Why Tottenham may have found their missing link with Adebayor

Emmanuel Adebayor should prove a sensational signing for Tottenham

When Tottenham Hotspur were humiliated 5-1 at home by Manchester City less than a month ago, it seemed they were a million miles away from being a Champions League outfit.

They had a deeply unsettled player on their hands in Luka Modric, had struggled to improve their squad all summer and were stuck with a number of players who were surplus to requirements at White Hart Lane.

It's amazing how quickly negativity can turn into positivity.

Following Sunday's 4-0 win over Liverpool, Spurs now look a vibrant side once again.

Modric is still there and his majestic opener against the Merseysiders and subsequent imperious performance suggests the summer-long transfer saga between him and Chelsea will not affect his on-field form.

The problem with deadwood has been sorted too, with the likes of Peter Crouch, Wilson Palacios, Alan Hutton, Jermaine Jenas and David Bentley eventually lured away in the closing stages of the transfer window.

But undoubtedly the key change from that fateful Sunday afternoon in August against City has been two key signings.

Scott Parker will add determination and steel to the midfield and should be the perfect foil for Modric and Rafael van der Vaart, who will both have the freedom to exploit attacking situations.

Parker's passion and ability will be key additions to Tottenham's side

He joins as the reigning Football Writers' Player of the Year and his experience and ability to rally the troops will be needed increasingly as the campaign progresses.

It is the capture of Emmanuel Adebayor on a loan deal though which should provide Tottenham with their missing link.

Too many times last season Spurs couldn't see off relatively modest opposition due to their inability to score goals.

They scored the lowest number of league goals of any of the top six - with 55 - while all three newly-promoted clubs at least matched their tally.

Jermain Defoe was injured for long periods and couldn't get a real run in the team when he returned, Peter Crouch did an honest job up front but could only score four league goals in 34 appearances, Roman Pavlyuchenko chipped in with his fair share of goals but struggled to make an impact in many of his appearances while midfielder van der Vaart was the club's top goalscorer with 13 league goals.

The signing of Adebayor should change all that.

He has struck three times in the league in just two games for Spurs - already just one shy of Defoe and Crouch's tallies for the entire of last season.

Adebayor adds potency to the Spurs line-up and represents a real target for widemen Gareth Bale and Aaron Lennon, as well as regular suppliers Modric and van der Vaart.

Bale and Adebayor should be relishing playing with each other

His all-round performance against Liverpool was fantastic and the two goals he scored were the least he deserved.

Adebayor was brave making the switch to White Hart Lane given Spurs fans' misgivings over his Arsenal past, but he has silenced the critics in the ideal way so early in his career at Spurs that he can now fully concentrate on proving his quality on the pitch and firing his team up the table.

The Togolese striker will strike fear into any defence - as proved by Rio Ferdinand's recent praise of him - and on his day is as good as anyone out there.

He was extremely unlucky to be frozen out by Manchester City, did a good job for Real Madrid in the second half of last season and was superb for Arsenal. The deal to take him to Tottenham is a win-win for both parties and it would be no surprise to see him fire his new club back into the Champions League.

Adebayor will thrive in Harry Redknapp's attack-minded team and a year's loan at White Hart Lane should breathe new life into his career.

He has a superb first touch, - as he proved with his second in the Liverpool thrashing - tremendous composure in front of goal, pace, power, great heading ability, skill and has a rocket of a shot, while he should be in his prime at 27. Adebayor is the all-round package and all he needs is the platform to prove it.

He comes with baggage of course, but all that will be worth it if he can be the regular goalscorer Spurs have been missing over the last year or so.

That man used to be Jermain Defoe, and it seems Adebayor's arrival has given him the shove he needed to return to form.

The Defoe-Adebayor partnership could be one of the most potent in the country

He looked sharp against Liverpool (scoring a well-taken goal) and his partnership with Adebayor looked impressive to say the least. They should feed off and compliment each other magnificently and Redknapp will justifiably be looking for both men to hit the 20-goal barrier if they can stay injury-free.

There is no excuse for either of them not to. They both have bags of talent and the team around them to make it happen. Which strikers wouldn't be licking their lips at playing alongside the likes of Bale, Modric, van der Vaart, Lennon and Parker, as well as attacking full-backs Kyle Walker and Benoit Assou-Ekotto?

If the Liverpool game is a sign of things to come, it could be a very exciting season at White Hart Lane.

It is harder than ever to breach the top four and qualify for the Champions League with the quality of the two Manchester clubs and Chelsea, but Spurs proved against Liverpool they have more than enough about them to qualify for Europe's premier competition.

Liverpool are very promising and this one performance doesn't change that, but Spurs were so superior against them it was frightening. Arsenal are out of the picture currently so why shouldn't Redknapp feel confident of again reaching the promised land?

This season may be his swansong at Tottenham as he is widely expected to take over as England boss after Euro 2012, but he could deliver Spurs fans the ultimate parting present with Champions League qualification.

The signing of goalkeeper Brad Friedel should not be overlooked either as he will provide real stability between the sticks, something Spurs didn't have with Heurelho Gomes.

The decision of chairman Daniel Levy to force Modric to stay raised a few eyebrows and some said it would backfire, but the early signs are that it will be a masterstroke with Spurs keeping a gem of a player and the Croatian again looking happy and producing his best on the pitch.

Modric's goal and performance against Liverpool suggests Levy's tactics were correct

The Europa League may be a distraction as the season progresses but with Redknapp rarely playing his full-strength team in that competition, it shouldn't affect them too much.

There is now much optimism at White Hart Lane and the negativity of the Modric saga and City thrashing has now been swept away by the swashbuckling display against Liverpool. The Reds may have ended the game with nine men but even with 11 on the pitch Spurs were far superior.

Tottenham look like they will be a menacing team this season and the 5-1 loss to City can now be forgotten about. That is not a true reflection of where they stand; it was merely a reflection of where they were then.

Now, with Modric on board again and pulling in the right direction, with Adebayor and Parker adding their undoubted quality to the team, a top four finish is far from beyond them.

Parker will be a resounding success but Adebayor should score goals for fun and strike up a great partnership with Defoe.

He is the missing link Redknapp has been searching for and will provide the focal point for potentially one of the most exciting sides in the Premier League.

Stoke's European adventure shows how far they have come

Tony Pulis has defied the critics to lead Stoke into Europe

The Europa League is often demeaned as a meaningless competition, but for Tony Pulis and Stoke City it is the culmination of years of hard work.

There are still snobbish elements of the English game which look down on Stoke and their style of play, but surely it is time for universal appreciation for the remarkable job Pulis has done.

This is his second spell in charge at the Britannia Stadium and he could never have imagined he would achieve what he has.

To get a so-called unfashionable club like Stoke promoted, stabilised in the Premier League, into the final of the FA Cup and therefore into Europe is among the finest achievements in English football's recent history.

The first competitive game of Pulis' second spell with the Potters was a 1-0 Championship defeat at Southend in August 2006, played in front of less than 9,000 spectators. He will tonight lead them out against Dynamo Kiev in the group stage of the Europa League, while they will also face Besiktas and Maccabi Tel Aviv.

That is a situation which would have been unimaginable just a short time ago yet perfectionist Pulis will not settle for a brief taste of life in Europe. He will want to progress further and regularly compete in European competition.

After all he has achieved in the last five years, who would bet against him doing that?

It seems Stoke were always something of a sleeping giant with the passion of their fans, and Pulis has unlocked their potential alongside supportive chairman Peter Coates.

Local chairman Coates has played a massive part in Stoke's success story

The Britannia Stadium is now widely recognised as one of English football's best fortresses, with teams like Liverpool, Arsenal and Manchester City among the regular victims of the Potteries roar.

Yet some people still like to stick the knife in.

More like a rugby team, some will say. Rely too heavily on throw-ins, say others.

While it is true Rory Delap's long throws are still important to them, they are nowhere near as vital as some people like to make out. The side is still packed with strength, but (whisper it), there is an element of flair to Stoke's play these days.

Wingers Jermaine Pennant and Matthew Etherington are perhaps the best examples of this, always willing to run at defenders and excite fans.

And if you're looking for terrace wit, look no further than the Britannia Stadium.

After Arsene Wenger moaned Stoke used 'rugby tactics' after one of his Arsenal side's annual defeats there, Stoke fans sang rugby chant 'Swing Low, Sweet Chariot' and 'One-nil to the rugby team' when their side scored. Other oft-heard chants at the Britannia are 'We only score from a throw-in' after a goal from open play and 'We'll play how we want'.

Stoke's fans are regarded by many as the loudest in England

Stoke have been patronised so often in their three years in the Premier League that it is almost as though their fans don't care what others think of them anymore. As long as they can appreciate the job of Tony Pulis and his team, that is all that really matters.

The rumoured pursuit of Manchester City's Adam Johnson on transfer deadline day shows how far Stoke have come and although the move didn't materialise, it shows the ambition Pulis has to take his club up yet another level.

His signings this summer are another sign of his ambition.

Defenders Jonathan Woodgate and Matthew Upson are relatively risk-free signings as they came without a transfer fee, and although both are prone to injuries, if Pulis was to keep both fit he would have two of the country's best defenders on his hands. Both are full England internationals and experienced in the Premier League, so they could turn out to be two of the buys of the season.

When you add them to the excellent defenders Stoke already have in Ryan Shawcross and Robert Huth, teams are going to find it even harder to break the Potters down this season.

Chairman Coates always backs Pulis in the transfer market and did so again with big-money moves for Peter Crouch, Wilson Palacios and Cameron Jerome.

Crouch is something of a coup for Stoke as he is a hugely successful international striker with England and should fit perfectly into their style of play. The £10million transfer fee is another indicator of the club's ambition and trust in Pulis.

Crouch's decision to join Stoke shows how far they have come

Palacios may be the pick of the signings, though. For a rumoured fee of £6million, Stoke have signed a player regarded as one of the best defensive midfielders in the Premier League just a matter of one or two years ago.

Jerome will further bolster Pulis' striking options, which also include Kenwyne Jones, Jonathan Walters, Crouch and Ricardo Fuller, meaning Stoke's goals tally should be impressive this term.

They beat Liverpool last week - although the victory may have been slightly fortuitous - and if they can continue to improve this season, there's no reason they can't finish in seventh and perhaps even battle the top six.

Pulis has beaten the odds continually and revels in proving people wrong, so he will see this as the season to truly shut the critics up.

He has never led his side to a top-half finish in the Premier League so that must be a prominent target, as well as progressing from the extremely tricky-looking Europa League group.

Stoke have never been in a serious Premier League relegation battle and it shows how far they have progressed that they are no longer even mentioned as possible candidates for the drop.

Their Europa League campaign will be a new challenge for them but Pulis and his team will be relishing it and confident of ruffling a few feathers.

It is time for the criticism of them to stop. Stoke are one of English football's biggest success stories and should be receiving nothing but praise.

City on a learning curve but don't read too much into Napoli draw

Aleksandar Kolarov celebrates his equaliser with Sergio Aguero

Manchester City 1-1 Napoli

Perhaps Manchester City's blistering early form in the Premier League lulled us into thinking they would take the Champions League by storm this season, but Napoli provided a harsh example of how difficult life will be for City in their first campaign in the competition.

They couldn't have started their league campaign any better, hitting Swansea for four, Bolton for three, Tottenham for five and Wigan for three, but facing Italian opposition was always going to be a different prospect and a challenge that takes some getting used to.

Napoli were solid at the back and almost impossible to break down at times, while the quality of their counter-attacking play always threatened to cause City problems.

Yet Roberto Mancini's side arguably deserved to win the game.

They weren't as potent as they have been in the league so far this season, but they still managed to carve out 24 attempts at goal and saw three of those come back off the crossbar. City didn't test Napoli goalkeeper Morgan De Sanctis enough, but the quality of their frontline will cause any European team problems.

With Edin Dzeko and Sergio Aguero both in fantastic goalscoring form, David Silva and Samir Nasri providing the ammunition and the likes of Carlos Tevez and Mario Balotelli in reserve, there shouldn't be many more nights like this where City struggle for goals. They will learn about the Champions League as a unit and they will succeed.

Aguero, Silva and Dzeko have all been in scintillating form so far this season

Napoli managed to keep the fearsome quartet of Silva, Nasri, Dzeko and Aguero relatively quiet and must be given credit for that, but City will feel confident their quality will shine through as they learn to play against resilient opposition.

They are in the proverbial 'group of death' but this is a challenge they should relish.

City have some of the finest talent in the world at their disposal and there is no reason, despite dropping two points against the Italians, why they can't progress to the knockout stages at least.

Will Bayern Munich be relishing facing City? Will Villarreal?

The truth is that the side from the Etihad Stadium are the team everybody wanted to avoid. They are dangerous, they are talented and they are strong.

Many have said Bayern's win in Villarreal suggests they may dominate the group, but it's hard to see any one team running away with it in reality.

Bayern Munich star Franck Ribery's reaction to drawing Manchester City was one of trepidation

City's next game, against Bayern at the Allianz Arena, will provide a true examination of where they are at but they are more than capable of beating the German giants and there is no reason for trepidation.

They are still learning the ropes in the Champions League, but they cannot be patronised in the same way other Champions League newbies often are.

City can and should make an impact and there is no reason to think otherwise after the Napoli game.

There was a natural nervousness among the players due to the sense of occasion at Eastlands, and perhaps the failure to take three points will provide the reality check everybody at the club needed. This is not going to be easy.

City's road to the knockout stages may be a rocky one, but they should get there.

The return fixture against Napoli will be extremely difficult due to their quality and the passion of their fans, while Villarreal and Bayern Munich possess great individual talents and find themselves in the knockout stages most seasons.

Villarreal striker Giuseppe Rossi is sure to cause City's defence problems

However, City's solidity at the back, creativity in midfield and quality up front should be enough to beat most teams.

With a bit more ruthlessness, they will be more than a match for anyone in this group.

In the end, a draw against Napoli was something of a relief after Gareth Barry's mistake led to Edinson Cavani's excellent opener, with Aleksandar Kolarov's superb free-kick delivering the point the home side at least deserved.

The side from Naples will go away very happy with the point and their performance suggests they will be in the reckoning for a top-two spot and qualification for the knockout stages.

Their resilience and professionalism stifled City at times and they were always dangerous going forward, so this is an occasion Mancini's team should learn from and become better as a result of it.

They will not be able to afford to miss so many chances in future games but with the quality of City's attackers, it shouldn't be long before Europe's finest are being put to the sword.

Incredible Djokovic writes his name in history

Novak Djokovic sealed his first US Open title and fourth Grand Slam with victory over Rafael Nadal

Novak Djokovic must feel invincible.

This is a man who has now won 64 out of 66 matches in 2011, has beaten the great Rafael Nadal six times in a row and scooped three of the year's four majors.

The US Open was added to his burgeoning collection after a battle of epic proportions with Nadal and the familiar outcome of the Serbian's victory.

Can there be any more consistent performers in sport right now than Djokovic? Lionel Messi and Cristiano Ronaldo maybe, Usain Bolt perhaps.

This final was one of the highest quality from both players, but Djokovic's play in the opening two sets was some of the best tennis arguably ever seen.

His return of serve - deep and fast - is perhaps the best of all-time and offers almost as much advantage as a serve.

Nadal contributed to his first set downfall by being too passive and dropping the ball too short, but Djokovic was simply stunning, giving the Spaniard a minimum of chances on his ultra-dangerous forehand and punishing Nadal time and time again.

Nadal would come out firing and break Djokovic at the beginning of the second set but then came the game which would sum up this final.

Nadal battled hard in the first two sets but had no answer for Djokovic's quality

A Nadal service game lasted all of 17 minutes, with several brutal points taking their toll. Djokovic eventually sealed the break of serve - one of 11 breaks he earned in the match - and that seemed to demoralise Nadal, who for so many years has always been the man to come out of those exchanges on top.

He was quickly broken again and the match - which had by now become a war of attrition - was firmly in Djokovic's hands.

With the quality of the Serbian's returning, every service game for Nadal became a war and that must have been mentally draining for the Spaniard. He received very few cheap points on serve and with Djokovic's attacking and defensive wings so strong, it seemed there would be no way back.

Nadal did break back but Djokovic immediately returned the favour and took the set 6-4, leaving Nadal's gameplan in ruins.

However, if there is one thing you can take for granted when Nadal is around, it is that he will never give up. He will fight for every point. He will push his opponents to the heights of their game if they are to beat him.

Djokovic was outhitting and outwitting him and had played the perfect two sets, but he knew he couldn't take anything for granted. This is Rafael Nadal, sport's ultimate warrior.

He may have made too many unforced errors in the first two sets, but Nadal is always dangerous, a point he was about to prove.

Djokovic broke him early in the third set but Nadal kept his belief, showing the great fight and resolve which is always a characteristic of his, and broke back, a pattern which punctuated the match. The pair then immediately traded breaks again, with the quality of tennis now reaching stratospheric levels.

Nadal upped his game to set the final alight

The Serbian's two-handed backhand cross-court continued to punish his opponent but there was a renewed vigour about Nadal and the crowd were by now fully involved and behind Nadal, who was now controlling the pace of the rallies and showing the aggression and determination of a champion. He was not about to give up his US Open title without a fight.

His problem was that the moment he raised his level, Djokovic raised his even further.

However, as the third set progressed, it became clear the Serbian was struggling with tiredness and a back trouble, legacies of his two-set comeback against Roger Federer in the semi-final. His first serve percentage plummeted and some of the accuracy of his groundstrokes went down, but the two players still managed to produce some of the best tennis you could ever wish to see.

Djokovic somehow found extra energy from somewhere to break serve and lead 6-5, meaning he was serving for the championship.

After some stunning and miraculous rallies though, Nadal denied him and immediately broke back to force the tiebreak. The match was fast becoming a classic and it had the feel of a marathon despite being in just the third set.

The match seemed to hinge on the tiebreak, with Djokovic now flagging and Nadal flying.

The Spaniard was now winning the majority of the long rallies and he took the tiebreak 7-3. This was fast becoming arguably one of the best matches of all-time and the two-set comeback for Nadal appeared a formality. All aspects of his game were now firing while Djokovic's standard was beginning to tail off, but in a match full of unpredictability, perhaps we should have expected the unexpected to follow.

And so it did.

Djokovic was struggling with his back while Nadal was seemingly as fresh as a daisy and sucking the life out of his opponent with every point. It is extremely difficult to beat Nadal over five sets and Djokovic was finding that out here.

Djokovic's back injury appeared to hamper his chances of winning

A Djokovic medical timeout after the first game of the fourth set seemed to take the sting out of Nadal's attack and from that point on, there was only one winner.

The Serbian returned to the court with renewed energy and attacking intent, and broke Nadal immediately after missing four break point opportunities.

Djokovic has become a warrior in the last year or two and he was showing all of those qualities now.

He could see the finish line and he could see the history books. That was seemingly enough to urge him on and forget his ailments.

Djokovic was comfortable on serve for the first time in a long time and it was now Nadal's fitness fading slightly, while the Spaniard was again dropping the ball short and lacking ideas. Perhaps he had been lulled into a false sense of security by Djokovic's apparent injury or perhaps it was just the brutality of the match catching up with him.

Nadal was then broken to love to hand Djokovic a double break and there was no way he was going to let this opportunity slip.

He hammered a forehand home on championship point to seal an incredible victory, one which seemed so unlikely after the hammer blow of losing the third set.

Djokovic produced some stunning tennis to seal the championship

It was an unbelievable match, one which deserved to go the distance of five sets, between two absolute warriors but unquestionably the best player on the night won. It was four hours and ten minutes of brutality and for Djokovic to stand up to Nadal despite everything and come out on top underlined his status as the world's best player.

If Andy Murray was watching from home, he will have realised beyond any doubt that his task to win a Grand Slam is now a mammoth one.

If not even Nadal, playing at very close to his maximum, can beat Djokovic, then who can?

The Serbian has incredible heart and never loses belief and it is this as much as anything which has seen him have such an unbelievable year.

He always finds a way to win, as his did in the semi-final despite facing two match points against Federer, and Nadal and co must be wondering what they can do to beat him.

Djokovic is just the sixth man in the Open era to win three of the four majors in a calendar year, with adversaries Federer and Nadal also achieving the feat in their careers.

This is a true golden era for men's tennis, and it was taken to new heights in this final.

Federer and Nadal are already legends of the game but Djokovic's name will surely be added to that list in the coming years. He has simply got it all and he could threaten the number of Grand Slams won by those two greats if he continues in this vain.

What is clear now is that Djokovic and Nadal are by far the best two players in the world and their rivalry should only just be beginning. If this final is anything to go by, we are in for an exciting few years.

Nadal was, as ever, very gracious in defeat

The quality of tennis is just phenomenal, the brutality of the rallies mesmerising.

Nadal must be given huge credit for his constant battling qualities, especially in the third set with his ripping forehands, never-say-die attitude and dictation of play.

He will be devastated by the loss but will recover to have many more great battles with Djokovic in the future.

Having lost six out of six to the Serbian this year, though, there is a worry Djokovic may do to Nadal what Nadal has done for so long to Federer and dominate him.

Nadal is too good for everyone but Djokovic now and so he must find a gameplan specifically for when he plays Djokovic to try and halt the trend.

Djokovic has been in inspired form for a year now

With the quality of Djokovic's play at the moment, he could dominate men's tennis for a number of years now.

The biggest problem he will face is trying to replicate this year, because it will be simply impossible for him to repeat the success he has had.

Djokovic is taking men's tennis to new heights but he knows his competitors, particularly Nadal, will not accept another year from him like this.

Nadal is closer to Djokovic now than he was at Wimbledon and should feel optimistic that he can wrestle a Grand Slam or two away from the Serbian next year.

This US Open final was a relentless battle between two ultimate sportsmen and makes the short-term future of the men's game look very bright indeed.

More of the same please.

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Sam Stosur sealed her first Grand Slam victory after thrashing Serena Williams in a controversial final

The outstanding Samantha Stosur defeated 13-time Grand Slam winner Serena Williams and her victory should not be overshadowed by the American's on-court antics.

Williams was undoubtedly in the wrong after the verbal volleys she handed to umpire Eva Asderaki and she certainly brought the game into disrepute.

Talk of banning her from future Grand Slam tournaments was over-the-top to say the least and a lot of what she said was heat of the moment, but she has a duty to behave honourably and with class on the tennis court as youngsters around the world must look up to her.

As for Stosur, hopefully this will be the start of something very special for the Australian.

She has been on the verge of making it big-time for a number of years now and this victory should lead her to bigger and better things.

Stosur outhit Williams - no mean feat - throughout the match and kept her cool while the vociferous crowd rallied against the umpire and behind Williams, and this win should give her so much belief to build on the success.

She is a brilliant and deserving champion and it would give many people a lot of pleasure to see her have a period of sustained success.

The story of this match may have all been about Serena but on the other side of the net there was a woman making her overdue mark on the biggest stage.

Expect to see a lot more of Stosur in the coming months and years.

Why England need Barton bite

Joey Barton ironically comes up against ex club Newcastle tonight on his QPR debut

When Joey Barton steps out to make his Queens Park Rangers bow against former club Newcastle tonight, he could be forgiven for having mixed emotions.

He salvaged his reputation during his last season at St James' Park and revelled in playing in front of 50,000 adoring spectators, but couldn't keep his mouth shut about the club's hierarchy and was booted out on a free transfer.

From a footballing perspective, it seems like a step down for Barton to leave the Magpies for Loftus Road, a ground with a capacity of less than 18,500.

However, QPR are going places and Barton looks set to be at the centre of it. This could and should be a move to keep alive his ambitions of playing for England.

Fabio Capello has hinted Barton will never play for England under him as he is "too dangerous", but the Italian needs to take a chance and the Liverpudlian could be just what the national side needs.

Calling up leader Barton would be a risk worth taking for under-fire Capello

The England set-up still seems cosy and lacks the bite it needs, and Barton would certainly provide that.

Watch him against Newcastle tonight and you will see exactly what England are missing.

He has had his problems - and hasn't overcome all of them as he proved in Newcastle's clash with Arsenal earlier this season - but he would ruffle feathers and lead England forward in a way not many of the current team can.

He would demand 110% from every player, in training and in games.

Barton may not be widely liked by other England players - most notably Gareth Barry, who Barton has in the past called a 'teacher's pet' - but his presence would ensure others do not get too comfortable and are kept on their toes.

It's not just his character which would improve the England team, it is his ability as well.

There were certainly not many better right-sided midfielders in the country than Barton last season. That is not even his best position, so that tells you just what a fine and versatile player he is.

QPR boss Neil Warnock has hinted Barton will be given chances in the centre and on the right of midfield under him and that means it is almost a certainty he will shine.

Warnock says Barton will be the first name on his QPR teamsheet

He will tackle, work tirelessly, pick out a pass, deliver quality balls into the box and provide great delivery from set-pieces, so it seems a no-brainer for England to pick him.

Barton comes with baggage but he is worth the risk. He offers something different and would drag the team by the scruff of the neck if the situation required it, as he proved in Newcastle's 4-4 draw with Arsenal last season.

Controversy follows him but his inclusion in the England set-up could rid the side of the complacency which seems to have set in.

There was a great deal of optimism after the 3-0 win in Bulgaria but playing at Wembley seems to have become a burden, and after the dour performance in the 1-0 win against Wales last week, something needs to be changed.

There is the base of a very good team there, but the lack of fighting spirit needs to be addressed.

If Capello is to stick with his 4-5-1 formation - which he should do - then a dream midfield trio could be Barton, Jack Wilshere and Steven Gerrard, with Stewart Downing and Ashley Young on the wings and Wayne Rooney up front.

Wilshere and Barton could be an ideal England midfield partnership

With feisty characters Barton and Wilshere in the centre, opposition teams would not be given a moment's respite and their grit would provide the basis for the four main attacking players to produce their best.

Scott Parker, Frank Lampard, James Milner and Gareth Barry would all be just outside the team but more than able to step in if needed.

Capello knows his current England team is stale and needs shaking up, and there would be no better way to do that than to include Barton.

He is sure to prove himself again at QPR over the coming months and if he can produce similar form at Loftus Road as he did for Newcastle last season, it will be almost impossible for the England manager to ignore him in the lead-up to Euro 2012.

If Harry Redknapp, as expected, takes over from Capello after the Euros, expect Barton to be in his squad.

Redknapp recognises Barton's baggage but also recognises his ability.

He may not be the most universally popular player in the country, but he is certainly one of the most talented.

The question is, what matters more to England: winning games or pleasing people? I know which one I'd choose.

Why Cahill should repay Bolton's faith

Gary Cahill has reached a pivotal moment in his career but must not leave Bolton for free

Gary Cahill's decision to join Bolton in 2008 has turned out to be one of the best of his life.

A player once farmed out by Aston Villa to Burnley and Sheffield United is now firmly established as one of the best defenders in the Premier League and a key member of Fabio Capello's England squad.

Cahill may be feeling disappointed a dream move to Arsenal or Tottenham did not materialise in the summer transfer window but he needs to concentrate now and forget what has gone on.

He is out of contract next summer but he should sign a new deal in recognition for what Bolton have done for him.

In his Aston Villa days, Cahill was never given a sustained chance to break into the team but Bolton gave him the opportunity to play week in, week out in the top flight and realise his potential.

Aged 25, it seems now may be the right time for him to move on to one of the 'bigger' clubs but his contract situation could leave a sour taste in the mouth if Bolton were to lose him for free. They don't deserve that.

If Cahill was to sign a new contract, that would mean Wanderers would get a transfer fee matching his worth, perhaps over £10million, and get the rewards for revitalising his career.

It seems inevitable a top club will come in for him again - probably in the January transfer window - regardless of his contract situation.

So signing a new contract - even if he was to leave just weeks later - seems like the honourable thing for Cahill to do.

As for Aston Villa, they must bitterly regret letting Cahill leave three-and-a-half years ago.

Cahill was never given a real chance at Villa

He was their fifth-choice centre-back behind Martin Laursen, Olof Mellberg, Curtis Davies and Zat Knight when he left Villa Park and looking at how their careers have progressed over the past few years, the decision to let Cahill go for just £5million looks foolhardy.

He could have been the cornerstone of Villa's team and earned them in excess of £10million had he eventually moved on, so they must be looking at Bolton with envy.

Cahill's assured performances for England in the recent European Championship qualifiers against Bulgaria and Wales alongside John Terry in defence makes it hard for manager Capello to reinstate Rio Ferdinand to the team when he regains fitness.

Cahill has slotted seamlessly into the England set-up

Cahill is now one of the best defenders in the country and also has great technique, meaning he is always a threat in attacking situations. He would be an invaluable member of most teams so don't be surprised to see Arsenal and Tottenham come in for him again along with the likes of Manchester City and Chelsea.

The good thing about him though is that he seems very professional and lets his football do the talking.

Cahill's name was linked with top clubs throughout the transfer window but there were never any rumblings of discontent from him in the way players like Luka Modric, Carlos Tevez and Samir Nasri did.

It seems clear he recognises what Bolton have done for his career but he needs to back that up with actions now. Sign a longer-term deal and leave shortly after for a large fee (an example of this would be Andy Carroll's move to Liverpool).

Bolton deserve to make a healthy profit on Cahill and he has turned out to be one of the only positive legacies of Gary Megson's reign at the Reebok.

Megson is not fondly remembered by Bolton fans but deserves praise for his capture of Cahill

Megson and chairman Phil Gartside took a chance on Cahill and it has paid off, and now they should get their reward.

If Cahill does eventually leave Wanderers for a "big" club it will show players stagnating at other clubs that Bolton is the right place to go to revive their career.

They also now have a manager in Owen Coyle that is prepared to take on other teams' cast-offs and give them a chance in the Premier League.

As for Cahill, he will go down as one of Bolton's biggest success stories and his goal for England against Bulgaria last week made him the first Wanderers player to score for England since 1959.

It will soon be time for him to move on to the next level - possibly Champions League football - to fully cement his place in the England team and improve his reputation, but he should never forget what Bolton have done for him.

Signing a new contract and then leaving weeks later may seem traitorous but it may be the most loyal thing Cahill can do.

Have we been here before?

Mike Ashley and Derek Llambias failed to replace Andy Carroll despite having seven months to do so

Yet another transfer deadline day and yet another major disappointment for Newcastle United.

Just seven months after fans saw star striker Andy Carroll flogged to Liverpool, the familiar sense of emptiness has returned after the club failed to replace him.

In May, manager Alan Pardew bemoaned his side's lack of "je ne sais quoi" in the box, but he must now continue with the same set of strikers (plus free signing Demba Ba) until at least January.

There are many questions which need answering and Pardew is not the man who should have to field them.

Derek Llambias is to answer fans' questions in the near future and that is a slight step forward. It is certainly better than what supporters have been used to, a wall of silence from the club.

However, the fact the questions will be seen by Llambias in advance ensures the club's PR department will have plenty of time to think of responses and fans will not be sure about whether the answers are really Llambias'.

Llambias and owner Mike Ashley don't seem to care what people think of them but they have a duty to keep supporters informed. Hopefully in the future the club will sit down regularly with reporters and fan groups to explain decisions.

They need to answer many questions, the most potent of which being:

• What has happened to the £45million from the sales of Andy Carroll, Kevin Nolan and Jose Enrique?
• Why has the club failed to replace Andy Carroll despite their financial clout and the seven months they had to bring in a striker?
• Why has the club spent just a net £600,000 in this transfer window?
• How much say does Alan Pardew have in the transfer policy?

The promise the club gave that Carroll would be replaced has joined a growing list of broken promises and the farce of transfer deadline day did nobody any favours.

There are 35 million reasons a replacement for Carroll should have been found

Deja vu is probably the best way to describe it.

On deadline day in January 2009, Newcastle launched a bid for Sunderland's Kieran Richardson although it was clear to everybody they had no chance of landing him.

Fast-forward to January 2011, in the immediate aftermath of Carroll's sale, and the club made a bid for Wigan's Charles N'Zogbia with a matter of minutes remaining before the deadline.

This time, it was failed bids for Bryan Ruiz and Liam Ridgewell, but it begs the question: were these genuine attempts to bring in players or attempts to appease fans?

In Ruiz's case, it appeared impossible, just as in the past bids for Richardson and N'Zogbia, for Newcastle to land him.

The deadline day bid for Ruiz was destined to fail

He had all but agreed to join Fulham and Newcastle's fans are not fools. They knew the club were never going to get him.

In a statement released on the club's website, Llambias claimed the club would "not make knee-jerk decisions at the last minute", so if that was the case, what would he describe the bids for Ridgewell and particularly Ruiz as?

There shouldn't have been any need for knee-jerk decisions anyway. The club had seven months to secure a replacement for Carroll and that player should have been in place early in the summer.

Now Pardew will have to make do with Ba, Shola Ameobi, Leon Best and Peter Lovenkrands and that is not a list of names to strike fear into Premier League defences.

Pardew must feel desperately let down by his board

Have any of those four got a chance of scoring 20 goals a season? Absolutely not. All four are good back-up or perhaps secondary strikers, but none of them will ignite the fanbase and terrorise defences.

The club desperately needed a number nine figure but they will now have to wait until at least January to sign one.

And who's to say they will actually sign one then? It seemed an inevitability they would sign one in the summer window, so it's no guarantee they will deliver on their promise in January either.

Pardew has actually overseen a fantastic start to the season, with seven points from three games, but those results have simply papered over the cracks in the short-term.

Over the coming months, Newcastle's threadbare squad will be stretched to the limit and it will be a miracle if Pardew and his players can hold onto a place in the top half.

The squad includes some very accomplished players but is at least three players light.

After the injury to Mike Williamson, there is seemingly no back-up for the central defenders. The departures of Kevin Nolan and Joey Barton ensures the Magpies will lack leaders on the pitch and, in the case of Nolan, goals from midfield. The failure to replace Carroll means Newcastle will find goals extremely hard to come by.

There have been some tremendous signings in this transfer window and that is why it is such a travesty the club didn't land the one or two players they really needed.

Yohan Cabaye looks a class act in the centre of the park, Davide Santon arrives with a glowing reputation from Italy, Demba Ba has failed to hit the ground running but showed good signs last season at West Ham, Sylvain Marveaux is lacking fitness but offers depth on the wing, Gabriel Obertan looks a potentially explosive player and Mehdi Abeid appears to have bags of potential.

Cabaye currently looks the most impressive of Newcastle's summer recruits

There is real hope there for supporters but the failure to secure another striker may just come back to haunt those in the St James' Park corridors of power.

Newcastle's top two scorers from last season have now left the club and it looks doubtful there is anyone in the current squad ready to step up to the plate.

Fans are beginning to vote with their feet, as the 10,000 empty seats at the Fulham game proved.

If Newcastle continue to win games, those fans will come back, but the club cannot afford any more transfer window farces.

There needs to be a consistent line of communication from club to fans from now on and those in power need to be willing to answer the difficult questions, the ones the fans want answered.

On the face of it, there should be money to spend in January but do the club intend to spend any money? Will they just tell Alan Pardew to make do with what he has?

There are an infinite number of questions and precious little answers so now is the time to talk.

Llambias can't shirk the difficult questions; he can't hide behind a PR man.

Fans have and will continue to shell out their hard-earned money on their club and they have a right to know the truth, whether they will like what they hear or not.

Over to you, Derek.