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Friday Kickoff: Spurs reach out to Villas-Boas, Carroll starts for England & more

AVBRedknapp (Getty Images)

Andre Villas-Boas might just get a second go-around in London to prove he can find success in the Premier League.

A day after Tottenham began its coaching search after parting ways with Harry Redknapp, a third party has reached out to Villas-Boas on Spurs' behalf, according to reports from England. Villas-Boas and Everton manager David Moyes are considered to be the front-runners for the job.

For Villas-Boas, the Spurs gig would be a second high-profile opportunity in England, and it would also give him a chance to manage on the European stage again, with Tottenham automatically entered into group stage of the UEFA Europa League — a tournament Villas-Boas won with Porto in 2010-2011.

Villas-Boas, 34, was axed in the middle of his first season at Chelsea, where his methodology and lineup choices did not go over well with all at the club and led to subpar results. Assistant Roberto Di Matteo took over and guided the Blues to the UEFA Champions League title and the FA Cup while Villas-Boas sat the remainder of the season out.

Here are a few more stories to get your Friday going:

CARROLL GETS START FOR ENGLAND

After seeing Fernando Torres score twice on Thursday, perhaps Roy Hodgson is thinking that Euro 2012 is a platform where maligned-Premier League strikers find their form.

Hodgson is starting Liverpool striker Andy Carroll against Sweden on Friday in place of Alex Oxlade-Chamberlain as England shifts to a 4-4-2 with Carroll and Danny Welbeck partnered together up top, according to reports from England. Despite being the tallest team at Euro 2012, Sweden had problems dealing with crosses into the area against Ukraine, allowing Andriy Shevchenko to score twice on headers. Hodgson's hope is that Carroll, who labored through the 2011-12 season with the Reds, is able to replicate those results.

AC MILAN SNUBS LARGE PSG SILVA BID

Paris St. Germain has their eye on AC Milan defender Thiago Silva, but not even a massive transfer offer caused the Italian club to budge on its wish to keep him at the San Siro.

Milan reportedly turned down PSG's bid of €46 million, a statement that Milan really has no desire to lose the Brazilian centerback. Considering all of the other personnel losses Milan have had to endure this offseason it is not all that shocking; however turning down a bid of more than four times what Milan paid for Silva to pry him from Fluminense in 2008 is quite the decision.   

OWEN TO JOIN STOKE CITY

For those holding out hope that Michael Owen would make his way to MLS, it does not appear to be happening.

Owen is reportedly going to sign with Stoke City by the end of June. Everton is also said to have interest in the former England standout and Manchester United striker, who has had injuries derail what was on track to being a great career.

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Do you think Villas-Boas is the right man for the Tottenham job? How do you see Carroll faring against Sweden? Think AC Milan is nuts for turning down that PSG offer? Do you think Owen still has anything left in the tank?

Share your thoughts below.

Comments

  1. Gattuso’s wife is Scottish (Italian descent like Franchitti or diResta, but Scottish nonetheless), he’s played at Rangers before, it makes sense.

    Guti, ho-hum, he’s a Madridista favorite but never all that productive. If he wants to struggle with the Hammers have at it.

    Ditto Owen wanting to go to Stoke, whoop de do. Strikes me as a mismatch because Stoke likes to go out there and play a 442 in the manner of Dynamo and get their goals off restarts and kicks.

    Ronaldinho strikes me a bigger miss because the name still means something and he might have slipped but he was still decently productive, if not the god people expect.

    But I’m not broken up over this, we really should be focusing more on people who do want to come here like Henry. Henry wanted to play in America before he signed here, played in some street ball events in NYC.
    Along those lines, Sheva strikes me as perfect because he has a tangible connection to the US like Gattuso to Scotland. That insures the player has a reason to come here besides cash, and perhaps an incentive not to make a fool of themselves treating us like a retirement home.

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  2. You could hand him a 3-0 lead, Man U on its heels on its own end, 40 minutes left, and he’d find a way to blow it by pushing the formation and style backwards and subbing in such illuminaries as Oriol Romeu.

    I think the assumption was he was the Special One Dos but the photocopier was in fact broken that day. Tells me what I need to know that di Matteo coaxed an FA Cup and CL championship out of the same team that AVB left adrift of Euro qualification. That sounds like a coaching failure, not a players-coach mis-match.

    FWIW, in full swoon AVB’s team lost to Everton 2-0 this year, suggesting that on a down ebb you’d be picking the wrong manager between him and Moyes.

    I think Spurs needs to think bigger if they intend to play bigger. Redknapp won a Pompey FA Cup and got Spurs into the CL. He might be a merc but his teams had repeated success under his watch. If the intent is to improve upon his level of output, you don’t accomplish that with a lesser-CV coach.

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  3. If I have to specifically discuss in soccer terms, Sir Fergie won The Scottish first division and promotion for St. Mirren, briefly broke up the Celtic-Rangers Scottish chokehold with an Aberdeen title in the 80s, and then went on to his Man U career.

    Before Arsenal, Wenger won some silverware in Japan with Nagoya Grampus Eight, and before that won a league title and domestic cup at Monaco, while making a European final and the CL semis.

    Mancini won a domestic cup at Fiorentina and Lazio, followed by a bucketload at Inter, then Man City.

    In comparison, Moyes has lost lower division playoffs and FA Cup finals, the only thing he’s ever really won that I can think of was a second division title with Preston. Which IMO makes him “interesting” but not the proven winner one wants when they are already 4th. Just like the A’s put up a good fight and punch above their weight, that’s about what Everton does. I’m not sure Spurs’ needs are the same…

    There’s “over-achieving” and then there’s real over-achieving, would be my suggestion.

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  4. I don’t get the hate for AVB. Sure, his Chelsea stint was a disaster, but was it ever going to work? He’s not cut from the charasmatic leader mold, he’s a football nerd. There was no way that specific group of players was going to respond to him. The definition of square peg, round hole.

    People are so quick to forget that the season prior he lead Porto to an undefeated campaign in the Portugese league and the Europa League title. And now, all of a sudden because he put himself in a bad situation at Chelsea, he can’t coach? I don’t buy it. I think Spurs would be a great move for him. Stable ownership, a team that already plays a style somewhat similar to his, realistic expectations. Sure there would be pressure, but nothing like what he faced from psycho Abramovich at Chelsea.

    As an aside, I think Moyes would do equally as well if he were hired. Nothing but respect for the man, he’s a great evaluator of talent and an excellent manager. He’d do a great job if Spurs were to bring him on, as mentioned I just don’t get all the hate on AVB.

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  5. Moyes for USA! Moyes for USA!

    I am offically launching my one man campaign to have him succeed Klinsman. Who’s with me?

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  6. The big Moneyball advocates who put on display teams like the Oakland A’s often trumpet the regular season winning streaks and surprise records but neglect the lack of silverware success.

    How does that relate to Moyes? Well, squeezing a relatively positive record over many games from a limited budget set of players IMO requires slightly different coaching skills than winning one big game at a time against elite opposition.

    I personally tend to favor coaches like Arena who rebuild teams over and over, college, pro, international, and win silverware with different sides. The only thing anyone will remember about the A’s or Everton in posterity is that the A’s had the winning streak and the book/movie, and Everton lost in some finals.

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  7. As a Chelsea fan I wholeheartedly support AVB’s candidacy for the Spurs job. Heck, I’ll send over footage of the 3-3 February Man U game for his video resume. Able to extract a helpful home point from a 3 goal lead with 40 minutes left!

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  8. I was a huge fan of Owen while at Liverpool but I don’t think there is a prem side these days that would give him consistent minutes. He may prove me wrong but I doubt it.

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  9. Moyes is waaaaaay better than AVB.

    As a Spurs fan, it would be awful if AVB was brought in. He makes horrible decisions and is a poor player manager.

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