Netherlands star Arjen Robben has emerged as a major World Cup doubt after limping out of a warm-up game with a suspected hamstring problem.
The injury-plagued winger fell to the ground clutching the back of his leg during the second half of Saturday's 6-1 thrashing of Hungary in Amsterdam.
The Bayern Munich wideman was a half-time substitute in the friendly but failed to see out the game.
He was helped to his feet before gingerly walking off the Amsterdam Arena pitch with help from the team's medical staff.
Coach Bert van Marwijk has confirmed that Robben will undergo scans in Amsterdam on Sunday rather than travel out to South Africa with his international team-mates.
"I would rather lose this match and have Arjen stay fit," said van Marwijk at full-time.
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"He felt a sharp pain. That does not bode well. But I do not lose hope."Subscribe to Football FanCast News Headlines by Email
In the aftermath of England’s World Cup opener against the USA the goalkeeping bungle of Robert Green unsurprisingly dominated the headlines, but the most disappointing thing from my point of view was that our Wayne Rooney, our best player, was completely anonymous.
In the build up to the World Cup many were questioning Rooney’s temperament after he allegedly swore at a referee during England’s friendly against the Platinum Allstars, but his aggression is part of his game. Do we need the Manchester United man to get angry to rediscover his best form?
I don’t know who started the myth that Emile Heskey brings the best out of Rooney, but I do not see the point in playing our talisman in an unnatural position to fit an inferior player into the XI and the fact he wasn’t the main man in the attack made his performance a little tame. When Heskey is having more of an effect on the game than Rooney there must be a cause for concern, especially when the best chance to regain the lead fell to the laboured Villa striker instead of the more clinical Rooney.
If it isn’t broke, then don’t fit it. Why would we want Rooney to be any different to the way he plays in the Premier League for the Red Devils? He has just had the best season of his life playing as a lone striker for Man United scoring (34 goals in 44 games) and is often angry, aggressive, menacing, competitive and admittedly sometimes petulant…just as long as he isn’t getting himself sent off we should let him be that way.
I couldn’t imagine the Ivorians wishing for a meeker Didier Drogba than the one who scores all those goals for Chelsea and by the same token it wouldn’t make sense for the Portuguese to wish for a more humble Cristiano Ronaldo than the one who has carried Real Madrid over the past season in La Liga
The opposition managers must be delighted that we are sticking the reins on the player that they fear the most, not only that but we seem to play a system which is also to the detriment of Steven Gerrard and Frank Lampard also and they are our other main goal threats.
Capello is a great coach, but he has to trust his players and must let Rooney play to his most snarling, aggressive and angriest self. Instead we seem to have a Rooney playing in fear and the media seem more concerned about his supposedly vulgar language than the way he performs on the pitch.
Perhaps one of the reasons the 24-year-old Three Lions forward is so subdued is because he is still getting over the injury problems which marred the latter part of his Premier League season.
It’s not out of the ordinary for England to suffer a slow start in the World Cup and they didn’t even win their opener back in the 1966 campaign when we won it. From what I saw of the Algerians and Slovenians we have absolutely nothing to worry about, but we must win the group as meeting Germany so early playing the way we are could mean an early exit.
However, Capello must get the best out of Rooney, who is our most potent weapon and after the season he has had he deserves to have his name mentioned alongside the world’s best player, if England are to have an impact in this tournament then the Manchester United forward would have to be at his most aggressive and fieriest self, the player that Sir Alex Ferguson demands him to be on a weekly basis.
What do fans think Capello should do to get the best out of Wayne Rooney?
Here’s some highlights of the United forward from over the past season:
[youtube Am_AeZnudQ0]
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Wolves manager Mick McCarthy hopes to land the St Etienne midfielder Guirane N'Daw on a season-long loan.
McCarthy had been hoping to bring the Senegal international to Molineux on a permanent deal but, having been unable to sell many members of his first-team squad this summer, knows there are limited funds available.
The 26-year-old former Nantes player has featured in 34 games for St Etienne having previously played in more than 100 matches for Sochaux and 32 for the Canaries.
Chief executive Jez Moxey said: "We're putting together a really good team and we'd probably like to bring one more in. Whether that deal is on loan is a possibility, but we may have to sell some players to raise some cash."
McCarthy has said in the past that he is willing to listen to offers for Andy Keogh, Stefan Maierhofer, Matt Hill and Greg Halford.
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Maierhofer is being linked with a season-long loan switch to a German second division side in Duisburg.Subscribe to Football FanCast News Headlines by Email
Aston Villa manager Martin O'Neill has admitted his frustration over the possibility of losing James Milner to Manchester City.
The England midfielder has told O'Neill of his desire to leave Villa Park after returning to the Midlands club following a post-World Cup break.
Villa had turned down an initial £20million bid from their big-spending Premier League rivals earlier in the summer and O'Neill was hoping to persuade Milner to stay.
However, he is now resigned to losing the 24-year-old midfielder and has been left to lament the impact on his side's chances of breaking into the Premier League's top four this season.
"Just when you think your team is getting there, getting close to fourth spot, City appear on the horizon with all this money. It seems to be getting further away," he reflected.
"Well done Spurs for getting into the Champions League (ahead of City last season), but up until their second last game they could have finished anywhere from fourth to seventh.
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"Top four remains a possibility but to win the title, you need to have the squad. City will have 28 or 29 top-class players available."Subscribe to Football FanCast News Headlines by Email
Arsenal goalkeeper Manuel Almunia has suggested he could leave the club if manager Arsene Wenger brings in a replacement.
The Gunners have been strongly linked with Fulham shot-stopper Mark Schwarzer in recent times and the Spaniard has admitted the media reports are proving to have an unsettling effect on him.
"To be honest, it is so difficult to concentrate because Arsenal is a big club and speculation is always in the news and everywhere," Almunia told the London Evening Standard.
"The only thing I can do is keep working because I have a contract here and I have to do what the manager wants from me.
"I have not spoken to him. If somebody comes in, I will have to talk about my future at Arsenal. That is it. I cannot talk now, because the talking would be for nothing.
"I have to work and if one day I am not good for Arsenal, I will talk. That is no problem. I am very happy here.
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"The only news I have is from third parties – people at the training ground. When I go out and when I come back from training, I switch off."Subscribe to Football FanCast News Headlines by Email
Manchester City boss Roberto Mancini claims Mario Balotelli will prove a better signing than Fernando Torres.
Mancini landed the 20-year-old Italian from former club Internazionale for a fee in the region of £25million last week.
Balotelli scored on his City debut after bagging the winner in Thursday's 1-0 Europa League play-off victory over FC Timisoara.
Mancini turned to Balotelli after failing to prise Spain striker Torres away from Liverpool during a lengthy summer transfer saga.
However, the Italian coach has no regrets about the route he has taken, with the two strikers set to go head-to-head in Monday's clash with Liverpool at Eastlands.
"Torres is a fantastic striker but I think it was difficult for Liverpool to sell him because he's such an important player for them," explained Mancini.
"But it's good for us that we got Balotelli instead.
"Balotelli could be even better than Torres because Torres can only play as a striker. Balotelli can play as a striker or as a winger.
"What is sure is we are talking about two fantastic players.
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"In my view, there are eight or nine fantastic strikers in the world – and Torres and Balotelli are two of them.
"Then there's (Zlatan) Ibrahimovic, (Cristiano) Ronaldo, (Carlos) Tevez and (Lionel) Messi. They're all fantastic players and we've managed to get one of them."Subscribe to Football FanCast News Headlines by Email
There are few players that move between fierce rivals. It is a rarity for a footballer to move from Newcastle to Sunderland, Liverpool to Everton, Arsenal to Tottenham and vice-versa, but one player has done just that by moving from Aston Villa to Birmingham and it has helped to kick start his career. Former Aston Villa midfielder Craig Gardner moved to St Andrews in the January transfer window for a sum of £3 million and he has gone from strength to strength in the blue half of Birmingham.
The move earlier this year was made even more surprising by the fact that Gardner spent the whole of his youth career at Villa Park, although he is a life-long Blue. In his five years at the club Gardner made over 50 Premier League appearances for Villa, but failed to hold down a first team place during his time at the club. This is the exact opposite at Birmingham where he has become an important first team player under Alex McLeish and has even been in great goal scoring form as well. He started off the season by scoring twice against Blackburn Rovers as Birmingham came from behind to win 2-1, and he also netted in the game against Bolton Wanderers.
There are few fiercer rivalries in the Premier League than the one between Aston Villa and Birmingham and both teams’ sets of fans will be greatly looking forward to the match at Villa Park on Sunday 31st October. It’s a particularly good time for football in the Midlands, with both Wolves and West Bromwich Albion being in the Premier League too meaning that there are 4 clubs within 12 miles of each other. But will we see many more players cross the Midlands divide any time soon. It’s definitely worked wonders for Gardner:
It has been raining goals at the Emirates this week as the Premier League’s great entertainers have been destroying defences at will. Cesc Fabregas appears to finally be finding his feet this season; which will surely strike the fear of god into the opposition.
This week at FFC we have seen a mixed bag of blogs that include…curse of leaving Arsenal; 5 reasons why this could be Wenger’s year and has Jack Wilshere been harshly treated?
Plus we have taken a look at the best Arsenal stories on the Web this week.
Top TEN Premier League WAGS
The Premier League MYTHS debunked
Has Jack Wilshere been harshly treated?
Will Arsenal really benefit from the NEW ‘spending rules’?
The CURSE of leaving Arsenal Football Club
FIVE reasons why this could just be Arsenal’s year
Do Wenger words inadvertently have a negative affect?
VIDEO: Top TEN Solo goals of all time
One aspect of Premier League clubs that the PRESS casually ignore
TEN ‘stupid’ things that still exist in football
Top TEN Overrated Premier League Players
A look into the FUTURE of the Premier League
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Best of Web
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Is Koscielny the new Senderos? – Online Gooner
We didn’t sign Ozil, but Wilshere is like a new signing. – Le Grove
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Shining Lights Give Wenger Strength – A Cultured Left Foot
The Road to Wembley… – Highbury House
They’ve Only Got 10 Men – Online Gooner
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A welcome addition to our Champions League wag series – click on the image to view the gallery of Yolanthe Cabau
Harry Redknapp lavished praise on Gareth Bale after he came close to salvaging Tottenham's Champions League tie with Internazionale.
The Wales winger scored a second-half hat-trick in Wednesday's 4-3 defeat at the San Siro.
Spurs were 4-0 down after 35 minutes and reduced to ten men following an early red card for goalkeeper Heurelho Gomes.
Redknapp's side were staring a European humbling in the face before Bale's intervention and afterwards he was hailed by his manager.
"He's an amazing young player. He plays left-back, he plays wide left, he scores goals, he can run all day," he said.
"Even first half, he gave the right-back (Maicon) a torrid time, I felt.
"The right-back's one of the best right-backs in the world."
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Asked whether Bale's hat-trick heroics could lead to fresh transfer interest, Redknapp replied:"There's no way that the club would or should contemplate ever selling him at the moment, certainly not in the near future.
"We should be looking to improve the team, not sell when we get an offer for one of our very, very best players."Subscribe to Football FanCast News Headlines by Email
After another week in the weird and whacky world of English football, Man United uncover another badge kissing gem, the mystros behind Liverpool’s backroom change overs just try and fit in and Joe Hart reflects on the beginnings of a beautiful new friendship.
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After successfully securing the services of Javier Hernandez, the Little Pea has spoken of his concerns
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Meanwhile in the Directors Box at Anfield
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Meanwhile back in Manchester some confusion has taken place in Joe Hart’s box
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Over at the San Siro, Gareth Bale and Jermaine Jenas wonder what has hit them
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Finally we move to St Andrews where Ian Holloway is having one of those days
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Things don’t get better for Olly in the second half