Following the upheaval and struggle that both Tottenham Hotspur and Andre Villas-Boas have had to endure during the month of August, this weekend’s fixture away to Reading offers the perfect opportunity for the Portuguese to get his side’s league campaign up and running. But this month also represents the beginning of a new challenge on a separate front, in the form of this season’s Uefa Europa League campaign.

Europe’s secondary cup competition has seemingly evoked a rather mixed sense of emotions in N17 over the last twelve months. For some, its place on the fixture list represents a footballing migraine; a unwanted distraction that takes momentum away from Premier League efforts and pre-empts the death of the Saturday afternoon fixture. For others, it’s a genuine piece of European silverware that the club should be looking to respect and make a concerted effort to win.

Feelings towards the Europa League remain mixed, but there is a belief that attitudes towards the competition are certainly warming at White Hart Lane. The clubs’ last taste of success in the competition, in its traditional guise of the Uefa Cup, was a very distant 28 years ago – but the names of heroes such as Steve Perryman, Mark Falco and Micky Hazard are uttered around as if it was yesterday. Some feel that maybe winning the Europa League wouldn’t represent such a bad achievement after all. And they have just the man to make it happen.

Andre Villas-Boas’ may have a relatively short managerial resume during his time in the game, but one of his undisputable triumphs was how his Porto side triumphed to Europa League glory in the 2010-11 season. In an effort that saw him complete the treble in his first season at the club, his Porto side displayed a stunning level of maturity and attacking intent to win the competition, culminating in a 1-0 victory over Braga in Dublin in the final.

Those who watched Porto’s performance in a final, dictated by Braga’s preference to negate, may not have been overwhelmingly impressed. But his performance in the rest of the competition was a textbook example of how to win a trophy that’s often very much underestimated by teams on these shores.

Harry Redknapp made his malice for the Europa League felt on more than one occasion last term, and it can’t be denied that it has its disadvantages. The ‘Thursday nights, Channel Five’ chants, cause more of a headache for supporters in the necessity it brings in having to play league games on a Sunday, rather than it’s dubious broadcasting credentials and having to fly to far flung corners of Eastern Europe mid-week probably doesn’t do the team too many favours.

But the truth is that for a team of Spurs’ size and caliber, they should have had enough to get out of the group stage, even if they weren’t always fielding their first choice XI. Luck certainly deserted them during their campaign last term, especially in the home tie against PAOK, but their fate was perhaps ultimately dictated by their performance away to Rubin Kazan in which Redknapp fielded what was in effect, a reserve team, bar the presence of Jermain Defoe.  Although one could suggest that giving youngsters such as Ryan Fredericks, Andros Townsend and Yago Falque a run out was admirable, fielding such a team away from home to the groups’ strongest team was in effect, writing the tournament off. A strong line up at home to PAOK was too little, too late for Tottenham.

It will be interesting to see quite what Villas-Boas’ approach is when his team take on Lazio at White Hart Lane in their opening Group J fixture on the 20th September, but you would have hoped that the Portuguese wouldn’t view the competition in quite the same way as Redknapp. If his side are still failing to pick up results in the league, the subsequent pressure could see him turn a blind eye to Europa League proceedings. But considering how well it served him during Porto, you’d find it hard to think he’d consider bottling it with Tottenham.

Because most importantly for Spurs, Villas-Boas has seemingly got the basics right in the cup competition, such as negotiating out of the group stage safely and grinding out results away from home. In 2010, AVB negotiated Porto out of an extremely tricky group, which included hostile trips to the likes of Besiktas and CSKA Sofia, undefeated with five wins and one draw. Even last season at Chelsea, however unconvincing it may have seemed, the Blues finished top of Group E under his stewardship.

From there on in, Porto knocked up an astonishing 22 goals in the knock-out stages on the way to the final as they produced some ruthlessly clinical football to see off the seasoned likes of Sevilla, CSKA Moscow and Vilarreal on the way. Villas-Boas knows how to win this competition and he knows how to win it well. An art of which many English teams have tried and failed to master.

There is often a pre-conceived idea that if any of the Premier League’s teams actually sought to take the Europa League seriously, that they’d come out on to. Yet in reality, this simply isn’t the case. In recent times the likes of Liverpool, Manchester City and most prominently Manchester United, have all come unstuck in recent years after fielding strong, strong line-ups. If anyone had any doubts about the pedigree of Europa League football, you need to look no further than the fate of Sir Alex Ferguson’s team at the hands of Marcelo Bielsa’s Athletic Bilbao side last year.

Because the prestige, the honor and jubilation that comes with winning a piece of European silverware simply cannot be underestimated.  Of course, the Europa League isn’t quite of the stature of the Champions League but that doesn’t matter. Look at the footage of Villas-Boas’ Porto side from 2011 or any side that has won it for that matter. Witness the unparalleled joy and outpouring of emotion from the fans and players alike; that is what football is all about, as the great Danny Blanchflower said – the game is about glory.

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Look at the likes of Perryman and the standing of that ’84 winning team against Anderlecht in the history of the club. No one is saying AVB will go down in history, but that is the sort of prize that’s on offer – long, hard history. A fourth place finish doesn’t have a place in any record books or trophy cabinets- but a European trophy lasts forever.

Spurs have the manager to achieve that success, in the short-term anyway. Andre Villas-Boas has had a tough time adjusting his side to Premier League fortunes and the undeniable truth is that it is a team in transition. A challenge for Champions League football must beckon but he can’t let the pressures of the league affect his outlook for Europa League success. This is a trophy the manager; the club and the players are capable of winning. And what better way to get supporters on board, than lifting it in Amsterdam next May.

How do you feel about a run in the Europa League? Do you not fancy a twirl with the Champions League’s unfancied sister or do you think it’s time Spurs brought some real silverware back to White Hart Lane? Let me know what you think on Twitter: follow @samuel_antrobus and bat me all your views. 

Liverpool midfielder Lucas Leiva has described 2012 as the worst year of his career and indeed his life, reports Sky Sports. 

The influential midfielder is currently out with a thigh injury he picked up during the second game of the season, and is set to be out for a further two months.

This has come after the Brazilian was out injured for 6 months, following a serious knee injury he picked up in November 2011.

His injury coincided with Liverpool’s awful dip in form during the last campaign, and Brendan Rodgers looks to be suffering without him also, as he is still in search of his first Premier League win.

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“This is the worst year of my career and of my life as well. When we can’t do what we like to do and perform your job, it’s always a bit frustrating,” the 25-year-old told Sportv.

“Everything is a bit new to me because I have never had so many injuries. Two in a row is very complicated,” he added.”We tried to stay positive when the first one happened, but the second one was much tougher as it happened so close to the other one.”

Manchester United forward Robin van Persie has escaped FA action for his reported elbow on Yohan Cabaye.

The Dutch forward appeared to strike the Newcastle midfielder in his side’s 3-0 win at the Sports Direct Arena on Sunday, with Alan Pardew calling for the visiting attacker to be reprimanded by the governing body.

However, The Telegraph state that match official Howard Webb has recommended that no action be taken against Van Persie, and that the incident did not deserve any punishment.

Van Persie had already been booked in the game before the incident, and Sir Alex Ferguson was quick to substitute his striker soon after.

The Netherlands international appeared to be in hot water, but has escaped punishment in a boost for the Old Trafford outfit.

Similarly, Luis Suarez will not be in the FA’s gaze over claims from Stoke boss Tony Pulis that the Liverpool forward was guilty of diving at the weekend.

The Britannia Stadium chief called for action to be taken against Suarez, but this will not be forthcoming.

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Nani’s future at Old Trafford is in doubt following increasing speculation over a potential transfer to Italian Champions Juventus.

The Portuguese winger has moved down in the pecking order at Manchester United following the arrival of new signing Shinji Kagawa and youngsters Danny Welbeck and Tom Cleverley breaking into the first team.

Nani has made just five starts this season, suggesting he is no longer integral to Sir Alex Ferguson’s first team plans. Juventus are rumoured to be leading the race to sign the winger, and will attempt to lure the United ace away from the Premier League in January.

When quizzed by reporters on his future at United, the Portugal international replied: “Only God knows what awaits me,” suggesting he is unsure whether he will stay with the Red Devils.

Nani went on to dismiss claims he hasn’t been playing due to fitness concerns.

“I am in perfect condition – I am physically good and feeling confident. I am the same Nani as always.”

Meanwhile, Sir Alex Ferguson has invited 16-year-old Brazilian striker Bruno Gomes to train with United for further trials. The teenager, who has trained at Carrington before, is on the radar of many top European clubs; however it seems he has his heart set on signing for United.

“My goal is to become top scorer in the league, being the first Brazilian to do so, while also to be English champion and to win the Champions League,” said the ambitious youngster.

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“[Ferguson] is a legend in Manchester, where everybody respects him and to be close to him was great. In fact, he only asked about my position and if I spoke English. Then he talked with the club representative who took me to Manchester,” he added.

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Manchester United winger Nani is reportedly the subject of much interest at the moment with as many as six clubs thought to be chasing his signature after it became clear that the club would be willing to listen to offers for him for the first time after a series of disappointing displays this term, but should they really be looking to move him on?

The 25-year-old has been at Old Trafford for six years now and has always provided a steady and consistent stream of end product. Having scored 38 goals in 201 games so far for the club and he finished last season with 11 assists in the league, with only Antonio Valencia providing more as they were pipped to the league title by local rivals Manchester City by the narrowest of margins on the final day of last season. This is a player who had the joint-highest combined goals and assists record in the Premier League two seasons ago, with nine and a remarkable 18 respectively, as well as scoring eight and assisting 10 in 2011-12.

Nevertheless, there’s been a growing frustration at his performances over the past year or so and as he approaches his 26th birthday, it becomes harder and harder to explain away his poor decision-making. Cristiano Ronaldo suffered from a similar weakness in his initial years at Old Trafford and simply due to the nature that the two are from the same country, his apologists have often pleaded patience with Nani arguing that he will come good just in the same way that the Real Madrid man did, but it looks unlikely at the moment.

When you compare Nani to Valencia, his rival for a right wing berth, then it’s clear why Sir Alex Ferguson has largely favoured the Ecuadorian given that his delivery from wide areas is dependable and even if he may be something of a one trick pony, it’s a trick that works most of the time. Whereas with Nani, you simply don’t know what you’re going to get, which in itself can have an impact on the rest of the side with other players less willing to make a run off the ball for the fear that he’ll simply have a crack from distance or pelt one into the nearest man from out wide.

There’s also the fact that Ferguson has brought in two simply superb attacking options this summer in Shinji Kagawa and Robin van Persie. The Dutch striker is likely to be the focal point of the club’s attack while Wayne Rooney drops off behind him, with both Danny Welbeck and Javier Hernandez displaying good form at home and abroad of late.

This saw Ferguson go with three up front in their last home game against Stoke and start with a midfield diamond against Braga, with neither system lending itself to what United have become traditionally known for, which is playing two recognised wingers every game, which also decreases Nani’s chances of regular football.

His ego has also been a problem and had an impact on performances, and for every wonder goal he strikes from range, he balloons ten into the stands and why he insists on taking free-kicks from ‘Ronaldo range’ is beyond me. He’s a strange player to characterise fully, though, given that during some games he can be unplayable, with the 4-4 draw against Everton last term an example, and others absolutely appalling, which points to a player with a confidence level that’s more fragile than we are often led to believe.

The financial aspect is also worth considering and the club have spent a sizeable amount this summer and with over £50m spent on potentially crippling interest repayments in the year ending June 2011, with the promise of more to come, if the club could seal a deal for a fee in the region of £25m, particularly with his contract entering its final 18 months, would be far too tempting to turn down.

Much in the same way that Anderson frustrates but always offers a ray of hope every now and again with a superb showing, Nani does the same and they are probably the two most divisive players at the club right now. He is inconsistent yet creative, egotistical yet fragile and he flits between terrible and unplayable with the sort of consummate ease not normally associated with a Manchester United player.

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There’s no denying his talent, but with the numerous attacking options available at the moment, he’s far from a guaranteed starter, yet at the same time, while the money on offer may be extremely appealing, would the squad be in better shape if they did let him go? When discussing the rumoured departure of any player, that above all else is the question that needs to be asked and in his case, I’m not so sure it would be. He may have his flaws, plenty of them even, but he’s a player capable of unlocking doors and every side needs someone of that caliber from time to time.

You can follow me on Twitter @JamesMcManus1

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A more precise game isn’t more beautiful. Mistakes keep the sport exciting, be they in a pub match or a World Cup final.

Opposing goal-line technology appears, on the face of it, to be a fool’s errand. Who doesn’t want referees to make the right decisions? Which English football supporter, remembering Frank Lampard’s wrongly disallowed goal against Germany in the last World Cup, wouldn’t dream that maybe the national team might have avoided ignominious defeat had that goal been allowed?

Football fans, however, should be careful what they wish for. The drive to GLT is not the result of a desire for fairness and accuracy. Instead the words its proponents routinely invoke when demanding its introduction are: “With so much at stake …” By which they mean, with the rewards for success and the costs of failure at top-level football so immense, human error is unacceptable.

Why so? The beauty of football is that every officially sanctioned game is the same. The pitch must be of a size conforming to the strictures of the laws of the game; the goals are the same size regardless of the teams; the officials apply the same laws, whether it’s a World Cup final or a Sunday league game between two pub teams. GLT will destroy this thread of consistency running through the game: economics dictates that cameras (and officials to study their pictures) will become too expensive only a little way down football’s pyramid. The park players on a weekend morning will be playing a different game to the professionals in the afternoon. Indeed, most of the professionals will be playing a different game to the elite few at the very top level, which is where GLT will likely find its home. And once GLT is in place, the demands will begin for further technological aids – to decide offsides, penalties and so on.

The only logical way for the referee to maintain his authority and work with technology is for technology to be applied to every element of the game. Then he can be tucked up in an office somewhere in the stadium with a load of blinking screens analysing every blade of grass, every tugged shirt and every sleight of hand. With all this information available to him, he’ll be top dog, free to interpret every subtle nuance in line with the Laws of the Game. He’d need an assistant on the pitch to actually enact his decisions, and there’d be lots of pauses to double-check possible offsides, bad tackles, handballs etc.; but so be it.

For me, and for many other fans, one of the beauties of football is its imperfection. Your favourite player might be capable of beating six opponents then calmly sidefooting the ball wide of the target. Your goalkeeper might make a wonder save then inexplicably throw the ball to the other side’s centre-forward. And it is the very same with referees and their assistants: most of the game they get everything right, but then – to the bafflement and anger of 30,000 people – they’ll make a decision so wrong it beggars belief. And you know what? I’m fine with that. It is a reminder that we are all but human, and our lives are littered with errors.

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The imperfect, in fact, is celebrated above all else in football. Players and managers cut deep with flaws are celebrated above the metronomes who do their job without incident. That’s why we still talk about Diego Maradona and Eric Cantona or Pele. It’s why one of the best-known TV clips, from the 1970 World Cup, shows Pelé missing a goal, not scoring. It’s why people watch compilations of terrible mistakes.

More to the point, though, disputes make football more exciting. Where commentators view an on-pitch fight and pompously declare “No one wants to see scenes like that”, fans see the same thing and bellow their approval. Equally, everyone who’s ever crowded into a stadium knows the up-swell of anger and adrenalin that follows a horrible call by the referee. They know the way the atmosphere picks up, the way voices rise, the way the fans exhort the team on to greater heights to compensate for the perfidy of officialdom – until 20,000 people are singing “You don’t know what you’re doing” at the referee. Those moments, when passion becomes uncontainable, are exactly what makes football great. Why on earth would anyone want to take them away from the game?

Kevin Nolan has labelled his goal scoring return to Newcastle as the ‘perfect scenario’ following West Ham’s 1-0 win yesterday.

The midfielder joined the Hammers from the Magpies at the beginning of last season and marked his first game back on Tyneside with the winner, giving Sam Allardyce’s side their first win at St. James’ Park for 14 years and lifting them to sixth in the Premier League.

And the West Ham captain, who refused to celebrate his goal, has admitted it was an emotional return to the place he once called ‘home.’

He told West Ham’s official site: “It was the perfect scenario for me, of course.

“It was quite emotional when I did score a goal because I had a little moment just after it. I was never going to celebrate and I never will [against Newcastle].

“I am just delighted for us because we got the three points and it moves us further up the table and it keeps us in the mix.”

Nolan also paid tribute to the Newcastle fans who applauded his return before, during and after the clash on Sunday afternoon.

“I was a bit emotional because the reception they gave me was unbelievable. I had a fantastic time here,” he admitted.

“I would like to thank the Newcastle fans for the fantastic support they gave me while I was here and for the reception they gave me on Sunday.

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“Obviously I could not have asked to have gone to a better club than West Ham for the following we have got and the commitment they have shown, so I’m delighted to be at another wonderful club. Hopefully I can do as well for them as I did up here.”

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Newcastle manager Alan Pardew believes his side didn’t deserve to lose their Premier League clash with Stoke.

The Magpies appeared to be on course to end a run of three straight league defeats, but the Potters came back from 1-0 down with two late goals.

Pardew was disappointed with the result and felt that his side deserved to leave the Britannia Stadium with all three points:

“The improvement from Sunday was immense and we deserved to get something from today and we certainly didn’t deserve to get beat that’s for sure, we were the better side,” Pardew told SkySports.

“There is a crucial moment in the game at 1-0 where I thought we had a handball and I just looked again and I think it is a penalty and then two sucker punches really and we have got beat,” he said.

“Their keeper has made two good saves, and it is galling really as we are on this run and we are having setback after setback and I feel sorry for the players today as they were brilliant,

“Sometimes you don’t get what you deserve and we certainly didn’t today.

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“We made a couple of errors in those goals and that has cost us. We do not make many errors but we have tonight.”

Papiss Cisse gave Newcastle the lead just after half-time, but goals from Jon Walters and Cameron Jerome in the final ten minutes swung the tie.

When Andy Carroll arrived at Upton Park on the last day of the summer transfer window many people were shocked at how a so-called £35 million player had ended up at a newly promoted side in the Premier League.

His transfer from Newcastle to Liverpool was equally as shocking considering he only really had one good season at St. James’ Park. But the big question now is whether West Ham should take up the option of first refusal at the end of the season or send him back to Liverpool where he clearly isn’t wanted.

The striker’s impact at West Ham was immediate after he was involved in Kevin Nolan’s 1st minute opener in the 3-0 home win over Fulham in September. He continued to be a handful up front and he seemed to fit perfectly into Sam Allardyce’s style of play.

However, just one goal in 10 appearances wasn’t the contribution West Ham were expecting. Many believed a new club with new surroundings and the opportunity to link up again with best friend Kevin Nolan would see Carroll re-discover the goal scoring form that earned him that big money move to Liverpool in the first place.

But should we be looking beyond his lack of goals and be appreciating the extra dimension he gives the Hammers up top? There’s no denying he plays a major part in West Ham’s attacking threat and  his aerial presence was un-rivalled in the Premier League before injury struck a few weeks ago.

During his absence, West Ham have struggled to pick up results and are clearly missing him. That makes you wonder whether he is imperative to West Ham’s success in the Premier League regardless of how many goals he scores.

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Is he worth the money? Seventeen million quid is a hell of a lot of money for a club like West Ham to be paying for one player, but if he can remain fit and continue building up an understanding with his new team mates then it’s a sacrifice I think West Ham must make.

With him due to return to action in mid-January, he will no doubt have another striker to compete for a starting place with. Allardyce is not likely to play 4-4-2 so we shouldn’t expect to see him being partnered up front with an old fashioned goal poaching forward, but the extra competition for places will help him improve and try harder to impress. After all, the pressure that huge price tag has given him will urge the striker to prove the country that he was worth every penny.

From West Ham’s point of view, and especially Sam Allardyce, it will all depend on how well he does in the second half of the season. If he gets a few assists on the board and scores some important goals then there will be a case for the club to spend a lot of money to keep him there. We all know he is the perfect fit for West Ham and their style of play, but if he can’t prove it then taking a punt on the hope that he’ll be better next season is risky.

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With Andy Carroll, he will need to make a decision on whether he wants to remain at West Ham or not. There’s no point playing at a club when your heart is elsewhere and it’s clear he dreams of a return to Newcastle. Captain Kevin Nolan will play a huge part in that decision, I’m sure, and he’ll be eager to keep Carroll in London, but if he doesn’t feel it’s right for him here then the club or the fans wouldn’t begrudge him turning down a permanent move.

It is a lot of money but, in my opinion, he will be worth every penny. He works hard and fits in well at Upton Park and with the support of the fans, Allardyce and his team mates can give him, he’ll soon realise West Ham is a perfect place for him to justify the money Liverpool paid for him. Dig deep, Gold and Sullivan, because Big Andy is what we need to continue improving in the Premier League.

Do you think West Ham should splash the cash on Andy Carroll? Or is £17 million too much for a player who we are still waiting to see the best of in the Premier League?

Newcastle manager Alan Pardew believes that a loss to QPR in Saturday’s Premier League encounter could lead to fear of relegation.

The Magpies have endured a tough start to the campaign, with the act of balancing Europa League football and domestic games weighing heavy on the squad.

This has seen the St James’ Park outfit slip down to 15th position, just two points from the relegation zone.

Pardew believes that their weekend clash with second-bottom QPR could be a tricky one:

“We’re going to have a lot of pressure this week,” he is quoted by The Mirror.

“QPR will be expected to lose, so they can come and play with a little bit of freedom – but not us.

“We’re going to have to play under monster pressure.

“The fans need to be right on our side, whatever happens – even if QPR go 2-0 up.”

Newcastle face back-to-back trips to Manchester United and Arsenal before hosting Everton in the coming weeks, and Pardew feels that points must be won ahead of this tricky set of fixtures:

“It’s going to be one of those days when we must win,

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“Usually, people say it’s a must-win game – but I’m telling you it’s must-win.

“That’s what we need to do.

“We’ve always been about the next game. It’s the next game because that’s the only thing that you can legislate for. Already, I’m looking forward to it and it can’t come soon enough.”