, Jens, if you always make saves like that I should take you out the team more often’.

“He was referring to the time one-and-a-half years before when he took me out of goal.”

MARTIN KEOWN

“I always felt the boss left an indelible mark on people. I was once wearing a stripy shirt and he said to me: ‘You cannot wear that shirt again tomorrow. If you wear a plain shirt you can wear it as many times as you want because no one will recognise it. Keep your life simple, you don’t need lots of jewellery, you don’t need lots of cars or houses. Keep your life simple, take that on to the pitch and you’ll play that way with your football.”

LEE DIXON

“Arsene called me into the office one day and apologised to me on behalf of Arsenal football club because he’d seen my wages on my contract. Not long after he’d been there, he checked all the players’ contracts and realised that in recent years, me and Nigel (Winterburn), the two full backs, tended to get left out when it came to wage rises. He looked at our wages and said: ‘That’s not right, it’s a team game’, and he improved our contracts.”

CESC FABREGAS

“I just want to say congratulations. You made such a big impact on so many players’ careers, especially on mine. I owe you everything.”

PATRICK VIEIRA

“What was quite really impressive with Arsene is that I would go in his office really upset, really frustrated, wanting to make a point. I knew that I was right, so my ideas were clear about what I wanted to tell him. I would go into his office but when I came back out, it was always him who was right! He was really good at trying to change your mind and he did it in a calm, laid-back way.”

RAY PARLOUR

“Arsene didn’t have a go at you too often, but when he did he used to get you in the dressing room at the training ground.

“On one occasion, he tried to tell us off and, all of a sudden, three phones went off all at once.

“He was going mad, saying: ‘Whose phone is this? Whose is phone is this? Next phone goes off gets a £10,000 fine’.

“Two days later we were all sitting in a room strecthing ahead of a game and it was always very quiet. All of a sudden, a phone goes off.

“It just kept ringing and everyone was diving into their pockets saying ‘Whose phone is this? They’ve got a £10,000 fine!”

“It kept ringing and ringing, and ringing and ringing. All of a sudden Arsene walked over to his bag, opened it and his phone was going off. He said, ‘£10,000 to me’ and he started laughing.”

TONY ADAMS

“I had a conversation about God with him once over a cup of tea. It was kind of really enlightening and very spiritual and very moving. He was kind to me and people don’t really see that — in a working relationship it’s very rare but he is very open and a lovely man.”

Everyone here at sillyseason would like to congratulate Arsene Wenger on a wonderful achievement and brilliant career at Arsenal Football Club.

Written by Alex Batt – @AlexBatt – @AlexsArticles

Ronaldo could make Manchester United return

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Mar 21, 2014

The Portuguese superstar spent six seasons with the Red Devils before joining the Spanish side in a £80million deal, which was brokered by Calderon.

In January he finally won the Ballon d’Or for his breathtaking performances in 2013, which had been awarded to rival Lionel Messi for each of the four previous years.

But Calderon conceded, due to Ronaldo’s fondness of Manchester, he could rejoin his former team in the future.

He told the Alan Brazil Sports Breakfast: “You never know, maybe at the end of his career he would like to go back to England and Manchester United, but I would love to see him end his career with Real Madrid.

“When I signed him he said that, for him, Manchester was his home. He was quite happy there with the fans and the club and he consider Sir Alex Ferguson as a father.

“Everything in Manchester was perfect. He had all he needed at the time but he wanted to come and play for Real Madrid which, I have no doubt, for me, is the best club in the world.”

Written by Steve Milne

Rodgers to reward Flanagan with new deal.

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Ben Reardon

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Mar 21, 2014

Liverpool fullback Jon Flanagan is to be rewarded with a new, and improved contract at the club.

The home grown talent has been superb for his club this season, and has held down the position and cemented his place into Liverpool’s starting XI.

Flanagan enters the final year of his deal, and Liverpool will be wanting to tie down the promosing player, who can play at either left or right back.

Brendan Rodgers is a real fan of the player, and stated in an interview to the Guardian on Thursday that the fllback will be handed a new deal.

“Jon will be given a new contract. Come the summer he’s got another year so he will definitely be given a new deal in the summer, no question. He has been outstanding. He reminded me of Steve Nicol against Manchester United on Sunday – a right-footed player on the left side, steady, aggressive, no fear; he’s been a revelation, and particularly in the big games. It’s great when you see a young player develop like that. You can see the confidence he has now. He has made himself an important member of the squad.”

The Northern Irish manager continued….

“If he keeps his focus and keeps working well he can do that. He was only born in ’93, he’s only very young, but his performance levels are so mature. United had to change [Juan] Mata over at the weekend. He booted Mata over to the other side and then [Adnan] Januzaj as well. He’s not easily fazed.

“I think the biggest thing for me has been his temperament; that is one of his attributes. He never really featured for me at all at the start. There was José Enrique and others considered in front of him but the most impressive thing for me was that the kid just kept going. He showed his determination. We spoke a number of times about him going out on loan but no one came in for him on loan. That didn’t faze him. He went away with the reserves to Seville and was pushing skips through the airport.

“How I work is I will always give players an opportunity. I will never disregard players early, they will always have a chance to show that they care and they can improve and that is what he has done. I had Gareth Southgate down here yesterday and he was raving over him. He is a wonderful young talent but in order to stay at that level he needs to focus and concentrate on staying in the team.”

Flanagan made his debut at the club under Kenny Dalglish after breaking though from the clubs youth set up, and has since gone on to be a firm favourite with Reds supporters.

B Ben Reardon

@BenReardon1

Mario Mandzukic’s agent spotted in London

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Mar 21, 2014

The future of Bayern Munich striker Mario Mandzukic is certainly unclear, especially with Robert Lewandowski set to join from Borussia Dortmund in the Summer, and now, the striker’s agent has been spotted in London, apparently holding talks with Premier League duo Arsenal and Chelsea.

The Croat is reportedly willing to leave the Allianz Arena in the Summer so that he can keep playing first-team football, and with both Arsene Wenger and Jose Mourinho desperate to land a top-class striker, a move to London could well be on the cards for the powerhouse.

Mandzukic has been in the first-team for Munich since arriving from Wolfsburg, but due to Lewandowski’s transfer, it is likely that the Polish hitman will be Pep Guardiola’s number-one choice up front, which will see Mandzukic’s game-time diminish.

According to reports, the 27-year-old’s representitives have jetted in overnight to London in order to hold talks with both Premier League clubs, who have been monitoring Mandzukic for some time now, and a potential deal could be in place for the Summer.

The striker has netted 17 goals this season in just 23 appearances.

Written by Alex Batt – @AlexBatt – @AlexsArticles

Mark Lawrenson predictions for weekend

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Mar 21, 2014

BBC pundits reckons Chelsea will ease past Arsenal at Stamford Bridge

BBC pundit Mark Lawrenson has given his predictions for this weekend’s Premier League games, and you can see what he’s had to say about all 10-games below.

Chelsea 2-0 Arsenal

“Mourinho has never lost a home Premier League game and I don’t think it’s under threat. How many others teams have tried to go and win there? It’ll go one day, I just wouldn’t have thought it will be at the weekend.”

Cardiff City 0-2 Liverpool

“Liverpool at the moment are by far and away the best team in the league. The football they’ve been playing is breathtaking – the pace at which they break and attack. If they go and attack Cardiff, I expect them to win convincingly.”

Everton 2-0 Swansea City

“They played each other in the FA Cup earlier this season, which Everton won. Swansea would have beaten West Brom last weekend if they’d taken their chances. Everton haven’t played particularly well at home lately but keep winning games. It shows they have a good side who keep pounding away.”

Hull City 1-1 West Bromwich Albion

“I can see West Brom staying up but only because there are three teams worse than them, which is not really a committed statement regarding West Brom.”

Manchester City 3-0 Fulham

“Last weekend was arguably one of their better performances because they had their captain sent off, had lost their last couple of games, confidence might have been a bit low and it was a hard place to go, so that was a really good result. This game will be back to the old ways at the start of the season for Man City.”

Newcastle United 1-1 Crystal Palace

“If Loic Remy was fit I think Newcastle would win 2-0. He’s had such a good season that you fancy him to keep scoring and he’ll be a big miss.”

Norwich City 1-0 Sunderland

“Because of Norwich’s fixtures towards the end of the season, this is a game they have to win. My problem with tipping Sunderland away from home is that they don’t look like they have goals in them.”

West Ham United 0-2 Manchester United

“Historically going to West Ham, Manchester United have not always been great. But with or without Robin van Persie, I think they will go there and win.”

Tottenham Hotspur 1-2 Southampton

“Southampton have a good side – they have players playing to get to the World Cup, which is great for the manager, and I think they’ll win.”

Aston Villa 2-1 Stoke City

“They’re both absolutely safe. The front three for Aston Villa, Christian Benteke, Andreas Weimann and Gabriel Agbonlahor, are a really good trio, When they play well, Villa win games.”

What are your thoughts on these predictions?

Comment yours below!

Written by Alex Batt – @AlexBatt – @AlexsArticles

United eye £15million transfer bid for Southampton’s Dejan Lovren

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Mar 21, 2014

The Croatia centre back has proved to be a revelation for the Saints following his £8.5million move from Lyon less than a year ago, and United are ready to offer them the chance to make a quick profit on the player.

According to reports, David Moyes has asked United officials to look into a deal for Lovren, and the club are ready to slap in a £15million bid in the summer.

United are on the lookout for at least one top quality defender, with Nemanja Vidic already confirming he’s leaving the club to sign for Inter Milan.

Rio Ferdinand could also depart, with suggestions that he could retire or move to the MLS, so United are in the process of identifying targets.

Southampton have always maintained that they won’t sell their best players, but flogging Lovren would free up cash and mean they stand more of a chance of being able to fend off big bids for English stars Adam Lallana, Luke Shaw and Jay Rodriguez.

Written by Steve Milne

I want to play for Simeone

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Mar 21, 2014

Fernando Torres has fuelled speculation he could rejoin Atletico Madrid this summer by admitting he would love to work with Diego Simeone.

The Chelsea striker made his name at the Vicente Calderon before moving to Liverpool in 2007. He subsequently joined the Blues three-and-a-half years later for a British record transfer fee of £50million.

His time at Stamford Bridge has been blighted by poor form, however, and he is no longer regarded as a first-choice for club or country.

Goal revealed on Wednesday that Chelsea will listen to offers for Torres at the end of the season and that Atletico were leading the race for his services.

The 30-year-old lined up alongside Simeone when he was a player at Atletico and would relish the chance to work under the Argentine.

He told AS: “I’ve had a lot of admiration for ‘El Cholo’ ever since we were team-mates. He helped me a lot. He taught me how to be a captain; he taught me a lot in the seasons we played together at Atleti.

“I always want to work with people I admire. I admired Rafa Benítez from the outside, and I had the chance to work with him. The same goes for Jose Mourinho or Luis Aragones.

“I’ve been lucky enough to work with people who, when you saw them from the outside, you said: ‘What have they got, what’s their secret, why do all the teams they coach work well…?’

“Simeone is like [Pep] Guardiola or like other coaches, who you’d like to go and see how they coach and learn.”

Asked if he planned to return to the Calderon, he added: “In football, you never know. You don’t know where you’re going to be tomorrow, in a week’s time or in 10 years’ time. How can I answer that question!”

Torres’ primary concern heading into the final few weeks of the season is not where he’ll be playing in August but whether he can make the Spain squad for this summer’s World Cup finals.

“I’m going to work hard; that’s the only thing I know how to do and this final phase of the season is very important,” he said.

“The World Cup is around the corner, and the players who come into it in the best shape are the ones who will go.”

Torres was a member of the Spain side which won the 2008 European Championship and retained it four years later. He also claimed the Golden Boot for tournament top scorer as la Roja landed the World Cup in South Africa in 2010.

“My numbers are there to see,” he said.

“I hope that this final phase of the season goes well for my team. We’re in there in the league and in the next round in the Champions League; it could be a great end of season.

“The more important games you play and the more you fight to win things, the higher the demands are and that’s when I’ve performed the best.”

By Steve Milne

Liverpool interest in Rodrigo confirmed

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Mar 21, 2014

Benfica boss Jorge Jesus has admitted Liverpool’s interest in £25million-rated striker Rodrigo Moreno.

Scouts from Manchester United, Chelsea and West Bromwich Albion were among the Premier League representatives at Tottenham’s 2-2 draw at the Estadio da Luz on Thursday night, but Rodrigo, 23, was only on the bench.

Asked specifically about Liverpool’s interest in the striker, who has scored 10 goals in his last 16 appearances for Benfica, Jesus said: ‘It’s normal. Every Benfica player is in a big window.

‘The league is full of high quality players so it’s normal for other clubs to be interested.

‘Rodrigo is going through a good moment.’

Rodrigo had an uneventful loan spell in England as a 17-year-old at Bolton, scoring just once in 17 appearances, but that has not put off the Premier League clubs.

And their interest has forced Rodrigo into talks with his club at the end of the season, his father and agent has revealed, although the youngster is solely concentrating on league and European glory with Benfica at present.

‘I expect to meet the club at the end of the season,’ Adalberto Machado told TMW.

‘We want the best for the player and for the club, but at the moment Rodrigo is only concentrating on Benfica and winning titles at the end of the season.’

Rodrigo has already proved his ability to score against English opposition having scored in Benfica’s convincing 3-1 win over Tottenham in the Europa League.

Steve Milne

Drogba backs Mourinho to improve Chelsea

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Phil Wellbrook

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Mar 20, 2014

Didier Drogba was brought to Stamford Bridge by Jose Mourinho back in 2004, at the start of his first spell with the Blues. In this spell Mourinho managed to bring in two Premier League titles, an FA Cup and two League Cups in three full seasons.

The Ivorian striker, now at Galatasaray, has seen first hand what a refurbished Mourinho side can do as Chelsea knocked the Turkish side out of the Champions League 3-1 on aggregate.

And the 36 year-old, who was given a warm reception by the Stamford bridge faithful, believes the Portuguese can build another great team. He told the Daily Star: “They are efficient. They are playing well, playing good. It’s like a new team and they will get better and better.

“They are a good team. I don’t see why Jose cannot make them better and build another great team here starting with these players. Why not?

“They are intelligent and they are capable of good football. Why not? It is a good squad.

“People complain about the strikers not scoring but against us they have proved that they are scoring goals.”

Chelsea are looking to reclaim the Premier League crown which they last won under Carlo Ancelotti in 2010, and the Blues are through to the last 8 of the Champions League, which they won in 2012. Players such as Frank Lampard and John Terry have won Premier League medals before and Drogba believes this experience can aid the London side to another domestic triumph.

“Chelsea have a big chance this year, which is good for the club because to go three or four years without winning it is too much for a big club like them,” he added.

“It will be great if they can go on and do it. I would be very happy.

“They know how to handle this situation. They know how to win important games and to make the difference.

“When I was there, we were never in the position where we were top of the league at this stage of the season and we let it go.

“So the players who were there then will be very important if Chelsea are to win it this season.”

By Phil Wellbrook

Wenger: “I learn from every single game”

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Phil Wellbrook

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Mar 20, 2014