After sensationally being cleared of tax evasion charges and the subsequent dismissal of Fabio Capello as England coach by the FA all in one day, Tottenham coach Harry Redknapp is now being considered as the prime choice to replace  the Italian. In fact, Tottenham are said to be bracing themselves for an approach by the FA.

However, sources at the club have labelled the sudden availability of the England job as a nightmare situation for the club. Redknapp has always insisted that coaching England would be a dream for him and with the opportunity presenting itself, turning it down would be impossible. Here is what Redknapp had to say in a previous interview about coaching England.

“If it came along it would – it would – it would be difficult to turn it down I think for any Englishman. You know I’ve said so many times it’s the pinnacle for any Englishman to want to manage their country… I would like to see an English manager manage England.  I would like to see that… when Fabio Capello finishes, I would like to see them give it to an Englishman.”

So is Redknapp the right person for the England job? With a win rate of 38% the 64 year old’s Premier League record is not too impressive. In all 569 matches that he has coached,  Redknapp has won 216 games, drawn 146 games and lost 207 games.

With no other clear coaches in the running to replace Capello, Redknapp’s first game as coach (if he is selected and agrees to the task) against Holland in Wembley on the 29th of this month, before taking on Norway in Oslo in May 26. before finishing it up with a game against France on June 11th.

However, in the meantime, the FA is set to ask u-21 coach Stuart Pierce to take charge of the team as a caretaker for the friendly against Holland on the 29th of this month. So what do you think, Is Redknapp the right man for the job?

Photo Credit © cvrcak1

Audit and financial advisory firm Deloite & Touche released it’s football money league rich list yesterday with La Liga club Real Madrid topping the list for a seventh successive year. Closing following Madrid in second was fellow Spanish club Barcelona.

United came in third on the list, however, it is the dominance of English clubs in the top ten that has got people really talking. 6 of the 12 richest clubs on the list are all English with two from Spain and two from Italy and two from Germany.

Below is a list of the 10 richest clubs and their revenues for 2010/2011:

1. Real Madrid  £433m
2. Barcelona  £407m
3. Manchester United £331.4m
4. Bayern Munich £290.3m
5. Arsenal £226.8m
6. Chelsea £225.6m
7. Milan £212.3m
8. Inter  £190.9m
9. Liverpool  £183.6m
10. Schalke  £183.6m

United came in third on the list after their revenues grew by 16% to £331.4m in 2010-11 thanks to their multi-million pound shirt sponsorship with AON which sees them get £20m every season for the duration of their contract.

However, despite this impressive growth, United are expected to lose further ground on both Real and Barcelona when this year’s financials accounts are released next year after they failed to make it through to the knockout stages of the Champions League.

Their shock exist at the group stage of the competition is expected to cost them a whooping £80m. So English football has once again consolidated their place as the most dominant league in the world financially after the top 6 in the list remain unchanged from last year.

Champions League appearances contribute towards to huge chunk of the clubs revenues with Tottenham overtaking big spending Manchester City into 11th place after making their debut appearance in the tournament in the 2010/2011 season.

City dropped just one place to 12th but they are expected to break into the top ten next season should they qualify for the Champions League. Despite making it to third on the list, United still have massive debts of over £400m to contend with.

In fact most of the revenues United get go towards clearing the Glazer’s debt. So they could be making a lot of money but they are losing it as quickly as they get .

Another club with massive debt is Chelsea. The west London outfit are in excess of  £1 billion in debt though they still come in at number 6 on the list. Fellow London Club Arsenal remain fifth on the list despite a drop in their revenues.

photo Credit © kassch

I wrote yesterday that Fabio Capello And FA were set for a fireworks meeting today with neither site apparently ready to concede ground over John Terry.

Well after meeting today, it became apparent that the two sides could no longer work together and the FA has announced that Fabio Capello has stepped down as England manager.

An FA statement read:

“The Football Association can confirm that Fabio Capello has today resigned as England manager. The discussions focused on the FA Board’s decision to remove the England team captaincy from John Terry, and Fabio Capello’s response through an Italian broadcast interview.

In a meeting for over an hour, Fabio’s resignation was accepted and he will leave the post of England manager with immediate effect.”

FA chairman David Bernstein said: “I would like to stress that during [the] meeting and throughout his time as England manager, Fabio has conducted himself in an extremely professional manner. We have accepted Fabio’s resignation, agreeing this is the right decision. We would like to thank Fabio for his work with the England team and wish him every success in the future.”

A media conference with Bernstein and the Club England management team will take place at Wembley Stadium on Thursday at 1200 GMT.

Not surprised at the decision. Capello was a lame duck manager and he knew what he was doing when he gave the interview to Italian TV on Saturday. There was only going to be one ending to this story and that Fabio Capello resigning as England manager.

The odds on favorite to replace Capello is Harry Redknapp, whose path to the England job was cleared after he was cleared of tax evasion today.

In a decision that was undoubtably cheered at the FA’s headquarters, a jury today cleared Spurs manager Harry Redknapp and former Portsmouth chairman Milan Mandaric of tax evasion.

Speaking on the steps of Southwark Crown Court, Redknapp said the case “should never have come to court”. He also thanked his family, the fans at Tottenham and his legal team after coming through the five-year investigation, which is believed to have cost about £8m.

He said: “The Wigan game [on 31 January] was the most moving I’ve ever felt, for me personally to have them singing my name throughout the game while all this was going on, that will always be special to me. It’s been a nightmare, it’s been five years and this is a case that should never have come to court because it’s unbelievable really. It was horrendous you know but it was a unanimous decision. The jury were absolutely unanimous that there was no case to answer.”

A Tottenham spokesman said:

“Everyone at the club is delighted for Harry and his family. This has been hanging over him for over four years and the last two weeks have been particularly difficult. “We are pleased to see this resolved and we all look forward to the rest of the season.”

The jury’s not-guilty decision pens the way for Redknapp to take charge of the England national team in the future, maybe even before the summer’s Euro 2012. Bookmakers in the UK have now stopped taking bets on Mr Redknapp becoming the next England manager.

Blackpool’s reward for a scintillating 3-0 demolition of Sheffield Wednesday at Hillsborough is a trip to Everton in the FA Cup fifth round.

The game was effectively won in the opening 15 minutes as Matt Phillips continued his red-hot scoring streak with a precise finish and Lomana LuaLua curled in a superb effort soon after.

The Seasiders produced an outstanding attacking display and they made it three shortly after the break with another goal of sheer quality, Ludovic Sylvestre bending in from the edge of the area.

Blackpool v Sheffield Wednesday Highlights

In the night’s other match, substitute Liam Feeney superb stoppage-time goal stunned Southampton and sent sets up a home tie for Millwall against Bolton.

Millwall started the match strongly and broke the deadlock after 17 minutes when Liam Trotter struck home from close range. Adam Lallana pegged the visitors back with a superb solo goal and after the break Rickie Lambert fired Southampton into the lead.

For all of the home side’s attacking intent, goalkeeper Bartosz Bialkowski was being called into action regularly and was beaten by former Saints loanee Dany N’Guessan with 11 minutes remaining. The match looked to be heading for extra time until Feeney cut in from the left to curl in a stunning winner in stoppage time.

The transfer window might be over but that is not stopping a number of clubs from actively pursuing summer targets. After an amazing 7-1 victory over Blackburn on Saturday, Arsenal manager has immediately turned his attention back to weightier issues stating that his interest for Lille player Eden Hazard has not waned.

The Belgian could be a top transfer target for Wenger this summer with the Gunners boss having expressed his desire for him in an interview with Belgian publication DH.

However, Hazard will not be bought on the cheap with Lille already having placed a £21 million price tag on his head.  At only 21, Hazard has a glittering record for both club and country, having scored 38 times in 174 appearances for Lille  and once in 25 outings for his national side.

It is this record that has a number of clubs seriously considering signing the attacker.

“I really like him [Hazard] and, for several reasons: it’s his creative power, his ability to mis-align the opponent, his vision of the game and his consummate skill to address the last pass which make him a very interesting player.” Wenger said in an interview with DH

The only question is whether Arsenal will be able to hold onto this success hungry lad. Wenger has a reputation for identifying and grooming bright stars only to sell them in the future and truth be said, his policy is just not working.

It is hard to imagine that this is the same club that went an entire season unbeaten. However, with the level of experience that was present at the time, it isn’t hard to see how.

Meanwhile, Arsenal’s on-loan striker, Thierry Henry, is set to extend his stay with the Gunners to make it possible to play against local rivals Tottenham, later on this month.

Henry is due back in the United States after Arsenal’s clash with 7 time European champions AC Milan in the first leg of the Champions League knockout stage next week.

As things stands, both clubs would to discuss modalties of Wenger’s request, something Henry has made very clear.

“They [Red Bulls] have been really good about it, so I can’t take advantage of them.”

Photo Credit © Who’s The Bet ?

It is now emerging that Neymar will not be leaving Santos after all. Premier League club Chelsea have confirmed that they have ended their pursuit for the teen star after he committed his future to Santos until 2014.

Villas-Boas revealed that his side have failed in trying to sign Neymar and that he has already chosen his next destination which will most likely be Barcelona. Barcelona were linked with the striker last summer but failed talks fell through after Neymar signed a new contract.

“I think that the Neymar matter is closed and locked in a safe,” the Portuguese coach told reporters at the Laureus World Sports Awards ceremony. He has decided his future and no one knows where he will go. Unfortunately, he will not come to us. What I can say is that there is a lot of talent in Brazil and it is positive that these young players are staying in their country. There has been a change in the way that the Brazilian player perceives the Brasileirao and that is important for the growth of the competition. Neymar, Lucas and Ganso reflect that change.” Villas-Boas said these remarks to reporters after  the Laureus World Sports Awards.

Truth be said, Chelsea was never the perfect destination for Neymar – at least in my opinion – and i think his decision to stay at Santos until 2014 is very logical and beneficial to his future career.

Right now, Neymar is 19, by 2014, he will be 22 (still very young by any standards) however, he will have a wealth of experience that will be unmatchable for most of his peers.

Moreover, he stands a better chance of dominating the game then than if he made a European switch in the summer. Here is why, Barcelona star player. Lionel Messi is so good that he makes equally good players like Ronaldo fade into obscurity (and if you have seen Ronaldo play last and this season, you would know that it is not an easy feat).

Neymar as good as he is now, would have a hard time dealing with all the comparisons and publicity to the point of it affecting his game which would eventually lead him to earning the tag ‘the star that never was’.

We have seen it with Robinho and other highly talented players like Keirrison and Coutinho. Now it is clear to see why Pele is always keen on  protecting Neymar.

The only question is whether Neymar can continue improving on himself and live up to fans expectations when he finally leaves Brazil.

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Today (Wednesday) the FA and Fabio Capello are expected to meet over the John Terry situation, and it appears that neither side is willing to concede anything to the other.

Capello will be asked by Football Association chairman David Bernstein to explain why he committed a serious breach of FA protocol in his explosive Italian television interview on Sunday.

Capello made a direct challenge to the authority of his FA employers when he told Italian TV station Rai that he still wanted Terry to be his captain.

Bernstein is said to be furious at Capello’s comments and he wants him to apologize before agreeing to issue a joint statement that would enable both the FA and the England manager to move forward with a degree of unity.

Several media outlets however are reporting that Capello will not take back his comments, a decision that could leave England without a manager by the end of the day.

The FA are also digging in their heels, as the FA has no intention of going back on the decision to take the armband off Terry, 31. The FA consider it inappropriate for the Chelsea skipper to lead the national team at this summer’s European Championship when his trial does not start until July 9.

If neither side caves Wednesday, I cannot see how the FA and Capello can work together for the last six months of his contract. The question then becomes, if Capello leaves (is fired) who replaces him?

England have a friendly against Holland later this month that U21 manager Stuart Pearce could manage with some help from the FA’s director of development Sir Trevor Brooking. That arrangement would give the FA a couple of moths to line up a coach for Euro 2012.

Those back-up plans could all go up in smoke though if Spurs boss Harry Redknapp is found guilty of tax evasion this week as he is the obvious choice to replace Capello.

Their is a lot of uncertainity over who will be the next England Captain after John Terry was sensationally axed from the position last week. Favourites for the job United’s Rio Ferdinand ruled himself out of the running while Man City‘s Joe Hart has down played his chances of replacing Terry.

As things stand, the firm favourite to replace Terry is Liverpool Steven Gerrard. However, with the Reds skipper having not featured in Capello’s line up since early last year will have to battle for it as both Scott Parker and Frank Lampard still in the running for it.

Though Lampard has erased any doubts from Capello’s mind by coming to England’s rescue in the last few games of the Euros qualifiers, Hart still remains Capello’s most logical option.

The 24 year old has however, downplayed his chances of replacing Terry. Insisting that he is not keen on replacing Terry.

“I am flattered to be linked with it but anyone who’s having a consistent run in the England side is being linked with it,” Hart said.

“There are a lot stronger candidates than me. I don’t have a view on who should be captain. As long as I’m playing I don’t care. I have got a really important season with games for Manchester City and hopefully a couple for England coming up. That is all I am concentrating on at the moment.”

Meanwhile, the FA will not sack Capello for comments he made after Terry’s sacking. Capello who made the remarks to Italian television station Rai said he fundamentally disagreed with the FA’s decision.

Apparently these were the comments that rubbed the FA the wrong way;

“I completely disagree with the FA about the John Terry decision and I have told that to the chairman (David Bernstein), I told him that I don’t think someone can be punished until it becomes official. I considered and still consider Terry as the England captain. I think we first should wait for the trial conclusion.”

The Good news is that the FA won’t be sacking Capello which is often the case when players or coaches disagree vehemently and publicly. It will definitely will be interesting to see how the Three Lions approach the championships especially with all the problems they are currently facing.

Photo Credit © Lee Durant

Luis Suarez made his return from his eight-match suspension but their was no fairy tale ending as Liverpool and Spurs played to a goalless draw at Anfield.

Suarez started the game on the bench and he watched his teammates come flying out of the blocks with Gerrard slipping a delightful through ball to Andy Carroll only for Michael Dawson to make a goal-saving fifth-minute challenge. Parker’s reckless lunge on Glen Johnson a minute later presented Gerrard with a scoring opportunity from a free-kick, but it came to nothing and set the tone for a frustrating opening 45 minutes.

In a game punctured with misplaced passes by both sets of players, Niko Kranjcar forced the first save in the 32nd minute when his 25-yard effort was easily saved by Pepe Reina. With Craig Bellamy and Carroll struggling to trouble the Tottenham defence, it was left to midfielder Jay Spearing to go closest for Liverpool with a curling 25-yard effort which whistled narrowly wide of Brad Friedel’s post in the 34th minute.

The second half was much of the same. Liverpool with lots of possession, but never really testing Friedel. The closest Liverpool came to scoring was when Friedel denied Martin Kelly with a full-length dive to keep out the Liverpool defender’s angled drive.

With the game drifting towards a stalemate, Liverpool boss Kenny Dalglish introduced Suarez. Suarez was on the pitch for four minutes when he got booked for kicking Scott Parker in the stomach while challenging for a ball inside the Spurs penalty box.

In the last 15 minutes the game finally opened up as both sides pressed for all three points. Carroll spurned a fine chance in the 74th minute when, unmarked, he blazed over the bar from a good position. And then Reina denied Bale, who was clean through on goal in the 85th minute.

The draw leaves Sputs 7 points behind leaders Man City in the table, but also 7 points ahead of fourth placed Chelsea. With the point, Liverpool stay in 7th place, 4 points behind Chelsea.