Gianfranco Zola has been part of the FA CUP Trophy tour in Asia this year and has spoken to the Football Associations very own TV channel about the importance of the competition and what it means to him.
Speaking openly he admits he never realised just how important the FA Cup is in this country and what it means to fans all over the world.

Premier League's greatest ever player: Giggs, Ronaldo, Henry, Shearer, Zola, Henry or Gerrard? You decide!

talkSPORT followers on Twitter discuss who the greatest ever Premier League footballer is

View the full story here: Talksport

A news article on 2012-01-03 16:04:24 from: Talksport

This news item has been reproduced from today's media.

It was a disappointing night for Liverpool U18s after they crashed out of the FA Youth Cup losing 3-1 to Swansea City on Tuesday night.
Mike Marsh's charges were boosted by the inclusion of Raheem Sterling and Brad Smith in their starting line-up, but they were second best to Swansea at the Liberty Stadium.

Partizan Belgrade starlet Lazar Markovic has delivered a snub to Liverpool by revealing his ‘dream' move would be to their Premier League rivals Chelsea.
The 17-year-old striker is being followed by a host of clubs across the world, and is largely recognised as one of the most exciting young prospects in Europe.

Everyone who is a Chelsea fan is well aware of the situation regarding the proposal the club has put to the CPO (Chelsea Pitch Owners) last week. If you missed it, check it out here and my take on things too.
Surprisingly enough, and to his credit he even says so himself, John Terry has decided to give his view on the situation rather than keep quiet and he raises some interesting points.

The man who always finds a job: Claudio Ranieri (By Dominic Vieira)

Whether you think he's world class or not, it's clear Claudio Ranieri is a lucky manager. Since the Italian retired as a player in 1986, he has rarely experienced unemployment.

My name is Sam Allardycias, King of Kings:
Look on my works, ye Mighty, and despair!

...and for my next trick FC Basel will take Radoslav Kovac from this club and actually pay money for the privilege. You read that correctly. Radoslav Kovac is off to Switzerland and it's not to join Dignitas.

After my last post on here and the fact that Guus Hiddink's agent has said he will still be in charge of Turkey for their two Euro 2012 qualifying games in September, I just wonder now if Roman Abramovich will turn to Mark Hughes or Rafa Benitez?.
I mentioned about Hughes on here the other day and being an ex-Chelsea player and fan favourite, I wonder if that will hold any sway with the board.

After quitting Fulham yesterday, Mark Hughes had been installed last night as 8-1 for the Chelsea manager's job. I am not so sure. Everything is pointing to Guus Hiddink coming back to Chelsea after tonight's game between Turkey and Belgium and I still predict that will be the case, but can we rule Hughes out of the running as easily as that?

West Ham United's relegation from the Premier League has been on the cards for some time. This in itself prevents the Hammers' demotion from being a surprise, but a look at the club's squad suggests a bottom placed finished was unexpected and something few predicted at the start of the season.
When Avram Grant replaced Gianfranco Zola as manager in June 2010, optimism at Upton Park was genuine.

Lots of news around the Premier League and Europe and it all starts with Tottenham's unfortunate crashing out of the Champions League yesterday at Real Madrid 4-0... Here's what else is in Butt's Brain: Zola believes Chelsea will topple Manchester ... Continue reading →

Gianfranco Zola has taken time out to speak of Chelsea. He has talked about our plight this season, the arrival of Torres and Luiz and the future for us.
He said:

To be honest they've lost important players throughout the season, like John Terry and Frank Lampard to injury and Didier Drogba who had had malaria for several months.

Monday bullets & weekend follow-ups:

• Lots of transfer hubbub sure to come down the pike today: Luis, Torres, and more...

Gauranteed never to wear a Benfica kit again...

• Freddy Adu, according to Washington Post reporter Steve Goff, now testing out his wheels at Turkish 2nd division side Rizespor.

Steve Clarke has spoken of his excitement at joining the coaching staff at Liverpool after the former Chelsea assistant manager was appointed as first-team coach at Anfield.
Clarke, who played over 500 senior matches for St Mirren and Chelsea, was assistant manager at Stamford Bridge under Jose Mourinho, and also at West Ham United under Gianfranco Zola.

Kenny Dalglish has already began to put his stamp on Liverpool by hiring Steve Clarke as his first team coach. Sammy Lee will remain as assistant manager,

"It is important we have good backroom staff and Steve comes into that category," Dalglish said on Liverpool's website.

Kenny Dalglish has already began to put his stamp on Liverpool by hiring Steve Clarke as his first team coach. Sammy Lee will remain as assistant manager,

"It is important we have good backroom staff and Steve comes into that category," Dalglish said on Liverpool's website.

Little Pea improvisation Manchester United just about had enough to see off Stoke City at Old Trafford. They recorded a less than convincing 2-1 victory, but both of their goals were absolute beauts. Javier Hernandez opened the scoring with this cheeky backheel. Shades of Gianfranco Zola. Nani secured the win with a left-footed curler from [.