An international survey, conducted by OnePoll for UEFA Champions League sponsor Heineken has shown that men around the world would be prepared to give up and miss out on a romantic date with a leading international supermodel in order to see their team win the UEFA Champions League Final.

The study found that one in two men (52%) around the world would consider passing up a date with the likes of Brazilian model Adriana Lima if it meant that they got the opportunity to see their beloved team lift the 2011 UEFA Champions League trophy in Wembley. In fact, without hesitation, 37% of these men would miss or definitely miss out on such a perfect evening.

However, the international beauties can take comfort in the knowledge that despite this snub, even more men would find an excuse to skip their friend’s all-important stag-party (62%) while an amazing 44% would actually hand over the ultimate honour of being the ‘best-man’ to someone else! It just goes to show how the tournament captures the imagination of men around the world and the lengths people would go to in order to see their favourite team triumph in Wembley and be crowned champions of Europe.

The research among 5,638 men of legal drinking age across 15 countries, also found that this year’s final may even strain a few relationships. 58% confirmed that they would be willing to skip a date with their wife or girlfriend, while 55% of men around the world would be prepared to get their relationship off to a rocky start and face the wrath of potential in-laws by attending the match rather than meeting their girlfriend’s parents for the very first time.

Men’s passion for football clearly impacts on other important events in their lives, in and outside of work. The top ten life events that men from around the world would be willing to miss to see their team win are as follows:

1. A friend’s stag-party (62%)

2. A date with a girlfriend/wife (58%)

3. Meeting a girlfriend’s parents for the first time (55%)

4. An important meeting with the boss (48%)

5. A mother’s birthday (46%)

6. Best – Man’s duties (44%)

7. Wedding anniversary (44%)

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8. Girlfriend’s birthday (44%)

9. University Graduation Ceremony (43%)

10. An important hospital appointment (43%)

While football is considered more important than almost anything else, at least three in five men would be honest and try to explain the reason why they have missed out on a special occasion in order to go to London’s spiritual football home. However, 75% men believe that they would expect their family and friends to understand why they chose to be at the final instead of with them.

The Turkish Football Federation (TFF) have denied reports that national team coach Guus Hiddink is headed for Chelsea.On Monday, the BBC quoted a senior source at the TFF as saying the association is resigned to losing the 64-year-old Dutchman to Stamford Bridge, where a vacant managerial position is waiting following Carlo Ancelotti’s sacking.

The report sparked a fresh round of criticism in Turkey, with leading media outlets prematurely lambasting Hiddink for abandoning the national team ahead of the 2012 European Championships.

But a TFF spokesman has since rubbished the speculation of Hiddink’s departure, saying there would be no movement on the issue until TFF President Mahmut Ozgener returns from holiday.

“There is nothing official happening because both parties are away,” Turker Tozar said.

“Mr Hiddink is on holiday now and the president is on holiday for a week as well. Nothing can happen at the moment.”

Tozar also denied that a compensation deal had already been negotiated between the TFF and Chelsea, saying: “Mr Hiddink is still our manager and he has a contract until 2012.”

Hiddink had a temporary spell in charge at Stamford Bridge in 2009 after they sacked Luis Felipe Scolari, and he led the Blues to FA Cup glory that season.

However his commitment to coaching the Russian national team meant his tenure was only temporary.

He is known to have a strong relationship with Chelsea owner Roman Abramovich, who sacked Ancelotti despite the Blues finishing runners-up behind champions Manchester United in the English Premier League.

In recent seasons, it seems that any, remotely talented or promising young player is instantly tagged as the ‘new Maradona’ or ‘new Pele .’

Some of these comparisons make perfect sense, such as Anderlecht’s 17 year old star striker Romelu Lukaku being dubbed the ‘new Drogba.’ Lukaku’s playing style is identical to Drogba’s; using strength and pace to charge through defences. He has also publicly stated that he ‘idolises’ Drogba and it seems he has based his entire game around him.

However, some comparisons are becoming just ridiculous. There has now been so many ‘new Maradona’s’ that the list even has its own Wikipedia page dedicated to it. Some players on the list, such as Lionel Messi and Sergio Aguero have indeed turned out to be great players. However, others such as Franco Di Santo, who currently plays at Wigan Athletic have not lived up to their promise. It cannot be easy for a young teenager, to be suddenly compared to one of the greatest players ever and if they feel they are expected to perform to that standard and achieve the same success as Maradona, it is not surprising that their performance may suffer.

It seems nowadays, that players can no longer create their own name and identity in the football world. They are now instantly compared to another and should they not manage to achieve the same success as their predecessor, the youngster is regarded as a failure. In the case of Di Santo, many people, including myself, view him as a flop, someone who didn’t play to their potential and is destined for a career scoring the odd goal in a bottom half team.

Whereas if he was never labelled as the next Maradona and didn’t feel that he had such giant boots to fill, we, as fans and spectators would think that a young South American has done well for himself by making it to the Premier League and more importantly, he may feel he is doing well in his career as opposed to feeling that he is underperforming.

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However, ‘new Maradonas’ aside, I recently saw the most ridiculous thing I have ever seen whilst reading an article on the Telegraph website. According to the article, Blackburn Rovers boss, Steve Kean has labelled young centre half Myles Anderson , who recently joined from Aberdeen as ‘the new Chris Smalling .’ Now to me, this seems stupid on so many levels. For a start, Smalling himself has only just started his career, how can there be a ‘new Chris Smalling ,’ when the original still plays for England under-21’s? He also has no distinctive features regarding his appearance or playing style, therefore I struggle to see why the young United defender was chosen, seemingly at random to be used in comparison to another youngster. What’s more, Smalling himself has been labelled ‘the next Rio Ferdinand ,’ by his United boss Sir Alex Ferguson.

So could this mean there are just chains of players, each labelled as the ‘next’ version of the player before him? If so, will there eventually be up and coming youngsters labelled as ‘the new Robert Huth,’ or droves of talent wasted as they were pressured into becoming the ‘next Messi’ for example.

Lost seem the days when players were allowed to carve their own identity and style into the game, or burst onto the scene, unknown to the world’s major clubs as now. It would seem that should someone such as Aaron Lennon , who rose from unknown teenager from the lower leagues to possible England international during his debut season for Spurs, would not have had the same impact on the Premierships full backs had he been labelled ‘the next Walcott.’

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Sure, some comparisons such as Lukaku and Drogba make perfect sense and who doesn’t love to predict future talents but these have to be kept in check, or else we lose the element of surprise regarding future talents and the players themselves lose the opportunity to become an individual and a great in their own right.

Read more of Richard Baker’s articles at This is Futbol

Every summer, there are a couple of teams that fly out of the traps, act incredibly decisively and get all their business done and dusted well in advance of the coming season. This year it’s Manchester United, sitting smugly at the front, camped out in front of the forthcoming season 2 weeks early. They identified their targets, wrapped up the deals and went off on a fantastic bonding trip across America. Everbody is happy, Ferguson’s spent and aren’t United just great.

Every summer there are also a couple of teams that insist on leaving everything to the last possible minute, resulting in two people who’ve never met each other before taking centre together 3 weeks into the season. This year a number of clubs are heading steadily and knowingly towards this goal of gradual unpreparedness.

It’s immensely frustrating watching other football clubs doing business while your club waits, twiddling its thumbs, scratching its bum. As time ticks on, it feels like they’re already edging away from you up the table.

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There are several advantages to getting your buying done and your players in as soon as possible. First of all, it gives a manager far more time to work with his new signings and help them adjust to the new style of play, new training, new colleagues and so on. A month of intensive training is a huge advantage. Pre-season is the time to work out a player’s role in the team, to experiment with him, this should not be done during the season. Similarly it allows the players to get fit and the coaches to assess their fitness, you don’t want a player turning up at the start of season way off the pace, carrying timber. It can also have an added psychological benefit. Ferguson has stated that United don’t need anyone else. The new players are settling in. He is sending out a message, United are setting the pace and everybody else is playing catch up.

So why don’t all clubs attempt to work a little quicker? Why are Tottenham still playing all their pre-season friendlies with a number of players they intend to sell for example? Money is the simplest reason, the necessity to sell players before you can buy means clubs are forced to hold on until the dying moments of the transfer window. This undoubtedly has a negative impact on the start of a campaign. The last minute signings of Dimitar Berbatov from Spurs and Joleon Lescott from Everton highlight the de-stabilising effect this can have on a team.

The clubs that have conducted their business swiftly this season are the cash rich ones. Sunderland, Newcastle, Liverpool and Manchester United have been particularly busy. They have done well to make the most of this position, waiting until the last minute puts your team at a huge disadvantage before the season even begins.

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Disagree or just enjoy last minute panic buying? Let me know: http://twitter.com/#!/philipwroe

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Wesley Sneijder has admitted he could leave Inter Milan for the right offer reports the Mirror.

The admission will fuel speculation that a move to long time suitors Manchester United is imminent.

Valued at £35 million the Dutch midfielder finally spoke up on the controversy that has surrounded his future at the San Siro all summer.

With the Serie A side club suffering a cash crisis the midfielder admits that they could sell him for financial reasons.

Sneijder said: “All I know is that Inter need money and that I’m for sale if the right offer comes in.

“I have five days off after the international friendly against England on Wednesday. I expect clarity on my future by then.

“I can be very brief about the interest from Manchester United and City: I haven’t spoken with either of those two clubs, so I can’t really say much about my future at the moment.” He added

Speculation at the weekend saw him linked with a move to the Blue side of Manchester only for this to be quickly dismissed.

It seems United is the only option for Sneijder who is wanted by manager Sir Alex Ferguson as a replacement for Paul Scholes.

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A move to Old Trafford now looks to be on the card although his £200,000-a-week wages could delay the deal as it is out of the clubs pay structure.

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Footballer’s – will they ever learn? Even the young, with apparently ‘their feet on the ground’ are prone to some bad decision making. I’m talking about off-field antics here of course – on pitch mistakes can be forgiven, for the most part. The latest blunder comes from a surprising source however – Theo Walcott. His decision to release an autobiography right at the start of a new season, in which he criticises current England manager Fabio Capello, just before squads are announced for the latest Euro 2012 qualifying matches, is a baffling one indeed. More of an annoyance however, is the fact that somebody is releasing an autobiography at the age of just 22.

Walcott isn’t the first young footballer to release an autobiography of course, and he sadly won’t be the last. The likes of Wayne Rooney, Michael Owen, David Beckham and Steven Gerrard are all guilty of it in this country – some, even guilty of releasing multiple books! There are two connotations to take from this: age, and overall, the point of it.

At Theo’s age, 22, how much can he have to write about? One would think it is vastly premature to be releasing an autobiography. Disagree? Let’s take a look at the actual definition of the word:

Autobiography – (n.) A biography written by the subject of it; memoirs of one’s life written by one’s self.

So, by definition, this is supposed to be the memoirs of Theo’s life. Does he not plan on sticking around with us much longer? Joking aside, as a professional footballer Walcott has been in his job for roughly six years. Granted, he’s had a rapid rise to stardom, with more media attention than most, especially during his surprise inclusion in England’s 2006 World Cup squad, prior to him having kicked a ball at Premier League level as a 17-year old, but retirement for his profession usually occurs around the mid-30’s. At the age of 22, he should have some years left in him – including what should be his peak ages in football.

Still not even an automatic first choice for his club team Arsenal, never mind an established international, Walcott has chosen to criticise the current England manager in his new book, which has been serialised in a daily tabloid provoking headlines. This is another trend when releasing an autobiography, especially when it comes to sport stars – the newspaper serialisation. Keen to generate any headlines possible, the press will feed on any incident – no matter how small, and sensationalise it. With only a relatively short career behind him up to now, Walcott needed something a little controversial included in his memoirs, in order to gain publicity and sell his book; thus probably guaranteeing a hefty sum from the paper than wishes to serialise the book. The controversy has come in the form of ‘attacking’ Fabio Capello who has been revealed as ‘cold and clinical’ (I big shock to fans, I know). Theo also painted Capello as a monster on the training ground, informing us that the Italian screamed: ‘Theo! I will kill you if you come inside like that again!’ when Walcott made a run from his position. Theo moaned he never knew what was required of him by Capello (maybe to stay wide, Theo?). Other revelations in the book include instances involving Wayne Rooney and Emile Heskey, clashing with the England manager. Amazingly, having a look around forums regarding the subject, people have been keen to jump all over Capello, saying the ‘revelations’ prove their point that the Italian shouldn’t be in charge of England. How about the players been held accountable, rather than the big bad ‘foreigner’?

Which brings me to the second point; the point of it all. Why release a book at all, especially at such a young age? Money. What else? It’s all about cashing in on your brand name. A lot of today’s players seem more concerned with building a reputation off the pitch instead of earning one on it. As stated, a little bit of controversy almost guarantees a newspaper serialisation which brings in extra income, and promotes the book even more who may just be tempted to line the player’s pockets even more by purchasing it. This is not just relevant to young players. Lots of ‘star’ footballer’s choose to cash in on their name whilst still playing – businesswise it makes sense. But how about concentrating on your career instead of how to make your next £ million? Footballer’s of any age, pre-retirement, shouldn’t release these kinds of books full stop.

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Walcott should concentrate on his career, and on becoming a regular for club and country before risking the wrath of people in the game, who could help him in the future. His book is called ‘Theo: Growing Up Fast’ – maybe he needs to!

If you want to read more from myself including news, thoughts and views you can follow me on Twitter @fantasista1077 thanks!

Arsenal have confirmed that the fans who travelled to see their team get beaten 8-2 by Manchester United at Old Trafford on Sunday will be given free tickets to a future away Premier League match.

The Gunners were outplayed and embarrassed by the English champions in a one-sided affair, resulting in the worst result for the club since 1896.

The London club have praised the supporters who had to endure the defeat, and promised to compensate their financial expense.

“Sunday’s result was obviously disappointing for everyone connected with the club. Our travelling fans were magnificent throughout and we want to recognise their fantastic support. We will be writing to them shortly with the details,” a club statement reads.

Manager Arsene Wenger is under pressure after back-to-back league losses and the departures of Samir Nasri and Cesc Fabregas, and has apologised to the fans after the result.

“The fans do not want to see their team like that. We can only apologise and come back in our strength and desire in the next game,” he stated.

“Big scores are humiliating and difficult to swallow but I don’t think they have a special meaning. They are always under special circumstances.”

The Emirates outfit were without a number of key players such as Jack Wilshere and Thomas Vermaelen, but captain Robin van Persie thinks this is no excuse.

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“It is an honest result if you look at the game. We were simply not good enough. We have to deal with that. I don’t think we can hide behind injuries or suspensions. It is no excuse. They had injuries too, this is football,” the Netherlands international admitted.

Arsenal’s next game is against Swansea at the Emirates on September 10th.

New Chelsea boss Andre Villas-Boas remains unfazed by Sir Alex Ferguson’s mind games and is looking forward to pitting his wits against Manchester United at Old Trafford on Sunday. He also believes that there is a double standard in the media where someone like Ryan Giggs gets lauded at 37, yet some of his aging Chelsea stars are seen as over the hill.

Elsewhere in the papers Wenger believes Arsenal are at the start of a new cycle; Redknapp reveals his past interest in trio, while Samba concedes he got distracted by transfer talk.

Wenger: Arsenal are at start of new cycle – Guardian

Villas-Boas unfazed by Ferguson – Daily Telegraph

King ready to meet Redknapp’s target and earn new Spurs deal –Independent

Mick: I snubbed Barton offer – Sun

Redknapp: I wanted Suarez, Carroll and Downing – Mirror

Dalglish continues to echo the old values – Guardian

Time for Jack the lad to mature: Moyes urges Rodwell to realise his potential – Daily Mail

Samba: I got distracted by Arsenal transfer talk – Mirror

Pards: Rick will be Andy – Sun

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Glazers to delay £600m flotation – Daily Telegraph

Bendtner: I’ll be a Brucie bonus – Sun

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The Spanish La Liga side have reportedly made a u-turn over the sale of Bruno Soriano with Manchester United now in pole position to sign the midfielder. Villarreal President Fernando Roig appeared to be holding the 27 year old to ransom in an attempt to ease the financial pressure at the club.

Riog had previously suggested that Soriano could not be released for less than £10million leaving United boss Alex Ferguson mulling over whether the player was worth the fee.

However, now it seems Riog is prepared to negotiate that figure following the sale of Soriano’s team mate Santi Cazorla to Malaga for around £21million. The emphasis was originally on the midfielder’s sale to help balance the books but Villarreal have accepted that Soriano will now leave them in January for a far-less sum.

It remains to be seen if Sir Alex is still interested as the United boss is not one to be kept waiting for any player but rest-assured he will be more than aware of European rivals Barcelona circling the Villarreal nest. Despite the giants of Europe having a surplus of midfielders, they have had an interest in Soriano for some time but as yet have not come forward with a bid.

Soriano is believed to be regarded as the best player in his position in La liga by the Villarreal President but the lure of United and Barca will be tempting the midfielder to consider his options. United will offer the opportunity of English football and better wages which almost every player in the world would fancy a stab at. Barca on the other hand can only offer the same league except with improved wages but also the possibility of reduced first team opportunities. This would suggest Soriano may opt for a move to England but that can have its negatives given the standards at United.

Competition at United is fierce and the expectations are immensely high so it would soon be revealed how good Soriano is based on how well he adapts. Soriano though does offer more than just a midfield talent with evidence of playing at left-back. This could help Soriano increase his first team opportunities with either United or Barca.

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It’s always hard to tell how good these players are that are linked with high profile clubs until they get out on the pitch. The clubs scouts will know their potential and so only time will tell whether Soriano will prove to be a real find for either club and worth the wait. If he is as good as Villarreal make him out to be they will struggle to replace him once he’s gone.

Read more of Phil Wareham-Mewse’s articles at the excellent Transfer Tavern

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Nobody wants to be relegated. It’s been the death of many a major club. Club’s like Nottingham Forest and Leeds fell from the heights of European football to relative obscurity; but it doesn’t always have to be like that. The right management of the club and an understanding of the situation at hand is vital to resurgence in form. So which clubs have benefited from a demotion and what circumstances are necessary to use relegation as a catalyst for success?

Newcastle 2009

The obvious choice is Newcastle. After almost winning the Premiership in the mid nineties the Toon army went on to enjoy over a decade of mediocrity before slipping to a deserved relegation. However two years later they currently enjoy their best start to a top-flight season in years and occupy a top four place in the table. This is definitely creditable to their relegation and subsequent promotion.

Newcastle, despite the debt they had, managed to hold on to a number of important players. They used relegation to get rid of much of the dead weight in their squad and came back to the top flight as a new team. Whatever Newcastle fans might say about Mike Ashley I feel that in football you should judge people by their end result and although he did want to sell the club it would appear that he has managed the club well. He has made a fortune for the club with the sale of Carroll, has got rid of Barton who clearly disrupted dressing room morale and sold the expensive Kevin Nolan who was in decline as a footballer. Moreover, he has reduced the club debt by a significant amount and continued his ambition even though they were relegated. The result? A young fresh team with an exciting French element to it. The team, for the first time in years, looks genuinely threatening although they still need to buy a striker.

Man City 2001

After winning promotion to the Premier League Manchester City were immediately relegated back down to the Championship. It seemed that the step up had simply come too soon. However with the appointment of Kevin Keegan Man City won promotion once more with their highest ever points total. Why were they able to do this? Because David Bernstein introduced measures to ensure necessary frugality within the club so therefore if they were to be demoted then they would not collapse as a club (as clubs such as Leeds and Portsmouth have done).

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West Ham 2010

West Ham are by no means ensured of a straight promotion back to football’s top table but they have put themselves in a decent position. They recognised the need to keep hold of some of their players whilst simultaneously offloaded players who were congesting their wage bill. The sale of Scott Parker was a necessary evil as was the release of Mathew Upson who was on a reported £55k per week. Instead they have brought in loan players with proven quality for that level such as Bentley, Almunia and Lansbury. West Ham had almost gone down a number of times in recent seasons and last years relegation was the perfect opportunity to re-invent their squad. They may have a long way to go but I predict that they will be back next year and ready to grow as a club.

Common denominator

So what did these clubs share that made them able to rise back up to the Premier League? Decent finances. The key to being relegated is to make sure that when you go down you can afford to go down. People might suggest that Newcastle went down with over £100m debt but ultimately they have a large fan base and each club can afford different levels of debt depending upon their support. Similarly whilst West Ham do have debt the £35m they owe is more than manageable for a club of their size.

Too many clubs panic buy when they see relegation on the horizon and it is an incredibly risky tactic. If it works the fine your team survives for another season, but what then? Do you struggle the next season too? It is not sustainable. You cannot panic buy forever, clubs that go down with their finances in relative order stand themselves in much better stead than those in the Premier League whose spending spirals out of control in a bid to stop the rot.

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Just look at a club like Charlton. They had plenty of money after the sale of Darren Bent but instead of spending it wisely they went through a succession of managers who wasted their money. The result was that when they were eventually relegated they had no money to rebuild causing them to be relegated even further.

Relegation doesn’t have to be a disaster, as long as clubs are prepared for it and act accordingly. It almost seems better to wait until one has been relegated to bring in new players in order to win promotion straight away than it does to buy players in order to prevent your club from being relegated in the first place. Obviously it helps to have a large fan base and reputation as clubs like Newcastle and West Ham do. It is easier to draw crowds and attract players but for anyone who says that is the only reason they were successful in the season after they were relegated is wrong. If that were true then why do not all the big clubs who get relegated immediately win promotion.

There is obviously no exact formula or specific tactic for turning relegation into an advantage, but the prospects it provides are there for all to see. Yes there are grave financial implications but with the careful management of Premier league parachute payments the apocalypse might not seem so near. Shedding unwanted players from the wage bill and starting afresh is key to the growth of clubs who have stagnated after years in the Premier League. As long as clubs have been sensible financially whilst in the top division they can enjoy success in the second tier of English football.

Follow Hamish on Twitter @H_Mackay

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