Aston Villa’s Bent buy will flummox O’Neill

If eyebrows were raised when Aston Villa decided to spend up to 24 million pounds on striker Darren Bent then former manager Martin O’Neill’s forehead must have been pinned to his living room ceiling when the news broke on Tuesday.

The absurdity of the switch lies not in the inflated figure or Bent’s abilities on the pitch and in front of goal, but in the timing of Villa chairman Randy Lerner choosing to dig deep into his pockets.

O’Neill walked out of the Midlands club just days before the start of the season after being told transfer funds were scarce and the £18 million to be raised from the sale of James Milner to Manchester City would not be reinvested in the squad.

Happy Birthday Pep. Now, about that contract…

Birthday congratulations have been pouring in all week for Barcelona coach Pep Guardiola, who turned 40 on Tuesday, and it is worth taking a moment to reflect on his phenomenal record since he took over from Frank Rijkaard at the end of the 2007-08 season.

The softly-spoken former Barca and Spain midfielder has helped lift the Catalan club to unprecedented heights, winning eight of the 10 competitions they have contested, including a treble of Spanish league and Cup and European Champions League in his first season and an historic six trophies in 2009.

Records have tumbled during his short reign. They amassed the highest number of points and goals for the first half of a season in La Liga this term: 52 and 61 respectively, with a goal difference of plus 50. They have won all their away matches, surprisingly slipping up twice at home with defeat to promoted Hercules and a draw with Michael Laudrup’s Real Mallorca.

Perhaps most pleasing for the Barca faithful, maybe even more than the silverware, his team have won all five “Clasicos” against great rivals Real Madrid, a run that included a 6-2 success at Real’s Bernabeu stadium in May 2009 and last November’s crushing 5-0 romp at the Nou Camp.

Real’s search for a striker — who fits the bill?

Jose Mourinho’s constant pressuring of Real Madrid for another striker has finally paid off, with director general Jorge Valdano saying they were in the market for a number nine.

In the past, many top clubs would have been worried that the world’s richest club by income according to the Deloitte’s Football Money League, would be turning the heads of their prize assets.

This time, however, Real have set themselves an even tougher task. They only want to borrow a striker on loan until the end of the season when Gonzalo Higuain should have recovered from the back surgery he underwent on Tuesday.

Their only other recognised striker, Karim Benzema, “lacks a hunger for goals,” Mourinho said after another disappointing display from the Frenchman in the King’s Cup on Thursday. He has only scored once in La Liga this season.

Bosnian diamond Dzeko could turn City’s fortunes

If Edin Dzeko can adapt seamlessly to the Premier League’s high-tempo game, the blue half of Manchester may at long last get the trophy they have craved since 1968, when City won their last top-flight title.

With Carlos Tevez having a punishing workload up front for Roberto Mancini’s side as the lone striker in a 4-3-2-1 formation, Dzeko appears to be just what City need to start firing on all cylinders.

Dubbed as the “Bosnian diamond” by media in the Balkan country for his lethal finishing, excellent close control and the ability to hold and head the ball, the striker impressed in each of his three and a half seasons at Wolfsburg, where he won the Bundesliga title in 2009.

His record of 85 goals in 138 appearances for the German side in all competitions and 17 in 31 caps for Bosnia suggests that he will be a handful for any defence in the Premier League and a perfect strike partner for Tevez.

Winter World Cup looks more and more a reality

What Sepp Blatter wants he usually gets. So when the FIFA president said that the Qatari World Cup finals will “probably” be in the winter because of the summer heat you can safely begin preparations now for your trip to the Middle East in January 2022.

The decision to move the date of the first World Cup in the Middle East, which first needs to be ratified by FIFA’s executive committee, is going to have huge ramifications on club and international soccer up to five years before the 2022 tournament as well as on other sports.

The highly complex and crowded sporting calendar is designed to involve as little overlap between the major sports so that each receive the maximum exposure, and thus sponsorship, from audiences around the globe.

We wait to hear what the International Olympic Committee (IOC) make of the prospect of the World Cup being switched to the same time as their 2022 Winter Olympics.

Messi’s FIFA Ballon d’Or award is still a victory for team football

It’s strange that when 2009 winner Lionel Messi was awarded the combined FIFA Ballon d’Or award on Monday there was shock in the Zurich auditorium and around the globe.

He is clearly the best player in the world but most fans and pundits had expected one of Barcelona team mates and Spain World Cup winners Andres Iniesta or Xavi to take the prize.    

Some might argue that talent has unfairly outstripped team play yet again in the big award but of all the truly great players to have graced the game, Messi is one of a handful who shine because of their understanding with team mates not just their outrageous skill.   

Kenny makes cute move in turning to Clark

Kenny Dalgish resisted the temptation to surround himself with Liverpool “old boys” on Monday when Steve Clarke was named as first team coach at Anfield.

It was an astute decision by Dalglish to hire his fellow Scot whose background work at Chelsea as assistant to the high-profile Jose Mourinho was a factor in the London club’s back to back titles in 2005 and 2006.

Liverpool fans were probably expecting some familiar faces to re-appear in the fabled Liverpool boot room, and that may still happen as the list of former players offering their views on the way forward is a long one.

It was hardly the return Dalglish would have wanted at Manchester United in the FA Cup on Sunday as his side went down 1-0 to a dubious penalty and had talismanic skipper Steven Gerrard shown a straight red card for a reckless tackle.

Dalglish needs a quick fix to hint at hope for future

Kenny Dalglish may not be a long-term solution as Liverpool manager but his appointment will give hope to disgruntled fans and provide a fillip to the club’s underperforming players.

The Liverpool hero has been thrust back into the limelight after 10 years out of management and will lead the club out at Old Trafford for an FA Cup clash against Manchester United on Sunday after replacing Roy Hodgson at the helm.

Hodgson’s position at the club had become untenable as results began badly and never picked up with the likes of Wolverhampton Wanderers, Stoke City, Blackburn Rovers and Blackpool all inflicting embarrassing defeats.

Patience not always a virtue in Hodgson’s case

The Liverpool owners’ decision to use this weekend’s break for the FA Cup as a chance to sit back and ponder the club’s future under Roy Hodgson is a rare patient act in the hasty world of soccer but it might not end up doing the manager any favours.

The Anfield club, just four points clear of the Premier League relegation zone, face rivals Manchester United at Old Trafford in the third round of the Cup on Sunday after another week of speculation and supporter unrest surrounding Hodgson’s future.

Even with the ‘magic’ of the FA Cup, a win against league leaders United seems unlikely on current form, and a defeat to their bitter rivals who could field a slightly weakened side, would only rub salt into already very sore wounds on Merseyside.

A defeat to United does not go down well even when Liverpool are fighting for the title or Champions League places, but when they are faltering in mid-table, a loss would add further ammunition to the club’s unhappy fans.

Fergie’s smile spells trouble for Premier League title rivals

When Alex Ferguson declares he is happy with his squad for the season remainder, it is time for Manchester United’s Premier League title rivals to start worrying.

The busy Christmas and New Year period is often important in the Premier League, as fringe players are called upon to help negotiate a sea of fixtures which put managers under increasing pressure.

With the worst of it now over, United are beginning to emerge from the pack.

Their recent wins over West Bromwich Albion and Stoke City might not have oozed confidence or screamed ‘champions’ but the results will have worried Manchester City, Arsenal and Chelsea.