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Tuesday Kickoff: Blackburn eyeing Friedel, Jamaica near early Caribbean Cup exit and more

Photo by ISIphotos.com

By FRANCO PANIZO

Brad Friedel may be content with trying to fight for the starting goalkeeper spot at Tottenham, but Blackburn Rovers are hoping they can convince him otherwise.

Blackburn are eyeing Friedel as a potential transfer target during the upcoming winter transfer window, with the idea of the 41-year-old netminder joining the Championship club as a player-coach to help it with its bid for promotion. Friedel recently was ousted by Hugo Lloris for the starting job at Spurs, but the former U.S. Men’s National Team goalkeeper is keen on sticking around with Tottenham regardless of the role he is given.

Friedel has played for Blackburn before, spending a large part of his career with the club. Friedel played for the Rovers from 2000 to 2008 before transferring to Aston Villa.

Here are more stories to help get your day going:

JAMAICA’S CHANCES OF ADVANCING SUFFER A BLOW

The chances of seeing Jamaica at the 2013 Gold Cup have dwindled. Jamaica could be set for an early exit out of the CFU Caribbean Cup after playing to a scoreless draw with Martinique on Monday night. The result left the Reggae Boyz at the bottom of their group with just one point from two matches, and now nothing short of a win over Cuba in the final game will be enough to see Jamaica through to the knockout phase of the tournament. Jamaica shockingly lost its first game of the competition to French Guiana, 2-1.

MAN CITY NOT INTERESTED IN SELLING BALOTELLI

Manchester City manager Roberto Mancini may have had some harsh words for Mario Balotelli this past weekend, but he insists the club is not looking to rid of its controversial but talented striker. Mancini insisted Tuesday that he is not looking to sell the 22-year-old Balotelli and instead wants to keep him. Rumors had begun swirling about Balotelli’s future with City after Mancini told reporters that he could not understand why Balotelli continues to throw all his quality out the window following City’s loss to Manchester United. Balotelli had a subpar performance in that match before being removed shortly after halftime.

FALCIONI DONE AT BOCA JUNIORS

After just two years in charge, manager Julio Falcioni’s time at Boca Juniors has come to an end. Boca Juniors president Daniel Angelici said the coach’s contract will not be renewed despite Falcioni bringing the club a league title and guiding it to the finals of last season’s Copa Libertadores. Angelici said a contributing factor to him not re-signing Falcioni was when fans jeered him this past weekend in a 2-1 win over Godoy Cruz.

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Should Friedel consider going back to Blackburn? Think Jamaica is intentionally trying to miss out on the Gold Cup? Is it a wise move for Man City to not be open to the idea of selling Balotelli? Who should Boca Juniors hire next?

Share your thoughts below.

Comments

  1. Odds for jamaica calling up Sterling for qualifying? Odds for Sterling to accept?!

    I have heared that he was quoted saying he would accept. Idk what they are waiting for… And holliett too

    Reply
  2. How is Lloris world class? Explain that to me. He played for a top club kn a 5th ranked league. Friedel has played in the best league on the planet for over a decade with great consistency.

    Reply
      • That’s a fabulous retarded point that doesn’t advance the conversation:

        Do you have a League that you would like to suggest is the best in the world? Oh that’s right, that’s NOT THE TOPIC AT HAND.

        +1 Lion, Lloris work in League 1 doesn’t exactly color me impressed.

      • Blackburn would have gone down long ago if it weren’t for Friedel. He singlehandedly kept them up his first couple of years. I can’t count the number of postgames with the opposing coach where phrases like “that American”, “that big American”, “we should have had 2 or 3 more” were thrown around.

    • Lanus, where Schelotto is the manager, finshed in 4th place in the Torneo Inicial, two places above Boca Jrs. I’ve read Schelotto is doing a fantastic job but he’s only been there since July. I imagine if Boca came calling he’d listen but I get the feeling he wouldn’t just up and leave without finishing a job. However, the lure of Boca could be too great to pass up.

      Reply
  3. I don’t know why he would be interested in going down to the Championship when there may be other EPL teams that would be interested in him. Of course, if Lloris doesn’t play better than he did against Everton this weekend, he may find himself starting for Spurs again. So, NO, I don’t think he should consider returning to Blackburn.

    Reply
    • He may be enticed by an opportunity to continue with Blackburn in the coaching capacity after his playing career ends. They are inviting him as a player-coach, which could appeal to a player nearing the end of his career.

      Reply
    • But none of them are going to give him the starting role which is what he may want. Plus, Blackburn are offering him a hybrid-coaching role that may entice him if he has manager aspirations.

      Reply
      • Why not? Of the 30 or so Premier League keepers who played significant minutes last year, Friedel was top 10 in both save percentage and goals per 90 minutes. Being top 10 in both categories means there were only like 4-5 keepers out of those 30 who were better than him statistically.
        The only goalkeeper from the British Isles, where the plurality of them were from obviously, who was ahead of him in EITHER category was Joe Hart.

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