Jamie Carragher Talks up Liverpool’s Title Aspirations
by Neil JohnstonFiled under: Liverpool, Premier League, Football
The international break is usually a time when most Premier League players not representing their respective countries like to step back from the intense glare of the top-flight spotlight.
Jamie Carragher is clearly one of the exceptions.
Having claimed that England are "cheating" by giving the country's top football job to a foreigner, the long-serving Liverpool defender has now disagreed with Luis Suarez's suggestions that Kenny Dalglish's side are out of the title race.
Carragher's team-mate had claimed Manchester United, Manchester City and Chelsea are "unreachable".
But Carragher is refusing to give up on the one medal which has eluded him throughout his career at Anfield.
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The 33-year-old has helped his club win two FA Cups, two League Cups, one Champions League, one Uefa Cup and one Uefa Super Cup since making his debut in 1997.
But Carragher has yet to win the title. His hopes of ending that sequence already appear difficult seven games into the current campaign.
Liverpool trail United and City, who remain unbeaten, by six points after defeats to Tottenham and Stoke.
Yet with Sir Alex Ferguson's reigning champions arriving at Anfield on October 15, when Steven Gerrard could make his first start for six months after groin surgery, Carragher believes it is far too soon to write off Liverpool's title chances.
After United's visit, Dalglish's side have a run of winnable games against Norwich (home), West Brom (away) and Swansea (home) before a crunch few days which could define their season.
They travel to Chelsea on November 20 before entertaining Roberto Mancini's expensively-assembled City side on November 27.
"The last couple of years we have finished sixth and seventh so for us to get in the top four, we will be pleased with that this season," said Carragher.
"But at Christmas, if we are two or three points behind Manchester United or Manchester City, we are going to say we want to win the league.
"I always change my opinion of what I want us to do depending on where we are in the league.
"At this moment people will probably say we are in the race with Spurs and Arsenal (for fourth) because we are a little bit off Mancheter City and Manchester United.
"But over the next month, if we can catch them up. . .
Why Tony Pulis is Eagerly Awaiting the Return of Ricardo Fuller
by John PercyFiled under: Stoke City, Premier League, Football
The international break has come at a perfect time for Tony Pulis after an energy sapping fixture pile-up that has stretched resources to the limit.
And while his weary players will use the next week to recharge their batteries after spending most of this season jetting all across Europe, it will provide Ricardo Fuller with more time to step up his hopes of finally ending his frustration.
Fuller is expected to return shortly after a long-term Achilles tendon injury and despite another substantial spending spree by Pulis this summer, he cannot come back sooner enough for the Potters.
Even with the arrival of Peter Crouch for a record £10 million, and Cameron Jerome from Birmingham, already adding to the firepower at Stoke's disposal including Kenwyne Jones and Jon Walters, Stoke sorely need Fuller back and firing.
Fuller is the unpredictable maverick in the Stoke dressing room that can have Pulis either standing on the touchline in disbelief or throwing his trademark baseball cap to the turf in sheer frustration.
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The Jamaican international is the cult figure that has come to epitomise the us-against-them mentality that Stoke have displayed since promotion to the Premier League, with his approach helping the Potters turn putting noses out of joint into an art form.
That unpredictably has been badly missed over the last few months and even now, at the age of 31, there can be times when Fuller can be as devastating as any of the top strikers in the division. On his day, he can at times be unplayable.
Remember that stunning solo goal at West Ham a couple of seasons ago? Or the goal against Aston Villa that marked Stoke's first home game back in the big time?
Pulis needs somebody like that to produce such an inspirational moment out of nothing, despite all the money he has spent on building the club up into the force it has now become.
Imagine the carnage a fully fit Fuller could wreak on the likes of Maccabi Tel-Aviv in the Europa League?
It has been a long and excruciating wait since he suffered the injury in April. He has returned to training but has been restricted to personal sessions with the physio's to aid his rehabilitation.
But Pulis expects him to return shortly and is still expecting Fuller to be a key player in his squad this season. He said: "As far as Ric is concerned, he's not just one of the best strikers in our club. I still maintain that once he's fit again, he's still one of the best strikers in the Premier League on his day.
"Whether he's starting a game or coming off the bench, he can do something that's a bit special, something very few players can do, to change a game."
The impending returns of Danny Higginbotham and Mama Sidibe cannot be overlooked either. While Marc Wilson has not let anyone down at left-back, he has been forced to play through the pain barrier while Higginbotham continues his recovery from a serious knee injury.
Jack Wilshere May Be The Future But It’s a History Lesson Arsenal Need Most
by Jon WestFiled under: Arsenal, Champions League, Premier League, Football
Jack Wilshere reckons the criticism levelled at Arsene Wenger is "a joke" but for many Arsenal's demise is no laughing matter.
Two wins out of seven in the Premier League have intensified discussions among those of an Emirates persuasion on the subject of whether the Frenchman has taken the Gunners as far as he can.
"We haven't won anything for six years and that's not good enough," Wilshere admitted to the Evening Standard. "But the criticism we get is harsh, though, especially on the boss. He has been great for Arsenal. The criticism Arsene gets is just a joke."
You would expect Wilshere to be full square behind his manager as the teenager is a real rarity at Wenger's Arsenal: a local lad deemed good enough for the first team while still a teenager.
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But inadvertently Wilshere also hit the nail on the head. Wenger has indeed been great for Arsenal but increasingly everything he has achieved is moving into the past tense. Those glory days are fading away into history, game by game, season by season.
And no-one knows that more than Alex Fynn and Kevin Whitcher, whose updated version of their 2008 book Arsenal: The Making of a Modern Superclub makes pertinent reading in the era of Per Mertesacker, Carl Jenkinson and Alex Oxlade-Chamberlain, even though all three were signed after it had been sent off to the printers.
The book as a whole is a story known to all football fans: unknown foreigner (or at least unknown on these shores) enjoys instant success with a decent but dull side he had inherited and goes on to create another that was much, much better before, slowly but surely, starting to lose his way.
And it is the added chapters which outline just how far Arsenal have fallen behind their rivals, and by that we don't just mean the 12 extra points that both Manchester clubs currently possess in the Premier League table, and how much Wenger, with his insistence on doing everything himself behind the scenes and picking potential over experience on the pitch, is the reason.
How many of the post-2004 personnel would have forced their way into the Invincibles side asks financial expert Fynn and fanzine editor Whitcher, who come up with the answer of Bacary Sagna (but only because Lauren wasn't that hot at right-back), Cesc Fabregas and perhaps Samir Nasri and Robin van Persie.
"How in 2010-11 could the manager believe he had a potential title-winning squad which depended upon a spine of (Manuel) Almunia, (Sebastien) Squillaci and Denilson?" they ask before pointing to statistics that show that the midfielders do not score enough (reason: Wenger's insistence on a 'tippy-tappy passing game means moves are over-elaborate) and the defence lets in too many, especially from set-pieces.
"Since when did an uncapped or immature goalkeeper and a less-than-world-class central defensive pairing anchor a championship-winning side?" they ask. Quite.
And their prediction for the future? That Wenger will never change, and, in all probability, not be forced out any time soon either, although failure to qualify for the Champions League might just prompt another few hastily-added chapters next summer.
So long as Wenger continues to keep Arsenal at the top table by not spending half as much money as their rivals then the chances are he will be allowed to carry on leading a club which has become synonymous with a brand of entertaining football similar to the Hungary side of the 1950s, the Netherlands in the 1970s and the Brazil of the 1980s.
None of whom won anything either, the book duly notes...
Arsenal: The Making of a Modern Superclub by Alex Fynn and Kevin Whitcher, published by Vision Sports Publishing at £8.99
Carlos Tevez To Swap Eastlands For The Middle East? It’s Still Another Fine Mess for City
by Jon WestFiled under: Chelsea, Manchester City, Tottenham, Champions League, Premier League, Football, Transfer News
So Carlos Tevez could soon be joining up with Diego Maradona an even more egotistical maverick from Argentina. If so, Manchester City fans will be delighted.
Maradona is in charge at Al Wasl in Dubai and, according to the Daily Star, has asked the club's backers to put a financial package together that will be enough to lure him to the Middle East.
Al Wasl seems the ideal destination as far as City are concerned as they are rich enough to afford him - Maradona already has a private plane at his disposal as part of his own multi-million dollar deal - and are far enough away to put him out of their minds for ever.
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City have backed manager Roberto Mancini over Tevez's apparent refusal to come off the bench in last week's Champions League defeat at Bayern Munich.
The 27-year-old, who is now back in South America, has been suspended for two weeks by the club pending an investigation, the results of which are expected to be made known by the end of the week.
According to the Sun, City are pushing for a punishment of a six-week suspension and £1.5million fine - even if the player goes on to prove his claim that he did not directly refuse to play.
City believe Tevez's refusal to continue to warm up in preparation to come on is enough to warrant the punishment.
So far he has been given a two-week suspension and £500,000 fine - the maximum a player can be given unless there are extenuating circumstances which have to be put before the Professional Footballers' Association to be extended.
City's evidence is based upon a post-match interview with Sky Sports in which Tevez said: "I did not feel right to play so I did not."
That contradicted the player's statement the following day in which he claimed he did not refuse to play.
Mancini has received plenty if backing over his tough stance, with supporters singing his name during the 4-0 win at Blackburn and just about every manager, past of present, saying they would have done exactly the same thing.
City are fortunate that they are rich enough to let Tevez rot in the reserves if they so wish and that they already have enough world-class forwards to compensate for his absence.
But the latter was a major contribution to the problem in the first place - and for that Mancini cannot remain blameless.
True, the Italian had spent a lot of time trying to accommodate the player's need to be nearer his family, which never quite seemed to tally with moves to Spain or Italy, and must have thought he had finally come to an agreement.
But contrast that with Tottenham's stance over Luka Modric once Chelsea tried to sign him. Chairman Daniel Levy repeatedly said no and told the player exactly why - because the Croat was too good to lose.
The transfer window closed, he continued to be one of the first picks and helped Spurs beat Arsenal at the weekend. Modric was not happy to be denied the move but it has not affected his performances.
Tevez, in contrast, found himself relegated to the role of spare part with Sergio Aguero and Edin Dzeko first choices and even the erratic Mario Balotelli ahead of him.
And to do that to one of the greatest talents of the modern era - and Tevez showed he was that last season - was a cast iron guarantee there would be trouble. Which City duly found.
City fans have waited a long, long time for their team to be on a par with Manchester United but the club's penchant for self-inflicted disaster still appears to be present.
Ronaldo? No. But Agbonlahor can be as Important to Aston Villa as Bent
by Brendan McLoughlinFiled under: Aston Villa, Premier League, Football
Football supporters could have been forgiven for choking on their corn flakes upon opening their newspapers on Wednesday morning to find Aston Villa skipper Stiliyan Petrov tipping Gabriel Agbonlahor to become the new Cristiano Ronaldo.
Agbonlahor, after all, is a striker who, at 24, has made just three appearances for England and managed only three goals in the Premier League last season.
Real Madrid's former Manchester United star Ronaldo, in contrast, has graced Old Trafford and The Bernabeu, won the Premier League, Champions League and FIFA World Player of the Year award.
Villa skipper Petrov said: "People talk about Cristiano Ronaldo but when you look at the assets of Gabby you can put him in the same bracket. Players are so scared of his pace. The game against Wigan was all about Gabby. He was brilliant.
"I don't think he's put in a better performance than that. I have always said to him - you don't know how good you are and the ability you have.
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"He can take this Premier League by storm. What he's got - not many people have that. He has the strength, the speed, he scores goals, he creates goals.
"I am trying [to give him encouragement]. We have players with unbelievable talent and we want them to show what they can do regularly and to enjoy it. Gabby is one of them. The club is so lucky to have a player like him."
Revitalised under Alex McLeish, Agbonlahor is a different player this season. No question.
He has already eclipsed last season's Premier League goals tally with four and on Saturday his performance against Wigan was nothing short of electric.
Few if any players possess his speed and that is one category he could most certainly match Ronaldo in.
Yet to label Agbonlahor merely a raw speed merchant is unfair. He is strong, his link-up play has improved immensely, he possesses a devilish delivery and, on recent evidence, there are few better finishers in the Premier League at present.
The Key Questions Facing Rio Ferdinand Over Chicago Fire Interest
by Graham ChaseFiled under: Manchester United, Premier League, Football
As Rio Ferdinand ponders reported interest from Chicago Fire, there will be a host of questions swirling through the former Manchester United and England captain's mind.
Aside from a sportsman's natural confidence, Ferdinand, who turns 33 in November, must hold doubts about his fitness after almost three years of constant injuries.
With Phil Jones emerging, how long can he really be guaranteed a regular place in the Manchester United team alongside Nemanja Vidic, even when he is fit?
Even though it is hard to remember United without Ferdinand, when the time comes, Sir Alex Ferguson will be ruthless about making it clear he is no longer required.
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If everyone was available he would probably still start a Champions League final tomorrow but for how much longer will that be the case?
With Ferdinand a couple of months off turning 35, will there be another contract when his current deal expires at the end of next season?
The Daily Mail reports that the Fire want to make Ferdinand their very own David Beckham, a marquee signing to boost their profile and prospects this summer.
And it is claimed that lower taxes in the United States means that money will not be a problem for Ferdinand, who could expect to retain a salary of £120,000 a week.
Ferdinand is a fan of American culture and gives the impression of being open-minded about such matters but it is a very big step from that to moving to the MLS full-time.
It seems incredible that it is approaching five years since Beckham chose to move to the LA Galaxy, a deal that was seen as him raising the white flag to his England hopes.
Left out of the England squad for the Macedonia game, Ferdinand could be forgiven for wondering if his international days are numbered.
Mick McCarthy’s Molineux Moaners Have Short Memories And Need A Reality Check
by Ian EdwardsFiled under: Wolverhampton, Premier League, Football
Mick McCarthy referred to his phone-in critics as "numpties" last season.
They were the same numpties that probably drank themselves into a stupor celebrating Wolves' final day escape to Premier League safety in May.
They were the same numpties that probably sat around the table outside their local pub toasting the achievement of their manager and his players.
Well, after SEVEN games of the season, it looks like it is a case of return of the numpties at Molineux with the first murmurings of discontent and calls for McCarthy's head.
There are numerous things wrong with the game of football in England.
Clubs over-spending, players being over-paid, a lack of technology, poor officiating, even the cost of tickets supporters are forced to shell out just to see what are often sub-standard games.
But while standards seem to be dropping at all levels, the most alarming decline seems to have occurred in the levels of patience with supporters and their weakening grip on reality.
In the space of eight games McCarthy has gone from saviour to the devil incarnate with a section of Wolves supporters.
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Those fans will argue that they pay their money and are entitled to boo McCarthy and delight in the substitution of Karl Henry against Newcastle and of course they are.
Of course they are disappointed after losing four successive games and their last two home matches in miserable fashion against Newcastle and Queens Park Rangers.
The simple question is what do they really expect?
What did they think was a realistic target for McCarthy to aim for when he began the season in August?
If they had anything on their list of aspirations beyond maybe having a half decent cup run and finishing 15th in the table, then every ounce of reason has drained from the Molineux stands.
Currently Wolves are 14th in the table. They are above Arsenal, Sunderland and bitter enemies West Bromwich Albion.
They are level on points with Fulham and Everton and just a couple of weeks ago they briefly sat at the top of the Premier League.
One caller to a well known phone-in said "that it seems a long time ago," in reference to them climbing to the summit. In effect it is around three weeks.
McCarthy will keep his countenance for the time being. No doubt the numpty numbers will swell if Wolves lose to WBA when they return to Premier League duty after the international break.
Fans will no doubt have call-in numbers on speed dial on their mobiles, but before they press the button if the unthinkable happens against WBA, a couple of minutes pause and reflection over who could do a better job might be advisable.
Liverpool Need Luis Suarez to Cut Theatrics and Concentrate on Goals
by Neil JohnstonFiled under: Liverpool, Premier League, Football
Nine months into his Liverpool career, Luis Suarez has spoken of the immense pride he feels each time he pulls on the club's famous number seven shirt.
"I didn't know the history of my No 7 shirt at Liverpool," said the Uruguay forward. "I picked it because it was one of the few numbers available.
"Now that I know the story I am proud to wear the '7' and I try not feel the burden of its heritage."
No doubt Suarez's words will further cement his already stong relationship with the Kop, but the 24-year-old must eradicate play-acting from his game if he is to be as successful as Kenny Dalglish and Kevin Keegan, both previous owners of Liverpool's legendary number seven shirt.
There is so much to admire about Suarez.
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The vibrant former Ajax player has demonstrated on a weekly basis the art of pulling centre-backs around with his twisting brilliance, instigating the rhythm of Liverpool's attacks.
At times he has been unstoppable, and Sir Alex Ferguson will be wary of the threat that Suarez poses ahead of Manchester United's visit to Anfield on October 15.
Yet Suarez is in danger of undoing all his hard work if he repeats the over-the-top antics he showed on the pitch ahead of Jack Rodwell's early red card, which has since been rescinded, in the Merseyside derby.
Players who roll around and simulate agony when there is little wrong with them are hurting the game
Regular visitors to Anfield will know that Suarez possesses an unquenchable will to win, an ingredient which has endeared him to Liverpool's fans.
"Our supporters are the most intelligent I have come across and, for me, they understand when someone is doing, well," said Dalglish before the Merseyside derby.
"The fans have taken to him because he is genuine, 100 per cent committed. They love players like that."
Indeed they do.
Emmanuel Adebayor Discovers Dignity At Last But Will The Fans Ever Follow Suit?
by Jon WestFiled under: Arsenal, Tottenham, Champions League, Europa League (UEFA), Premier League, Football
Emmanuel Adebayor has spoken of the chants directed his way during the North London derby on Sunday as both Tottenham and Arsenal vowed to ban for life anyone proved to have been singing them.
During Tottenham's 2-1 victory at White Hart Lane, Arsenal fans directed their vitriol at the man who used to play for them but now appears in the colours of their rivals by mocking the machine-gun attack on Adebayor and his Togo team-mates in Angola last year.
That, you will recall, left three of them dead and Adebayor has now been quoted in The Sun as saying: "The songs that they sung about me were very bad but was I surprised? No. Disappointed? Yes.
"Obviously it was all meant to hurt me, to upset me, to anger me. But I am so glad I kept my dignity in the face of people behaving like that."
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True, football could do without such bad-taste chants, with Tottenham manager Harry Redknapp correctly pointing out that it sent entirely the wrong message to the younger generation of supporters.
And Tottenham put out an appeal to their own support on their official website, saying: "You do not have to put up with mindless supporters who are intent on ruining your day, so use the system, report the individuals and let us take it from there."
It was the same message from Arsenal. "We do not tolerate discrimination of any sort at the club, on the pitch or in the stands. If you experience any form of discrimination at Emirates Stadium, please report this by texting 67777 or contact a matchday steward," their statement read.
All well and good but Adebayor also knows he brought the abuse upon himself by his goal-celebration antics in front of the Arsenal support when he scored for Manchester City in 2009.
That saw him run almost the full length of the pitch to reach the away support and that particular game saw him accused of deliberately kicking Robin van Persie, now the Arsenal captain, in the face.
Will Cesc Fabregas get such a reaction the first time he plays for Barcelona against Arsenal? No, of course not as the Spain midfielder was always respectful towards the fans even when he had set his mind upon a move. Samir Nasri will get some stick for choosing City's offer of a far fatter pay-packet but no-one is likely to wish him dead.
So Adebayor brought the torment upon himself in many ways. It doesn't excuse it of course, but it certainly does explain it. And therefore he does deserve credit for keeping his cool this time.
The player himself has clearly grown up. But it is churlish to expect the fans to as, let us not forget, it was the Tottenham contingent who used to give renditions of uncomplimentary songs about Adebayor and his family not so long ago.
True, references to elephants getting washed do not equate to sick death wishes but you simply have to ask Sol Campbell about how unpleasant Tottenham supporters can really be when in full voice.
Good luck, then, with the attempts to use CCTV to pin-point the perpetrators therefore but the only way you will ever get rid of the abusive chanters is to make both White Hart Lane and the Emirates Stadium corporate and family zones only.
And you can wash a lot of elephants before that will ever come to pass.
Karl Henry Does Not Deserve to be Singled Out by the Molineux Moaners
by John PercyFiled under: West Brom, Wolverhampton, Premier League, Football
As one of the few players at Molineux to have actually been born in Wolverhampton, Karl Henry will have found last Saturday afternoon a particularly chastening experience.
Henry has come to epitomise the spirit and never-say-die attitude of Mick McCarthy's squad of battlers ever since promotion to the Premier League.
By his own admission, the midfielder is not one of the most talented players in the dressing room but manages to make the best out of what he has got to prove his undoubted worth to McCarthy.
Those qualities have been recognised and admired by supporters but on Saturday, as Wolves crashed to another home defeat, Henry became the preferred target for the Molineux moaners.
When his number came up, leading to his subsequent removal from the field, he was 'cheered' by frustrated fans and Henry's trudge to the dug-out must have seemed to take an eternity.
Negativity is impossible to remove during difficult runs of results but it was indeed a surprise that Henry should become such a focal point for abuse.
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Henry was no worse than anybody else in an appalling Wolves performance and his treatment will not have done the team any favours or reflected well on the home support.
His Wolves team-mate Jamie O'Hara made his feelings known after the defeat to Newcastle on his Twitter account by writing: "Thought it was shocking that the fans cheered Karl off today. A player that gives everything deserves better from our fans.
"It's a long season and the fans should get behind the team. We are still improving and that takes time. When they got behind us we were good and created chances. Come on Wolves' fans, we need your support. It doesn't do anyone any good booing us."
McCarthy refused to expand on the matter too much in his post-match media conference but his fury was clear for everybody to see. He actually stopped himself from wading into what is fast becoming the pub debate in that particular part of the Black Country.
But with McCarthy being the way he is, you wouldn't be surprised if Karl Henry was the first name on the team sheet in the next game.
Is it time for Manchester United to Show Dimitar Berbatov the Door?
by Darren WitcoopFiled under: Manchester United, Premier League, Football
The warning signs have long been there and now the writing appears to be on the wall for Dimitar Berbatov's Manchester United future.
Now a fringe figure after falling down the pecking order and still no new contract offer on the tabe, the odds of seeing the Bulgarian striker in a Manchester United shirt next season are shortening by the day.
In fact, you could put some money on his departure coming sooner than that, according to the Manchester Evening News.
The MEN claim Berbatov will be offered an escape route by La Liga side Valencia in January.
And Sir Alex Ferguson may decide to cash in now on Berbatov, who at 30 he might well see as his best days being behind him.
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Berbatov has just started the Carling Cup clash at Leeds and against Stoke in the Premier League this season while his other four appearances have been as a late substitute.
Significantly, it was Danny Welbeck, rather than Berbatov, who the Manchester United manager turned to against Norwich on Saturday.
With Wayne Rooney and Javier Hernandez off colour, it was Welbeck who was called on and he responded by scoring late on in their 2-0 win.
For Berbatov, it's all a stark contrast to this time last season - when he had already scored seven goals and was lauded for his hat-trick against Liverpool.
But the emergence of Hernandez, who was a regular from January, saw Berbatov lose his place and he didn't even make the substitutes bench against Barcelona in the Champions League final.
He remained as the club's top scorer, but he was left in no uncertain terms he faced a fight for his future having been overlooked. So, with his contract expiring at the end of the season, the last thing Berbatov needed was to see Welbeck edge him ahead of him following his return from a loan spell at Sunderland.
With summer signing Ashley Young, who can also play in attack, and Michael Owen waiting in the wings it was clear a shift in style was going to be counted against the former Tottenham favourite.
Ferguson, especially in away games, wants pace in his side - something his £30 million signing from three years ago lacks. Berbatov also has not been helped by his barren run in Europe.
He has gone three years without finding the net for Manchester United - and that wouldn't have gone unnoticed as Ferguson continues to give him the cold shoulder in that competition as well as on the domestic front.
Valencia won't be the only admirers of Berbatov.
But with his price tag falling with every passing week it may be time for the champions to sell sooner rather than later as they continue to keep a player, believed to be on £100,000-a-week, on the sidelines.
Peter Crouch Must Fear International Exile While Fabio Capello Clings On
by John PercyFiled under: Stoke City, Premier League, Football, England Football
Peter Crouch must surely have realised his hopes of ever playing for England again are on the backburner until Fabio Capello's contract expires, after yet another shattering snub.
Crouch will spend this weekend with his feet up after suffering the humiliation of failing to make the final cut for Friday's crucial Euro 2012 qualifier while the likes of Bobby Zamora and Andy Carroll will be travelling on the plane.
The Stoke striker is probably counting down the days until Capello walks away after next year's tournament as the door is surely closed while the Italian is in charge.
Crouch's international exile under Capello shows no signs of coming to an end despite a goalscoring record that puts the current England team to shame.
Twenty-two goals in 42 games is formidable at any level of football, whether it be international football or Sunday mornings on mud-caked bobbly terrains.
But, mystifingly, Crouch has not played for England since the friendly with France last November and suffered the ignominy of being sat in the stands in his blazer for the qualifier with Switzerland in June while Zamora - who is yet to score for England - was on the bench.
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Carroll has hardly been setting the Premier League alight since his move to Liverpool and the only headlines concerning him have centred around alleged off-field nocturnal activities.
For a manager so keen on his players being whiter than white, Carroll continues to be in and around the team while Crouch, as low maintenance, as they come, stays in the wilderness.
Indeed, the only negative headlines that have centred on Crouch in recent times have been whether his glamorous wife Abbey Clancy was mulling over a move to Stoke-on-Trent.
Crouch's record in European football is similarly impressive and after his goal against Besiktas in the Europa League last Thursday, a goal that took his tally to 27 goals in 51 appearances in European competitions, he said: "I am still thinking about England, without a doubt.
"I've never wanted to retire from England or anything like that, I want to play for as long as I can.
"I still believe I've got goals and stuff to offer for England and if selected I'm sure I'll do well. My goalscoring record stands up against anyone and if given the opportunities I believe I'll take them."
Neil Warnock Should Have Thought Twice About Letting Gorkss Leave QPR
by Matt ButlerFiled under: QPR, Reading, Premier League, Football
Neil Warnock claimed at the weekend that his QPR defence was at "sixes and sevens" against Fulham. Sixes, perhaps, given the amount of goals they let in
Warnock blamed injuries to Matthew Connolly, Danny Gabbidon and Fitz Hall for the 6-0 defeat at Craven Cottage, as the latter had to play despite being unfit because of a lack of personnel. These injuries added to the problems the QPR manager had in defence following Armand Traore's suspension following two yellow cards last week.
But a possible answer to his and QPR's problems was playing in blue and white hoops the previous day to their defeat. A few miles down the M4 motorway at Reading, Kaspars Gorkss ended the game bloodied and bandaged as he kept Championship high-flyers Middlesbrough to their third-straight game without a goal.
Gorkss is a man familiar to Warnock, because he had sold him to Reading in the summer after claiming he was unwanted following the promotion-winning campaign. Some had claimed the Latvian captain was not Premier League class and it was therefore a good thing that he was moved on to the Madejski Stadium.
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Warnock said in August, after Reading had signed him in a three-year, £900,000 deal: "Kaspars knew he wasn't going to be in my plans. I spoke to him and said: 'Look, you've been fantastic for me and I think if you can get a good club for three years, this is the time to do it.'"
But after conceding six goals against a side that had previously failed to win in the league, there is a strong argument to be made that the current back-up back four are not exactly up to the demands of the top flight either.
Warnock admitted: "They sliced through us like a knife through butter. We lost Connolly [on Saturday] and Hall has an injury. We were at sixes and sevens at the back and it showed. I don't think there'll be many days like this. It was bad and Fulham took advantage of it."
Meanwhile Gorkss made light of Middlesbrough's Marvin Emnes, who is fast gaining the intelligent play to add to his pace which makes him an exciting prospect. And the Dutchman admitted after the Reading game: "We didn't have many chances, because the Reading defence was very good."
Warnock hopes his defenders will be back following the international break and admits he is glad of the two-week rest between Premier League fixtures so he can get his first-choice back four back again.
But you can't help but wonder why he allowed a solid performer from last season - who is continuing the form of the previous campaign - to go in the first place.
Has Mario Balotelli Turned over a New Leaf in his Colourful City Career?
by Darren WitcoopFiled under: Manchester City, Premier League, Football
Before a certain Carlos Tevez made the headlines for his refusal to play in Germany, it was always Mario Balotelli who appeared destined to court controversy on a semi-permanent basis at Manchester City.
The Italian striker has endured his fair share of run-ins, both on and off the pitch, during his one-year stay at the Etihad Stadium.
From red cards, showboating in a pre-season friendly to outlandish boastful comments about himself, Balotelli has endured enough criticism to last a whole career, let alone a short stint at Manchester City.
Yet if there was a time for the Manchester City striker to create further strife and enhance his bad-boy reputation, it would be this season.
Pushed further down the pecking order, the £24 million signing has been a fringe figure.
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Yet, unlike the wantaway Tevez with his transfer requests and his alleged refusal to come on as a substitute in last week's Champions League defeat at Bayern Munich, there has been no sulking and no problems so far this season from the young Italian.
Perhaps a growing sign of maturity as he knuckles down to his job at hand?
Well, possibly it is too soon to draw that conclusion, but perhaps the penny is finally beginning to drop for the sinner-to-saint Balotelli.
Three goals in his last three games, including making the all-important breakthrough against Everton after coming off the bench, Balotelli is making small strides to suggest he has turned over a new leaf.
After his goal, which even raised a rarely-seen smile, against Blackburn on Saturday, Balotelli's strike rate is 12 goals in 23 starts and 10 substitute appearances.
Not bad for a player who still most likely yearns to return to his homeland, but simply claims to be misunderstood.
Assistant coach David Platt told the Manchester Evening News: "He now has consistency day in day out and is a pleasure to be around.
"For six or seven weeks, there have been no problems whatsoever, either on or off the pitch.
"He's got all the attributes. It's a case of putting it together week in week out, and he's close to doing that."
While Tevez has been interviewed as part of the disciplinary process that threatens to end his Manchester City career for good, his fellow countryman Sergio Aguero has sustained a groin injury.
It's not known how long the Argentine striker will be out for, even if he has joined up with his South American team-mates for the World Cup qualifying games.
But with Edin Dzeko blotting his copybook with his act of petulance in the wake of Tevez's Munich mutiny, Balotelli will be waiting in the wings and is doing himself no harm whatsoever.
It must have been difficult for Balotelli to be left kicking his heels on the sidelines while the likes of David Silva, Aguero and Dzeko have stolen the limelight.
But this could just be his chance.
The last thing he would have wanted now would have been the international break, but he will know he is back in Roberto Mancini's good books.
How long that remains the case is up to him.
But if he can continue to score the goals, and more significantly stay out of trouble, then Balotelli could finally show signs, rather than the odd glimpse, of the top class player Mancini has always talked about having at his disposal.
Alex McLeish’s "Love" Proves Gerard Houllier’s Hard-Line Stance was Wrong
by Brendan McLoughlinFiled under: Aston Villa, Premier League, Football
There was one line which stuck out this weekend when Aston Villa manager Alex McLeish faced the media following his team's victory over Wigan.
It concerned Gabriel Agbonlahor, however he could easily have been speaking about other members of his first-team squad like Stephen Warnock or Stephen Ireland.
"It was about getting a little bit of constructive information to him and also loving him," said McLeish. "He's a player whom when I got this job, my first task was 'how do I get him back in the team?'"
Unbeaten in their opening seven Premier League games, Villa have made a more than satisfactory start - even if McLeish admitted it could and probably should have been even better after losing leads to Newcastle and QPR in recent weeks.
McLeish still deserves immense credit, though. He has quickly united a squad which had been divided by Houllier's hard-line methods through some shrewd man-management.
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His biggest success, undoubtedly, has been Agbonlahor who is a player reborn.
Unlocking Agbonlahor's potential was a puzzle Houllier failed to solve yet, on Saturday's evidence, he and Darren Bent have the potential to be one of the Premier League's most potent partnerships: pace, power, predatory prowess - there is little they cannot do.
Already, he has four goals - more than his entire return in the Premier League last season - and, as a combination, he and Bent have managed six.
"We've tried to find ways of getting the two of them in. I wondered why it hadn't been a regular feature," said McLeish.
"Saturday definitely proved they can play together. Darren wins a lot of the aerial jousts, Gabby has that frightening pace. I've got a gem on my hands if I can keep improving him."
Bent too appears to enjoy playing alongside Agbonlahor. "There were people who said me and Gabby couldn't play together because we are too similar." he said. "But when you have someone with that kind of pace upfront it makes the job easier.
"Last season when I came I didn't really play with Gabby upfront, he played wide left. But it seems to be working well us together and hopefully it will continue. You could tell by the team shape last season we only played one striker at times and when we did play two it tended to be me and Emile Heskey which says a lot really.
"When you have someone with that kind of pace upfront it makes the job easier because he is always going to get past people and expose people with his pace. I don't think anyone in the league who could keep up with Gabby. He is up there with the quickest of them."
Agbonlahor might not have been one of the players to fall out with Houllier, but the Frenchman's inability to accommodate him was one of the biggest failings of his reign.