Another day, another manager campaigning for an English winter break. Sir Alex Ferguson is one of a growing group who believe that having a couple of weeks off around Christmas time will have a direct benefit on the England team, and that the reason that we did badly in the World Cup is because our players play too much continuous domestic football between August and May.

So, youth teams packed with European imports is not the problem. A lack of qualified English coaches working with kids at grass roots is not the problem. The fact that so many coaches would rather take a cheap foreign import than risk a plucky English youth team graduate is not the problem. No, it’s clearly too much Premier League football.

This coming season, Premier League teams will be playing 5 games in the 20 days between the 18th of December and the 7th of January. That doesn’t sound like too many to me, but if the break did come in these games will still need to be played. So presumably they would have to be arranged on weekdays before or after December, which simply means fixture congestion at different times. The only way a break would make a difference is if the number of games played was lessened and the Premier League was reduced to 18 teams, which I think is a terrible idea.

Here’s a thought Sir Alex, why don’t you look at fixture congestion elsewhere, why not suggest that the Champions League alter the structure of their competition? The group stages and the two legged knock-out games mean that to get to the final Man Utd would need to play an extra 13 fixtures in a season. Of course, the revenue associated with the Champions League means that he wouldn’t question the logic of that, but its fine for the Premier League to alter for him, I mean, sorry, the England team.

The tradition of the Boxing Day and New Year fixtures is something that I and I’m sure many others enjoy and would be reluctant to lose. There are many other things that have contributed to our poor World Cup showing, so lets sort those out first before we start tampering with our domestic league structure.

Written By Karl Sears

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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Argentina midfielder Javier Mascherano has hit out at Liverpool after finally sealing his move away from Anfield.

The 26-year-old has joined Barcelona in a deal worth in the region of £17million, amid talk of his family being unhappy with life on Merseyside.

However, Mascherano insists that he left due to promises to him being broken by the Reds.

He told The Guardian:"Roy Hodgson knows the truth. This is a happy moment for me, so now is not the time to say it, but a lot of lies have been told about me and I will respond to them.

"When they started to involve my family and to say things that didn't make sense, I obviously suffered.

"They'd promised me something for a whole year and they never fulfilled their promise. And that didn't have anything to do with my family or anything else.

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"When you read or hear lies, you obviously get angry."Subscribe to Football FanCast News Headlines by Email

Arsenal manager Arsene Wenger has accepted a Football Association improper conduct charge and will serve his one-match touchline ban in Tuesday's Carling Cup clash with Tottenham.

The charge related to Wenger's antics after Saturday's 1-1 draw at Sunderland.

A brief statement on the FA's official website read:"Arsenal manager Arsene Wenger has admitted a charge of using insulting and/or abusive language and behaviour amounting to improper conduct.

"Wenger has accepted the standard sanction of an £8,000 fine and a one-match touchline ban which will be served with immediate effect at Arsenal's League Cup match against Tottenham Hotspur this evening (Tuesday).

"The charge related to Wenger's conduct towards match officials at the conclusion of Arsenal's match against Sunderland on 18 September."

Darren Bent netted the Black Cats' equaliser in the fifth minute of stoppage time against Arsenal, after the fourth official had indicated only four extra minutes would be played.

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Wenger said afterwards:"If you have a watch, you can control. It's as simple as that. It was outside the four minutes. I know the referee can give more than four, it's a minimum of four minutes.

"But in the four minutes nothing happened to justify the extension of the time. But I cannot do anything about that."Subscribe to Football FanCast News Headlines by Email

One criticism repeatedly levelled at former Liverpool boss Rafael Benitez during his final season at Anfield was his under-performing side’s over-reliance on Spanish star Fernando Torres and distinct lack of options in attack.

Torres only managed 24 league appearances last term following a succession of minor injuries and the Reds clearly struggled without their main source of goals and focal offensive threat. Without a recognised back-up striker, French youngster David N’Gog was given the unenviable task of filling in for one of the world’s deadliest strikers. In a side struggling for confidence and form, N’Gog managed just five league goals, as Liverpool finished the season in a dismal seventh place.

A 19-year-old N’Gog was signed from Paris Saint-Germain by former Valencia boss Benitez for £1m in 2008.  However question marks remained over the player’s calibre upon signing for the Reds after just one goal in 19 appearances during his debut season in Ligue 1. The France youth international featured intermittently during his first year on Merseyside with 19 appearances for Benitez’s side, scoring three goals.

Despite his relatively young age (now 21) and cheap price tag, N’Gog failed to convince the majority of fans of his credentials during his second season in England. N’Gog was clearly not ready to become a first-team regular in Torres’ absence but with no other option available, except the dire Andriy Voronin, the inexperienced frontman was thrown in at the deep end. A third-striker back-up role would have far more suited the No.24 last season and he cannot be blamed for Benitez’s failure to address his side’s attacking deficiencies.

Critics believe the Frenchman’s lack of composure and poor decision making continue to undermine his raw talent, a talent which has been clearly evident in the opening stages of this campaign. After expressing his desire to remain at the club over the summer, amid speculation regarding his future, N’Gog has delivered on the pitch with some impressive performances. The striker has already notched seven in eight this term and was at his clinical best with his first goals of the campaign, grabbing a brace against Rabotnicki Skopje in the Europa League qualifiers.

His manager was obviously impressed, with Hodgson commenting after the game:

“I think N’Gog has done well in the pre-season matches so far and he has worked very hard in the training sessions.

“I thought his target play, his general movement and his ability to keep the ball for us was also very good.”

It is however unlikely that N’Gog will develop into a world class talent. While the striker was struggling for goals in the French league at 18, former Red Michael Owen was scoring goals at a World Cup finals as the club’s top scorer at the same age. When compared to current talents of a similar age such as Manchester United’s Javier Hernandez, who has already played for his country 19 times, there is a clear difference in quality.

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Yet N’Gog remains a cheap purchase and a good impact player from the bench to have in reserve, especially with the current financial restraints in place at the club. It is clear N’Gog will never develop into the club’s main striker but should continue to contribute with at least 10 goals a season from the bench and as a starter when key players are rested. And should Hodgson decide to cash in on the player then a healthy profit is likely to be made.

N’Gog has shown rapid signs of improvements this season and he will continue to win over his doubters if he continues to get in amongst the goals. After narrowly failing to complete a move to West Brom this summer, it seems N’Gog is currently relishing his second chance at Anfield.

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Fernando Torres is making good progress in his recovery from his latest injury setback ahead of Sunday's Merseyside derby, according to Liverpool's head of medical Peter Brukner.

The Spain striker limped out of the 2-1 defeat by Blackpool ten days ago with an adductor muscle problem.

However, he has provided under-pressure manager Roy Hodgson with a timely boost after making a return to training.

Torres has struggled with a succession of injury problems during the past 12 months.

The Reds travel to Goodison Park for a massive derby encounter with Everton on Sunday.

Both clubs are struggling towards the foot of the Premier League table following disappointing starts to the season.

"Fernando is doing pretty well. He had a slight tear in one of his adductor muscles very early on in the game against Blackpool that prevented him going away with Spain in the internationals," head of sports science and sports medicine Brukner told the club's official website.

"He has had intense treatment over the last ten days and responded very well to that treatment.

"He's ready to resume training today and if we can build up his training and get through the next few days, then we are optimistic but not certain that he will be able to line up against Everton.

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"It's still early days but so far so good. He has responded well to the treatment but we will just have to wait and see whether he is able to build up his training sufficiently.

"He'll join in the full training session on Thursday, then build up Friday and Saturday. If he gets through these sessions and he is able to stretch out fully and has no after effect from the sessions then he will be able to play.

"So we are optimistic he will be ready but it's still too early to say for sure."Subscribe to Football FanCast News Headlines by Email

Manchester City's England midfielder James Milner has hit out at continuing rumours of a dressing-room split at Eastlands.

The papers seem convinced that there are problems at City following two consecutive defeats, but Milner insists that such talk is far from being true.

He told reporters:"When we see nonsense written in the papers it pulls us closer together.

"When it seems like the whole world is against you, that is when you pull together.

"These things will make us stronger as a football club. You go through times when things aren't quite right and it's important to keep things right off the field.

"I've been at Newcastle and Leeds where the press seemed be outside the training ground whenever you drove in. We can't control what's off the field, we can only control results.

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"Having on-field disagreements says we're very hungry to win football matches. We'd be worried if there wasn't that hunger because we're desperate to win trophies.

"In changing rooms up and down the country you'll see people disagreeing, but it's forgotten as soon as you step off the pitch. We're a tight group."Subscribe to Football FanCast News Headlines by Email

“Carlos Tevez has once again raised doubts about his long-term future in the game by admitting he misses his old life back in Argentina.” Firstly, the Argentinian was recently granted leave to return back to his homeland due to the fact that the he was home sick. Now the striker has criticised the attitudes of young footballers and says that he is unhappy with the materialistic lifestyle of the modern player.

I’m sure Adam Johnson, Tevez’s Manchester City team mate will take notice of the remark, the young English midfielder in recent times has made a name for himself as a bit of a party boy.

Tevez then went on to say in an interview with Argentinian station TyC Sports: “If you ask me, I would love to have my old life back in my neighbourhood of Fuerte Apache. I don’t want to play any more.”

The former Manchester United man then went on to explain the reasons for his controversial comment. “The young players think they have won something in football because they have two cell phones and a house. Today there are many bad people in the football business and you have to fight with them all the time. I’m going to play football for three or four years in Europe then I will quit.”

For many Tevez has simply vented what others are feeling. His comments are actually quite refreshing as footballers past and present have shown a less admirable side to themselves, from Contract negotiations to diving to unnecessary expenditure.

Tevez is not alone in his opinion. Bad boy Joey Barton also stated in an interview “most footballers are knobs. Driving round in flash cars and changing them like you change your socks, wearing stupid diamond watches and spending money like it’s going out of fashion in the middle of a recession when some people are struggling to put food on the table for the kids – it’s not the way to do it.”

So what do you think, Have Barton and more recently Tevez given us the truth in terms of the modern footballer? Or are these just the remarks of a couple controversial characters within the game?

If you like what I’ve written why not follow me on Twitter, where you can also keep up to date with the latest Manchester City news!

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With defensive injuries stacking up, Steve Bruce’s Sunderland will be looking to combat their frailties at the back by scoring plenty of goals at the opposite end of the pitch. Darren Bent’s proven pedigree is set to spearhead much of the team’s attacking play as they look to build on their current position of 7th in the Premier League.

Looking at Sunderland’s upcoming fixtures (BOL, mun, BLP, BLA, avl, NEW) you would expect the Black Cats to feel confident, particularly ahead of the Stadium of Light encounters; Bent surely looks likely to add to his 7 goal tally for the season over the Christmas period.

Fantasy Mangers will be considering their attacking options right now as uncertainty looms over the troubled Carlos Tevez and Dimitar Berbatov attempts to edge back into the United starting lineup at Stamford Bridge. Wayne Rooney and Fernando Torres are yet to ignite and look somewhat of a gamble, so, as Fantasy Managers hunt for a guaranteed goalscorer to complement the mid-price potential of Andy Carroll and Johan Elmander – Darren Bent stands out as a strong option.

Priced at £8.6 million in the Fantasy Premier League (FPL) game, Bent is far from unobtainable at a time when many Fantasy Managers have cash to burn as the likes of Cesc Fabregas, Rafael Van der Vaart and Frank Lampard limp back into the reckoning.

The form of Danny Welbeck and Asamoah Gyan is a consideration and will keep Bent on his toes. Indeed, Chairman Niall Quinn has only recently commented on the competition for places up front…

“Danny Welbeck’s put a spanner in the works, and it won’t be long before Fraizer Campbell’s back from injury. He was on fire this summer, and we thought he’d have a really good year. It’s healthy competition, and hopefully all four of them can bounce off each other for the next few months, and we can have a strong finish to the season.”

But with Welbeck able to operate on the right-wing and Gyan often benched, Bent’s position as the club’s principal striker has been established and he should be considered an almost dead-cert to be in the starting XI.

With a stuttering International career for England, blighted by bad luck, Bent will be hoping to build up some decent form going into the next batch of Euro 2012 qualifiers in the New Year. He could be the perfect reliable source of points over Christmas, as Fantasy Mangers look to bring some stability to their lineups in an unpredictable season.

Read more Fantasy Football analysis at the excellent Fantasy Football Scout

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1) New Striker

The return of Defoe has been a boost, but it remains that a striker of the highest quality is what is really needed to push Spurs onto the next level. With them successfully navigating their way into the last 16 of the Champions League and still in with a great chance of being there next year, they should have the pull to bring in this kind of player. Only the transfer fee and, more likely, wage demands could be a problem. Ideally Carlos Tevez’s recent spat will lead to him leaving Manchester City, but his ex-girlfriend will only be happy for his daughters to move to North London. Whilst City being desperate to sell will accept a reasonable bid for his services and he will also be prepared to sign a contract on less than a third of his previous wages. But somehow I can’t see Santa pulling that one off.

2) A sturdier defence

A statistic that I am sure most Tottenham fans are getting tired of being regurgitated time and time again is that they haven’t kept a clean sheet since the opening day of the season. It is certainly an annoying statistic and one that needs to be put right sooner rather than later. It gives opponents too much of a lift, allowing them to go into game believing they are guaranteed to get at least one goal, and leaves the team facing an uphill struggle to win the game. It is not helped though by the fact that Jonathan Woodgate has been out all season, accompanied for large parts already by Ledley King and Michael Dawson.

3) More midfielders and defenders out of the sickroom

That leads nicely on to no3, which is simply that more players need to return to match fitness particularly central midfielders and defenders. Long term absentees Woodgate, King and Tom Huddlestone have been joined recently by Kranjcar, Jenas, Rafael Van der Vaart and Kaboul. And with Gallas also missing the last game against Chelsea the defence was down to its bare bones with, I believe 6th choice centre back Bassong accompanying Dawson in the heart of defence. Whilst central midfield is equally currently stretched to the limit with Modric, Palacios and Sandro the only recognised central midfielders’ available going into the busy Christmas period.

4) A trimming of the largest squad in the Premier League

Despite this glut of injuries there is still affair bit of deadwood at the club draining the wage bill, especially if a new striker is going to be bought in. I see no need to hold on to the likes of Robbie Keane, both Kyles (although Walker is on loan at the moment) or Jamie O’Hara. Whereas if rumours that Pienaar could be arriving then that would open the door for Bentley or Kranjcar to exit, my preference being the former.

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5) A winnable draw in the Champions League last 16 while Arsenal draw Barcelona again

After a tremendous effort to top the group with the current European Champions, Spurs would love a draw that represents a very manageable root into the quarter finals. Whilst to really emphasise the importance of topping the group, witness the other side of North London pull out the Catalan giants again. FC Copenhagen is the draw of choice while teams to avoid are Valencia and AC Milan, who may not have hit top form just yet but rest assured are a team of quality and could be a much sterner outfit in a couple of months time. Asides from that there are still teams with real European pedigree in the second pot, but Spurs should be confident particularly with the second leg at White Hart Lane.

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