But I did! I said Hughes was the next to go and sure as hell he got the boot on Saturday night. Even after a 4-3 win against fellow top 4 upsetters Sunderland. Let's be fair though we all saw it coming and knew that Hughes was out of his depth at City with all that money. Good luck to Mancini who said 'it had always been my dream to manage in the Premier League since I played for Leicester' errr ok!
Rich was spot on with his predictions for the weekend, especially for the United game. My pal Dave even predicted a 3-0.. But didn't stick any cash on it! Football365.com offered 40/1 for united and Liverpool to lose on Friday.
So the title race is well and truely back on now and the battle to stay up is hotting up even more now also with Pompey's emphatic win Sat lunchtime.
Going to be a crazy week kids.
Awesome result in the cricket also - another last wicket stand saves the day but this time it was Collingwood and Onions! Get in!
I'm out of the country over Xmas so will miss the boxing day clashes, I sure hope Arsenal can keep Villa out! So I hope everyone has a fantastic Christmas and will see you all in the new year.
Monday 21 December 2009
Sunday 20 December 2009
Mark Hughes gets sacked for Christmas.
So after a thrilling game between Man City and Sunderland Mark Hughes waved goodbye to the fans. Hughes has confirmed he didn't find out he was going to be sacked until after the match.
If this is true why did he wave goodbye to the fans at the full-time whistle?
I think the sacking of Hughes is not a fair one as they have only lost two games all season.
Okay they haven't won many, but they are still in a prime position to break into the top four with a game in hand.
With so many new players it does take time for a team to gel. There main problem has been the defence and they have been on the cusp of more victories only to concede last minute goals.
None more noticeable than the Manchester derby with Owen scoring at the death.
The owners had obviously be planning this for a while as Roberto Mancini has taken over immediately. Do you think Mancini will do a better job? Should Hughes have been given more time?
At least he won his last game and Hughes will be back for sure....
If this is true why did he wave goodbye to the fans at the full-time whistle?
I think the sacking of Hughes is not a fair one as they have only lost two games all season.
Okay they haven't won many, but they are still in a prime position to break into the top four with a game in hand.
With so many new players it does take time for a team to gel. There main problem has been the defence and they have been on the cusp of more victories only to concede last minute goals.
None more noticeable than the Manchester derby with Owen scoring at the death.
The owners had obviously be planning this for a while as Roberto Mancini has taken over immediately. Do you think Mancini will do a better job? Should Hughes have been given more time?
At least he won his last game and Hughes will be back for sure....
Friday 18 December 2009
Predictions for the weekend? Here we go again.....
So far none of the premier league games have been called off due to the weather, so here they are!
Arsenal V Hull
Aston Villa V Stoke
Blackburn V Tottenham
Fulham V Man Utd
Man City V Sunderland
Portsmouth V Liverpool
Everton V Birmingham
West Ham V Chelsea
Wolves V Burnley
Who do you think will drop points this weekend?
I think Man Utd will have a tough game at the Cottage? I can see an upset here with Fulham nicking the three points...
Liverpool face a tricky encounter at Fratton Park, Portsmouth pushed Chelsea in the week and will surely have a go against Liverpool who are still low on confidence despite the return of key players. Rafa has guaranteed Liverpool will finish in the top four, are these brave words or is this just to keep the wolves from the door?
Mark Hughes will be hoping for a win against Sunderland. Will Robhino be picked after storming off against Spurs ;) in the week. I can see Sunderland getting a point here and this could mean more pressure on Hughes?
Will Spurs put in a shift away at Blackburn? These are the games we must win if we want to play ball with the big boys. I think we can safely say Keano won't start this match after organising the xmas party!
Arsenal will not want a repeat result of last years fixture against Hull. I can see the Gooners taking all three points here.
Chelsea have leaked four goals in the last two games and face the Hammers at Upton Park. I think Chelsea will just come out on top in this London derby.
What are you thoughts on these games and the other fixtures?
Arsenal V Hull
Aston Villa V Stoke
Blackburn V Tottenham
Fulham V Man Utd
Man City V Sunderland
Portsmouth V Liverpool
Everton V Birmingham
West Ham V Chelsea
Wolves V Burnley
Who do you think will drop points this weekend?
I think Man Utd will have a tough game at the Cottage? I can see an upset here with Fulham nicking the three points...
Liverpool face a tricky encounter at Fratton Park, Portsmouth pushed Chelsea in the week and will surely have a go against Liverpool who are still low on confidence despite the return of key players. Rafa has guaranteed Liverpool will finish in the top four, are these brave words or is this just to keep the wolves from the door?
Mark Hughes will be hoping for a win against Sunderland. Will Robhino be picked after storming off against Spurs ;) in the week. I can see Sunderland getting a point here and this could mean more pressure on Hughes?
Will Spurs put in a shift away at Blackburn? These are the games we must win if we want to play ball with the big boys. I think we can safely say Keano won't start this match after organising the xmas party!
Arsenal will not want a repeat result of last years fixture against Hull. I can see the Gooners taking all three points here.
Chelsea have leaked four goals in the last two games and face the Hammers at Upton Park. I think Chelsea will just come out on top in this London derby.
What are you thoughts on these games and the other fixtures?
The truth comes out
Well well well, as I sit on the district line on my way home, I pick up an evening standard to learn that Robbie Keane has gone behind Harry Redknapp's back and taken his Spurs chums to a £2,000 a head Xmas party last Wednesday, coincidentally a few days before their 1-0 loss at home to Wolves.
Come on lads, if you seriously want to break the top 4, you can't go boozing up in Dublin with your out of favour, turncoat, Liverpool reject (soon to be ex) Captain.
Especially don't lie to Harry and tell him your going to play golf!? I expect they did but still it's no surprise that Spurs failed to defeat Wolves with this attitude. Arsene would have lynched those involved!
Spurs showed on Wednesday that they can beat anyone on their day, so why don't they take this campaign seriously and try and win every game they can!?
Silly Robbie off to Celtic seems a sure thing now, place your bets....
Come on lads, if you seriously want to break the top 4, you can't go boozing up in Dublin with your out of favour, turncoat, Liverpool reject (soon to be ex) Captain.
Especially don't lie to Harry and tell him your going to play golf!? I expect they did but still it's no surprise that Spurs failed to defeat Wolves with this attitude. Arsene would have lynched those involved!
Spurs showed on Wednesday that they can beat anyone on their day, so why don't they take this campaign seriously and try and win every game they can!?
Silly Robbie off to Celtic seems a sure thing now, place your bets....
Wednesday 16 December 2009
Spurs V Man City and the defence problems at the Lane.
I think there is very little chance of us keeping a clean sheet again this evening. Tevez or Adebayor will surely be on the score sheet. I think it will be a case of us scoring more to win this game. We must take our chances, it's sure to be open as City won't be parking the bus.
I couldn't help but notice this link this regarding Tottenham's defensive frailties and the incredible relaxed approach about the biggest problem area in our squad:
http://www.sportinglife.com/football/news/story_get.cgi?STORY_NAME=soccer/09/12/16/manual_074222.html&TEAMHD=soccer
This is madness by Spurs yet again! We knew that we needed another centre half during summer along with the Bassong signing as King would hardly play. (Not to mention Woodgate didn't kick a ball all summer).
The article states that Harry thinks we could be in for a disaster month in Jan losing two of the current back four to African Nations possibly for a month. (We knew this would happen though).
Harry then says he doesn't have a "Clue" when King or Woodgate will play again….
But then to my amazement Harry says we are fine in that area and he won't be buying a defender come Jan as we have plenty of cover in the defence…! Er….No we don't!!!!! You can't include Corluka and Hudd as centre backs and Bale as left back is not worth talking about. What happens if Dawson gets injured???
Can you imagine a back four of (Hutton, Corluka, Dawson, Bale) that would concede even more goals then the current line up…?
If we don't buy a centre half or two come Jan we will be lucky to finish in the top 7.
If we don't do anything about this we would be bonkers and will blow our chance of achieving any kind of European football.
I couldn't help but notice this link this regarding Tottenham's defensive frailties and the incredible relaxed approach about the biggest problem area in our squad:
http://www.sportinglife.com/football/news/story_get.cgi?STORY_NAME=soccer/09/12/16/manual_074222.html&TEAMHD=soccer
This is madness by Spurs yet again! We knew that we needed another centre half during summer along with the Bassong signing as King would hardly play. (Not to mention Woodgate didn't kick a ball all summer).
The article states that Harry thinks we could be in for a disaster month in Jan losing two of the current back four to African Nations possibly for a month. (We knew this would happen though).
Harry then says he doesn't have a "Clue" when King or Woodgate will play again….
But then to my amazement Harry says we are fine in that area and he won't be buying a defender come Jan as we have plenty of cover in the defence…! Er….No we don't!!!!! You can't include Corluka and Hudd as centre backs and Bale as left back is not worth talking about. What happens if Dawson gets injured???
Can you imagine a back four of (Hutton, Corluka, Dawson, Bale) that would concede even more goals then the current line up…?
If we don't buy a centre half or two come Jan we will be lucky to finish in the top 7.
If we don't do anything about this we would be bonkers and will blow our chance of achieving any kind of European football.
Tuesday 15 December 2009
The African Effect.
This years African Nations Cup could have the biggest impact yet, with so many African players now plying their trade in the Premiership, many more teams than before rely on their expertise.
Here is a table from the BBC Sport Website that shows the impact this will have on each club.
As can be seen by this table, Portsmouth could be dead and buried by the time the end of Jan arrives. Chelsea could be bang in trouble too if they continue this dodgy patch they are going through. The problem Chelsea have also is that the players they are looking to lose for the tournament are key players in Essien, Drogba, Kalou and Mikel. Granted Essien is out injured - but he will be out until the end of Jan/start of Feb anyway. As United won't lose anyone (and their injury list may have diminished by then) they will be looking to eclipse Chelsea during this time. Chelsea's goal tally will surely slow down during this time so unless the rest of the team pull their weight - Drogba will certainly be missed.
Arsenal only lose 2 players this year which is a bonus on previous years, however one of them is Alex Song who has become the king pin in the middle of the midfield allowing Fabregas and company to thrive. Losing him will be a great loss especially as he has been so instrumental so far.
Manchester City lose big names in both Attack and Defense - where Arsenal lost it last year.. Adebayor and Toure will be a huge loss in their bid for the top 4.
The main talking point though is Portsmouth - losing SIX players during this time. Their squad isnt huge as it is anyway let alone with 6 men down. If you check out the full list you will see that 3 of them are regular first teamers and the others feature regularly from the bench. It could well be all over sooner rather than later for Pompey
Here's the full list...
Number of players at the African Cup of Nations
Six: Portsmouth - Kevin-Prince Boateng, Nadir Belhadj, Hassan Yebda, John Utaka, Nwankwo Kanu, Aruna Dindane
Four: Chelsea - Michael Essien, Didier Drogba, Salomon Kalou, John Obi Mikel
Three: Man City - Kolo Toure, Emmanuel Adebayor, Kelvin Etuhu; Hull City - Kamel Ghilas, Daniel Cousin, Seyi Olofinjana
Two: Arsenal - Alex Song, Emmanuel Eboue; Tottenham - Sebastien Bassong, Benoit Assou-Ekotto; Everton - Joseph Yobo, Ayegbeni Yakubu; Fulham - John Pantsil, Dickson Etuhu
One: Aston Villa - Moustapha Salifou; Sunderland - John Mensah; Stoke - Mamady Sidibe; Bolton - Danny Shittu; Burnley - Andre Bikey; Wigan - Richard Kingson; Wolves - George Elokobi
None: Man Utd, Liverpool, West Ham, Birmingham, Blackburn
Here is a table from the BBC Sport Website that shows the impact this will have on each club.As can be seen by this table, Portsmouth could be dead and buried by the time the end of Jan arrives. Chelsea could be bang in trouble too if they continue this dodgy patch they are going through. The problem Chelsea have also is that the players they are looking to lose for the tournament are key players in Essien, Drogba, Kalou and Mikel. Granted Essien is out injured - but he will be out until the end of Jan/start of Feb anyway. As United won't lose anyone (and their injury list may have diminished by then) they will be looking to eclipse Chelsea during this time. Chelsea's goal tally will surely slow down during this time so unless the rest of the team pull their weight - Drogba will certainly be missed.
Arsenal only lose 2 players this year which is a bonus on previous years, however one of them is Alex Song who has become the king pin in the middle of the midfield allowing Fabregas and company to thrive. Losing him will be a great loss especially as he has been so instrumental so far.
Manchester City lose big names in both Attack and Defense - where Arsenal lost it last year.. Adebayor and Toure will be a huge loss in their bid for the top 4.
The main talking point though is Portsmouth - losing SIX players during this time. Their squad isnt huge as it is anyway let alone with 6 men down. If you check out the full list you will see that 3 of them are regular first teamers and the others feature regularly from the bench. It could well be all over sooner rather than later for Pompey
Here's the full list...
Number of players at the African Cup of Nations
Six: Portsmouth - Kevin-Prince Boateng, Nadir Belhadj, Hassan Yebda, John Utaka, Nwankwo Kanu, Aruna Dindane
Four: Chelsea - Michael Essien, Didier Drogba, Salomon Kalou, John Obi Mikel
Three: Man City - Kolo Toure, Emmanuel Adebayor, Kelvin Etuhu; Hull City - Kamel Ghilas, Daniel Cousin, Seyi Olofinjana
Two: Arsenal - Alex Song, Emmanuel Eboue; Tottenham - Sebastien Bassong, Benoit Assou-Ekotto; Everton - Joseph Yobo, Ayegbeni Yakubu; Fulham - John Pantsil, Dickson Etuhu
One: Aston Villa - Moustapha Salifou; Sunderland - John Mensah; Stoke - Mamady Sidibe; Bolton - Danny Shittu; Burnley - Andre Bikey; Wigan - Richard Kingson; Wolves - George Elokobi
None: Man Utd, Liverpool, West Ham, Birmingham, Blackburn
Sunday 13 December 2009
A weekend of amazing results...
Whether it be Ryan Giggs winning Sports Personality of the year, Joe winning the X Factor or Bolton holding rampant Man City to a 3-3 draw - this weekend was one to remember!All across the football leagues there were results that would have cocked up a lot of accumilators. Title hopes took a knock down on the south coast where Bournemouth were crushed 5-0 away at Morcombe, Middlesborough lost at home to Cardiff and Man Utd lost to top 4 wannabe's Aston Villa.
There was a goal fest on Saturday in the premiership in 2 fixtures, both seeing 6 goals. Now that's some value for money! It shows why it's the best league in the world. Chelsea held at home by Everton who REALLY needed a result like that to kick start there season (see Richards earlier blog to see the troubles they've had!). Chelsea seem to be leaking goals at the minute and letting their grip on the trophy loosen, which is fantastic really as I had written off the hopes of their being a title race this year in my post about 2 weeks ago. Chelsea will have wanted a large margin ahead of the rest of the pack before they lose Drogba, Kalou, Mikel (& Essien if he wasn't injured) etc to the African Nations (Why they are holding it in a World Cup year I still don't know!).
Bolton had a fantastic weekend and would have hoped for a bit of a better defensive performance to hold out Man City - considering they were ahead 3 times in the match! It really did show though that anyoe can beat anyone in the Prem (or nearly..) However, it wasn't enough to drag them out of the drop zone and it was another draw for City...
Who is looking most likely for the drop now? Surely Bolton and Portsmouth showed this weekend why they won't be in there come May, but West Ham.. maybe. Wolves had a good weekend in that they toppled Spurs at WHL where the last home game saw the home side net 9 goals. Despite this though, I still think Wolves will go down, along with Bullard-less Hull who had a dull weekend without their talisman.
Elsewhere was a demonstartion of the midtable certainties surrounding Stoke, Wigan, Fulham and Burnley where points were shared.
The main talking point for me (in a 100% non biased way ;-D) was the result on Sunday evening where Arsenal came from behind to maintain Liverpool's run of poor results. Liverpool were by far the best team in the first half where Arsenal looked flakey and inconsistent. Manuel Almunia showed why Wenger will probably look for a keeper in Jan as he flapped at a free kick coming into the box which then ended up in the back of the net off Dirk Kuyt.Apparently Wenger roasted the players at half time and it showed immediately after the break. Arsenal looked like a completely different side and held possession for most of the half. Liverpool still showed why they are a class act with threats from the likely names of Gerrard and Torres but Arsenal seemed like they had woken up a bit this half. A bad refereeing decision, a fortunate own goal from Glen Johnson and a wonderstrike from the pocket-sized Arshavin took the Gunners to within 3 points of United and 6 of Chelsea with a game in hand! Finally some luck for the injury devastated Gunners..
The title race is back on!
(Pictures from bbc.co.uk/sport)
Thursday 10 December 2009
Campbell to United? Owen off to the World Cup? Magilton to get the boot?
Well it's certainly been an interesting week so far and we haven't even seen Chris Kamara yet to say how Unbelievable! it's been!
Micky Owen scored a very nice hat trick away in Wolfsburg on Tuesday night which will have given Fabio Capello a slight headache - but lets be honest, and I am a big Michael Owen fan, but unless he does it week in week out and cements a first team place at United, along with staying injury free. I think its a bit of a tall order for the little man. It would be good for him and England as he has an impressive scoring record but maybe a stretch to far for him.
Elsewhere Chelsea may have suffered a HUGE setback in that they have shipped 7 goals in 3 games (2 of which were the first goals at the bridge since day 1 of the season) and they have lost Michael Essien until February. They planned to lose him for the whole of Jan anyway but as its an injury its a huge blow as rehab will take a lot longer than a plane trip back from Africa.
Jim Magilton has rocked the boat at Loftus Road this week after apparently headbutting Akos Buzsaky after they lost away at Watford in the week, on the back of losing heavily to Boro at home last weekend. What is happening? Is the pressure of being a rich club getting to the manager? The rumour mill has been rampant putting up a few names to succeed big Jim - namely Paul Ince and Alan Curbishley. The boss' fate is to be decided after internal investigation.
Sol Campbell to United?!!? Whaaat?! Surely the most unreliable man in football now! His track record is a bit questionable.. Left Spurs for Arsenal - went a bit mental at Arsenal and left a game at half time just before he departed to Pompey, left Pompey for Notts County (£££) only to bin them after 1 game when he realised they were in League 2. I can only imagine that his demands for playing for United will be pretty big.. but Fergie is a bit of a beast and will take him down a peg or two.. but he does need a centre back.....
Big fixtures this weekend - United vs Villa, Liverpool vs Arsenal to name a couple!
Micky Owen scored a very nice hat trick away in Wolfsburg on Tuesday night which will have given Fabio Capello a slight headache - but lets be honest, and I am a big Michael Owen fan, but unless he does it week in week out and cements a first team place at United, along with staying injury free. I think its a bit of a tall order for the little man. It would be good for him and England as he has an impressive scoring record but maybe a stretch to far for him.
Elsewhere Chelsea may have suffered a HUGE setback in that they have shipped 7 goals in 3 games (2 of which were the first goals at the bridge since day 1 of the season) and they have lost Michael Essien until February. They planned to lose him for the whole of Jan anyway but as its an injury its a huge blow as rehab will take a lot longer than a plane trip back from Africa.
Jim Magilton has rocked the boat at Loftus Road this week after apparently headbutting Akos Buzsaky after they lost away at Watford in the week, on the back of losing heavily to Boro at home last weekend. What is happening? Is the pressure of being a rich club getting to the manager? The rumour mill has been rampant putting up a few names to succeed big Jim - namely Paul Ince and Alan Curbishley. The boss' fate is to be decided after internal investigation.
Sol Campbell to United?!!? Whaaat?! Surely the most unreliable man in football now! His track record is a bit questionable.. Left Spurs for Arsenal - went a bit mental at Arsenal and left a game at half time just before he departed to Pompey, left Pompey for Notts County (£££) only to bin them after 1 game when he realised they were in League 2. I can only imagine that his demands for playing for United will be pretty big.. but Fergie is a bit of a beast and will take him down a peg or two.. but he does need a centre back.....
Big fixtures this weekend - United vs Villa, Liverpool vs Arsenal to name a couple!
Saturday 5 December 2009
NOW I've got World Cup Fever!?
Maybe it's because we missed out on the Euro's (thank's to Schteve!) or maybe because I had had a few pints by the time the draw was made but I am genuinely excited about the World Cup.
The draw ceremony seemed to go without a hitch last night and it threw up some wonderful surprises!
Rumour has it that Charlize Theron cracked a joke during the rehearsal and pulled 'Ireland' from the hat!
As per tradition the 'group of death' raised its head once again but thankfully our boys won't be in it! It was so great to see that Ronaldo and his Portugeezer mates will have to fight their way past North Korea, Brazil and the Ivory Coast in order to ruin our campaign this time. It's a big ask.
Other groups that were interesting were Group D including Germany, Australia and Ghana: Group E including Holland, Denmark and Cameroon (a mini group of death) and Argentina won't have it easy against Nigeria and former European champs Greece.
So I'm now thinking, surely this is it, this time round England can do it. The first stage of the knockout stage will see England face either Germany or Australia depending on where we finish in the group and where they do - my guess is we win the group and so do Germany so we'll face Australia (or Ghana if they do well). Good news too for all those in 9-5 jobs is that England's first match is on Friday 12th June at 19:30 vs USA. So we'll all be three sheets to the wind in the local by the time they kick off! The third and hopefully irrelevant group game is at 15:00 on a Wednesday so you'll have to sweet talk your boss for that one. Usually, the knockout matches are in the evenings making it easy for everyone to watch.
It was great to see that New Zealand have a decent chance of getting out of the group into the knockouts with Paraguay (not been the same since they lost their top goal scorer goal keeper) and Slovakia (not exactly juggernaughts). Italy will surely walk the group.
France have got away with murder to get into the draw and it looks like the first few weeks will be fairly easy for them too - similar to the current holders who won't really be tested until the later rounds.
Here's the full draw for those of you who missed it (from the BBC website)
The draw ceremony seemed to go without a hitch last night and it threw up some wonderful surprises!
Rumour has it that Charlize Theron cracked a joke during the rehearsal and pulled 'Ireland' from the hat!
As per tradition the 'group of death' raised its head once again but thankfully our boys won't be in it! It was so great to see that Ronaldo and his Portugeezer mates will have to fight their way past North Korea, Brazil and the Ivory Coast in order to ruin our campaign this time. It's a big ask.
Other groups that were interesting were Group D including Germany, Australia and Ghana: Group E including Holland, Denmark and Cameroon (a mini group of death) and Argentina won't have it easy against Nigeria and former European champs Greece.
So I'm now thinking, surely this is it, this time round England can do it. The first stage of the knockout stage will see England face either Germany or Australia depending on where we finish in the group and where they do - my guess is we win the group and so do Germany so we'll face Australia (or Ghana if they do well). Good news too for all those in 9-5 jobs is that England's first match is on Friday 12th June at 19:30 vs USA. So we'll all be three sheets to the wind in the local by the time they kick off! The third and hopefully irrelevant group game is at 15:00 on a Wednesday so you'll have to sweet talk your boss for that one. Usually, the knockout matches are in the evenings making it easy for everyone to watch.
It was great to see that New Zealand have a decent chance of getting out of the group into the knockouts with Paraguay (not been the same since they lost their top goal scorer goal keeper) and Slovakia (not exactly juggernaughts). Italy will surely walk the group.
France have got away with murder to get into the draw and it looks like the first few weeks will be fairly easy for them too - similar to the current holders who won't really be tested until the later rounds.
Here's the full draw for those of you who missed it (from the BBC website)
| Group A | Group B | Group C | Group D | |||
| South Africa | Argentina | ENGLAND | Germany | |||
| Mexico | Nigeria | United States | Australia | |||
| Uruguay | South Korea | Algeria | Serbia | |||
| France | Greece | Slovenia | Ghana | |||
| Group E | Group F | Group G | Group H | |||
| Netherlands | Italy | Brazil | Spain | |||
| Denmark | Paraguay | North Korea | Switzerland | |||
| Japan | New Zealand | Ivory Coast | Honduras | |||
| Cameroon | Slovakia | Portugal | Chile |
Tuesday 1 December 2009
Well the Spurs players took that game seriously?
After a very bright start and some great possession by Spurs, Gibson for United popped up with a great strike to make it 1-0. Spurs had a great chance to level it up but Defoe shot straight at the keeper after a great cross by Bentley. Again Spurs continued to see plenty of the ball but didn't really do much with it. Then Gibson was found in the middle by Berbatov and curled in a great shot to make it 2-0 against the run of play. So at half-time the score was 2-0, could Spurs fight back? No is the answer, the second half was like watching a number of players who had practically zero interest. Players giving away possession so easily and taking extra touches. Spurs just didn't look like they believed they could get back in it. Harry did say the league was more important than the Carling Cup and it looks like some of the players believed this too. United nearly added to their lead in the second half but surely they were expecting a more competitve match from Spurs who just didn't even try and were just making up the numbers. Hopefully Spurs will turn up for the Everton game.
Sunday 29 November 2009
The title race is as good as over but the rest looks good.
This season looks like its going to end up one of the most exciting Premier League Seasons to date - from 2nd place onwards...
Sunday evening saw Chelsea sweep a truely disappointing Arsenal aside as the blues looked like they will almost certainly be collecting their 3rd Premiership crown in 6 years and Carlo Ancelotti's first on his maiden voyage in the Prem. Drogba maintained his impressive record against the Gunners by scoring his 9th and 10th goals against them in 9 games. An unfortunate Thomas Vermaelen own goal split the Ivory Coast strikers efforts just on the stroke of half time. Arsenal had their chances but without Robin Van Persie in attack, the Gunners never looked weak and unlikely to trouble Petr Cech.
As for the rest of the league this weekend, lots of penalties and goals showed how despite the title being almost a foregone conclusion, the rest of us have something to be excited about! West Ham and Burnley entertained in an 8 goal thriller. England fans will be pleased to see Wayne Rooney netting a hat trick against Pompey in Avram Grant's first game in charge (2 of which penalties.. in preparation for the traditional Quarter Final shootout vs Portugal...) and Liverpool may have kick started their season as they condemned Everton to a 2-0 defeat.
The best action witnessed this weekend had to be the genius of Jimmy Bullard. He scored from the spot at Eastlands to give Hull a well earned point and sent Man City to their 7th draw in a row. His celebration was nothing short of spectacular. This fixture last season saw Phil Brown shock us all by conducting his half time team talk on the pitch with his players sat around him in a circle. As Bullard celebrated his penalty success yesterday afternoon, the Hull players all sat around him as he mimicked his boss and pointed his finger at his team mates. Nice one Jimmy!
Draws in Spurs v Villa and Blackburn v Stoke. Wigan were surprise victors against Sunderland but will be more than happy they beat Brucie and expelled the memories of 'that day' at the Lane last week.
So can anyone stop Chelsea??
The FA Cup didn't give us too many surprises apart from Staines earned themselves a replay at the new Den, the victors playing Derby in the next round and Kettering will have a trip to Elland Road for a replay with a day out at Old Trafford the prize should they defeat Leeds.
Swindon Town beat Dean Saunders' Wrexham that included Chelsea legend Frank Sinclair at centre back to draw Fulham at Craven Cottage in Round 4. The best draw that the Robins have had in a long time.
Barca beat Real in el classico tonight a single goal to nil, Ibrahimovich from the bench on the score sheet (wiping that cheeky smirk off of Ronaldo's £80million face.)
The Carling Cup returns this week.
Sunday evening saw Chelsea sweep a truely disappointing Arsenal aside as the blues looked like they will almost certainly be collecting their 3rd Premiership crown in 6 years and Carlo Ancelotti's first on his maiden voyage in the Prem. Drogba maintained his impressive record against the Gunners by scoring his 9th and 10th goals against them in 9 games. An unfortunate Thomas Vermaelen own goal split the Ivory Coast strikers efforts just on the stroke of half time. Arsenal had their chances but without Robin Van Persie in attack, the Gunners never looked weak and unlikely to trouble Petr Cech.
As for the rest of the league this weekend, lots of penalties and goals showed how despite the title being almost a foregone conclusion, the rest of us have something to be excited about! West Ham and Burnley entertained in an 8 goal thriller. England fans will be pleased to see Wayne Rooney netting a hat trick against Pompey in Avram Grant's first game in charge (2 of which penalties.. in preparation for the traditional Quarter Final shootout vs Portugal...) and Liverpool may have kick started their season as they condemned Everton to a 2-0 defeat.
The best action witnessed this weekend had to be the genius of Jimmy Bullard. He scored from the spot at Eastlands to give Hull a well earned point and sent Man City to their 7th draw in a row. His celebration was nothing short of spectacular. This fixture last season saw Phil Brown shock us all by conducting his half time team talk on the pitch with his players sat around him in a circle. As Bullard celebrated his penalty success yesterday afternoon, the Hull players all sat around him as he mimicked his boss and pointed his finger at his team mates. Nice one Jimmy!Draws in Spurs v Villa and Blackburn v Stoke. Wigan were surprise victors against Sunderland but will be more than happy they beat Brucie and expelled the memories of 'that day' at the Lane last week.
So can anyone stop Chelsea??
The FA Cup didn't give us too many surprises apart from Staines earned themselves a replay at the new Den, the victors playing Derby in the next round and Kettering will have a trip to Elland Road for a replay with a day out at Old Trafford the prize should they defeat Leeds.
Swindon Town beat Dean Saunders' Wrexham that included Chelsea legend Frank Sinclair at centre back to draw Fulham at Craven Cottage in Round 4. The best draw that the Robins have had in a long time.
Barca beat Real in el classico tonight a single goal to nil, Ibrahimovich from the bench on the score sheet (wiping that cheeky smirk off of Ronaldo's £80million face.)
The Carling Cup returns this week.
Dawson to the rescue as Spurs dominate Villa.
In recent seasons Villa Park has not been a good hunting ground for Spurs and this game was billed as the two pretenders trying to claim that 4th spot in the league. Villa started the brighter team by winning a number of corners and Carew firing a shot over. Kranjcar had a long-range effort tipped over the bar by Friedel. Then in the tenth minute Villa scored through a corner, with Agbonlahor managing to bundle one home, in what was a very messy goal.
So could Spurs fight back? Too right they could and they did with efforts again from Kranjcar , Crouch and Dawson having one cleared off the line. Defoe also had a great effort that just went over the bar. Villa who are a very good counter-attacking team just could not get hold of the ball as Spurs started to dominate.
The 2nd half was again very much one way traffic with Spurs going close and Friedel making more saves. Was it going to be one of those days again for Spurs like the Stoke game? Defoe had a goal ruled out rightly so for handball. But finally an equaliser did arrive from Michael Dawson with a great strike from inside the penalty area that flew into the net. Spurs were level and continued to press Villa. On the rare occasion Villa did get forward. They nearly nicked another goal with Heskey just heading over. Defoe had a great effort in the 92nd minute that just flew round the post. So the game finshed 1-1 and it's been a long time since I've seen an away team dominate Villa like that, which is very encouraging for Spurs who move up to 3rd in the league. Villa will be happy with a point, as this was a game that Spurs should have easily won.
So could Spurs fight back? Too right they could and they did with efforts again from Kranjcar , Crouch and Dawson having one cleared off the line. Defoe also had a great effort that just went over the bar. Villa who are a very good counter-attacking team just could not get hold of the ball as Spurs started to dominate.
The 2nd half was again very much one way traffic with Spurs going close and Friedel making more saves. Was it going to be one of those days again for Spurs like the Stoke game? Defoe had a goal ruled out rightly so for handball. But finally an equaliser did arrive from Michael Dawson with a great strike from inside the penalty area that flew into the net. Spurs were level and continued to press Villa. On the rare occasion Villa did get forward. They nearly nicked another goal with Heskey just heading over. Defoe had a great effort in the 92nd minute that just flew round the post. So the game finshed 1-1 and it's been a long time since I've seen an away team dominate Villa like that, which is very encouraging for Spurs who move up to 3rd in the league. Villa will be happy with a point, as this was a game that Spurs should have easily won.
Thursday 26 November 2009
Clint is the King of the Cottage
A game of two halves entirely last night at Craven Cottage. Roy Hodgson has done well at Fulham, evident by their performances against Roma in the Europa League. A top 7 finish will be harder to come by this season but if they can maintain their home form its likely they will be strong contenders.
Everton players showing a lack of fight?
So David Moyes has openly said what he thought of his team’s performance last night in their 3-2 defeat to Hull City. "Shocking" was the word he used and he has questioned the players lack of fight. Everton are sitting 14th in the league and things need to improve quickly. Well with the Merseyside Derby this weekend his players could step up to the challenge and redeem themselves. Everton have only won one game in ten in all competitions.
If Everton can kick-start their season with a victory over their arch rivals then they would be just two points behind Liverpool. What do you see the outcome of the Merseyside derby?
We all know that injuries play a huge part on how well a team does over the course of the season and it must be said that Everton's injury list is huge. Unfortunately a number of players are not due back anytime soon and this is a huge worry for Moyes. Will Everton have any funds to buy in the January transfer window?
Also Everton have had their new stadium plan rejected by the UK government. This is now the 3rd time Everton has failed to move away from Goodison Park during the time of the Premier League. Will Everton appeal against this decision?
Moyes and Rafa are desperate for three points this weekend to try and left the gloom on Merseyside. My Prediction is 1-1.
If Everton can kick-start their season with a victory over their arch rivals then they would be just two points behind Liverpool. What do you see the outcome of the Merseyside derby?
We all know that injuries play a huge part on how well a team does over the course of the season and it must be said that Everton's injury list is huge. Unfortunately a number of players are not due back anytime soon and this is a huge worry for Moyes. Will Everton have any funds to buy in the January transfer window?
Also Everton have had their new stadium plan rejected by the UK government. This is now the 3rd time Everton has failed to move away from Goodison Park during the time of the Premier League. Will Everton appeal against this decision?
Moyes and Rafa are desperate for three points this weekend to try and left the gloom on Merseyside. My Prediction is 1-1.
Arsenal's injury list grows after sub-Standard performance
Arsenal may well be home and dry into the knockout phase of the Champions League but they certainly need to practice both shooting accuracy and defending if they are to topple any of the big guns of the competition.
All reports in the press are correct in that Arsenal flew out of the traps in search of an early breakthrough after the poor performance at Sunderland. With an assault on the Liege goal early on with no reward it was looking like it might be one of those nights. Standard themselves had their chances hitting the woodwork twice and exposing the Arsenal defense a handful of times over the 90 minutes but on the whole were poor, a stronger team would more than likely have taken those opportunities.
Arsenal's performance was efficient and effective considering the opposition however it did look like a few players struggled to get out of 2nd gear. Perhaps this was precautionary ahead of Chelsea at the weekend or maybe just because it was job done by half time. Either way it would have been better in my opinion to go for a big win, send out a message of intent and then relax from Wednesday to Saturday night instead of during the second half.
As for the injuries, it was very disappointing to see Gibbs limp off at the end of the second half with what was later confirmed as a broken metatarsal. This now leaves the ageing Silvestre or the fairly inexperienced Traore to deal with Chelsea at the weekend. The absense of RvP showed, despite his efforts, Carlos Vela looked a little lost on his own and the nod will almost definitely be given to Eduardo on Sunday. Arshavin and Gallas picked up some bumps and bruises but nothing an ice pack and some staples wont fix.
Chelsea at the Emirates on Sunday.
All reports in the press are correct in that Arsenal flew out of the traps in search of an early breakthrough after the poor performance at Sunderland. With an assault on the Liege goal early on with no reward it was looking like it might be one of those nights. Standard themselves had their chances hitting the woodwork twice and exposing the Arsenal defense a handful of times over the 90 minutes but on the whole were poor, a stronger team would more than likely have taken those opportunities.
It was an obvious body blow to the visitors when a defensive error allowed Samir Nasri to skip in and slot home on the volley just after half hour. Then in the dying embers of the half, Denilson's effort from 35 yards swerved left then right bamboozling the goalkeeper who could only manage a flap at it before it hit the roof of the net. Those expecting a masterclass in the second half and to be treated with more goals were left disappointed when the only real highlights were the return of Denilson and Walcott along with a solid performance by Rosicky.
Arsenal's performance was efficient and effective considering the opposition however it did look like a few players struggled to get out of 2nd gear. Perhaps this was precautionary ahead of Chelsea at the weekend or maybe just because it was job done by half time. Either way it would have been better in my opinion to go for a big win, send out a message of intent and then relax from Wednesday to Saturday night instead of during the second half.
As for the injuries, it was very disappointing to see Gibbs limp off at the end of the second half with what was later confirmed as a broken metatarsal. This now leaves the ageing Silvestre or the fairly inexperienced Traore to deal with Chelsea at the weekend. The absense of RvP showed, despite his efforts, Carlos Vela looked a little lost on his own and the nod will almost definitely be given to Eduardo on Sunday. Arshavin and Gallas picked up some bumps and bruises but nothing an ice pack and some staples wont fix.
Chelsea at the Emirates on Sunday.
Wednesday 25 November 2009
Liverpool crash out of the Champions League.
After Liverpool nervously sealed a victory over Debrecen the whipping boys of the group the focus then switched over to Fiorentina's game against Lyon in Italy. The score was 1-0 to Fiorentina but with 5 mins to go Lyon started pushing for an equaliser which would have meant Liverpool would still be in with a slim chance of qualifying. So the Sky cameras did the old split screen! MOTD style. Top left hand corner the closing stages of the game in Italy and in the bottom right hand corner you could see Gerrard and co all cramped round a tiny telly praying for a Lyon goal. It was quite hard to watch to be honest but they should never have got themselves in this situation. From what I can see Liverpool look short on confidence and this is evident in their play, they look nervous at times and this is a problem that needs sorting. Torres is out for a while and to be honest I find it very strange that he is the only recognised striker at the club? What are your thoughts on this?
So it's the Europa league for the Pool now. Gerrard described the competition as the "Ugly Sister" of European football but he has now said it's something they must try and win. Reina and Carragher also believe Liverpool can win the trophy. However Liverpool need to finish in the top four and the Europa league will bring extra games… is this something they could do without?
Lots of fans calling for Rafa's head are another topic that is being discussed? I think it's a bit harsh on the man after a wonderful campaign last term. I know Liverpool fans are not used to this but it happens in football and maybe they should back their Manager?
So it's the Europa league for the Pool now. Gerrard described the competition as the "Ugly Sister" of European football but he has now said it's something they must try and win. Reina and Carragher also believe Liverpool can win the trophy. However Liverpool need to finish in the top four and the Europa league will bring extra games… is this something they could do without?
Lots of fans calling for Rafa's head are another topic that is being discussed? I think it's a bit harsh on the man after a wonderful campaign last term. I know Liverpool fans are not used to this but it happens in football and maybe they should back their Manager?
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