Having beaten Liverpool at Anfield in the 4th Round of the Capital One Cup, Swansea City now face Middlesbrough at the Liberty Stadium in the 5th Round and Capital One is giving away the ultimate Swansea fans experience for supporters of the Swans.
Capital One is offering Swansea fans the opportunity to see their Football Club train and to take a tour of the club’s stadium.
Opened in 2005, the Liberty Stadium has been the home of Swansea City for the last seven years and has seen the Swans rise through the divisions, into the Premier League.
Fancy taking a sneak peek behind the scenes at the home of Swansea City Football Club with two of your mates in tow?
Simply answer a question posed by Capital One and review the T’s & C’s for more details on what’s included in these one day club experiences.
The closing date is the 25th November 2012, so don’t leave it too late.
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After underperforming hugely at Euro 2016, Harry Kane was under pressure to deliver as England captain at World Cup 2018 and so far he is doing just that.
The Tottenham hitman’s style is such that he can be anonymous for much of the game but devastating when opportunities are presented to him.
In a World Cup, that could prove to be deadly and he already leads the way in the race for the Golden Boot with five goals to his name so far after yet another clinical display as England thrashed Panama 6-1 on Sunday.
The Three Lions played better in their opening match against Tunisia but the ruthlessness that was missing then was present in abundance here as Gareth Southgate’s men scored with practically every attack.
Kane epitomised that with his hat-trick, netting two emphatic penalties before diverting Ruben Loftus-Cheek’s shot into the net, yet again getting the very most in terms of return out of a game when he was not heavily involved in open play.
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Southgate will be elated to have a man on such hot form in his ranks as he guides his side into the knockout stages; Kane is making England a side every other nation must be wary of as the tournament wears on.
Southampton have confirmed that their defender, Florin Gardos, has completed a return to Romania on loan.
What’s the story?
The Saints have confirmed that Florin Gardos has joined Clubul Sportiv Universitatea Craiova on loan for the remainder of the season. The defender has had a particularly difficult time during his Southampton career.
The 29-year-old’s new club are currently situated in the third position in Liga 1, Romania’s premier division.
What are his qualities?
There’s no doubting that injuries have had a severe impact on Gardos’ career, however during the pinnacle of his physical condition he was regarded as a good defender who is especially skilled at tackling and dominant when competing in aerial duels. He could have been a terrific option for the Saints had he remained fit.
Why is he leaving?
Gardos joined Southampton from Steaua București in the summer of 2014. Despite making 17 appearances during his first season with the club, the Romanian international has had his Saints career hindered by injury.
Over the duration of the past three seasons, the defender has only made a single appearance for the Saints. As per transfermarkt, the Romanian has been absent for 378 days through injury as a Southampton player, and he’s failed to recover from the setbacks that he’s faced.
Should Southampton replace him?
In light of Virgil Van Dijk’s highly-discussed departure to Liverpool in the January transfer window, further defensive reinforcement could prove to be exceedingly beneficial for the Saints.
Southampton are currently situated in 18th place in the Premier League, and their tendency to concede goals has been a severe issue this season.
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In 27 league games, the Saints have conceded 40 goals, averaging a ratio far higher than a goal conceded per game.
Wesley Hoedt and Jack Stephens are the only recognised centre-backs that Mauricio Pellegrino has at his disposal. Accordingly, the need for defensive reinforcement is apparent.
Manchester United is undoubtedly the most successful English club in the Premier League. They’ve won 13 of the 22 EPL seasons, as well as two Champions League triumphs. And a lot of their success is down to their good transfer business over the past two decades.
Manager Sir Alex Ferguson, in charge of the club for 26 years, was a massive part to the Red Devils’ dominance signing players like Wayne Rooney, Ruud van Nistelrooy, Cristiano Ronaldo, and of course Eric Cantona.
However you can’t always get it right, with the United hierarchy purchasing several flop players during the Premier League era.
Here are the TOP FIVE WORST Manchester United signings in Premier League history…
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5. Marouane Fellaini
Although it’s been only one year since Fellaini’s £27.5million deadline day deal from Everton, the transferred epitomized Manchester United’s worst ever season in the Premier League era.
United have just lost Sir Alex Ferguson for the first time with David Moyes replacing the legendary Scot, and fans expected to see Moyes spend big in order to challenge for the Premier League title once again.
But Moyes was over-cautious, before using a massive £27.5million to bring his former midfielder, who went from double digit league goals with Everton to none last season.
The powerful Belgian still has time to redeem himself under new boss Louis van Gaal, but many have already labelled him the biggest transfer flop of 2013-2014.
4. Juan Sebastian Veron
Juan Sebastian Veron was signed in 2001 from Serie A side Lazio as one of the best players in the world for a huge £28.1million, but failed to live up to the fan’s high expectations.
There was no doubt the Veron was a classy player, able to pick up players with the long ball and dictate central midfield. However he was never able to adapt to the pace of the Premier League, which saw him caught out more often than not.
After only two seasons United cut their losses by selling him to Chelsea for half the price at £14million, but the Argentine only managed seven league appearances during an injury ravaged season.
3. Massimo Taibi
//www.youtube.com/embed/esFAGx7RDL4
In the 1999 summer transfer window spirits were extremely high in the United camp after their incredible Treble of League, Cup, and Champions League success. But legendary goalkeeper Peter Schmeichel left the club, forcing Ferguson to search for a successor.
His replacement was Massimo Taibi, purchased from Venezia for £4.5million and had a decent start for the Red Devils with a man-of-the-match performance against Liverpool. However in his third game against Southampton the Italian was the victim of one of the worst goalkeeping blunders in history, as he let a weak Matt le Tissier shot trickle under his legs (1:40 in the video).
The next match United lost 5-0 to Chelsea, which was the last Red Devils saw of the Milan youth goalkeeper.
2. Anderson
Anderson is still on the Manchester United roster, but it is a bit of a surprise the Brazilian hasn’t been offloaded already.
The 26-year-old was a massive £25million purchase from FC Porto back in 2007, after his exploits with the Portuguese side dubbed him as the ‘next Ronaldinho’.
Anderson arrived on £3million less than Veron, but although Veron showed signs of immense class, Anderson was never able to fulfil the potential legendary Brazilian World Cup winner Tostao dubbed to be as good as Neymar.
Many other flops – like Kleberson and Djemba Djemba – came as unknowns but the huge hype surrounding the Anderson signing and massive fee make the midfielder one of Ferguson’s worst ever transfers.
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1. Bebe
Number one on the Manchester United worst transfer list is none other than Bebe.
The Portuguese winger/striker was technically not even Alex Ferguson’s signing, as then assistant manager Carlos Quieroz recommended Bebe to his boss and the Red Devils went on to sign him for a £7million fee.
However the 24-year-old was unable to convince anyone at Old Trafford of his abilities, making only two appearances to the supporters’ bewilderment.
Not only were the fans confused, but so was Ferguson… who had reportedly never seen Bebe play.
This statement from Bebe summarized the relationship: “He told me to cut my hair, it will look better. So I cut it the same day. In the next training session, he didn’t recognise me. I went past him many times and he didn’t know me.”
Bebe was sent out on loan three times, but surprisingly, had a successful 2013-2014. He has however confirmed his departure recently, ending his Manchester United career.
Arsenal centre forward Olivier Giroud has come out and stated the importance of winning the Capital One Cup.
The French international is still adapting to the English culture, but believes it is important that his side are focussed for their next tie.
The North London club pulled out Bradford and a trip to the Valley Parade in the quarter final draw with the game set to be played out on December 10th.
He told London 24 sport after the match “I think it should be for us, an objective”.
Giroud recently told Sky sports that he believed the goal he scored for France again Spain in the recent 2014 World Cup Qualifiers will provide him a huge boost for when he plays domestically in the Premier League.
The former Montpellier man signed in a £10 million deal this summer and has had to deal with the burden of expectation, of trying to replace Robin Van Persie, who scored 37 goals in all competitions for Arsenal last season.
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It will be hoped that when Arsenal take on Bradford in the last eight that Giroud can replicate the form he showed in the French League last season, which made him top goalscorer.
Tottenham Hotspur fans are unsure about pursuing Borussia Dortmund midfielder Mario Gotze this summer, after he was linked with a move to the Premier League last week.
Football.london reported that Spurs were a number of English clubs considering a move for the 2014 World Cup winner, with the player thought to be available for around £18m in the upcoming transfer window.
Gotze was once one of the brightest talents in world football, excelling for both Borussia Dortmund and rivals Bayern Munich before scoring the winning goal for Germany in a World Cup final.
These days though his profile is less stellar and he’s struggled to become a key member of Dortmund’s starting eleven after returning from Bayern.
With talented undoubtedly there though, he is an interesting link for Spurs and could find the best of his form under a motivating manager like Mauricio Pochettino.
Spurs are split on signing him, taking to Twitter to share their thoughts on it all.
According to II Bianco Nero, Juventus sent scouts to watch Tottenham Hotspur attacker Christian Eriksen in action against Liverpool on Sunday afternoon.
What’s the story?
In terms of value for money, Tottenham’s acquisition of Eriksen must be up there when it comes to Premier League bargains.
Spurs only paid Ajax £11m for the attacker in the summer of 2013, and he has scored 50 goals in 209 appearances for the London club in all competitions.
This term, Eriksen has managed eight goals in 28 appearances, and according to II Bianco Nero, Juventus watched the Denmark international in action against Liverpool.
It was not Eriksen’s finest performance of the season, but his use of the ball – particularly in the second period – was impressive, and Juventus would have been impressed with the calmness that the attacker showed in possession.
Can Tottenham keep hold of him?
Whether or not Tottenham can keep hold of their star players has been the topic of debate over the last couple of years.
Harry Kane and Dele Alli continue to be linked with the biggest clubs in world football, but Eriksen deserves to be placed alongside those two when it comes to importance to Spurs.
Eight goals and eight assists in 30 appearances this season show Eriksen’s excellent form, and he scored a super early goal against Manchester United at Wembley last week.
There is no question that Tottenham will do everything they can to keep hold of the Dane, but it would not be a surprise if Eriksen had his head turned by Juventus.
Indeed, the attacker, who is valued at £63m by transfermarkt.co.uk, might well have to assess whether he has a realistic chance of winning trophies at Tottenham.
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Juventus would be able to offer Eriksen the opportunity to win titles on a regular basis, and he might well fancy trying his hand in Italy at this stage of his career.
The 25-year-old is a wonderful footballer, and it would not be a surprise to see the likes of Real Madrid and Barcelona join Juventus in the hunt.
Chelsea manager Jose Mourinho has denied a charge from the FA and has requested a non-personal hearing in regards to his post-match comments after the Blues’ 2-1 loss against Sunderland on April 19.
Rui Faria, Chelsea’s assistant manager, has also admitted to two misconduct charges as well as requesting a non-personal hearing.
In the same game, Brazilian midfielder Ramires received a four-match ban for his lash out on Sunderland’s Sebastian Larsson.
The Black Cats ended Mourinho’s 77-match unbeaten Chelsea home league run and the Portuguese manager was unable to hide his anger, resulting him to sarcastically praise the performance of the match officials.
After the game, Mourinho told Sky Sports: “Mike Dean’s performance was unbelievable and when referees have unbelievable performances it’s fair to congratulate them.
“He came here with one objective, the objective to make a fantastic performance and he did that.
“Congratulations to Mike Riley, because he’s the referees’ boss, and what they are doing during the whole season is fantastic, especially in the last couple of months, especially in matches involving the teams that were in the title race – it’s absolutely fantastic.”
An FA Statement read: “Jose Mourinho has denied an FA charge and requested a non-personal hearing in relation to comments he made following Chelsea’s game against Sunderland on April 19, 2014.
“It is alleged that Mourinho’s post-match comments constitute improper conduct, in that they call into question the integrity of the referee appointed to the above fixture (Mike Dean) and/or the integrity of Mr Mike Riley, general manager of the Professional Game Match Officials Limited, and/or the comments bring the game into disrepute.
“In relation to the same fixture, Chelsea assistant manager Rui Faria has admitted two misconduct breaches and requested a non-personal hearing.
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“The first breach was that Faria used abusive and/or insulting words towards the fourth official (Phil Dowd). The second breach was that Faria’s behaviour following the match referee’s request that he leave the technical area amounted to improper conduct.
“A date for both hearings will be set in due course.”
The League Club has a long and storied history stretching back over 50 years. In that time, the competition has been graced by some of the most significant figures in English football. In this series, we’ll be looking at what’s happened to some of the legends of League Cups past.
You’ve all heard of the Bosman ruling, and a good deal of you are probably aware of the story of Jean-Marc Bosman, the Belgian midfielder who all but forfeited his career to fight for the rights of out-of-contract footballers to move to the team of their choice, regardless of the wishes of their former employers.
You may not, however, have heard of his predecessor, George Eastham.
Bosman paved the way for the likes of Robin van Persie and Cesc Fabregas to force transfers, and for such international stars as Edgar Davids, Esteban Cambiasso and Patrick Kluivert to move between clubs for nothing when their new employers might otherwise have been put off by high transfer fees. The Bosman ruling, though, would not have been possible without George Eastham’s campaign of 1959-63.
On the pitch, Eastham is perhaps best known (besides his involvement in England’s World Cup winning squad of 1966) for scoring the winning goal in Stoke City’s League Cup triumph of 1972, a 2-1 victory over Chelsea. Having formerly played for Arsenal, it must have been a sweet moment for Eastham, who became the oldest player to receive a League Cup winner’s medal at the time at 35 years, 161 days old.
Renowned for his goalscoring while playing largely as a midfielder, Eastham enjoyed successful, if sometimes turbulent, spells at Newcastle and Arsenal before moving to Stoke in 1966 after the World Cup. He would spend the final eight seasons of his career with the Potters as a more deep-lying midfielder, but one of his four goals for Stoke would be that League Cup final winner.
Off the pitch, however, Eastham’s biggest triumph was bringing about the end of the so-called “slavery contract”, the retain-and-transfer system which allowed clubs at the time to hold a player’s FA registration while refusing to pay them if they requested a transfer – meaning that the player could earn neither a wage nor a move. Eastham’s club, Newcastle, were not prepared to let him leave when the inside forward requested a transfer in 1959. Eastham went on strike at the end of the 1959-60, moving away from the north-east in the process.
Eventually, Newcastle bowed to his wishes and sold the forward to Arsenal, but Eastham wouldn’t be stopped that easily. He went on to take the Magpies to court four years later, and the judge ruled that the retain-and-transfer system was an unfair restraint of trade. Eastham’s crusade led not just to radical changes in contractual agreements of the time, but, indirectly, also to the abolition of the maximum wage.
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After hanging up his boots in 1973, Eastham spent a short period of time as a coach at Stoke and succeeded Tony Waddington as manager in 1977. With the team struggling, however, Eastham was unable to prevent them being relegated from the First Division and resigned after less than a year with Stoke struggling in the second tier.
Eastham has since lived in South Africa and most recently in Canada, without the fame his ground-breaking court case would afford him were it held today. What cannot be ignored, however, is the impact that George Eastham has left on modern football. And along the way, he helped Stoke City win the 1972 League Cup, their last major trophy for twenty years.
It remains to be seen whether there will be an unlikely hero in this year’s Capital One Cup but the competition certainly has form when it comes to taking a player out of obscurity and thrusting them into the limelight.
Newcastle fans have been debating a possible deal for West Ham target Javier Pastore, but the majority of fans would avoid a swoop for the PSG star.
West Ham fans have been in frenzy since they were linked with moves for PSG’s Pastore and Lazio’s Felipe Anderson, but Newcastle fans aren’t interested in hijacking a move for the former.
PSG are almost certain to sell Pastore, as injuries and competition for places meant the Argentine international started just 14 Ligue 1 games last season, and the French champions need to offload some players to comply with Financial Fair Play regulations.
He managed four goals and five assists last season, and certainly has the quality to make a difference to any side in the world.
[brid autoplay=”true” video=”252976″ player=”12034″ title=”Watch 21 things that will definitely happen at the World Cup”]
He has also been working in Unai Emery’s high tempo pressing style, so would be able to transition to the hard work demanded by every Newcastle player under Rafael Benitez.
PSG’s willingness to sell means he could be available for around 20m, and Newcastle are in desperate need of some creativity and goals, so it seems a no brainer to make a bid.
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Surprisingly though, fans are against hijacking the Hammers’ move for Pastore, as 65 per cent said no to a summer swoop for the 29-cap man.