I was somewhat surprised by the transfer news that former Newcastle United striker Obafemi Martins had secured a return to the Premier League with Birmingham City on a loan deal until the end of the season. The 26-year-old Nigerian striker arrives from Rubin Kazan in Russia, where he was signed from Wolfsburg after three years in the north east. He has returned to England for personal reasons, wanting to move closer to his family, but should Alan Pardew have made an effort to get Martins in a black and white shirt once again?

Personally, Obafemi Martins is one of my favourite Newcastle players of recent years. This was possibly for the unpredictable nature of his play, his ability to score unbelievable goals and of course his memorable back flip celebrations. His bullet of a strike against Tottenham will stay with me for a long time (according to Sky Sports it flew into the back of the net at a speed of 84mph), but were these moments of brilliance simply too few and far between?

In the three years Oba spent at Newcastle he scored 28 Premier League goals in 88 appearances, which is not the worst but conversely not the best record in the world, at just shy of 1 in 3. For a player who cost Newcastle a fee in the region of £10 million, more was probably expected of him. When Newcastle were then relegated to the Championship he initially stated his desire to help the Magpies return to the Premier League, but it didn’t take long for the Nigerian international to jump ship. Loyalty doesn’t seem to be one of his attributes.

After an unremarkable time in the German Bundesliga and then in the Russian Premier League it is a surprise to see Martins return to England, as much for the fact that he was reported to fritter away his huge wages last time. With his return, though, I would have liked to see Newcastle make a move for him, especially given the current striking options at St James’ Park. Andy Carroll’s injury is frustrating to say the least, and the likes of Shola Ameobi, Peter Lovenkrands, Leon Best and Nile Ranger aren’t exactly top class. Carroll and Martins up top; I’d have loved to have seen that!

My desire to see Obafemi Martins in a black and white shirt once more might purely be for nostalgic reasons, and for remembering his performances for the club being better than they actually were. It will be with a heavy heart that I watch Martins play in a Birmingham shirt, and if he scores against Newcastle in one of the two Premier League meetings this season then my feelings towards him will probably change. However, despite being inconsistent, Martins was an exciting talent and could well prove to be a real coup for the Blues.

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A late equaliser from Giuseppe Rossi denied Germany their first win over Italy in 16 years on Wednesday, with the sides drawing 1-1 in Dortmund.

At Signal Iduna Park, where the Italians inflicted a heartbreaking 2-0 defeat on the Germans in the semi-final of the 2006 World Cup, the Azzurri once again broke German hearts after Miroslav Klose’s 16th minute goal was cancelled out by Rossi’s intervention nine minutes from time.

The hosts were the first to find their feet, with Klose capitalising on some nice build up play from Mesut Oezil and Thomas Mueller to open the scoring with a shot past Gianluigi Buffon in the Italian goal.

Klose could have scored a second moments later when another Oezil pass put him through on goal, but this time Buffon made a crucial save.

Italy were sparked into life when Daniele de Rossi forced a good save from German goalkeeper Manuel Neuer with a well-hit volley.

The visitors could have been awarded a penalty after Per Mertesacker appeared to foul AC Milan striker Antonio Cassano, but the referee allowed play to go on.

The Italians almost found themselves level when substitute Marco Borriello had his effort saved by Neuer, and another new addition, Alberto Aquilani, went close with a long-range effort that flashed wide of the post.

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Just as it appeared as though the German’s would finally break their Italian hoodoo, substitute Rossi bobbed up to turn beyond Mertesacker and slot a shot past Neuer.

Germany surged forward in search of a winner, but their efforts were denied as Buffon saved a late Sami Khedira strike to ensure a share of the spoils.

Shane Smeltz’s double spurred Gold Coast United on to a dramatic 3-2 elimination final win over Adelaide United at Hindmarsh Stadium.Sunday’s win ensures the Gold Coast have now set up a meeting with Central Coast Mariners for a chance to play Brisbane Roar in the A-League grand final.The visitors took the lead at in the first half before coming from behind in the second after the Reds had gone in front with goals from Sergio van Dijk and Matthew Leckie. Smeltz almost opened the scoring midway through the first half when Reds defender Dario Bodrusic failed to clear a long ball out of defence.The Croatian was unable to get his foot to the clearance and Smeltz ran onto the pass before strolling past Bodrusic and firing low from inside the box in search of the bottom corner.While Reds goalkeeper Eugene Galekovic was equal to the task then, he could do little about the New Zealand international’s next effort.On 38 minutes, the Gold Coast striker received the ball with his back to goal, turned, took a touch and lost his defender before blasting a 30m shot past the out-stretched Galekovic.Slory was replaced five minutes before the break after picking up an injury in a challenge and Matthew Leckie came on and made an immediate impact with his explosive pace.The Young Socceroo – destined for Germany having signed a deal at Borussia Moenchengladbach – helped set up van Dijk in the dying stages of the half but his shot flashed past the post.GCU could have doubled their advantage just after half time when Dino Djulbic got his head to the ball from a set piece, but the defender’s header bounced off the post and Galekovic was forced to slap the ball away from danger. The Reds grabbed an equaliser from the penalty spot in the 54th minute when van Dijk was fouled in the box by Bas van den Brink after a Cassio corner.Van Dijk stepped up and converted the spot kick, with Adelaide taking the lead 10 minutes later when Leckie pounced on the rebound after Moss had saved Cassio’s shot.A minute later, the visitors scored a dramatic equaliser when former Adelaide striker Bruce Djite headed into an empty net.Smeltz got on the end of the cross and his close-range header was saved by Galekovic but only into the path of Djite, who did not miss with the goal at his mercy.And with 10 minutes remaining, GCU stole a dramatic third goal when substitute Joel Porter was brought down in the area by Nigel Boogaard.Smeltz had to take his spot kick twice after an infringement on the edge of the area, but it mattered little as he secured the victory for Gold Coast.

Stoke City host West Ham, and Manchester City welcome Reading in the FA Cup quarter-finals on Sunday.Stoke, unbeaten at their Britannia Stadium home in 2011, fell 3-0 to their Sunday opponents at Upton Park in the English Premier League on Saturday, giving Avram Grant’s side the upper hand heading into the Cup clash.Midfielder Glenn Whelan said the Potters will look to maximise on their home advantage.”We’re on our home patch, that’s where we’re solid and hopefully that’s what we’ll be on Sunday,” the 27-year-old told the BBC. “If we can get right at them in the first five or 10 minutes, I’m sure the crowd will be right behind us.” Stoke are aiming for their first appearance in the Cup semi-finals since 1972, and their maiden final spot, while three-time winners West Ham are still in the running to emulate their most recent final appearance in 2006.Reading may be without Cup hero and captain Matt Mills, who scored to help the Championship club past Everton and book them a date with City at Eastlands, after the 24-year-old picked up a groin injury in their 3-1 league win over Ipswich Town on Saturday.City’s all-star squad have hardly cruised through their Cup campaign thus far, requiring replays to surpass the lowly Notts County and Leicester City.Edin Dzeko has scored for the Blues in both of his two Cup appearances under Roberto Mancini, while fellow striker Carlos Tevez can continue an impressive season, with the Argentine on 18 league goals, and has scored four in as many Cup clashes.The Cup shapes as Mancini’s best chance to end the club’s 35-year trophy drought.

The Premier League is home to some of the best football stadia in the world. Manchester United’s ground Old Trafford has the biggest capacity, while the likes of Anfield (the home of Liverpool) and White Hart Lane (the home of Tottenham) can claim to have the best atmosphere, but the Emirates Stadium has been voted the best away ground to visit in Britain.

Arsenal’s move away from Highbury was a tough one for the Gunners to make, but the Emirates Stadium is now firmly their home. The 60,000 plus capacity stadium has already experienced some great nights, with the 2-1 victory over Barcelona in the Champions League earlier this year one that springs to mind, while Arsenal fans will be hoping Arsene Wenger has some silverware to parade there very soon.

The Emirates Stadium has been built to a very high standard and gives a great viewing experience for fans, while also bringing in plenty of revenue for Arsenal Football Club. Does it boast the atmosphere of one of Britain’s traditional stadiums though and is the Emirates Stadium the best away ground to visit? Let us know what you think…

To see the rest of the results from the Football Fans Survey 2011, brought to you by ZOO Magazine and FootballFanCast.com, click here

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Tottenham Hotspur manager Harry Redknapp has welcomed his side’s Champions League quarter-final draw against Spanish giants Real Madrid.After beating AC Milan 1-0 on aggregate to reach the last eight, English Premier League club Spurs will now make the daunting trip to face nine-time winners Real in the first leg at the Santiago Bernabeu.And Redknapp is already relishing the prospect of tackling the most successful team in the competition’s history.”Yeah, a fantastic draw,” Redknapp said.”What a game to look forward to. One of the greatest clubs in world football and to go and be playing there at this stage of the Champions League is fantastic for us and I’m really looking forward to it.””It’s going to be a difficult game obviously, they are a great side, but you’ve got to look forward to these. These are the great days in your life and the great days in Tottenham Football Club history. So we will go there and look forward to it and give it a real go. “It’s an exciting game, you couldn’t have too many more tougher games. I’ve said all along, I felt the two Spanish clubs would be favourites so we’ve drawn Real Madrid who are right up there … pushing Barcelona all the way for the championship.” Redknapp paid tribute not just to Real’s star-studded squad, but also their decorated Portuguese coach, Jose Mourinho. “They’ve got great players and a fantastic manager in my opinion, one of the all time great managers so I’m looking forward to going there and playing them,” he said.

Bolton manager Owen Coyle has urged his players not to get caught up in the heat of the moment as the season enters its crucial final stages.After Wayne Rooney was banned for two games following his foul-mouthed outburst at a television camera, Coyle has called for his Bolton side to remain calm despite some massive games for the club on the horizon.

Despite their lofty position of eighth in the Premier League table, Bolton are just eight points clear of the relegation zone.

They also have a massive FA Cup semi-final coming up at Wembley next weekend and host West Ham on Saturday in the Premier League

Coyle said: “It is such a passionate and emotional game – these players are not robots.”

“Sometimes that emotion can spill over but you need to be very careful and very wary of your actions.”

“The Premier League gets global coverage and everything comes under scrutiny. Whatever you do is analysed and over-analysed.”

“We know the margins we have to deal with and you just have to do your best and conduct yourself as well as you can.”

Bolton could be buoyed by the return of central defender Zat Knight when struggling West Ham travel to the Reebok at the weekend, after the 30-year-old has been sidelined with a knee injury since February.

“Zat Knight managed to play 45 minutes in the reserves the other night and came through really well,” Coyle said.

“Before that he had played every game under me. He had been outstanding in doing that and is somebody I have a lot of time for as a footballer and equally as a man.”

“He has trained now for two weeks and I felt it was important he got 45 minutes in the reserves to get his distancing and timing right.”

“He looked very comfortable and will train with the team now with a view to being involved on Saturday.”

While Knight represents a huge injury boost for Coyle, Bolton will be missing defender Sam Ricketts (Achilles) while midfielder Stuart Holden is out for the season with a knee problem.

Here is my list of the ten worst rules in football. This week, we are looking to the future at Footballfancast.com. Amidst all the opinion of which players are going to be the next big thing, I thought about how the game might be different over the next ten years because of the rules. In 2015 new FIFA fair play rules will come into play. These will look to curb overzealous club spending and try and stop clubs running at a loss.

The effects will surely be large scale. Here I look at ten other rules that I would like to see changed in the not too distant future.

Click on Gianfranco Zola to look at the top ten rulings that need to change

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FootballFanCast General Stay ahead in the world of football analysis, commentary, and fan insights with FootballFancast. Subscribe FootballFanCast General Stay ahead in the world of football analysis, commentary, and fan insights with FootballFancast.

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Compiled by Joe Austin

Although mathematically it isn’t impossible, the likelihood of Arsenal winning the title is minimal and Arsene Wenger’s side has little more than pride to play for. The Gunners will certainly be up for the visit of United at the Emirates and a win will almost certainly guarantee automatic qualification for the group stages of next year’s Champions League.

At FFC this week we have seen a mixed bag of Arsenal blogs that includes Bendtner becoming an egotistical headache; right man wrong philosophy at Arsenal, while Eboue set to lead a clear out at the Emirates.

We also look at the best Arsenal articles around the web this week.

*

Would Arsenal fans really be sad to see him go?

Arsene Wenger’s ‘Greatest XI’ of all time

Arsenal set for another transfer circus, or has it simply rolled out of town?

If I was you Arsene Wenger…

Have United and Arsenal missed a transfer trick with German?

Nicklas Bendtner, an egotistical headache?

Just a case of right man, wrong philosophy at Arsenal

Arsenal’s Top TEN Celebrity Supporters

The man set to lead Wenger’s summer clearout?

Trying to understand Arsenal’s problems

Fergie gazumps old foe to £3m deal

* Best of WEB *

Arsenal’s ‘STAN’ [Eminem parody] – Gunnersphere

Arsenal miss out because we don’t do the basics – Online Gooner

Djourou On Hope, Expectation & What Might Have Been – A Cultured Left Foot

Wenger thinks things will change with more of the same…? – Le Grove

Is this the End for Thomas Vermaelen?? – Highbury House

Raising ticket prices would be grossly unfair on fans – Gunnersphere

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Click on image below to see Carles’s latest lady in all her glory

According to The Telegraph, Manchester United are all set to hijack Manchester City’s deal with Udinese to sign their star winger Alexis Sanchez. It has been reported that Sanchez’s agent met with City officials on Friday as they attempted to agree upon the terms that would bring him to Eastlands. Now however, United have made it clear that they too wish to sign the 22-year-old and there could be a fierce battle at hands as to who will receive his signature.

It’s believed that Sanchez is a boyhood United fan and would prefer to join the Red Devils if a deal could be agreed upon. However, City may have the financial clout that may well prove decisive. It’s too close to call just yet. At the moment it’s United’s global appeal against City’s ceaseless wealth.

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Sanchez has been linked to both clubs for the last two-or-three months and it was originally believed that Serie A side Udinese would hold out for about £35.4m before they let go of their star player. Now however, if we believe the Telegraph that figure has plummeted to about £18-26m – a much more reasonable fee.

It still surprises me that we keep seeing United linked with big money moves for wingers. Are they really so lacking in that regard? They have Nani down the left, who for my money has been the best player in the Premier League this season (certainly the most effective) and Antonio Valencia down the right, who combines a workmanlike ethos with genuine ability and continues to impress on a weekly basis. Given that they have Park Ji-Sung and Ryan Giggs to fill in when necessary; it doesn’t strike me that the wings are a priority for United at this moment in time.

There has been much talk about the need that United have to bolster the centre-of-midfield. With Scholes on the way out, I’d agree that now is the right time to start seeking out a long-term replacement. Inter Milan’s Wesley Sneijder is thought to be Sir Alex’s main target in this regard, but any move for the Dutchman would be very costly for United.

It’s clear also that United can’t afford two big money moves this summer (unless they sell an important player or two) and that Sir Alex has to prioritise the central midfield over and above the wings. Whilst I’d be happy for United to bring in a cheap but talented winger (if one can be found) I don’t think it’s necessary for Sir Alex to splash that kind of cash on Alexis Sanchez.

The Chilean international is supremely talented; it’s just that United don’t have any great need of his services. If there is set to be a transfer battle between City and United for Sanchez, I wouldn’t lose too much sleep if Roberto Mancini’s side were to end up the victors.

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Read more of Harry’s articles at This is Futbol

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Listen to the latest episode of our award nominee podcast – The Football FanCast. – Featuring Razor Ruddock, Gary O’Reilly and King Jacks! Don’t forget to help Razor and O’Reilly become award winners in the 2011 EPL Awards