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Ramires has been something of a revelation at Stamford Bridge, with the Brazilian already establishing himself as a driving force in the centre of Chelsea’s midfield.

The club’s official betting partner, 188BET, is offering all Chelsea FC fans the chance to chat live with Ramires.

Chelsea FC’s Brazilian international midfielder will be taking over 188BET’s Twitter account to answer fans’ questions during a special live interview on Thursday 2nd February 2012.

Ramires joined Chelsea FC in 2010 from Benfica and has already clocked up almost 50 appearances for the club, forming a strong midfield partnership with the likes of Meireles and Lampard. He has scored six goals for Chelsea, including the club’s goal of the season award last year for his strike against Manchester City at Stamford bridge, and also has 27 international caps with his native Brazil to his name.

He will be online at 1:30pm on Thursday 2nd February and will answer a selection of fans’ questions live via 188BET’s Twitter feed. To take part, all Blues fans have to do is log on to Twitter, follow ‘@188BET’ and submit their questions by tweeting ‘@188BET’ along with the hashtag: #askRamires.

So whether you want to know how Ramires thinks Chelsea FC will do in 2012, who the best dressed in the squad is or perhaps even if he has a special party trick, get online on Thursday and ask him your questions!

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Here at Football FanCast we’ll also be talking to Ramires with the help of a translator, so post your questions in the comments section below and we’ll pick out some of the best…

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To remain or not to remain. That is the question. Theo Walcott has been at Arsenal a long time now and whilst still only being 22, he is certainly one of the Gunners more experienced heads in their quest for fourth place this campaign. A frustrating talent, Walcott’s inconsistencies have continued to deceive his adorning Arsenal public this term. Time is certainly flying by. Has Walcott’s clock ticked too far?

The well-spoken winger is currently enjoying a campaign free from injury and has been a constant fixture on the right flank for the Gunners. Arsene Wenger clearly trusts the player whom he groomed for many years as the natural successor to Thierry Henry. But with Henry back at the club this January, does this indeed represent the lack of impact made by the prodigy in the time elapsed. In short, yes.

Wenger recently spoke about team mate Alex Oxlade-Chamberlain and modern football being in a state of ‘immediacy’ whereby great things are expected of young talents in a short space of time. Walcott has had years.

Whilst remaining to be one of the Premier League’s fastest players, Walcott continues to run with his head down, careering into the full back as opposed to getting beyond them and firing a cross in to the box. Whilst it must be accepted that Arsenal’s game is to play neat passes into feet around the box, many more chances could be created simply if Walcott got his head up and looked.

Chris Waddle criticised the England international back in 2010 stating

“I’ve never seen him develop. He just doesn’t understand the game for me – where to be running, when to run inside a full-back”.

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What seems to be more frustrating for Gunners fans is that Theo seems to go on a good run of form, for example at Carrow Road where he linked up with Robin Van Persie fantastically, and then goes missing in two or three games prior to a productive game. Following snippets of brilliance over the years and an ability to strike more often against Chelsea, Walcott has proved amongst the most frustrating of talents.

Many Walcott fans believed it was lift off in his career following his hat-trick for England in Zagreb but it is difficult to measure how far he has come in the time since.

A good finisher; Walcott far too often finds himself isolated on the touchline, only to be substituted for the likes of Andrey Arshavin three quarters of a way through a game. Theo himself would admit that he’d like to improve on just six Premier League strikes this season. He remains to be a likeable member of the Arsenal squad with chants of ‘Theo, Theo’ often radiating from the terraces, but this seems to be more in hope rather than expectation. It is all in too short supply from a player whose impact could be devastating if he mastered his final ball productivity.

It seems apparent that the likes of Gareth Bale and Ashley Young have improved tenfold in the same period of time as Walcott has had, but with Alex Oxlade-Chamberlain now in the first-team reckoning, Walcott’s future first-team place may not be guaranteed, although England continue to select him for the senior squad.

Walcott has publicly voiced his desire to play up front for Arsenal in the past, but with Robin Van Persie’s form and indeed Walcott’s inconsistencies it is likely that such a wish will again fall upon deaf ears. A far greater contribution is needed in what is proving to be a gruelling roller coaster ride of a campaign for Arsenal, and Walcott’s tendencies to coast through games with little contribution is proving far too tedious.

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It may take more than a final whistle clap to the fans to truly appease the Gunners faithful on Walcott whom many Arsenal fans still think has the ability to become part of the clubs all-time folklore.

But with needs must this campaign, patience is certainly at a minimum. If Arsenal fans accept the role of timekeeper, they will find that Walcott’s best form is yet to arrive. Time to let go? Only time will tell.

Should Walcott be given more time or are you also frustrated with his inconsistencies? Follow me @ http://twitter.com/Taylor_Will1989

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Last week was one to forget for Liverpool and Kenny Dalglish. The Reds forfeited a two-goal lead at Loftus Road and went on to lose 3-2 to QPR, before following that up with another Premier League defeat at Anfield against lowly Wigan Athletic.

Liverpool might have already won the Carling Cup this year as well as making the semi-final of the FA Cup with a tasty Merseyside Derby against Everton at Wembley on the horizon, but the Reds have greatly underachieved in the league and currently lie in 7th place in the table, 13 points off the top four.

Dalglish has got his work cut out to turn things round and it looks like he’d like to get his boots back on and play for the Reds as he tries to get the ball off Wigan manager Roberto Martinez. Can you provide a funny caption for this picture?

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Leave your suggestions in the comments section below…

This week you can win a Liverpool T-Shirt

Liverpool Tees sell the T-shirts the fans are talking about.

See their range of Liverpool designs at www.liverpooltees.com

For the FootballFanCast.com Caption Competition Terms and Conditions click here

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Check out our Caption Competition Gallery for some inspiration and to see the winners so far.

Last week’s winner: David Regan – click here to see all entries

Aston Villa have backed under-fire boss Alex McLeish, despite admitting that the situation at the club is currently less than ideal.

The Villa Park outfit are not yet clear of relegation danger, and after losing to Bolton on Tuesday night remain in 15th place on 36 points.

Despite only seven league wins this term, chairman Randy Lerner and chief executive Paul Faulkner have released a statement in support of the Scottish coach.

“Right now everyone connected with Villa is hurting badly,” the statement on Villa’s official website starts.

“A win was in sight against Bolton after a strong start and the tenacity the team displayed, although ultimately we weren’t able to hold on for the points.

“We very openly acknowledge the frustrations of Villa fans and share in them completely. What matters to us and the board at this moment is how we, as a club, handle adversity and the pressure it brings.

“Our horizon is the next three games and we continue to be in control of our own destiny. Young players side-by-side with more senior players are fighting hard for the club.

“They are now preparing for West Brom followed by Spurs and Norwich.

“We will continue to support and rely on our manager and the squad and therefore give them our full support. We are totally conscious, as is everyone at the club, that this is a very trying time for those who love Aston Villa.

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“We know that the team will continue to fight through every minute of the remaining games and we hope Villa fans will continue to show their great support,” it concludes.

By Gareth McKnight

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So here it is, the final game of what has been a quite phenomenal season for Reading Football Club.

Reading fans will be travelling to St.Andrew’s in great numbers on Saturday, with over 4,000 tickets sold and as traditional for Reading fans on the last away game of the season it will be “inflatable’s day” adding to the carnival like atmosphere that should be created.

With Birmingham guaranteed a spot in this season’s playoffs and Reading of course already having secured the title, there may not seem a great deal to play for either team.

However, Birmingham have dropped to 5th in the table, meaning they would play at home in the first leg of the playoffs and away in the second. This is always seen as a negative, so expect Birmingham to be desperate to win, overtake Blackpool and secure 4th spot, meaning home advantage in the crucial second leg of the playoffs.

Reading will of course also be looking for the 3 points on Saturday; Brian McDermott is not the kind of manager to make wholesale changes for any game, despite having nothing to play for. With Jason Roberts suspended following his red card against Crystal Palace, Adam Le Fondre is the likely replacement, although Benik Afobe may be brought in to replicate Roberts pace and power. However, do not expect many more changes to the team that played Palace, if any.

Both clubs should be pleased with their seasons and hopefully both sets of fans should be in good spirits which should lead to a great atmosphere and a great game!

Birmingham are coming off the back of 4 straight draws and will be looking for a win to gain some momentum heading into the playoffs. The game earlier in the season between the two teams saw Reading come out 1-0 winners at the Madejski thanks to a Noel Hunt winner in the 75th minute.

Reading will also be keen to finish the season on a high, following our fabulous run. It will not be an easy game of course, with Birmingham boasting a very good home record having only lost once this season on home soil. This will not phase Reading however, who have recently won at arguably the hardest away grounds in the league in Upton Park and St Marys.

Reading fans should be happy that everything is already sewn up and not having to rely on a result in what is sure to be a competitive game on Saturday. Fans should take the opportunity to enjoy the game and give our players the full support and appreciation that they deserve before they embark on what is a huge summer for the club!

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Thoughts? Contact me on twitter @JackPeedell

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It is official. After a successful eight years at Stamford Bridge, Chelsea have announced on their official website that Didier Drogba will leave the club when his contract expires in June. The powerful Ivorian amassed an impressive 154 goals in 341 appearances for the Blues, etching himself into Chelsea folklore for years to come. But having shown he can still provide the difference in recent weeks, why have the club taken the decision to allow him to leave the club?

Drogba signed from Marseille for £24 million in the summer of 2004 and instantly became a key part of the Chelsea team that charged to their first league title in 50 years under Jose Mourinho. His domineering attitude and powerful presence gave defenders nightmares and the striker went on to accumulate another two Premier League titles, four FA Cup and three League Cup winners’ medals as well as a Champions League trophy as recently as last Saturday.

His goals propelled him into the hearts of the Chelsea fans but some of his on-field antics won just as many critics during his time in England. Accused of going to ground to easily and a petulant manner, even the most ardent Blues fan will admit to had been frustrated by the Ivorian’s occasional shenanigans. At times he appeared to be among the best in the world but he could just as readily be seen as a sullen striker, unwilling to perform when things did not go his way, and this season has perhaps displayed that more than any.

There was a bright sense of optimism around the club in August 2011 as Andre Villas-Boas began his new job as manager of the west-London club. Charged with the intention of displacing the ageing core of the first team in John Terry, Frank Lampard and Drogba, Villas-Boas found himself outmuscled in a changing room that lacked support for the implementation of change. Drogba found himself on the fringes of the team and his frequently negative body language failed to hide his discontent at this new role within the club.

The Portuguese manager failed to manage the transition positively and was shown the door in February. His replacement, Roberto Di Matteo, turned the fortunes around by reinstating the previously marginalised players. Chelsea managed to end the season on a high, winning both the FA Cup and Champions League with Drogba keeping up his record of scoring in every final he played in for the club. Yet the club now find themselves back at square one; relying on the influential players that they sought to remove. They have now decided it is time to let the influential striker go, and it appears to be justified.

Despite being key to winning the double this season, Drogba equalled his worst goal return in a Premier League season as he netted a measly five times. That is fewer than joint top scorers Daniel Sturridge and Lampard as well as fellow striker Fernando Torres. While his ratio of goals to games in Europe this season was better by far with six goals in eight appearances, it pointed to a decline in the consistency of the striker’s performances.

Of his five league goals this term, just one came against a team in the top half. While Drogba may be able to pull out a fantastic performance when it is required, the evidence suggests that he can no longer maintain the game-winning performances that made him a fan favourite on a regular basis

Drogba was inspirational in the 2009/10 double-winning campaign when he scored 29 league goals, but he has since failed to come close to such figures. As one of the club’s top earners, the harsh reality is that you are expected to perform at your best every week, not only on the big occasions. Whilst such experience is vital in achieving success Drogba has become somewhat of a luxury item; expensive to keep but ready to perform when needed most. However, it is simply not feasible for the club to retain such a lavish player and at 34-years-old his time is now up.

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His presence at the club will no doubt be sorely missed and he will not soon be forgotten. It may not have been his finest season as a whole in the Blue of Chelsea, but the original remit for the club’s season was to phase out the ageing members of the squad and so despite his FA Cup and Champions League heroics, Drogba departed.

Do you think Chelsea were right to let Drogba go? Let me know on Twitter.

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Croatia is the latest nation to feel the wrath of UEFA, who having already fined them £20,000 due to the unruly behaviour of their supporters in their opening game against the Republic of Ireland, are now investigating claims that a large section of their fans were racially abusing Mario Balotelli in the recent game against Italy. A banana was thrown onto the pitch and a section of around 500 Croatian fans were reportedly involved in repeated racist chanting towards the Manchester City striker.

Elsewhere in the news Roy Hodgson hails England’s comeback; Shay Given hits out at Roy Keane’s criticism, while Damien Comolli is linked with Spurs return.

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Headlines

Roy Hodgson hailed the performance of his front men against Sweden, with Theo Walcott singled out for special praise following his contribution from the bench – [Guardian]

Theo Walcott believes there is more to come from him and has hailed the spirit within the England squad – [Guardian]

Shay Given has hit back at Roy Keane following stinging criticism towards the Republic of Ireland team – [Guardian]

Damien Comolli has been linked with a surprise return to Tottenham Hotspur as the club contemplate a new management structure – [Daily Telegraph]

Wales legend John Toshack provided the ringing endorsement that Michael Laudrup needed in order to get the Swansea job – [Daily Telegraph]

Liverpool owner has played down the financial impact of a new stadium will have on the football club –[ Independent]

Michael Owen is set to snub a move to Everton in favour of a switch to Stoke City –[ Daily Mail]

Chelsea is set to battle it out with Newcastle United for French right back Mathieu Debuchy -[ Mirror]

Owen Hargreaves has admitted that he may well consider retirement from the game at the age of 31, following his long term battle with knee injuries -[ Sun]

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Arsenal is leading the chase to sign Real Madrid’s 22-year-old striker-[ TalkSport]

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PLEASE NOTE – Click on the sources above the view the original articles

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The transfer window is open and the managers of the Premier League clubs have their summer plans well underway. There hasn’t been much movement so far as the sides bide their time to see who’s available and at what price. However, the July 1st deadline for contract expiry has passed, meaning many players can now be picked up on free transfers.

With the Financial Fair Play regulations coming in next season, the top clubs are looking to be more prudent in how they operate. Even Manchester City are reluctant to open the chequebook to pay the extortionate transfer fees and wages that never bothered them before. To satisfy the club’s desires for cautious spending, there are many bargains to be had in the transfer market this summer and here are 15 of the ones that will be the subject of much attention in the coming weeks:

Click on Junior Hoilett to unveil the 15 transfer bargains

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So, that time of the year has arrived.

We’re already salivating at the prospect of the new Football League starting again, yet it’s still just out of our grasp and we have to get our fix from the inevitable list of friendly games that are played out in order for our boys to gain some match fitness.

I know that there’s the endless debate about how much you can read into pre-season games. I know that if you win against ‘lower’ opposition then it’s expected and you should be winning, but if you lose then “It’s just a friendly”.

Funnily enough, I also know that if you beat ‘higher’ opposition then you can’t get carried away because “It’s just a friendly” but if you lose, then it’s expected, you should be losing.

Anyway, we’ve had four games of our pre-season campaign so far and we currently have a record of two wins, one defeat and one draw. In my view, the results aren’t really worth looking at, however, what is worth looking at is the fact that a number of players have been praised for the way that they’ve been playing and that some of the new boys are already looking promising.

Our first game saw us take on Stocksbridge Park Steels, a non-league team, in which we finished the game four goals to the good and that saw our recently acquired Scotland international, Chris Maguire, bag two, our new number nine, Gary Madine, snatch one and youngster, Patrick Antelmi grab a fourth. The fact is, yes, we should be winning that game anyway, however, it is nice to see the boys doing so with such conviction.

Next up for the blue and white wizards was Sheffield FC, the world’s oldest football club. Despite dominating possession for practically the full 90 minutes and Chris O’Grady giving the Owls a deserved lead, SFC’s Dan Williams popped up 15 minutes from the end to earn the home team a draw against a heavily altered second-half Wednesday outfit.

With the two local games done and dusted, Dave Jones’ men, along with a number of loyal Wednesdayites, made the trip to Portugal for a couple of games against ‘bigger’ opposition, 18-time Portuguese champions, Sporting Lisbon, and Premier League new boys, Reading.

While we did suffer a 2-0 defeat at the hands of Sporting, thanks to goals from Andre Martins and the very talented young forward with a tremendous name, Ricky van Wolfwinkel, it wasn’t a bad result for a Wednesday side. Especially given that we made a lot of changes, as did they, and that we didn’t have any of our own goalkeepers between the sticks.

Finally, our most recent encounter, against Reading, saw the same result as previous game, however this time it was in our favour. I mean yes, we can’t read too much into a friendly win over Premier League opposition, however goals from Mike Jones and another for Chris O’Grady will give the squad a massive lift ahead of the weekend’s game against Doncaster.

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Like I said, you can’t look into pre-season games too much. You can mourn the defeats and celebrate the victories, however, it all goes out of the window when you actually enter into a game when both teams really give a damn.

For us our first ‘proper’ game will come against Kieran Lee’s old side, Oldham Athletic in the Capital One Cup on August 13th, before that we’ll be meeting Donny, West Brom and Kilmarnock. Undoubtedly I’ll be taking all of those with a pinch of salt, however, if we put in a good performance against Oldham and get a win then maybe, just maybe, I’ll allow myself to start getting a little bit giddy.

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Liverpool boss Brendan Rodgers has stated that Andy Carroll will not be going on loan.

The England international has been linked with a move away from Anfield, but the new Reds manager has stated that he will not be allowed to leave on a temporary basis.

“There has been a lot written and spoken about him but first and foremost Andy is a Liverpool player,” Rodgers told the LFC official website.

“To consider a loan period for someone the club spent £35million on isn’t something we’re looking to do at this moment in time.

“Andy will be the same as every other player – if there’s ever an offer that comes in we’d look at it as a club and see if it’s going to be worthwhile for the club and the team as a whole.

“The club invested £35million in him. People talk about whether he can fit into my style or not, but if you’re a club and you spend £35million on a player you’d like to think he can fit into whatever style the team plays.

“He’s a good player. He’ll join the rest of the group next week and we’ll take it from there,” he confirmed.

Meanwhile, Rodgers has also admitted that his side are interested in Fulham forward Clint Dempsey.

“Clint is a player we’ve enquired about, it is as simple as that.

“Ian Ayre, our managing director, has spoken with the club to see what the position is. That is where we’re at.

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“He’s a very talented player but we don’t like to talk about other clubs’ players,” he concluded.

By Gareth McKnight

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