The fourth round of the Carling Cup proved to be the comeuppance for billionaire football club Chelsea, who lost out on penalties to Championship side Burnley. With the game tied at 1-1, the Lancashire team proved to be more than a match for Roman Abramovich’s squad of Internationals, knocking them out of the cup in a dramatic 5-4 penalty shootout.
Their victory stole all the headlines from the other big game of the night, as Harry Redknapp’s Tottenham thrashed an out of sorts Liverpool at White Hart Lane, winning by four goals to two. Since taking charge of the side three weeks ago, they have yet to lose a game. Now I wonder what the odds will be for a Burnley vs Tottenham Carling Cup final…
Other games of note were Arsenal’s 3-0 victory over Wigan, with the Gunners sporting a team barely out of their nappies, and Manchester United’s 1-0 win over Queens Park Rangers, where the visitors showed they are more than capable of missing it up with one of the best sides in the Premier League.

The full results of the Carling Cup fourth round:

Arsenal 3-0 Wigan
Derby 2-1 Leeds
Man Utd 1-0 QPR
Stoke 2-0 Rotherham
Swansea 0-1 Watford
Chelsea 1-1 Burnley (Burnley win 5-4 on penalties)
Sunderland 1-2 Blackburn
Tottenham 4-2 Liverpool

It was all change at Tottenham Hotspur as Daniel Levy staged his own version of ‘The Night of the Long Knives’ by sacking Spurs’ entire coaching staff just hours before their match against Bolton Wanderers. Out went head coach Juande Ramos, his two assistants Gus Poyet and Marcos Alvarez, along with much criticized Sporting Director Damien Comolli. In their places comes one Harold Redknapp, fresh from leading Portsmouth to their first ever FA Cup trophy just months before.

Certain sections of the media have nicknamed Redknapp ‘Harry Houdini’ for his knack of getting teams out of trouble, and he will need every trick in the book if he is to turn Spurs’ disastrous season around. So far, so good: his first games in charge saw Tottenham beat Bolton by 2-0, and the fans were singing his praise when the final whistle was blown. Mere days later he followed that up with a thrilling 4-4 performance against arch rivals Arsenal. Who needs a Messiah or a Special One, when you have a good ol’ cockney wideboy as the answer to your prayers?

His appointment signals the end of Spurs’ decade-long flirtation with a European coaching set-up, as Harry will have full control of all football transfer activities in the club. English clubs have always struggled with the Director of Football role, with West Ham and Newcastle being the two most recent examples of how, amidst transfers rumors it can go wrong. Redknapp is an old-fashioned manager who likes to take charge of all aspects of the team, and the January football transfer window couldn’t come sooner for many fans, with Jermain Defoe set to make a comeback to the team from Redknapp’s old set-up at Portsmouth. Should be interesting times at the battered club; and at last Spurs fans are able to hold their heads up again after a relentless bombardment of recycled-jokes in the past few months. The future’s bright – the future’s Lilywhite!

Thanks to some stunning victories recently in their World Cup qualifying group, FIFA announced that the England football team has risen up the table to join Portugal in tenth place in the official world rankings. If ever there was proof needed that the “England football” team has improved under Fabio Capello’s leadership, then this was it. So far they are undefeated in their group, with a perfect four wins out of four. The World Cup couldn’t come soon enough with that kind of form! The same good news doesn’t carry across to the other home nations however, with Scotland, Northern Ireland and Wales all dropping down the table.

FIFA World Rankings
1. Spain (-)
2. Germany (+1)
3. Italy (-1)
4. Netherlands (+1)
5. Brazil (-1)
6. Argentina (+1)
7. Croatia (-1)
8. Russia (+1)
9. Czech Republic (-1)
10. Portugal (-), England (+4)
Others
33. Scotland (-7)
36. Republic of Ireland (+2)
42. Northern Ireland (-7)
62. Wales (-1)

The life and times of Diego Maradona make for compelling reading. Critics proclaim him to be one of the greatest players to ever set foot on a football field, yet his Hand of God goal against the “England football” team in the 1986 World Cup gained him a particular brand of notoriety reserved for only a select few of sports villains. In later years his subsequent spiral into drug addiction made him headline news throughout the world. Yet in his home country, the Argentinean is revered as a national hero - in their eyes he is a man who can do no wrong, no matter how far he falls. He is held in such high esteem that, for a man who was all but finished, he is making the ultimate comeback… as the new manager of the Argentine national football team!

His first official game in charge took place when Argentina faced Scotland in a friendly. When asked what his thoughts were regarding the upcoming game beforehand, he was quoted as saying “I’m going to a country where they adore me because of the goal against the English”. Never a stranger to controversy, it’s good to see that the years haven’t changed him then!
The game itself was a cracker, with the eyes of the entire football community on him and Argentine winning 1-0.

David Beckham has put pen to paper and signed up with AC Milan for a loan period that is set to begin in January. After weeks of speculation, the England football midfielder confirmed that he would be donning some new football boots to join the ‘Serie A’ side during the close season for his full-time team, LA Galaxy. This will enable him to continue his fitness regime and gain the all-important playing time that he needs if he is to continue his England football career.

The move took place after current England manager Fabio Capello recommended Beckham to the Italian side, and his addition to the squad will give him excellent preparation for next years World Cup qualifiers. How much of a contribution Beckham continues to have in the England set-up is debatable, but if he works as hard as he has been up to now, then the very least he can expect is a bit-part as a free kick taker and to provide vital leadership to players such as David Bentley and Theo Walcott. In recent years Beckham has become something of an inspiration to the other players, who appreciate his commitment to training and preparation, not to mention the coaches and managers who have learnt the hard way how much of a vital ingredient he is to the international team. How the AC Milan loan pans out is anyone’s guess, but don’t be surprised if old ‘Golden Balls’ starts grabbing the headlines again early next year, as Beckham-mania makes its way to Italy …

South East London club Charlton Athletic were dealt a huge blow when the Dubai consortium tipped to takeover the club withdrew their offer last week. It was a sad day for Addick fans, meaning the financial troubles of the club would continue with no solution in sight. With debts of over £20m, and with this being the last season marking the end of handouts from their relegation from the Premier League, the days of the club existing as we know it may be numbered.

If no buyers are found, the team may be forced into administration, bringing with it a points deduction and almost inevitable relegation from the Championship. A statement from the club said: “The debate over foreign ownership of clubs and the worsening UK economic climate contributed to their decision to pull out.” This raised a few eyebrows, as it was only two weeks ago that the original takeover announcement was made, and the UK’s credit crunch was widely reported in the news at that time.

With a poor start to the season only adding to their woes, the club may find that sacking their manager may not be the best solution. Alan Pardew’s contract includes a compensation clause that they may be unable to meet, meaning they are stuck with him for better or worse … for now. Only time will tell if the on and off pitch fortunes improve. Dark days indeed.

After winning the FA Trophy, some may have predicted a season of dominance for the non-league side. However, manager Liam Daish thinks otherwise, and he’s blaming their recent run of bad form solely on the very players who won earlier this year at Wembley.

He explained: “Last season gave a few players an extended time at the club because I thought we should keep everyone together and hopefully build on that. But some players haven’t really gone to the next level for me - we can’t afford to stagnate. I’m expected to get into play-offs this year and I need a group of players who can physically do it. I thought Paul McCarthy was exceptional but he’s the oldest player on the pitch.”

Is this a warning sign for certain players to pull their socks up and perform better, or is the writing on the wall and Daish is just waiting for the January football transfers window to open before he makes his move? One thing is certainly for sure, if the team continues to play the way they currently are, then the play offs will be the last thing on everyone’s mind come next year.

Ebsfleet are famously owned by fans who purchased the club via the MyFootballClub internet model, so it will be interesting to see how they vote and who ends up wearing the captain’s armband.

Ex-Spurs midfielder Darren Anderton thinks that Bournemouth may have finally turned the page and found winning ways again. A recent change in formation seems to suit the team better, as they have lost only once in the last five league games. With Anderton now playing at the centre of the rejuvinated side, the recently relegated south coast side have clawed back ten League Two points from their original -17 league points as punishment for going into administration at the tail end of last season.

He was quoted as saying: “We’ve changed our formation and it suits the players we’ve got at the club. It takes a while to bed in, but the boys have been playing really well, and I’m really looking forward to the next few weeks.”

For those Sunday leaguers out there in need of inspiration, Bournemouth have adopted a 3-5-1-1 formation. Of course, we can’t promise the same change of tactics will pull off quite the same results, but if you don’t try these things…

But is money the way to win a place at the top of the Premiership?

Every footballer and every football club manager wants his team to be the best they can be and as well as that they want them to have the best players, the best kits, the best grounds and the best supporters.  But where some of these can be left to the owner with the large chequebook other aspects of a club’s success can only be measured by how they perform on the pitch.

Sunderland Football Club with its Stadium of Light, its black cat image and unmistakable red and black kit, have been making good strides this year to climb back up the premiership table and to take their loyal fans with them.

Manager Roy Keane has been scouring the length and breadth of the football world for that one player with the golden boots; the superstar striker who will do what Sunderland fans have been praying for all these years – a chance to get back to the top of the premiership and tower above their peers.

With huge salaries to pay and expectations at fever pitch Keane and his army of black cats will have a lot to do this season and what happens off the pitch will be as important as what happens for those electric 90-minute games each week.  The fans need to fill the stadiums and occupy their seats as well as chant and wave their scarves and wear their red and black kits with pride; but off the pitch the people who make the decisions need to ensure that the decisions they make are the right ones.

If for no other reason than to ensure that Sunderland don’t find themselves mired in the same kind of power struggle as their magpie counterparts on the other side of the Tyne.