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Liverpool climbed to within two points of the Premier League top four after Craig Bellamy scored and created another to inspire his side to an easy win over Aston Villa.

The Reds struck twice in the space of four first half minutes to see off Alex McLeish’s men and win for the sixth time in their last 11 games to put themselves in with a chance of moving into the Champions League places over Christmas. Kenny Dalglish’s side were rarely troubled by the home side and had the game sown up within the first 15 minutes with Bellamy having a hand in both. The Welshman scored the first before setting up Martin Skrtel for the second to underline his status as one of the seasons transfer bargains. Villa will be disappointed that they didn’t test Pepe Reina on a more regular basis and McLeish will be unhappy with his players after another limp display although. Their cause wasn’t helped after key striking duo Gabriel Agbonlahor and Darren Bent picked up injuries and missed the game at Villa Park with Emile Heskey struggling up front against his former club. Dalglish on the other hand will be feeling the polar opposite after his side turned in a confident performance whilst his decision to play young Jonjo Shelvey from the off ultimately paid off.

Having spent most of the season on loan at Blackpool it was surprising to see the 19-year-old thrown straight into the mix by his boss but didn’t disappoint slotting in alongside his more experienced colleagues with ease. He played a key role in the opening goal on 11 minutes flicking Stewart Downing’s corner into the path of Bellamy who made no mistake turning the ball past Brad Guzan to make it 1-0. Four minutes later the lead was doubled with Bellamy turning provider whipping in a corner that was met by Skrtel with a superb glancing header. The Reds continued to dominate in the first forty five minutes but failed to increase their advantage as they pegged Villa back into their own half. Charles N’Zogbia did prove to be the home side’s brightest player and he was the architect of their best chance of the first half firing an effort over on the half hour mark before slamming the ball into the side netting of Reina’s goal minutes later.

However it was the visitors who looked more likely to score with Bellamy proving a nuisance throughout with his cross finding the unmarked Daniel Agger at the back post only for the Dane to head the ball wide. Villa offered little in terms of an attacking threat without Bent and Agbonlahor and were lucky not to concede again with Luis Suarez uncharacteristically squandering two chances. After a relatively quiet first half the Uruguayan sparked into life scampering into a through ball before beating Richard Dunne and James Collins only to see his stinging strike crash back off the cross bar. The wood work would deny him again soon after with the striker’s deft chip from the edge of the area beating Guzan but once again agonisingly clipping the bar for the 17th time this season.

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For football fans, there are few experiences that match that of watching a live match from the stands. For followers of Premier League teams especially, there is now the opportunity to watch an abundance of football on TV, whether you’re at home or at the pub. However, no matter whether you support a Premiership or Championship club or a team from the rest of the Football League, being in the stands and part of the atmosphere is a crucial part of the match experience.

The increase in the amount of footy on TV and the rising price of football tickets has led to many fans having to think twice about putting their hands in their pockets, though. Supporting your football team is becoming an increasingly expensive activity and you cannot blame fans who stay at home to save money, especially when vast travel distances are involved. However, attendances across English football would seem to suggest that fans are still making the effort to watch live matches when they can.

Here on FootballFanCast.com we are running a survey to find out just how many of you watch live football matches and how many you take in each season. So, let us know how often you’re in the stands below…

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Birmingham City manager Alex McLeish has admitted defeat in his attempts to sign both AZ Alkmaar striker Moussa Dembele and Juventus winger Mauro Camoranesi.

McLeish had hoped to add the duo to his St Andrew’s squad ahead of the new Premier League season, as he sought to add further quality to a squad who exceeded expectations last term.

“Dembele has got other options and he is choosing another option,” McLeish admitted. “It is a blow because we have worked hard on that one, but that’s life.”

Dembele had previously told the Birmingham Mail: “A second team from the Premier League has made contact. I’ll make a decision in the following days as I don’t want the case to trail too long.”

Of Italy international Camoranesi, McLeish added:“I have always been a big admirer, but negotiations became protracted and I had a further think.

“I decided it was not quite the way forward for Birmingham at this particular time.”

Camoranesi’s agent, Sergio Fortunato, had earlier told Calciomercato.it:“At the moment we are not talking to Birmingham.

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“It’s an issue of taxes. You’re offered a figure and it turns out to be half that.”

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As much as we love football for being unpredictable, it wouldn’t be the same without the large swathes of predictability that embody certain aspects of the season. I’m talking about the perpetual cycle of events, circumstances and press activities that make football what it is. That makes football the sport we know and love, and what better time to work ourselves up in to a media fuelled, football hungry frenzy than the January transfer window. We’re less than two weeks away from Christmas now, which means we’re about three weeks away from January when we’ll be swamped by all those familiar stories, facts and feelings that seem to consume football fans at the beginning of every new year. For some fans it’s a time of opportunity, a time when everyone and anyone is coming to your club. For other fans it’s a tense and nervy affair as you attempt to fend off the rich, oil drenched fingers of your fellow clubs. Here are ten things to look out for this January.

Click on Damien Comolli to unveil the top 10 things to expect in January

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James Milner and Peter Crouch insist that reappointed captain John Terry has the full backing of the England players.With Rio Ferdinand and Steven Gerrard both injured for England’s Euro 2012 qualifier against Wales on Saturday, England boss Fabio Capello opted to give the armband back to Terry.

The centre-back, who is also the captain at club side Chelsea, was stripped of the role after a series of unsavoury off-field incidents last year.

But Manchester City midfielder Milner believes the situation has had little or no effect on the playing

“It’s business as usual, the manager’s made a decision and everyone’s happy for JT and disappointed for Rio,” Milner said.

“We have lots of good leaders and you need more than one anyway. It helps to have so much experience around and we’ve got a good combination of that as well as the younger players.”

“JT has shown with Chelsea and the times he plays for England, he puts his head in where people wouldn’t go and he leads off the field too.”

“It’s important to have a link between players and management, and players who will say what they think.”

Tottenham Hotspur striker Crouch echoed Milner’s sentiments.

“It’s the manager’s call and there are no problems from anyone,” Crouch said.

“I’m pleased for John and we move on.”

“We’ve not really talked about it.”

“It’s between the manager and the captain, whoever he wants to pick.”

“There’s a lot of talk of unrest but it’s not an issue. John Terry has always been fantastic on the pitch, leading Chelsea to Doubles, and he’ll be good for us again.”

“It is a shame for Rio because he’s a top player and great to have around because he’s a natural leader too.”

“It’s a shame that he’s had so many injuries and that’s probably why the manager decided to make the change rather than have the armband being passed around.”

“The manager wanted to stick with JT and that’s fine with all of us.”

England, second in Group G behind Montenegro, take on winless Wales at Cardiff’s Millennium Stadium.

When Sol Campbell re-signed for Arsenal in January 2010, eyebrows were raised. After a frankly bizarre spell at Notts County, and at 35 years of age, many were questioning whether the former Arsenal hero could still hack it at the top level. His performances however, were more than competent and he established himself as a back-up who could be relied upon. He also netted what could have been a crucial away goal in the Champions League last 16 against Porto into the bargain. With Arsenal currently lacking bodies in central defence, will Arsenal’s loss prove to be Newcastle’s gain?

As he was at Arsenal, Sol Campbell is going to be a back-up player for Newcastle next season, with Steven Taylor and Fabricio Coloccini likely to be forming the first choice pairing in central defence for the bulk of the season. Steven Taylor though is set to miss the start of the season with a shoulder injury which may keep him out for a number of months. Campbell’s services then, might be called upon sooner rather than later. This should be something Campbell is more than capable of doing. Although he may now be lacking a bit of pace, his positional sense is still good, he is tall, strong, combative and most of all brings huge experience to the table. If he does nothing else Campbell should prove a great mentor to learn from for Newcastle’s younger defenders, as a player who has won every domestic honour and picked up 73 England caps. Chris Hughton worked with Campbell at Spurs, and was delighted to land the player, BBC Sport quotes him as stating;

“I have know Sol since he was a lad and am fully aware of what he has to offer. That is experience, quality, calm assurance and leadership. He’s a dedicated professional, a terrific addition to the squad and I look forward to working with him again.”

For Newcastle, it is a no loss situation, there was no transfer fee and Campbell proved last season that he can still cut it in the Premiership. Will it though, be a loss for Arsenal?

The Gunners are really lacking centre-backs at the moment, with Thomas Vermaelen, Laurent Koscielny and Johan Djourou the only recognised senior players in this position. Add in the fact that Koscielny is unproven in the Premier League, and Djourou is injury prone, then it looks like Arsene Wenger perhaps should have done more to try and keep Campbell at the Emirates. Quite simply Arsenal do not have enough centre-backs, and if they want to mount a strong challenge for the league and in Europe Wenger will need to bring in another central defender before the window closes. Having let Gallas and Silvestre go this summer, Arsenal would still have needed another centre-back had Campbell stayed, but it would have given Arsenal’s squad greater depth and experience and also have added a home-grown player to the 25 man squads that are now required.

Sol Campbell will want to prove himself again this season, and show that he is still a defender of Premier League class. He is at a great club to do so, Campbell stated himself to BBC Sport that;

“At this stage of my career I couldn’t have wished for a better move. To join a club such as Newcastle, with its proud tradition, heritage and magnificent support, is absolutely tremendous for me.”

He will receive a rapturous welcome at St James Park, and if he performs, Wenger might just regret not keeping him at Arsenal for one more season.

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Manchester United have dominated the Premier League era in English football under Sir Alex Ferguson combining young talent, experienced heads and shrewd work in the transfer market over the years. United were able to combine both playing attractive football and winning trophies – something that is becoming less of trend.

The Premier League has always had the teams that are known for long ball, physical football, but I feel that there are more teams than ever in the English game overall that are ruining the way our football it being displayed to the world. Thankfully however, some teams have decided that they will continue to play attractive football and they surely are the teams we all want to watch as a neutral.

After watching Newcastle’s excellent win at Stoke City last night it occurred to me of how much teams have to adapt depending on their opponents. Stoke City only seemed interested in throwing the ball into the penalty area and pushing their way to goal with every attack. It was extremely ugly to watch and I was delighted that Demba Ba dismantled them at the other end for a victory for style, even if they did not play champagne football on the night.

Manchester City are another breath of fresh air, playing exciting attacking football that has been a joy to watch throughout the first quarter of this season. Signings such as David Silva, Sergio Aguero and Samir Nasri evidently show that Roberto Mancini prefers neat passing to long ball football.

Some will argue that the money has made it easy for them to play good football but this is not always the case. When Chelsea came into their fortunes, they signed the likes of Didier Drogba and John Obi Mikel and were not as pleasing on the eye as City have been this season. When Chelsea are on Sky, not many non-Chelsea fans will honestly say they are excited to watch them, unlike City.

Arsene Wenger has come under increased pressure to bring in trophies at the Emirates Stadium over the past 12 months, but rather than lose their identity and become a boring, former 1-0 side, they have stuck with what they know and may finally be seeing the rewards. Recent years have been tough for the Gunners lonely trophy cabinet but pleasing for football fans in general who have been able to enjoy watching any game that involves the North London club.

Fans will always want their club to be successful and Mancini and Ferguson have proved that it is possible to achieve this playing great football. Managers and coaches have their own ideas and get reputations how their sides play on the pitch.

Sam Allardyce at West Ham has come under criticism all throughout his managerial career for his style of play. However, West Ham fans seem fairly content that their side can play his style of football and win games and eventually earn promotion.

Some say the West Ham way of playing is the neat, one touch football that has been slightly lost this year in replace for some good results and a positive league position. However, playing the West Ham way over the past two years has not worked and so a change was needed at Upton Park. So if West Ham gain promotion then their fans will be happy and the manager will keep his job.

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If your club plays poor football and wins, you will be happy. If it plays good football and loses you will be left frustrated. If you play great football and win then you’re probably from Manchester.

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Rafael van der Vaart has conceded that Tottenham’s proclivity to drop ‘stupid’ points against ‘smaller’ teams has prevented the north London club in their pursuit of Premier League supremacy. His admission relates to a number of games in which Spurs have failed to finish-off sides languishing towards the bottom of the table whilst their performances against more established sides suggest they should be competing for the League title at this stage of the season.

The evidence supports the Dutchman’s theory but demonstrates the natural progression the Lilywhites are currently experiencing as they look to develop into a recognised European force. This season marks Spurs’ first appearance in the recently formatted Champions League, and it is the club’s tendency to struggle against their Premier League opponents following European outings that means van der Vaart and Co. are facing a fight for re-qualification rather than League glory.

The three most recent matches van der Vaart refers to – West Ham, Wolves and Blackpool – were sandwiched between both legs of Tottenham’s successful knock-out tie with AC Milan. Even Champions League regulars such as Manchester United and Arsenal labour to immediately translate triumphant European form to their following League games, so it is no surprise that during Spurs’ maiden season on Europe’s most prestigious stage they have failed to do so on several occasions.

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Tottenham collected just 2 points from their games against three of the League’s relegation threatened clubs recently and proved their lack of consistency on more than one occasion before the turn of the year. Following their 4-3 defeat against Internazionale last October, Spurs picked up just a point from their next two League games before hosting the Serie A holders at White Hart Lane two weeks later. They exceeded most observers’ expectations by beating the Italians 3-1 but yet again managed only a single point from their next two League games against Bolton and Sunderland.

This does not represent the regularity required to compete against Manchester United, Chelsea and Arsenal for Premier League sovereignty but the fact that they are more than capable of finishing in the Top 4 this season suggests Spurs will be able to compete at that level before long. I’m not sure quite what van der Vaart expected to achieve in his first season in London but a Champions League quarter-final tie with his former club, Real Madrid, and qualification for next season’s tournament would signify a remarkable turnaround for the club since the appointment of Harry Redknapp as manager two and-a-half years ago.

The club are still finding their feet in Europe despite some blistering form and individual performances from Gareth Bale and van der Vaart, but their ascendancy in to the higher echelons of club football will take a little more time. Redknapp has more or less completed the formation of a squad in his image and I expect a number of comings and going at the Lane this summer, but if Tottenham continue to evolve at the rate they have been then van der Vaart need not worry about ‘smaller’ clubs for much longer. By this time next year we might very well be reading about Spurs’ title challenge reaching its final stage and another Champions League quarter-final tie, that is if Redknapp manages to contain the inevitable furore that will surround his impending appointment as England manager by then.

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A reported confrontation at the World Cup has seemingly put Mr Rosell in his place and thrown him off the scent for Cesc Fabregas this summer at least. The Spanish players did there level best to stir up trouble once again by forcing a Barca shirt on him during their World Cup celebrations; a shameless act that only succeeded in tightening the boards resolve in keeping Cesc at the Emirates.

This week at FFC we have seen a mixed bag of  blogs that include…Wenger must avoid deals slipping the net; will Gibbs emergence tempt Wenger into a Clichy swap and two wasted years for Gilberto Silva.

Plus we have taken a look at the best Arsenal stories on the Web this week.

Why Monsieur Wenger can save English football

Wenger must act NOW to avoid another deal slipping the net

Will the emergence of Gibbs tempt Wenger into Clichy swap?

The sheer arrogance of Barca players is astounding

Emmanuel EBOUE’s unofficial diary part III

Messi shows naivety with Walcott talk

Arsenal’s Worst XI of all time

Arsenal’s Greatest Foreign XI of all time

Arsenal’s Greatest British XI of all time

Schwarzer’s proposed move proves that age is no barrier

You do sense that it’s two years wasted for Gilberto Silva

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Best of Web

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Disrespect is an understatement – Online Gooner

So today it begins! Barca back off and next year they won’t be around to come back! – Le Grove

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Will Arsène Take His Cue From Germany? – A Cultured Left Foot

Financially Constrained Arsenal. Myth? No. Truth. – Online Gooner

The worst fans in the world… – Le Grove

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

Fifa have dismissed the English FA’s request for the national side to wear shirts with poppies embroidered into the material on Saturday against Spain.

The British nation were keen to wear the poppies as a mark of respect to support Remembrance Day, but the world governing body has rejected the request, as it is seen to go against the neutrality of the game.

“We regret to inform you that accepting such initiatives would open the door to similar initiatives from all over the world, jeopardising the neutrality of football,” a letter from Fifa to the FA reads.

“Therefore, we confirm herewith that the suggested embroidery on the match shirt cannot be authorised.

“There are a variety of options where The FA can continue supporting the cause of Remembrance. One of them already was approved by Fifa, the Period of Silence,” it concluded.

Sports minister Hugh Robertson also wrote a letter to Fifa on Tuesday in support of the poppy being included in the England strip, but the heartfelt approach was rejected by the governing organisation.

There have been suggestions that if England were allowed to wear poppies it would offend Germany or the German people, but this has been dismissed by DFB general secretary Wolfgang Niersbach.

“I am totally surprised (by the suggestion that German people might be offended) because it just hasn’t been mentioned here,” Niersback told The Daily Mail.

“The Federation has not heard of, or been involved in, any discussions about poppies and whether England should be allowed to wear them on Saturday.

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“I cannot imagine we would have any objection to the idea of England’s players having poppies on their shirts. It just wouldn’t be a problem to us. It wouldn’t be an issue,” he concluded.

By Gareth McKnight

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