SAMPSON CLEARED OF BULLYING CHARGES

England coach Mark Sampson has been cleared of any wrongdoing after EniolaAluko complained of “bullying and harassment” to the Football Association, according to the BBC.


The 30-year left the team around mid-last year after submitting an official complaint.

Aluko said she was not selected for the team as she was “undermined and belittled.” The Chelsea star complained of the negative bias that affected her while in the team. The FA set up an independent investigation into the matter which has not cleared the staff of any wrongdoing.

The BBC claims the confidentiality agreement that the FA and the player in question agreed earlier this year is higher than the speculated £40,000. The FA claims the settlement was a “mutual resolution” to avoid disruptions to the England squad preparations for the Euro 2017 – which the Lioness lost in the semi-final to hosts the Netherlands – and not a sum thrown to stop the player from speaking about facts of the matter. Continue reading SAMPSON CLEARED OF BULLYING CHARGES

Ronald Koeman Backs Wayne Rooney for England Once Again

Ronald Koeman has given his backing to Wayne Rooney to make a return to the international side, after recently losing his place in the England national team.

Since the appointment of manager Gareth Southgate as the replacement for Sam Allardyce on a permanent basis, Rooney has been sidelined. However, it has largely to do with his lack of regular first-team football with Manchester United, while he also do not score too many goals at the Red Devils last season. Manager Jose Mourinho preferred using Rooney in the midfield, but it is widely expected that he will make the switch back to the striker’s position at Everton.

Rooney joined the Merseyside outfit as part of the deal that took Romelu Lukaku to Old Trafford. The England international joined a free transfer to his former club and he is expected to be the face of the team going forward. Manager Ronald Koeman has expressed his happiness at being able to possess a player like Rooney in the first team. Still only 31 years old, Rooney has the ability to make a difference for several years to come. Rooney’s first major task will be to help Everton progressing to the latter stages of the Europa league, as they take on Ruzomberok in the qualifying rounds.

“First of all, if you play really good football and produce great performances for your club it is possible that he will come back to the national team. But it always starts with the club, his performances for the club and then it’s reasonable that he will go back to the national team,” said Koeman. “The great thing for Rooney is that he will probably be playing more regular football, so it’s as simple as that,” said Southgate when enquired about the possibility of recalling Rooney to the national team.

 

Redmond apologetic following England’s Under-21s Euro exit

Southampton forward Nathan Redmond has issued a heartfelt apology to the England faithful following the Young Lions’ penalty shoot-out loss to Germany at the semi-final stage of the European Under-21 Championships.


The 23-year-old missed the crucial penalty kick of the game which saw England crash out via a 4-3 defeat.

Redmond and co. had battled through most of the game as they held onto a 2-2 scorelinefor 120 minutes under the immense pressure from their German counterparts. Eventually, two of England’s best players in Tammy Abraham and Redmond missed their spot-kicks which guaranteed Germany a route to the final against Spain.

The former Birmingham and Norwich winger was distraught and in tears following the Tuesday night result, but he appeared to have overcome some of his disappointment while releasing a heartfelt apology on Twitter, he wrote: “Gutted to have lost the semi-finals last night on pens! Sorry. I will continue to keep learning from these experiences and try to improve as a player every day as usual.There is work to do and I’m OK with the mental and physical challenges that lie ahead. It’s sad to close a chapter on my England youth team football in that way but I’ve gained more than I’ve lost from the U16s right through to the U21s.” Continue reading Redmond apologetic following England’s Under-21s Euro exit

DECISION TIME FOR OXLADE-CHAMBERLAIN

Arsenal playmaker Alex Oxlade-Chamberlain is facing a trcky situation at the Emirates Stadium, which is set to jeopardise his place in the England squad for the Russia 2018 World Cup. The 23-year old star has been a regular face in the Premier League for many years now, having first made the headlines when he was just 17 years old. With the pace of the game now, he needs to make the right career move to be able to last long else he could lose out to time.

The Three Lions midfielder is thinking of his prospects if he remains at Arsenal or moves elsewhere – but where exactly? The versatile player was impressive in the wings last term so admirers are in abundance, even though his fitness records are a concern. The player wants assurance of regular football in the forthcoming season after starting just 16 Premier League game last term. Continue reading DECISION TIME FOR OXLADE-CHAMBERLAIN

Gareth Southgate wants English players to be tested with their clubs

 The head coach of the England national football team, Gareth Southgate has recently stated that he wants English players to get prepared as much as possible by their respective clubs.


According to Gareth Southgate, if his national comrades get to perform rigorously at the biggest stage possible at a club level then this will have a significantly big and positive impact to how those players perform at the international stage.

“I think for all top players there will always be the next challenge, like the Champions League and major tournaments. Look at Cristiano Ronaldo. You could see when he was running the team from the touchline last summer after being injured, what it meant to him to be a European champion with Portugal´´

“Lionel Messi is similar. We couldn’t have had a player over the last 30 years that has had a bigger impact on the game. Yet we’re all questioning because there’s a missing piece of success with Argentina´´ Continue reading Gareth Southgate wants English players to be tested with their clubs

UNITED MUST RESIST OLD COOKIE RONALDO

 “Get him on a plane and bring him back,” the United faithful sang the last time Cristiano Ronaldo revealed he wasn’t happy at Real Madrid, citing that the club chiefs knew “why.”


It says so much for the fondness the Portuguese still has in the memories of United fans who Ronaldo has repeatedly said were the only group of football fans that genuinely love him.

In the wake of his latest silent mudslings with Madrid administrators over their inability to shield him from Spanish tax authorities, the 33-year old appears certain that this time he really truly wants to leave the Galaticos.

As expected, Franchise-loving Ed Woodward and his board members in charge of the Red Devils transfer dealing have started pulling every available string to make the Portuguese’ inner boy’s heart desire and those of the stand occupants at Stretford End come to pass.

But do they really need him? Does a club on the journey to build a sustainable squad capable of at least winning major trophies need an ego-massage-needing prodigal son that will of course grant them goals and maybe a couple of trophies but will likewise end up impeding the growth of the coming generation of Old Trafford’s beacon bearers? Continue reading UNITED MUST RESIST OLD COOKIE RONALDO

STURRIDGE TO REMAIN AT ANFIELD NEXT SEASON?

Embattled and injury-ravaged striker Daniel Sturridge is believed to be on his way out of Anfield this summer.


The season has been an underwhelming one for the England striker. The team seems to have adjusted to his absence and it would be difficult to become an essential part now.

Sturridge is constantly derided in the media as a player with extreme fragility. It must have affected his confidence and offerings as he has publicly admitted being hurt when he cannot contribute to the team’s success. The resolve of Anfield would be tested this summer if they would keep the player and a few others that have not contributed as much to the team this term.

Sturridge is a very good player when he is fit but with Liverpool keen to build something beautiful now his fitness concerns are a big liability. No player has reached the 21 goals he scored in 29 Premier League matches in the 2013/14 season in recent years, aside his partner Luis Suarez. His goals-to-game ratio is still impressive and he has said he is “the best striker Liverpool has.”

In the last two seasons, the figures of the player have been abysmal. He has scored just two Premier League goals this term and has played less than half of the 35 games. His three-year total is 14 in the league, while stars like Harry Kane and Sergio Aguero have scored 67 and 68 respectively. Little wonder Kane is the preferred option in the England national side. Continue reading STURRIDGE TO REMAIN AT ANFIELD NEXT SEASON?

Gareth Southgate Says Overpaid Players Lose Edge

Gareth Southgate is of the opinion that overpaid players do not have the same edge that makes them successful.


The former Middlesbrough manager recently took over from Sam Allardyce as the new England boss. After having achieved a reasonable amount of success in his few games in charge, Southgate is looking to help England qualify for the World Cup 2018 in style. His time in management is in an era when players are earning in the millions even from a very young age. The rapid expansion of the sport has resulted in clubs paying incredible sums of money, even for young players.

The impact of money in football has been a much debated topic, and Southgate believes that players who earn a lot of money at a very young age start to lose their motivation to win major trophies. He also says that players have been led to believing a hype about the Premier League. Continue reading Gareth Southgate Says Overpaid Players Lose Edge

Southgate Wrong to Question Wilfried Zaha’s Commitment to the National Team

Crystal Palace winger Wilfried Zaha has questioned Gareth Southgate’s methods after the England manager publicly criticised the winger’s commitment for the national team.


The former Manchester United player recently chose the opportunity to play for Ivory Coast, despite having represented England at various levels, in what is seen as a move to get regular international football. As one of the best players with the Ivory Coast national team, Zaha is guaranteed a starting role every time the national team plays. Southgate, though, said that the winger lacked passion when it comes to play for the national team. Zaha has criticised the statement claiming that it was his personal right to represent Ivory Coast.

Despite having appeared for various levels of the England youth teams and, of course, for the England national team in a couple of friendly games, Zaha has been obliged to play for the country where he was born. Zaha represented the England under 21 team in 13 games. Continue reading Southgate Wrong to Question Wilfried Zaha’s Commitment to the National Team

Paul Scholes Backs Spaniard for the England Managerial Role

Pep Guardiola has not had the best introduction to English football in the current campaign.


He has struggled to achieve a level of consistency required to win the league titles. Even though he has been immensely successful wherever he has been, Guardiola has not been able to produce the goods so far at Manchester City. Former Manchester United star Scholes, though, reckons that it is only a temporary phenomenon and that Guardiola should be back among the trophies sooner rather than later. He has also surprisingly backed the Spaniard to take over the England managerial role in the future.

England have had a tradition of appointing foreign managers without second thoughts. The likes of Eriksson and Fabio Capello are some of the high profile foreign managers to have coached the England national team. Even after these two names did not achieve major successes, the England FA did try to go after names like Luis Felipe Scolari and Jose Mourinho before failing to get both. Continue reading Paul Scholes Backs Spaniard for the England Managerial Role