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March 4th, 2010

Relegation Battle Hots up this Weekend.

Category : Football

As the season draws to an end the obsession can often lay with who is going to win the League… will it be United or Chelsea or can the Gunners sneak in at the end? What is sometimes over-looked is the excitement and dog-eat-dog fight that is going on at the bottom.

And this year is no exception. Where as the fight for top is pretty much a two-horse race with a third coming from the outside, the fight to avoid relegation is a eight-horse race! Practically the Grand National!

Should Portsmouth lose the dreaded NINE out of their NINETEEN points then surely they should commit defeat to playing Premier League football next season, but at this stage their future remains undecided and with there being a new rein forced team spirit following their 6-pointer against Burnley last weekend, “Avram’s Army” could be reborn.

Though 4points from their last 5 games doesn’t quite sound like a revolution me too just yet…

West Ham, on the other hand, are starting to look like a team that has staying power. With a match in hand over 6 of their fellow relegation battlers and gaining 7 points from their last 5 matches, including two impressive victories over Hull and Birmingham, West Ham look like the team to beat at the bottom.

Steve Bruce’s Sunderland side has taken a horrid down turn since their impressive start to the season, with victories over Arsenal and Liverpool, and picking up a draw at Old Trafford, as they haven’t won a match since the 21st November 2009 against Arsenal. With matches against Man City, Spurs, Liverpool and Man United in the pipeline, Brucie would need to be careful he doesn’t get dragged down further.

This weekend sees a possible 12-pointer for Owen Coyle’s Bolton side who are away to West Ham on Saturday before travelling back up north for a Tuesday night clash against Sunderland. These fixtures give the final run up to the end of the season that little bit more spice. Where as Wolves’ match against Manchester United, Burnley’s trip to the Emirates, Wigan’s home tie against Liverpool and Sunderland’s game against Manchester City appear to be more straight forward fixtures for the top flight teams.

But as Chelsea and Man City found out in the past couple of weeks, never under estimate a club fighting to survive. Hull beat both City and Chelsea in two consecutive matches-a feat which none of the top four could even achieve, in fact only Hull and Everton have managed to beat both teams all season.

Burnley, perhaps with the exception of Portsmouth, are in the most dangerous position. After losing their Messiah Owen Coyle to neighbours Bolton back in January things have been steadily getting worse. In the five games after Coyle’s departure, Burnley gained just one win out of four possible matches, including a soul destroying defeat to Coyle’s new team Bolton.

So with the battle for first and the battle for fourth well underway, its important not to overlook the vital battle for 17th-let the Battle for Survival commence.

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March 2nd, 2010

Changed Man Roo Wants Truce

Category : Football, Footballers

Wayne and his wife Coleen

Wayne Rooney has called for England fans to  get behind ex captain JT in tomorrow nights WC friendly game against Egypt.

Following the JT vs Bridge showdown on Saturday, it seems that the majority of English fans are well on truly “TEAM BRIDGE”, with many calling for JT’s resignation from the England squad altogether.

In an attempt to mediate the situation,  Rooney has called upon England fans not to boo JT. Rooney told the the daily mirror:

“I hope they do not turn on Terry. I have been on England teams when some of our own players have been booed by our fans and it is not  nice for the whole team.

“If we are going to win WC then we need JT.”

Rooney has become most what of an inspirationational figure within the England team due to his talents on the pitch and quiet life off the pitch, especially given the recent front page splashes involving JT and Cashley Cole.

Rooney, who is not without the odd controversial infidelity themed front page stories himself, reveals that he is a “changed man.”

“I am settled at home now. I’m enjoying my life with my family. I used to always go out to nightclubs but now it is very rare that I would go out.”

Not bad for a young man who is only 24 years young!

Comments No Comments Posted

March 2nd, 2010

“Don’t let This Ruin You, Ryan”

Category : Football, Footballers

Ryan shawcross visibly upset, being comforted by Eric Sorenson, following his sending off last Sunday

These was Sir Alex Ferguson’s powerful warning to Stoke defender Ryan Shawcross following his sending off against Arsenal on Sunday.

Strong words from a strong man.

Ryan, who spent almost 6 years at OT in his youth days was surprised to receive a phone call from the Manchester United guru.

I’m sure Sir Alex like everyone else in the footballing world (with sense) will be urging 22-year-old Shawcross not to dwell on the injury that his tackle inflicted on Aaron Ramsey.

Ryan has been one of the bright sparks in an otherwise shameful season for English football. His consistent performance at the back for Stoke has been a talking point throughout the UK.

It is clear that Shawcross did not mean the harm that he caused to the young Arsenal midfielder, but due to the positioning of his foot when the tackle was committed, the result was fatal.

Similar to the tackle on Eduardo in 2008, for which Martin Taylor received death threats, both Shawcross and Taylor have been devastated by their unintentional actions. Martin Taylor was ‘mentally shattered’ according to Alex McLeish, and many believe that it has had a lasting effect on him, as he is no longer the same player he once was.

Hopefully Ryan will take advice from his peers, learn from Taylor’s situation and put it behind him, because I for one think the Prem League and the England team will benefit from having a player like Ryan in their squad.

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February 19th, 2010

Centenary Overshadowed at Old Trafford

Category : Football, Uncategorized

View from Old Trafford today

View from Old Trafford today

MANCHESTER United fans today feared losing star defender Nemanja Vidic as the club celebrated 100 years at Old Trafford.

Staduim tours were booked out this afternoon to mark the centenary but most supporters were more concerned whether the Serbian centre half would be sold on.

John, from Altrincham, who was visiting the United Megastore with his wife and two children, said: ”Vidic is going! It’s a really bad thing for the club. He’s a proper United player. He just gets stuck in. He’s better than Rio Ferdinand. He should be captain really.”

Although Vidic released a statement last night declaring his intention to stay at Old Trafford, rumours persist that he will move to Real Madrid or AC Milan for £20m in the summer.

Karl Muller, from Germany, said he knew little about the centenary but was worried about Vidic.

He added: “Is it not good. He is a leading defender. Jonny Evans is doing good but it will not be good if Fergie sells Vidic. It is important to keep the influential players. He would make a good captain.”

But United supporter Paul Gordon, from Glasgow, said: “I don’t think he will leave. If Fergie does sell him, he can always get Chris Smalling in. Fergie will do what is best for the club. Vidic is a really good defender but there’s always someone else who could came in after him and replace him.”

Vidic, who is recovering from injury and has yet to play in 2010, has been with the club since 2006. He has played a vital role in helping United enjoy domestic and European glory. He was voted Players’ Player of the Year in the 2008/09 season. He is due to start his first game of the year tomorrow against Everton at Goodison Park.

One hundred years ago today Old Trafford opened its gates for the first time as  United faced Liverpool in the top flight of English football.

Carol Jones, from Sale, who attended a special commemorative exhibition, said: “We didn’t book it for that reason, we found out afterwards that it was the centenary year and were quite pleased.  We were given special certificates to say that we’ve been here on this day. There were about 20 other people on the tour and there were a lot of people waiting for the next one.”

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February 10th, 2010

Mid-Week Madness

Category : Football

A cold Wednesday night throughout England made for a steamy affair on football pitches up and down the country.

In the South, Zola welcomed the return of Carlton Cole who scored a header from close range to secure a crucial victory against Birmingham. Moving further north of London, Arsenal got back to winning ways against a troubled Liverpool team. In the Midlands, ex Man United player David Jones’ goal was enough for Wolves to complete the double over Spurs, and in turn giving their survival chances a huge boost, but a cause for major concern Harry Rednapp as his dreams of the coveted fourth spot as dwindling.

The other game taking place tonight in the Midlands proved to be a challenging test for the champions against Martin O’ Neill’s Aston Villa side- going a goal down in the 19th minute and a man down in the 29th wasn’t part of the agenda for Alex Ferguson. But the United team battled hard and Villa failed to capitalise and it ended with the teams sharing the spoils.

In the North- West, Blackburn edged towards safety with a 1-0 victory over Hull, and finally in Liverpool Louis Saha did a favour for his old team-mates by scoring twice (despite having a penalty saved by Cech) against Chelsea giving Everton a well deserved 3 points in at Goodison Park, as well giving Alex Ferguson breathing room and lessening the gap at the top of the table.

One thing for sure, the games have begun!

Chelsea 26 58
Man Utd 26 57
Arsenal 26 52
Liverpool 26 44
Man City 24 44
Tottenham 26 43
Aston Villa 25 42
Birmingham 25 37
Everton 25 35
Fulham 26 34
Blackburn 26 31
Stoke City 24 30
Sunderland 25 26
West Ham Utd 25 24
Wolves 25 24
Wigan Athletic 24 24
Hull City 26 24
Burnley 25 23
Bolton 24 22
Portsmouth 25 16

Comments 1 Comment Posted

February 6th, 2010

Rio Takes Over the Reigns after Capello bows to Media Pressure

Category : Football, Uncategorized
Rio and JTRio Ferdinand has taken on the formiddable job as England captain
today after Fabio Capello dumped JT as his main man after just one
12-minute meeting yesterday.
Rio is not without controversy himself as he is currently facing
a four-match ban following a violent conduct charge and was
previously banned from football for eight months after failing
to take a drug test in September 2003 despite providing a negative
urine sample within two days. But it seems these can be forgotton
and swept under the carpet compared with the adulterous JT.
By sacking JT, Capello has given in to media pressure and once again
proved than when it comes to being England manager, keeping the
people and the press onside sometimes more important than what is
best for the team and for the players…. I wonder did anyone even
ask the players what they thought would be the best way forward?
Unlikely.
And I wonder if you devulged into their private lives
would you find material to fill a few pages in the tabloids?
Likely.
Yes cheating on your wife is pretty bad, but is the adultly that
has caused the problem here, or is it the fact that he had an affair
with his team-mate’s EX girfriend? Did anyone ask Wayne Bridge if
he actually cared THAT much? To me this whole saga screams of
hipocracy.
Good luck to Rio now because the slightest misdeminour he commits
from now on will be under severe scrutiniy from the press, and we
all the power they have in running the England team.
Rio and JT

JT and Rio

Rio Ferdinand has taken on the formidable job as England captain  today after Fabio Capello dumped JT as his main man after just one 12-minute meeting yesterday.

Rio is not without controversy himself as he is currently facing a four-match ban following a violent conduct charge and was previously banned from football for eight months after failing to take a drug test in September 2003 despite providing a negative urine sample within two days. But it seems these can be forgotten and swept under the carpet compared with the adulterous JT.

By sacking JT, Capello has given in to media pressure and once again proved than when it comes to being England manager, keeping the people and the press onside sometimes more important than what is best for the team and for the players…. I wonder did anyone even ask the players what they thought would be the best way forward?

Unlikely.

And I wonder if you divulged into their private lives would you find material to fill a few pages in the tabloids? Likely.

Yes cheating on your wife is pretty bad, but is the adultery that  has caused the problem here, or is it the fact that he had an affair with his team-mate’s EX girlfriend? Did anyone ask Wayne Bridge if he actually cared THAT much? To me this whole saga screams of  hypocrisy.

Good luck to Rio now because the slightest misdemeanor he commits from now on will be under severe scrutiny from the press, and we all the power they have in running the England team.

Comments No Comments Posted

February 5th, 2010

No one has commented on the Rampant Sexism in the John Terry story

Category : Football, Footballers, Uncategorized

John Terry

We all know the story. John Terry has cheated on his wife with the ex-girlfriend of England team mate Wayne Bridge.

Bridge is very upset and doesn’t want to play in any team that Terry plays in and Terry’s England captaincy is under threat.

The crime, it seems, is not the adultery but endangering team spirit by sleeping with the ex-girlfriend of a team mate.

It seems that other England team mates think that this is not on also.

Hold On

Wait a minute here!

No one seems to be fixing themselves on the ‘ex’ here.

Wayne Bridge and his model girlfriend Vanessa Perroncel split up last summer.

She didn’t want to go to live in Manchester when he joined Man City and he wanted the big cash and the opportunity to play regularly at City.

All Over

It was all over between them (as far as a shared kid will allow) BEFORE John Tery had an affair with her.

Putting aside that it was adultery (which we are told isn’t the problem here), what are the rules in this situation?

Is it that once an England footballer splits up with his girlfriend none of his pals or acquaintences are allowed to touch her?

Is this the Secret Lads’ Rules?

Lads’ Rules

One feels that it wouldn’t have been any different if John Terry wasn’t married or it had been an unmarried member of the Chelsea or England squad – Lads Rules apply.

Once a women has been with one of the lads, even if they had broken up, no one is allowed to go near her.

This is something that goes on in every town and village in the world, i.e. a guy splits up with his girlfriend and she goes out with someone else.

Awkward

Sometimes, especially in small communities, it may be a friend of the guy that she has split up with.

It’s normally a bit awkward for a while till everybody gets used to it.

Of course, it is even more awkward if the guy is married.

However, life goes on.

The Rule

So, what is the rule that Capello should apply to members of his England squad?

Should it be that once a guy has ‘put his scent or spray’ on a girl, she is then off limit to the rest of the squad – even if the guy doesn’t want her any more or they have mutually agreed to split up?

That seems to be the logical outcome of this.

Terry seems to have broken a rule that doesn’t even exist except in unwritten form – The Lads’ Secret Rules.

And they say that things have changed!

Comments No Comments Posted

February 2nd, 2010

Robbie keen on Celtic… and Liverpool… and Spurs

Category : Football, Footballers, Uncategorized
Similar smiles...

Similar smiles...

robbie2Back in July 2008 we listened to an elated Robbie Keane on fulfilling his dreams of joining his beloved liverpool:

“It’s absolutely fantastic, a real dream come true for me. I’ve been a Liverpool fan all my life, going back to when I was a kid growing up in Dublin, and I always had a Liverpool shirt on my back. So, to be here now as a Liverpool player is incredible and I couldn’t be happier…”

Unlucky for Robbie just a few months later, he’s out of Liverpool and back down the M6 to North London and Spurs again… Not to fear eh as Robbie pleads his alligance with his club (that’s Spurs, not Liverpool, the one he supports

“I will give this club my all. We have got to get on and fight our way up the Premier League table.” Indeed.

Again that was until he decided to take the whole team on a Christmas party night in Dublin just 4 days before a Premier League match… Que another change in home for oul Keano.

This time Keano was sent back up the M6 to Glasgow, home of another “loved” club of Keane’s

“It’s absolutely unbelievable. This is the reason why I’ve always wanted to come to Celtic. It’s no secret over the years I’ve been a Celtic fan.”

Bless Robbie, joining (one of) his boyhood club(s) has made him one happy boy… At least until its time to made that inevitable  trip back down the M6.

Comments No Comments Posted

February 2nd, 2010

Chelsea Slip Up

Category : Football

The brilliant John Terry couldn’t save a mediocre Chelsea tonight as they failed to take all three points at the KC Stadium. Didier Drogba marked his return to the squad in style by scoring his 20th league goal.

All eyes were inevitably on Captain JT, in his second match since allegations over his private life were made public but it was Hull centre-back Steven Mouyokolo who grabbed the limelight by heading the Barclays Premier League strugglers in front.

Somehow I don’t think dropping two points at a time when the team will be pushed to their limits (both on and off the pitch) was really on the cards for Carlo Ancelotti. Remains to be seen can they recover, put JT’s misdemeanors behind them and concentrate on beating Arsenal on Sunday.

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January 15th, 2010

What is enough for Liverpool?

Category : Football, Footballers, Uncategorized

With another “make or break” game on the horizon for Rafa Benitez and his men surely the time has come to start asking a few questions of the management techniques at Anfield Road, is it not? With Rafa bravely promising the fans that his team would finish in the top four at the end of the season (a promise that with every defeat is looking less likely) what Liverpool fans and players need to address is, if that is enough for them?

Liverpool is a team with an outstanding history but it’s only so long that these memories can last. With yet another cup exit burning hard on the minds of Liverpool fans from Wednesday night, its no wonder we are forgetful of what a Liverpool team can achieve with the right players, and notably, manager! So should Rafa Benitez keep his promise and make the top four at the end of the season, the season can just about be regarded as not a total disaster. Throw in a decent run in the Europa League (winning it would be ideal), and Benitez will be able to stumble on into next season, safe under the cover of the still-loyal element in the Liverpool support and his five-year contract.

But even if this does happen (and on present form, it’s a big if) is that enough for Liverpool and its fans?

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October 27th, 2009

Is it Not Time Video Evidence was Introduced to Football?

Category : Football, Footballers, Uncategorized

The Premiership highlighted a lot of different issues for a lot of different teams this weekend, but personally I think the most important was the mistakes that referees made in certain matches. I know when a team gets beat that it is often the easy option to blame the referee but when a referee makes blatant mistakes we can’t just sit back and say nothing.

In Aston Villa’s game against Wolves Richard Dunne clearly tugged on the shirt of fellow Irishman Kevin Doyle in the penalty area stopping the Irishman from scoring, you would expect that either the linesman or referee would point to the spot, but no.

In Chelsea’s match against Blackburn the linesman gave Chelsea a throw in which was so blatantly kicked out by a Chelsea player which subsequently led to another goal in their 5-0 victory over and under par Blackburn side.

And then finally we move to Anfield, where it showed Evra getting booked for a challenge against Torres (which Sky Sports clearly showed the Spanish striker fall over his own legs), not to mention Jamie Carragher’s challenge against Michael Owen, bringing down the forward on the edge of the box only earning him a yellow card. As far as I’m aware bringing down the last man should earn you a straight red! Similarly Vidic was given a second yellow for pulling down Kuyt on the half way line (a challenge i believe to deserve a straight red card seeing as Kuyt was the last man in this situation)

This is only a few of the decisions that referee Andre Marriner clearly got wrong in what was probably Liverpool’s biggest game in recent years, as another defeat would see the title race dead and buried and possibly could have the end of Rafa’s Bentiez’s reign at the club. I could go on and talk about Carragher bringing done Michael Carrick in the penalty area but i don’t want to start sounding like a biased fan looking for an excuse as to why we lost the game.

The point is, is that these referee’s get paid good money and therefore have a huge responsibilty to perform to the very best of their ability, and if it is not within their ability then they should not play or admit that they need video evidence to help them make important game changing decisions. Football fans spend huge amounts of money every year to go and see their team play, and it is them that deserve to have the best possible treatment that there is and if that means video evidence needs to be introduced to help referees handle the stress, then so be it. After all it works well in rugby so why not football?

Comments 1 Comment Posted

October 26th, 2009

Are Man United an ageing team?

Category : Football, Footballers, Uncategorized

Youngsters

I has always thought of Man United as having a young team, with the like of Ronaldo (now gone), Nani, Rooney, Anderson, Fletcher, O’Shea and Brown. I think that is what most people think.

However, I looked at the two teams on Sunday in the Liverpool v Man Utd macth to see what their average ages are.

The average age of the Liverpool team was 26 – which is about average for a top team.

When Chelsea played Liverpool earlier in the season Chelsea’s team was an average age of 29.

Getting On

However, United’s team on Saturday had an average of 29.5.

That’s getting on.

Of coure it was boosted by Van Der Sar being 37.

And Darren Fletcher (25) coming back would help.

However, United had only four players in the team aged under 28 – and none in the back five.

Long Course

So, will Chelsea and United, with all their old fellows, manage to stay the course of the Premiership race?

It’s usually younger teams that win the Premiership.

Older teams tend to win the Champions League or European Cup as it used to be called.

Puskas and De Stefano were well into their thirties when Real Madrid won five-in-a-row.

AC Milan’s winning teams were quite old – especially the recent one which had players up to 40 years of age in the team.

So, are Man Utd and Chelsea more likely to feature prominently in the Champions League this season?

Well, they’ve already got a good start on Arsenal and Liverpool in the Premiership.

Later

But we’ll see what happens when they’ve been playing two games a week for ages later in the season and what happens to their old legs.

Chelsea and Man Utd have good pools and that should help them.

But is the clock ticking for their goden olden oldies?

By Livelier Bird

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October 26th, 2009

Torres too good for Man Utd Defence

Category : Football, Footballers, Uncategorized

Torres

Vidic was headed for Player of the Year last year till Torres exposed him. This year Torres toyed with several United defenders before scoring the winner. Early on Patrice Evra found him too hot to handle and brought him down several times. He was in danger of going off.

Then, at the goal Torres held Ferdinand off well before shooting past Van Der Sar. Ferdinand looked stunned after that one. Torres was also part of Vidic getting sent off as Vidic had fouled him for his first yellow card offence.

Fernandophobia

According to one commentator their fear of Torres caused the United central defenders to defend deep so that they didn’t get exposed and this caused too big a gap between the central midfielders and the defence giving Torres and the others plenty of room to operate in.

And that was when Torres was only 80% fit according to Rafa Benitez.

Have Liverpool turned the corner?

They are still 6 points behind Chelsea and 4 behind United – but at least they have some hope now.

By LiverBird

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October 20th, 2009

It Just Gets Better and Better

Category : Football

I think part of the beauty of football is just when you think it can’t get any better, it does. And this weekend certainly proved that! There was your usual flurry of goals, sending offs, shock defeats, thrilling derbies and not to mention the beach ball!

With Chelsea falling to the hands of an impressive Aston Villa side, Man United looking less than clinical in a home match against local rivals Bolton and Liverpool suffering their third successive defeat away to Sunderland proved that all is not well for last season’s premier league rivals.

While the “top three” are busy slipping up it’s easy to ignore the other teams that are playing well and building up the points. Tottenham secured yet another three points in a well earned victory away to Portsmouth, Arsenal put their problems of late behind them and earned a victory at the Emirates against Birmingham and Man City kept up appearances sharing the spoils at Wigan.

The time was you would have been laughed at for suggesting that the Aston Villas and Tottenhams of the league could ever hope to get any better than a UEFA (or Eurpoa as it’s called now) Cup spot, but now, even at this early stage of the season the league is wide open. If the Chelseas and the Manchester Uniteds can’t buck up their acts, we could soon being seeing a new balance of power in the Premier League.

Nothing is certain, that is except for one thing, it’s going to be one hell of a season!!

Comments 1 Comment Posted

October 18th, 2009

Trappatoni to ration sex for Irish footballers and their WAGS

Category : Football, Footballers, Uncategorized

No Sex

The Ireland manager, Giovanni Trappatoni (which probably stands for Trappist in English) has said that if Ireland qualify for the World Cup, Ireland’s footballers will be allowed sex on one night only – and only once. “Sex is positive” he said. Thank goodness for that. Now we know. I might take it up again.

I know football is becoming more important but to have sex merely as a tool to help win football games is something else. However, although having sex is positive, it is only positive once. After that, according to Von Trapp, it seems to be a case of the law of diminishing returns or even diminished returns.

Once a Night

It should be once a night he reckons not “three times, four times, five times. That is not good”, he informs us all.

Oh dear!

It was once said that having sex was as good exercise as a five-mile run and did you just as good. Surely three, four or five times would be as good as a fifteen, twenty or twenty five mile run.

Yes, I see what he’s getting at now. Having sex five times a night would be the equivalent of running a Marathon – not something you’d want to do the night before a big game.

It’s been very interesting having an Italian manager in charge of Ireland. You can learn a lot – and not just about football. Although everything ends up as football anyway. I wonder what advice he would give about sex before a Journalism Masters Exam.

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October 18th, 2009

Bell tolls for Rafa

Category : Football, Footballers, Uncategorized

He’s been in the job for 5 years but hasn’t won a trophy in his last three years at Liverpool FC. Last year Liverpool were joint top at this stage and in the end only lost the title race by 4 points. So, even though Liverpool were trophyless in three years they were moving in the right direction.

However, the start to this year’s campaign has thrown a huge spanner into that. Rafa has spent a lot of money, much of it on duds. And now Liverpool are already 7 points behind Man Utd and with a game against them coming up next weekend. The deficit to the top would have been even greater if Chelsea hadn’t lost to Villa

Early Ending

If Liverpool lose to United it looks as if their Premiership season will be ending very early – and just the Champions League to concentrate on of the major trophies available. One suspects Liverpool will be playing full teams in the two domestic Cup competitions this year.

How long will the fans give Rafa if they lose to United next weekend and fail to beat Lyons in the Champions League? One would guess that this might be his last season at Liverpool – barring another Champions League success.

Even if they beat United they would still probably be 6 points behind in the title race. If they lose it will be 10 points. It could be a long, lonely season for the Koppites

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October 16th, 2009

Has Fergie gone too far this time

Category : Football

Fergie

It’s unusual for Alex (pronounced Alec) Ferguson to get it wrong. However, he may have oversteped the mark when criticising the referee Wiley in the match against Sunderland.

Fergie is the master of psychology and he has often used devices like this to distract attention from bad results. What do people remember about the match and what are they talking about? It’s not the bad result but Fergie’s comments on the referee.

Rafa Benitez decided to take the old master on last season and said that he tries to influence referees. The referees are angry about Fergie’s comments. So what will they do – give decisions against Man Utd – or bend over backwards to show they are not showing bias against Man Utd and Fergie?

Maybe Fergie’s won this one again.

Comments No Comments Posted

October 12th, 2009

Contact Us

Category : Football, Footballers, Uncategorized

Contact Katie Barr here at katesbarr@hotmail.com

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October 8th, 2009

Current odds to win the Premiership – Chelsea favourites

Category : Football

Chelsea

Chelsea are the current favourites to relieve Man Utd of their title. Here are the current odds from Labdbrokes:-

6/5 Chelsea
9/4 Man Utd
6 Arsenal
7 Liverpool
10 Man City
66 Spurs
225 Aston Villa
250 Everton
1,000 Bar

Man City

Man City are nearly as high in the betting as Arsenal and Liverpool now. Is there a new Big 5? There’s the January Transfer Window to come too with City reported to be looking for a couple of full backs and a midfielder.

I don’t think Chelsea are value for money as they have potentially four of their best players missing for the whole of January for the African Nations Cup.

It looks down to Chelsea and Man Utd again with Man City an outside bet depending on the transfer window and how they do up to then.

Comments 1 Comment Posted

October 5th, 2009

The winners and losers from the weekend’s football

Category : Football

Chelsea

The big winners from the football this weekend were Chelsea. They were the ones who beat potential championship rivals. They were already in a position of strength at the top of the table but they have cemented it this weekend.

Arsenal were also big winners with their 6-2 win over Blackburn and they now have the best goal difference of anybody in the league. However, Arsenal are well known for being able to destroy not-so-good teams while struggling to beat the big boys so it remains to be seen at what state of progress their youngsters are at.

Big Losers

The big losers of the weekend were Liverpool and Man Utd. Man U picked up a point but it was at home to Sunderland. Liverpool would probably have been happy enough with an away point to championship rivals Chelsea but didn’t get any.

The Pretenders to the crown, Man City, Villa and Spurs all ended up with draws. That wouldn’t have been so bad in the old days when it was two points for a win and one for a draw but nowadays a draw drops you two points. Probably Man City came out best of the Pretenders to the throne as they were away to Villa who had already beaten Liverpool this season.

Good Year

It’s shaping up to be a pretty good league this year. Chelsea have stolen a march on the rest but they will be most hit by withdrawals due to the African Nations Cup in January. They also have an oldest average age of 29 for their first team and that could count in a long season when the mud starts to sap the legs and the cold seeps into the old bones.

Traditionally old teams, like AC Milan recently and Real Madrid in the fifties, do better in the Champions League / European Cup than the do in the longer home leagues. Chelsea might be ones for that this year.

So what about the Premiership? Will United win it without Ronaldo? Will the Arsenal youngsters come good? Will Rafa Benitez see the light and dump Lucas Levia and the zonal marking at set pieces and come good for Liverpool. Will Man City’s galacticos come good?

It’s all to play for.

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