Focus On; Tony Currie

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Bio:

Currie was a talented schoolboy footballer who represented Hendon Boys before joining Queens Park Rangers as an amateur, whilst working for a building firm. He joined Chelsea as an apprentice, but was released and moved to Watford to complete his apprenticeship, earning England Youth honours in the process. He turned professional in May 1967 and made his league debut the following season.

He was transferred to Sheffield United on 1 February 1968 for £26,500. He scored on his debut against Tottenham Hotspur with a header on 26 February but missed the next game on 2 March as it was his wedding day. ‘TC’ or ‘Top Cat’ as he was nicknamed by Sheffield United fans, was idolised in his time at Bramall Lane.[4] He went on to score 54 goals in 313 appearances and was also made captain by manager Ken Furphy in March 1974. In September 2014, as part of the club’s 125th Anniversary celebrations, he was named Sheffield United’s Greatest Ever Player.

In June 1976 he moved to Yorkshire rivals Leeds United for £250,000, making his Leeds debut in a 2–2 draw with West Bromwich Albion. His skills made him a firm favourite at Leeds, where he played a total of 124 games, scoring 16 goals. His curling shot during United’s November 1978 4–0 home win against Southampton F.C. won ITV’s The Big Match Goal of the Season that year. Currie’s form helped Leeds reach the League Cup semi–finals in 1978 and 1979, and in the 1978–79 season Leeds finished fifth to qualify for the UEFA Cup. As his wife was homesick for London this resulted in his sale to Queens Park Rangers in August 1979.

Factfile:

  • Full Name: Anthony William Currie
  • Position: Midfield
  • Date of Birth: 01.01.1950
  • Birthplace: Edgware
  • Nation: England
    • Full Caps: 17
  • Major League Career
    • 1967, Watford (18/9)
    • 1967-76, Sheffield United (313/54)
    • 1976-79, Leeds United (102/11)
    • 1979-82, Queens Park Rangers (81/4)
  • More Facts
  • Photo Gallery

Transfer Talk, Moyes to West Ham, Haaland to Dortmund, Spurs and Eriksen

Erling Braut Haaland knows how to progress from one level to the next and a move to Borussia Dortmund will of course be one really easy to understand. A life on the bench or part of a heavy rotation policy at a bigger club could have stopped him evolving and Dortmund looks a solid choice.

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Christian Eriksen shows his importance when called on, and the fact that Jose Mourinho needs his little Dane could see him at Tottenham also over this transfer window, being allowed to leave in the summer for free. A place in the Champions League would probably be more important for this club than to cash in a “minor” fee on Eriksen in January.

David Moyes is said to be on his way back to West Ham who just “minutes” after the defeat v. Leicester sacked their current man Manuel Pellegrini. Moyes had an interim period at the club previously and saved “Hammers” from relegation. A similar scenario looks on the table as this season has started like a nightmare.

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Sheffield United are buzzing this season and recent rumor seeing The Blades chasing QPR starlet Eberechi Eze and being able to meet the asking price, makes it difficult to rule out Chris Wilder’s men in a chase for Europe.

Brighton and Graham Potter are likely to try to bring in Fyodor Chalov from CSKA Moscow and Tottenham defender Kyle Walker Peters. Both are young and very promising with the Russian international an exciting one, 21 years of age making his full international debut this year.

A new West Ham manager will be in chase for a first team goalkeeper with Cardiff City’s Neil Etheridge and former “Hammer” Darren Randolph topping the list of possible targets.

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Victor Osimhen is a new name linked with Liverpool. The Nigerian international currently at Lille in France, is a  forward that knows how to score goals, 10 in 18 league appearances until know for his club team, scored 4 in 9 full internationals for Nigeria.

Arsenal looks certain to part company with Granit Xhaka. The Swizz midfielder is not a popular man among fans just to get this scenario out of the picture, it would be better to let Xhaka leave than to have a hostile atmosphere at The Emirates. Talks are understood to be advanced with Hertha Berlin.

Adrien Rabiot is a name linked with Arsenal. The former Paris midfielder joined Juventus this year but so far he hasn’t really settled in. The 24 year old needs regular first team football week in and week out and it could be easier to get that at Arsenal than at Juventus at the moment.

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New salary regulations in Chinese football could see a number of starts leaving and speculations are already circulating about Marouane Fellaini return to English football. His former club Everton, West Ham and Newcastle are clubs that could be in the chase for the Belgian international.

Oscar could be close to a return to European football, so could Marko Arnautovic, of course a number of clubs would be running down the doors to get the players to sign, yet to see any specific club linked, but not be surprised if Arsenal and maybe Tottenham will join the list of interests, Everton could also be in for a new “star” probably.

Burnley and Brighton are chasing Hamilton defender Jamie Hamilton. The 17 year old is one of the most talented youngsters to have come out of Scottish football and he has already played in the Scottish U.19 team.

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Fiorentina could be willing to let Rachid Ghezzal return to Leicester in January and with that happening loaned straight out again to Serie A rival Atalanta. Ghezzal, previously with Lyon and Monaco, has seen his chances limited at Leicester and Fiorentia.

Everton could be in the chase for Lorenzo Insigne as Carlo Ancelotti is eager to make the right moves to get The Toffees into European contention. Insigne (28) would be an ideal signing but it looks more like a wish than a dream to come through.

Dayot Upamecano from RB Leipzig is a player in demand. The 21 year old could be on the list of possible targets for Arsenal as Mikel Arteta are eager to bolster his squad and get The Gunners on track.

 

 

Managers sacked, based on an old list from far gone decades and centuries!

The last man to fall was Manuel Pellegrini losing his job at West Ham United after tonights defeat v. Leicester City. So why is Pellegrini sacked, probably a difficult run of bad results, but also based on him being close to a line telling everyone that life could be more difficult crossing the line and going into the bottom three.

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The league table has massive power, so much power that you cannot really understand how such a table can be the real deal and the truth about the way football is ran and how it will progress going into new decades and centuries.

Some of the best men in football are often just running around at different clubs and moves in that top level of the game, rotating around, some like Pellegrini has taken a step down to manage a club at a lower level, being with a history of struggling in the Premier League and going a bit up and down between the two top divisions.

All clubs are based on this “list” and not being at the top of the list will be a failure, so why are other clubs just trying to sign the same man and believe that they will get up the ladder and just not thinking logically about how you are progressing as a club.

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Of course it should be a competition and the way you compete is the way it should be, but to be able to “sack” managers during a season or when you are competing, looks a bit strange as you are in the middle of a battle that is not in any way finished.

There are ways to block such decision making by rules and regulation, but shouldn’t football in itself be looking at the way they compete, how money is thrown at clubs in the top of the list and really by moving this way destroying the game and the fun of it all together.

A lot of people joins this party for so many wrong reasons that you would not believe it was possible and therefor a more human system should be introduced, so that the clubs that develop and maintain the honest standards of the game survives and can be able to compete.

Of course it’s great to watch football in all countries but with the league systems running the rules of the game and being able to see managers just getting their head shot of during the “tournament” is a bit unfair.

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If you look at other sports they are having a number of competitions going on as the main tournament is running, and looking at cycling phenomena Tour de France, you are running the green jersey, the young jersey and the climbing jersey as well as the big one the yellow jersey.

Of course the yellow jersey will be the one to win, but along that long and difficult tour you need other things to compete for as it makes the competition more interesting, and you will of course get a version that could give Premier League a new and broader dimension.

The fact that clubs are relegated and some are coming up is a thrill and makes great excitement, but it also makes a lot of people who are really educated in a profession, seen as people losing their jobs, and money thrown out of windows instead of investing in academy work and educating people in this profession.

This is waste of money and clubs firing managers should be fined with heavy fines that should again be money put into academy work and administrated by the FA to develop the game on grass root levels.

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 The money used on sacking managers and appointing new heads are not really making the game going forward and fines would be in place as you have not been able to bring your club into the right type of setting with your current appointment.

After a season is finished there should be a window were you can replace managers without getting a fine, and you should not be able to bring in a manager during the season that is employed by another team.

Why such rules are not set in place is a riddle as it is a disturbing part of the set up and talking about this rules, the January transfer window should have been scrapped all together as it is a farce and making a lot of “fake news” running around.

Clubs should be able to buy and sell players during the month of June and July, and closed all together for the rest of the year, this would again see the clubs good on development and bringing forward talent as winners, as you would be probably not able to make more than a few signings and not really risking releasing too many players.

We will see how this game will go on in the future, but clearly more regulations on these matters will be needed.

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