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Thursday, January 20, 2011

When footballers switch Edam for English cheddar

As Uruguayan international Luis Suarez seems set to switch the Eredivisie for the Premier League the Guardian takes a look at others who have made a similar switch...

Mateja Kezman
PSV Eindhoven to Chelsea £5m
Eredivisie record: 105 goals in 123 games
Premier League record: 4 goals in 24 games

Jose Mourinho enjoyed undoubted success during his time at Stamford Bridge but even he could drop a clanger. Kezman was one of the Special One's first signings when he arrived having scored a hatful of goals for in the Eredivisie. It was not one of the former Chelsea manager's better decisions, though, as the player nicknamed Batman was more a case of scraping the barrel than Caped Crusader. Nevertheless, Mourinho showed he was still a genius when he managed to sell the Serbian for a small profit to Atletico Madrid.

Alfonso Alves
Heerenveen to Middlesbrough £12m
Eredivisie record: 39 goals in 45 games
Premier League record: 4 goals in 31 games

Managers can often by defined by a transfer. Fergie and Cantona, Wenger and Henry, possibly even Redknapp and Van der Vaart. Sadly for Gareth Southgate it is Alfonso Alves. The Brazilian arrived on Teeside amid a blaze of glory following an impressive goalscoring record for Dutch side Heerenveen. Sadly, the move soon turned sour and he is currently plying his trade for Qatar side Al Rayyan Sports Club.

Jon Dahl Tomasson
Heerneveen to Newcastle United £2.2m
Eredivisie record: 37 goals in 78 games
Premier League record: 3 goals in 23 games

With the purchase of Suarez a distinct possibility you have to wonder if John W Henry studied Dalglish's track record in purchasing prolific forwards from the Dutch league. If he did he would find the name of Jon Dahl Tomasson. His spell on Tyneside was not a fruitful one, scoring just three times in his only season in England's top flight. Like many players before and since, the Dane's career had an upward trend after leaving the Magpies.

Before tearing up Suarez's contract...

Ruud van Nistelrooy
PSV Eindhoven to Manchester United £19m
Eredivisie record: 70 goals in 98 games
Premier League record: 95 goals in 150 games

Fergie waited a year to sign Van the man following a serious knee injury picked up on the eve of his proposed move but it was worth the wait as the Dutch international striker plundered an astonishing 95 Premier League goals in 150 games.

Wednesday, January 19, 2011

What do Gullit, Gregory, Robson, Adams and O'Leary have in common?

Ruud Gullit has taken over at Russian Premier League club Terek Grozny but he is not the first former English top flight manager to take a step into the unknown. Here are a few others who have gone where no-one dare go before...

John Gregory
Israel
FC Ashdod
May 2010

John Gregory named an entire side of English players during his time at Aston Villa but that hasn't meant he knows nothing about football abroad – after all, he did purchase Bosko Balaban for the Villains. He's currently expanding his knowledge as coach of FC Ashdod and they are 8th in the Israeli top flight.

Bryan Robson
Thailand
Thailand Head Coach
September 2009

England's Captain Marvel replaced Peter Reid as Thailand's head coach 18 months ago with the remit of qualifying for the 2014 World Cup. Robson is also a global ambassador for Manchester United in his spare time, which he has plenty of at the moment as Thailand failed to qualify for the Asian Cup.

Tony Adams
Azerbaijan
Galaba FC
May 2010

The man cruelly nicknamed the donkey is now plying his trade as manager of Azerbaijan side Galaba following unsuccessful stints with Wycombe Wanderers and Portsmouth. Adams is riding high as Galaba lie sixth in the Premier League.

David O'Leary
Ali-Ahli
Dubai
July 2010

The Irishman is another former Arsenal centre-half who has looked for an alternative managerial experience. Italian World Cup winning captain Fabio Cannavaro forms a a part of O'Leary's squad.