Friday, 6 June 2014

Rio snubs Lambo

Has-been Manchester United reject Rio Ferdinand has reportedly rejected the chance to join Aston Villa on a free transfer.

The crumbling 35-year-old has expressed a desire to stagger on with his playing career following a 12-year association with United, who decided against offering the over rated centre-back a new deal.

The castoff England international has been linked to loads of desperate clubs, including Harry Redknapp's boomeranging Queens Park Rangers and a switch to play with other past their prime players in the MLS.

According to Sky Sports News, Villa have approached Ferdinand about joining the Midlands outfit this summer, but Ferdinand has turned them down.


Thursday, 5 June 2014

Senderos signs: Villa risk it for a Swisskit

Villa have confirmed the signing of World Cup bound Swiss defender Philippe Senderos.

"I'm really delighted to be joining Aston Villa, a great club with such a big history, and for me this is a great step in my career," he said.

"There will be a lot of competition for places with Ron Vlaar, Ciaran Clark, Nathan Baker and Jores Okore also very capable Premier League defenders, so it will be up to me to fight for and to earn my place in the team.

"This is a team and a club which wants to do better, I know this, and hopefully we can all develop together and create something special.

"My goal is to help the team keep as many clean sheets as we can and to help drive Villa where we deserve to be and want to be.

"I have come to an age where I've learnt a lot under some great managers such as Arsene Wenger at Arsenal and Ottmar Hitzfeld with the Swiss national team and I've built up a lot of experience. I can develop further and continue to get better and this will be my goal - to continue to grow as a player, to help the team to grow and to contribute everything I can through the season.

"With Brad Guzan in Brazil with the USA squad and Ron Vlaar in the Dutch squad, that's a great deal of experience we'll be able to bring into the new season and, of course, Ciaran and Jores are also playing in their national teams. It's good to have this level of pedigree at the heart of the team's defence.

"I'm also excited to work with Paul Lambert whom I know has a great deal of respect also for Ottmar Hitzfeld and my challenge will be to vindicate the trust he has shown in bringing me to Villa."

Senderos came through the youth system at the Swiss club Servette before agreeing to join Arsenal in December 2002.

In 117 appearances for the North London club,  he won an FA Cup medal in 2005, scored four goals and spent loan spells at AC Milan and Everton before joining Fulham in 2010, making 68 appearances for the Craven Cottage team.

He has been capped 52 times by Switzerland, scoring five international goals.

Wednesday, 4 June 2014

Match Preview: England v Honduras

You'll have to give Casualty a miss
Who are we playing?
Honduras, Saturday night 9:45pm BST

Big game?
Last chance for Roy to fiddle with his options before the Italy game. Anything but a win will considered a disaster since Honduras are one of the least fancied sides to have qualified for Brazil.

We'd expect to see a first half line up pretty similar to that which will start in Manaus against the Italians.

The Honduran squad contains many MLS players so expect the Florida crowd to get right behind them. They went down 4-2 to Israel on Monday.

The stadium
Where are we playing?
Another game in  the Sun Life Stadium

It's the home of the Miami Dolphins NFL team, as well as University of Miami Hurricanes. It's also hosts the venue for the Orange Bowl. It was the home to the Florida Marlins baseball team until they moved to their own custom built stadium.

Can I go?
A few tickets left last time we checked ranging from $45 to $80

Wilson
Easy to get to?
It's in Miami. If you've not made your arrangements by now, not easy, no.

Can I watch it on the telly?
You can but with added Adrian Chiles as it's on itv. Lee "Charisma" Dixon will be on hand with the punditry, but look on the bright side, at least they haven't drafted in Amanda Holden yet.

Any famous Ecuadorians?
Struggling here. Wilson Palacios is about as good as it gets



Who's playing for us?
Raheem Sterling is missing because of suspension. He copped a straight red for his robust challenge on Ecuador's Antonio Valencia during Wednesday's 2-2 draw, bagging a one-game ban.

Oxlade Chamberlain is a massive worry after getting injured in the Ecuador game. This is a major concern because while England's second string defence looked unfit for purpose, he and Barkley looked impressive as England roamed forward.

Goalkeepers: Joe Hart (Manchester City), Fraser Forster (Celtic), Ben Foster (West Bromwich Albion)
He's not the Messiah, he's a very naughty boy

Defenders: Leighton Baines (Everton), Gary Cahill (Chelsea), Phil Jagielka (Everton), Glen Johnson (Liverpool), Phil Jones (Manchester United), Luke Shaw (Southampton), Chris Smalling (Manchester United)

Midfielders: Ross Barkley (Everton), Steven Gerrard (Liverpool), Jordan Henderson (Liverpool), Adam Lallana (Southampton), Frank Lampard (Chelsea), James Milner (Manchester City), Alex Oxlade-Chamberlain (Arsenal), Raheem Sterling (Liverpool), Jack Wilshere (Arsenal)

Forwards: Rickie Lambert (Southampton), Wayne Rooney (Manchester United), Daniel Sturridge (Liverpool), Daniel Welbeck (Manchester United)

Jerry Bengtson
Who's playing for them?
Goalkeepers: Noel Valladares, Donis Escober (both Olimpia), Luis Lopez (Real Espana).

Defenders: Brayan Beckeles (Olimpia), Emilio Izaguirre (Celtic), Juan Carlos Garcia (Wigan), Maynor Figueroa (Hull), Victor Bernardez (San Jose Earthquakes), Osman Chavez (Qingdao Janoon), Juan Pablo Montes (Motagua).


Midfielders: Arnold Peralta (Rangers), Luis Garrido (Olimpia), Roger Espinoza (Wigan), Jorge Claros (Motagua), Wilson Palacios (Stoke), Oscar Garcia (Houston Dynamo), Andy Najar (Anderlecht), Mario Martinez (Real Espana), Marvin Chavez (Colorado Rapids).

Strikers: Jerry Bengtson (New England Revolution), Jerry Palacios (Alajuelense), Carlo Costly (Real Espana), Rony Martinez (Real Sociedad).

Miss Honduras
Any useless stats and info?
Hardly any but here we go:
  • Despite the fact that Honduras has played well over 200 international matches, the nation has never faced England before.
  • Honduras most capped player was Armado Guevara who made 108 appearances.
  • Far and away Honduras most prolific striker was Carlos Pavon with 56 goals.
  • England's first-ever match was against Scotland in Glasgow on 30 November 1872. An estimated crowd of 3,500 at the West of Scotland Cricket Ground in Partick saw a 0-0 draw
Prediction:
A comfy England win, but people will still moan about the formation and style of play.

Send(eros) in the clowns

Typical look of despair from Philippe
Just when you think things can't get worse at Aston Villa, the club are on the verge of signing erratic Switzerland defender Philippe Senderos on a free transfer. The player has been released having spent the back end of last season at Valencia making just five appearances.

The player spent a large chunk of his career at Arsenal where he was plagued by both injuries and inconsistent form. He was dubbed "Swiss Tony" by a section of the Arsenal support due to similarities between his style of play and that of Tony Adams.

Unsuccessful loan spells at AC Milan and Everton followed and he joined Fulham on a free four years ago. Again injury and variable form hampered his progress. He could look like a quality defender one week and one who would struggle to make the local pub eleven the next.

Fan opinion seems to be split between those who think he'll be an improvement on Nathan Baker and Ciaran Clark and those who've actually seen him play.

The move is more puzzling at a time when Fulham released the far more consistent and technically superior Brede Hangeland.

The player has shown Frank Spencer levels of accident-proneness while picking up over fifty caps for Switzerland, suffering ankle and shoulder damage and picking up a broken nose.









Marc Albrighton: Disappointed but not bitter

New Leicester City winger Marc Albrighton has been talking to Sky Sports News about his departure from Aston Villa

"I had some great times there but in the end the decision was made by Aston Villa that they weren't going to renew my contract.

"I wasn't so much hurt. It's disappointing the way they did it but it's probably done me a little favour.

"I think I needed a fresh challenge, a new start and what better place than a club like Leicester that have come up from the Championship, having blown that away.

"I found out Leicester was interested and I was absolutely delighted, I couldn't believe it. I've signed straight away and got it all sorted and I am just raring to go now.

"It's massive for me. I can't wait to get started. It's a fresh start for me, my family and I am really looking forward to getting started.

"I've got no bitterness towards anyone at Aston Villa. Decisions are made every day and it was just another decision at a football club. Like I said, it's probably done me a favour in the end.

"At 24, and a four-year contract, I could have my best years ahead and I hope I do. I'm just so excited to get started."

Albrighton's revelation that that no offer from Villa was forthcoming will surprise some given that he was one of very few players offering any creativity as Villa's dire form lurched from bad to worse in the dying weeks of the season.

Tuesday, 3 June 2014

Roy? Keen?

Roy Keane and ITV have announced a seemingly amicable divorce, thought privately the channel's bosses must be miffed that they've lost their biggest draw panelwise on the verge of the FIFA World Cup.

“Roy has been a tremendous part of our pundit team in recent years, but we fully understand his decision to concentrate wholly on his coaching,” an ITV spokesperson said. “We wish him every success for the future.”

The move has given credence to reports that Aston Villa have lined-up Keane as new assistant to Paul Lambert. Lambert's right-hand men throughout his managerial career, Ian Culverhouse and Gary Karsa have been dismissed.

Given the current inertia at Villa Park brought about Randy Lerner's announcement to sell, the prospect of such a high profile appointment took many by surprise. Roy Keane would not be a universally popular appointment, given his abrasive personality and managerial track record. Should he secure the role it will undoubtedly split fans' opinion.

Keane lurched into management in 2006 at a Sunderland languishing in the relegation zone when he took the job on.  Backed by his board he revamped the playing staff, guiding the club to the Championship title at the first attempt.

He kept them in the Premier League the following season but quickly seemed to lose the dressing room. Players were quoted as saying that he “ruled by fear” and one anecdote goes that when three players were late for the team bus to an away match he just left them behind.

He walked away from the role in December 2008, with the club battling the drop. Players were said to have partied at news of his exit.

Things were possibly worse during his twenty month tenure at Ipswich Town

His first full season, 2009-10, he managed to go 16 games before managing a win, the worst start in Ipswich's history

They recovered to finish mid-table but the following season was just as disappointing and Keane was given the Spanish Archer with his team struggling at 19th in the Championship, seven losses in his last nine games sealing his fate.




Monday, 2 June 2014

New Villa Home Kit Unveiled






 The strip is now available for pre-order from Villa's online shop - or you can buy from Father's Day weekend onwards - June 14 and 15
 
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