Gareth Bale's Left Foot Strikes Against Inter Make Europe Drool

When Gareth Bale first burst onto the scene at Spurs, nobody was sure where to play this immensely talented youngster. He had the skills and ability to play at left back or left wing. Superbly athletic, incredibly quick and possessor of the best left foot in England, Bale is now enjoying life and football on the left flank of Tottenham Hotspur.

His performances have picked up since Redknapp started playing him on the left wing at the tail end of last season. He ended last season with three goals and five assists. This season, he has picked up from where he left off and has drawn much praise from his manager.

And when one looks at his goals against Stoke and now against Inter Milan, it is no wonder why he is garnering so much attention from admiring managers.

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Fernando Torres' Problems Pile Up

Rooney Debacle Brought Out Rare Fergie Vulnerability

When I first read the news that Wayne Rooney will leave Manchester United, I was hardly surprised. After all, the man has done that before. At a tender age of 18, he ditched Everton for the best club in the country at that time, Manchester United. So yes, he has done it before and should it be a surprise that he is ready to say goodbye to a club on the decline?

What was more surprising was the obvious vulnerability shown by Sir Alex Ferguson. That was really poignant for me. Never before had a player leaving been that heartbreaking for a man who has seen it all and won it all. Fergie was clearly hurt by Rooney's insistence to leave Old Trafford. In Manchester United, no one player was bigger than the club but in my opinion, Rooney came very close to being an iconic symbol of United. Every season, Rooney's performances and heart have mirrored that of United's legendary manager and these two could have been seen as kindred spirits. As such, for Rooney to turn away from United is a stab in the back for the Scot - something Fergie is not used to experiencing.

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Quotable Evidences Of Roy Hodgson's Small-Club Mentality

Through his first 15 matches with Liverpool,  Roy Hodgson has come across as a considerate, media friendly and very much the elder statesman that the board at Liverpool would have hoped. His amicable English nature is a sharp contrast to the more arrogant and abrasive Benitez. After saying and expressing all the right words prior to the start of the 2010/11 Premier League season, his tactical plan, match decisions and overall management ability are being questioned.

The Reds are languishing 2nd from bottom, looking low on confidence and motivation. Much of this poor form must be attributed to Uncle Roy and his post-match interviews expose him as clearly a manager with a small-club mentality. Just like what Paul Tomkins and the rest of Liverpool fans have been suggesting.

His statements post-match have been low-key, bizarrely respectful to the opposition and definitely lacking the substance befitting a manager of a legendary club like Liverpool. Though I was happy Rafa was made to leave, Hodgson is making me think again of my misgivings about Benitez!

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More Positives Than Negatives For Newcastle

Written by Colin Hill, a sports blogger

Sunday's defeat at home to Stoke City was understandably met with disappointment from the Toon Army as Newcastle slumped to their second successive home defeat after losing 1-0 to Blackpool earlier in the month. Most disappointing of all was the manner of the defeat as not only did Newcastle throw away the lead but Stoke managed to win 2-1 despite only managing one effort on target, as a result of James Perch's unfortunate own goal.

All things considered, it was three points dropped and a sore one to take for all those wearing Newcastle soccer jerseys, but the fact that had they held on for victory, they would be sitting 5th in the Barclays Premier League table after 7 games, ahead of the likes of Aston Villa, Tottenham and Liverpool, suggests that it should be not all doom and gloom at St James Park.

Such are the expectation levels at Newcastle, where fans remember the times of Kevin Keegan and the stars such as Faustino Asprilla, David Ginola, Les Ferdinand and Alan Shearer, that the normal target for newly promoted clubs of "avoid relegation" is not applicable. In truth, staying in the fiercly competitive Premier League would be an achievement for a club whose financial constraints mean they have not significantly added to the squad over the past two seasons.

My feeling is that Newcastle should comfortably finish mid-table this season and will not be dragged into a relegation dogfight. Despite the inevitable setbacks which hamper even much more established Premiership clubs (take Spurs home defeat to Wigan for example), it has been a good start to the season for the Toon Army with far more positives than negatives.

From the resurgence of Joey Barton to the form of Andy Carroll to the six goal mauling of Aston Villa to the sweet strike from the left football boot of new-boy Hatem Ben Arfa, already Newcastle have served their fans up a rollercoaster of emotion and given us some memorable moments for the 2010-11 Premier League season.

There is of course a bit of trial and error to be done as manager Chris Hughton learns about his players as they come up against better quality teams than they did in their march towards the Championship title last seasons. Over the course of the season, systems will change, players will adapt to the increased pace and intensity of the Premiership and hopefully games such as Stoke will be closed out in a way that sends the fans home happy.

It's easy as a football fan to focus on the negatives - but there are definitely more positives at St James Park at the moment.

Written by Colin Hill, a sports blogger who write about kids football kits.

Hammers Carling Cup Win Is Great Way To Prepare For Spurs Derby

West Ham had the best preparation ahead of their Saturday clash with Tottenham Hotspur winning their 3rd round Carling Cup match. The fact that it was against Premiership opponents (Sunderland) and that the Hammers finally registered their first away win of the year will give Scott Parker and his team mates a massive boost in confidence.

Piquionne and Obinna finally opened their account for West Ham. With Carlton Cole struggling for goals, the Frenchman and the Nigerian will be relied upon to get the goals. Coupled with that well-earned draw against Stoke City, it has been a happy week so far for West Ham and Avram Grant. Psychologically, this win will do wonders for the player's confidence. And the performance levels have been steadily rising as well.

It is by no coincidence that the introduction of Manuel Da Costa has presided over better defensive displays. His composed and awareness on the pitch makes a difference to players around him. With the Portuguese, James Tomkins becomes a better player. Around the ex-Fiorentina man, Matthew Upson had less to do against Stoke. Surely he has done enough to warrant a first team slot at the heart of the West Ham defence.

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Left Side Of Defence Is Liverpool's Weak Link

The purchase of Paul Konchesky was meant to plug a glaring weakness at left back for Roy Hodgson's Liverpool side. The signing of free agent Fabio Aurelio was also designed to do so. Hoping Daniel Agger to be an adequate left back is plainly tomfoolery. Agger has a great left foot but he does not have the tools to play on the left.

Konchesky was replaced by Agger on the 82nd minute of the English "Superclassico" with the score at 2-2. Daniel Agger could not get into the game and his concentration affected by Nani's diving antics, he promptly conceded space for John O'Shea to provide the assist for Berbatov's hattrick. Paul Konchesky may yet prove himself worthy of the leftback position but for now, left back is a problem area for Liverpool.

Debates are rife about whether O'Shea should have been sent off and that decision turned out to be a pivotal moment for both clubs. Steven Gerrard scored from the ensuing freekick while O'Shea made amends when he provided that cross for Berbatov's winner. Jamie Carragher looked past his best and Berbatov's winning header is testament of how aged Carragher has been since last season. Danny Wilson's Liverpool  Premier League debut may be coming sooner than we think.

Manchester United have been leaking late goals lately and when Liverpool scored two quick goals to tie the match, it looked like it could be Everton all over again. In the end, it was a fair result and United deserved the three points. Dimitar Berbatov finally stamped his mark as a player at Old Trafford with a virtuoso performance, becoming the first Devils player in 64 years to score a hattrick against their fiercest rivals.

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Mauro Formica, West Ham's Rumoured January Signing And Team Jesus Revisited

Sport.co.uk reports that West Ham will sign Mauro Formica from Newell’s Old Boys for an undisclosed fee (but likely about £3.2m) during the January transfer window. The 22-year-old is highly regarded in his homeland and has been tipped for a future in the national team.

The Argentine plays as an advanced playmaker, the classic Argentine no. 10. With a nickname like "El Gato" or "The Cat", his stealthy skills will be just what the Hammers fans enjoy watching, but will he help West Ham's relegation troubles though?

Mauro Formica represented Argentina at the U-17 level. The video suggests that El Gato is a cross between Kaka and Ronaldinho. If he can play like any of these Brazilian maestros, then Boleyn Park will be rocking with excitement. The video footage do portray the young Argentine as a Ronaldinho-type player, busy, skilled, influential and ever ready to try the spectacular. West Ham fans will lap it all up, for sure.

Avram Grant's absence from today's crunch match against Stoke have been well-documented in the newspapers and media. This is yet another example of how fortune continue to hide from West Ham, but perhaps there will be a divine intervention in the end.

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