100 Twitter accounts every football fan should follow

Twitter recently celebrated its 5th birthday and the social networking site continues to go from strength to strength. For us football fans it is a great place to hear the thoughts of the current Premier League stars, ex-players and top journalists. You shouldn’t just restrict who you follow to those people from the world of football, though, as there are plenty of other great Twitter accounts out there. Here we profile 100 of the best, including football and non-football, funny and serious, famous and spoof. If there’s any we’re missing let us know in the comments below…

Seeing as we’re a football site, let’s start with some big-name footballers:

Rio Ferdinand – Arguably the most famous football Tweeter, Rio spends more time Tweeting than he does playing football right now!

Rafa van der Vaart – Tottenham’s revelation this season, Rafa’s English might not be the best but that doesn’t mean that Spurs fans won’t lap up everything he says.

Nani – The Manchester United midfielder often goes on Twitter to put the record straight, recently saying: “I’ve seen some false reports on the press. I want you to know that you will hear the truth from me. Love MU”.

Darren Bent – Bent hasn’t been on Twitter that often since his outburst against Tottenham chairman Daniel Levy but the Aston Villa striker has said “Promise I will be back on here soon”.

Cristiano Ronaldo – Ronaldo has more than 2 million followers on Twitter so make sure you follow him if you want to stroke his huge ego even more!

If you’re wondering where all the Arsenal and Liverpool players are don’t worry, they’re featured later on!

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Time for some generic football accounts:

The FA – Plenty of quotes and links to video footage, a good source of news before international fixtures.

Soccer Bible – ‘The Global Authority on the latest Football Gear’, the soccer bible will keep you up to date with the release of new football boots, shirts, etc.

Soccer AM – The best football show on TV – well it used to be at least and their Tweets will allow you to enjoy the banter within the team.

Opta Joe – A great source of information for football fans, Opta gives you more footy facts than you could ever want – great pub facts!

ITV Football – Links to football news in and amongst football chat. Don’t think Adrian Chiles is let loose on the account, though.

Mirror Football – One of the better newspaper football accounts around, plenty of footy gossip for you to get your teeth stuck into.

Nike Football – Tweets about what the footballers wearing Nike football boots are up to on and off the pitch.

Adidas Soccer – I couldn’t include Nike but not Adidas, even if they do call their account Adidas Soccer not Football.

Four Four Two – Their bio just about sums it up: ‘Humorous but wholehearted, polished but readable, substantial but accessible, it’s football’s most insightful brand – with added F.U.N.’

Football FanCast – This list wouldn’t be complete without a shameless plug, so here it us! Make sure you follow Football FanCast for all the latest football news and opinion.

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A departure from football now as we look at some general interesting stuff:

Funny or Die – They make funny videos with famous people. Will Ferrell is their boss. They like to laugh and watch kittens do adorable people things – so join them!

Zoo UK – The Twitter account of the UK’s leading lads mag, there you’ll find the hottest girls, latest news, sport, cars, jokes, interviews, gadgets & films.

My Drunk Texts – A place for you to send all the drunk texts you have either received or sent, completely anonymous of course.

Top Gear – Perhaps the best programme on TV (apart from Match of the Day), take a look the gorgeous cars that are featured.

Nando’s – This could well be Rio Ferdinand’s favourite restaurant if his Tweets are to be believed, you can make suggestions for additions to their menu.

Continue to the NEXT PAGE for more must-follow Twitter accounts…

Arsenal players seem to be keen on Tweeting, let’s have a look at some Gunners:

Jack Wilshere – The future of Arsenal and England is a regular Tweeter and even online wears his heart on his sleeve and isn’t afraid to show his emotions.

Wojciech Szczesny – The young goalkeeper certainly speaks his mind, as a certain tweet about Ashley Cole illustrates.

Johan Djourou – Seeing as the Swiss defender has just got injured, I would suspect on his Twitter Djourou will be keeping you right up to date with how his comeback is progressing.

Samir Nasri – Nasri’s tweets aren’t always the most enlightening, but if you support Arsenal I suppose you won’t really care too much.

Robin van Persie – The Dutchman seems to be something of a joker, posting pictures of Theo Walcott sleeping (left) amongst other gems.

Aaron Ramsey – Arsenal’s second most exciting youngster (after Wilshere), his Tweets are a bit sensible but interesting nonetheless.

Bacary Sagna – The Frenchman’s personality shines through in Tweets like “Ahaha england is cold but i like this country” – priceless.

Craig Eastmond – Grammar isn’t great, but Eastmond’s on Twitter a lot, so worth the follow.

Henri Lansbury – Currently on loan at Norwich, Lansbury is nearing the 50k followers mark on Twitter, so help him smash through it!

Cesc Fabregas – Cesc posts plenty of pictures of the Arsenal lads, but you might need to brush up on your Spanish as he mixes his native language with English.

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5 forms of entertainment to keep you busy when the footy’s not on:

EA – The makers of many great games, including FIFA of course, the Electronic Arts Twitter account will help keep you up to date with all your favourite titles.

Playstation – Official Twitter updates on PlayStation, PS3, PSP, PSN, and PS2, letting you know when the next great game is coming out.

Xbox – If you’re a Microsoft rather than a Sony man than this is the Twitter account for you, just ‘jump in’ as they say in their bio.

Nintendo – Not wanting to leave any of the big games’ manufacturers out, here’s Nintendo’s Twitter offering, where they share the latest gaming news.

Betfair Poker – More of a poker man than a gamer? This account is a must follow as you’ll be treated to irregular free tournament entry competitions.

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Liverpool rival the Gunners in terms of players on Twitter, here’s some of their lot:

Dirk Kuyt – Just in case you were unsure, this is the ‘only official Dirk Kuyt Twitter account’ – thanks for clearing that up Dirk!

Glen Johnson – The Liverpool full back says it how it is: “Nice day today, just finished training.” By the way, it was sunny when Glen said that.

Luis Suarez – Liverpool fans will want to follow Suarez who is “convinced we will fix it up in Anfield. Let’s work hard now!”

Lucas Leiva – Not all of Lucas’ Tweets are in English but don’t let that put you off, he recently Tweeted: “Great result and even better celebration thanks Dirk and Luis for the goals and all the team for the tribute.”

Jonjo Shelvey – Jonjo lets you know exactly what he’s up to. Last time I looked it was “Tattoo time!” Jonjo has since deleted his account after his mates got hold of it!

Raheem Sterling – Arguably the future of Liverpool Football Club, Raheem loves football and is certainly one to watch.

Nathan Ecclestone – Currently on loan at Charlton, Nathan is living the dream: “Bedrooms like a bombs hit it yazoo and lucozade bottles all over the gaff need to fix up!”

Brad Jones – Not sure Brad has played for Liverpool yet, but you can read what he thinks about sitting on the bench week after week!

Kenny Dalglish – The man behind Liverpool’s revival has “been a bit busy. Affected my tweeting. Trying to catch up. Thanks for the wonderful support.” – I think we can cut him some slack.

John W Henry – The owner of Liverpool Football Club. Earlier this month he said: Don’t believe the 200 or so stories on potential player “swoops” – spoil sport!

Continue to the NEXT PAGE for even more must-follow Twitter accounts…

5 more non-footy Twitter accounts for you:

Firebox – As their bio says: ‘Firebox scours the world for things with a twist: the very latest gadgets, gifts, games and other geek stuff’. Cool!

Lovefilm – Ideal for when there’s a lack of football on TV, there you’ll find interviews, reviews and general film banter.

Wired – The official Twitter feed of Wired.com and Wired magazine, which they claim is the first word on how technology is changing, and I wouldn’t disagree with them.

Maxim Magazine – Another magazine, this time one that is guys’ ‘Ultimate Guide to Celebrities, Gear, Hot Girls, Photos, Videos, Sex, Women, and Sports’.

FHM – More gorgeous girls, this time courtesy of FHM. Some other random stuff such as “Hear ye! Hear ye! Send a story about a disaster you’ve had with a pet to [email protected], and we’ll pay you £25 if we use it in the mag.”

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15 more footballers for you to look through:

Kevin Davies – Kevin is a regular Tweeter and the captain of Bolton Wanderers is only too happy to talk to his fans – top bloke.

Stuart Holden – Kevin’s Bolton teammate has recently suffered an injury, so the American player will have a fair bit of time to carry on Tweeting.

Ryan Babel – The Dutchman may no longer play for the Reds but he famously got in trouble while at Liverpool for mocking up photos of referees!

Micah Richards – Plenty of links to reports of Micah in action, but a few personal Tweets too including “All the best andy carrol! U will live up 2 the expectation!!”

Jamie O’Hara – Jamie says this about himself – Professional footballer and a loving dad with an amazing fiance loves playing football and works hard, but never forget where ive come from – which pretty much sums him up.

Landon Donovan – The American players are into Twitter in a big way and if you follow Landon you’ll get a good idea about the daily life of a professional footballer.

Carlton Cole – The West Ham striker has some big concerns – “How comes when u go into a carribean restaurant and u ask for a certain dish they say “we’ve run out!” Unacceptable.”

Kyle Walker – Kyle lets you know how he’s getting on – “In the car on the way home guttered about this little niggle hopefully will be fine for everton on sat fingers crossed 🙁 :'(

Danny Welbeck – Danny gets up to all kinds of mischief – “The lollipop man was lucky dis mornin. I was guna take his stick smack him on the head and rob his jacket! Hah”

Anton Ferdinand – Rio isn’t the only Ferdinand into this Twitter lark, Anton Im as mighty as a lion, but still as gentle as a bluebird’ is on there too”

Freddy Adu – Championship Manager sensation Freddy Adu didn’t quite make the dizzy heights predicted, but you can still see what he’s up to.

Giuseppe Rossi – Could the former Manchester United striker be heading to Tottenham in the summer? Check out his musings at Villarreal right now.

Neil Danns – He plays for Crystal Palace but that’s not all that Mr Danns does, he also writes and produces music that might take your fancy.

Steven Pienaar – The South African midfielder, now at Spurs, posts stuff like “If u want to be the best u have 2 beat the best!” Well said.

Danny Simpson – Danny’s an honest lad, and after a Newcastle defeat said no excuses mate it was poor! Sorry 2 all fans who travelled 2day like yaself, I apologise.”

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Beware, not everyone on Twitter is who they say they are! Here are 5 great spoof accounts:

Big Sam – A spoof of former Bolton, Newcastle and Blackburn manager Sam Allardyce, The Big Sam is NSFW and anyone with sensitive eyes!

Dimitar Berbatov – Berba is a gentleman first, footballer second and has said recently “Our arsenal away game means I’m in London for the royal wedding – this pleases me.”

Chuck Norris – Some great stuff on Chuck’s spoof account including: “When Chuck Norris goes to donate blood, he declines the syringe, and instead requests a hand gun and a bucket.”

Sepp Blatter – FIFA supremo Blatter is not the favourite person of most British football fans, perhaps you’ll like spoof Sepp more.

Kai Rooney – A young Tweeter, Wayne Rooney’s son Kai lets you know what his dad is up to from his Big F*** Off house in Cheshire.

Continue to the NEXT PAGE for more must-follow Twitter accounts…

The final 5 men’s lifestyle accounts:

MTV – If you’re a fan of music, and I’m not talking about Hoddle and Waddle and their attempt at Diamond Lights, check out Music Television’s Twitter.

Burberry – A favourite with footballers, Burberry is a ‘155 year-old global brand with distinctly British attitude’.

Top Man – More clothes, this time from TopMan UK, which they claim is the ‘ultimate online destination for the best in menswear fashion’ – I wouldn’t quite go that far, but they’re good nonetheless.

Play.com – An excellent online retailer selling games, music, films, etc – find out what new products they’re selling first.

LastMinute.com – Ideal if you need a holiday or are a planning a footy trip with the lads, because sometimes you just need to get away.

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All the top football journalists and personalities are on Twitter, here’s a selection of them:

Henry Winter – The Daily Telegraph Football Correspondent and Columnist for the Sunday Telegraph seems to always be on Twitter and is often first with the big football news.

Guilleme Balague – What he doesn’t know about Spanish football isn’t worth knowing and he is open to you offering suggestions for questions for his various interviews.

Stan Collymore – A man who divides opinion, Stan has plenty to say for himself and thus Twitter is perfect for him. Worth following just to see what he’s ranting about next.

Jacqui Oatley – Jacqui says her Tweets ‘involve lots of stats and motorways’ – she isn’t afraid to air her views and has recently questioned Fabio Capello’s attempts to learn English.

Kay Murray – Another female follower of footy, Kay aka Football Barbie is a northern lass and describes her Tweets as ‘Football with heels & hairspray!’

Georgie Thompson – The third and final female footy follower on this list, Georgie regular Tweets her fellow A League of Their Own teammate @flintoff11.

Bryan Swanson – Sticking with Sky Sports presenters, Bryan is always one of the first to Tweet the latest football news and rumours and has a fair few sources.

Phil McNulty – Chief Football Writer for the BBC Sport Website, Phil gives great insight into the circles he moves in and brings you the latest news.

Oliver Kay – Oliver Kay is a well-respected football correspondent for The Times Newspaper and posts news as well as pictures from the games.

Robbie Savage – Definitely a football ‘personality’, Robbie’s Tweets may stray from football from time to time but remain interesting if not always informative nonetheless.

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The best of the rest:

Samsung – They make TVs, Mobile Phones and pretty much every other gadget you could ever want. See what they’re releasing next!

Kick It Out – With allegations of further racism in football at the weekend, this time towards Neymar, make sure you support this cause

Empire of the Kop – ‘You’ll Never Tweet Alone’, especially with not far off 150,000 Liverpool fans following these updates.

Odds Checker – Fancy a bet? Check the odds of football and non-football events and decide whether to have a flutter or not.

The Football League – If you’re not a glory boy who follows the Premier League, then the Football League Twitter feed is for you.

Caught Offside – Football News and Gossip, if there’s a rumour worth hearing then these guys will probably have posted it.

Men’s Health Mag – For those fans that spend too much time on the sofa watching the footy, ‘your ultimate guide to fitness, health, weight loss, nutrition, sex, style and guy wisdom’.

Football Soccer UK – They claim to write ‘Thought provoking tweets on European Football…’ and close to 100,000 people follow them, worth a peek.

7 Digital – The home of MP3 downloads, check out the latest music releases first and get yourself some digital bargains.

Skittles – Granted, a little bit random, but they are the ‘Official Tweeter of Awesomeness. Follow the Rainbow. Taste the Rainbow’.

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Some new additions to the world of Twitter, as well as a couple of old favourites:

Michael Owen – MO has recently signed up to Twitter and has thousands of followers despite not Tweeting yet. That first one better be pure gold! (It wasn’t).

Aleksandr Orlov – As his bio says: “I am Aleksandr, founder of comparethemeerkat.com.I live and make my work in Moscow, where many generations of my family have thrive.”

Marc Albrighton – A great prospect for Aston Villa and England, we’ll just have to wait and see what his Tweets are like.

Charlie Sheen – Sheen has become a Twitter sensation within a matter of days, you don’t know what he’ll say next but then neither does he!

Grant Wahl – The final word on this list goes to Grant Wahl. The Sports Illustrated senior writer and New York Times best-selling author is running for FIFA president!

Those with a keen eye will have noticed that Jonjo Shelvey has deleted his account since making this list, which is now 99 Twitter accounts every football fan should follow! Also, if any of the accounts above aren’t real (apart from the spoof ones obviously) I can only apologise. Perhaps the players in question would like to get in touch with their official ones!

Bellamy isn’t the ‘special’ player to break Spurs’ successful structure

The general perspective surrounding Craig Bellamy can be likened to an English summer, when the sun is shining everything is grand but we conveniently forget the imminent showers and occasional thunder storms right around the corner.

On the back of a very good season with Manchester City, Bellamy has been strongly linked with a move to Tottenham Hotspur who pipped his side to that illusive final Champions League place towards the end of last season.

Spurs boss Harry Redknapp said on Wednesday that he would like “two or three more players who can make the difference” and the Welsh forward is apparently one of them

While Bellamy has shown signs of his ability at some of his previous clubs, they are commonly in patches, eventually fading out due to loss of form or fallouts with fellow staff members, sometimes both.

In his first season at Newcastle United he won the ‘PFA Young Player of the Year’ award but left two season later after an ongoing row with manager Graeme Souness and also sent Alan Shearer a taunting text message whilst on loan at Celtic after the Magpies FA Cup Semi-Final defeat to Manchester United which sums up his fiery character to a tee. In fact, using former Liverpool team-mate John Arne Riise as a tee was a catalyst to his eventual exit from Anfield after he attacked the Norwegian with a golf club during a training session

Bellamy has been somewhat of an enigma as his electric pace and good finishing have proven too tempting for managers to reject over his bad attitude and inconsistency yet his repeated transition from ‘hot to cold’ is why he keeps moving from one club to another.

Spurs already have the qualities Bellamy possesses in abundance; for his pace and dribbling there is Gareth Bale and Aaron Lennon, for his sharpness in front of goal there is Jermain Defoe and for an impact substitute they will now welcome back World Cup star Giovani dos Santos.

Under Daniel Levy, the Lilywhites have created a trading philosophy of signing players in their early to mid-20’s who are both in their prime years and will also gain an add-on value should both club and player feel it is a suitable time for them to go their separate ways.

At 31 years of age, Bellamy is hardly that ‘special’ player to break this successful structure. If Spurs were to sign someone reaching the latter stages of their career then it should only be for a world class player of the caliber of Diego Forlan or Luis Fabiano whose undoubted quality and proven ability could take the club to an even higher level.

Written By Andrew Vou

Click on image to see a gallery of the BEST BABES at the World Cup this summer

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Bale stars as Tottenham’s run goes on

Tottenham’s good run of form continued on Sunday, as they beat London rivals QPR 3-1 at White Hart Lane.

Welsh winger Gareth Bale scored a goal in each half either side of a Rafael van der Vaart strike to make it six wins in seven games for Harry Redknapp’s men.

Jay Bothroyd netted after the interval for the visitors to make it more tricky for the hosts, but Redknapp was delighted with the performance and the result.

It was a fantastic performance,” the 63-year-old said to Sky Sports after the game.

“In the first half we played some great football and moved the ball quickly. The movement and passing was incredible.

“They changed how they played, got it forward and played with more intensity in the second half but Gareth finished them off with a great goal.

“Suddenly they got a lifeline at 2-1 and it changes games so that third goal was important. I said at half-time we shouldn’t relax in the second half but, to be fair to them, they came out and raised their game.

“Overall we were outstanding today,” he stated.

Despite the goalscoring heroics of Bale, the coach picked out midfield general Scott Parker for particular praise after the win.

“Scott is a fantastic player. He was top of my list and he’s just what we need.

“He tackles, doesn’t give the ball away and he’s a great boy and fantastic person. He’s what you build great football clubs around,” Redknapp concluded.

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The victory lifts Spurs up to fifth place, equal on 19 points with Newcastle and Chelsea. The North London side face another city rival in the form of Fulham next Sunday.

By Gareth McKnight

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Inter ‘go beyond all limits’: Leonardo

Inter Milan boss Leonardo credited his side’s psychological strength following their come-from-behind 5-2 defeat of Genoa on Sunday.Inter were trailing 1-0 after Rodrigo Palacio opened Genoa’s account in the 40th minute at the San Siro, but the hosts slammed in three goals – two of them to Samuel Eto’o – in the first 17 minutes of the second half to wrest the advantage away.Goran Pandev added another in the 71st minute to make it 4-1, and on-loan Cesena defender Yuto Nagatomo notched his first Inter strike six minutes from time to complete the rout.Leonardo said he could not take credit for Inter’s stunning turnaround, praising instead the physical and mental strength of his players.”We were slow in the first half and these things can happen, but there were no magic words at half-time to get them going again,” the Brazilian manager said.”The fact we score so many second half goals is a great sign for our physical as well as psychological condition.””We work as a team unit and have the same ambitions, to fight together for something important.””This squad is ready and goes beyond all limits. We are coming up to the decisive moment of the season and we’re right in the battle.””Last night’s AC Milan win shows they are a solid outfit and deserve to be top of the table. It’s an open season and the derby will be spectacular, but there are plenty of other games to go as well.”Since taking over from Rafa Benitez, Leonardo has led Inter to 33 points in his first 13 Serie A games, breaking Fabio Capello’s record from his time at Juventus in 2004/05.But the Inter boss refused to be drawn on any similarities between himself and the England manager, who he played under as an attacking midfielder with AC Milan.”Never compare me to Capello,” Leonardo said. “That is not right, as he is my master. Capello brought me to Italy and is an important reference point, as he helped me a great deal.””It’s a nice record to have, but let’s not go overboard. Capello is on another level.”

Clearly one rule for Manchester City and one for everyone else

Oh joy of joys; it’s another blog about Manchester City killing football. And as a City fan, I of course present the backlash to the backlash.

There’s no doubt that things are changing in English football. The old guard is retreating (very slowly). Liverpool is in turmoil, United being bled dry, even Chelsea are looking at austere times, and a tightening of their Russian owner’s belt.

There’s no greater clue to the changing times than how lame Fergie’s “mind-games” have become. Once upon a time, Alex could will whole opposition teams and referees to fall before him with just a few achingly-sharp words. The story goes that after one such rebuttal to an opposition manager in a post-match “presser”, the manager in question’s hair fell out overnight, and he ended up living in a cave in Somerset surviving only on carrots and cup-a-soups. Now though, he’s no more than a mouthpiece for the Glazers. There’s no value in the market, you see?

One of the first criticisms I heard of Manchester City is that they are no longer likeable – “City used to be everyone’s second team”. Another way of phrasing this is City are no longer utter pants. Because that’s what likeable teams are – failures. Successful teams are hated, unsuccessful teams pitied. Sod being liked by other supporters – football is not a popularity contest, it is a series of competitions.

“The soul of the club has gone,” the writer and journalist Simon Hattenstone wailed, as he announced his detachment from the club he supposedly loved (he’ll soon came crawling back). Of course, he had no idea what this soul was, but hey, it sounded good. I can only imagine this soul was constant failure, a misshaped ground, poor players, boardroom turmoil, debt and mismanagement. I prefer being soulless to be honest. We were a Manchester-based club with an outdoor ticket office, because, what’s the worst that could happen?

Essentially, we were liked because we were a bit of a shambles – a comedy club (the Theatre of Base Comedy as Stuart Hall called Maine Road, until Kevin Keegan told him to shut up), unthreatening to anyone, fuelled by hope and nothing more. It’s when we started becoming a threat that people stopped liking us. “Nobody knows your name” sang United fans. They certainly do now.

Or perhaps it was when we started flashing the cash around. Now, you could argue it’s possible to be successful and well-liked. I’m sure it is, but you won’t find many examples. Barcelona springs to mind, but as we’ve seen in recent months, it’s partially built on a myth. They’re skint, with debts of 400m Euros (they can’t even afford to put a roof over the stands), they openly chase other teams’ players, their players dive and feign injuries for club and country (yes you, Iniesta), they’re much like the rest of us. The fact is, it isn’t a possibility for City. They could spend 20 years slowly, slowly building up a team, making value-for-money purchases and not stepping on any toes –who knows, by 2025, we might have crept into the Big 4. Or we can say sod it, we’re building a whole new legacy here, and we’ll go for it now. We’ll transform the club and the community beyond it, invest in the local economy, and lays the foundations for generations. Because we can.

In the end, what other fans think is irrelevant. History doesn’t record outlays, balance sheets and profit margins, just trophies, just success, however it is earned.

Another accusation is that City have now been accused of buying a history. Well there’s no need to, as we already have one. As Martin Samuel said, even MK Dons have a history. It seems there was no football before 1992 – it was all a dream. Nope, it all started with the launch of the premiership, and any achievements prior to that count for nothing. City won the NW Masters for the 3rd time recently, and still people claim we have no history.

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The media agree as a whole that spending what you earn is doing things the right way. Success guarantees cash, the riches of the Champions League, and thus more success. This devalues leagues where the same teams win season after season, especially in smaller leagues where a team with champions league revenue can then go on to dominate their league for a decade. But this is the right way. Or becoming a PLC just as the Sky cash starts rolling in. Perhaps City should double their ticket prices to match Arsenal’s, thus gaining more revenue, and thus be spending what we earn, and thus be doing things the right way (and we have started that process already). Everything was so much better before City ruined football, in the gold old days when loads of teams competed for the league, well except when United won 11 out of 17 league titles.

The right way is setting up a cartel, let’s call them the G14, then threatening a breakaway league unless UEFA keep the money flowing so that the status quo is maintained. This isn’t really a criticism – all clubs will try and protect their interests.

Oh and debt – that’s fine, especially with Platini. God forbid you are debt free and spending money you already own. That’s why clubs like Aston Villa and Everton are put forward as the sensible, prudent face of football, run sensibly and within their means, with little if any comment of the fact that collectively they are reportedly over £100m in debt. What has killed football throughout the leagues more than anything over the past 10 years has been clubs spending beyond their means. How ironic then that one of the few teams not to be doing this are accused of destroying the beautiful game.

No, what City are doing is buying better players to try and gain success. You might disagree with this, which is fair enough. But it is no different from doing what already successful teams have done and will continue to do. So do already successful teams have a greater right to splash the cash, due to having earned more money on the back of their success?

Well whatever your opinion, many other sports in the world would not allow this financial domination by a successful team. In fact, I cannot think of many other situation in world sport that rewards success more than being an English top four side.

In the US, you’ll probably be aware they have a draft system, first seen in 1935 to prevent sporting domination by one team. This system can also be found in sports in Canada, Japan, Australia, Russia and the Philippines.

It can be very complicated, and the rules are slightly different across the main sports, but fundamentally, it’s a case of the teams that finished ‘last’ in the season get the first pick of the new talent that becomes available the next year. Getting the first pick in the NFL or NBA draft can instantly change a team’s fortunes almost overnight.

In baseball it is harder to use the draft to turn around fortunes, but teams do try to use the draft to stockpile talent, with the idea that “2 or 3 years down the line” a team can contend -this worked for Oakland over many cycles throughout the years.

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It’s not quite that straight forward, as ownership of young players tends to last 5 years, after which they could become free agents and get signed by one of the big boys.

You can also factor in salary caps which exist in the NBA, NFL, NHL and decent collective bargaining agreements for merchandise and TV deals which prevent teams in large markets having a HUGE advantage in terms of getting money through local fan bases. I’m sure some Premiership teams (including City) would love their own TV deals like Barcelona and Madrid to stretch the gap between rich and poor.

So do City fans care about how we go about our business now? Well I can’t speak for all of them of course, but almost everyone I know seems pretty comfortable with it all. Served our dues and all that. Thirty years, and not a sniff of a trophy (the scars of that 1986 Full Members Cup defeat still run deep).

Ideally I’d like to see City successful and loved, but then I’d like world peace, the end of all disease, beer running out my taps at home and an endless supply of ice cream, but it’s not going to happen.

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The whole scenario is ridiculous, no doubt, and some City fans have become greedy about big signings. I saw a link to an article online the other day that said “City to bid £70m for Torres”, and I couldn’t even be bothered opening it. In the old days I used to scan 289 pages of Ceefax or ring up premium hotline numbers to catch an update on the possible loan signing of Egil Ostenstad. Sorry about that phone bill mum, I’d heard we were after Rob Hulse.

Then of course there is the media coverage. The Sun talks of how Toure will pocket £56m in wages from City. Obviously all these mercenaries coming to City don’t have to pay this thing called TAX, which the British government have set at a very fair rate of 50%. Obviously The Sun are aware of this thing called TAX, so are claiming that Toure’s wages before tax are £112m, or the equivalent of around £430,000 per week. He must have one hell of an agent.

Duncan White in the Telegraph said that City’s splurge is money bleeding out of the English game – this is a continuation of the ridiculous ill-thought comments that began two years previously with Mark Lawrenson saying that the money could be used to build hospitals and schools. Of course it suited White’s agenda to ignore our pursuit of Milner, and our previous acquisitions of Johnson, Barry, and Lescott. And Bellamy, and Adebayor. And Given and Toure. But more pertinently, it is not English money anyway, so how could he have a problem? We weren’t spending anything when we were previously skint, so either way the English game is not going to be reliant on City is it? And if it is, that’s a sad day. And if we buy £6 billion pounds of players from abroad, we would presumably have to sell some players – probably some to other English teams. It’s not rocket science is it?

As one agent commented, other clubs are waiting for each City transfer to occur. They create a ripple effect, and their money feeds right through the football system.

And not just from transfer activities. Ask the school in New York transformed by the rooftop pitch, or Hyde United, whose future has been secured by City (though some Hyde fans are still not happy, probably due to the kit colour changing from red!). Ask the taxman how many hundreds of millions will be pumped into the British economy, ask the local community in Beswick about the £1 billion project for the area around the ground. Whatever the right and wrongs, the season ahead should be an absolute cracker. I can’t wait.

Written By Howard Hockin

Click on image to see a gallery of the BEST BABES at the World Cup this summer

Neil Warnock ecstatic with victory

QPR boss Neil Warnock has expressed his delight at his side’s 1-0 win over Chelsea on Sunday, and feels the referee was not at fault for any of the major decisions in the game.

A Heidar Helguson penalty in the first half gave The Hoops victory over their London rivals, and Warnock is happy to have recorded the three points.

“It was fantastic for the fans,” he told Sky Sports.

“You don’t get results like we did today very often, not when playing a team with so much quality.

“But our boys did fantastically, we had a plan and it worked a treat. To get three points against Chelsea is like a dream,” he stated.

Referee Chris Foy sent off both Jose Bosingwa and Didier Drogba in the Rangers’ victory, which Andre Villas Boas was displeased with.

However, Warnock has backed the official and feels he had a good game.

“I don’t think the referee’s done much wrong today. He made fewer mistakes than both teams and I was glad to have someone experienced like him in charge.

“We’ve worked hard for 18 months to get a result like this and it’s fantastic. Now we have to take that on board and get more results like that at home,” he concluded.

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QPR have another London derby up next, as they take on Tottenham at White Hart Lane next Sunday.

By Gareth McKnight

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Great Games: The Stanley Matthews final

Trying to recall the 1953 FA Cup final sounds like an impossible task, until you hear it described by it’s more famous nickname. The Stanley Matthews final was of the greatest cup ties ever seen at Wembley as his performance inspired Blackpool to beat Bolton after being 3-1 down.

The performance of the Blackpool hero was that good that it eclipsed that of striker Stan Mortensen, who during the game, became the only player to score an FA cup hat-trick at the old Wembley.

The Tangerines went in at half-time 2-1 down, with Nat Lofthouse getting on the score sheet again for Bolton; he’d scored in every single round. In the second half, after going further behind, Matthews turned on the style and produced cross after cross for the Blackpool strikers to feast on.

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The winner, scored with seconds remaining again via a Matthews cross, sparked scenes of hysteria amongst the Blackpool fans. The performance of Matthews was said to be that good that the brilliant Nat Lofthouse even stood to applaud despite the crushing defeat.

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Matthews had missed out on the trophy in the previous two finals. Not only did he finally get his hands on the famous trophy in the year of ‘53, but he wrote himself a little bit of FA cup history which will be remembered forever.

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How Fabio Capello got it so wrong

Whilst the nation continues to analyse England’s 4-1 drubbing at the hands of Germany with a fine-toothed comb, the powers that be have announced that Fabio Capello’s position as manager will be reviewed over the next two weeks. With Capello’s predecessors Sven Goran Eriksson and Steve McClaren also unable to get the best out of the nation’s so-called ‘Golden Generation’, the finger of blame must indeed be pointed at the players too. However, in failing to qualify for the quarter-finals, Capello has failed to vindicate the FA’s decision to pay him £6m a year. Was Capello the main reason why England performed so dismally at the World Cup?

Despite Capello’s illustrious background and the good work he carried out during qualification, I cannot help but feel that he was tactically inept at the World Cup. Like his predecessors, Capello suffered the affliction of believing that using all your star players, irrelevant of where they are positioned, would constitute a good team. Frank Lampard, an attacking midfielder, who benefits at club level so much from having hard-working defensively minded midfielders behind him at Chelsea, looked unsuited to his deep berth with the national side. Yet again, Steven Gerrard was a victim of his versatility, being consigned to a role on the left-hand side of midfield.

Unfortunately, England perennially look like a side who struggle in possession. For reasons unknown to myself, many of England’s illustrious names do not look comfortable when with the ball. As such, the side should’ve been set up to press and to harry the opposition. In opting to line up in an increasingly outdated 4-4-2 set-up, Capello let his midfield get outnumbered, and the unfortunate absence of Owen Hargreaves meant that he had no natural ball-winner to pressurise the opposition into relinquishing possession. Gareth Barry lacked the drive, determination and pace to effectively fulfil this role, and the manner in which Mesut Ozil found space and time with the greatest of ease highlighted how badly Capello got it wrong.

The likes of Spain, Brazil, Argentina and Germany have all had relatively successful World Cup campaigns thus far, and not a single one of them uses 4-4-2. Whilst it is arguable that their success is attributable to the more talented crops of players that they have at their disposal, their respective managers’ decisions to correctly use their finest talents highlight one of Fabio Capello’s flaws. Kaka is used in his favoured role for Brazil, and Lionel Messi is given free reign for Argentina. Following the final whistle on Sunday, Harry Redknapp stated “We need to produce a player like Ozil.”

But we do – and we use him on the left in a 4-4-2. Instead of using Steven Gerrard in the position where he is most effective (in the middle, behind Wayne Rooney), he was deployed out wide. The criminal misuse of Steven Gerrard bears an uncannily similar resemblance to the woeful treatment afforded to Paul Scholes earlier on in the noughties.

Whilst the players were to blame for their showings, the manager is entirely responsible for team selection and tactical preferences. It is clear that Capello got both of these hideously wrong on Sunday, and he must take responsibility for his mistakes.

Should Capello stay, or should he go?

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The best Premier League battle in years

Tottenham defender Sebastien Bassong believes that this Premier League season is the most competitive for a long time. With the season now well underway the Cameroonian believes as many as seven clubs could battle it out for the top four spots and an all-important place in next year’s Champions League.

The 25-year-old told talkSPORT: “The league is getting crazier and crazier. We can’t even pick who is going to be in the top four or who is going to get relegated.

“It is really interesting and there will be a lot of teams involved in the title race.

“It is going to be a tough season, you have to win regularly and keep the levels really high no matter who we are playing against.”

Take a look at the runners and riders chasing the holy grail of Champions League football and make your own mind up over who will achieve their goal.

Manchester City

The top team in the country at present and looking completely unbeatable. After trouncing rivals United in the Manchester derby they confirmed their rightful place in the top four and having grabbed their first Champions League win against Villarreal last week they are going from strength to strength in the fight for trophies here and on the continent. With the ocean of talent at their disposal and the world-class talents on show in the form of Aguero, Silva and Balotelli, they are virtually guaranteed to finish it the top four and more than likely as Champions.

Manchester United

Fergie’s team are wounded at the minute but it should turn out to be nothing more than a blip in the machine that is Manchester United. The Red Devils have made the most consecutive appearances in the competition than any other side, currently on a run of 16 seasons. Although he’s been quiet in the last few games, Wayne Rooney will surely play a big part in the team’s success and the young blood of Danny Welbeck and Tom Cleverley will want to show they can be the next home grown legends at Old Trafford. It would be a brave man to bet against them making a return next year. Expect them to chase City all the way.

Chelsea

Under young buck Andre Villas-Boas, the Blues have made an understated start, flying under the radar into third place and only a point behind Fergie’s men. With eight years fighting at the top under the ownership of Roman Abramovich, the experience is there to continue that battle despite the fresh face of the manager. Having reached the final in 2008 only to lose on penalties, they will want to keep trying until the fully repress the demons of that day. The disciplinary record may affect them, having had five players sent off already this season but the players at the club are likely to be able to guide the club into the top four even if a few more see red.

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Tottenham Hotspur

With three places pretty much certainly taken, fourth place is the one everybody else is fighting for. The Spurs side have got a taste of the Champions League now and are determined to get back. The Europa League is not a consolation for Harry Redknapp and the teams he selects for those games reflect how little he cares for it. Having started the season against both Manchester clubs they were unfairly near the bottom, but five wins in the last six games have put them right in contention. Last season the squad was strong but tired towards the end and Harry will be hoping that the acquisition of Adebayor and energetic Scott Parker will be enough to steer them back to the Promised Land.

Liverpool

Everybody’s dark horse for the League this season have disappointed so far, failing to turn their dominance into points on occasions, particularly in front of the home crowd against Norwich. Having said that, the side was very strong in the second half of last season and are in a much better position than twelve months ago so if the form they should early in 2011 comes back at the turn of the year, they will be staking their claim come May. Luis Suarez and returning captain Steven Gerrard will be pivotal in deciding whether the fly or fall.

Arsenal

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Following their horrendous start to the season everybody was wondering whether the Gunners would even reach the top half, nevermind Europe. But three consecutive wins in the league over Bolton, Sunderland and Stoke have put them in seventh, only six points behind Chelsea. And with Robin van Persie banging in goals from all angles, you wouldn’t 8-2 be an Arsenal fan right now.

Newcastle United

Dreams do come true, right? After the regular summer controversy at St James’ Park where three of the clubs best players followed Andy Carroll out of the exit door, one to the Championship and two following some uncomplimentary tweeting, it didn’t look too promising for the Toon Army. But nine games in they are the only team other than the mercurial Manchester City that are unbeaten and have looked strong and composed under Alan Pardew. Chiek Tiote is in good form and Collocini has been a rock at the back, while Demba Ba is showing the form that made West Ham take a punt on him. It could happen. That’s why we love football.

Who do you think will fill the top four? Comment below or follow me on Twitter @jrobbins1991.

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Levy’s transfer mistake, Spurs and Barca battle for Bosman DEAL, Assou-Ekotto has started to answer his critics – Best of THFC

Tottenham by nature never make life easy for themselves and this week certainly proved no different as the North Londoners missed a golden opportunity to move into third place in the Premier League. If Harry Redknapp is going to secure Champions League football next season then it is clear that they will have to do it the hard way, although Spurs fans will concur that they don’t know it any other way.

At FFC this week we have seen a mixed bag of Tottenham blogs that include a cheaper option to the club’s stadium development; Assou Ekotto proves critics wrong, while it is time Aaron Lennon got similar plaudits to Theo.

We also look at the best Tottenham articles around the web this week.

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How ‘Championship Manager’s’ finest fell by the wayside*

The WORST Tottenham Kits of our time?

Only serves to highlight Levy’s transfer failing

Tottenham set to battle for Fenerbahce star

The cheaper option to Tottenham’s stadium development?

Tottenham prodigy highlights the pitfalls of a big move

‘Six of the best’ – Tottenham starlets set to make the grade at WHL

Benoit Assou-Ekotto has certainly proved me wrong

Harry Redknapp’s most pressing problem

Top TEN Football Rulings That Need To Change

Tottenham game highlights why I hate player ratings

The right move for Connor Wickham?

Time Aaron Lennon was afforded similar praise?

Is their achievement really greater than that of Tottenham?

A transfer stance that will show that Tottenham are the real deal

*Best of Web*

The only way we know – Spurs Musings From JimmyG2

You Make Your Own Luck – Tottenham On My Mind

Spurs stadium – It’s all gone quiet over there – Martin Cloake Online

A Guided Tour Of Crazypavinchenko’s House – Harry Hotspur

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Anyone for a goal? – Dear Mr Levy

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Click on image below to see a gallery of Christian’s lady wife

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