How Arsenal Can Capitalize on the Fabregas Funds

Rumours have been rife around the Emirates about how Arsene Wenger will recover from the loss of their former talismanic midfielder Cesc Fabregas. Thus far Wenger has been very reluctant to splash the cash and rather invest in youth, something he's already started doing again this season with the signing of Alex Oxlade-Chamberlain from Southampton.

However the pressing issues at Arsenal aren't to do with their lack of young prospects coming through the ranks but a weak defence and filling the holes left by Fabregas and the presumably soon ex-Gunner Samir Nasri.

Wenger has been quoted in the media to be "willing to spend £40m", so with that war chest what talent could be brought to North London to reignite Arsenal's title ambitions?

First of all let's look at each position to see where the strengthening needs to take place (we'll also make the assumption that Nasri will be leaving too);

Goalkeepers

Wojciech Szczesny Lukasz Fabianski, Manuel Almunia

The goalkeeping situation at Arsenal has been a problem for the past couple of seasons, constantly rotating their number 1, with neither candidate really staking their clause for a regular starting spot between the sticks.

Manuel Almunia is seemingly at the bottom of the pecking order for the position, and despite a promising 14 appearences in the 2010/11 season for Fabianski, a shoulder injury ruled him out for the second half of the season. Where Fabianski left off, Szczesny picked up.


Since being given that chance, the young Pole became the goalkeeper with the most appearences for last season and at only 21 years old, not only has he been the most promising candidate but he has his best years ahead of him, so he could really grow into the position.

Requirement Rating: *** - although Szcezsny hasn't been pushed to the limits, he has the potential and promise to maintain his spot and with a fit Fabianski waiting in the wings, the goalkeeping scenario should be safe enough.

Centre Backs

Thomas Vermaelen, Laurent Koscielny, Sebastien Squillaci, Johan Djourou

After the near entire season without defensive rock Thomas Vermaelen in the team, Arsenal's weakness in the centre of defence was severely punished. The signing of Squillaci from Sevilla proved to be ineffective, and Laurent Koscielny has burned hot and cold with excellent performances against Barcelona and awful mistakes in the Carling Cup final in his repertoire.

Djourou has been consistent enough in the position, but he still lacks the quality required if Arsenal intend to contend for the title.

Requirement Rating: ***** - an absolute must, the mention of a "strong English backbone" has been mentioned enough, but it may well be the answer.

Full Backs

Bacary Sagna, Carl Jenkinson, Kieran Gibbs, Armand Traore, Thomas Vermaelen

Whilst Bacary Sagna has the right back role as his own, it is the departure of Gael Clichy to Manchester City which throws the full back position into disarray. The attacking prowess that Sagna and Clichy provided previously was effective, and Clichy's ability has obviously been noticed by Mancini et al.

Kieran Gibbs has been earmarked to step into the void left by Clichy and if previous performances are anything to go by then Gibbs could be up to the task. His previous string of good performances earned him a call up to the England squad and this run was only cut short by a metatarsal injury.

Thomas Vermaelen is also a strong contender for the position of left back. He often played this position whilst at Ajax and even though he would provide less of an attacking threat down the wings, it would give Arsenal a further physical presence in the back four.

The youngsters waiting in the wings come in the form of new signing Jenkinson and Armand Traore. According to some Arsenal fans I know, apart from the glorious own goal he scored, Jenkinson had shown some promise at right back and Wenger normally has a good eye for the younger signings. Traore comes back to North London from his loan spell at Juventus too where he should've gained some valuable experience.

Requirement Rating: *** - Sagna has right back all covered and Gibbs could well take left back as his own too. With the possiblility of Vermaelen also covering left back, other areas should take more precedence.

Centre Midfield

Abou Diaby, Jack Wilshere, Tomas Rosicky, Aaron Ramsey, Alex Song, Emmanuel Frimpong, Henri Lansbury

The departure of Fabregas and (presumably) Nasri has left Arsenal's central midfield lacking a true attacking threat. Whilst Nasri was often deployed on the wing, it was in Fabregas' role where he truly shined, with both of these options now ruled unavailable there is a distinct lack of creativity in the team.

Diaby, Song and Wilshere all provide a good defensive role but it's the reliance on Ramsey and the formerly out of favour Tomas Rosicky that the creativity is really needed from, and it's the Welshman who I think could step into Fabregas' boots from the current array of options. He has shown glimmers of promise from a young age since joining Arsenal, albeit not as young as Fabregas was, but he is in the same kind of mould as the Spaniard - good with his feet and excellent vision for a pass.

Finally there are the youngsters, Frimpong and Lansbury, neither of which I've seen to a great extent except for Lansbury at his time with Norwich and Watford. What does concern me about Lansbury is his constant lack of making it to the first team, maybe spending a little too much time out on loan which may indicate that Wenger isn't hugely confident of the now almost 21 year old.

Requirement Rating: ***** - to have players of the calibre of Fabregas and Nasri leave without replacement would be unthinkable.

Wingers

Theo Walcott, Gervinho, Andrei Arshavin, Alex Oxlade-Chamberlain, Ryo Miyaichi

Arsenal are often devastating on the wing and have improved their options after the signing of Ivory Coast international Gervinho from Lille this season. Not only Gervinho, but young English prospect Alex Oxlade-Chamberlain was added to the ranks and Ryo "exceptional talent" Miyaichi has also earned his work permit to play for the Gunners.

Walcott will no doubt have a big season this year, with Arshavin blowing hot and cold, it will more often than not be Walcott and Gervinho on the wings. Experience wise, there may be a certain lack of strength in depth, but Oxlade-Chamberlain will certainly want to prove he's worth his price tag and Miyaichi looks to be a true talent.

Requirement Rating: **** - one world class signing wouldn't go a miss, but it would be unwise to spend a large chunk of the budget in this area of the team.

Strikers

Robin van Persie, Marouane Chamakh, Nicklas Bendtner, Joel Campbell

Finally we come to the front line, the centre forwards. Robin van Persie will continue to be a key player for Arsenal, now taking the captains armband too, but his sheer efficiency in front of goal is a true asset to any team. However it is the Dutchman's fitness and proneness to injury that will be the most important.

Marouane Chamakh failed to set the Premier League alight last year in his debut season but he seems like the first choice backup, so to speak, for van Persie with Nicklas Bendtner looking elsewhere for his football as of late.

New signing Joel Campbell may not be hitting the first team squad straight away, but will certainly be an option in the future for Wenger.

Requirement Rating: *** - van Persie will be the key man up front, it's whether his backups are up to the job which begs the question of whether money should be spent here.

The Potential Signings

So, who will Wenger decide to splash the cash on? With his latest quote to the media, we'll put the available budget at around £40m (give or take a few million here and there). With Wenger's warchest on show, a bountiful of names have been bandied about.

Obviously the main emphasis has been on Arsenal's problem area - the defence. Gary Cahill, Chris Samba and Phil Jagielka have been leading the way in the rumour wars. England internationals Cahill and Jagielka would certainly be the most expensive options, with both Bolton and Everton being unlikely to lose some of their star players. However the expected £15m-£18m that these players would generate, teams like Bolton and Everton who have little to spend could not only reinvest the money into new players but into the club too. Samba has been linked to Arsenal for quite a while now too. The marauding Blackburn defender would be the perfect physical presence that is lacking in Arsenal's backline and for the expected £10m-£12m, he would be a cheaper option than the aforementioned English players. If Blackburn were to part with Samba though, their odds for relegation could well drop further...

As mentioned, when players with the quality of Fabregas and Nasri leave, there should be at least one direct replacement for them. Brazillian Jadson was the first name to rocket up the rumour charts. The Shakhtar Donetsk player looks to be in the mould of Nasri in his central role - quick, handy with his feet and knows where the back of the net is. For a fee of around £10m, Jadson could well be heading to London. Another player who would be a worthy replacement is Mathieu Valbuena. Valbuena would add more creativity to the squad than Jadson, however I imagine Marseille would also demand a much higher fee than the £10m we'd expect Shakhtar to ask for their Brazilian. Finally there is the more long term target of Juan Mata. Mata is a much more attacking option, playing either on the wing or just behind the striker, but the stumbling block for the move could be Valencia's ever rising valuation of the player - now currently sitting at a cool £26m.

Another winger that has been linked is Eden Hazard. The Belgian has turned a lot of heads in his impressive season for Lille last season, and a move to Arsenal would also see him link up again with former team mate Gervinho. The lure of linking back up with the Ivorian could prove to be handy in getting their man but to spend a large chunk of the budget on a winger and ignore the main areas that need strengthening.

A surprising lack of strikers have been linked with the club after their intentions to spend were revealed, with the only often mentioned target being Peter Odemwingie who has told the media he would only move to a top 4 club if he was to leave West Brom. Despite a fantastic debut season, at 30 years of age, Odemwingie would be under high pressure to maintain the form he displayed last season as he would be entering the twilight of his career.

How the Money Should Be Spent

If we were in Wenger's shoes, the £40m would probably be spent a little like this;

Christopher Samba - £12m
Jadson - £10m
Gary Cahill - £18m

Why these signings? Arsenal need a strong presence at the back, with both Samba and Cahill they'll achieve this in the centre, but shifting Vermaelen to left back would add even further extra grit to the back line. Jadson will also provide Arsenal with the goal threat from midfield. I feel that Ramsey is also capable of stepping into the Fabregas role. We have to remember that Fabregas was not instantly great, and developed into the player he was. With patience, Ramsey could follow a similar path, but he has a superb read of the game already at such a young age.

The lure of players like Hazard and Mata will be appealing for fans however with there is an abundance of talent and potential in the Arsenal ranks on the wings already. If players like Hazard or Mata were to sign, the development of Miyaichi or Chamberlain could be seriously hampered.

Desert Island Games #1: Andrew Drayton

Desert Island Games makes it's anticipated debut with Arsenal fan Andrew Drayton (a.k.a. AviDGooner) giving his three unforgettable games. Andrew has taken a novel approach by categorising his games, splitting them up into a game he's been to, a game he's seen live on TV and finally a game for the neutrals.

So without further adieu, take it away Andrew;

Game I’ve Been At

Tottenham Hotspur 0 Arsenal 5

December 23^rd 1978


[youtube]http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=pLkrRdTB8K4[/youtube]


I only went to this game because an uncle, who we were staying with for Christmas, thought it would be a laugh for his 12-year-old nephew to attend, standing underneath the then notorious shelf. In the days when they took the laces out of your DM boots, (I kid you not), the atmosphere was on the shocking side of electric.

The dark overcoats and jackets of almost everyone around me punctured only by the halo of sky directly above me shroud my memories of the game. I did though get to the front of the crowd to actually watch the match through the navy blue wire fence prevalent in the bad old days.

My memory of the game is the bright red shirts of my heroes set against the slate grey sky and foreboding background provided by the fans.

The image that I can close my eyes now and picture and will forever stay is watching Liam Brady curl it up around and in past the despairing dive of whoever they had in goal. A glorious, glorious moment.

Game I Saw Live on TV

Arsenal 2 Liverpool 1 (aet)

F.A Cup Final 1971


[youtube]http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=ulR_vwwfKhA[/youtube]

Now there are a million Arsenal Fans out here who’s default choice for this would be the ‘Up for grabs now’ game in 1989. And I can obviously see why.

But for me the ’71 Cup Final is the one. I was, at the time, a nominal Arsenal supporter influenced by the family around me and from occasional glimpses on The Big Match.

This was the first ever game that I saw from start to finish on TV and provided the very threads of Arsenal DNA that still run through me today. The inherent hope of a young boy crystallised by a longhaired man lying flat on his back.

Every goal I scored after this (all in the school playground), for as long as I can remember ended this way.

It is why, for me every Arsenal away kit should be yellow.

A hero born, a team adopted, the path of my life now pre-ordained.

The Game from a Neutrals Point of View

Liverpool 4 Newcastle United 3

3^rd April 1996


[youtube]http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=gwCDYc-r3iI[/youtube]

The first one.

Pretty much the perfect game for the neutral supporter.

At the start I sort of wanted Newcastle to win, (everyone’s favourite second team and all that). 1-1 after 10 mins, 2-1 Newcastle after 15 and the pace, performance and pulsating action meant that in the end it didn’t matter who won – just keep playing like this for hours please.

In the end a winner in injury time and the slumped forlorn figure of Keegan rounded off the best game of football that I didn’t really care about.

And it beggars belief that we all sat in front of the box next time around reminiscing on the action from last time - and it happened again!

Over the past few years we've seen an influx of "premium" priced English players being transferred around the Premier League. We've gotten used to seeing an Andy Carroll go for the price of 5 Javier Hernandez's, a James Milner transfer fee equating to just over 3 Rafael van der Vaart transfer fee's and so forth.

[caption id="attachment_704" align="aligncenter" width="460" caption="Bargain Baggie: Peter Odemwingie was a steal at £1m."][/caption]

Of course, a transfer fee does not dictate the quality of the player, often there is a positive correlation between the two but it is not directly indicative. Players like Peter Odemwingie, signing for a mere £1m for West Brom was a much more efficient player last season than the much more expensive Mario Balotelli, signing for Manchester City for around £24m. There are countless other examples but many examples can be found comparing a cheaper foreign equivalent of an overpriced English player.

Let's look at the list of players that have been called up to the England international squad within the past 12 months that cost their clubs at least £10,000,000 (these are the total fees, so include add-ons, bonuses, etc.):

Player	Club	Fee	Date
Ashley Cole	Chelsea	£25,000,000	2006
Rio Ferdinand	Manchester United	£29,100,000	2002
Glen Johnson	Liverpool	£17,500,000	2009
Joleon Lescott	Manchester City	£22,000,000	2009
Frank Lampard	Chelsea	£11,000,000	2001
Gareth Barry	Manchester City	£12,000,000	2009
Stewart Downing	Liverpoool	£20,000,000	2011
Michael Carrick	Manchester United	£18,600,000	2006
James Milner	Manchester City	£26,000,000	2010
Theo Walcott	Arsenal	£12,000,000	2006
Ashley Young	Manchester United	£15,000,000	2011
Jordan Henderson	Liverpool	£20,000,000	2011
Andy Carroll	Liverpool	£35,000,000	2011
Wayne Rooney	Manchester United	£25,600,000	2004
Jermaine Defoe	Tottenham Hotspur	£15,750,000	2009
Peter Crouch	Tottenham Hotspur	£10,000,000	2009
Darren Bent	Aston Villa	£24,000,000	2011
Jermaine Defoe	Tottenham Hotspur	£15,750,000	2009
	Total	£354,300,000

A whopping £354,300,000 for just 18 players – that’s just short of £20,000,000 per player. Now there are often big money moves in the world of football, the top 4 highest transfer fees have occurred within the past 24 months too – £80,000,000 on Cristiano Ronaldo, £56,500,000 for Zlatan Ibrahimovic, £55,000,000 for Kaka and £50,000,000 for Fernando Torres but it is English players who appear most in the list of large transfers within this period.

Another thing worth mentioning is that the 4 aforementioned players have proven themselves over the years, whereas some of the recent large English transfer deals do not share this sentiment.

Andy Carroll’s £35,000,000 to Liverpool came after a very good first half of the season – let’s remember that he was playing his trade in the Championship the previous year and was offered out to various clubs for around £1m at around that time.

[caption id="attachment_705" align="aligncenter" width="460" caption="Unproven?: Henderson's big money move to Liverpool has come under fire."][/caption]

Another player which meets this criteria is another Liverpool signing – Jordan Henderson for £20,000,000 from Sunderland. Henderson had a near full season at just the age of 19 in 2009/10 for Sunderland and continued this into the following season with a string of performances that showed promise. However, few would’ve suggested that he would’ve been leaving the North East club for such a large figure come the end of last season.

There’s no doubt these players have promising futures ahead of them and often risks like this can pay off, but if these players were not English there would be a significant difference in the transfer fee paid. One prime example would be Javier Hernandez – a promising striker, farily unproven, but signed for a mere £7,000,000 – would this have been the case if he was English?

It’s worth arguing the fact that players like Rio Ferdinand, Wayne Rooney and Ashley Cole would’ve commanded as large a fee as any other player of their quality when bought. It is only recently that English players have consistently commanded the larger fee’s, but what has brought on this sudden influx?

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1. Home-grown player rules

As of the 2010/11 season, the home-grown player rule was enforced on the Premier League. This rule states that there must be at least 8 home grown players declared in the 25-man squad for the season, any less than 8 players would lead in a deduction to the 25-man squad. 8 players roughly equates to a third of the squad, which is not a huge amount, but if UEFA and Michel Platini have their way there is no doubt that this number will rise.

Premier League teams have always been able to attract foreign talent as it is one of the most established leagues in the world but with the requirement of English players, the big spenders have been forced to cast their scouting nets more locally. Other clubs are aware of this and we have your standard GCSE taught example of supply and demand.

[caption id="attachment_706" align="aligncenter" width="460" caption="Home-grown: Walcott was one of only two English players for Arsenal between 2006 - 08 seasons."][/caption]

Previously, Arsenal used to be the club who were ridiculed for having so few English players, for example in the 2006/07 & 2007/08 season they started just two English players in their league matches - Justin Hoyte and Theo Walcott. This figure has steadily grown over the years since with more youth products making their way through the ranks at the Emirates but the lack of an "English backbone" that was present in their invincible's team is still one of Arsenal's main criticisms.

However, Arsenal also employ a tactic of buying young that can be used to get around the home-grown rule over time. If a player has been with the squad for at least 3 years before their 21st birthday then this gives them the status of "home-grown" - something that Cesc Fabregas qualifies for. A workaround, but not an instant fix.

This is no doubt the key reason that English players command a more expensive fee than foreigners, because they are essential, but other factors could also contribute to their fees.

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2. Settling In

Another factor can be how well a player settles. It may not add £10m onto a transfer fee, but if a club can be reassured that a player will instantly settle to his surroundings then his talent and morale will be unaffected plus for younger players there should be no hindrance on their development.

With English players they have already experienced the style of play of the Premier League and they are always within a reasonable commute of their nearest and dearest.

Therefore the "settling in" factor can be split into 2 sub-sections;

a) On the pitch

"He wouldn't cut it in the Premier League" - a quote often heard by old school British fans of the game, often attributed to skilful, foreign players (and often with a hint of jealousy). As clichéd as it is, there is a valid point there. Take your Andrei Shevchenko's, your Diego Forlan's or your Juan Sebastian Veron's. These are players who had immense talent at their previous clubs - they didn't simply lose this talent when they started plying their trade in the Premier League.

Whether it's the pace of the game, the physicality or even the occasional volatile behaviour of the fans which make a player not perform up to scratch, they can all have an affect.

We all probably know what happened to those three aforementioned players after leaving the Premier League, but let's remind ourselves. Shevchenko moved back to his home country after Chelsea and is near on retaining an expected 1 goal in 2 game ratio for Dynamo Kyiv - the club where he started his career, arguably at home and settled.



[caption id="attachment_708" align="aligncenter" width="310" caption="Happy at Home: Veron's move back to Argentina is proof that players excel when settled"][/caption]

Juan Sebastian Veron also returned to his first club, Estudiantes, and has reaffirmed critics and fans alike of his talismanic abilities in midfield. Once again, at home and settled.

Finally, Diego Forlan moved to Villarreal after his stint at Manchester United and since he's moved to Atlético Madrid. He also did alright at the last World Cup too - Golden Ball winner and joint top scorer, not bad for someone who "can't cut it in the Premier League" eh? Granted, Diego Forlan is not at his first club, Independiente, or back at home in Uruguay but you can't deny the fact that he's settled in Spain.

b) Off the pitch

Despite popular opinion, football players are people too. They have wives, they have children, they have private lives - if any of these things are put into disharmony then the subsequent affect on their morale can cause problems on the pitch.

[caption id="attachment_709" align="aligncenter" width="310" caption="Unsettled: Tevez has made it public that he wants to be closer to home."][/caption]

The key example of this theory is Carlos Tevez. Tevez has been in the Premier League for almost 5 years now after his shock move to West Ham and subsequent transfers to both sides of Manchester. In his fleeting visit to East London I can't recall him complaining about his surroundings but it did take him time to adapt to the British game (not to the point where I would've placed him in category a) though).

It was only until Tevez's move to Manchester that the off pitch drama began. Tevez has been consistently linked away from Manchester City since around December 2010 where he voiced his concerns about the distance he has from his family and would prefer to be closer to his home country of Argentina.

This is an understandable burden that you would not wish upon anyone, but sometimes the passionate football fan forgets that their idols in the pitch have lives outside of football and problems in their private lives suddenly become a case of disrespecting the club. Fans grow anxious, the player wants away, and madness ensues. All credit where credit is due to Tevez however, as he has maintained his talent on the pitch fantastically, for a person who obviously does not want to be in England.

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3. The Fans

The final source of the "English Premium" can be attributed to the fans and the expectation of the manager. The majority of fans that will come to each home and away game for a Premier League club will be based in or around the club's home city or town. Subsequently that means that they will most likely be English (with the exception of Swansea City, of course). Therefore as a proud Englishman would prefer to see your team be a key source to the national squad, or possibly have the majority of the squad being born and bred in the city or town? This is a  huge generalisation but one which does have some validity for the run of the mill football fan.

Once again linking to Arsenal; fans and pundits alike criticise the Gunners squad for having a severe lack of British players which has materialised rumours of the club looking to buy British players such as Gary Cahill, Roger Johnson or Scott Dann - suggestions which the fans also echo.

[caption id="attachment_710" align="aligncenter" width="310" caption="True Red: Neville is the perfect example of a local club hero."][/caption]

Fans also idolise the local lads in a team. Steven Gerrard, Jamie Carragher, Alan Shearer, Gary Neville, the list goes on - but all will remain close to the hearts of their local teams that they played for.

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So with so many potential contributors to the rising fees of English players, does it justify their price tags? We can only speculate, because English or not, a football player can only justify their price tag on the field.

Introducing: Desert Island Games

"...Ah, nothing better than a long relaxing break out in the tropics, all paid for, luxury awaits. But there's a problem, in true LOST style you've been stranded on a distant desert island that mysteriously has a working television, thank god you remembered your Desert Island Games..."

Desert Island Games is a new regular feature we intend to publish where you, the fans, pick 3 games from football history that would keep you sane whilst stranded on a Desert Island.

Whether it's a landmark game for your club, an important international match or a high scoring thriller - we want to know what games you would choose. If you're interested in contributing to our new feature then drop a mail to info@thetwelfthman.co.uk!

Championship Finale; Canaries Soar, Bluebirds Fall and Rangers Kept on the Edge

The 2010/11 Championship season has been a fiercely contested affair but the end is nigh. Norwich confirmed their back-to-back promotion to bring the Canaries back into the Premier League at the expense of Cardiff after their lacklustre performance against Middlesbrough on the same evening. Whilst QPR have been crowned as champions... for now.

QPR - Quiet Point Reduction or worse?

[caption id="attachment_620" align="aligncenter" width="310" caption="Faurlin: Could the third party ownership of the Argentine throw QPR's campaign into disrepute?"][/caption]

Rangers will be on a knife edge until their FA hearing on May 3rd where they will find out if a points deduction will be enforced on them and what difference that will make to the league. The Alejandro Faurlin fiasco has thrown Neil Warnock's side into a debacle that the manager was once on the other side of after Carlos Tevez, then of West Ham, helped Warnock's Sheffield United side get relegated from the Premier League. Warnock could taste a bitter irony if QPR are given a heavy point deduction, but what are the options for the FA?

Currently they are 5 points clear of Norwich and 9 points clear of 3rd placed Cardiff so a deduction of 10 points or more (due to their superior goal difference to Cardiff) would see them drop from 1st place to 3rd and dramatically dipped into the play-offs.

But will the FA dish out such a harsh penalty with such consequences? The only other case this season involving ineligible players was between Hereford United and Torquay United down in League Two but the clubs were given a small point reduction of 3 and 1 respectively. However the ineligible players in this case were discovered and dealt with over a 1 game period, not the full season like Faurlin's case.

39 - that is the number of games that Faurlin has had some part to play in this season for QPR, plus in the past few months it has been revealed that he was under third party ownership for the entire 09/10 season during his time in London. There is no doubt that this is a more severe case of registration-related breaking of rules than the aforementioned case in League Two. What the FA will do? Only time will tell.

Norwich do "The Lambert Walk" up the leagues

[caption id="attachment_621" align="aligncenter" width="310" caption="Glaswegian Glory: Lambert joins a host of Glaswegian managers in the Premier League after his success at Norwich."][/caption]

Paul Lambert has done a fantastic job at his time at Carrow Road, achieving back to back promotions from League One to the Premier League in an impressive two seasons at the helm of the East Anglia club.

Norwich re-adapted to Championship football almost instantly when they returned to the league this season, integrating new signings such as John Ruddy, Andrew Crofts and Simeon Jackson into the squad seamlessly alongside key members of the League One winning season.

Their easy on the eye style and ability to never let go of a game, scoring in injury time no less than 12 times this season, has been key to Lambert's path to promotion, congratulations to the Canaries.

The Play-Off Fracas; who will play who?

[caption id="attachment_622" align="aligncenter" width="310" caption="Play-Off Permutations: Who will end up victorious in play-off glory?"][/caption]

That just leaves the play-off's to be decided on game 46 in the Championship. Cardiff, Swansea and Reading have confirmed their places whereas Nottingham Forest will have Leeds on their trail if they slip up at the last hurdle, however a 6 goal difference between them will have to see Leeds humiliate QPR or Forest being humiliated by Crystal Palace - suggesting that Forest should have the final position in the bag.

Cardiff were held back from the automatic promotion chase after a 3-0 loss to mid-table Middlesbrough on Bank Holiday Monday. Despite being unbeaten in the past 8 games, the capital club seemed to crumble under the pressure of requiring a win to keep the chase alive, conceding the 3 goals within 20 minutes. Dave Jones will be hoping that last year's play-off experience will act as a benefit for his players and not hang as a bad omen over the squad.

Even though their play-off position is secured, Swansea will be on the heels of South Wales rivals Cardiff for 3rd spot, which will be theirs if they secure a win at home against relegated Sheffield United and Cardiff fail to win away at Burnley. In a highly unlikely scenario, if the FA decide to place a 10 point penalty on QPR then the race for automatic promotion will be blown wide open yet again with all three teams being involved. What is for sure is that 3rd place will give Swansea a tie against 6th, most likely to be Nottingham Forest, which they may favour to a tie against Brendan Rodgers' former team Reading.

However Forest are in top form at the moment with on-loan striker Kris Boyd finding his goalscoring boots and the fans will be hoping that he'll be extending on his current 5 in 5 record. Forest were in contention for an automatic place before Christmas but after a torrid time in the league they dropped out of the play-off spots completely. Could this final surge back into contention give them the momentum, similarly to Blackpool last season, for the play-off games?

One team that may be concerned coming into the play-off run-in, despite confirming their place in the final fixtures, is Reading. Their form has hit a blip at the wrong time of the season, gaining only 2 from 9 in the past 3 games, they will not want this bad run to continue and will be looking toward top goalscorer Shane Long et al to fire them back into form in their final game against Derby at the Madejski.

So until QPR find out the results of their hearing on May 3rd and the referee blows the final whistle at around 4.45 pm on May 7th it is down to the players on the pitch to decide who will play who.

Will London suffer a Welsh invasion?

[caption id="attachment_623" align="aligncenter" width="310" caption="War of Wales: The Swansea-Cardiff rivalry could come to a prestigious head at Wembley."][/caption]

Lastly, the fixture that the neutrals will love but the fans will not - Swansea City vs Cardiff City may well rear it's head for the third time this season but this time the stakes could not be higher. It's only possible for these two clubs to meet in the final and if they end up triumphant in the semi-finals then it'll be a reality.

Asides from it being a logistical nightmare for the policing of 80,000 fans at each others necks on the same lines of transport to the capital, it could go down as one of the most heated play-off finals in history.

Why are English Youngsters Behind the Rest of the World?

Whilst listening to the Chappers Premier League Podcast, guest panelist John Salako pointed out that the lack of great players being produced from England can be attributed to the lack of players that make it out of the country. A fair point considering that England are one of the few countries who have a near 100% rate of players playing their trade in their native country for the national squad. But why do English players rarely leave the United Kingdom?

[caption id="attachment_531" align="aligncenter" width="216" caption="Rare Exports: Hughes and Lineker were part of a generation of British players that did make it abroad"][/caption]

If we were to go back to the 20th century, having British players playing abroad was a common sight. Mark Hughes and Gary Lineker at Barcelona, Kevin Keegan at Hamburg, John Charles at Juventus, Chris Waddle at Marseille, many great British players had spells abroad. However returning to the 21st century and seeing a British or, more to the point, English player abroad is a rare occurence.

The most notable players who have left the country include;

Player	Club	Season(s)	Appearences	Goals
Steve McManaman	Real Madrid	1999 - 2003	94	8
Stan Collymore	Real Oviedo	2001	3	0
Jay Bothroyd	Perugia	2003 - 04	28	5
David Beckham	Real Madrid	2003 - 07	116	13
Michael Owen	Real Madrid	2004-05	36	13
David Beckham	LA Galaxy	2007 - present	48	9
David Beckham	AC Milan	2009 - 10	29	2
Jermaine Pennant	Real Zaragoza	2009 - 10	25	0
Darius Vassell	Ankaragucu	2009 - 10	22	4
Matt Derbyshire	Olympiakos	2009 - present	19	6

Eight English players, who have played some part in the national squad or U21 squad, not a fantastic figure to display how much foreign clubs are attracted to English talent.

One thing you have to take into consideration with this argument is, how strong is your native league to other leagues in the world? The Premier League obviously ranks highly, along with La Liga, the Bundesliga and Serie A. It is also worth noting that the Spanish, German and Italian national squads also feature a vast  majority of players playing in the native league but this statistic is completely redundant when you compare the success of those teams to the recent success, or lack thereof, of the English squad.

[caption id="attachment_530" align="aligncenter" width="310" caption="Extortionate: Andy Carroll's £35m move proved how expensive young English talent can be to foreign clubs"][/caption]

The most likely reason that foreign teams do not buy English players is their ridiculously inflated price tags. The latest player to enter this world of mad figures is Andy Carroll with his recent £35m move from Newcastle to Liverpool. The transfer market is a buyers market with Liverpool needing a replacement for Fernando Torres and Newcastle negotiated fantastically to get that figure. However, comparing this deal to other players that have been bought around the continent, the pricing was obscenely high. However, is it purely because we want to keep English players in England? And will pay top dollar to do so?

What Salako suggested in the aforementioned podcast, to improve the quality and talent of our young players, is to get them playing abroad - to experience different styles of play, different tactics and probably more game time too. I whole-heartedly agree with his sentiments, but another aspect (which was also briefly mentioned in the same podcast) was the introduction of more competitive reserve leagues.

Referring back to two of the other, more successful, countries who dominantly have their national team playing in their native country; Germany and Spain. Both the third level and second level of the league pyramid, respectively, have reserve teams playing within the league, with obvious restrictions. In Germany, reserve teams can go no further than the third tier and Spanish reserve teams can not be in the same league as their first team counterparts (not too sure what would happen if, for example Barcelona get relegated to the Segunda and Barcelona B are competing in the Segunda, Germany's implementation is certainly more sensible).

If the English league were to incorporate a similar system it certainly would be interesting, and how they would integrate into the already huge league pyramid was also be a bit tricky. On the other hand, why not just use affiliated teams more to their potential? If a reserve team was to compete in a competitive first team league, they're oppositions would be the same if not worse to players being loaned out to Football League teams. In theory, this argument makes is totally feasible but how do we explain the way that the Spanish and German giants of Barcelona and Bayern Munich use the system so well to develop their youth talent?

[caption id="attachment_528" align="aligncenter" width="200" caption="Feeder: Royal Antwerp have made the most of their links to Manchester United in the past"][/caption]

One system, combining the the aspects of gaining experience abroad and an affiliate system is simple - foreign feeder teams. Manchester United have exploited this excellently with Royal Antwerp. Players such as Jonny Evans, John O'Shea and Frazier Campbell all joined Antwerp at some period throughout their career. However not many other teams spring to mind instantly who take advantage of such schemes within the English leagues.

And lastly, but probably most importantly, is the lack of quality coaching in England. Foreign experience may widen a players scope on the game but nothing can replace being taught at a high level. The severe lack of coaches was outlined last year when figures shown that England have 10% or less of the number of UEFA B, A or Pro coaches in comparison to their European neighbours Germany, Italy or Spain.

These figures have caused the FA to take action in the youth development department, with Gareth Southgate being recently appointed as the "Head of Elite Development" and will work alongside Sir Trevor Brooking. What will come of his appointment is yet to be seen, but after an unsuccessful World Cup bid and "falling out" with the current FIFA regime putting another bid in doubt for the foreseeable future, the FA will surely have to have this issue as their key development in years to come.

[caption id="attachment_529" align="aligncenter" width="310" caption="Hope: Jack Wilshere has proven there is hope for England's youth system (Source: Action Images)"][/caption]

To end on a lighter note, it's not all doom and gloom for England's youngsters. The recent "generation" of players coming through the ranks such as Jack Wilshere, Andy Carroll, Kyle Walker, Jordan Henderson and Chris Smalling are all receiving call ups to the first team squad sooner than expected in their careers. Plus, the newest batch of players within the U21 squad; Josh McEachran, Alex Oxlade-Chamberlain and Connor Wickham are all showing bags of potential.

Picklive Game of the Week: Arsenal v Barcelona

[caption id="attachment_105" align="aligncenter" width="300" caption="Get involved: Join Picklive today and become part of the Five Minute Fantasy Football revolution"][/caption]

Picklive's 'Five Minute Fantasy Football' game has been revolutionsing the way that football fanatics in the UK can watch live sport, and thanks to a newly established relationship with The Twelfth Man , it could do the same for you too. The game is a thrilling cross between fantasy football games and in-play betting, and allows punters to compete in real-time for cash prizes during televised matches.

If you are watching tonight's action this evening then why not sign up before and during the match to get three free games. Contestants then select a team of three players who accumulate points for all of their actions on the pitch; including passes, tackles, interceptions and shots. The three teams  that earn the most points in each five minute spell are guaranteed a cash prize.

So just as you thought that the tension around Arsenal v Barcelona could not get any more palpable, Picklive - in association with The Twelfth Man - introduces another realm of excitement and emotion into the already potent mix present in live football.

Tonight's live game is possibly the most mouthwatering yet to appear on Picklive's roster, with Arsenal taking on Pep Guardiola's imperious Barcelona side. Both sides favouring fast and flowing football, and place a premium on ball retention, which is bound to be a incredibly high scoring game in Picklive terms.

You would be mad not to pick either Xavi or Wilshere in your side, as these are the focal points through which both teams direct their play. In fact the Catalan is just about the greatest player ever to feature on Picklive, amassing record score after record score - and on occassions out passing the opposition on his own.

So if you want to add more excitement into the mix during tonight's game, then click here to sign up. In 10 seconds you could be winning cash from other fans whilst watching the match unfold.

Arsenal v Barcelona: ITV 1 7:45 K/O