Local players can make you great

Former Everton and Super Eagles’ striker, Daniel Amokachi, has advised Coach Samson Siasia to concentrate more on discovering local talents and transforming them into great players, instead of moving round in search of players in Europe as he works towards returning the national team to winning ways.

Amokachi, who started his career in the local league, said the experience he garnered as a former player and manager of the Super Eagles, had given him an edge above other commentators on how to revive the senior national team.
He, however, said that Siasia would know how to identify and nurture players from the local league, and therefore, implored him to remain firm in his approach at rebuilding Eagles.

“I am in the school of thought that believes that the future of our football lies with the local league,” Amokachi stated. “And I also believe that Siasia, who passed through the local league, shares in my opinion. He did it in the time past by assembling a bunch of unknown players that surprised the world at different occasions.
“It will not be a year’s job to get the team set for the real action, but I believe that Nigerians will understand the situation we are in right now.

No salary advance in Siasia’s contract

The Nigeria Football Federation (NFF) has come out strongly to deny reports of a salary advance embedded in the contract of Super Eagles’ new Head Coach, Samson Siasia. “There is nowhere it is stated in the contract that the NFF would pay Mr Samson Siasia any salary advance,” stated NFF’s Acting General Secretary, Barrister Musa Amadu.

 “People should stop speculating and look through the contract. The Clause 6.1 that people are talking about states that the NFF should pay Siasia his salary (of the sum of N5million) on or before the last day of every month. Nothing more,” he added.

 There have been widespread speculation and rumours of a salary advance due for the former Under-20 and Under-23 national team handler, who was unveiled as the new head coach of the senior national team at a colourful ceremony in Abuja on December 1.

 

Falcon star signs for Danish club

Super Falcons striker, Sarah Michael, has put pen to paper for Danish Women Club side, KIF Orebo.
Michael, who plied her trade with Delta Queens of Asaba before moving abroad, is one of the young players that Coach Uche Eucharia would be banking on for the Germany 2011 FIFA Women’s World Cup.

In a release issued by the Danish club on their website, the 20 year-old Nigerian has been recruited from a fellow Danish side, Djurgardeen in a move expected to bolster the team’s preparation for the next Danish women league season.
Michael is one of the most accomplished strikers in the Danish Women League and notched seven Premier League goals in the just concluded 2009/2010 season.

The former Falconet’s star, signed a year contract with the Danish club with an option for extension. She has attracted interest from top Danish clubs and other European clubs, but settled for the Richard Holmlund tutored team.
A top official of the Club, Nisse Janson, emphasised that the Nigerian youngster was contracted because of her amazing skills with the ball, according to him the essence of recruiting the Nigerian lady is to help them beef up their team’s striking force for the forthcoming season.
“Sarah is a modern centre forward with great international quality, who is endowed with wonderful ball control and awesome shots.”

Coach Martin Lasarte: Real Sociedad Were Not Competitive Against Barcelona

 

Real Sociedad coach Martin Lasarte says his side needed permission to play against Barcelona, as the Catalan giants demolished the newly-promoted side 5-0.

Lasarte admits the team did not believe they could defeat the league leaders, and can only learn from this experience.

"The first thing is to believe that you can do well in football, and we did not believe this," the tactician told Marca after the match. "There is a difference in losing 3-0 to 5-0, but this is all a part of learning.

"At the moment, we are learning a lot, but Real Sociedad still lack some competitiveness, but that will come.

"We are also taking about some world-class players. They make you play hard ball, and apply lots of physical pressure. We almost had to ask for permission in order to play with the ball," he concluded.

Wayne Rooney Burnt Out Or Will He Return To His Best?

On Monday night two of the biggest clubs in England confront each other. Manchester United welcome Arsenal at Old Trafford in a key Premier League fixture that promises to be as entertaining as it is significant when it comes to the title race.

Wayne Rooney is expected to start against the Gunners and given that he is gradually recovering his form and gaining confidence, the England international will spearhead United's attack. Last season the 25-year-old scored 34 goals in all competitions for the Red Devils but so far this campaign he has mustered just two - both penalties. However, his performances against Valencia, Blackburn Rovers and Rangers have inspired confidence and many believe that he will return to his best before long.

But will he? Rooney may have had a terrific campaign in 2009-10 but he also suffered an injury in March. Then there was his World Cup failure for England and earlier this season his private life hit the headlines.

In October Rooney revealed that he wanted to leave the former English and European champions and got into trouble, with manager Sir Alex Ferguson claiming that he was not as seriously injured as he was reported to be. Yet Rooney soon signed a long-term contract.

However, Rooney seems to be on the path to recovery and is starting to look good again. On this occasion, journalists and editors from various editions of Goal.com have their say on whether they believe that Wazza can truly become the great player everyone expects him to be.

"First of all I think that Rooney is a great player but a very difficult character. It seems that he can never play outside of England, for Real Madrid for instance. After the World Cup, his affairs and his new contract all put him out of his senses. He looks unhappy, and we can never say for sure whether he is unhappy because he is playing badly, or because he is in love with the supermarket girl. Nevertheless, Rooney is a great player and he will be back to his best whether in Manchester United colours or for his old club Everton. We need players like him in football."

Ivar Matusevich, Goal.com Spain

"Wayne Rooney is unquestionably a world class footballer and has been since he first came to Manchester United. That was six seasons ago. Before that he was a key part of the Everton side and was justifiably regarded as one of the outstanding prospects in the game.

"Rooney exploded onto the scene. He did not gradually become one of the best English players around, he announced himself as one at the age of 16. And he's played around 400 matches since then. It is nearly impossible for a player, certainly an attacker, to remain on top of the world for a decade.

"Usually, the very best attackers have a five/ six year spell as the best in their position and then begin to fade naturally. For some, like Zidane or Rivaldo, this comes at the mid-point of their career graph. For others, like Adriano and Michael Owen, it comes at the beginning. I think Rooney is in the latter category."

Peter Staunton, Goal.com International

"You cannot unlearn how to play football in such a short period and Wayne Ronney can still be one of the best strikers in the world. He has been in bad form for the last couple of months. At United, it is easy to designate the problem. There was a mental thing (the saga with Sir Alex Ferguson). After this you can start talking about his form, but this basically comes from the mental point of view.

"Interesting too is the comparison with Ajax's Uruguayan forward Luis Suarez, who cannot outplay his granny anymore after the World Cup. Those guys want the best of themselves but cannot bring it because of a long, long season and then get frustrated, which is bad for their form. Finally it blows their self-confidence. Rooney needs time. But he will be back."

Wout Stravers, Goal.com Netherlands


"I feel that Wayne Rooney's bad form was down to a combination of factors. His relationship with Sir Alex worsened amidst on-off contract talks which led to him being dropped and sulking on the bench. His niggling ankle injuries, failure to perform at the World Cup and his tumultuous personal life have all played their part.

"The booze, the hookers and the hype all caught up with him and it was certainly felt by many around him that he needed to hit the reset switch on his life. Get back in shape, keep a low profile for a few weeks and just focus on his game. He has come back into the team and has played well at times, and looked a little off the pace at other moments.

"Manchester United usually step up a gear after Christmas so perhaps the Rooney of last season will return then. He is a great player and one of the most outstanding talents produced in the country in recent years. For this reason he will always benefit from a dose of good will from fleet street's football writers. There is no reason why he cannot recapture his top form - but he has to learn the lessons of 2010 or he'll end up being another tragic, wasted talent like Gazza."

Lionel Messi - Cristiano Ronaldo Head To Head

Lionel Messi (Barcelona 5-0 Real Sociedad)  
After making a rather subdued start to the game against the Basque outfit, Messi came to life as the contest wore on. He got on the scoresheet just two minutes after the restart when a series of dizzying one-two's with Dani Alves was finished off with aplomb by 'El Mesias'.

If his first was a fine collaboration, his second was a display of typical individual genius. Picking the ball up from Bojan Krkic on the right edge of the box, Messi waltzed into the middle past a line of four defenders before coolly slotting the ball home low into the opposite corner of the goal.

Goal.com Player Ratings Comment: Voted Top of the Match by Goal.com's editors and readers. Simply unplayable for the umpteenth time this year. Superbly taken first goal just after the break and a sublime solo effort for the second. Showed impeccable dribbling and interplay with his team mates, but in all honesty he did not meet much resistance from Real Sociedad's defense.

Cristiano Ronaldo (Real Zaragoza 1-3 Real Madrid)

CR7 maintained his goal-per-game average in La Liga this season after scoring from a free-kick against Zaragoza.

His effort came just a minute before half-time when he curled in a pile-driver of a shot from 25 yards out into the top corner, leaving opposition goalkeeper Leo Franco rooted to the ground.

Prior to that goal, Ronaldo had a hand in Madrid's opener when his audacious mid-air backheel flick sent Marcelo on his way to tee up Mesut Oezil to score.

Ronaldo and Messi are now tied at the top of La Liga's goalscoring charts.

Goal.com Player Ratings Comment: Voted Top of the Match by Goal.com's editors and readers. Terrific as ever. His footwork and link up play with his peers was absolutely fantastic. Once again he produced a stunning free-kick to tally another goal to his incredible goal-scoring record for Los Blancos

Why Siasia demanded jumbo pay

The new Super Eagles' Chief Coach, Samson Siasia, has stated why he demanded for what he called “a reasonable salary” from the board of the Nigeria Football Federation (NFF), while negotiating his contract to manage the national team.

It would be recalled that Siasia originally demanded the sum of $50,000 (about N15million) per month as salary for him to tinker the senior national team. That request was part of what delayed his appointment, as the football authorities cried aloud that they could not afford such a jumbo pay as salary for the coach if they engage him.

Meanwhile, the Bayelsa State-born tactician has explained that he demanded for that amount to enable him concentrate on his job. He said with such a salary every month, no player would be able to influence him, neither would he have any reason to ask for any form of financial gratification from any player.
Siasia made himself clear on DStv during the week while fielding questions from a team of sports analysts made up of Daniel Amokachi, Collin Udoh and veteran TV presenter, Charles Anazodo.

On the allegation that Nigerian coaches usually collect bribe from players, which force them to build their teams around unfit players, Siasia said: “It's that lure that made me to demand for that amount of salary from the NFF in the first place. “I made that demanded to avoid the distraction of bribery allegations because I believe that with a reasonable salary, such allegations would die a natural death.
“However, in all my previous assignments, I have never demanded or collected any form of bribe from any player, and I won't start doing it now.”

Manchester City Claim Carlos Tevez Is Demanding £300,000-A-Week To Remain At Eastlands

Carlos Tevez is believed to be wanting a pay hike that will take his wages to a mammoth £300,000-a-week if he is to remain at Manchester City.

The Argentine has been the center piece of the club's jigsaw in their rise to second place in the Premier League - level on points with leaders Arsenal.

But only recently, the 26-year-old handed his employers a written transfer request to make a move away from Eastlands, which was immediately rejected by the club.

Now The Times reports that City are claiming that the player made demands to have his wage upped to £300,000-a-week to remain at the club.

However, the former Boca Juniors man has publicly maintained that his decision to make a move away is not based on money, but on an irreparable working relationship with "certain executives and individuals at the club."

In the meantime, The Sun claims that the ex-Manchester United man will quit football if his current employers do not allow him to leave in January.

Tevez has played some part — either scoring or assisting — in 14 of City's 24 league goals this season

I won't lobby for Eagles' job - Rufai

Nigeria's first choice goalkeeper to the 1994 FIFA World Cup in USA, Peter Rufai, has declared that he's not desperate to join Samson Siasia's backroom staff in the Super Eagles as goalkeeper trainer, and would not lobby for the job.

Rufai, fondly called 'Dodo Mayana' by his admirers, insisted that nobody has contacted him on the job and wondered how his name came up in several media reports that he was in line for the job of becoming Siasia's assistant in the new Super Eagles' technical crew.

He said he found the talk making the rounds in the media amusing, as he had never indicated interest in the job, or has he been approached by anyone from the Nigeria Football Federation (NFF).

“The way you heard my name in the media is the same way I heard it and I can tell you that no one has contacted me by any means. It is not in my place to give myself a job in the NFF as goalkeeper trainer and I would not go asking for it. If the authorities running football in Nigeria deem it fit that I join the technical crew, then I would be glad to work in the interest of Nigeria,” he stated.

Rufai, who captained the Super Eagles to the France'98 World Cup, noted that as much as he would love to give back to Nigeria all he had gained from the country, he would not go begging for the job to work with Siasia.

Tottenham war against chelseafc

Bosingwa is out with a hamstring injury while Van der Vaart is sidelined.

 

Knocking On The Top Four Door
Spurs as title contenders? Stop laughing at the back, it's a real possibility. Harry Redknapp's side are only six points off the summit and a win against a Chelsea side in disarray on Sunday would take them to within a point of their London rivals.

They are in-form too, unbeaten in seven matches, having secured progression to the Champions League knockout phase, impressively topping their group ahead of holders Inter. Redknapp's men go into this London derby the more confident and most likely to secure all three points. It's been a while since we said that.

I Guess That's Why They Call It The Blues

It is not a good time to be associated with Chelsea at the moment; struggling for form, struggling with injuries, and struggling to understand why this season seems to be falling down around them. And there appears to be no sign of things improving.

Wednesday's limp defeat at Marseille showed how far the Blues have fallen, with an impotent attack and a lazy defense letting in Brandao for the winner. A trip to a bullish Spurs side isn't what the doctor ordered.

And with Frank Lampard still missing and John Terry not 100 per cent, Chelsea will be hoping Santa Claus brings them an upturn in fortunes, or a magic cure for injuries, or they could find themselves losing pace with the top pack.

TEAM NEWS

Tottenham

Spurs will have to do without the services of talisman of Rafael van der Vaart, who hasn't recovered in time from a hamstring injury. It was hoped the Dutchman would be able to make the starting line-up, but those hopes have been dashed.

However, in better news midfield maestro Luka Modric is back, along with Peter Crouch, Aaron Lennon and Alan Hutton, after being rested for the midweek Champions League draw with Twente.

Jermaine Jenas and Younes Kaboul are doubtful, but there could be a starting place for Michael Dawson, who is ready to make his first start since returning from a serious injury. The chances of Tom Huddlestone, Jamie O'Hara, Ledley King or Jonathan Woodgate playing are zero, though, as they all have long-term injury problems.
Probable lineup: Gomes; Hutton, Gallas, Bassong, Assout-Ekotto; Lennon, Palacios, Modric, Bale; Crouch, Defoe.
Chelsea

Sunday won't see the long awaited return of Frank Lampard for the Blues. The midfielder has been consigned to the sidelines since August after suffering two setbacks in his rehabilitation from a hernia operation and will continue to miss out.

Nicolas Anelka and Ashley Cole were rested for the trip to Marseille in midweek and should start at White Hart Lane, alongside John Terry who made it through 70 minutes in France.

Jose Bosingwa picked up a hamstring injury and will miss out - with Paulo Ferreira likely to deputize - joining long term injury victims Alex and Yossi Benayoun on the sidelines.

Probable lineup: Cech; Ferreira, Terry, Ivanovic, Cole; Essien, Ramires, Mikel; Kalou, Drogba, Anelka

GILES SMITH: DIFFICULT

You could say Chelsea's recent results have been enough to drive a supporter to distraction, although Giles Smith is finding that journey harder than imagined...
Blimey. Soon be Christmas, won't it? Is it me, or does it come round quicker every year? And then, before you know it, it's over and you're putting away the decorations again. I don't know. Christmas!
See 'X-Factor' this week? Right result, I thought. I reckon Tesco Mary had taken it about as far as she could. The best four are through to the final, looking at it objectively. I've got a soft spot for Matt, because he comes from where I grew up in Essex, but I've got a lot of time for Rebecca as well. Either of those would do for me, although I have a sneaking feeling One Direction might steal it. I see what they're about, but they leave me a bit cold, to be honest. But then, I'm not really in the demographic, let's face it.
Wikileaks: any feelings? I'm pretty conflicted about it, I have to say. For example: say someone handed you the codes for the American nuclear arsenal on a sheet of paper. Would the best thing be to set fire to it or whack it up on the web? I'm not saying I'm anti freedom of information, but sometimes secrecy is in the public interest, isn't it?
Er, what else?
Holidays! Know where you're going next year? We've had a few ideas - Cornwall is one of them, actually - but nothing definite yet. Some people have already got it all sorted, haven't they? I wish we could be that organised, but we never really get round to it until January or February, and sometimes even later than that.
Umm…
See 'X-Factor'? No - I've done that one.
Er…
No, I give up. It's not working. I thought it might be possible to write an entire column here this week without mentioning football, a subject that many of us, I imagine, quite feel like avoiding at the moment.
I've certainly been doing my best. People who know of my allegiance have been coming up and saying, just by way of conversation, perfectly sympathetically and without malice, 'Here, what's going with Ch…' But I never hear how that sentence ends, because by then I have turned and started to run up the street.
I don't know what's going on with Chelsea, that's the truth of it. It's all very puzzling, and hard to explain and difficult to talk about - and perhaps because, in the end, it doesn't really amount to very much at all, beyond an inexplicable, but perfectly common, dip in form, annexed to a small run of poor fortune. We are, in the useful phrase of Mr. Ancelotti, 'in a difficult moment' - although, as he concedes, the difficult moment is lasting a surprisingly long time, as moments go.
We have dropped points to teams we would probably have been expecting to use for goal-difference enhancement purposes, such as Newcastle, Sunderland and Liverpool. We have missed Frank Lampard more than we probably should have. Didier Drogba may or may not still be suffering the after-effects of malaria, but the entire attack seems to have come down with a mild dose of can't score-itis. (Our last two goals have been a penalty and a massive deflection.) And on Saturday, in the second half against Everton, there was just a slight glimpse of something rarely seen at Stamford Bridge in the last half-decade or so: nerves.
One piece of good news, though: our next fixture is away at Spurs. I think we can all agree that that's a positive. Personally speaking, if we were facing a top quality side in a title-related six-pointer, I think the pressure would probably be too much for me, and I would have to retreat to a windowless cell for the weekend, where someone could break news of the game's outcome by tapping on a heating pipe with a spoon.
Instead, though, we're at White Hart Lane, so at least the computer has been kind enough to relieve the pressure slightly for a week, ahead of far tougher assignments, just around the corner.
Even so, if the team is to capitalise and use this occasion to force the overall project back on track, a bit of concentrated preparation wouldn't go amiss. And again, in this respect, fate and our own success in the Champions League group phase, have played into our hands. Tonight's game in Marseille has no consequences depending on it for either side, meaning that the whole of this week can be spent focusing on the Premier League game on Sunday.
Accordingly, my suggested team for Marseille would be as follows.
In goal: Bruce Buck. Back four: Bryan English, Tim Lovejoy, Jason Cundy, Gigi Salmon. Midfield: Neil Barnett, a couple of the blokes from the Cobham car park…
Actually, thinking about it, can we rest Bryan English? The doctor is always going to be an important figure (especially when challenges like Tim Cahill's on Petr Cech last Saturday are flying around), and it would be nice and settling if he, also, could be fresh for Sunday.
The point is, I don't see why anyone remotely connected with the first team even needed to travel to France this week, with the exception of Mr. Ancelotti, who is required to attend as a matter of decorum.
It might be OK for Sir Alex Ferguson to skip a Manchester United Carling Cup match in order to go 'scouting' in Valencia, and leave such trifling matters to his underlings, but here at Chelsea we have always set a higher premium on basic respect for the game and our opponents.
But even for Mr. Ancelotti it could have been a quick trip, in and out. Marseille isn't that far away. The manager could have been jetted out at the conclusion of first-team training this afternoon and been home again and tucked up in bed by midnight.
But, however it panned out, the midweek distraction is blessedly minimal for everyone, leaving all of us free to point ourselves towards Sunday and White Hart Lane, concentrated, unified, back on track.

Barcelona show who the special ones really are in La Liga

Real Madrid boss Jose Mourinho is known as the ‘Special One’ but last night Barcelona proved who the special ones really are.

Barcelona’s 5-0 mauling of their bitter-rivals showed that they are still top dogs in Spain.
Incredible
The Spanish champions were outstanding. We have seen them rip apart lesser teams in the past but they ripped apart their main rivals and deserved the incredible win.
This was not Panathinaikos or Almeria that Barca were facing but a team who are rated as one of the best teams in the world.
Character
Mourinho is looking ahead to Real’s next match against Valencia. He told Sky Sports: “We must have character,”
“You cannot cry when you concede four or five goals. You must be anxious to return to work and win the next match.
“I wish the Valencia match was tomorrow and not Saturday. After such a bad match you must go right back to work, play and win.”
Real Madrid under Mourinho is a work in progress and hadn’t faced a proper test so far this season. Last night was the acid test for Mourinho’s young side and they failed. They had looked imperious all season but Barca proved last night that they are not at the same level of the champions.
Brilliant
Real Madrid was really poor last night but it was because Barca were simply different class. Barcelona played their usual high tempo game. They play with the same style every game with the same verve and pace no matter who they are facing and they didn’t change their style just because they were facing their biggest rivals.
Barcelona are truly a joy to watch. I don’t think I have ever seen a team play like they do. There are almost no new words I can find to describe the experience of watching David Villa and Co.
Team
Barcelona as a team has been together for a long time. Real Madrid by contrast seems to sign numerous players every summer. They lack the consistency that Barca has. Real Madrid haven’t been together long enough to have the sort of spirit that runs through the Barca ranks. That spirit was shown when all the Barcelona players and coaching staff celebrated Jeffren’s fifth goal.
And Barca aren’t just a set of individual world-class players, they are a true team. Although Leo Messi gets a lot of plaudits, he is still humble enough to say that he thinks that teammates Andres Iniesta or Xavi should win the World Footballer of the Year. Barca isn’t just a one man team.
Real might have great players such as Cristiano Ronaldo and Mesut Ozil but they are not yet a team unit. As Barca gained a greater grip of the game Ronaldo got more and more frustrated. In the end he hardly got a kick.

Coaches
Pep Guardiola vs Jose Mourinho was always going to be a fascinating battle and the Spaniard won all ends up. We all know Mourinho’s relationship with Barca and he was so desperate for a victory over the champions.
Mourinho was predicting victory, well just being his usual confident self. Guardiola was quieter and let his team do the talking. Guardiola got it spot on. He kept it simple by letting the players play their usual outstanding style.
Generation
The way Barcelona are currently playing they are coming very close to bettering the dream team, if they haven’t already. The likes of Messi and Xavi will go down as some of the best players to ever grace the Nou Camp.
Confidence
Even though they have been playing well this season the hammering of their nearest rivals will fill Barca with a vital psychological advantage over their rivals. Barcelona was behind Real Madrid before last season’s Classico and moved above them with a victory.
That victory gave Barca the mental edge over their capital rivals and enabled them to clinch the La Liga title. Although it’s a long season I can’t see Real stopping Barca from again reigning in Spain.
Madridista’s will have to wait a while to see the best of their team, as they need time to gel as a unit. Jose Mourinho will need all his strategic skills to help his players to recovery from this defeat. I wouldn’t be surprised if Barca now goes onto dominate at home and abroad

Arsenal Manager Arsene Wenger Defends Andrey Arshavin: I Am Not Frustrated With Him

 

The form of Arsenal forward Andrey Arshavin is not a source of frustration for Arsene Wenger, because his manager believes inconsistency is inevitable with the type of game he asks the 29-year-old to play.

The little Russian has not been on his best form of late, and was replaced in Wednesday’s match against Partizan Belgrade by Theo Walcott after failing to have much of an impact on the game.

Wenger however, is not concerned by such problems because Arshavin is given the responsibility of making the difficult passes and dribbling through the defence, and so is more prone to mistakes.

"He has a game that is based on risk," Wenger told reporters.

"He tries to make incisive passes so of course when he takes one risk and it doesn’t work for him he takes another one. So sometimes people are impatient with his decision making.
"But if you look at the numbers of Arshavin in the Premier League you will see that he is the best passer and has more assists than anybody so that means [his game is] based on gambling but as well [it is] very efficient.

"He doesn’t frustrate me because I invite him to play the game that is Arshavin’s game. That means to go forward and provoke.

"There are some days it doesn’t work but Arshavin has great quality: he analyses very well, is very honest and has a fantastic objective assessment of his own performance.

Roy Hodgson Confirms Liverpool Are Planning To Offer Lucas New Contract

 

Liverpool manager Roy Hodgson has revealed that the club have plans to hand midfielder Lucas a new contract.

The 23-year-old has been impressive for the club this season, and has forged a good partnership with Raul Meireles in the center of midfield in the absence of skipper Steven Gerrard.

And their partnership has even sparked talk as to whether the Reds captain should return to his previous position of playing behind Fernando Torres when he returns from injury.

"I think there are plans to give Lucas a new deal," Hodgson was quoted as saying by the Liverpool Daily Post.

"[Directory of football strategy Damien Comolli] mentioned to me about getting in touch with his agent to get a new contract sorted out.

"Certainly if you ask me the question 'is Lucas welcome at the club and would we like to keep him?' then the answer is a resounding yes."