Gareth Bale brands Charlie Adam a coward

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Not for the first time, Gareth Bale has been at the receiving end of a Charlie Adam tackle which has left him injured. The latest took place in match between Spurs and Liverpool which resulted in a goal less draw. Welsh international ended up on crutches after the latest tangle between the two, with their previous clash in May 2001 resulting in Bale suffering an injury to his ankle that saw him side lined for 3 months.

Following this latest incident, Bale branded Adam a coward, a remark that was quickly refuted by Adam’s agent, Kenny Moyes, who says his comments were both outrageous and schoolboyish. Moyes was quoted in the Daily Star as saying that the comment didn’t warrant a reply, as everyone who knows Charlie knows he isn’t a malicious kind of player, and Bale was bang out of order.

Both Bale and his manager at Tottenham, Andre Villas-Boas, have called for an apology from Adam over the incident. They have now, however, received encouraging news about the injury that has seen Bale on crutches, as a scan has revealed the damage is not as severe as first thought. The 23 year old has now resumed light training and looks set to be able to take his place in the Spurs team for the beginning of the new season.

Villas-Boas has been reported as saying that obviously they are hugely relieved that the injury is not as serious as they first thought, as winger Bale was integral part of their squad. With the sale of Steven Plenaar to Everton looking ever closer to completion, the last thing the Spurs boss will want to worry about is a serious injury to one of his key players, whilst the Bale/Adam feud shows now sign of abating.

Welsh star calls for National Anthem to be respected at the Millennium Stadium

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When Great Britain faces Uruguay at the Millennium Stadium in Cardiff, Welsh striker, Craig Bellamy has called for the British National Anthem to be respected by the supporters. When England played Wales, in March 2011, the anthem was booed by a hardcore of Welsh supporters.

This may seem slightly ironic as Bellamy and his fellow Welsh players, Ryan Giggs, Aeron Ramsey, Neil Taylor and Joe Allen, have not sung a word of the anthem while representing Great Britain in the Olympics. Bellamy, however, should be commended for his comments regarding the booing.

He says that no nation’s national anthem should be booed by opposing supporters. He says that all national anthems should be respected even that of your worst rivals. The Liverpool striker, who was born in Cardiff, adds that it is only for one or two minutes and that people who are not singing should remain silent.

He says that this should be the same everywhere and at every sporting occasion where anthems are sung. A lecturer in Modern Welsh and Sports history at Swansea University, Dr. Martin Jones, agrees but does not think that there will be any booing at the game during the national anthems.

Dr. Jones says that this is because most hardcore Welsh supporters will stay away and that the crowd will be much more diverse. He told BBC Radio Wales that he thinks that there will be a lot of English supporters at the game and that the crowd will also include a lot of families.

 

Five best Socceroos to play in the EPL

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It is the ultimate aim of any young Australian footballer to play in the English Premier League, given its truly global pull and the chance to play in magnificent stadiums in front of passionate crowds.  

Arguably the first Australian to create a stir in England’s top division was Craig Johnston, who became a crowd favourite at Liverpool between 1981 and 1988, famously scoring in the 1986 FA Cup final and winning the league no less than five times. No Aussie has won more trophies than Johnston, but he is perhaps not the best Australian to play in England – in addition, he played before the EPL formed in 1991.

So, in the 21 years since then, here are five of the best Australians to ply their trade in what is widely thought of as the toughest football league on the planet.

Harry Kewell

A native of Western Sydney, Kewell made his debut for Leeds United as a 17-year-old in 1997, and was part of a golden generation of players at Elland Road in the years following. He took the PFA Young Player of the Year award in 2000 and helped Leeds to the Champions League semi-finals the following year. He moved to Liverpool in 2003, where across five years he suffered several serious injuries along with some major highs – none more so than in 2005 when he started in the Champions League final against AC Milan, which the Reds won on penalties. He also played in the CL final against Milan in 2007, losing this time, and won the FA Cup in 2006. In 2008, he left English football to play for Galatasaray in Turkey.

Tim Cahill

Cahill first came to the attention of the wider English public when he was central in Millwall’s run to the FA Cup final of 2004 where the bookies would have had the lions at long shots all the way. On the back of that he moved to Everton, where he has been one of the Toffees’ most consistent players. A skilful and supremely fit goal-scoring midfielder, Cahill was Everton’s Player of the Season in his first season, and was even nominated for the Ballon d’Or in 2006. At his peak, Cahill remains among the Premier League’s best midfielders.

Mark Schwarzer

Goalkeeper Schwarzer is another Sydney boy whose durability and consistency is famous among English fans. He joined Middlesbrough from Bradford City in 1997, going on to make 445 appearances for the club. He won the League Cup in 2004 and was a UEFA Cup runner-up in 2006. He moved to Fulham in 2008, where he has been a vital cog behind their defence. He is the longest-serving foreigner with one club (Middlesbrough).

Mark Bosnich

Sometimes brilliant, sometimes controversial, never boring, Bosnich made his name with Aston Villa, who he played for between 1992 and 1999. In this time he became one of the league’s best goalkeepers, known for his agility. He won the League Cup with Villa in 1994 and 1996. In 1999 he left for Manchester United on a free transfer, where he won both the Premier League and the Toyota World Club Championship. A move to Chelsea in 2001 was less successful, ending his time in England’s top flight.

Mark Viduka

This Melbourne-born striker polarised opinion among soccer fans, but none can deny that on his day he was more than a handful for the best defences. Moving to Leeds from Celtic in 2000, he scored 22 goals in the 2002/2003 season, but was ultimately forced to move on from Elland Road due to Leeds’ financial woes. He ended up at Middlesbrough in 2004, where he generally played well despite injuries. A move to Newcastle United in 2007 proved less fruitful, Viduka leaving England upon Newcastle’s relegation in 2009.

Pearce’s decision to leave Beckham out of the Olympic squad shocks everyone

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Harry Redknapp, the recently sacked manager of Spurs, has said that Stuart Pearce’s decision to leave David Beckham out of his GB Olympic squad had effectively made him kiss goodbye to the possibility of ever getting a knighthood. He also praised Pearce, however, for being brave enough to go against the majority of football fans and chose the squad that he wanted.

Redknapp, speaking to The Sun, said that undoubtedly Pearce will have upset some in high places who would have loved to see Beckham in the squad, and he himself was sad and surprised he hadn’t been picked. Redknapp added that Pearce could kiss a knighthood goodbye, but credit had to be given for his bravery as he was the manager and should be free to choose who he wants.

Beckham had spoken of his hopes that he would be included in the squad as one of the 3 over-age players each team is allowed, and he was widely expected to be picked by those inside and outside of football. He made it as far as the extended list of possibles, but revealed yesterday that he had not made the final cut, and the 3 places are understood to have gone to Craig Bellamy, Micah Richards and Ryan Giggs.

Danny Mills, the former England defender who was a teammate of Beckham’s in the World Cup of 2002, has hit out at the decision of Pearce and claims that the former boss of Manchester City has, in the past, struggled with big players and while everyone around the world knows ‘Brand Beckham’ he is still one of the finest footballers and can still cut it.

Beckham was a key player in drumming up support for the bid London put in to stage the games back in 2005, and it looks likely that the chairman of London 2012, Sebastian Coe, will now offer him a role in the Olympics.

 

Ex manager Walter Smith seeks to buy Rangers

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A new bid to buy Rangers has been announced by former manager of the side, Walter Smith. The offer is thought to be approximately £6m and Mr Smith will put part of the money in alongside other Scottish businessmen, to include Douglas Park and Jim McColl. Mr Smith has asked the previous leading bidder, Charles Green, to stand aside. Mr Green and his consortium were about to complete their £5.5m purchase.

Mr Smith has confirmed in a statement that he is leading a bid for the club, saying that he and his partners want the club to be in the capable hands of Rangers people, to help stabalise the club. He continued by saying that he had asked Mr Green to step aside so the deal could proceed, saying that the new deal would be in the best interests of the clubs employees, the fans, the creditors and all other stakeholders of Rangers F.C.

This development came on the day the CVA (company voluntary arrangement) was rejected. This failed after Revenue and Customs told the club’s administrators that it would not vote in favour of the proposal. The club required 75% backing to move it out of administration. Rangers Football Club now moves towards liquidation and Mr Green will soon acquire the business and assets of Rangers Fc on a newco basis. On Thursday the administrators confirmed an ‘imminent’ newco deal, following the rejection of the CVA.

Mr Smith, who was at the Ibrox helm for two successful spells, said that the motivation behind the 11th hour bid was simply to save the club, and not because anyone in the group wanted to own Rangers Football Club. The consortium hope to make the club self-sufficient, and stress that long term sustainability is essential.