Man City are close to signing yet another ‘big name player’ (well, at least a premier league ‘big name player’ - probably) in the form of Arsenal’s 28 year old Ivorian centre-back, Kolo Toure.
City have spent most of the summer bolstering their team thanks to the copious cash-injections of their owner, the ‘trillion dollar man’ , Sheikh Mansour. Currently, however, the team seems to be more top heavy on fire-power than defence, with signings such as Carlos Tevez, Roque Santa Cruz and Emmanuel Adebayor making them a considerable threat in front of their opponents goal.
But what about in front of their own goal?
Last season City conceded 50 goals in 38 premier league games, compared to the 24 goals both Man Utd and Chelsea conceded. Mark Hughes undoubtedly realises that if the predictions of City ‘breaking the top four’ are to become reality, then their goals conceded record must dramatically improved.
To this end, they’ve been linked a number of other ‘big name’ central defenders this season, most notably John Terry and Joleon Lescott, but thus far haven’t been able to snag either even though they’ve thrown bags of money at both player and club.
So is Kolo Toure a good buy?
Last season Toure struggled to maintain a regular starting place at Arsenal and at 28 he’s undoubtedly coming to the end of his prime. However, He has been the backbone of the Arsenal defence for years, amassing a total of 326 games and scoring 14 goals since signing with the gunners in 2002. He has experience of playing the ‘big games’ in both the premier league and the champions league and could definitely bring a lot to help galvanise the City defence.
But, according Arsene Wenger, nothing is yet finalised: "We have seven centre-backs and I am in the position where I have to play some in midfield but of course Kolo is a very good player and we will see what will happen in the next 24 hours."
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Posted by KJB on 29th 7 2009 @ 12:00 | Tagged under: transfers |
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Posted by KJB on 31st 7 2009 @ 14:38 | Tagged under: transfers |
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Portsmouth have successfully swooped in for both right-back Steve Finnan and defensive midfield Aaron Mokoena this morning.
Finnan had failed settle in last season at his La Liga club Espanyol and consequently has terminated his contract in order to join the club. It is thought Finnan is to be the direct replacement for Glen Johnson, who was sold to Finnan’s old club Liverpool earlier this summer.
According to Paul Hart on the club website: “It whetted my appetite to think that we could get a player Steve’s calibre here. He’s really looking forward to coming here and we’re looking forward to seeing him play.”
Mokoena left Blackburn at the end of last season after failing to secure another contract and has delighted Paul Hart by putting pen to paper in a three year deal for Pompey.
“Aaron’s a strong player who bites in the table and he’s the sort of character we’re going to need in the coming months,” Hart explained. “I watched him play for South Africa in the Confederations Cup over the summer and he did great.”
Finnan had failed settle in last season at his La Liga club Espanyol and consequently has terminated his contract in order to join the club. It is thought Finnan is to be the direct replacement for Glen Johnson, who was sold to Finnan’s old club Liverpool earlier this summer.
According to Paul Hart on the club website: “It whetted my appetite to think that we could get a player Steve’s calibre here. He’s really looking forward to coming here and we’re looking forward to seeing him play.”
Mokoena left Blackburn at the end of last season after failing to secure another contract and has delighted Paul Hart by putting pen to paper in a three year deal for Pompey.
“Aaron’s a strong player who bites in the table and he’s the sort of character we’re going to need in the coming months,” Hart explained. “I watched him play for South Africa in the Confederations Cup over the summer and he did great.”
Posted by KJB on 31st 7 2009 @ 23:20 | Tagged under: transfers |
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Bundesliga Champions Wolfsburg have snapped up Nigerian striker Obafemi Martins from Newcastle on a four year deal.
Bought in 2006 Martins scored a total of 35 times for the club and will join Grafite and Edin Dzeko in the Wolfsburg strike force.
Bought in 2006 Martins scored a total of 35 times for the club and will join Grafite and Edin Dzeko in the Wolfsburg strike force.
Posted by KJB on 1st 8 2009 @ 11:09am | Tagged under: transfers |
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Rumours linking Liverpool to Vanencia's David Villa are rife again, as well as further links to Roma midfielder Alberto Aquilani. But on the home front, the Daily Star reckon Javier Mascherano will now stay at Anfield, after Barcelona completed the signing of Ibrahimovic.
There are contradicting rumours coming from Everton, with the Independent suggesting they'll turn down a bid for Joleon Lescott if it exceeds £30 million, whereas the Daily Mirror suggest Everton have made a bid for Arsenal's Phillippe Senderos as a direct replacement for Lescott.
There are contradicting rumours coming from Everton, with the Independent suggesting they'll turn down a bid for Joleon Lescott if it exceeds £30 million, whereas the Daily Mirror suggest Everton have made a bid for Arsenal's Phillippe Senderos as a direct replacement for Lescott.
Posted by KJB on 4th 8 2009 @ 19:58pm | Tagged under: transfers |
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So is this the shape of things to come during the build up to the new Premiership season?
The last 48 hours have seen a flurry of transfer action ranging from interesting gossip, accepted fee's and completed deals. The most interesting of these being the premature report of Liverpool capturing Roma midfielder Alberto Aquilani for £15.3m by Spanish newspaper Marca, thereby suggesting that Xabi Alonso's departure from the club was set stone. Today it seems the rumours had some grounding as reports are coming in that Real Madrid have in fact agreed a fee with Liverpool for the Spanish midfielder.
Elsewhere are the top of the league, the Daily Mail suggested that Chelsea were on the brink of a £100 million spending spree, reportedly set to chance their arm in the transfer market on AC Milan's veteran midfielder Andrea Pirlo, Bayern's star winger Franck Ribery and Athletico Madrid's highly-rated wonder kid, Sergio Aguero. In my mind £100 million isn't got to get them far in accomplishing their goal, with Bayern holding out for 'Ronaldo-esque' type money for Ribery and Athletico unwilling to part with one of their best players.
Elsewhere in the Premier League:
Darren Bent passed his medical at Sunderland and is expecting to make the move official come tomorrow.
Aston Villa have completed the signing of Leeds Utd youngesr Fabian Delph.
Lescott wants to leave Everton and is on verge of handing in a transfer request, whilst the Toffee's are chasing Arsenal centre-back Philippe Senderos.
Fulham have reportedly signed South African midfield Kagiso Dikgacoi.
Barcelona have apparently made a £12 million offer for Man Utd's Johnny Evans - after the Eto'o and Ibrahimovich deal earlier in the month, nothing the Spanish giants do can surprise me now.
Arsene Wenger will not go beyond £6 million for potential target Marouane Chamakh, but has been left with an offer to think about by AC Milan, who have apparently launched a £30 million bid for star central midfileder Cesc Fabregas.
And finally, Newcastle centre-back Sebastien Bassong wants to leave the club to join a Premiership team, growing particularly fond of Harry Redknapp's Tottenham outfit by all reports.
Phew! A lot of intel there as dawn of the new season approaches, expect more transfer market tidal waves to be hitting your shores in the coming days!
The last 48 hours have seen a flurry of transfer action ranging from interesting gossip, accepted fee's and completed deals. The most interesting of these being the premature report of Liverpool capturing Roma midfielder Alberto Aquilani for £15.3m by Spanish newspaper Marca, thereby suggesting that Xabi Alonso's departure from the club was set stone. Today it seems the rumours had some grounding as reports are coming in that Real Madrid have in fact agreed a fee with Liverpool for the Spanish midfielder.
Elsewhere are the top of the league, the Daily Mail suggested that Chelsea were on the brink of a £100 million spending spree, reportedly set to chance their arm in the transfer market on AC Milan's veteran midfielder Andrea Pirlo, Bayern's star winger Franck Ribery and Athletico Madrid's highly-rated wonder kid, Sergio Aguero. In my mind £100 million isn't got to get them far in accomplishing their goal, with Bayern holding out for 'Ronaldo-esque' type money for Ribery and Athletico unwilling to part with one of their best players.
Elsewhere in the Premier League:
Darren Bent passed his medical at Sunderland and is expecting to make the move official come tomorrow.
Aston Villa have completed the signing of Leeds Utd youngesr Fabian Delph.
Lescott wants to leave Everton and is on verge of handing in a transfer request, whilst the Toffee's are chasing Arsenal centre-back Philippe Senderos.
Fulham have reportedly signed South African midfield Kagiso Dikgacoi.
Barcelona have apparently made a £12 million offer for Man Utd's Johnny Evans - after the Eto'o and Ibrahimovich deal earlier in the month, nothing the Spanish giants do can surprise me now.
Arsene Wenger will not go beyond £6 million for potential target Marouane Chamakh, but has been left with an offer to think about by AC Milan, who have apparently launched a £30 million bid for star central midfileder Cesc Fabregas.
And finally, Newcastle centre-back Sebastien Bassong wants to leave the club to join a Premiership team, growing particularly fond of Harry Redknapp's Tottenham outfit by all reports.
Phew! A lot of intel there as dawn of the new season approaches, expect more transfer market tidal waves to be hitting your shores in the coming days!
Posted by KJB on 1st 8 2009 @ 14:09pm | Tagged under: betting |
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I’m a gambling man and I can’t deny it. During the season I’ll have a few accumulators in and there throughout the European Leagues for a little fun (which one week turned in £5,000). Sure, it’s more than just picking teams at random - I read the team form, league position etc and come up with reasonable selections and optimise my chance of winning by trying varying combinations.
Nevertheless, when the seasons over I get that gambling itch and look for decent prices. The first I got was just over evens on Ronaldo leaving Man Utd at the start of summer. Deep down, I knew he was going. I just knew it. So I put money on and got myself a tidy little profit for it.
Looking at the lists of bets now, I’m looking at the Premier League winners without the top 4 market on betfair. Every year Tottenham are high on the list and this year doesn’t disappoint. As of this morning, Man City are the obvious favourites at 11/10, but Tottenham are right up there second favourites at 9/2.
So is this a good bet?
Well, Harry Redknapp did wonders for the club last season despite the troubled start to the season but can he keep up that momentum this season? Perhaps. But backing Tottenham isn’t my bet - laying them NOT to win is.
It doesn’t seem conceivable to me that Tottenham will finish above Man City, Everton or even Aston Villa this season especially if City manage to break into the top 4 with those big money summer signings.
I’ll definitely be having a 50 spot on that lay - what about you? Get over to the betfair link on you right and get on it, if not, why not? I want to hear your thoughts and opinion on this, so come on! Get involved!
Nevertheless, when the seasons over I get that gambling itch and look for decent prices. The first I got was just over evens on Ronaldo leaving Man Utd at the start of summer. Deep down, I knew he was going. I just knew it. So I put money on and got myself a tidy little profit for it.
Looking at the lists of bets now, I’m looking at the Premier League winners without the top 4 market on betfair. Every year Tottenham are high on the list and this year doesn’t disappoint. As of this morning, Man City are the obvious favourites at 11/10, but Tottenham are right up there second favourites at 9/2.
So is this a good bet?
Well, Harry Redknapp did wonders for the club last season despite the troubled start to the season but can he keep up that momentum this season? Perhaps. But backing Tottenham isn’t my bet - laying them NOT to win is.
It doesn’t seem conceivable to me that Tottenham will finish above Man City, Everton or even Aston Villa this season especially if City manage to break into the top 4 with those big money summer signings.
I’ll definitely be having a 50 spot on that lay - what about you? Get over to the betfair link on you right and get on it, if not, why not? I want to hear your thoughts and opinion on this, so come on! Get involved!
Posted by KJB on 2nd 8 2009 @ 14:53pm | Tagged under: feature |
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The first transfer for this feature actually took place on 28th July, but I was still in shock by the complete and utter craziness of the deal to get my head together to write this. It can come as no surprise just what summer transaction I’m talking about either - the Samuel Eto'o/Zlatan Ibrahimovic deal.
For those of you who don't know the details or simply haven‘t heard, the deal breaks down like this:
Barcelona get 27 year old Swedish International Zlatan Ibrahimovic - who is also out for the next three weeks having surgery on a broken bone in his foot no less - whilst Inter get 28 year old Cameroon International Samuel Eto'o, former Arsenal winger Aleksandr Hleb on loan for one year AND £40 million.
Seriously? Yes, seriously. You're reading that right. Can you believe that? Half the money Real Madrid paid for Ronaldo PLUS two world-class players. Have Barca president, Joan Laporta, and manager, Josep Guardiola, gone absolutely mental? Or is Jose Mourinho working some of that 'special-ness' he always claimed to possess?
I very much doubt that any Inter fan will complain about their end of the deal, but what must be going through the minds of the Barcelona fans? Their firm rivals are virtually plucking every world-class player in the market with seemingly limitless funds at their disposal, whilst Barca sign a player most consider to be highly overrated - despite being the top goalscorer in Serie A last season - pay silly money for him as well as exchanging two of their players.
Even if Ibrahimovic does perform next season, surely the deal is still completely ridiculous by anyone’s standards? Am I alone in thinking this?
Football's a crazy game, but it seems the transfer market is even crazier!
For those of you who don't know the details or simply haven‘t heard, the deal breaks down like this:
Barcelona get 27 year old Swedish International Zlatan Ibrahimovic - who is also out for the next three weeks having surgery on a broken bone in his foot no less - whilst Inter get 28 year old Cameroon International Samuel Eto'o, former Arsenal winger Aleksandr Hleb on loan for one year AND £40 million.
Seriously? Yes, seriously. You're reading that right. Can you believe that? Half the money Real Madrid paid for Ronaldo PLUS two world-class players. Have Barca president, Joan Laporta, and manager, Josep Guardiola, gone absolutely mental? Or is Jose Mourinho working some of that 'special-ness' he always claimed to possess?
I very much doubt that any Inter fan will complain about their end of the deal, but what must be going through the minds of the Barcelona fans? Their firm rivals are virtually plucking every world-class player in the market with seemingly limitless funds at their disposal, whilst Barca sign a player most consider to be highly overrated - despite being the top goalscorer in Serie A last season - pay silly money for him as well as exchanging two of their players.
Even if Ibrahimovic does perform next season, surely the deal is still completely ridiculous by anyone’s standards? Am I alone in thinking this?
Football's a crazy game, but it seems the transfer market is even crazier!
Posted by KJB on 5th 8 2009 @ 19:35pm | Tagged under: relegation |
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Cash strapped and losing their best players, it is no wonder why most are earmarking Pompey to be embroiled in a relegation battle come may 2010. Currently, Betfair have them fifth in line to face the chop at 5/2, behind Burnley at 4/6, Hull at 10/11, Birmingham at 11/10 and at Wolves at 7/4.
But will they actually be relegated?
On the one hand, Portsmouth have already lost two of their best players this season - Peter Crouch who joined Spurs earlier in the week and Glen Johnson who signed for Liverpool earlier in the summer - and must worrying the Pompey fans the most are players manager Paul Hart has brought in to replace them.
For Johnson, Hart signed 33 year old former Liverpool right-back Steve Finnan on a free transfer and for Crouch they announced today the loan signing of 30 Lyon striker Frederic Piquionne. Are those signings good enough to keep Pompey alive? Can they compete at Premiership level? Only will tell, but deep down most will judge this somewhat foreboding considering the few quality players Portsmouth still have at their disposal.
To make matters worse, signs of unrest between the Portsmouth players have begun to surface, with David Nugent and Marc Wilson fined two weeks' wages after a "serious breach of club discipline." Portsmouth refused to dwell on the incident stating "The matter has been dealt with internally and there will be no further comment."
On plus side, the have been reports that Sulaiman Al Fahim’s takeover of the club is still going ahead, despite recent comments suggesting the deal has hit stumbling blocks with the club issuing a statement saying "He remains committed to completing the acquisition of Portsmouth FC as soon as possible." However, casting further doubt on the matter, the club also released a statement saying "While it is our intention to add strength to the existing squad we cannot rule out the possibility of having to sell more players should the takeover not happen."
So what should we take from all of this?
From what I can tell Portsmouth's season hinges on Al Fahim's takeover bid going through and the club getting enough funds behind them to at least cling onto the few remaining quality players they've got left, if not they could find themselves in a relegation battle a lot sooner than May and they'll very likely lose.
What do you think?
But will they actually be relegated?
On the one hand, Portsmouth have already lost two of their best players this season - Peter Crouch who joined Spurs earlier in the week and Glen Johnson who signed for Liverpool earlier in the summer - and must worrying the Pompey fans the most are players manager Paul Hart has brought in to replace them.
For Johnson, Hart signed 33 year old former Liverpool right-back Steve Finnan on a free transfer and for Crouch they announced today the loan signing of 30 Lyon striker Frederic Piquionne. Are those signings good enough to keep Pompey alive? Can they compete at Premiership level? Only will tell, but deep down most will judge this somewhat foreboding considering the few quality players Portsmouth still have at their disposal.
To make matters worse, signs of unrest between the Portsmouth players have begun to surface, with David Nugent and Marc Wilson fined two weeks' wages after a "serious breach of club discipline." Portsmouth refused to dwell on the incident stating "The matter has been dealt with internally and there will be no further comment."
On plus side, the have been reports that Sulaiman Al Fahim’s takeover of the club is still going ahead, despite recent comments suggesting the deal has hit stumbling blocks with the club issuing a statement saying "He remains committed to completing the acquisition of Portsmouth FC as soon as possible." However, casting further doubt on the matter, the club also released a statement saying "While it is our intention to add strength to the existing squad we cannot rule out the possibility of having to sell more players should the takeover not happen."
So what should we take from all of this?
From what I can tell Portsmouth's season hinges on Al Fahim's takeover bid going through and the club getting enough funds behind them to at least cling onto the few remaining quality players they've got left, if not they could find themselves in a relegation battle a lot sooner than May and they'll very likely lose.
What do you think?
Posted by KJB on 7th 8 2009 @ 21.26pm | Tagged under: fantasy football |
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Excitement is brewing all around as the start of the premier league
approaches and it's that time of year again to pick your fantasy
football team. Some take it more seriously than most, but competition
is the name of the game and makes it all that much more fun.
Needless to say, I already picked my team, weighing up my options and expectations of the season to come. I picked a pretty solid team even if I do say so myself. Naturally, I joined the free premierleague.com fantasy site. A lot of friends signed up there and what's better to compete against your mates and have bragging rights forever more? Nothing, that's what.
First up, the keeper. Only a few viable options to choose from on this one for me, but two entirely different routes to take. Do I get a keeper from a 'top 4 club' and pay a little bit more for the quality? Or do I pick one from another top ten club and spend a little less? I chose the latter. The first option is good, but an expensive keeper can really limit your outfield options and with a keeper like Mark Schwarzer high on the point rankings at only 5.5m my mind was made up. Not bad.
Or is it?
I guess this choice all hinges on whether Fulham will have as good a season as last year, but sometimes it's a gamble you have to take, especially if the outfield benefits I gain from penny-pinching with the keeper pays for any potential Fulham foul-ups.
The idea is to see how it goes at the start of the season. Sometimes, part way through the season, I end up with money to spare after capitalising on a currently players form or such like (Zaki last year anyone?) and will probably have enough to upgrade to a 'top-four' keeper if Fulham take a nose-dive in form.
If not Schwarzer, then who else? The top 3 keepers in the league all rest at 6.5m (I'm sure you all can do the maths, but that's 1m more than Schwarzer) - Cech, Reina & Van Der Sar. Van Der Sar is out for the start of the season due to injury, so that leaves Reina and Cech.
Last season Cech landed 171 points, compared to Reina's score of 169 which is no surprise considering Chelsea conceded only 24 goals to Liverpool's 27 last season. Defensively, Cech's your man. However, interestingly Reina managed 2 assists last season as well as appearing in every single Premier League game compared to Cech's mere 35 games.
There's not much in it on paper, but come part way through the season when I've got to make the decision stick or twist with Schwarzer I guess the only thing I can rely on are the stats.
Which route did you take? Who do you think is the better option?
Next Issue: Defenders
Needless to say, I already picked my team, weighing up my options and expectations of the season to come. I picked a pretty solid team even if I do say so myself. Naturally, I joined the free premierleague.com fantasy site. A lot of friends signed up there and what's better to compete against your mates and have bragging rights forever more? Nothing, that's what.
First up, the keeper. Only a few viable options to choose from on this one for me, but two entirely different routes to take. Do I get a keeper from a 'top 4 club' and pay a little bit more for the quality? Or do I pick one from another top ten club and spend a little less? I chose the latter. The first option is good, but an expensive keeper can really limit your outfield options and with a keeper like Mark Schwarzer high on the point rankings at only 5.5m my mind was made up. Not bad.
Or is it?
I guess this choice all hinges on whether Fulham will have as good a season as last year, but sometimes it's a gamble you have to take, especially if the outfield benefits I gain from penny-pinching with the keeper pays for any potential Fulham foul-ups.
The idea is to see how it goes at the start of the season. Sometimes, part way through the season, I end up with money to spare after capitalising on a currently players form or such like (Zaki last year anyone?) and will probably have enough to upgrade to a 'top-four' keeper if Fulham take a nose-dive in form.
If not Schwarzer, then who else? The top 3 keepers in the league all rest at 6.5m (I'm sure you all can do the maths, but that's 1m more than Schwarzer) - Cech, Reina & Van Der Sar. Van Der Sar is out for the start of the season due to injury, so that leaves Reina and Cech.
Last season Cech landed 171 points, compared to Reina's score of 169 which is no surprise considering Chelsea conceded only 24 goals to Liverpool's 27 last season. Defensively, Cech's your man. However, interestingly Reina managed 2 assists last season as well as appearing in every single Premier League game compared to Cech's mere 35 games.
There's not much in it on paper, but come part way through the season when I've got to make the decision stick or twist with Schwarzer I guess the only thing I can rely on are the stats.
Which route did you take? Who do you think is the better option?
Next Issue: Defenders
Posted by KJB on 8th 8 2009 @ 19:25pm | Tagged under: fantasy football |
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With a keeper chosen, the defence needs to be sorted out next.
I've decided to go with a 3-4-3 formation in order to maximise point scoring ability and reduce possible point loss for conceding - a tactic that has treated me well in the past. Naturally, my first impulse was to go ahead and get a strong Man Utd defender who was good in the air and consistent enough not to through me too many undue trouble on regular intervals. Joint with Chelsea, Man Utd conceded the least goals last seasons and since they have only lost attacking players in the summer window, it’s only logical to assume that record won't alter all that much in the coming season. Then both Van Der Sar and Vidic got themselves injured and my plans crumbled in around my ears.
Whilst I'm sure Man Utd have plenty of players to bolster their defences, I’ve decided to go for the safer option and select my defence around the Chelsea back four, selecting left back Ashley Cole and Russian new boy, Yuri Zhirkov as my two safe and reasonable cheap defenders.
Cole speaks for himself. He gets himself into attacking positions and will not only gain points by helping Chelsea's solid backlines, but could get me a few assists along the way.
But why choose Zhirkov?
Simple. He's not really a defender. Sure he can play at left back, but he's more of a left winger and with Cole a solid left-back as is, I'm going to gamble that he'll be played ahead of Malouda on the left wing. I think he'll play most games and I think he'll get plenty of assists and if Chelsea don't concede in the process, he'll get extra points for that. Of course, this could quite easily blow up in my face. He could've just been brought to the club to play left back and will be kept as an understudy, but for the money they paid for him, I doubt it. I guess come the start of the season, I'll know for sure.
For my third and final defender, I decided to choose from the Liverpool squad. I think there's something to be said about not putting all your eggs in one basket and like I previously mentioned, my confidence in Man Utd's defence has diminished with each passing injury. So that just leaves Liverpool and I've gone with Carragher. He's guaranteed a game and he's nothing if not consistent. The only issue I can foresee is the Liverpool defence not getting enough cover on the right by the attacking right-back Glen Johnson, but I'm confident it's not going to be that much of problem in the long run.
Three strong defenders at quite sizeable prices, one of which may either be a risky prospect or a stroke of genius dependant upon Carlo Anchelotti's whims at team selection.
Good defence? Would you do things differently? If so, what would you change?
Next Up: Midfield
I've decided to go with a 3-4-3 formation in order to maximise point scoring ability and reduce possible point loss for conceding - a tactic that has treated me well in the past. Naturally, my first impulse was to go ahead and get a strong Man Utd defender who was good in the air and consistent enough not to through me too many undue trouble on regular intervals. Joint with Chelsea, Man Utd conceded the least goals last seasons and since they have only lost attacking players in the summer window, it’s only logical to assume that record won't alter all that much in the coming season. Then both Van Der Sar and Vidic got themselves injured and my plans crumbled in around my ears.
Whilst I'm sure Man Utd have plenty of players to bolster their defences, I’ve decided to go for the safer option and select my defence around the Chelsea back four, selecting left back Ashley Cole and Russian new boy, Yuri Zhirkov as my two safe and reasonable cheap defenders.
Cole speaks for himself. He gets himself into attacking positions and will not only gain points by helping Chelsea's solid backlines, but could get me a few assists along the way.
But why choose Zhirkov?
Simple. He's not really a defender. Sure he can play at left back, but he's more of a left winger and with Cole a solid left-back as is, I'm going to gamble that he'll be played ahead of Malouda on the left wing. I think he'll play most games and I think he'll get plenty of assists and if Chelsea don't concede in the process, he'll get extra points for that. Of course, this could quite easily blow up in my face. He could've just been brought to the club to play left back and will be kept as an understudy, but for the money they paid for him, I doubt it. I guess come the start of the season, I'll know for sure.
For my third and final defender, I decided to choose from the Liverpool squad. I think there's something to be said about not putting all your eggs in one basket and like I previously mentioned, my confidence in Man Utd's defence has diminished with each passing injury. So that just leaves Liverpool and I've gone with Carragher. He's guaranteed a game and he's nothing if not consistent. The only issue I can foresee is the Liverpool defence not getting enough cover on the right by the attacking right-back Glen Johnson, but I'm confident it's not going to be that much of problem in the long run.
Three strong defenders at quite sizeable prices, one of which may either be a risky prospect or a stroke of genius dependant upon Carlo Anchelotti's whims at team selection.
Good defence? Would you do things differently? If so, what would you change?
Next Up: Midfield
Posted by KJB on 9th 8 2009 @ 20:38pm | Tagged under: fantasy football |
(2) Comments
The Community Shield raised more questions than it answered, seemingly putting most of my previous speculations regarding fantasy football selections and indeed the Premiership itself in doubt. If I'm honest, I suspect both Man Utd and Chelsea will be the forerunners of the top four this season and whilst I speculated on both sides solid defences and Man Utd's diminished attacking capabilities it seems I was proven wrong on both accounts.
It was a thrilling 4 goal game in which both teams were tested to their limits, but arguably the most interesting thing gleamed from the match is the clear indication that this year, the race for the Premier League title will be hotly contested and very close. I just wonder though, if Van Der Sar and Vidic were both fit, would the result have really been the same?
It seems Anchelotti will be playing that tried and trusted diamond formation that worked well for him at AC Milan, but sadly that casts serious doubts over my fantasy football defence, particularly Chelsea's Russian new boy, Yuri Zhirkov.
It was announced before the match that he wouldn't be playing due to knee-injury, but more worryingly, it's hard to determine where exactly he'll fit into the squad. Not only must he either fight out Ashley Cole, but he'll certainly have to contend with Malouda, who seemed to be on decent form today, hardly resembling the poor form he saw at the start of last season. If I add to the fact that Zhirkov wasn't actually one of Anchelotti's signings and my doubts about whether he's all that good of a defender to have on my team are doubled.
It's difficult to tell this early on, especially if Zhirkov's injured an all, but I really hope this isn't another Benitez/Robbie Keane fiasco. On the other hand, considering Chelsea paid around £18.5 million for him, how could he not be a regular member of the squad?
I'm going to check out my options and ponder whether to rush the untested and possibly injured Zhirkov out of squad or wait and see what happens.
An interesting conundrum to have.
It was a thrilling 4 goal game in which both teams were tested to their limits, but arguably the most interesting thing gleamed from the match is the clear indication that this year, the race for the Premier League title will be hotly contested and very close. I just wonder though, if Van Der Sar and Vidic were both fit, would the result have really been the same?
It seems Anchelotti will be playing that tried and trusted diamond formation that worked well for him at AC Milan, but sadly that casts serious doubts over my fantasy football defence, particularly Chelsea's Russian new boy, Yuri Zhirkov.
It was announced before the match that he wouldn't be playing due to knee-injury, but more worryingly, it's hard to determine where exactly he'll fit into the squad. Not only must he either fight out Ashley Cole, but he'll certainly have to contend with Malouda, who seemed to be on decent form today, hardly resembling the poor form he saw at the start of last season. If I add to the fact that Zhirkov wasn't actually one of Anchelotti's signings and my doubts about whether he's all that good of a defender to have on my team are doubled.
It's difficult to tell this early on, especially if Zhirkov's injured an all, but I really hope this isn't another Benitez/Robbie Keane fiasco. On the other hand, considering Chelsea paid around £18.5 million for him, how could he not be a regular member of the squad?
I'm going to check out my options and ponder whether to rush the untested and possibly injured Zhirkov out of squad or wait and see what happens.
An interesting conundrum to have.
Posted by KJB on 10th 8 2009 @ 20:07pm | Tagged under: managers |
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It has been confirmed
earlier today that Zenit St Petersburg have sacked 61-year-old Dick
Advocaat following a poor run of form.
The club released a statement: "Dick Advocaat has done a lot for the team and his name will forever be associated with the success Zenit has achieved over the past few seasons. Under his leadership, many new glorious pages in Zenit's history have been written and fans will never forget the title-winning season of 2007 and the team’s magnificent performance in Europe in 2008."
However, it is thought that it is also Advocaat's decision to coach Belgium at the end of the season that has helped contribute to the club’s decision.
"Unfortunately, after deciding to take on the role of national coach of the Belgian national team, Zenit's performances have deteriorated notably and neither the fans nor the club's leadership are satisfied with the league position the club finds itself in."
The club released a statement: "Dick Advocaat has done a lot for the team and his name will forever be associated with the success Zenit has achieved over the past few seasons. Under his leadership, many new glorious pages in Zenit's history have been written and fans will never forget the title-winning season of 2007 and the team’s magnificent performance in Europe in 2008."
However, it is thought that it is also Advocaat's decision to coach Belgium at the end of the season that has helped contribute to the club’s decision.
"Unfortunately, after deciding to take on the role of national coach of the Belgian national team, Zenit's performances have deteriorated notably and neither the fans nor the club's leadership are satisfied with the league position the club finds itself in."
Posted by KJB on 10th 8 2009 @ 21:25pm | Tagged under: fantasy football |
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My midfield 4 are just as controversial as my back 3. I've decided not to go for any 'big-name' expensive players such as Lampard, Gerrard or even Arshavin. Instead I've gone for a balance that I think will earn me, on the whole, a consistent point structure.
First, a little biased I must admit, I've gone for Ashley Young. I'm a Villa fan and I think Young is one of the best players in the Premiership. At first, I was a little dubious at included him. I thought the signing of Downing indicated his leaving of the club (why else buy two left wingers?) but at the moment, signs suggest that he's staying with the Villains, so that's gone enough for me.
The second man up, is James Milner. Again, one of my favourite players at the club and consistent enough for a midfielder with both goals and assists for his inclusion. There is also a tactical reason for the inclusion of these two. Villa have quite reasonable opening fixtures and I fully expect Villa to get a decent run of form, hopfully notching up a decent amount of goals in the process.
Next up, former Villa midfield linchpin, Gareth Barry. Last season he was the driving force behind the squad and it was one of the primary reason Man City signed him. Last season he was primary penalty taker for Villa and although I have no reason to believe he will do the same at City, he still got plenty of goals and assists besides. He also played every game for Villa and I have no reason to doubt he'll do the same thuis season (unless City adopt some sort of ridiculous squad rotation system).
The fourth and final player for my midfield, I'll admit, is a bit of a gamble. I've gone for West Ham new boy Luis Jimenez, who's on loan at the club from Inter Milan. He's an attacking midfielder wh'’s always liable to get a place in the attacking line-up. I fully expect him to start behind Carlton Cole most games, as West Ham's attacking options are somewhat limited at the moment.
So what do you think? Good midfield? Should I have gone for a 'big-name' expensive player and built the rest of the midfield around them? Who did you go for?
Next: The Forwards
First, a little biased I must admit, I've gone for Ashley Young. I'm a Villa fan and I think Young is one of the best players in the Premiership. At first, I was a little dubious at included him. I thought the signing of Downing indicated his leaving of the club (why else buy two left wingers?) but at the moment, signs suggest that he's staying with the Villains, so that's gone enough for me.
The second man up, is James Milner. Again, one of my favourite players at the club and consistent enough for a midfielder with both goals and assists for his inclusion. There is also a tactical reason for the inclusion of these two. Villa have quite reasonable opening fixtures and I fully expect Villa to get a decent run of form, hopfully notching up a decent amount of goals in the process.
Next up, former Villa midfield linchpin, Gareth Barry. Last season he was the driving force behind the squad and it was one of the primary reason Man City signed him. Last season he was primary penalty taker for Villa and although I have no reason to believe he will do the same at City, he still got plenty of goals and assists besides. He also played every game for Villa and I have no reason to doubt he'll do the same thuis season (unless City adopt some sort of ridiculous squad rotation system).
The fourth and final player for my midfield, I'll admit, is a bit of a gamble. I've gone for West Ham new boy Luis Jimenez, who's on loan at the club from Inter Milan. He's an attacking midfielder wh'’s always liable to get a place in the attacking line-up. I fully expect him to start behind Carlton Cole most games, as West Ham's attacking options are somewhat limited at the moment.
So what do you think? Good midfield? Should I have gone for a 'big-name' expensive player and built the rest of the midfield around them? Who did you go for?
Next: The Forwards
Posted by KJB on 11th 8 2009 @ 20:07pm | Tagged under: premier league |
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The debate has raged all summer, intensifying every time Mark Hughes spends big bucks bringing in stars of the highest quality. Now, with City's activity on the transfer market dwindling somewhat, aside from the ongoing Lescott saga, the squad is nothing less than impressive, with a long list of players that would get into the first team of most Premier League clubs.
The question is, will it be enough to drive them forward into the top 4?
If their big money transfers are to be analysed, the theoretical tactic in player selection is something of a masterstroke by Hughes. Most of the players bought in the summer from one of the top 4 teams, with one purchased from a potential fifth spot threat (Barry from Villa) and another still pending (Lescott from Everton).
Granted, some weren't as vital to their former team as others. For example, most people consider Adebayor and Toure's form last season somewhat average, whereas, Gareth Barry was the driving force behind Aston Villa last season, playing all 36 Premier League games and was generally the backbone of the team.
But will the practical work as well as the theoretical?
Buying some of the best players the Premier League has to offer is one thing, but getting them to work as a cohesive unit is another thing.
Will Hughes be able to shape his players into a fighting force capable of defeating any side, home or away? Maybe, maybe not. All we've really saw of Hughes is that he's decent in a relegation scrap, elevating the likes of Blackburn into the top 10. He's entirely untested at the other end of the table and whilst some may consider it the easier job, most don't.
I think the more pertinent question Hughes must consider is, if the team doesn't break the top 4 simply by throwing money at it, will the owners be as patient as he to get the team working as one?
Most predict Man City a mid-table finish this season whilst the team learn to work together, perhaps mounting a more serious challenge next season. Is this all part of the plan? Will they give Hughes the time he needs to build his foundations?
It's just another interesting facet of the game, which we'll follow as it unravels throughout the season.
Roll on Saturday, roll on the Premier League
The question is, will it be enough to drive them forward into the top 4?
If their big money transfers are to be analysed, the theoretical tactic in player selection is something of a masterstroke by Hughes. Most of the players bought in the summer from one of the top 4 teams, with one purchased from a potential fifth spot threat (Barry from Villa) and another still pending (Lescott from Everton).
Granted, some weren't as vital to their former team as others. For example, most people consider Adebayor and Toure's form last season somewhat average, whereas, Gareth Barry was the driving force behind Aston Villa last season, playing all 36 Premier League games and was generally the backbone of the team.
But will the practical work as well as the theoretical?
Buying some of the best players the Premier League has to offer is one thing, but getting them to work as a cohesive unit is another thing.
Will Hughes be able to shape his players into a fighting force capable of defeating any side, home or away? Maybe, maybe not. All we've really saw of Hughes is that he's decent in a relegation scrap, elevating the likes of Blackburn into the top 10. He's entirely untested at the other end of the table and whilst some may consider it the easier job, most don't.
I think the more pertinent question Hughes must consider is, if the team doesn't break the top 4 simply by throwing money at it, will the owners be as patient as he to get the team working as one?
Most predict Man City a mid-table finish this season whilst the team learn to work together, perhaps mounting a more serious challenge next season. Is this all part of the plan? Will they give Hughes the time he needs to build his foundations?
It's just another interesting facet of the game, which we'll follow as it unravels throughout the season.
Roll on Saturday, roll on the Premier League
Posted by KJB on 12th 8 2009 @ 19:53pm | Tagged under: transfers |
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Earlier today, Sunderland manager Steve Bruce swooped in for Wigan central midfielder Lee Cattermole in a deal thought to be around £6m, offering the England Under 21 International a five year deal.
Cattermole was signed by Bruce from Middlesbrough back in July 2008 for approx =£3.5m when he was manager of his former club Wigan. Bruce obviously considers him talented enough to take him to his new club and it's thought that Cattermole will go straight into the squad to will play Bolton on Saturday on the opening day of the season.
However, the loss of Cattermole didn't seem to affect the Latics manager Roberto Martinez in slightest. "It is far more than the club paid for him last year and the third highest fee in Wigan Athletic history."
What say you? Good signing?
Personally I think Cattermole is a tough, battling midfielder the likes of Sunderland need to boss around the midfield and break up opposition play and quite frankly the kind of player Sunderland is need of.
With so many clubs now vying for a top spot, it's shaping up to be the most competitive years in the Premier League and midfield battles may dictate most tight matches.
We'll know for sure just how competitive the Premier League will get, come Saturday.
Cattermole was signed by Bruce from Middlesbrough back in July 2008 for approx =£3.5m when he was manager of his former club Wigan. Bruce obviously considers him talented enough to take him to his new club and it's thought that Cattermole will go straight into the squad to will play Bolton on Saturday on the opening day of the season.
However, the loss of Cattermole didn't seem to affect the Latics manager Roberto Martinez in slightest. "It is far more than the club paid for him last year and the third highest fee in Wigan Athletic history."
What say you? Good signing?
Personally I think Cattermole is a tough, battling midfielder the likes of Sunderland need to boss around the midfield and break up opposition play and quite frankly the kind of player Sunderland is need of.
With so many clubs now vying for a top spot, it's shaping up to be the most competitive years in the Premier League and midfield battles may dictate most tight matches.
We'll know for sure just how competitive the Premier League will get, come Saturday.
Posted by KJB on 13th 8 2009 @ 19:35pm | Tagged under: transfers |
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It's been a particularly vibrant day in transfer market for most Premier League clubs, with Wolves renewing their loan deal with young Chelsea defender Michael Mancienne, Birmingham snapping-up former Liverpool left-back Gregory Vignal, Portsmouth loaning 21-year-old midfielder Anthony Borre and Hull sign Republic of Ireland International Stephen Hunt from Reading and Algerian striker Kamel Ghilas from Celta Vigo.Mancienne became Wolves' seventh capture of the summer and it is thought that the spending spree has yet to come to an end with Chief Executive Jez Moxey stating, "It's been a long, hard summer in terms of preparing for the Premier League and bringing in new players, and we’re still looking for more even now."
Mancienne spent two months at the club last season and during the 10-game spell is thought to have sufficiently impressed manager Mick McCarthy during his stay at the club to secure the deal.
Former Liverpool and Rangers left-back, Gegory Vignal impressed Birmingham manager Alex McLeish so much during trials he offered the 28-year-old a one-year contract, after failing to do the same whilst on trials at both QPR and Southampton last month.
"He's a good athlete, mobile, strong and aggressive," McLeish explaining the deal on Birmingham's official website. "At Rangers when we won the league it was a very successful campaign for him, so I know what he can bring us."
Another loan signing from Pompey sees 21-year-old Belgian midfielder Anthony Borre join the club in a one year deal. "He’s threatened to do so much for quite a while - now's the time for him to come up with the goods," Paul Hart advised.
A double swoop for Hull, signing Republic of Ireland winger Stephen Hunt for what the Royals claim is a "sizeable fee". Hunt reckons his experience with Reading bring a lot to his new club, "I know how difficult the second season syndrome in the Premier League can be from Reading, so, hopefully I can bring my experience of that here."
Tigers boss Phil Brown also added striker Kamel Ghilas to his strike force for around �£2m, signing the 25-year-old Algerian up to a four year deal at the club. "Kamel is a product of our scouting network," Phil Brown said, "We've worked long and hard scanning Italy, Spain, Germany and a few other places.
"A lot of people may not know Kamel now, but that will change over the course of the season."
Posted by KJB on 13th 8 2009 @ 20:26pm | Tagged under: hot gossip |
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Franck Ribery's name is all over the rumour mills again, with Real Madrid reportedly launching a brand new bid for the French winger. It's said that Real will offer at least 30m Euros plus two of their four Dutch contigent; Wesley Sneijder, Arjen Robben, Royston Drenthe and Rafael Van der Vaart. If accurate, I can't imagine Bayern not being very tempted by the deal, with opportunity to bring in two world-class midfielders as well as 30m Euros - they'd be mad not to.
However, Bayern Munich coach Luis van Gaal is determined not to let the transfer talk get to the Frenchman's head, indicating that he'll have to fight for him place in the team like every other member of the squad.
After returning to full fitness after missing pre-season due to a knee injury, Van Gaal has warned him that he will not simply walk back into the squad.
"I observe the training sessions and then decide what my team needs," Van Gaal told Kicker magazine. "For me, a big name does not count more than any other."
The saga continues...
Posted by KJB on 14th 8 2009 @ 20:03pm | Tagged under: fantasy football |
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Fantasy Football is something me and my work colleagues take very seriously. We consider each player we select carefully and look to get ahead of the pack any way we can, so it comes as no surprise that we've noticed a particularly obvious strategy in opening weeks of the Premier League, which most of us plan to adhere to. That strategy is quite simply, the fixtures. A couple of strong teams have a fairly easy run in the opening stages of the league and on round 2 of the competition, Tuesday 18th and Wednesday 19th of August, not all clubs will play due Champions League qualifying matches amongst other things and this turn of events can be readily exploited.
The first thing I did when the obvious struck me was to remove Arsenal players from my squad. Why? Firstly, they play a very tough match against Everton at Goodison Park on the opening day of the season which will be a close call and I do't thing I'll gain much from any Arsenal, or indeed Everton, player I have in my squad.
Looking at the fixtures, Chelsea seem to have the 'easier' run playing Hull at Stamford Bridge on the Premier League opener and Sunderland at the Stadium of Light on Tuesday and there's Man Utd. They have Birmingham at Old Trafford on Sunday 16th and then Burnley at St Andrew's Ground on Wednesday 19th. Liverpool, however, have Tottenham at White Hart Lane on Sunday 16th and then Stoke at Anfield on Wednesday 19th.
It's a good way to maximise results in a way, because as soon the other teams play their owed games you may choose to bring some of their players in. I guess the trick is to balance your team early on and try not to deviate from your original plan too much because afterwards it could cost you a good number of transfers. However, if you're on the free fantasy football at the premier league.com, then there is the chance to play your 'wildcard' without fear of your transfers costing you points.
It’s an interesting tactic to use, but as always it all depends on the way the results fall and as we all know in the Premier League anything can happen.
Posted by KJB on 15th 8 2009 @ 12:22pm | Tagged under: premier league |
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Preview
Carlo Anchelotti's second professional game in charge of Chelsea, first Premier League game in charge and one would imagine Chelsea shouldn't have too many problems in dealing with 08/09 relegation survivors Hull. However, last season this same fixture produced a goalless draw at Stamford Bridge and no doubt the Tigers will strive hard to replicate such a result.
Injuries
Chelsea have a number of injuries in their squads, but the remaining players they have left are nothing less than impressive. The Blues are missing Yuri Zhirkov (knee injury). Juliano Belletti (Achilles) and defender Alex (groin), with Joe Cole (knee) and Paul Ferreira (knee) returning to training but are not match fit.
It's thought Phill Brown will hand out debut's for all four summer signings, Stephen Hunt and Kamel Ghilas will go straight into the squad, joining fellow new boys Seyi Olofinjana and Jozy Altidore.
Missing for the Tigers all through knee-injury are Ian Ashbee, Jimmy Bullard and Richard Garcia, but Boaz Myhill is once again fit after overcoming a thumb injury.
Squads
Chelsea: Cech, Turnbull, Hilario, Bosingwa, Ivanovic, Terry, Carvalho, A Cole, Ballack, Sturridge, Mikel, Deco, Lampard, Anelka, Drogba, Sturridge, Kalou, Malouda, Essien.
Hull: Myhill, Warner, Duke, Dawson, Gardner, Turner, Fagan, Barmby, Altidore, Geovanni, Hughes, Mendy, Halmosi, Kilbane, Folan, Mouyokolo, Boateng, Marney, Zayatte, Olofinjana, Cousin, Hunt, Ghilas.
Footy Banter Prediction
I very much doubt Hull will be able to resist the undeniable might of the Chelsea squad and with both Drogba and Anelka up front, I also expect goals.
I'm going with 3-0.
Posted by KJB on 15th 8 2009 @ 14:39pm | Tagged under: premier league |
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Aston Villa v Wigan
Preview
Villa are set to hand debuts out to both Habib Beye and Fabian Delph, whereas new Latics manager Martinez is set to debut both striker Jason Scotland and midfielder Jordi Gomez, both of whom played with him at Swansea last season.
Villa have failed to beat Wigan at Villa Park for the past four campaigns, losing two and drawing two and will look to finally get a win of the Latics on the opening day of the season.
Injuries
Villa's summer signing Stewart Downing is out up until December with a broken foot, but are set to be boosted by returning midfielder Stilyian Petrov who dislocated his shoulder in a pre-season friendly.
For Wigan, only midfielder Olivier Kapo is out with a knee ligament injury also sustained in a pre-season friendly.
Teams
Aston Villa: Friedel, Guzan, Beye, Luke Young, Davies, Cuellar, Shorey, Milner, Reo-Coker, Sidwell, Delph, Ashley Young, Heskey, Carew, Agbonlahor, Lichaj, Clark, Albrighton, Lowry, Gardner, Delfouneso.
Wigan: Kirkland, Melchiot, Figueroa, Edman, Boyce, Bramble, Thomas, Scharner, Brown, N'Zogbia, Koumas, Watson, Gomez, Sinclair, Scotland, King, McCarthy, Rodallega, Pollitt.
Footy Banter Prediction
Wigan's talent depleted squad, reinforced with Swansea regulars will not be able to withstand pressure from equally depleted Aston Villa, who still only have two first-team centre-back's in their squad following the retirement of Martin Lausen and the sale of Zat Knight.
2-0 to the Villa.
Blackburn v Man City
Preview
Big spender's Manchester City return to Ewood Park with a vast array of talent at his disposal. There has been a lot of speculation how he will set his side out.
Last season, this fixture ended up a 2-2 draw, which City will undoubtedly look to improve upon.
Injuries
Blackburn captain Ryan Neilson will have a late fitness check ahead of the match, after injuring his knee in a pre-season friendly at Dundee, with Christopher Samba definitely to return to squad and Paul Gallagher expected to miss the fixture.
Gael Givet and Vince Grella return to full training, but the latter unlikely to play due to lack of match fitness, the same as new striker Nikola Kalinic. Steven Reid, Brett Emerton and David Dunn are all still out with long term problems.
New City signing and former Blackburn player Roque Santa Cruz is out until September and Adebayor is set to undergo a fitness test thanks to the groin strain endured during an international match on Wednesday. Both Tevez and Bellamy should be match fit after overcoming niggling problems, with both Vincent Company (toe) and Michael Johnson (abdomen) definitely missing the fixture.
Teams
Blackburn : Robinson, Brown, Jacobsen, Samba, Nelsen, Givet, Khizanishvili, Warnock, Olsson, Diouf, Hoilett, van Heerden, Doran, Nzonzi, Andrews, Pedersen, McCarthy, Roberts, Di Santo.
City: Given, Zabaleta, Dunne, Toure, Ben Haim, Onuoha, Bridge, De Jong, Barry, Ireland, Wright-Phillips, Weiss, Robinho, Adebayor, Bellamy, Tevez, Richards, Garrido, Etuhu, Vidal, McGivern, Petrov, Benjani, Taylor.
Footy Banter Prediction
With Blackburn losing quality players over the summer and City's billion dollar team yet to gel properly, I expect this to be a tight match.
0-1 to City.
Bolton Wanderers v Sunderland
Preview
Steve Bruce begins his reign at Sunderland with a potentially tough game at Bolton on the opening day and is hoping his team can break the impeccable record Bolton have at holding the Black Cats at home. Bruce is also liable to hand out debuts to four of his summer signings, with Lee Cattermole, Lorik Cana, Darren Bent and Fraizer Campbell looking to make opening day impacts.
Bolton manager Gary Megson is also likely to issue debuts to his summer signings, with Sean Davis, Paul Robinson, Sam Ricketts and Zat Knight set bolster the Wanderers team.
Injuries
Sunderland are without Paraguayan defender Paul Da Silva due to lack of match fitness, keeper Craig Gordon who is recovering from knee surgery, with Andy Reid (thigh) and Phil Bardsley (ankle) slight doubts.
Bolton have few injuries, but it is thought new South Korean midfielder Lee Chong-Young is unlikely feature.
Teams
Bolton: Jaaskelainen, Steinsson, Ricketts, Cahill, A O'Brien, Knight, Gardner, Robinson, Samuel, Taylor, Davis, McCann, Elmander, Basham, K Davies, Al Habsi, Hunt, Cohen, M Davies.
Sunderland: Fulop, Bardsley, Ferdinand, Collins, McCartney, Cana, Cattermole, Richardson, Reid, Malbranque, Campbell, Bent, Jones, Nosworthy, Da Silva, Leadbitter, Henderson, Tainio, Edwards, Healy, Carson.
Footy Banter Prediction
A tough game in which I expect Bolton to maintain their unbeaten home record against Sunderland - just.
1-1 Draw.
Portsmouth v Fulham
Preview
Fulham travel to Fratton Park with two competitive Europa League victories under their belts already, looking to start the season how they ended last season - on a high note.
Injuries
David James will start despite being ruled out of the England match midweek with a shoulder injury, whilst new boy Anthony Vanden Borre will only be in the squad if he receives international clearance from former club Genoa, with fellow new signing Steve Finna and Portsmouth regular Herman Hreidesson struggling with fitness over hamstring injuries.
Fulham are without Simon Davies (foot injury) and defender Toni Kallio (achilles) , while new signings Stephen Kelly and Bjorn Helge Riise set to be included in the squad.
Teams
Portsmouth: James, Primus, Kaboul, Mokoena, Mullins, Hreidarsson, Diop, Nugent, Distin, Utaka, Kranjcar, Kanu, Ashdown, Hughes, Begovic, Basinas, Wilson, Belhadj, Vanden Borre, Piquionne, Niemi.
Fulham: Schwarzer, Pantsil, Hughes, Hangeland, Konchesky, Dempsey, Etuhu, Murphy, Gera, Johnson, Zamora, Nevland, Kamara, Zuberbuhler, Stoor, Baird, Riise, Kelly.
Footy Banter Prediction
With Portsmouth leaking players and not replacing them with equal quality I expect them to struggle in the Premier League this season, even at home and especially against tough teams like Fulham.
0-1 to Fulham for me.
Stoke City v Burnley
Preview
Burnley's induction to the Premier League will be marred somewhat by a tough opening fixture away to Stoke, who will be wanting to keep their home ground every bit as much as fortress as it was last season.
Injuries
Glenn Whelan could be left out of Stoke's starting line-up after his appearance for the Republic of Ireland, but Stoke's only injury worry is defender Danny Higginbotham who faces a late fitness test on a hamstring problem.
However, Burnley manager Owen Coyle finds himself with something of a defensive crisis with captain Steven Caldwell out with a groin injury, Michael Duff out with an ankle injury and new signing David Edgar suspended.
Teams
Stoke: Sorensen, Shotton, Shawcross, Abdoulaye Faye, Higginbotham, Lawrence, Whitehead, Delap, Etherington, Beattie, Fuller, Simonsen, Whelan, Wilkinson, Cort, Kitson, Cresswell, Dickinson, Pugh, Diao, Amdy Faye, Tonge, Griffin.
Burnley: Jensen, Eckersley, Carlisle, Alexander, Mears, Jordan, Kalvenes, Eagles, Blake, McCann, McDonald, Gudjonsson, Easton, Thompson, Rodriguez, Paterson, Elliott, Fletcher, Penny.
Footy Banter Prediction
With Burnley's defensive crisis and Stoke's impressive form last season, I have to side with Stoke, who will look to gain as many points as they can from the newly promoted sides.
1-0 to Stoke.
Wolves v West Ham
Preview
With Mick McCarthy bringing in no less than seven new signings over the summer, Wolves are set to have a new look line-up on the opening day on the new season, whereas West Ham manager Gianfranco Zola has his three new signings vying for contention in an impressive West Ham squad.
Injuries
Wolves are without Scottish defender Christophe Berra (hamstring), but it is likely new signing Michael Mncienne will step into to fill the role. They are also without Kevin Doyle (groin), Chris Iwelumo (foot) and Michael Kightly (hip and foot).
Zola is likely to use new loan signing Jimenez and Kieron Dyer to support for Carlton Cole, but are without Dean Ashton (ankle), Luis Boa Morte (knee) and Valon Behrami (ankle).
Teams
Wolves: Hennessey, Hahnemann, Ikeme, Foley, Berra, Craddock, Stearman, Zubar, Ward, Elokobi, Hill, Halford, Surman, Henry, Milijas, Jones, Jarvis, Ebanks-Blake, Keogh, Vokes, Doyle.
West Ham: Green, Ilunga, Upson, Gabbidon, Faubert, Noble, Parker, Collison, Dyer, Jimenez, Cole, Stech, Daprela, Tomkins, Collins, Stanislas, Kovac, Savio, Spector, Davenport.
Footy Banter Prediction
Tough game all around for this one. Although West Ham are coming off the back of a stunning season, their strike force is somewhat depleted and may struggle to get goals, especially away.
0-0 draw.
Posted by KJB on 15th 8 2009 @ 16:46pm | Tagged under: premier league |
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Preview
Last season Arsenal got the better of Everton in the face for the fourth and final Champions League spot and the Toffee's will look to gain an early upper hand over the depleted Arsenal side in the opening game of the season.
Injuries
Everton are without Phil Jagielka, Mikel Arteta, Ayegbeni Yakubu and Victor Anichebe, with Steven Pienaar doubtful with a knee injury. However, despite alleged unrest at the club, Joelon Lescott is expected to play.
Arsenal begin the new season without Abou Diaby (groin), Theo Walcott (back), Douro (knee), Lukasz Fabianski (knee), Tomas Rosicky (hamstring) and Samir Nasri (broken leg), but are expected to field Belgian defender Thomas Vermaelen, despite the new signing suffering from a slight groin problem.
Teams
Everton: Howard, Neville, Baines, Yobo, Lescott, Hibbert, Osman, Cahill, Fellaini, Rodwell, Baxter, Jo, Saha, Vaughan, Gosling, Wallace, Pienaar, Nash.
Arsenal: Almunia, Sagna, Vermaelen, Gallas, Clichy, Eboue, Song, Fabregas, Arshavin, van Persie, Eduardo, Mannone, Bendtner, Denilson, Ramsey, Wilshere, Gibbs, Silvestre.
Footy Banter Predictions
I personally think this is going to be a rough game for both teams and secretly, both managers would be quite happy with a draw here.
1-1 Draw
Last season Arsenal got the better of Everton in the face for the fourth and final Champions League spot and the Toffee's will look to gain an early upper hand over the depleted Arsenal side in the opening game of the season.
Injuries
Everton are without Phil Jagielka, Mikel Arteta, Ayegbeni Yakubu and Victor Anichebe, with Steven Pienaar doubtful with a knee injury. However, despite alleged unrest at the club, Joelon Lescott is expected to play.
Arsenal begin the new season without Abou Diaby (groin), Theo Walcott (back), Douro (knee), Lukasz Fabianski (knee), Tomas Rosicky (hamstring) and Samir Nasri (broken leg), but are expected to field Belgian defender Thomas Vermaelen, despite the new signing suffering from a slight groin problem.
Teams
Everton: Howard, Neville, Baines, Yobo, Lescott, Hibbert, Osman, Cahill, Fellaini, Rodwell, Baxter, Jo, Saha, Vaughan, Gosling, Wallace, Pienaar, Nash.
Arsenal: Almunia, Sagna, Vermaelen, Gallas, Clichy, Eboue, Song, Fabregas, Arshavin, van Persie, Eduardo, Mannone, Bendtner, Denilson, Ramsey, Wilshere, Gibbs, Silvestre.
Footy Banter Predictions
I personally think this is going to be a rough game for both teams and secretly, both managers would be quite happy with a draw here.
1-1 Draw
Posted by KJB on 16th 8 2009 @ 10:10am | Tagged under: premier league |
(2) Comments
Manchester United v Birmingham City
Kick-Off 1:30pm
Sky Sports 1
Preview
Man Utd begin their new season without Ronaldo and protecting their Premier League crown against newly promoted Birmingham City.
Injuries
Man Utd are without Jonny Evans (ankle), Nemanja Vidic (calf), Gary Neville (groin), Van Der Sar and long term injury Owen Hargreaves and so Wes Brown is expected to start in the back alongside Rio Ferdinand.
Birmingham manager Alex McLeish faces major selection problems ahead of his team's daunting prospect, with Liam Ridgewell, Martin Taylor, Scott Dann, Giovanny Espinoz, David Murphy, Lee Bowyer and Marcus Bent are all unavailable. However, new signings Joe Hart, Gregory Vignal and Barry Ferguson are all set start.
Squads
Man Utd: Foster, Kuszczak, O'Shea, De Laet, Ferdinand, Brown, Evans, Evra, Fabio, Nani, Carrick, Scholes, Fletcher, Anderson, Giggs, Park, Tosic, Valencia, Owen, Rooney, Berbatov, Macheda.
Birmingham: Hart, Taylor, Carr, Roger Johnson, Queudrue, Vignal, Parnaby, Larsson, Carsley, Ferguson, McSheffrey, Damien Johnson, Fahey, McFadden, Jerome, O'Connor, Phillips, Benitez, Sammons, Wilson.
Footy Banter Prediction
With both squads depleted, I have to go with the sheer power of the Utd squad.
2-0 Man Utd.
Tottenham v Liverpool
Kick-Off 4pm
Sky Sports 1
Preview
This fixture last year was one of only two defeats the reds suffered last season, losing 2-1 to Spurs in Harry Redknapp's first outing as manager. Red's will undoubtedly want to improve this result and set a new title challenge off on the right foot.
Injuries
Tottenham are without Gareth Bale (knee), Jermaine Jenas (calf) and Jonathan Wood gate (groin) and new boy Sebastien Bassong is set to make his debut for the club.
Liverpool are without Daniel Agger, Fabio Aurelio and new signing Alberto Aquilani. Central defenders Jamie Carragher and Martin Skrtel are expected to be available after ankle and hamstring problems respectively. However, despite sitting out England’s midweek game, Steven Gerrard is expected to start.
Squads
Spurs: Cudicini, Gomes, Assou-Ekotto, Chimbonda, Corluka, Hutton, King, Naughton, Bassong, Bentley, Boateng, Bostock, Huddlestone, Lennon, Modric, O'Hara, Palacios, Rose, Crouch, Defoe, Keane, Pavlyuchenko.
Liverpool: Reina, Johnson, Insua, Carragher, Skrtel, Ayala, Benayoun, Lucas, Gerrard, Mascherano, Riera, Kuyt, Torres, Babel, Cavalieri, Degen, Dossena, Ngog, Plessis, Voronin, San Jose.
Footy Banter
A tough competition all around for this one. I expect the match to be tight, with Liverpool not wanting to give anything away and Tottenham wanting to start out on a high.
1-1 draw.
Posted by KJB on 16th 8 2009 @ 16:18pm | Tagged under: controversy |
(2) Comments
The Fixture: Bristol City v Crystal Palace
The Travesty: A Crystal Palace goal scored, but not allowed.
It was all going Crystal Palace's way at first. Then, on the 34th minute of the match, came the decision that arguably changed the very face of the game. Freddie Sears surged forward and scored a perfectly good goal. The shot ricocheted off the base of the goal and out of the net and then the referee did the unthinkable: he disallowed it.
Despite having a perfect view of play and then discussing the incident with the linesman, match official Rob Shoebridge ruled out the strike and awarded Bristol City with a goal kick.
Quite understandably, Crystal Palace manager was furious and had to be restrained on the sidelines by the fourth official and again the calls for goal line technology again resurfaced.
"We can put a man on the moon, time serves of 100 miles per hour at Wimbledon, yet we cannot place a couple of sensors in a net to show when a goal has been scored", Warnock raged.
"I thought Gary Johnson and his players could have shown more sportsmanship because they knew it was a goal, like everyone else," he added.
However, Bristol City manager has a different view of things. "We knew the ball had gone into the net but we got word that the ref said there was an infringement so there is nothing more we can do. It happened to us twice last year and it is very disappointing and you have a little moan and you get on with it. I can understand Neil being disappointed but you have to choose your words these days. But nobody has cheated, nobody means to make mistakes and we had a perfectly good goal on the day ruled out for offside."
Of little comfort to Warnock, this morning the Referees' chief Keith Hackett apologised to the Crystal Palace manager, stating "It is very disappointing that when the ball does strike the net, it is ruled out and not given. You would like to think the match officials, the three of them, would have spotted the ball crossing the line."
Posted by KJB on 17th 8 2009 @ 21:48pm | Tagged under: premier league |
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It was an interesting weekend all around and as the saying goes - anything can happen in the Premier League. Both Chelsea and Man Utd struggled to victory at home against lesser teams, Liverpool lost away to a superb Spurs side and Arsenal, the team thought weakest of the big 4, absolutely demolished Everton away from home. Outside the big 4, the Premier League had a few more surprises up its sleeve with Wigan beating Aston Villa at Villa Park and Man City's billion dollar team worked well together - old players and new - to beat Blackburn at Ewood Park.
Saturday 15th August 2009
Chelsea 2 - 1 Hull City
Aston Villa 0 - 2 Wigan Athletic
Blackburn Rovers 0 - 2 Manchester City
Bolton Wanderers 0 - 1 Sunderland
Portsmouth 0 - 1 Fulham
Stoke City 2 - 0 Burnley
Wolverhampton Wanderers 0 - 2 West Ham United
Everton 1 - 6 Arsenal
Sunday 16th August 2009
Manchester United 1 - 0 Birmingham City
Tottenham 2 - 1 Liverpool
Saturday 15th August 2009
Chelsea 2 - 1 Hull City
Aston Villa 0 - 2 Wigan Athletic
Blackburn Rovers 0 - 2 Manchester City
Bolton Wanderers 0 - 1 Sunderland
Portsmouth 0 - 1 Fulham
Stoke City 2 - 0 Burnley
Wolverhampton Wanderers 0 - 2 West Ham United
Everton 1 - 6 Arsenal
Sunday 16th August 2009
Manchester United 1 - 0 Birmingham City
Tottenham 2 - 1 Liverpool
Posted by KJB on 18th 8 2009 @ 19:28pm | Tagged under: premier league |
(2) Comments
Wigan v Wolves
Preview
Fifth place Wigan will be in high spirits going into their game against Wolverhampton after outplaying Aston Villa away from home last Saturday and will look to capitalise on their win.
Injuries
Wigan are still without Olivier Kapo who was injured pre-season and winger Charles N'Zogbia is a doubt for the match after sustained a knock at the Villa game on Saturday.
Wolves are without a number of players tonight, with manager Mick McCarthy calling their treatment room "emergency ward 10". They’re without Sylvan Ebanks-Blake (hamstring), Kevin Foley (medial ligament problems), Kevin Doyle (groin), Christophe Berra (hamstring), Stephen Ward, Greg Halford, Matt Jarvis, Chris Iwelumo and Michael Kightly.
Squads
Wigan: Kirkland, Melchiot, Figueroa, Edman, Boyce, Bramble, Thomas, Scharner, Brown, N'Zogbia, Koumas, Watson, Cho, Gomez, Sinclair, Scotland, King, McCarthy, Rodallega, Pollitt.
Wolves: Hennessey, Hahnemann, Ikeme, Craddock, Stearman, Mancienne, Zubar, Ward, Elokobi, Hill, Halford, Surman, Henry, Milijas, Jones, Jarvis, Keogh, Vokes.
Footy Banter Predictions
Wigan look strong and are on a high coming off the Villa win and combined with Wolves injuries, it's hard to bet against them.
2-0 Wigan.
Sunderland v Chelsea
Preview
Both teams coming from victories on the opening day of the season will not look to give anything up. It could be a tough, scrappy match with both midfields battling hard for the win, but only gaining the stalemate.
Injuries
Sunderland are without Steed Malbranque (ankle), Paul McShane and Craig Gordon, but Andy Reid is expected to make a return from a thigh problem.
Chelsea are still without new-boy Yuri Zhirkov (knee), Juliano Belletti (Achillies) and Alex (groin). Midfielder Joe Cole and Paulo Ferreira are back in the team, but are not expected to make the squad until match fit.
Squads
Sunderland: Fulop, Gordon, Carson, Bardsley, Ferdinand, Collins, Nosworthy, Da Silva, McCartney, Cana, Cattermole, Richardson, Reid, Malbranque, Leadbitter, Henderson, Tainio, Edwards, Bent, Jones, Campbell, Healy.
Chelsea: Cech, Turnbull, Hilario, Bosingwa, Ivanovic, A Cole, Terry, Carvalho, Essien, Ballack, Obi, Lampard, Kalou, Deco, Malouda, Anelka, Drogba, Sturridge, Hutchinson.
Footy Banter Predictions
Tough battling midfields and improvement in Sunderland's form makes me think they can win or at very least get the draw out of this one. I'll play it safe.
0-0 Draw.
Posted by KJB on 19th 8 2009 @ 20:00pm | Tagged under: hot gossip |
(2) Comments
It has emerged from the Everton camp today that unhappy defender Joleon Lescott has dropped from the squad that will face Sigma Olomouc in Thursday's Europa League match due to his "poor attitude".The Everton defender has been linked with Man City all summer, with Everton manager David Moyes rejecting bids of £15 and £18 million. Lescott did not try to hide the fact the move intrigued him and even requested to be placed on the transfer list in in order to expedite the matter, however, last week Moyes rejected the transfer request, insistent that the highly rated England centre-back was not for sale. Moyes even went so far as to describe Man City's pursuit of Lescott as "disgusting".
The first signs of trouble came at Saturday's 6-1 home demolishing at the hands of Arsenal in which Lescott was widely criticised for. Moyes says that "He wasn't (right) before Saturday's game and he told me that." Then, earlier today, reports circulated that Lescott did not train with the first team this morning.
Moyes said: "His attitude in the past few days has been poor and for that reason I won't include him.
"I've always thought he was a good lad. But I think he has not only let himself down but his team-mates too."
So is this a sign of Lescott imminent departure from the club or does Moyes simply want to rest his star centre-back and allow him the time to get his head back in the game?
Something tells me that we'll find out soon enough in the next few days...
Posted by KJB on 20th 8 2009 @ 18:50pm | Tagged under: advertising |
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Posted by KJB on 20th 8 2009 @ 21:00pm | Tagged under: premier league |
(1) Comment
As round two of the Premier League closes for most, no one can say the greatest league in the world is predictable, with defeats for Wigan at home to Wolves and more shockingly Man Utd away to Burnley, with Tottenham continuing their winning start to the season by knocking five past Hull at the Kingston Comms Stadium and Liverpool bouncing back to form with a confident home win against Stoke.
Sunderland 1 - Chelsea 3
Attendance: 41,179
Goals
Sunderland: Darren Bent (18)
Chelsea: Ballack (52), Lampard (61 pen.) and Deco (69)
Wigan 0 - Wolves 1
Attendance: 16,661
Goals
Keogh (5)
Birmingham 1 - Portsmouth 0
Attendance: 19,922
Goals
McFadden (90 pen.)
Burnley 1 - Manchester Utd 0
Attendance: 20,872
Goals
Blake (18)
Hull 1 - Tottenham 5
Attendance: 24,735
Goals
Hull: Hunt (24)
Tottenham: Defoe (9, 44, 90), Palacios (14), Keane (78)
Liverpool 4 - Stoke 0
Attendance: 44, 318
Goals
Torres (4), Johnson (45), Kuyt (78), Ngog (90)
View BBC's Goals of Week
| Team | P | W | D | L | F | A | GD | PTS | |
 | |||||||||
| 1 | Tottenham | 2 | 2 | 0 | 0 | 7 | 2 | 5 | 6 |
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| 2 | Chelsea | 2 | 2 | 0 | 0 | 5 | 2 | 3 | 6 |
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| 3 | Arsenal | 1 | 1 | 0 | 0 | 6 | 1 | 5 | 3 |
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| 4 | Liverpool | 2 | 1 | 0 | 1 | 5 | 2 | 3 | 3 |
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| 5 | Manchester City | 1 | 1 | 0 | 0 | 2 | 0 | 2 | 3 |
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| 6 | West Ham Utd | 1 | 1 | 0 | 0 | 2 | 0 | 2 | 3 |
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| 7 | Wigan Athletic | 2 | 1 | 0 | 1 | 2 | 1 | 1 | 3 |
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| 8 | Fulham | 1 | 1 | 0 | 0 | 1 | 0 | 1 | 3 |
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| 9 | Birmingham | 2 | 1 | 0 | 1 | 1 | 1 | 0 | 3 |
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| 10 | Man Utd | 2 | 1 | 0 | 1 | 1 | 1 | 0 | 3 |
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| 11 | Sunderland | 2 | 1 | 0 | 1 | 2 | 3 | -1 | 3 |
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| 12 | Burnley | 2 | 1 | 0 | 1 | 1 | 2 | -1 | 3 |
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| 13 | Wolves | 2 | 1 | 0 | 1 | 1 | 2 | -1 | 3 |
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| 14 | Stoke City | 2 | 1 | 0 | 1 | 2 | 4 | -2 | 3 |
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| 15 | Bolton | 1 | 0 | 0 | 1 | 0 | 1 | -1 | 0 |
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| 16 | Aston Villa | 1 | 0 | 0 | 1 | 0 | 2 | -2 | 0 |
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| 17 | Blackburn | 1 | 0 | 0 | 1 | 0 | 2 | -2 | 0 |
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| 18 | Portsmouth | 2 | 0 | 0 | 2 | 0 | 2 | -2 | 0 |
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| 19 | Hull City | 2 | 0 | 0 | 2 | 2 | 7 | -5 | 0 |
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| 20 | Everton | 1 | 0 | 0 | 1 | 1 | 6 | -5 | 0 |
Top Goalscorers
| 1 | Jermain Defoe | Tottenham | 3 | ||||||
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| 2 | Darren Bent | Sunderland | 2 | ||||||
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| 3 | Didier Drogba | Chelsea | 2 | ||||||
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| 4 | Francesc Fabregas | Arsenal | 2 | ||||||
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| 5 | Stephen Hunt | Hull City | 2 | ||||||
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| 6 | Emmanuel Adebayor | Manchester City | 1 | ||||||
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| 7 | Benoit Assou-Ekotto | Tottenham | 1 | ||||||
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| 8 | Michael Ballack | Chelsea | 1 | ||||||
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| 9 | Sebastien Bassong | Tottenham | 1 | ||||||
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| 10 | Robbie Blake | Burnley | 1 | ||||||
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| 11 | Deco | Chelsea | 1 | ||||||
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| 12 | Neves Denilson | Arsenal | 1 | ||||||
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| 13 | Da Silva Eduardo | Arsenal | 1 | ||||||
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| 14 | William Gallas | Arsenal | 1 | ||||||
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| 15 | Steven Gerrard | Liverpool | 1 | ||||||
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| 16 | Stephen Ireland | Manchester City | 1 | ||||||
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| 17 | Glen Johnson | Liverpool | 1 | ||||||
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| 18 | Robbie Keane | Tottenham | 1 | ||||||
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| 19 | Andrew Keogh | Wolves | 1 | ||||||
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| 20 | Jason Koumas | Wigan Athletic | 1 | ||||||
Posted by KJB on 21st 8 2009 @ 17:27pm | Tagged under: advertising |
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Posted by KJB on 21st 8 2009 @ 19:52pm | Tagged under: feature |
(7) Comments
To my, and I imagine most other people's, amazement it has emerged that highly rated Ipswich Keeper Shane Supple has decided to walk away from the game at just 22 years of age, claiming to have "fallen out of love with the game".At first glance this seems like sheer madness to me. Why would anyone even consider giving up a relatively lucrative contract at Ipswich to get a job in the 'real world'?
"Playing professional football is not something I want to continue doing," Supple told the club’s website. "As you grow up you realise there are other things in life and to be honest, the game is not what I thought it was."
Part of me wants to think there is something more to this than either club or player are letting on, with Ipswich immediately agreeing to cancel the former Republic of Ireland Under-21 star's contract yesterday without too much complaint. However, Supple seems like he's entirely disillusioned with the game stating that whatever career he intends to pursue it "won't be in football."
Supper went onto say: "There is not one reason why I have made my decision, there are a number of factors. But deep down my heart is not in the game anymore and I'm not going to go into work every day trying to convince myself that it is, so it's the right time for me to walk away. I suppose you could say that I have fallen out of love with the game and when that happens I've always said to myself that I wouldn't hang around."
In a way, I envy his bravery. If I were ever to be so unhappy in my profession I'd hope to be able to simply walk away from it without any real plans as what to do next. But I doubt it. For me it also reemphasises the point that not all players are in the game just for the money, which I find somewhat reassuring.
Posted by KJB on 22nd 8 2009 @ 17:33pm | Tagged under: premier league |
(4) Comments
Coming off a 1-0 defeat against Burnley at Turf Moor, the majority of the pundits predicted that Man Utd would bounce back against Wigan today and bounce back they did. Hard. Today they smashed Wigan at the JJB Stadium an astounding 5-0, with Rooney getting two (and his 100th goal), Berbatov and Owen finally hitting the mark and Nani stepping up to the plate and hitting a quality free kick.
Utd clearly went to the JJB Stadium to prove a point and judging by the result, nobody can say that point hasn’t been made.
Premier League Round-Up
Arsenal 4 - 1 Portsmouth
Goals:
Diaby 18
Diaby 21
Kaboul 37
Gallas 51
Ramsey 68
Birmingham 0 - 0 Stoke
Hull 1 - 0 Bolton
Goals:
Ghilas 61
Man City 1 -0 Wolves
Goals:
Adebayor 17
Sunderland 2 - 1 Blackburn
Goals:
Givet 21
Jones 32
Jones 53
Posted by KJB on 23rd 8 2009 @ 12:30pm | Tagged under: transfers |
(3) Comments
Various reports this morning suggest that both Liverpool and Arsenal are in the hunt for highly-rated Real Madrid attacking midfielder Rafael Van der Vaart who is currently thought to be out of favour with the Spanish team thanks to their summer of big spending.
Earlier in the week, Van der Vaart expressed his desire for Premier League action: "I really want to come to England.
"There are a number of clubs with offers where I can go, in Germany, Spain and Italy. I have also had a request from Martin Jol to go back to Ajax. But none of those options appeal to me. I want to go to the Premier League and I know where I want to play."
Judging by the video above, I think he'll be a welcomed addition of the current array of Premier League stars.
Posted by KJB on 23rd 8 2009 @ 19:00pm | Tagged under: premier league |
(2) Comments
With Chelsea's 90 minutes of dominance of Fulham, beating their London rivals 0-2 in a game that was unarguably one-sided. Fulham set out the stalls to defend from the outset, hoping to contain the frightening in-form duo of Didier Drogba and Nicholas Anelka. They failed on both counts with Drogba getting on the score sheet on the 39th minute and Anelka doing the same on the 76th. Judging by today's performance, and indeed their bright start to the season, it’s easy to understand why football pundits are so adamant that it’s once again Chelsea’s year to win the Premier League and finally usurp bitter rivals, Man Utd, after almost four years out in the cold. The Rest of the Action
Burnley 1-0 Everton (Elliot 34)
West Ham 1-2 Tottenham (Cole 49, Dafoe 54, Lennon 79)
Posted by KJB on 24th 8 2009 @ 20:00pm | Tagged under: transfers |
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It was inevitable, wasn't it? With an unhappy player and Manchester City throwing substantial fees at clubs, not many doubted that Mark Hughes would eventually get his man. But David Moyes didn't make the deal all that easy, clutching onto the player for all of his worth. However, after Everton's 6-1 defeat against Arsenal on the opening weekend of the new Premier League season Moyes blasted Lescott claiming he had a "poor attitude", which gave City a lifeline they were more than willing to snap up.
According Everton's website: "After the earlier bid, there was a change in the player's attitude. It was in the best interests of Everton if they allowed him to leave."
So what can we make of this?
Joleon is undeniably a good player, but certainly not £24m good. City overpaid for the centre-back, few can deny that but if they are in a position to do so and if does potentially weaken a rival, then perhaps it was worth every penny.
Everton got the better end of this deal by far, but will they be able to replace a defender of Lescott's quality in this age of over-inflated transfer fee's?
I know the Toffee fans think if anyone can value in the transfer market it's David Moyes, but with only 7 days until the transfer deadline, he'll have to work against the clock.
Posted by KJB on 24th 8 2009 @ 21:15pm | Tagged under: transfers |
(4) Comments
The Marouane Chamakh deal has been somewhat perplexing. Earlier in the summer, the Bordeaux player s was strongly linked to Arsenal, but neither team could agree upon a fee and now West Ham are the picture to capture the young Moroccan striker.
Moreover, earlier today he was quoted in French newspaper Lâ'Equipe about a possible move: "I stick to what I said - the balance is more in favour of Bordeaux. I refused West Ham. Frankly, there’s no comparison."
Chamakh is obviously a player with some talent, bagging 14 goals last season for the French champions - 14 goals West Ham desperate could especially with having only fit striker in their squad.
However, it is thought Hammers manager Gianfranco Zola must sell players in order to afford the transfer fee, with central defender James Collins attracting attention from both Aston Villa and Stoke. So too has England International Matthew Upson, but Zola would allow his star player to leave only if he received an offer of "Joleon Lescott proportions".
It seems the purchase of Chamakh is still up in the air, with the player already saying he refused a move to London and Zola still hopeful of a further summer buy. Just another interesting piece of business we must keep our eyes on until the end of the transfer deadline.
Posted by KJB on 25th 8 2009 @ 20:55pm | Tagged under: transfers |
(1) Comment
Did you know that Paddy Power had a new weekly Football Prediction Tournament? No? Well let's break it down.
- Select one team to win from this weekend's Premier League Fixtures
- If they win, you're through to the next round. If not, you're out.
- It continues like that until the Last Man Standing, who wins a massive £10,000! That's right £10,000!
Details: £10 to enter, with a new tournament every week!
Join the 292 players already playing and GET INVOLVED!!!!!
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Posted by KJB on 26th 8 2009 @ 20:39pm | Tagged under: premier league |
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It was confirmed earlier today that the fiscally-challenged Premier League side, Portsmouth, has been bought by Arab businessman Sulaiman Al Fahim in deal thought to be worth over £60m.
"Sulaiman Al Fahim welcomes this agreement and looks forward to helping the club build on its impressive history," his spokesperson said.
But how secure is the foundation upon which to build the club? Pompey have failed to accumulate points in the first three games of the season and with locker room unrest and the sale of the club's more prominent players, I wonder just how much of struggle Al Fahim has let himself in for.
Indeed, there may now be money available for manager Paul Hart to spend (assuming he maintains his managerial role) but it could be too little, too late with the transfer market closing in just 5 days time.
Will there be cash injection for the transfer kitty? Will Hart be able to tempt quality players to potential relegation battlers? Will this be enough to pull Pompey from the brink?
Posted by KJB on 27th 8 2009 @ 18:50pm | Tagged under: champions league |
(3) Comments
The Champions League groups were drawn earlier today and all in all, it could've worse for all the British clubs involved.
Last Season's runner's up Manchester Utd were drawn with CSKA Moscow, Besiktas and Wolfsburg in Group B.
Chelsea will face Porto, Athletico Madrid and APOEL Nicosia in Group D.
Liverpool drew Lyon, Fiorentina and Debrecen in Group E.
Rangers were drawn with Sevilla, Stuggart and Unirea Urziceni in Group G.
And Arsenal are set to battle it out with AZ Alkmaar, Olympiakos and Standard Liege.
Champions League group stage draw:
Group A
Bayern Munich
Juventus
Bordeaux
Maccabi Haifa
Group B
MANCHESTER UNITED
CSKA Moscow
Besiktas
Wolfsburg
Group C
AC Milan
Real Madrid
Marseille
FC Zurich
Group D
CHELSEA
Porto
Atletico Madrid
APOEL Nicosia
Group E
LIVERPOOL
Lyon
Fiorentina
Debrecen
Group F
Barcelona
Inter Milan
Dinamo Kiev
Rubin Kazan
Group G
Sevilla
RANGERS
Stuttgart
Unirea Urziceni
Group H
ARSENAL
AZ Alkmaar
Olympiakos
Standard Liege
From the list it seems Liverpool might have the tougher time of it, with very accomplished teams in Lyon and Fiorentina to fight it out with, but Group A and Group B look equally stacked. I almost feel sorry for the fourth seed teams in those groups, but this is what the Champions League is all about, right?
Which group do you think should be officially labelled 'The group of death'?
Posted by KJB on 27th 8 2009 @ 20:00pm | Tagged under: transfers |
(1) Comment
It seems Stephen Warnock's move from Blackburn to Aston Villa is pretty much a done deal now too, after he walked onto the pitch before Villa's second round home tie with Rapid Wien waving the Aston Villa scarf and clapping the fans.
It's thought that the left-back has signed a four-year contract keeping him at the club until 2012 and he's enthused about the deal, telling the Villa website: "The main aim is pushing for that top four spot in the Premier League. That’s the ambition of the club."
I'm a bit sceptical about the deal myself. On the one hand I don't really rate the player all that highly, but the other I realise he's probably the best left-back currently on the market that Villa can afford at the moment.
On the whole I'm just glad O'Neill's building the squad and recognised the left-back position as a vulnerable area, although with Bouma set to come back from injury and Shorey, I have to wonder about team selection.
Posted by KJB on 27th 8 2009 @ 20:20pm | Tagged under: transfers |
(2) Comments
In a night of transfer wheeling and dealing, it seems Everton are set to snap up unhappy Portsmouth defender Sylvain Distin as a direct replacement for Joleon Lescott.
The 31 year old centre-back is expected to undergo a medical and sign a 3 year contract as early as tomorrow.
"All the formalities have been completed," said Everton chief executive Robert Elstone.
"After Sylvain made it clear his preferred destination was Goodison, the chairman moved quickly to finalise the deal and Sylvain is now on his to Merseyside to undergo a medical."
With Distin and considerable change in the bank, is Everton have come up smelling of roses post-Lescott.
What do you think? Have Everton taken a step forward, or a step backwards?
The 31 year old centre-back is expected to undergo a medical and sign a 3 year contract as early as tomorrow.
"All the formalities have been completed," said Everton chief executive Robert Elstone.
"After Sylvain made it clear his preferred destination was Goodison, the chairman moved quickly to finalise the deal and Sylvain is now on his to Merseyside to undergo a medical."
With Distin and considerable change in the bank, is Everton have come up smelling of roses post-Lescott.
What do you think? Have Everton taken a step forward, or a step backwards?
Posted by KJB on 27th 8 2009 @ 20:40pm | Tagged under: transfers |
(3) Comments
Even more transfer news!
Stoke have signed Middlesbrough's hard-working centre-back Robert Huth today, with team mate Tuncay expected to join him once personal terms have been agreed.
The German International joins the Potters for a fee £5m that could rise to £6m and is over the moon with the switch: "It was a no-brainer to come here once I found out they wanted to sign me. I'm grateful for the chance to play in the Premier League again."
Stoke are delighted with the signing too: "This is a fantastic signing because Robert gives us international pedigree as well as Premier League experience," Stoke Chief Executive Tony Scholes said.
"Manager Tony Pulis has been looking to strengthen the squad with the intention of taking us to an even higher level after we achieved 12th place in the Premier League last season.
"We are confident Robert is the type of player who can help us achieve that aim."
Both of these signings seem like a good bit of business to me. I reckon Pulis has selected players to strengthen his squad well and may even improve upon their 12th place finish this season.
What do you think?
Stoke have signed Middlesbrough's hard-working centre-back Robert Huth today, with team mate Tuncay expected to join him once personal terms have been agreed.
The German International joins the Potters for a fee £5m that could rise to £6m and is over the moon with the switch: "It was a no-brainer to come here once I found out they wanted to sign me. I'm grateful for the chance to play in the Premier League again."
Stoke are delighted with the signing too: "This is a fantastic signing because Robert gives us international pedigree as well as Premier League experience," Stoke Chief Executive Tony Scholes said.
"Manager Tony Pulis has been looking to strengthen the squad with the intention of taking us to an even higher level after we achieved 12th place in the Premier League last season.
"We are confident Robert is the type of player who can help us achieve that aim."
Both of these signings seem like a good bit of business to me. I reckon Pulis has selected players to strengthen his squad well and may even improve upon their 12th place finish this season.
What do you think?
Posted by KJB on 28th 8 2009 @ 18:00pm | Tagged under: premier league |
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With Liverpool losing as many games in a fortnight as they did all season, manager Rafa Benitez has taken to questioning the club captain's form.
"Gerrard will know he has played a couple of games that are not up to his best level," said Benitez.
"Because he so often plays really well, people maybe can see the difference. I know he will be ready now."
But is Gerrard the only one to blame for Liverpool’s poor opening season on his own? Rafa doesn't think so, but he's certain it isn't the tactics on the field that's the Merseyside team's problem.
"We have a problem because we are losing matches. People can be critical of our system and suggest we have been worked out," he argues. "But everybody knows all the systems, it is nothing really new.
"It is not the systems, it is the players out on the pitch. Maybe we do not have squad depth at the moment and there were youngster on the bench.
"But we have three key players to return - Fabio Aurelio, Danny Agger and Alberto Aquilani - and that will make a difference."
But will it though?
Aurelio is a very talented left-back, but for a top 4 team is he really a key player? Aquilani? He barely stood out in a league in which the Premiership unarguably dwarfs and game played/injury record speaks for itself. However, I'd imagine many Liverpool fans are wondering can he be any worse than Lucas at this juncture?
Let's hope he is.
Posted by KJB on 28th 8 2009 @ 19:50pm | Tagged under: controversy |
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Following Eduardo's blatant dive in Wednesday's Champion's League Qualifier against Celtic, the Croatian striker may face a European suspension - a decision that will be made when a UEFA disciplinary body convene on 1st September.
Naturally, Wenger is furious at the decision and branded the whole affair a "witch-hunt."
"I find it a complete disgrace and unacceptable," said Wenger.
"It singles out a player to be a cheat and that is not acceptable. We will not accept the way UEFA has treated this."
To be fair, Wenger has something of a point. To my knowledge, I can’t think of a time when this action by UEFA has been replicated in the past and it begs the question whether any action would've been taken if the dive had been sensationalised in the media or, as Wenger puts it, "Because people have reacted emotionally."
However, a suspension can only be dealt if the officials can prove there was intent to deceive officials by Eduardo, something that Wenger thinks they'll have difficulty to justify.
"We will defend our player as far as we can because he is not being treated fairly," Wenger continued.
"It's funny in football because you can break the legs of players and it doesn't make a debate for anybody.
"I'm the first to say that it doesn't look like a penalty but it's another thing to say that he went down with intent. I wish good luck in proving that having seen the pictures again."
So what do you think of this whole affair? Do you think he should be suspended for actions? If so, do you think this will lead to officials decisions constantly being questioned post-game?
Naturally, Wenger is furious at the decision and branded the whole affair a "witch-hunt."
"I find it a complete disgrace and unacceptable," said Wenger.
"It singles out a player to be a cheat and that is not acceptable. We will not accept the way UEFA has treated this."
To be fair, Wenger has something of a point. To my knowledge, I can’t think of a time when this action by UEFA has been replicated in the past and it begs the question whether any action would've been taken if the dive had been sensationalised in the media or, as Wenger puts it, "Because people have reacted emotionally."
However, a suspension can only be dealt if the officials can prove there was intent to deceive officials by Eduardo, something that Wenger thinks they'll have difficulty to justify.
"We will defend our player as far as we can because he is not being treated fairly," Wenger continued.
"It's funny in football because you can break the legs of players and it doesn't make a debate for anybody.
"I'm the first to say that it doesn't look like a penalty but it's another thing to say that he went down with intent. I wish good luck in proving that having seen the pictures again."
So what do you think of this whole affair? Do you think he should be suspended for actions? If so, do you think this will lead to officials decisions constantly being questioned post-game?
Posted by KJB on 30th 8 2009 @ 10:00am | Tagged under: transfers |
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Tottenham Hotspur officials confirmed this morning that attacking midfielder Luka Modric has broken his leg, after a tackle during yesterday's victory against Birmingham.
Speaking after the game Spurs manager Harry Redknapp was convinced the Croat has only spained his ankle, but a following x-ray told a different story and now Redknapp will be without one of his most creative players for quite some time.
Will this be a terminal blow in Harry's push for the top 4?
Speaking after the game Spurs manager Harry Redknapp was convinced the Croat has only spained his ankle, but a following x-ray told a different story and now Redknapp will be without one of his most creative players for quite some time.
Will this be a terminal blow in Harry's push for the top 4?
Posted by KJB on 27th 8 2009 @ 19:34pm | Tagged under: transfers |
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Aston Villa have agreed a fee with Man City for club captain Richard Dunne who must now travel to Birmingham in order to agree personal terms.
There has been speculation about Dunne's future role at the club every since both Joleon Lescott and Kolo Toure arrived at the club and it seems to be set in stone that the transfer will be completed by the weekend.
And Villa need him. After selling Zat Knight to Bolton earlier this summer and Martin Laurson retiring from the game at the end of last season, Martin O'Neill's side are with just two first-team centre-back's in the squad; Curtis Davies and Carlos Cuellar.
As a Villa fan myself, I think this is a very good signing and he will certainly help baton down the hatches at the back.
There has been speculation about Dunne's future role at the club every since both Joleon Lescott and Kolo Toure arrived at the club and it seems to be set in stone that the transfer will be completed by the weekend.
And Villa need him. After selling Zat Knight to Bolton earlier this summer and Martin Laurson retiring from the game at the end of last season, Martin O'Neill's side are with just two first-team centre-back's in the squad; Curtis Davies and Carlos Cuellar.
As a Villa fan myself, I think this is a very good signing and he will certainly help baton down the hatches at the back.
Posted by KJB on 31st 8 2009 @ 10:20am | Tagged under: transfers |
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Everton are closing in on bargain buy Dutch centre-back John Heitinga after agreeing a £5m fee with Athletico Madrid.
Everton manager David Moyes confirmed agreeing a fee with the club, but added: "We have not as yet agreed personal terms."
"I hope we will be able to that soon, but we have not as yet concluded that part of the move."
Posted by KJB on 31st 8 2009 @ 11:25am | Tagged under: england |
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Fabio Capello announced his England squad earlier today and the most notable changes in the team are the inclusion of Tottenham's Peter Crouch and Aaron Lennon after excellent displays in the Premier League over the weekend.
Manchester United defender Wes Brown was also recalled and Gerrard returns after over coming the injury that prevented him from taking part in the Holland game, but yet again there is no place in the squad for Michael Owen.
England play Solvenia at Wembley on Saturday 5th September and face Croatia in the World Cup Qualifier on Wednesday 9th.
The England Squad:
Goalkeepers: Foster (Manchester United), Green (West Ham), Robinson (Blackburn)
Defenders: Johnson (Liverpool), Brown (Manchester United), Upson (West Ham), Terry (Chelsea, capt), Lescott (Manchester City), A Cole (Chelsea), Bridge (Manchester City)
Midfielders: Wright-Phillips (Manchester City), Lennon (Tottenham), Beckham (Los Angeles Galaxy), Barry (Manchester City), Lampard (Chelsea), Carrick (Manchester United), Gerrard (Liverpool), A Young (Aston Villa), Milner (Aston Villa)
Strikers: Rooney (Manchester United), Heskey (Aston Villa), Defoe (Tottenham), C Cole (West Ham), Crouch (Tottenham).
Posted by KJB on 31st 8 2009 @ 19:44pm | Tagged under: transfers |
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It has been confirmed this evening that Sunderland have completed the signing of Hull centre-back Michael Turner for an undisclosed fee.
Hull manager Phil Brown had already resigned himself to losing the backbone of his defence, stating the offers were "getting towards a ridiculous valuation."
Brown purchased what turned out to be Turner's replacement, ironically from the Black Cats, Paul McShane, yesterday.
What does this mean for Hull?
Turner was one of two players who played every minute of the 38 games played last season in the Premier League and was Hull's most hard-working defender, guarding the back and menacing opposition defences during set pieces.
In my opinion, it's a great signing for Steve Bruce and devastating loss for Phil Brown. Brown will find it difficult to find a suitable replacement, despite signing McShane, and could prove the difference between relegation and survival come season end.
Meanwhile, Bruce has strengthened his side considerably over the summer transfer window, purchasing quality players such as Lee Cattermole and Lorik Cana who have made an immediate impact in the side already.
Will Hull try to fill the gap with less than 24 hours to go before the transfer deadline? Are there anymore shock signings to come before 5pm tomorrow?
Posted by KJB on 1st 9 2009 @ 19:25pm | Tagged under: transfers |
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...or lack thereof.
The headline is somewhat overstating matters, with the deadline wheeling and dealing minimised in this time of *ahem* recession. Indeed, none of the 'big 4' clubs in the English Premier League felt the need to strengthen their squad any, not even big-spending Man City who flat-out debunked rumours of a transfer deadline swoop for unused Spurs winger David Bentley (and rightly so - City have more than enough cover for the right wing anyway imo)...
Some fans may feel pleased at the confidence of their club's managers for not bringing in new talent, but I imagine some Liverpool fans may feel somewhat bitter at the lack of fresh faces, with heavy criticism of both their American owners and lack of squad depth fresh on their lips. But I'd also imagine they're not in the least bit surprised.
Perhaps the most notable signing from today's deadline is Spurs purchase of Portsmouth's 25-year-old attacking midfielder Niko Kranjcar, who will undoubtedly come straight into the squad as a replacement for the injured Luka Modric who broke his leg this past weekend. This is a signing that must be getting under the skin of Pompey fans, perhaps losing their last 'big name' and are now left with sub-par replacements that have thus far yet to prove their worth in the Premier League. Could this be a relegation battle Portsmouth are destined lose already in the season? It's too early to tell, but it doesn’t look good.
Another interesting signing comes in the form of John Heitinga, who signed for Everton for just over £6m, somewhat of a bargain in most people's eyes and value for money as a replacement for Joleon Lescott who moved to Man City earlier in the transfer window for £22m.
Although Aston Villa completed the signing of West Ham centre-back James Collins earlier in the day, the fans will undoubtedly wondering more about what exactly happened to the Richard Dunne deal which was reportedly set to sign for the Villains at the end of last week. Sky Sports Sources earlier claimed the deal had gone through today, but there is no official word of this by any party involved so we must assume that Villa missed out on the former Man City captain.
The full round up shapes up like this:
In: Aston Villa (J Collins), Birmingham (Tainio), Bolton (Klasnic), Burnley (Nugent), Everton (Heitinga), Fulham (Elm), Hull (Sonko), Portsmouth (Ben-Haim, Williamson, Yebda), Stoke (D Collins), Tottenham (Kranjcar)
Out: Manchester City (Ben-Haim), Portsmouth (Kranjcar, Nugent), Stoke (Sonko), Sunderland (D Collins, C Edwards, G Leadbitter, T Tainio), West Ham (J Collins)
Posted by KJB on 1st 9 2009 @ 21:30pm | Tagged under: transfers |
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It has emerged earlier this evening that Aston Villa's proposed move for Richard Dunne from Man City has been delayed by the Premier League.
Villa agreed a £6m fee for the 29-year-old centre-back and finalised personal terms all before the 5pm deadline, but Premier League officials have requested extra time to "ratify the deal."
It is thought that the deal will be formally agreed this coming Wednesday.
Posted by KJB on 2nd 9 2009 @ 20:00pm | Tagged under: transfers |
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Well, um, 2 of the big 4 at least.
Whilst Arsenal and Chelsea didn't spend big (at least not for them) over the summer, this has seen a flurry of contract signings which will keep some of their more promising stars at their respective clubs just that little bit longer.
Arsenal today confirmed that both Nicklas Bendtner and Denilson have put pen to paper and signed long-term contracts with the club. 21-year-old Bendtner was in the final year of his previous deal and was delighted to sign on the dotted line.
"It means a lot that I can commit my future to Arsenal because I have a great affection for this club," the Danish striker told the clubs official statement.
Naturally, the talented Brazilian midfielder Denilson is also delighted with his new deal. "We have a hugely talented group of players here, and I am convinced that with everyone working together we'll be able achieve great things.
"It's a special time to be part of this club and I'm delighted to have signed a new long-term deal."
Meanwhile, London rivals Chelsea also signed a number of their star performers up to long-term contracts this week, beginning with John Terry who has signed a new 5 year that will keep him at the club until the end of the 2013/2014 season and earlier today the club also confirmed wrapping up talented left-back Ashley Cole up to a five year deal thought to be around £120,000 per week.
Posted by KJB on 3rd 9 2009 @ 19:50pm | Tagged under: controversy |
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Somewhat out of the blue, FIFA have announced that they've banned Chelsea from registering any new players within the next two Premier League transfer windows, or to put a date on it, until January 2011.
Why?
According FIFA's official website, French Club Lens "lodged a claim with FIFA seeking compensation for breach of contract" from former player Gael Kakuta, who joined Chelsea from Lens in 2007. FIFA also state that the French club are also requesting "sporting sanctions to be imposed on the player and the English club for breach of contract and inducement to breach of contract respectively."
What does this mean?
Lens president Gervais Martel sums it up with: "The player was under contract with us, and they came and stole him away from us."
As a result of the Dispute Resolution Chamber's (DRC) ruling, Kakuta was forced to cough up a massive 780,000 euros, as well as Chelsea having to fork out an additional 130,00 euros for "training compensation".
In addition to monetary penalties, both player and offending club were imposed with sporting sanctions FIFA state are "in accordance with art. 17 par.3 and 4 of the Regulations on the Status and Transfer of Players", which basically means Chelsea cannot register players until 2011 and Kakuta has been ineligible to play in official matches for four months.
What next?
Chelsea will make their appeal to the Court of Arbitration for Sport (CAS) and will "mount the strongest appeal possible" and will claim the sanctions arbitrarily dished out by the DRSC are "totally disproportionate to the alleged offence".
What now for Chelsea?
As an impartial bystander I have to say the punished dished out to Chelsea seems a little bit harsh for something seemingly happening everyday by other major European clubs.
Nevertheless, if their appeals fail they must accept FIFA's ruling and then what? Most pundits considered the Chelsea team's average age to quite high already and Anchelotti must consider how he's to keep all of his players fit and healthy until the beginning of 2011.
In his favour, however, is the considerable depth in squad that they have as well as an array of young talent more than eager to burst out of the youth team and take a more permanent role in the first eleven.
Will this affect this years title challenge? Mentally, maybe. However, I don't thing this drastically changes much as Chelsea's dealings in the summer transfer market wasn't as substantial as some and Abramovich's spending spree seems to have somewhat be floundering over past few seasons.
With smart managerial expertise at the helm I fully expect Chelsea to ride out the 'storm' and come out swinging in January 2011 - god help anybody who’s in their way.
Posted by KJB on 4th 9 2009 @ 18:51pm | Tagged under: controversy |
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Today, Manchester United manager Alex Ferguson has come out to back UEFA's decision to ban Arsenal’s Eduardo for two Champions League Matches.
The Croatian striker was found guilty of deceiving the referee in Arsenal's Champions League qualifier against Celtic last month, which Wenger considers to be a "witch-hunt" and claims that UEFA have set a "dangerous precedent whereby any decision made by an official can be contested after the match".
"I have to agree that something had to be done," the Scottish manager said.
However, as much as FIFA's decision to ban Chelsea from registering any players until 2011 was a curveball yesterday, Ferguson supports the way Wenger has dealt with the situation.
"I agree with Arsene, I would ask the same question 'is it going to happen to everyone?'
"You become insular and protective of your own player and own team, we're all selfish that way.
"But I wouldn't have been pleased if my player had done that.
"I wouldn't say it publicly though, because when you do that you're in danger of losing the morale of the dressing room.
"Privately, as I've done many times, you have a different view, but I wouldn't do it publicly."
I think Ferguson has something of a point here. Is this going to happen to every league, everywhere? Or have UEFA only focused on the Premier League, just as FIFA has done with the Chelsea banning? Will the ruling be consistent? Will they survey every league, everywhere? If so, how? Will they review on a set criteria, or just review specific cases?
I would suggest if UEFA decides to bring in such rulings 'all of a sudden' why they can't they confirm their plans to tackle the problem in the future? Are there any such plans? Is this going to be a permanent occurrence now?
There needs to be answers to the questions everyone's asking about this ruling, otherwise how can anyone really take them seriously as a ruling body?
I agree the diving issue is something that needs to be addressed, but for UEFA to strike out haphazardly without warning nor planning seems somewhat ridiculous to me and seems now club managers are wondering the exact same thing.
Will we ever get any asnwers?
Posted by KJB on 5th 9 2009 @ 12:25pm | Tagged under: controversy |
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Appeal Reaction
On Thursday, FIFA announced that Chelsea were prohibited from registering any new players until January 2011 (as well as amassing a number of fines) over allegedly poaching young French player Gael Kakuta from Lens in 2007 and yesterday the club received an update on their situation.
Matthieu Reeb, secretary general for the Court of Arbitration for Sport (CAS for short), yesterday came out and suggested that Chelsea may have to wait three months before the CAS reveal their appeal decision.
"If the appeal is fielded within the deadline of the next 21 days we should have the appeal in the next two or three weeks," Reeb explained to Sky Sports News. "Then the CAS can proceed in an expedited manner depending on whether the party has agreed to expedite the procedure."
"But at the least we will probably issue a decision at the end of November or mid-December.
"We will have a panel of three arbitrators, so three judges. One will be selected by Chelsea the other by FC Lens and FIFA and the Chairman will be CAS.
"It will be a final decision which would replace the FIFA decision if necessary. The CAS decision can be appealed only before the Swiss Supreme Court which is for the Swiss tribunal.
"It could be a final ruling before Christmas."
Chelsea Players Reaction
How did the Chelsea players react to the situation? Will it affect their season? Will it affect the players mentality or damage morale? Club Captain John Terry responded to the news yesterday, although under orders not to get too opinionated in doing so.
"What is my reaction to the FIFA ban? It was a big shock to me and it is very difficult," he admitted.
"But it is difficult for me to talk about it. I have spoken to the club last night and again this morning and they have reiterated that I can't speak about it as they are appealing very strongly.
"It is something I can't speak about today. They are appealing and it's ongoing from there. Until after the appeal has gone in, or another decision has been made, I can't say anything."
So, yeah, not much insight there.
Former Chelsea Player Reaction
So how will the club fair in the Premier League and Europe - so many games with a potentially limited side?
Former Chelsea winger Arjen Robben believes that Chelsea will struggle to maintain their momentum carrying them to the Premier League title this season in the wake of the bad.
He told Sky Sports News: "It is very bad news for the club. It is still my club in England. I had a great time there so I am feeling very sorry for them."
When asked if Chelsea could struggle to compete, he added: "Yes. It is a two-year ban and they cannot buy any new players. But they have a great squad."
So, not so much a controversial opinion by the Dutch International, more stating the obvious.
Bight Future?
But hold up! It's not all doom and gloom for Chelsea! They have two players coming back from injury that should go to strengthen their squad. Midfielder Joe Cole, who has been sidelined since suffering cruciate knee ligament damage back in January, and, um, Paulo Ferreira, who has not played since damaging his anterior cruciate ligament last April.
So chin up you Blues!
Posted by KJB on 6th 9 2009 @ 13:30pm | Tagged under: controversy |
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After Chelsea were hit with a lengthy transfer ban earlier in the week over allegedly 'poaching' a young player from French side Lens, it has now been confirmed that Le Havre president Jean-Pierre Louvel has contacted FIFA about Manchester United's signing of Paul Pogba.
Earlier in the week, FIFA announced they were yet to receive an official complaint from Le Havre but it seems with the success of Lens' appeal over Gael Kakuka Jean-Pierre Louvel thinks he now has a shot at getting a little compensation from a big Premier League club and hopes FIFA will come down just as hard on United as they did with the Blues.
"The player had a no-hire agreement, and so had to sign his first contract in France," Louvel told radio station France Info.
"But he didn't sign it because Manchester United contacted the parents and made astronomical and excessive financial propositions for a 15-year-old boy.
"We have submitted the case to FIFA. The letter to leave has not been agreed by the French Federation, so today FIFA has been referred.
"I hope we will get the same result (as the Gael Kakuta case), which could justify to those clubs they can't do anything and they have rules to respect."
I wonder just how many more will crawl out of the woodwork.
Posted by KJB on 7th 9 2009 @ 19:49pm | Tagged under: controversy |
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Yesterday Le Havre President Jean-Pierre Louvel contacted FIFA to lodge an official complaint over the alleged 'player poaching' of French youngster Paul Pogba, upon hearing Lens had successfully won their case against Chelsea last week. Today, Manchester Utd take a stand.
Man Utd officials have written to Le Havre threatening to take legal action if the allegations over "financial inducements" continue.
Le Havre claim that Man Ud offered money and a house to Pogba's family in order to prise the youngster away from the French club, however, Utd are angered at suggestions that they are broken the rules and say that there was no foul play involve in Pogba's capture.
"In response to the wholly unfounded comments widely reported in the media of Le Havre AC President, Jean-Pierre Louvel, Manchester United wish to categorically confirm that as a matter of club policy and in accordance with the applicable football regulations, we do not offer inducements to the parents of players who sign for the club such as monetary payments or the purchase of houses," said United in a statement.
"Manchester United have today written to Le Havre AC to put it on notice that action will be taken if such allegations are repeated in relation to the transfer of Paul Pogba.
"Manchester United is entirely satisfied that the transfer of Paul Pogba has been conducted in accordance with the regulations set down by the world governing body, Fifa.
"Manchester United is ready to defend any claim brought against it by Le Havre at Fifa.
"It is to be noted that all contractual documentation relating to the player's registration with the club has already been fully ratified by the Football Association and the Premier League." (source Sky Sports News).
In some regards, I'm happy about Utd's stance in this matter. Jean-Pierre Louvel is clearly taking advantage to the current climate and circumstance, hoping to earn a bit of coin at the expense of a club's reputation - that is of course, if there wasn't any wrong doing in the matter.
I feel at this juncture, despite the press coverage, we don’t really know the whole story and we probably never will.
Posted by KJB on 8th 9 2009 @ 19:16pm | Tagged under: controversy |
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Earlier today FIFA confirmed that a third French side had lodged an official complaint against a Premier League side, this time Rennes' technical director Pierre Dreossi accusing Manchester City of poaching Jeremy Helan.
According to Sky Sports News, Rennes initially lodged the complaint last Spring as the club felt there was wrong doing in prising the young French player away from the club.
In an official statement, FIFA announced: "We can confirm that there is a case pending with FIFA’s Player Status Department involving Jeremy Helan, Stade Rennais FC and Manchester City."
If found guilty of the charges, both the player and the Premier League side will undoubtedly face charges similar to those of Chelsea last week, but are expected to contest the complaint claiming they "have no case to answer in the Jeremy Helan transfer dispute."
Accoding to the club's official website: "Manchester City is aware of the ongoing contractual dispute in the French Labour Courts between Jeremy Helan and Stade Rennais FC.
"The dispute between the player and the club pre-dates any interest from Manchester City.
"Manchester City obviously cannot comment on the case until the French Judicial Process has run its course, however, we are comfortable that we have acted within the rules throughout the process and in no way induced any breach of contract by Jeremy Helan."
On the Home Front
But it's not just French clubs who have issues with some of the Premier League Club's transfer activity, it also seems Crewe had lodged an official complaint too, accusing Liverpool of illegally approaching 15-year-old academy player Max Clayton.
Liverpool were initially linked with the player back in February 2008 and were willing to pay six figures to capture his signature, however, Crewe rejected the approach but now the youngster wants to leave the club to join the Premier League outfit.Crewe's director of football Dario Gradi told the Daily Express: "Max has come in and told us that he wants to leave right now to join a big club.
"You worry financially for the clubs where the players are stolen from.
"What sort of compensation are we going to get for all the work that has gone into developing him? Any compensation is insignificant for the effort that gone in."It's simple, the big clubs are stealing other people's players."
"I'm delighted with what has happened with Chelsea," added Gradi. "I would hope all the big clubs are frightened to death. There is no excuse for breaking the rules.
"We lost a 12-year-old to Everton. He was our best 12-year-old. The lure is that the bigger clubs pay big expenses.
"This kid will be getting several hundred pounds a week in expenses. We pay expenses but nothing like that. It's more a case of giving out £20 if someone can pick a kid up en-route.
"At least Fifa have given the smaller clubs hope."
But is that really poaching? Liverpool came in for an offer and it was rejected. Now the kid wants to leave to go to a bigger club? Dario Gradi doesn't say that Liverpool have coaxed the youngster into asking for his release, it seems they’ve just expressed interest - is that such a bad thing? Surely it was the player who has made the decision he wants out?
Should clubs be reported to FIFA when expressing in young, up and coming stars or has this been sensationalised, blown out of all proportions and gone too far? Or are we not being told the whole story?
It'll be interesting to see how this develops and what kind of precedent FIFA set in this matter.
Posted by KJB on 8th 9 2009 @ 21:21pm | Tagged under: premier league |
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Four games into the season perhaps this a debate is a little premature, but I can't get it out of my head that this club is in real trouble. Every time I try to decide on the teams that will be relegated this season, Portsmouth always seem to be on the tip of my tongue.
Is it wrong of me to think like this so early in the season? Or is it more of a grim premonition for the Pompey fans and owner to mull over?
Relegation Battlers
The Premier League is getting more competitive with each passing year, but with the 'big 4' teams seemingly etched at the top of the table, everything beyond has become something of a battleground; a bloody and brutal fight for established and rookie Premier League sides alike.
Similar to last year, the newly promoted sides are all showing that they won't simply rollover and die against the established Premier League sides. Burnley particularly stand out, adopting a stance similar style to Stoke last year, converting their home ground into a fortress and daring anyone to try and steal three points away from them. In fact, Burnley have already turned over two top five Premier League sides at home this season already, including reigning champions Man Utd and Everton.
Wolves and Birmingham have also adapted to life in the Premier League reasonably well, picking up points in some very hard-fought matches of their own. No doubt all three will finish in the bottom half of the table by the end of the season, but not one of them will go down without a fight.
In fact, it's a few of the more mainstay Premier League clubs who are currently joining Pompey at the foot of the table. Bolton and Blackburn are already looking a little worse for wear, but when thinking about those clubs I automatically think: battlers.
Both teams play a rough and ready sort of game that often makes it difficult for opposing teams to score goals and sometimes allows them to scrape a few scrappy wins or at least hold on for a point. When thinking about how Pompey have played this season, I don't consider them to have the same grit and determination to win battles in such a manner.
The stats say it all. Pompey rest at the foot of the table, having played four games and gaining no points. They've managed just one goal and, disturbingly, have already conceded seven. Bolton are next in line, playing three games, scoring two goals and conceding five. Finally, Blackburn have managed just the one point in their opening three games, scoring one goal and conceding four.
But how can stats from four (in some cases three) games into the season give me a sense of foreboding about the club?
It's simple: they can't. They can only paint the current picture. For me, the future of the club seemingly rests in the transfer market.
Transfers
It cannot be denied that Pompey's squad has been ravaged of some the better players over the summer and more worryingly, most of these have not been - and perhaps could not be - properly replaced.
Emanating from the club's worrying financial situation, a number of players felt at unease with their situation and the future of the club, losing faith in the club's board entirely in some cases.
Attacking right-back, Glen Johnson was the first notable name to leave, securing a transfer to Liverpool thought to be in the region of £17.5m. Established England striker, Peter Crouch, was the next to leave, securing himself a move to Spurs, reuniting with former Pompey strike partner Jermaine Dafoe. Next, the backbone of their defence, Sylvain Distin, was snapped up by Everton. Finally, the last of their 'stand-out' players, Niko Kranjcar, joined Crouch at Spurs on the transfer deadline day for the diminutive (and seemingly ridiculously low) fee of £2.5m.
Time will judge whether the replacements Pompey manager Paul Hart has brought into the club will live up to the skill and capabilities of their predecessors, but with second string players such as Michael Brown, Tal Ben Haim, Kevin-Prince Boateng, Aaron Mokoena, Steven Finnan and Antti Niemi, combined with relatively untested Frederic Piquionne, Tommy Smith, Mark Williamson and Anthony Vanden Borre becoming the bulk of the squad, I respectfully doubt it.
Conclusion
I had hoped that running through this article would alter my perception somewhat. I hoped it would make me reconsider my initial judgment and look to the rest of the season with some hope for the club, but I think I may have done the opposite.
I just can't see how Pompey can survive the current climate in Premier League, unless things change for the better - quickly.
Perhaps when the new transfer window opens if January, if things have not improved for the club, their new owner will realise the danger Pompey are faced with and attempt to buy the club out of the relegation zone.
And then the question becomes: will anyone of note want to join them?
Posted by KJB on 10th 9 2009 @ 19:30pm | Tagged under: england |
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Last night saw a complete turnaround of the dismal result that dumped us out of the Euro 2008 qualifiers when Croatia edged a close victory against England, indicating an overall improvement under Capello's tenure as coach and bringing the winning streak to eight consecutive games won within the World Cup Qualifiers.
But it wasn't just a victory of the Croats - it was a demolishing. Five good goals, which could easily been ten or twelve if Heskey could actually finish. Goals by Lampard (2), Gerrard (2) and Rooney - not to mention a spectacular performance by red-hot Aaron Lennon - helped to secure the victory and ensuring England a place in next year's World Cup.
Coach Capello said: "I'm very happy. We've achieved our target early.
"I think this was the best performance under me. We played fast, pressed the ball and our movement was fantastic."
"Both of our performances against Croatia pleased me," stated Capello. "We need to press hard, play fast and develop our movement on and off the ball - and we showed that in both games."
"We are a good team, we are playing well but we have to keep our feet on the ground."
Posted by KJB on 10th 9 2009 @ 20:30pm | Tagged under: feature |
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Earlier in the week I wrote an article questioning whether Portsmouth were already doomed this season, yielding worrying results for Pompey fans and I thought I’d touch briefly on the subject again.
So What’s Changed?
Not much, but enough. Today Pompey manager, Paul Hart, has insisted that he will not be reading too much into Portsmouth's difficult start to the season. Seriously, Paul?
At the moment the team don't look capable of beating anybody, much less mounting a campaign to dragged themselves from the relegation zone and perhaps this Saturday's game will somewhat of a proving ground.
Bolton lie just above Pompey at the foot of the table are facing somewhat of turbulent start to the season themselves and three points at the weekend is undoubtedly vital for both sides.
"Wherever we were and whether we have 12 points, nine points or no points, Bolton will always be an extremely tough game," Hart stated.
"Where we are in the league makes no difference and you can't say whether relegation is upon us or not five games in.
"Three points is what we are after and whether it's Bolton or Man United, we'd still be looking for a win in this situation.
"I'd rather concentrate on our position than Bolton's, and the onus is on us to go out and grab three points."
Salvation
But have no fear Pompey fans! Your salvation is here! Today you signed Danny 'The Goal Machine' Webber on a free transfer! Yes, that’s right! Danny Webber! Your survival is assured!
Okay, enough sarcasm. It was a bit harsh to be fair, but that was my honest reaction when I heard the news. It just doesn't make sense to me in the slightest. Why sign him? Again, I may be speaking prematurely, but he's clearly not of a Premier League standard and I very much doubt it'll expand Paul Hart's attacking options beyond having another player in the squad for a reasonable price i.e. nothing (though I'd still argue that) in case anyone gets injured.
But surely Nugent is of a better quality than Webber? I know he and Wilson had a bit of a pre-season spat, but come on. Maybe I'm being too critical. Maybe I'm being the 'arm-chair coach' and basing my opinions too much on Football Manager (I'd argue rationality, but that's me).
In either case, Paul Hart has a completely different opinion: "When I found out Danny was available I asked him to come down and train with us - and I was delighted with what I saw."
"He plays off the shoulder of defenders and gives us another attacking option.
"I wanted to sign him when I was at Nottingham Forest, but he went to Watford. He's another one who's hungry with something to prove."
Hart does realise that they aren’t in the Championship, right?
Right?
In all honesty, I'd love for this article to come back and bite me in the arse. I'd love Webber to score 15 goals this season and elevated Pompey from relegation and keep them safe for another a year.
But he won't.
Posted by KJB on 11th 9 2009 @ 22:50pm | Tagged under: feature |
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For those of you who don't know what an accumulator is, let me explain it the best I can. An accumulator is a type of bet where you select 4 or more selections (if you choose 3, it's a treble and 2 is a double) and in order to win ALL of your selections must be successful.
Some like this bet because you get relatively high (or accumulated) odds, but others don't because they consider it to be a mugs bet because if just one of your selections doesn't come in, they the whole thing has been a waste of money. Whilst I understand both sides of the argument, I choose to embrace the accumulator as a bit of fun and can make a Saturday afternoon in the pub a little more interesting (especially if your team isn't playing).
But for the purposes of this article, the gambling element of this practice isn't all that important - it's the selection process. What I'm going to do here is to run through my selections for this week and give my reasoning on precisely why I chose them and invite you all reading this article to do the same all in the name of fun (because I seriously don't advocate putting any money on my selections nor your own hahaha).
The first rule I usually go by is: don't make any selections unless you REALLY know the league, or enough games have passed to get a fair idea how that league is shaping up. Why? Well if you know the league and the teams off by heart, then at least you have a fair idea on how a certain team will fair or indeed whether you should just stay away from the fixture altogether (i.e. Tottenham v Man Utd) and of course, if there are enough games played you get enough stats to paint a rough picture in your head of possible selections. With the league stats it's important to review league positions, home form, away form and previous meetings.
I know the Premier League fairly well (or at least I think I do) so that's where I'll start. At first glance there are a few difficult fixtures this week. I've decided immediately I'm going to veer away from the big games like Tottenham v Man Utd, Man City v Arsenal and Birmingham v Aston Villa (I think we can take 'em! Up the Villa!). I also avoid the teams with unreasonably close league positions such as Fulham v Everton and Portsmouth v Bolton (both teams look shocking at the moment, 0-0 or 0-1 I reckon). Then there are the others which I just don’t like the looks of, such as Blackburn v Wolves, Stoke v Chelsea (the Britannia is like a fortress now, I can see Stoke getting a sneaky point out of this) and Wigan v West Ham. In fact, the only two games I do fancy in the Premier League this week are Liverpool v Burnley and Sunderland v Hull.
Liverpool v Burnley
Okay, I know what you're thinking. Burnley have already turned over both Man Utd and Everton this season and I realise that. But that was at home and they have yet to win away from Turf Moor. Also, Liverpool haven't had the best start to the season, losing their last home game to Aston Villa 1-3. But Villa are a decent team with a good away record.I think Liverpool will be looking to get their season back on track and beating Burnley at Anfield will be a perfect platform to do it.
Sunderland v Hull
My second team is Sunderland. Hull have been floundering since the midway through last season, having an impressive start to life in the Premier League. Sunderland have a good manager who's building a good team which is reasonably strong at home. Also, Sunderland have beaten Hull in their last four meetings, including both times played last season.West Brom v Plymouth Argyle
Next up the Championship. I don't know a whole lot about the league itself, but I've been idly following results and recognise the better teams amongst the pack. Besides, the league table tells the story here. West Brom are currently in second place, whereas Plymouth are twenty-second. West Brom haven't lost at home all season whereas Plymouth haven't won away all season. And if that wasn't enough, West Brom have won three of the last four meetings against Plymouth. All things point to the home team, so that's where my selection lies.Charlton v Southampton
My fourth and final selection is similar to the last. Charlton are second in the league, whilst Southampton are twenty-second. Also, in their first six games Charlton are undefeated both home and away, whilst Southampton have yet to win away from home.So to recap, my accumulator will be Liverpool, Sunderland, West Brom and Charlton - what's yours?
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Posted by KJB on 14th 9 2009 @ 18:15pm | Tagged under: feature |
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That's right, the UEFA Champions League is will kick off tomorrow night and that means quality footy action from all over Europe will be hitting our TV screens once again. Excited? Well hang onto your trousers because it's about to get even more exciting!
UEFA are running their UEFA Champions League Fantasy Football game again this year and in the name of competition (and fun) FootyBanter.co.uk has created it’s own private league with a prize fund of £25 heading towards the overall winner (sent via paypal).
So come, get involved!
How to Enter
Just head on over to the UEFA website, hit the "Champions League" tab, then the "fantasy" link.
Register on the site.
Select your team.
Then click on the "Leagues" link, click the "Join League" tab and finally enter 98957-23209 into the form.
And yes, like the Premier League fantasy football game, it’s completely FREE to enter - so what are you waiting for?
Posted by KJB on 15th 9 2009 @ 19:30pm | Tagged under: controversy |
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The FA has confirmed that Manchester City striker Emmanuel Adebayor has been hit with a double charge following Saturday's victory over former club Arsenal.
The Togo International has been charged with violent conduct after clearly and purposefully stomping on Robin Van Persie's face as well as improper conduct after running the entire length of the pitch celebrating the goal at the Eastlands.
And rightfully so too. The goal celebration seemed innocent enough to the neutral viewer, but I can easily empathise with the Arsenal fans after he first would them and the Arsenal players up by maliciously standing on Van Persie's head. However, what people are quite willing to forget blinded by Adebayor's actions on the pitch was the poor ground steward who was knocked unconscious by a missile thrown from the Arsenal fans (as discussed here at Soccerlens).
Adebayor apologised for his actions over the celebration, but claims innocence over the face stamp. Really? I don't think so, but judge for yourself:
If found guilty of violent conduct, Adebyaor will be dealt a three-match ban and will miss Saturday's derby against Manchester Utd and that suspension could only be increased if also found guilty of improper conduct.
"The Football Association today issued two charges against Manchester City's Emmanuel Adebayor following Saturday's Premier League fixture between Manchester City and Arsenal," said a statement issued by the FA.
"Under the fast-track disciplinary process, Adebayor has been charged with violent conduct following an incident with Robin van Persie, which resulted in the Arsenal player receiving facial injuries.
"Referee Mark Clattenburg has advised the FA that he did not see this incident, but has confirmed that had he done so, he would have sent Adebayor off for violent conduct. The player has until 6pm on Wednesday evening to respond to the charge.
"Adebayor has also been charged with improper conduct following his actions when turning and running the full length of the pitch to celebrate in front of the Arsenal supporters after scoring.
"The Greater Manchester Police have written to The FA with their views on this incident. A separate date will now be arranged for a commission to consider Adebayor's goal celebration." (source: sky sports news).
Posted by KJB on 15th 9 2009 @ 19:50pm | Tagged under: advertising |
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Posted by KJB on 16th 9 2009 @ 19:30pm | Tagged under: feature |
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For Villa fans, last season was a joy to behold. Under relatively new management and ownership the club flourished, rising from mid-table obscurity to credible contenders to break into the 'Big 4'.
Of course, they didn't. Despite some prudent buying and sound tactics, Villa just couldn't keep up the momentum they'd built so strikingly in the first half of the season. The squad depth was minimal and sadly they couldn't maintain their stamina whilst vying for the fourth spot (which became the fifth spot toward the latter stages of the season) in the greatest league in the world as well as trying to carve out a decent run in the UEFA Cup.
Ultimately, Villa finished sixth; 1 point shy of Everton in fifth and ultimately ten points behind Arsenal in fourth.
This season, despite a good performance last year, most (and I was of these) expected things to get worse. The 'big 4' seemed unbreakable as ever, Everton again had a strong team on paper and with emergence of big spending Man City and flourishing Tottenham, maintaining their stature in the top half of the table seemed something like a uphill battle. Add to this losing arguably their best player, Gareth Barry, to one of their immediate rivals and the dim outlook on the new season prior to the first kick off is somewhat understandable. But what really did it for me was the lack of transfers.
As mentioned previously, the squad depth was an issue last season I expected that to worked upon, especially with selling Barry to City, Zat Knight going to Bolton and our leading centre-back Martin Laursen retiring due to injury. But O'Neill didn't develop much at all in the way of transfers (pre-season at least). The only interesting buy he made was Stuart Downing, but why buy another left-winger when Villa already have the superlative Ashley Young playing in that position? It didn't - and still doens't for that matter - make sense to me. And I really couldn't understand why O'Neill went into the season with only two established first-team centre-back's in the squad.
The decision baffled me, but then he brought in Collins, Dunne and Warnock and relived my doubts a little - but not entirely. To me it still seems like we've got a hole in our centre midfield, with Reo-Coker being Villa's best option in my own opinion. I don't think Petrov can really shine at this level and Delph is frankly too young and lacks Premiership experience to be all that effective.
And when Villa lost their opening game of the season against Wigan and at home no less, I really felt like our season was over and with the odds stacked against them, Villa would struggle to get a place in the top half of the table, never mind be a threat to the 'Big 4'.
Then things picked up - considerably. Defying the odds, Villa picked up a well-fought victory against Liverpool at Anfield, following up by a home win against last season rivals Fulham and then picking up a victory against local rivals Birmingham at St Andrews.
With a game in hand, Villa stand at the brink of breaking into a top 4 once again, but this early in the season it doesn't mean a whole lot and the question becomes can Villa stay ahead of the curve?
Honestly, I don't think so. Although Everton are having a torrid start to the season, both Man City and Tottenham are flourishing and will be hard to beat. Also, Villa still haven't really fully solved the squad depth issue. I believe they are relatively strong at the back now, with Dunne, Davies and Cueller become a particularly good combination, but as I highlighted before, Villa are still weak in the centre and that could become costly in some of the more hard-fought matches of the season.
Why do I think they'll finish? As it stands, my money rests on 7th place but I will not be all that surprised if we fall beyond the 10th spot and enter the realms of the lower half of the table.
Here's hoping the Villa superlative away form continues...
Posted by KJB on 17th 9 2009 @ 17:50pm | Tagged under: advertising |
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As the top clubs return from their European travels, managers, players and spread bettors start to turn their attention to the weekend's action. There will be plenty for punters to get their teeth into on the spread markets, headed by a mouth-watering Old Trafford Manchester derby at the top of the bill. Since United's humbling loss to Burnley last month they have come out fighting to stick one to sellers of their outright Championship index spread, currently at 38-41pts (60pts to champions, 40pts to runner-up, 20pts to third place etc). Despite big-spending City's unbeaten start to the season, the red half of Manchester will be convinced their team can achieve a third successive league win over their local rivals and are favourite to do so according to the Sporting Index football traders.
Buyers of United's win index spread will be hoping Sir Alex can lead his side to their fifth win of the season and will be pleased that the Red Devils' home form has been near perfect - they've lost just one and drawn two of their last 20 matches at Old Trafford. United also won 13 of these 17 victories to nil, which will be a worry to sellers of the first Manchester City goal, but won't trouble sellers of Manchester City's goal minutes, despite a rampant win over Arsenal last weekend. Those looking to sell United?s match supremacy spread will remember back to the 2007/08 season when City did the double over United.
This particular derby has proved profitable for both buyers and sellers of the total bookings spreads in past seasons. While the last game at Old Trafford between these two saw a make-up of just 20 points, the previous encounter produced a hefty 85 points - buyers will remember Cristiano Ronaldo?s dismissal fondly. Spread bettors may elect to wait until after kick-off for an in-play spread bet, once they've seen how the officials will handle this potentially explosive derby.
Carlo Ancelotti has adapted to life in England extremely well and still has an impressive 100% record in the league. Those spread bettors to have bought Chelsea's outright Championship index will have been encouraged by the Blues' fast start. Their current spread is set at 45-48pts with Sporting Index.
Sunday sees Chelsea take on a Tottenham side who will be looking for a quick return to winning ways after their home defeat to Manchester United. Spread buyers of the supremacy market should note Chelsea's formidable home record against the Lilywhites and bear in mind that Spurs haven't won at Stamford Bridge since 1990, although sellers of the spread will remember that Tottenham managed a 1-1 draw last season. Those with an interest in the total goals spread may be aware that the two fixtures last year only produced three goals but jubilant spread buyers and shocked traders will have contrasting memories of the 4-4 classic in 2008. Sellers should also be aware that Tottenham have only managed to net on two occasions at the Bridge in the league during the last four years.
Posted by KJB on 18th 9 2009 @ 20:00pm | Tagged under: betting |
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My selections for last week almost made me a little money, but with accumulators almost is not enough. Liverpool to beat Burnley, West Brom beat Plymouth and Sunderland beat Hull, but Charlton (who had a 100% record up until this match) could only manage a draw at home against Southampton. It wasn’t a result anyone could see coming and that’s probably why it’s so damned annoying. Let’s hope my selections for this week fair better.
Arsenal to Beat Wigan (handicap -1)
Okay, so Arsenal have a few injuries and were almost embarrassed royally during the week by Standard Liege, but let’s face it, Wigan’s away record isn’t the best having already lost to Everton and Blackpool (in round 2 of the League Cup) this season, with a home record not much better having lost 5-0 to Man Utd last month. Whereas, Arsenal have yet to be defeated at home this season and I’m so confident that they’ll win, I’m going to back them with a -1 handicap (meaning Arsenal have to win by 2 clear goals).
Aston Villa to Beat Portsmouth
I’m a little wary of backing Villa at their home ground - we have a system set up geared more towards away games and therefore comes as no shock that our away record is better than our home record, somewhat highlighted on the opening day of the season when the Villains were truly embarrassed by Wigan. However, since that game we have been undefeated and even carved out a nice 2-0 home win against last season mid-table rivals Fulham a couple of weeks back. Am I worried about the bust up between O’Neill and Reo-Coker (who is almost certainly not playing tomorrow)? Yes I am. I think Reo-Coker is the only decent central midfielder we have at the moment and it’ll be a real shame to lose him, but I think our talented wingers and rock solid defence will more than make up for it.
And Portsmouth…well, what can I say? They’ve yet to win a game all season and I still think they’ll be facing the drop come May. Whilst I think this maybe the one bet that’ll bite me in the arse this week, I just can’t see Villa not winning this match - I just hope it’s my favourite team blinkers not making the decision for me.
Juventus to Beat Livorno
So I thought I’d go to Italy to pick out my next bet, as I liked the look of the fixture despite the league only being 3 games into the season. I feel Juventus are back to their winning ways after having rising from the ashes of their league demotion a few years back and are finally getting results. They have a strong team again and I feel will really challenge Inter for the Serie A crown this year.
Livorno were newly promoted to Serie A last year and haven’t had the best of starts so far, drawing 2 and losing 1 and I just think Juve will have the strength to see the new side off.
Real Madrid to Beat Xerez (-1 Handicap)
Look at me being all continental and whatnot! But really, I liked the look of this fixture because it’s so similar to the Juve selection: a ridiculously strong team playing at home against a newly promoted side. Despite the league only being 2 games in and thus unable to see what all the teams are capable of, I’m confident that Real will pound the newcomers and so do the bookmakers. The odds were VERY short for this one and so I slapped on the - handicap to beef things up a little, but I really don’t think it’s going to be much of a obstacle.
Round Up
So here’s the rundown:
- Arsenal to beat Wigan with a -1 handicap.
- Villa to beat Portsmouth
- Juventus to beat Livorno
- Real Madrid to beat Xerez with a -1 handicap
Good luck for the weekend and follow me in on this bet at your own peril!!!
Posted by KJB on 21st 9 2009 @ 20:00pm | Tagged under: controversy |
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For those of you who didn't watch yesterday's thrilling Manchester derby, with the event crammed with slopping defending, time-keeping controversy and crowd trouble I defy anybody to argue that wasn't an all round entertaining affair.
The 4-3 scoreline in one sensed illustrated just how close the two teams have become, but it also clearly illustrated poor defending and ever-alert forwards. The entertain was marred somewhat by the crowds reacting badly to Carlos Tevez' return to Old Trafford, which at half time culminated in a missile being thrown from the terraces which veered away from the intended target of Tevez and hit substitute Garrido in the face.
Also in the match, a fan ran onto the pitch and whilst the stewards soundly tackled him to the ground and tried to drag him off the pitch, Craig Bellamy decided it to be the perfect time to demonstrate his boxing skills, striking the fan across the cheek, which now is being investigated by the police and the FA.
Naturally, Mark Hughes attempted to defend his players actions. After he defended Adebayor clearly stamping on Robin Van Persie’s face last week, how could he not?
"I did not see it but the guy should not have been on the pitch. That is not acceptable." Clearly, Mark. He added, "Brian Clough clipped someone's ear. He was lauded a national hero. Maybe it'll be the same with Craig but I doubt it." Well, yes but Clough wasn’t a known thug, was he?
A Greater Manchester Police spokesman said: "At the end of the derby between Manchester United and Manchester City at Old Trafford, a member of the public ran on to the pitch, and was detained by police and security staff.
"During this time, there was an altercation between the man and a player from Manchester City FC.
"No formal complaint has been made by either party but police are continuing to make inquiries."
An FA spokesman said: "We are investigating the incident and we will be looking at the referee's match report."
However, the incident seemed somewhat overshadowed by the extra time controversy which lead to Man Utd’s winning goal.
"We need an explanation because I don't know why the referee has added that amount of time on," said Hughes.
"We just feel a little bit aggrieved that they were given that time."
"I have not had a word with the referee yet but the the fourth official [Alan Wiley] tried to give me an explanation of sorts as I was questioning the amount of time added on even before the game finished," stated Hughes.
"His explanation did not sit comfortably with me. He said a minute plus had been added because of our celebration. We scored on 90 minutes, the board was already up for four minutes, so Mr Wiley said he was going to add that minute on.
"The amount of time from when we scored to when we kicked off was something like 45 seconds. He has got that wrong as well. It was 95 minutes, 26 seconds.
"Obviously, he has played too much time and we ended up playing 97 minutes. I just needed an explanation as to why so much time was needed. United were given a little more time than they should have been given to get the goal.
"Historically it has happened before. I was in teams here where we always had a little bit of benefit. I never felt it was an issue when we played here.
"But since I have left maybe I have changed my view on that. I am not going to question anyone's integrity but I do not know where has got seven minutes from.
"It would be nice to get an explanation but I don't think I will."
The explanation is simple Mr. Hughes: 56 seconds taken off the clock for Bellamy's goal celebration and another 30 seconds taken off for the substitution. Pure and simple, which puts the goal just within the limits. But truth be told, if I were Hughes I'd be wanting explanations from my ridiculously expensive defence rather than on issues of time-keeping.
Posted by KJB on 22nd 9 2009 @ 18:50pm | Tagged under: advertising |
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The Premier League goal glut continued last weekend, much to the delight of the majority of buyers of total goals spreads. The Big Four played their part with games involving those clubs seeing an incredible 19 goals, and notably in the Manchester derby, which saw seven goals. Buyers of goal minutes at 130-140 minutes would have been ecstatic with a return of 240 times their stake at the final whistle, while buyers of the shirt numbers spread were already in raptures before Michael Owen tucked in his 96th minute winner. The final make-up reached 161. Not all sellers were distraught however, as spread punters to have sold multi-corners (number of first-half corners multiplied by second-half corners) would have been delighted to see a corner-kick-free first 45 at Old Trafford on Sunday.
United follow this with a trip to Stoke City's Britannia Stadium fortress, where spread bettors to have sold United's supremacy will know that the Potters lost just four games last season. The comparisons drawn between Stoke's home and Burnley's Turf Moor are extremely welcome to sellers of United's win index spread, as the Clarets of course defeated United there earlier in the season. Spread punters who followed the progress of Tony Pulis's first top-flight season will remember however that United were one of the several clubs to leave the Britannia with three points, thanks only to a late Carlos Tevez goal. Chelsea are the only other member of the Big Four to play here so far this season and interestingly also required a last gasp winner. Buyers of the time of the last match goal will hope for a similar spread make-up on Saturday.
Due to their demolition jobs on Everton, Portsmouth and Wigan, Arsenal have reportedly helped Sporting Index spread punters to pocket £500,000 already this season. Wenger?s charges must make the short trip across London to Craven Cottage where buyers of the Gunners' supremacy spread will hope that Fulham feel the full force of Arsenal's flowing-football wrecking ball. Since the Cottagers moved back into the top flight the teams have met on sixteen occasions, and, unsurprisingly to buyers of Arsenal's win index spread, the north Londoners have won 12 times. Though more encouragingly for sellers of the visitors' spread Fulham have won two of the last three Gunners matches they have hosted.
Spread punters who regularly like a wager on the player goal markets may be surprised to see Thomas Vermaelen leading Van Persie, Eduardo and Fabregas as Arsenal's current top scorer. Buyers of his goal minutes spread against the Roy Hodgson's side will hope for more from the classy Belgian who bagged a brace for a 74 minute make-up against Wigan. For other interesting football spread bets plenty of Sporting Index punters love to play the bookings index markets. Interestingly, the three most recent head-to-heads have produced just two bookings but before punters rush to sell the spread perhaps they would be wise to consider the three prior matches. They averaged a bookings index spread make-up of 75, including a match at Craven Cottage three years ago which saw nine yellow cards and an early bath for Philippe Senderos.
Posted by KJB on 23rd 9 2009 @ 10:00am | Tagged under: controversy |
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Well, it happened. It was bound to, wasn't it? How could Sven Goren Eriksson hope to maintain the facade any longer?
Despite the generous wage of £40k a week, Sol Campbell has realised that Notts County is actually a League Two side and, just one month into his five-year contract, has told the club he wants to leave.
Of course, I was being sarcastic. That isn't the REAL reason he wants to leave (I don't think it is anyway...), but, um, no other reason was actually given. It has only been confirmed this morning that Campbell wants to leave and Notts County have told him they will not stand in his way.
Rather bizarre, perhaps Campbell just doesn't like to lose.
Posted by KJB on 23rd 9 2009 @ 11:30am | Tagged under: premier league |
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Bright up-and-coming Gunners youngster Jack Wilshire is under fire following his actions in yesterday's Carling Cup victory over West Brom and more specifically his role in Jerome Thomas' red card.
From the Baggies perspective, gaffer Roberto Di Matteo claimed: "There was an exchange of words and Thomas reacted. He reacted to what was said, something insulting."
Whilst on the other side of the coin, Arsenal boss Arsene Wenger claimed he missed the incident and said: "My eyes aren't great and my ears are worse." Perhaps the second most comical thing he’s said this year beyond the Mark Hughes comment from a few weeks back...
Di Matteo accepted that Thomas ultimately deserved his dismissal, but added: "I'm disappointed that Wilshere didn't accept his hand.
"He wanted to help him get up, actually. He's a fellow colleague. But, anyway, that's part of the game.
"I'm very proud of my players and my team. I'm not disappointed in my player. Thomas went to shake hands, Wilshere refused and Thomas reacted. There was an exchange of words and a reaction."
Wenger said Wilshere was injured in the initial challenge but could not shed any light on what followed.
"I could not hear anything from the touchline," he explained.
"Thomas has reacted, and in these cases you always need to control your nerves. Have you any excuses? I don't know - but Jack looked upset as well, he said he has been kicked."
Perhaps just handbags at dawn combined with Matteo having a few sour grapes due to the loss, but it does make you wonder just what was said...
(source: BBC)
Posted by KJB on 24th 9 2009 @ 9:45am | Tagged under: hot gossip |
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Following yesterday's news of Sol Campbell's departure from Notts County, it seems there is something of a split opinion regarding the reasoning of the 35-year-old's sudden walk-out.
When the news broke yesterday, there seemed to be little or no reasoning behind it, with both the club and Campbell's agent keeping tight-lipped and entirely political about the whole thing, which has thus prompted The Mirror and The Independent to generate reasons (perhaps of their own).
The Mirror claims Campbell left the League Two club because he had a nightmare debut, or in the words of the James Nursey it was because he "hated his Notts County debut at Morecombe so much." However, Sam Wallace and Nick Harris over at The Independent claim "Sol Campbell walked out on Notts County because he did not believe that the promised investment from the club's secretive owners Munto Finance would ever materialise." Something of a split opinion, I�m sure you'll agree, but they go on to state that "Campbell came to believe that Munto's money was being channelled into their newly acquired Formula One team BMW Sauber rather than Notts County. Having been told by the director of football, Sven Goran Eriksson, that his ambition to become a coach and a manager could be fulfilled at the club, currently in England's fourth tier, Campbell quickly lost faith in the project."
A bizarre turn of events all around, I feel. One month into his five-year deal at the club and Campbell quits because promises were not fulfilled? I'm not sure I buy this as is, but I suspect there's a whole lot more to this than what has currently been made public.
Posted by KJB on 25th 9 2009 @ 18:00pm | Tagged under: betting |
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Success! For the first time this season I got a return on one of my accumulators and a quite decent one at that! What’s more, I think I know why.
The teams and results are becoming more stable and finally form is kicking in to make the accumulator choices a little easier for me to pick, at least for the English leagues. With Spain and Italy a few games behind us so to speak, I reckon a couple more weeks before those results become stable. That said Barcelona and Read Madrid have already asserted their dominance upon La Liga, already notching up relatively easy wins and thus far earning maximum points.
Definitely something to think about.
Liverpool Over Hull -1 Handicap
A relatively predictable selection for my first pick. Liverpool are on relatively decent form at the moment, whereas Hull are struggling and I think will continue to struggle all season.
The first consideration has to be the opposing league positions. Liverpool currently reside in 3rd place, with Hull helping Portsmouth hold up the bottom of the table in 19th. Liverpool have won all but one of their home games this season (but that was to the mighty Villa, so that can be perfectly understood haha), as well as having a fairly decent away record, only losing out to red-hot Tottenham Hotspur during the first week of the new season. Hull on the other hand have yet to notch up an away win this season and as stated before, look a little shaky. I doubt it'd take much to beat them at the moment imo.
This is set in stone a Liverpool win, or at least I hope it is.
Tottenham Over Burnley
Despite Tottenham's wobble last weekend against Chelsea, they came blazing back from the defeat midweek away to Preston North End, netting five goals and basically dominating the game. True enough, even when all of their back four line-up were fit they did concede too many goals, but as they've proven already this season, they can generally outscore their opponents without too much difficulty.
Burnley are undefeated at home this season in the Premier League, but have also yet to win away from Turf Moor. They are a tough side to play against, especially with Nugent find a little bit of form, but I seriously think the Spurs strike force to be too overwhelming for them to resist.
Real Madrid Over Tenerife
As previously posted, Real Madrid are on awesome form at the moment proving to be every bit a match for Barca and so they should be with the likes of Ronaldo and Kaka becoming the stable of their team. What does concern me about Real is Manuel Pellegrini's promise to rotate the squad. Yes, they have quality in depth but sometimes rotating the squad can cause lack of consistency in play and almost guarantees there’ll be a slip up somewhere down the line.
I just hope this isn't it.
West Brom Over Crystal Palace
West Brom are in superb form at the moment, strolling to a 5-0 victory at Middlesbrough last weekend and basically dominating the Championship at the moment. Whilst I do think the bubble will burst at some point and fixtures will invariably become more and more difficult, I don’t think it's going to start tomorrow against Palace.
So that's my 4 for this week, let's hope I get a little of the same luck from last week! Good luck all!
Posted by KJB on 28th 9 2009 @ 09:15am | Tagged under: controversy |
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Between them, the teams have amassed a total of seven charges by the FA for failure to control theirs, following a pitch invasion in a Carling Cup match on 25th August this year.
Both clubs have been accused to have taken insufficient measures to prevent missile throwing and violent behaviour at Upton Park, with West Ham being held accountable for four of the charges, Millwall for the remaining three. Or as the official FA statement put it the clubs did not ensure their supporters conducted themselves in an orderly fashion "in and around the ground".
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