The importance of supporters in football will never find itself up for debate, with expressions like ‘the 12th man’ and ‘the driving force behind the team’ becoming synonymous with a club’s loyal legion of followers. As a single entity they thrive on creating an intense and intimidating atmosphere, serving to inspire their own team whilst unsettling the opposition. However, this desire or rather lust to prevail on a match day at all costs will unfortunately see fans resort to decadent behaviour. Far too often this season we’ve witnessed obscene gestures and repulsive chanting, which has mutated the beautiful game into an ugly spectacle.

There’s a lot to be said about the battle that occurs off the pitch as well as on it, with two sets of fans vying for bragging rights. A historic rivalry or the return of a former player adds fuel to the fire and ensures a tense mood right from kick-off. Unfortunately I only have to glance at my Twitter timeline on a Saturday afternoon to become aware of the vile songs ringing out on the terraces, which seem to harbour no boundaries on what they can and will reference.

On Sunday Anton Ferdinand was again subject to an unwarranted hostile reception at the Bridge. The QPR defender has spoken out about his difficult past few months claiming,

“Some of it has been very extreme and I’m thinking ‘how can they even be giving me any stick?” (BBC)

I for one cannot understand the reasoning behind it; here is a man who has allegedly been the victim of racial abuse and is yet somehow being criticised for reporting it? Anyone who has witnessed the particularly damning video evidence will know it doesn’t look good for John Terry, but let’s not forget he’s not that ‘type’ of player. Are football fans that devoted to their club that they cannot accept when they’re in the wrong?

Liverpool fans continue to back Luis Suarez and berate Patrice Evra despite the fact the former has already been found guilty of using a racist term. It’s perfectly acceptable to uphold the belief that individuals are innocent until proven guilty, but many seem willing to support their players beyond all realms of logic and reason.

[ad_pod id=’dfp-mpu’ align=’right’]

However if performances on the pitch don’t meet the required standard or match certain expectations, then players can expect to feel the heat from their own set of supporters. The situation at Blackburn is a perfect case in point, as the Rovers faithful grow increasingly tired of the reign of Steve Kean and the Venkys. Lone talisman Yakubu has publicly admitted that he is unsure whether those at Ewood Park are fully behind the team.

“I don’t know if they don’t want us to win or [they want us to] lose, but when we concede goals it’s like they keep calling out against the manager.” (Independent)

The Nigerian’s comments reveal a harsh reality that surely questions whether we can even classify these people as ‘supporters’ in such situations.  The relentless chanting isn’t even confined to the 90-minutes on the pitch, as fans continue their constant barrage of abuse on social networking sites. The likes of Micah Richards, Danny Simpson and Kevin Davies have all been forced to close their Twitter accounts whilst Darron Gibson famously shut down his page after just 97 minutes after being inundated with insults.

Last year The Mirror’s Oliver Holt was mortified when he saw a photograph of Fernando Torres being taunted after his glaring miss at Old Trafford. The image (above) didn’t reveal fans enjoying the traditional “whey” or belly chuckle, but a group of individuals red in face screaming profanities at the Spaniard whilst displaying equal measures of delight and anger. Holt hits the nail firmly on the head when he suggests that football fans have adapted the ‘X Factor mentality’, seemingly finding greater pleasure from the misfortune of others rather than their own achievements.

As a dedicated and passionate fan myself, I can fully relate to the emotional experience of watching your team bounce between success and failure. I love the witty remarks fans invent to help inject a bit of humour into an otherwise tense environment, but shudder at the realisation that it always gets taken too far. For a long time I believed such unruly behaviour was only evident on foreign shores but it’s becoming more apparent that it occurs every weekend at grounds up and down the country.

FootballFanCast General Stay ahead in the world of football analysis, commentary, and fan insights with FootballFancast. Subscribe FootballFanCast General Stay ahead in the world of football analysis, commentary, and fan insights with FootballFancast.

---

Subscribe

By subscribing, you agree to receive newsletter and marketing emails, and accept Valnet’s Terms of Use and Privacy Policy. You can unsubscribe anytime.

What kind of example is this setting for our younger generation of football fans? Isn’t it a bit hypocritical of us to complain when our players are abused whilst away on International duty, when it happens so frequently in our domestic leagues?

The FA must act quickly as this hideous mentality of a small group of misguided ‘fans’ continues to spread and infect a growing number of individuals. Only when clubs are hit with significant fines or forced to play behind closed doors will the message hit home that this is unacceptable in modern society.

Share your views with me on Twitter @theunusedsub

[ad_pod id=’unruly-2′ align=’left’]

England goalkeeper Joe Hart has admitted that he aspires to be as good as Gordon Banks one day, and that he will look to be a steady hand for the Three Lions this summer.

Roy Hodgson’s men are in preparation for their Euro 2012 opener against France on Monday, and the Manchester City stopper will be between the sticks for the English side.

Hart has spoken of his heroes growing up, and admitted that Banks, and particularly the save from Pele’s header in the 1970 World Cup, are a source of inspiration.

“When I was growing up it was David Seaman, national keeper and a wonderful player for Arsenal. I always pester Patrick Vieira about him. Also Peter Schmeichel, who took the game by storm and won everything,” he told reporters, published by The Telegraph.

“Banks is spoken of so highly around the world. We all know about the save. I’ve got a long way to go to get anywhere near him. I’m on my journey as a goalkeeper.

“I’ve got 18 caps and I want to improve on that at every opportunity. I’m just looking forward to being that rock that England need. It’s not a case of ‘I’m great, I’m untouchable’. It’s just that I know what I can do, I know what I am required to do and I enjoy doing it. I love improving.

“There have been stages when things haven’t gone great for me like when I was left on the bench when Shay Given came in at City, but there’s no point getting lost in it and doubting yourself,” he concluded.

FootballFanCast General Stay ahead in the world of football analysis, commentary, and fan insights with FootballFancast. Subscribe FootballFanCast General Stay ahead in the world of football analysis, commentary, and fan insights with FootballFancast.

---

Subscribe

By subscribing, you agree to receive newsletter and marketing emails, and accept Valnet’s Terms of Use and Privacy Policy. You can unsubscribe anytime.

By Gareth McKnight

[ad_pod id=’unruly-2′ align=’left’]

Andre Villas-Boas’ ill-fated spell at Chelsea damaged both the ego and reputation of a young manager whose stock had previously been at an all time high. The 2010/11 season had seen the then Porto manager sweep all before him as his team triumphed in the Europa League and the Portuguese league as well as the Portuguese equivalent of both the Charity Shield and the FA Cup. It was a season that raised the profile of not just the manager but also a number of players within the squad, some of who also earned moves abroad.

33 at the time, Villas-Boas was appointed by Roman Abramovich in an attempt to bring Porto’s slick, attacking football to a Chelsea team burdened by the stereotype of a more rugged, physical approach.

In hindsight, his task at Chelsea was always a difficult one. There were too many strong personalities in the Chelsea dressing room, many of them not a dissimilar age to Villas-Boas himself. The challenge of moving from the Portuguese to English league was a tall order in itself, to take that in his stride whilst revamping a squad full of such established players seemed near enough impossible.

Those lessons, however, will not have gone unlearned. Appointed as Tottenham’s new manager in the wake of Harry Redknapp’s unfortunate demise, there are those who cite his turbulent months as Chelsea as an indication that he is not suited to this league.

How anybody can make that assumption after witnessing Villas-Boas receive less than a year to prove himself is a bit of a mystery. If players and managers were only judged on their first six months then Thierry Henry would have been a complete flop.

The difference in both the attitude and style of Tottenham and Chelsea cannot be underestimated. Tottenham’s squad is young and hungry for success, like their new manager. Harry Redknapp’s brand of football might not mimic that of Johan Cruyff’s Barcelona but these Spurs’ players are used to playing attacking football and a high defensive line, like their new manager.

Tired with short-term fixes and an often-outdated management of the club, Daniel Levy has found, in Villas-Boas, a manager to match his own progressive nature. As Jose Mourinho’s chief scout of opposition at Chelsea, Villas-Boas refined his meticulous approach to games. His moves are calculated, his teams have an ethos and you wouldn’t ever catch him telling one of his players to ‘just f*****g run around a bit’.

Redknapp was undoubtedly a talented man-manager, but football is more than that. When Harry Redknapp won the FA Cup with Portsmouth he said it was the best moment of his career, at 33 years old his Portuguese replacement has already won more trophies. And he did it in one season.

Villas-Boas might not be the most popular choice but he can take Tottenham to a level that Redknapp was unable to. It is the perfect club for Villas-Boas; as long as he can keep hold of his best players for one more season he can begin to mould them in to a team in his image.

He has learned his lessons from Chelsea, there were signs of that even after a few months when he stopped playing with such a high defensive line.

FootballFanCast General Stay ahead in the world of football analysis, commentary, and fan insights with FootballFancast. Subscribe FootballFanCast General Stay ahead in the world of football analysis, commentary, and fan insights with FootballFancast.

---

Subscribe

By subscribing, you agree to receive newsletter and marketing emails, and accept Valnet’s Terms of Use and Privacy Policy. You can unsubscribe anytime.

Moreover, whilst Tottenham already have many of the players that he needs for success the pressure to get results immediately will not be anywhere near as high as it was at Chelsea. The difference between Levy telling you he will support you and Abramovich telling you the same thing could be the difference between success and failure.

Daniel Levy and Tottenham know this. There will have been a host of suitors for the job at Spurs. A richly backed club, based in London with a loyal fan base and a brilliant squad is the perfect recipe for a successful club. All Tottenham needed was the perfect manager. In Andre Villas-Boas they have found that.

Follow me on Twitter @H_Mackay

[ad_pod id=’dfp-mpu’ align=’right’]

Watching pre-season games is fast becoming the bane of my life given the not so sociable kick-off times, yet one thing that has given me immense pride thus far is seeing players from the Castilla – the youth academy come through and play well amongst stars like Ronaldo, and not look out of place. Both Real Madrid and Barcelona have two of the finest academies in football, producing breakout star after star, yet how many youth team players have you seen your club utilise in the Premier League?

The answer is very few, with some youth set ups being quite frankly one up from pointless. Top clubs seem to be more focused on poaching what they feel is the next big thing from lower league or foreign clubs, only to have them play in the reserves before being sold to someone else lower down the food chain – Chelsea and Kakuta spring to mind here.

Yet take a look at a few of the lower league clubs, and Crewe in particular. Run by highly respected former manager Dario Gradi, the set-up has been highly successful in producing quality youth players who have been sold and allowed the club to keep going with the aid of this money, not to mention having highly successful careers themselves.

In the past we have seen Dean Ashton, Danny Murphy and Nicky Maynard to name but a few who have been sold and in the case of the older two gone on to represent England at International level. The latest of these starlets is Nick Powell, who has been sold to Manchester United after catching the eye of Fergie and having a superb season, winning all five of the end of year awards on offer at Crewe.

Likewise Reading have recently become ones to watch in relation to their youth set up, with Nas Bashir – now running his own academy – due a huge deal of credit here. Sigurdsson will be the most notable name from this set up to have gone on to a big move, yet plenty more are expected to flourish, all due to the nurturing they received when at the academy.

Why is this so rarely the case for the big boys? It begs the question if what is really needed is a man with a vision and the ability to get the very best out of the set-up, like Gradi and Bashir clearly have – is it their approach that is missing in the premier league or is it simply the fact that clubs are not prepared to develop players and allow them the time in the first team to come good in the world of top flight football which has now become so cut throat?

Bashir believes that not all kids will develop at the same rate, and Gradi puts in an eye watering amount of work with the young players to nurture them, focusing on the individual and teaching them to utilise both feet giving them experience they would be pressed to get at most other clubs – playing near enough 100 games by 23 is no easy task, yet Westwood and Murphy achieved this.

FootballFanCast General Stay ahead in the world of football analysis, commentary, and fan insights with FootballFancast. Subscribe FootballFanCast General Stay ahead in the world of football analysis, commentary, and fan insights with FootballFancast.

---

Subscribe

By subscribing, you agree to receive newsletter and marketing emails, and accept Valnet’s Terms of Use and Privacy Policy. You can unsubscribe anytime.

Of course, clubs such as Crewe have to develop players and sell them on, ones like United do not, and with the FPP now making it easier than ever to poach players outside of the former catchment area, it doesn’t look like the big boys will have the incentive to develop a set up like Gradi’s anytime soon.

[ad_pod id=’dfp-mpu’ align=’right’]

As the Premier League closes in on 20 years it is certainly a time to look back at the good, the bad and the damn right ugly.

There is no doubting that in the past two decades we have witnessed some fantastic sides, brilliant matches and individual performances that will live long in the memory and if you support Manchester United, you certainly have witnessed something of a golden period – with no fewer than 12 League titles that sees the Red Devils surpass Liverpool as the most successful side in England. Fergie has certainly had his challenges, notably in Arsene Wenger and Jose Mourinho, but has always managed to come back time after time to recapture their crown.

One of the great aspects of the Premier League, since its inauguration, has been the array of players plying their trade from all corners of the globe in English football, which has made the League richer for their presence within it. We have been privy to some of the very best players in the world, although it is fair to say we have witnessed some absolute shockers as well. It is fair to say that it is not necessarily down to their lack of ability, but for one reason or other their spell in England was simply a disaster.

This article is a celebration of the latter and the top 20 ‘waste of spaces’ that the Premier League has ever seen:

Click on Tomas Brolin to unveil the top 20

[divider]

[divider]

FootballFanCast General Stay ahead in the world of football analysis, commentary, and fan insights with FootballFancast. Subscribe FootballFanCast General Stay ahead in the world of football analysis, commentary, and fan insights with FootballFancast.

---

Subscribe

By subscribing, you agree to receive newsletter and marketing emails, and accept Valnet’s Terms of Use and Privacy Policy. You can unsubscribe anytime.

[divider]

[ad_pod id=’unruly-2′ align=’left’]

New West Brom manager Steve Clarke has shown his displeasure at the untimely international break as two of his key defenders play 90 minutes for their respective countries.

While England fielded a somewhat experimental team in Switzerland against Italy on Wednesday night, other international sides didn’t take the same approach with Gareth McAuly and Jonas Olsson both seeing out the entire game in their games.

“Jonas Olsson played 90 for Sweden and Gareth McAuley played 90,” said Clarke.

“It has upset me a little bit, yes. Two experienced central defenders didn’t need 90 minutes of football after travelling to play for their countries before the opening of the Premier League.

“I don’t understand it.

FootballFanCast General Stay ahead in the world of football analysis, commentary, and fan insights with FootballFancast. Subscribe FootballFanCast General Stay ahead in the world of football analysis, commentary, and fan insights with FootballFancast.

---

Subscribe

By subscribing, you agree to receive newsletter and marketing emails, and accept Valnet’s Terms of Use and Privacy Policy. You can unsubscribe anytime.

“It’s placed in a ridiculous place in the calendar. It’s been addressed and it will be taken out of the fixture list and the quicker that happens the better.”

[ad_pod id=’writer-1′ align=’right’]

Manchester United striker Robin van Persie has picked up a thigh injury whilst on international duty with Netherlands.

The current PFA Player of the Year was substituted at half-time of the Oranje’s 4-1 victory over Hungary as a precautionary measure after taking a heavy challenge from an opposition defender.

Louis van Gaal has stated that the injury does not look to serious, but he was eager not to risk the Red Devils’ man.

“We took off Robin for precautionary measures. It doesn’t seem to be too serious, but you never know. We didn’t want to take any risks,” The Guardian report the trainer as saying.

Sir Alex Ferguson will hope that the knock will not keep the star on the sidelines for any prolonged period of time, especially given that Wayne Rooney is currently recovering from injury also.

FootballFanCast General Stay ahead in the world of football analysis, commentary, and fan insights with FootballFancast. Subscribe FootballFanCast General Stay ahead in the world of football analysis, commentary, and fan insights with FootballFancast.

---

Subscribe

By subscribing, you agree to receive newsletter and marketing emails, and accept Valnet’s Terms of Use and Privacy Policy. You can unsubscribe anytime.

It remains to be seen whether Van Persie will be available to feature for the Old Trafford outfit in their next fixture against Wigan on Saturday.

This time last Friday we were struggling to find goals anywhere but we were in the midst of a 34 game unbeaten home run. A little over eight days later and we are no longer unbeaten at home but we have scored six goals in our last two outings.

After late fight backs and stunning victories helped us maintain such an impressive unbeaten home record it was Scunthorpe United, winless and bottom of the league, that would be the side to finally break down our resilience in the most anti climatic of fashions. A one goal defeat in an otherwise forgettable encounter ended 18 months of dominance on home soil. But lets not dwell, the pressure is off now and despite the fact that we are no longer unbeaten we have still only lost one game at home in 36 and we should just look at it as a blip.

Which thankfully appears to be the case. Coventry were next to visit the Meadow three days after we had been upset by Alan Knill’s men. Like Scunthorpe they had yet to win a game this season and five minutes into the game it was easy to see why. They were awful. A goalkeeper error allowed us to take the lead inside the opening few minutes and we never looked back from there, smashing four past them during the game and only conceding one to a questionable penalty.

So we had restored our confidence following our defeat and things were looking up for us as we made the long journey north to Hartlepool this weekend. Much like us The Pools had had an inconsistent start to the season and were coming into the game with something to prove following their midweek stuffing at the hands of Preston North End.

One of our biggest problems this campaign has been our strikers inability to score. Despite creating numerous chances in the games we have played we have been unable to get the results we deserve due to this. On the back of being gifted a goal in the week against Coventry Marvin Morgan appears to finally be stepping up his game. The striker netted a brace against Hartlepool and had it not been for a great save towards the end of the contest he would have had a much deserved hattrick. Morgan’s efforts were cancelled out late on following a 90th minute equaliser from Hartlepool but there were many positives that could be taken from the game.

A week’s a long time in football, 8 days ago we hadn’t lost at home and our strikers couldn’t find the net, we have now surrendered our home record but finally Morgan looks as though as he could have found his scoring boots. A striker is still needed to improve the squad but our form is definitely improving.

You can follow me on Twitter @LiamHoofe

FootballFanCast General Stay ahead in the world of football analysis, commentary, and fan insights with FootballFancast. Subscribe FootballFanCast General Stay ahead in the world of football analysis, commentary, and fan insights with FootballFancast.

---

Subscribe

By subscribing, you agree to receive newsletter and marketing emails, and accept Valnet’s Terms of Use and Privacy Policy. You can unsubscribe anytime.

[ad_pod id=’writer-2′ align=’rig

It has been a busy week at Ipswich with the club receiving bad news as well as some good news.

The bad news is obviously the story about Micheal Chopra being accused of offering bribes to a jockey however, the former Newcastle striker’s involvement is not fully known and of course he has not been found guilty of anything as of yet.

It seems to be that most Ipswich fans are furious with Chopra but I am about to make myself very unpopular and stick up for the 28-year-old frontman.

The key factor to remember with this story is that it happened well before Chopra was signed by Ipswich and the club was well aware of his troubled past. When the club signed him they were probably aware that a story like this could come out because of the players past but they obviously accepted the fact that they would just have to deal with it at the time.

The question I would put to those who have grown to dislike the forward is; has Chopra had any gambling problems since joining Ipswich?

As far as we are aware Chopra has beaten off his addiction and only ever been thankful for the clubs support with his personal problems.

Chopra has had many personal problems to overcome since joining Ipswich and it will have no doubt effected his performances. He may not have lived up to the hype on the pitch and if fans don’t like him because of his performances on the pitch then that is a completely different matter. It has to be said that if Chopra was scoring every game then everybody would have supported him through this case.

The bottom line is whatever happened is just an addition to the player’s troubled past and whatever he has done outside of football years ago should just be dealt with outside of football. After all, if Chopra is found guilty he will be banned from any horse racing event but outside of horse racing the verdict should have no effect on him, especially not at Ipswich Town.

The club have supported Chopra through all of the problems that haunt his past and this is no different. If both the fans and the club get behind him every game regardless of whether he is innocent or guilty that could well bring the striker back in form.

Personally, I like having Chopra at the club as he is a character who has over come his problems and is just trying to get back to his best. When you think about it isn’t Chopra a lot like Ipswich? He used to have a good reputation in the distant past, had a few bad years where he didn’t perform, had some money troubles and is now struggling to get back to his best. Maybe if the club treat him well and he does the same back then the two struggling parties can get achieve something great together.

The fans need to take a realistic outlook and see that when the club isn’t doing well, you can’t get the players you want and you have to take a gamble on players like Chopra. As a result you have to take the bad times with the good, stick with the players through the bad times and hope that they come out of it positively.

FootballFanCast General Stay ahead in the world of football analysis, commentary, and fan insights with FootballFancast. Subscribe FootballFanCast General Stay ahead in the world of football analysis, commentary, and fan insights with FootballFancast.

---

Subscribe

By subscribing, you agree to receive newsletter and marketing emails, and accept Valnet’s Terms of Use and Privacy Policy. You can unsubscribe anytime.

The prime example is Lee Martin whose Ipswich career started awfully and he looked like he wasn’t good enough for League One. Everyone gave him a break and eventually he has worked his way back into a starting role within the team. Chopra’s situation is very different but the principle is still the same in that the club need to stick by him and hope that he regains his best form.

On positive note, it is great to see the club have secured some decent loan signings. Although I am not sure about Richie Wellens the capture of Bilel Mohsni and DJ Campbell could at least turn things around in the short-term. Hopefully they will impress on their loan spells and the club can then look at signing Mohsni and Campbell in January.

 [ad_pod id=’writer-1′ align=’right’]

Manchester United are said to be close to agreeing a deal to bring Blackpool’s Thomas Ince to Old Trafford, The Daily Mail claim.

The talented midfielder has impressed at Bloomfield Road since moving to Ian Holloway’s men from Liverpool, and has been recognised with his first call up to the England under-21 squad.

The Red Devils are thought to be keen on the Blackpool man, who is the son of former United battler Paul Ince.

A £6 million bid is thought to be adequate for the Tangerines to part with their star man, who played in his side’s 3-0 defeat to Cardiff at the weekend.

Ince was wanted by Swansea in the summer, but rejected a switch to the Liberty Stadium in favour of staying with Blackpool.

However, it is believed that the draw of signing for one of the country’s biggest clubs would be too good to turn down, with a move set to be completed for the January transfer window.

FootballFanCast General Stay ahead in the world of football analysis, commentary, and fan insights with FootballFancast. Subscribe FootballFanCast General Stay ahead in the world of football analysis, commentary, and fan insights with FootballFancast.

---

Subscribe

By subscribing, you agree to receive newsletter and marketing emails, and accept Valnet’s Terms of Use and Privacy Policy. You can unsubscribe anytime.

By Gareth McKnight