It seems like every summer Arsenal seem to go through the same transfer merry-go-round like no other top European side. 'Will 'Player X' leave and join a better team to win more trophies?' You can insert Viera, Henry, Hleb, Flamini, Adebayor and Toure in where necessary. While the aforementioned players' departures were disappointing and sad, there has always been a sense that Arsene knows best. Have all those players been past their best? Maybe. Have they all gone on to do bigger and better things? Certainly not. Henry had spent a long time in North London and his dream move to Barca was inevitable - most fans were surprised we kept him as along as we did, Viera's post Arsenal career has been plagued by injury and bad form, Hleb is now back in Germany (nuff said?), Flamini's great potential has been warming Milan's bench, and if I'm being kind then Adebayor and Toure have both been inconsistent in their first season away from Arsenal. Generally you can see that Le Boss has a decent record when it comes to letting players go, but he must not let Cesc Fabregas become part of that list.
If you believe what the papers are saying this morning, then Cesc flew into London yesterday to tell Wenger that he wants to join Barcelona. The Spainish sport papers are know for their mischief making, not to mention the ridiculous presidential system whereby some bloke with loads of money says, 'elect me and I'll buy Villa and Cesc' - see Florentino Perez last summer at Real Madrid. But this time it seems different, it's the first time that Cesc has gone public with his desire to leave and rejoin his boyhood club. We knew this day would come, but we hoped it would be in another 4/5 years, not now, no, please not now Cesc. He is contracted to the club until 2015 I believe, and Wenger has to be strong and tell him he's not going anywhere. Arsenal are in a strong financial position with no need to sell, there are decent funds available to strengthen the squad this summer, and Cesc is integral to the future of this football club. Le Boss will probably have to offer a pay rise, he'll have to outline his own future (Wenger's contract has 1 year left to run), and he'll have to say 'we're gonna buy the Chamakhattack, Akinfeev, De Rossi and Mexes, and we're gonna win the league next season.' If he really does want to leave then no, he won't be very pleased about being made to stay, but no-one put a gun to his head to sign that contract, he chose to commit to this club and be paid handsomely for it. Managers don't like to make a habit of keeping unhappy players around, but Wenger has be strong this time, he has to, dare I say it, do a bit of a Fergie. As much as I hate them, you never hear this kind of thing happening at Utd. Ronaldo went last year for £80million, but that was Fergies call. He'll be disappointed but I'm convinced that by September 1st when the transfer window is shut, he's a professional who will get his head down, play his genius football and the prospect of losing the heartbeat of our club will safe, for another year at least.
Wednesday, 19 May 2010
Sunday, 21 March 2010
Premier League round-up and preview
Another tough game yesterday for the Arsenal yesterday, but another good performance in the face of difficulties. A 2-0 home win sounds a bit routine, and after Denilson's good opener 5 minutes in, it was looking like it might well go that way, but West Ham played pretty well and made it hard for us. Close calls from Diamanti and a dangerous cross that no-one got on the end of were warning enough, and as the first half came to a close the ref sent off Vermaelan and gave a pen to the Hammers. I've seen the incident several times and it's a difficult one to call. My instincts were that it was good call but the more I see it, the more I think that if you look at Franco's legs he practically trips himself. That was after a bit of contact between the two players, but they were still dealing with a quick bouncing ball, you can't really say Franco had it right under control. Anyway the pen came and our dodgy keeper finally had something to cheer about with a brilliant stop from Diamanti. We started the second half a little sluggishly and only really got some control on the game when Bendtner was replaced by Diaby, who once again proved what a good player he is. One man who didn't impress yesterday was Andrei Arshavin. The little Russian has unquestionable talent and vision, but he is one frustrating customer. He'll do a little back heel flick to play someone in, but then just stand still almost in admiration for himself - he is downright lazy. He's the kind of player who is a luxury at 11 vs 11, you forgive his lack of tracking back and fight because you know he'll do something amazing soon, but at 10 vs 11, we're practically playing with 9 men. What makes it more frustrating is that when we lose a game, it's always him I'm reading about, saying we need more fight or to work harder or to be better at seeing games out. Pot kettle black, mate. I don't wanna come down too hard on him, but if it was Eboue or Bendtner putting in that shift yesterday, the crowd would be all over them. Carlton Cole came on and hit the post (why was he on the bench?) and things were finally settled when Cesc stuck away a pen after an Upson handball. So we sit top of the league for a few hours at least, and it's down to our rivals to respond. I will enjoy watching them both today and have a feeling that at least one of them will drop points.
It's very much advantage Spurs in the battle for 4th, it's not easy to win at Stoke and they are now 5 clear of Liverpool (on the same number of games) and Man City (who have 2 games in hand). Villa will be disappointed with a 2-2 draw at home to Wolves, and there were wins for Sunderland, Everton and Wigan in the other games. Have I forgot someone? Ah yes, Hull. The Tigers (aaahhhahahaha) lead Pompey 1-0 and 2-1 but still contrived to lose the game in the last 5 minutes. They will need plenty of Dowie's 'bouncebackability' if they have any hopes of being a Premier League club next season.
Utd v Liverpool today then, always a big game regardless of the league permutations. Despite their disappointing league position (16 points separate these two) Liverpool come into the game on a decent run and I expect them to give Utd a really good game. I fancy a 1-1 draw but naturally I hope it's a 6-0 win for the scousers. Chelsea have a tricky game at Blackburn, a side who aren't pretty on the eye (you wouldn't expect anything else from Big Sam) but are very affective at home. The Blues have the Champions League effect to deal with, are they mentally ready for what will be an aerial rape today? I certainly hope not. Take her easy.
It's very much advantage Spurs in the battle for 4th, it's not easy to win at Stoke and they are now 5 clear of Liverpool (on the same number of games) and Man City (who have 2 games in hand). Villa will be disappointed with a 2-2 draw at home to Wolves, and there were wins for Sunderland, Everton and Wigan in the other games. Have I forgot someone? Ah yes, Hull. The Tigers (aaahhhahahaha) lead Pompey 1-0 and 2-1 but still contrived to lose the game in the last 5 minutes. They will need plenty of Dowie's 'bouncebackability' if they have any hopes of being a Premier League club next season.
Utd v Liverpool today then, always a big game regardless of the league permutations. Despite their disappointing league position (16 points separate these two) Liverpool come into the game on a decent run and I expect them to give Utd a really good game. I fancy a 1-1 draw but naturally I hope it's a 6-0 win for the scousers. Chelsea have a tricky game at Blackburn, a side who aren't pretty on the eye (you wouldn't expect anything else from Big Sam) but are very affective at home. The Blues have the Champions League effect to deal with, are they mentally ready for what will be an aerial rape today? I certainly hope not. Take her easy.
Friday, 19 March 2010
Champions League, UEFA Cup
Woah! Arsenal v Barca then eh? Different ways of looking at that one - 1. Oh fuck this is impossible, 2. What a fucking game we've got on our hands, 3. Thank fuck we didn't get Utd and 4. Let's fuck these guys up! Stating the bleeding obvious this is a tough tough tie for the Gunners, Barca are the defending champions and probably the best team on the planet right now. Somehow we've got to stop Messi while keeping an eye on Henry, Ibra, Xavi, Iniesta and many more, while making sure we stick the ball in the net a few times ourselves. To be fair we've had some pretty kind draws in recent memory, Porto could have been worse, Villareal in the quarters last season, Roma the round before that, so we're almost due a big one like this. It'll be 2 teams playing similar systems, similar styles of football and just going for it, the 2 games will be a pleasure to watch. It's not the forgone conclusion that some voices have already suggested, we've got plenty that can hurt them too, their defence (like ours) is the shakiest part of their game, so it will probably come down to who defends the best over the two legs. There are naturally some interesting subplots beginning to rumble, it's a rematch of the 2006 final where we led for so long, but in the end never really felt that we got a proper shot at the big boys because of the red card for Mad Jens. We've got Henry coming back to North London, something that I don't particularly expect him to relish, as his love for the club is so much and so emotional that his head might not be quite right, we'll see. One man who I don't think will be feeling such emotions with be Fabregas, from memory he's had some slightly dodgy things to say about his time at Barca, how he wasn't looked after properly and never felt loved etc etc, no question that the Camp Nou leg will be massive for him though. Looking further afield we're on the same side of the draw as Inter and CSKA, you can't imagine anything other than Inter progressing but this season has seen some strange results so you never know. Utd face a tough trip to Bayern, the old dark horse of the tournament, but again they are favourites particularly because they play the 2nd leg at home (a luxury not afforded to Arsenal), and they'll be delighted to find either Lyon or Bordeaux waiting for them in the semi final. All 3 of Utd's big dangers are kept apart on the other side of the draw. Some super football to look forward to over the next month or so, here's hoping for an Arsenal v Utd final in May.
I watched some UEFA Cup last night (no, I won't acknowledge it's new stupid name) mainly because I had nothing better to do, but I'm mighty glad that I did now. Much respect has to go out to Fulham who have made it through to the quarters (where they meet Wolfsburg) after a thrilling night at Craven Cottage. After going 1-0 down to the mighty Juve in just 2 minutes, Fulham were 70-1 to go through, but they defied the bookies with a storming 4-1 comeback. Super goal from Dempsey, Zamora was unplayable (so much so Cannavaro decided to stop playing all together) and great finishes from Gera have put Hodgson firmly back on the map. If Arsene Wenger knocked it on the head tomorrow morning I couldn't think of a better candidate than the old boy. Liverpool followed Fulham into the last 8 (a tie with Benfica) with a 3-0 win over Lille, a score line which flattered them to be honest. If Eden Hazard had put away the chance he should have done then it may well have all gone horribly wrongly. The match was surrounded by some quite incredible quotes coming out of Spain, claiming that Albert Riera (another of Rafa's failed 5-10million purchases) had been mouthing off about Benitez and what a shit manager he is. Far from me to disagree with the reasonable views of Riera, but buddy, really?! You're gonna slag off your CURRENT boss, to the SPANISH press? Really? What an idiot.
Off to the Emirates for Arsenal v West Ham tomorrow, so I'll blog ya on Sunday. Take her easy.
I watched some UEFA Cup last night (no, I won't acknowledge it's new stupid name) mainly because I had nothing better to do, but I'm mighty glad that I did now. Much respect has to go out to Fulham who have made it through to the quarters (where they meet Wolfsburg) after a thrilling night at Craven Cottage. After going 1-0 down to the mighty Juve in just 2 minutes, Fulham were 70-1 to go through, but they defied the bookies with a storming 4-1 comeback. Super goal from Dempsey, Zamora was unplayable (so much so Cannavaro decided to stop playing all together) and great finishes from Gera have put Hodgson firmly back on the map. If Arsene Wenger knocked it on the head tomorrow morning I couldn't think of a better candidate than the old boy. Liverpool followed Fulham into the last 8 (a tie with Benfica) with a 3-0 win over Lille, a score line which flattered them to be honest. If Eden Hazard had put away the chance he should have done then it may well have all gone horribly wrongly. The match was surrounded by some quite incredible quotes coming out of Spain, claiming that Albert Riera (another of Rafa's failed 5-10million purchases) had been mouthing off about Benitez and what a shit manager he is. Far from me to disagree with the reasonable views of Riera, but buddy, really?! You're gonna slag off your CURRENT boss, to the SPANISH press? Really? What an idiot.
Off to the Emirates for Arsenal v West Ham tomorrow, so I'll blog ya on Sunday. Take her easy.
Thursday, 18 March 2010
Arsenal, Terry
Forgive the self indulgence but this is the first Arsenal piece I've written since my triumphant return to blogging. Since my last stint in January things have moved on quite dramatically for the Gunners, we're now in with a real chance of winning the league and Champions League. It would be too much to expect them both this year but I can make a real case that we have great chances in the two competitions. Our Premier League run in is considerably easier than our 2 rivals', the trickiest games will be Spurs away and Man City at home, the other fixtures are West Ham (h), B'ham (a), Wolves (h), Wigan (a), Blackburn (a) and Fulham (h). Yes yes the old cliche of 'no easy games' and the teams in that list will be 'fighting for their lives' blah blah blah, but really, would you rather have these or trips to Old Trafford and Anfield on the horizon? That's who Chelsea have to deal with, on top of Spurs away and Villa at home. It'll be interesting to see how they react to their European exit, some are arguing that it will make them more determined to win the league now. The other thing to consider is that the Man Utd v Chelsea game falls in between Utd's Champions League quarter final legs, how will Fergie approach the game post first leg? Utd have a tough run in too, we've already mentioned Chelsea at home but first they must face the old enemy Liverpool this very Sunday, at Old Trafford mind. Liverpool are a wounded animal, they've taken a lot of knocks this season but their good win and more importantly good performance against Pompey on Monday showed that they can still play some good football. Rafa finally played the team everyone has been wanting to see all season; Aquilani, Torres, Gerrard, Maxi, Babel all got in the team, and finally he saw sense to give Lucas and Kuyt a 'rest.' Don't forget that Liverpool battered Utd in this fixture last season, a crushing 4-1 win, I'd give my right bollock to see that happen again. Utd have other tough games away at Fulham, Bolton, Sunderland and Man City. As for Europe, English teams have recently been our nemesis, so the fact that there is only 1 other team left to face as opposed to the usual 3, has to improve our chances. I think there's only 4 teams who can win it now and that is Arse, Utd, Barca and Inter. If we avoid those 3 tomorrow it will be magical, and don't forget that we also get to see the semi-final split so we'll know the route to the final. Is this being too greedy - Arsenal v CSKA, Lyon v Bordeaux ---- Man Utd v Barca, Inter v Bayern. It's long been the belief that Europe is our best chance of silverwere, mainly because the European sides tend to come out and attack more, leaving themselves vulnerable on the break to our fast forwards - a little bit like the way we play. The big boys in England are big and strong enough to soak it up and then fuck us on the break, European teams don't tend to be as smart. In fact, last year Pep Guardiola said the one team he wanted to avoid was Arsenal. Now, I don't know if he really meant that, I suspect that Utd would be a tougher proposition (particularly over 2 legs, not like last years disapointing final) than us, but he clearly recognises that we would be a threat to his team. What a final eh? Arsenal v Barca, at the fucking Bernabeu, all the Madrid boys would be backing us, it would be a special night. I'll probably blog post-draw tomorrow so we can have a proper analysis....
The players have responded fantastically since those shocking defeats to Utd and Chelsea in January. We're unbeaten since then and have picked up the useful habit of scoring crucial late goals, see Stoke and Hull for details. Nick Bendtner has come back into the team and scoring goals, save for one day to forget against Burnley. As I said a few days ago, the fans who watch their team week in week for 90 minutes know who is playing well and who isn't. He gets a lot of stick big Nick, and yes at times he can make you shake your head in disbelief but he's still a young lad who is scoring goals. He's got 9 for the season, scored 15 last year and 9 the year before that, all when he's not a regular starter and about half of his Arsenal appearances have been from the bench. Our captain Cesc is doing superb, he looks bigger and stronger now, like a real leader. I think we all felt when Gallas had to go that making Cesc captain was more about keeping him here, keeping him happy and keeping him central to the future of the club than his natural leadership qualities, but it's a role he's grown into and is now florushing under. I could go all around the pitch but there's not a lot of point, our fringe boys have taken a big step forward this year and some of the older heads are proving what class they have. I'll stick my neck out and say yeh, we'll have a winners medal at the end of the season.
Finally, John Terry's season goes from bad to worse, as he's leaving Stamford Bridge after getting done by Inter, he hits a steward with his monster 4x4 and breaks the poor guy's leg. Furthermore, he didn't even stop (apparently not realising) and has yet to make any kind of apology. I suppose I shouldn't be surprised, we didn't get an apology from him after shagging one of his best mates girlfriends (and the mother of his child) so why should we expect one now? I'm not saying we should have him hung drawn and quartered but as the England captain he was in a position on privelege, the most priveleged position you can have in English football, he's a role model and an example to all the kids growing up and this is how he behaves? Everyone makes mistakes but come on mate, you get paid £120,000 a fucking week, play football for a living and you still wanna be a complete tosser? What made it more hilarious was that Terry refused to step down (which would have got him some respect from England fans) and had to be sacked by the boss. I don't think his recent decline in form is any coincedence either, and the fact that what he did is forcing others to turn down international call ups is just a joke. Terry, you're a disgrace. Take her easy.
The players have responded fantastically since those shocking defeats to Utd and Chelsea in January. We're unbeaten since then and have picked up the useful habit of scoring crucial late goals, see Stoke and Hull for details. Nick Bendtner has come back into the team and scoring goals, save for one day to forget against Burnley. As I said a few days ago, the fans who watch their team week in week for 90 minutes know who is playing well and who isn't. He gets a lot of stick big Nick, and yes at times he can make you shake your head in disbelief but he's still a young lad who is scoring goals. He's got 9 for the season, scored 15 last year and 9 the year before that, all when he's not a regular starter and about half of his Arsenal appearances have been from the bench. Our captain Cesc is doing superb, he looks bigger and stronger now, like a real leader. I think we all felt when Gallas had to go that making Cesc captain was more about keeping him here, keeping him happy and keeping him central to the future of the club than his natural leadership qualities, but it's a role he's grown into and is now florushing under. I could go all around the pitch but there's not a lot of point, our fringe boys have taken a big step forward this year and some of the older heads are proving what class they have. I'll stick my neck out and say yeh, we'll have a winners medal at the end of the season.
Finally, John Terry's season goes from bad to worse, as he's leaving Stamford Bridge after getting done by Inter, he hits a steward with his monster 4x4 and breaks the poor guy's leg. Furthermore, he didn't even stop (apparently not realising) and has yet to make any kind of apology. I suppose I shouldn't be surprised, we didn't get an apology from him after shagging one of his best mates girlfriends (and the mother of his child) so why should we expect one now? I'm not saying we should have him hung drawn and quartered but as the England captain he was in a position on privelege, the most priveleged position you can have in English football, he's a role model and an example to all the kids growing up and this is how he behaves? Everyone makes mistakes but come on mate, you get paid £120,000 a fucking week, play football for a living and you still wanna be a complete tosser? What made it more hilarious was that Terry refused to step down (which would have got him some respect from England fans) and had to be sacked by the boss. I don't think his recent decline in form is any coincedence either, and the fact that what he did is forcing others to turn down international call ups is just a joke. Terry, you're a disgrace. Take her easy.
Wednesday, 17 March 2010
Inter, Champions League, Dowie
Looks like my prediction from yesterday's blog came to fruition in the big game at Chelsea last night, not in the score (I went for 2-2 aet) but in the realisation that Inter are no mugs. They played a superb game and thoroughly deserved to go through for me, Sneijder was outstanding, Eto'o and Milto always dangerous and they defended just as well as you would expect any Mourinho side to do. Despite his subdued touchline performance and absence at the final whistle, he'll be one smug bastard this morning, and as Gooner I really don't fancy getting them in the quarter final draw. He did a terrific job at Chelsea and it was probably his own success that cost him his job in the end, the expectations were lifted and anything other than perfection was not tolerated by Roman and the board. Sure he had a lot of money to spend, but there is something undeniable and infectious about his personality, you really get the impression that he and his players are like brothers, or something gay like that. While Inter march on, Chelsea are left to asses the damage of another season without that elusive European crown. Ancelotti is a good boss and speculation that he will be sacked is pretty unlikely, but if he ends the season without the league then the big impatient boss man might get a little trigger happy. Scolari only lasted 6 months, why would Carlo be any different? And then you look at the team - Terry, Lampard, Ballack, Anelka, Drogba, Deco - all these guys are/were great players but too many look past their best. Was this the last chance for these ageing superstars? I've long thought that they need some fresh faces in the club, get some talented youngsters in there, because the much lauded young academy has produced no-one of any note. Where do they go from here?
Inter join Lyon, Arsenal, Man Utd, Bayern and CSKA in Friday's quarter final draw, along with probably Barca and Bordeaux, who have to see off Stuttgart and Olympiakos this evening. That seems a distinctly unfamiliar looking lineup to me, we're so used to seeing Liverpool and Chelsea in the last 8. We have 2 sides and surprisingly France will be the others with 2 sides (come on Bordeaux, don't make me look foolish now...) and we miss the more traditional European giants in Milan and Madrid. With my Arsenal hat on, I'll say right off the bat I don't want to play Utd. I just hold no hope whatsoever that we can beat an English team over 2 legs, we've lost to all 3 of the big boys at some stage in the last 5/6 years. Inter and Barca would be the next ones to avoid, and then the dangerous Bayern, then the 2 Frenchies, which leaves everyone wanting to draw CSKA Moscow. The surprise package of the tournament this year, they impressively dispatched of Sevilla last night and got a draw at Old Trafford in the group stage. It will be a long away trip and playing a fresh team who have just started their season, but I'd rather have that on my plate than the Camp Nou.
Finally, it seems that Ian Dowie will be appointed the new Hull manager today in what is a completely unsurprising appointment. Dowie has hardly been much of a success since getting into football management, getting sacked practically everywhere he's been. For Hull it's a perfect scenario. I'd be gobsmacked if the deal was anything other than until the end of the season, where if they stay up they look like geniuses, and if the go down it's a quick (and cheap) cut and run job on Dowie, then they can spend the time bringing in a long termer like Southgate, Curbs or Coppell. Sneaky. Take her easy.
Inter join Lyon, Arsenal, Man Utd, Bayern and CSKA in Friday's quarter final draw, along with probably Barca and Bordeaux, who have to see off Stuttgart and Olympiakos this evening. That seems a distinctly unfamiliar looking lineup to me, we're so used to seeing Liverpool and Chelsea in the last 8. We have 2 sides and surprisingly France will be the others with 2 sides (come on Bordeaux, don't make me look foolish now...) and we miss the more traditional European giants in Milan and Madrid. With my Arsenal hat on, I'll say right off the bat I don't want to play Utd. I just hold no hope whatsoever that we can beat an English team over 2 legs, we've lost to all 3 of the big boys at some stage in the last 5/6 years. Inter and Barca would be the next ones to avoid, and then the dangerous Bayern, then the 2 Frenchies, which leaves everyone wanting to draw CSKA Moscow. The surprise package of the tournament this year, they impressively dispatched of Sevilla last night and got a draw at Old Trafford in the group stage. It will be a long away trip and playing a fresh team who have just started their season, but I'd rather have that on my plate than the Camp Nou.
Finally, it seems that Ian Dowie will be appointed the new Hull manager today in what is a completely unsurprising appointment. Dowie has hardly been much of a success since getting into football management, getting sacked practically everywhere he's been. For Hull it's a perfect scenario. I'd be gobsmacked if the deal was anything other than until the end of the season, where if they stay up they look like geniuses, and if the go down it's a quick (and cheap) cut and run job on Dowie, then they can spend the time bringing in a long termer like Southgate, Curbs or Coppell. Sneaky. Take her easy.
Tuesday, 16 March 2010
Inter v Chelsea, Ramsey, England
Tonight in the Champions League we see the return of the 'Special One' Jose Mourinho to Stamford Bridge, with a 2-1 first leg lead for his Inter side. The first leg was a little cagey (as first legs tend to be) but I was generally impressed with Inter Milan, something I wouldn't have said last year or the year before. I heard a lot of folks claiming that Chelsea deserved at least a draw from the game but I put that down to the typical warped view that the British press have when it comes to European games. From the back they have a class goalkeeper, up there with Gigi and Iker for me, the best right back in the world, solid old boys in Lucio and Samuel and their captain Zanetti has played something near a million games of football. In the middle I've always loved Cambiasso, Stankovic is a really good player, but the jewel in the crown has got to be Sneijder. Why o' why Real Madrid felt the need to let him go is beyond me - sure they had Kaka and Ronaldo coming in but this guy is good enough to be competing with them for sure. He ran things in the first leg, Chelsea will have to make sure he's well shackled tonight if they want to progress. As for the lads up top, Eto'o is a class act who will always be able to nick a goal, Milito may not have a big profile over here but I really like the look of him, Pandev is a creative and hard working lad brought in from Lazio, and then there's the new kid on the block Mario Balotelli. The Ghanaian born Italian is the new enigma in Italian football, he shows touches (and goals, just ask Rubin Kazan) of brilliance followed by angry tantrums and poor discipline. Unfortunately the 19 year old prodigy hasn't travelled with the squad to London, I just hope that Lippi takes a punt on him in the summer. With that Inter love in out of the way lets look at the game. I really do believe that Inter will go through tonight, it could turn out to be a long old evening - I'll go 2-1 Chelsea, into extra time and Inter grab the crucial goal for a 2-2 draw on the night. Chelsea are strong at home but I just fancy Jose to pull something out of the bag and cause a bit of an upset. I've always said that at this stage of a tie, the away side have 90 minutes (or maybe 120) to score an away goal, and the home side have none. With unproven Ross Turnbull in goal I have to fancy Inter of getting at least one. I watched Jose's press conference yesterday and he was back on great form, slipping seamlessly between English, Italian, Portuguese and Spanish. There will be no running down the touchline antics from him tomorrow if they win, he has a lot of respect for his old club and their fans, I just hope Arsenal get them in the next round and batter him. Forza Internazionale!
'One Aaron Ramsey' and 'Do it for Aaron' were just some of the banners I saw at the Arsenal v Porto game last week, fantastic support for our Welsh Cesc Fabregas. Ramsey was really having a good season, the boss had set him a target of 20 appearances at the off, and he had already made 29 scoring 4 goals, before an all too familiar night at Stoke. He was breaking into the first team picture with some really good performances, not the kind that you can judge from a Match of the Day but when you watch the 90 minutes of your team on a regular basis you can see who is doing the business and who isn't. Although still raw and capable of giving the ball away, he has a great eye for a pass, can chip in with the odd goal and isn't afraid of taking a shot once and a while. He was having another good game at Stoke when he suffered a horrific double leg break following a challenge with Ryan Shawcross. The scenes were sickeningly familiar, Aaron in massive pain, his leg hanging at an awful angle, players signalling furiously to the bench, others just shaking their heads and walking around in disbelief. Sky were not showing replays of the tackle but it was no surprise to see Shawcross sent off, he's just broken some one's leg. With some 3/4 weeks to reflect on what happened, here's my 2 cents. Clearly Shawcross didn't intend to break Ramsey's leg, there was no lunge or stamping motion, he's going in to get the ball and unfortunately Ramsey's leg is planted. We saw from Shawcross' reaction as he left the pitch how upset he was. He does though go in with terrific pace and aggression (he's a big guy) and without much control or skill in his tackle, for that he can be accused of being reckless. As the boss has pointed out, a great tackle is as pleasurable to watch as a great strike of cutting through ball, it's a skill in itself. The incident has highlighted some bigger questions than just broken legs though. It comes back to this phrase and state of mind that 'Arsenal don't like it up 'em.' Obviously Pulis hasn't gone to his team and said 'go break his fucking leg,' but you can be sure the dressing room have been told to 'get stuck in' and 'let them know you're there' and 'hit him the first 5 minutes' and so on. We all love the physical side of the British game, it's what sets us apart from the jessie's in Spain and Italy, but this mindset and philosophy to get stuck in can breed the over aggression that caused the serious injuries to Ramsey, Eduardo and Diaby. I have no real problem with Shawcross to be honest, despite some less than clean tackles on Adebayor and Frannie Jeffers that have been brought up since the Ramsey incident - he seems very sorry for what happened, as he should be. However, all we heard for the next few days was 'he's not that kind of player' and what a lovely lad little Ryan Shawcross is, and how fantastic and smashing the other England lads had been with him while on international duty. 'Ryan Shawcross hasn't got a bad bone in his body,' well Aaron Ramsey has 2 bad bones now. But imagine for a moment that Ramsey had just got fouled in that incident, yellow card for Shawcross and the game goes on. Another Delap throw in gets nodded in by Fuller and Stoke win that game 2-1, what would the headlines be the next day? 'Arsenal didn't fancy it,' or 'they weren't up for it' or 'couldn't handle Stoke's physical game.' We've heard all these sorts of things after games with Bolton, Hull, Blackburn etc, and we've now suffered a double leg break, a leg break with open ankle dislocation and a broken ankle. That's where Wenger is right when he says he doesn't believe in coincidences. Eduardo hasn't been the same player since, Diaby is doing well but both players' bodies are still recovering from the trauma they've been through. Little calf tweaks and hamstring pulls are regular for both lads, the body isn't used to the amount of hard work you're asking it to do after 6 months sat on your arse. So we can only wish Aaron a speedy and problem free recovery, he's a young lad so he should be back on his feet soon enough and itching to kick a football again. Let's win it for the boy.
Finally, this is my 16th March 2010 England squad. I did this a few months ago and I'll do another one just before the Capello 30-man provisional squad, and then make my final 23 before he picks his, see how good of a manager I would be. This presumes that all the players are fit and that Wayne Bridge doesn't make a U-turn on his exile decision.
Keepers: Green (1), James, Hart
Defenders: Terry, Ferdinand, Johnson, A.Cole, Brown, Baines, Upson, Lescott
Midfielders: Gerrard, Lampard, Barry, Walcott, J.Cole, Carrick, Milner, Lennon
Forwards: Rooney, Heskey, Defoe, Crouch
Keepers: No big surprises here, Hart has made that 3rd spot a cert with some excellent performances for B'ham this season, if anyone is vulnerable it's James for me.
Defenders: Assuming Cole is fit, if not then Warnock is a candidate, Capello might try and beg Bridge, but we have other options in Barry, Lescott and Milner there. Brown will go despite how uninspiring he is, let's just hope Johnson gets fit for fuck sake. I'd rather leave Lescott behind and bring Downing/Young but I think Fabio will err on the side of caution and bring the extra defender.
Midfielders: I'm always gonna take my boy Theo, plus he can double up as the 5th striker if we need him there, Joe Cole is worth the gamble for me, he hasn't set the world alight this season but he's a great player, Milner is a shoe-in and Lennon's early season form has convinced me he's the man to replace Becks.
Forwards: Pick themselves really. If the boss does some juggling in Def/Mid to make room for the extra striker I'd probably take Carlton Cole. Take her easy.
'One Aaron Ramsey' and 'Do it for Aaron' were just some of the banners I saw at the Arsenal v Porto game last week, fantastic support for our Welsh Cesc Fabregas. Ramsey was really having a good season, the boss had set him a target of 20 appearances at the off, and he had already made 29 scoring 4 goals, before an all too familiar night at Stoke. He was breaking into the first team picture with some really good performances, not the kind that you can judge from a Match of the Day but when you watch the 90 minutes of your team on a regular basis you can see who is doing the business and who isn't. Although still raw and capable of giving the ball away, he has a great eye for a pass, can chip in with the odd goal and isn't afraid of taking a shot once and a while. He was having another good game at Stoke when he suffered a horrific double leg break following a challenge with Ryan Shawcross. The scenes were sickeningly familiar, Aaron in massive pain, his leg hanging at an awful angle, players signalling furiously to the bench, others just shaking their heads and walking around in disbelief. Sky were not showing replays of the tackle but it was no surprise to see Shawcross sent off, he's just broken some one's leg. With some 3/4 weeks to reflect on what happened, here's my 2 cents. Clearly Shawcross didn't intend to break Ramsey's leg, there was no lunge or stamping motion, he's going in to get the ball and unfortunately Ramsey's leg is planted. We saw from Shawcross' reaction as he left the pitch how upset he was. He does though go in with terrific pace and aggression (he's a big guy) and without much control or skill in his tackle, for that he can be accused of being reckless. As the boss has pointed out, a great tackle is as pleasurable to watch as a great strike of cutting through ball, it's a skill in itself. The incident has highlighted some bigger questions than just broken legs though. It comes back to this phrase and state of mind that 'Arsenal don't like it up 'em.' Obviously Pulis hasn't gone to his team and said 'go break his fucking leg,' but you can be sure the dressing room have been told to 'get stuck in' and 'let them know you're there' and 'hit him the first 5 minutes' and so on. We all love the physical side of the British game, it's what sets us apart from the jessie's in Spain and Italy, but this mindset and philosophy to get stuck in can breed the over aggression that caused the serious injuries to Ramsey, Eduardo and Diaby. I have no real problem with Shawcross to be honest, despite some less than clean tackles on Adebayor and Frannie Jeffers that have been brought up since the Ramsey incident - he seems very sorry for what happened, as he should be. However, all we heard for the next few days was 'he's not that kind of player' and what a lovely lad little Ryan Shawcross is, and how fantastic and smashing the other England lads had been with him while on international duty. 'Ryan Shawcross hasn't got a bad bone in his body,' well Aaron Ramsey has 2 bad bones now. But imagine for a moment that Ramsey had just got fouled in that incident, yellow card for Shawcross and the game goes on. Another Delap throw in gets nodded in by Fuller and Stoke win that game 2-1, what would the headlines be the next day? 'Arsenal didn't fancy it,' or 'they weren't up for it' or 'couldn't handle Stoke's physical game.' We've heard all these sorts of things after games with Bolton, Hull, Blackburn etc, and we've now suffered a double leg break, a leg break with open ankle dislocation and a broken ankle. That's where Wenger is right when he says he doesn't believe in coincidences. Eduardo hasn't been the same player since, Diaby is doing well but both players' bodies are still recovering from the trauma they've been through. Little calf tweaks and hamstring pulls are regular for both lads, the body isn't used to the amount of hard work you're asking it to do after 6 months sat on your arse. So we can only wish Aaron a speedy and problem free recovery, he's a young lad so he should be back on his feet soon enough and itching to kick a football again. Let's win it for the boy.
Finally, this is my 16th March 2010 England squad. I did this a few months ago and I'll do another one just before the Capello 30-man provisional squad, and then make my final 23 before he picks his, see how good of a manager I would be. This presumes that all the players are fit and that Wayne Bridge doesn't make a U-turn on his exile decision.
Keepers: Green (1), James, Hart
Defenders: Terry, Ferdinand, Johnson, A.Cole, Brown, Baines, Upson, Lescott
Midfielders: Gerrard, Lampard, Barry, Walcott, J.Cole, Carrick, Milner, Lennon
Forwards: Rooney, Heskey, Defoe, Crouch
Keepers: No big surprises here, Hart has made that 3rd spot a cert with some excellent performances for B'ham this season, if anyone is vulnerable it's James for me.
Defenders: Assuming Cole is fit, if not then Warnock is a candidate, Capello might try and beg Bridge, but we have other options in Barry, Lescott and Milner there. Brown will go despite how uninspiring he is, let's just hope Johnson gets fit for fuck sake. I'd rather leave Lescott behind and bring Downing/Young but I think Fabio will err on the side of caution and bring the extra defender.
Midfielders: I'm always gonna take my boy Theo, plus he can double up as the 5th striker if we need him there, Joe Cole is worth the gamble for me, he hasn't set the world alight this season but he's a great player, Milner is a shoe-in and Lennon's early season form has convinced me he's the man to replace Becks.
Forwards: Pick themselves really. If the boss does some juggling in Def/Mid to make room for the extra striker I'd probably take Carlton Cole. Take her easy.
Monday, 15 March 2010
Beckham, Hull, Premier League
Hi, I felt like doing this again, that feeling will probably only last this evening but I'll try and keep her regular :)
We awoke to the sad news that Sir David of Beckham will miss the World Cup after rupturing his Achilles while playing for AC Milan last night. Regular readers of this blog (pah, as if!) will know I'm a big Becks fan, a fan of Becks the man and the footballer, so I'm really disappointed for him, but his personal setback is unlikely to give Fabio Capello sleepless nights. I would have definitely taken him to the World Cup, as Capello would have done, but you can't deny that his presence would have been predominantly in a team spirit/experience capacity. He would have been a useful sub to bring on when you're 2-1 up in a quarter final, keep the ball, keep a cool head, but even the biggest Beckham fans would struggle to argue that at 2-1 down he would be the best 'last throw of the dice' to nick a goal. I'm sure that Capello would look to the pacy and unpredictable likes of Walcott or Joe Cole to come up with a goal ahead of Becks. My pal and fellow blogger http://tomwoods34.blogspot.com/ makes some good points regarding Beckham's last few years of football, his decision to go to the footballing graveyard that is the MLS at a relatively young age will be haunting him today. If at that stage Becks had turned his back on England, then he would have picked up a very decent pension and sun tan out in Los Angeles, but his damn professionalism, patriot heart and hard work meant that he wanted to play for his country until the day he hangs his boots up. Eat your heart out Carragher and Scholes. The odd MLS schedule meant that he needed to get some decent playing time in Europe to impress the new Don at the England helm, and it's clear that all this extra training, traveling and games have caught up with him. It's a real shame that we may well never see Beckham back in the famous shirt, but I for one won't be putting any money on that just yet. Time and time again he has proved that he really is the comeback king; France 98' red card, Fergie boot incident, Freekick vs Greece, Pen vs Argies, England captain retirement, Real Madrid exile, McClaren recall, USA experiment, AC Milan, the man has had a quite remarkable career. Beckham in 2014 WC squad anyone?
Hull have today parted company with their marmite of a manager (skin colour pun well and truly intended) Phil Brown. I understand his placement on 'gardening leave' is purely from a financial stand point and he really his gone for good. He's given that club some magical moments, games at Wembley, Arsenal and Tottenham spring to mind. But what most neutrals (and Arsenal fans) will take from Brown's fleeting spell in the Premier League were the really quite mad and surreal moments. Who can forget the half time team talk at Man City last season, quite possibly the moment where Hull's season fell apart. All I heard after that from ex-pro pundits was 'I would have been embarrassed and angry if a manager had done that to me,' and you can hardly argue that it was a success. Since that day, Hull have won a pathetic 6 Premier League games out of 40-odd, and only survived because a feeble Newcastle side were remarkably even worse than themselves. A 1-0 home defeat to Man Utd C team on the last day of the season was celebrated like it was promotion all over again, and the KC was treated to an outstanding rendition of a Beach Boys classic, lead by Phil Orange and his sexy goatee. My fellow Gooners will remember the poor defeat to Hull in the league, but savour the memory of the FA Cup quarter final last spring where we extracted some sweet but controversial revenge. We went behind to a Barmby goal early on and had to wait for a good old offside Gallas header to set Brown off into a shit fit in what was his most memorable night. After the game our injured captain came onto the pitch to celebrate with his teammates (this bare in mind all happened at the Emirates, where Brown got off telling the press that Cesc had no right to be on the pitch - HIS pitch - I'll never know) and these scenes were apparently followed by a bit of scuffle and then some outlandish accusations that Cesc had spat at the Hull assitant coach. I know that he has a spiky side to him (that we all love for the record) but these were some quite ridiculous claims. I suppose we'll never know what really happened in that tunnel but after some FA investigations they basically told Brown to jog on. Much like his employers have today. I can't say I'll miss him too much but he deserves some credit for getting Hull into the league they're in today, and some responsibility for leading them to a probable relegation.
Finally, what a superb season of football we're being treated to in the Premier League eh? A tight 3 horse race for the title, 4 very good sides fighting it out for the elusive Champions League place that's up for grabs, an unpredictable bottom half and relegation zone, and you get the feeling there is plenty more to come. Arsenal's run in does seem to be the easiest out of the 3 sides vying for the trophy, I'll be hoping for a 0-0 when the 2 sides meet in a month or so, and hopefully Liverpool (who still have to play both Chelsea and Man Utd) can find some form to do us a favour. I've got a feeling the North London derby in April is going to be massive this year, it's always a big game but normally at least 1 of the teams has nothing to play for by this stage of the season. Spurs are in 4th place at the moment so are going to be desperate to beat us for more than just the obvious reasons. How would they feel if they got beat, missed out on 4th by a point and we won the league by a point? Exactly. Our toughest home game will be against Man City and all the Adebayor shaped sub plots that will come with it. They just showed their no mugs in the 4-2 win at Stamford Bridge and like Spurs have plenty to play for yet. Come on boys! Take her easy.
We awoke to the sad news that Sir David of Beckham will miss the World Cup after rupturing his Achilles while playing for AC Milan last night. Regular readers of this blog (pah, as if!) will know I'm a big Becks fan, a fan of Becks the man and the footballer, so I'm really disappointed for him, but his personal setback is unlikely to give Fabio Capello sleepless nights. I would have definitely taken him to the World Cup, as Capello would have done, but you can't deny that his presence would have been predominantly in a team spirit/experience capacity. He would have been a useful sub to bring on when you're 2-1 up in a quarter final, keep the ball, keep a cool head, but even the biggest Beckham fans would struggle to argue that at 2-1 down he would be the best 'last throw of the dice' to nick a goal. I'm sure that Capello would look to the pacy and unpredictable likes of Walcott or Joe Cole to come up with a goal ahead of Becks. My pal and fellow blogger http://tomwoods34.blogspot.com/ makes some good points regarding Beckham's last few years of football, his decision to go to the footballing graveyard that is the MLS at a relatively young age will be haunting him today. If at that stage Becks had turned his back on England, then he would have picked up a very decent pension and sun tan out in Los Angeles, but his damn professionalism, patriot heart and hard work meant that he wanted to play for his country until the day he hangs his boots up. Eat your heart out Carragher and Scholes. The odd MLS schedule meant that he needed to get some decent playing time in Europe to impress the new Don at the England helm, and it's clear that all this extra training, traveling and games have caught up with him. It's a real shame that we may well never see Beckham back in the famous shirt, but I for one won't be putting any money on that just yet. Time and time again he has proved that he really is the comeback king; France 98' red card, Fergie boot incident, Freekick vs Greece, Pen vs Argies, England captain retirement, Real Madrid exile, McClaren recall, USA experiment, AC Milan, the man has had a quite remarkable career. Beckham in 2014 WC squad anyone?
Hull have today parted company with their marmite of a manager (skin colour pun well and truly intended) Phil Brown. I understand his placement on 'gardening leave' is purely from a financial stand point and he really his gone for good. He's given that club some magical moments, games at Wembley, Arsenal and Tottenham spring to mind. But what most neutrals (and Arsenal fans) will take from Brown's fleeting spell in the Premier League were the really quite mad and surreal moments. Who can forget the half time team talk at Man City last season, quite possibly the moment where Hull's season fell apart. All I heard after that from ex-pro pundits was 'I would have been embarrassed and angry if a manager had done that to me,' and you can hardly argue that it was a success. Since that day, Hull have won a pathetic 6 Premier League games out of 40-odd, and only survived because a feeble Newcastle side were remarkably even worse than themselves. A 1-0 home defeat to Man Utd C team on the last day of the season was celebrated like it was promotion all over again, and the KC was treated to an outstanding rendition of a Beach Boys classic, lead by Phil Orange and his sexy goatee. My fellow Gooners will remember the poor defeat to Hull in the league, but savour the memory of the FA Cup quarter final last spring where we extracted some sweet but controversial revenge. We went behind to a Barmby goal early on and had to wait for a good old offside Gallas header to set Brown off into a shit fit in what was his most memorable night. After the game our injured captain came onto the pitch to celebrate with his teammates (this bare in mind all happened at the Emirates, where Brown got off telling the press that Cesc had no right to be on the pitch - HIS pitch - I'll never know) and these scenes were apparently followed by a bit of scuffle and then some outlandish accusations that Cesc had spat at the Hull assitant coach. I know that he has a spiky side to him (that we all love for the record) but these were some quite ridiculous claims. I suppose we'll never know what really happened in that tunnel but after some FA investigations they basically told Brown to jog on. Much like his employers have today. I can't say I'll miss him too much but he deserves some credit for getting Hull into the league they're in today, and some responsibility for leading them to a probable relegation.
Finally, what a superb season of football we're being treated to in the Premier League eh? A tight 3 horse race for the title, 4 very good sides fighting it out for the elusive Champions League place that's up for grabs, an unpredictable bottom half and relegation zone, and you get the feeling there is plenty more to come. Arsenal's run in does seem to be the easiest out of the 3 sides vying for the trophy, I'll be hoping for a 0-0 when the 2 sides meet in a month or so, and hopefully Liverpool (who still have to play both Chelsea and Man Utd) can find some form to do us a favour. I've got a feeling the North London derby in April is going to be massive this year, it's always a big game but normally at least 1 of the teams has nothing to play for by this stage of the season. Spurs are in 4th place at the moment so are going to be desperate to beat us for more than just the obvious reasons. How would they feel if they got beat, missed out on 4th by a point and we won the league by a point? Exactly. Our toughest home game will be against Man City and all the Adebayor shaped sub plots that will come with it. They just showed their no mugs in the 4-2 win at Stamford Bridge and like Spurs have plenty to play for yet. Come on boys! Take her easy.
Thursday, 14 January 2010
Liverpool
There's really only one place we can start this morning and that is with Liverpool, who crashed out of the FA Cup last night after getting beat 2-1 by Reading. As they did in the 1st game, Reading played some really good football and Liverpool were terrible, probably the worst Liverpool performance that I can remember. Some good counter attacking Reading played gave them 2 golden chances in the first half, and as they were missed you wondered if that might have been the break they needed to win the game - you don't normally get many chances at Anfield, not normally anyway. Liverpool got their 2nd jammy goal of the tie (don't care what anyone says, Kuyt tried to get on the end of the Gerrard cross in the first game) thanks to an unlucky Betrand own goal. They had a decent start to the second half but then the momentum when back Reading's way, more chances spurned, including a jinky run from McAnuff that he HAD to just clip into a half empty net, and a Church free header which he should have hit the target with. In stoppage time Reading got the break they deserved, a stone wall penalty thanks to Benayoun bizarrely hacking at Shane Long's ankle. The pen was coolly dispatched and Long won the game in extra time after some great Gunnarsson work, he got on the end of the big man's cross with a glancing header. Liverpool's response was non-existent. They played poorly all game, but what was astonishing was the lack of fight and desire on their part, I can't remember Federici even getting tested. And so the most decorated club in English football history are dumped out of the FA Cup at the earliest stage, and all that does is pile the pressure on Mersyside.
Let's look from the top down at Liverpool. Firstly these bloody owners. It's common knowledge now that Hicks and Gillet can't stand each other. I can't really be arsed to find out why, who started it etc but it can't be a good thing for Rafa that his bosses can't agree on anything and can't stand the sight of each other. You also hear that maybe one of them wants to sell and the other is happy staying in charge, probably to spite the other more than anything. Then there's money, apparently both men are struggling with it. We seem to hear every 6 months or so about 'refinancing loans' and other such boring financial terms, the long and short of means that there isn't much money available to invest in the squad. They would argue that Rafa has had a decent chunk of cash already, but the truth is that there is no money to even argue about at the moment. The prospective new stadium at Stanley Park has been in the pipe line for years, and been on hold for a while now due to lack of funds. Perhaps they thought that this job of being a 'soccer team' owner would be a walk in the park, maybe the sports teams they own in the States are so profitable that they don't need £30-£40million of reinvestment every season, who knows. There were for a while some (and excuse me for being so broad here) rich Arabs sniffing around at the club but apparently baulked at the asking price. I'm sure that the Arabs could have done a better job than the Yanks at handling the infamous Klinsman approach. The German was approached by the owners behind Rafa's back to see if he fancied taking over at Anfield. I don't think anyone would have begrudged Benitez if he'd just walked out of there right then. But to his credit he stuck around and had a very good season last year, coming 2nd in the league after leading it for so long. Throughout all of last season there was a running saga over his contract negotiations which was finally settled in March when he signed a lucrative 5-year contract. And that appears to be the main reason why Liverpool have not sacked him yet, it would cost them a bomb to pay him off so for now he's happy to keep going and picking up his wages. Boy do the Yanks wish they hadn't worked so hard to keep him on now...
The manager is a curious bloke, accused in the past of not respecting the FA Cup and the Premier League, too much rotation, a continental focus on the European Cup etc etc. I don't think however that these accusations are fair anymore, he seems to know the importance of winning the league now, it's his failings in other departments that are costing him. Firstly his transfer work. I don't have to name the long line of players he's let go from the club, only to mention how well Bellamy is playing at City and how well Crouch is doing at Spurs, he would cut his right bollock off to get them back at the club. The Robbie Keane debacle was quite amazing, signed for £15million or so, and then decided that he would play a system that Keane didn't have a place in - either that or for whatever reason just didn't fancy him. I'm sure Hicks and Gillet would have loved that call from him saying, 'Hi Bosses, just to let you know, I'm going to sell Keane back to his old club, after just 6 months, for half the fucking price. See you at the next Utd game!' Letting Alonso go was a massive mistake, I've said before that a contract is a 2 way deal, you're agreeing to pay a player for a certain amount of time, and he's also pledging himself to that club for a certain amount of time. A manager should never be under pressure to sell a player just because he likes the look of the Real Madrid revolution. Believe me, if Rafa had played hard ball and got through until the end of August, Alonso is a professional and he would have just got on with playing football for Liverpool and he'd probably be playing as well as he did last year. Managers aren't in the business of keeping unhappy players around, granted, but they are in the business of winning football matches, something that Alonso would have helped them to do. The Alonso issue goes back a long way, to a Champions League game a couple years ago. I can't remember who they were playing but it was an away game, and Alonso requested permission to stay in England for the birth of his first child. Not a problem, this is a common occurrence in the game, but for a petty man like Benitez he felt that Alonso let him down and apparently their relationship was damaged beyond repair. Then, Rafa does all he can to get rid of Alonso to get Gareth Barry in, and I understand that if they were willing to come down in price by a couple of million, he would be an Arsenal player right now. The whole Barry situation was very public and very ugly, but when the window shut Alonso got his head down and was probably Liverpool's best and most consistent player last season. And his replacement, the much talked about Aquilani. I remember very clearly the day that Alonso got sold, the same day they announced the bid for Aquilani had been accepted and that he was to become a Liverpool player. It seemed a desperate attempt to keep the fans onside, getting rid of one of their star players and bringing in one of the hottest talents in Europe. And so far? He's been injured for several months, but the little bits we have seen of him (why don't you just play him Rafa?!) have been at kindest, tidy, and harshest, a waste of money. Sure it'll take time for him to settle and get 100% fit but the early signs are not good. The other 'case study' if you like is that of Glen Johnson. Johnson is a fine player, unquestionably England's World Cup right back and has developed his game remarkably over the last 18 months, but £20million? They sold Arbeloa to Madrid for a paltry £1million, and shelled out £20million on another right back. Was Arbeloa really £19million worse than Glen Johnson? Not for me, in fact there are some serious frailties in Johnson's defensive game, great going forward but lets not forget he is a right BACK. That is silly money for a defender for me, some of that cash could have been better spent on other areas of the pitch. Benitez's tactical prowess has to be called into question as much as his transfer policy. He may be a 2-legged continental mastermind but in the league and most recently the FA Cup he is far too cautious and places the focus on not getting beat, something that probably translates to the players as being negative, which probably causes them to lose games - 10 of the last 20 FYI. You wish sometimes he'd chuck on that unknown Pacheco with 10 to go, instead of replacing Degen with Skrtel. He's always banging on about protecting Gerrard and Torres, maybe he should worry more about winning the game he's playing right now, than the game next week.
Finally, there really are some stinkers in the current Liverpool team, it's not all on the managers shoulders. He may have brought in some poor players and got rid of some good ones, but right now most of them aren't playing anywhere near their potential. In the end it's the 11 on the pitch that have to win the games, there is only so far a manager can go. From the back, Reina is an excellent goalkeeper, fine, Johnson (currently injured) is suspect at times defensively, Carragher has had a difficult year and maybe his legs are getting to him finally, Skrtel/Agger it's probably no coincidence that Rafa doesn't know which of these boys to pick, and Insua who to me looks just plain shit. I always thought Riise was a good player, gave everything, had that hammer of a left boot, and I'm sure he could be doing a more effective job at left back right now - was the last straw with Rafa that horrible own goal against Chelsea? In the middle Gerrard is obviously top class, and despite maybe things not going right his way at the moment, you can always count on him to give his all. Lucas is a very poor player, offers absolutely nothing going forward, his passing is so limited and simple, it's beggars belief why Rafa keeps playing him. Mascherano has been missing too often with those long haul international flights and his questionable disciplinary record, a good player on his day but looks like his head has been turned by Barca. Kuyt is a good hard working player but let's face it, he's playing wide right because Torres is a better striker so he's been forced out there to give him a place in the side. You used to be able to rely on him getting you a goal when you needed one but I can't remember many of late. Benayoun I rate as a talented lad, and Torres is a super player, but then you look at the fringes, N'Gog, Riera, Aurelio, Babel, jesus Babel, so much promise but probably more guilty than anyone of under performing. He would argue that he hasn't had the chances but at a club like Liverpool you have to make those 20 mins off the bench good enough to deserve a chance. I read some remarkable quotes from him following that great goal he got at Lyon, saying something like he doesn't get on with any of his teammates and doesn't want to pass the ball, that's why he just hit it and it flew in. A great goal but those are some shocking things to hear, there's no room for any of that shit in a team sport. The long and short of it is that there are some really shit players in that Liverpool squad and even the decent/good players are nowhere to be seen at the moment. Take her easy.
Let's look from the top down at Liverpool. Firstly these bloody owners. It's common knowledge now that Hicks and Gillet can't stand each other. I can't really be arsed to find out why, who started it etc but it can't be a good thing for Rafa that his bosses can't agree on anything and can't stand the sight of each other. You also hear that maybe one of them wants to sell and the other is happy staying in charge, probably to spite the other more than anything. Then there's money, apparently both men are struggling with it. We seem to hear every 6 months or so about 'refinancing loans' and other such boring financial terms, the long and short of means that there isn't much money available to invest in the squad. They would argue that Rafa has had a decent chunk of cash already, but the truth is that there is no money to even argue about at the moment. The prospective new stadium at Stanley Park has been in the pipe line for years, and been on hold for a while now due to lack of funds. Perhaps they thought that this job of being a 'soccer team' owner would be a walk in the park, maybe the sports teams they own in the States are so profitable that they don't need £30-£40million of reinvestment every season, who knows. There were for a while some (and excuse me for being so broad here) rich Arabs sniffing around at the club but apparently baulked at the asking price. I'm sure that the Arabs could have done a better job than the Yanks at handling the infamous Klinsman approach. The German was approached by the owners behind Rafa's back to see if he fancied taking over at Anfield. I don't think anyone would have begrudged Benitez if he'd just walked out of there right then. But to his credit he stuck around and had a very good season last year, coming 2nd in the league after leading it for so long. Throughout all of last season there was a running saga over his contract negotiations which was finally settled in March when he signed a lucrative 5-year contract. And that appears to be the main reason why Liverpool have not sacked him yet, it would cost them a bomb to pay him off so for now he's happy to keep going and picking up his wages. Boy do the Yanks wish they hadn't worked so hard to keep him on now...
The manager is a curious bloke, accused in the past of not respecting the FA Cup and the Premier League, too much rotation, a continental focus on the European Cup etc etc. I don't think however that these accusations are fair anymore, he seems to know the importance of winning the league now, it's his failings in other departments that are costing him. Firstly his transfer work. I don't have to name the long line of players he's let go from the club, only to mention how well Bellamy is playing at City and how well Crouch is doing at Spurs, he would cut his right bollock off to get them back at the club. The Robbie Keane debacle was quite amazing, signed for £15million or so, and then decided that he would play a system that Keane didn't have a place in - either that or for whatever reason just didn't fancy him. I'm sure Hicks and Gillet would have loved that call from him saying, 'Hi Bosses, just to let you know, I'm going to sell Keane back to his old club, after just 6 months, for half the fucking price. See you at the next Utd game!' Letting Alonso go was a massive mistake, I've said before that a contract is a 2 way deal, you're agreeing to pay a player for a certain amount of time, and he's also pledging himself to that club for a certain amount of time. A manager should never be under pressure to sell a player just because he likes the look of the Real Madrid revolution. Believe me, if Rafa had played hard ball and got through until the end of August, Alonso is a professional and he would have just got on with playing football for Liverpool and he'd probably be playing as well as he did last year. Managers aren't in the business of keeping unhappy players around, granted, but they are in the business of winning football matches, something that Alonso would have helped them to do. The Alonso issue goes back a long way, to a Champions League game a couple years ago. I can't remember who they were playing but it was an away game, and Alonso requested permission to stay in England for the birth of his first child. Not a problem, this is a common occurrence in the game, but for a petty man like Benitez he felt that Alonso let him down and apparently their relationship was damaged beyond repair. Then, Rafa does all he can to get rid of Alonso to get Gareth Barry in, and I understand that if they were willing to come down in price by a couple of million, he would be an Arsenal player right now. The whole Barry situation was very public and very ugly, but when the window shut Alonso got his head down and was probably Liverpool's best and most consistent player last season. And his replacement, the much talked about Aquilani. I remember very clearly the day that Alonso got sold, the same day they announced the bid for Aquilani had been accepted and that he was to become a Liverpool player. It seemed a desperate attempt to keep the fans onside, getting rid of one of their star players and bringing in one of the hottest talents in Europe. And so far? He's been injured for several months, but the little bits we have seen of him (why don't you just play him Rafa?!) have been at kindest, tidy, and harshest, a waste of money. Sure it'll take time for him to settle and get 100% fit but the early signs are not good. The other 'case study' if you like is that of Glen Johnson. Johnson is a fine player, unquestionably England's World Cup right back and has developed his game remarkably over the last 18 months, but £20million? They sold Arbeloa to Madrid for a paltry £1million, and shelled out £20million on another right back. Was Arbeloa really £19million worse than Glen Johnson? Not for me, in fact there are some serious frailties in Johnson's defensive game, great going forward but lets not forget he is a right BACK. That is silly money for a defender for me, some of that cash could have been better spent on other areas of the pitch. Benitez's tactical prowess has to be called into question as much as his transfer policy. He may be a 2-legged continental mastermind but in the league and most recently the FA Cup he is far too cautious and places the focus on not getting beat, something that probably translates to the players as being negative, which probably causes them to lose games - 10 of the last 20 FYI. You wish sometimes he'd chuck on that unknown Pacheco with 10 to go, instead of replacing Degen with Skrtel. He's always banging on about protecting Gerrard and Torres, maybe he should worry more about winning the game he's playing right now, than the game next week.
Finally, there really are some stinkers in the current Liverpool team, it's not all on the managers shoulders. He may have brought in some poor players and got rid of some good ones, but right now most of them aren't playing anywhere near their potential. In the end it's the 11 on the pitch that have to win the games, there is only so far a manager can go. From the back, Reina is an excellent goalkeeper, fine, Johnson (currently injured) is suspect at times defensively, Carragher has had a difficult year and maybe his legs are getting to him finally, Skrtel/Agger it's probably no coincidence that Rafa doesn't know which of these boys to pick, and Insua who to me looks just plain shit. I always thought Riise was a good player, gave everything, had that hammer of a left boot, and I'm sure he could be doing a more effective job at left back right now - was the last straw with Rafa that horrible own goal against Chelsea? In the middle Gerrard is obviously top class, and despite maybe things not going right his way at the moment, you can always count on him to give his all. Lucas is a very poor player, offers absolutely nothing going forward, his passing is so limited and simple, it's beggars belief why Rafa keeps playing him. Mascherano has been missing too often with those long haul international flights and his questionable disciplinary record, a good player on his day but looks like his head has been turned by Barca. Kuyt is a good hard working player but let's face it, he's playing wide right because Torres is a better striker so he's been forced out there to give him a place in the side. You used to be able to rely on him getting you a goal when you needed one but I can't remember many of late. Benayoun I rate as a talented lad, and Torres is a super player, but then you look at the fringes, N'Gog, Riera, Aurelio, Babel, jesus Babel, so much promise but probably more guilty than anyone of under performing. He would argue that he hasn't had the chances but at a club like Liverpool you have to make those 20 mins off the bench good enough to deserve a chance. I read some remarkable quotes from him following that great goal he got at Lyon, saying something like he doesn't get on with any of his teammates and doesn't want to pass the ball, that's why he just hit it and it flew in. A great goal but those are some shocking things to hear, there's no room for any of that shit in a team sport. The long and short of it is that there are some really shit players in that Liverpool squad and even the decent/good players are nowhere to be seen at the moment. Take her easy.
Wednesday, 13 January 2010
Campbell, FA Cup, Spain
The portion of my blog on transfers yesterday was ill timed, shortly after posting it the Arsenal website reported that Sol Campbell would be playing in a reserve game for the Gunners against West Ham. It's common knowledge that Sol has been training with us since is disaster move to Notts County, agreeing a 5-year £40,000 a week deal, playing one game then jumping ship. Since then the County manager has departed, twice, and the big money owners who promised Premier League football in a few years time, have put the club back up for sale. Something tells me that big Sol knew something that we didn't. Anyway, he has been unattached for several months now and Arsene Wenger has been able to get a really good look at him up close, and it seems he is set to sign a deal until the rest of the season. Does le boss have a history of signing players over 30? Nope, certainly not 35 year olds. Does he have a history of re-signing players he's previously sold? Never, this will be a first. Interesting. The big man did great things with the club, winning 2 league titles, 3 FA Cups, was part of the Invincibles team, and scored in the Champions League final. His first spell at the club though ended in mysterious and sad circumstances. 2-0 down to the Hammers, Sol walked out of Highbury at half time apparently distraught at his part in conceding the goals and the supposed realisation that he was getting on a bit. He wasn't seen by the club for something like a week until he turned up on holiday in Belgium - very strange indeed. Since then he won the cup with Pompey so has tasted more success than most of the current Arsenal side. I think he'll be a great addition to the squad, low risk, low expense, high experience and high presence. Who knows, 5 games to go in the title race, Gallas picks up a thigh strain and it's up to Sol to come in and do a job. 10th April, White Hart Lane, 5 to go, it's 1-1, and 'The Sol Man' leaps like a salmon to meet a corner and gives us the win. Haha, get in!
FA Cup 3rd round replays started last night and continue tonight. Pompey scraped through against Coventry thanks to a goal in the last seconds of extra time, in form Bham beat in form Forest, and Cardiff v Bristol City will have to go to a Seven Bridge replay - this was the original tie. Tonight Liverpool take on Reading at Anfield after a poor performance when they came down to the Mad Stad a few weeks back. It shouldn't be underestimated what a big game this is for Liverpool. They are in a real shit fight for that Champions League spot, City are looking strong and Villa and Spurs are still knocking about. They still have a shot in the Europa League, but the FA Cup is a winnable trophy that would salvage something for their season, especially with Utd already out. As for Reading, they played great in the first leg and fully deserved the replay, no-one will be fancying them to go up there and do it, but they'll have nothing to lose and will go for it.
Finally, a little rant on those dirty mischief makers at Barca and Madrid, whose public pursuit of a certain Spaniard is getting quite silly now. First of all, we shouldn't be surprised at the way things are done over there, they have big daily sports papers like Marca and big sport radio stations that make it their business to create transfer rumour nonsense, we have the same over here. The difference though is the system of presidents, heads of football and other such positions that are voted on during elections. That's where you get guys like Florentino Perez at Madrid, he says 'vote for me cos I'll bring in Ronaldo, Kaka and Benzema' and there you have it. It has mainly been Barcelona though who have been pursuing Cesc, twats like Joan Laporta and Txixixixixi Bergustin (or something) go on about the Barca DNA that Cesc has and all this fucking nonsense, you've even got Xavi, Iniesta and Puyol joining in now. We know that one day Cesc will go, to Barca or Madrid, but it's down to us and the boss to make sure that day is in 5/8 years and not 1/2. I get a little nervous when he's away with Spain, I don't want him to enjoy playing with Xavi too much and get his head turned, something like that could easily happen this summer. The boss has hand written a letter to both of them to say, 'look, I'm not selling Cesc or anyone at the moment so you might aswell fuck off. If you wanna make a mistake and buy another Hleb from us in a few years, give us a ring and we'll sort summink out, until then, shit off.' A £40million bid for him and signs of unhappiness and the boss might think again. He's done nothing but be committed so far though, our best player, our captain, our leader. We love you boy! Take her easy.
FA Cup 3rd round replays started last night and continue tonight. Pompey scraped through against Coventry thanks to a goal in the last seconds of extra time, in form Bham beat in form Forest, and Cardiff v Bristol City will have to go to a Seven Bridge replay - this was the original tie. Tonight Liverpool take on Reading at Anfield after a poor performance when they came down to the Mad Stad a few weeks back. It shouldn't be underestimated what a big game this is for Liverpool. They are in a real shit fight for that Champions League spot, City are looking strong and Villa and Spurs are still knocking about. They still have a shot in the Europa League, but the FA Cup is a winnable trophy that would salvage something for their season, especially with Utd already out. As for Reading, they played great in the first leg and fully deserved the replay, no-one will be fancying them to go up there and do it, but they'll have nothing to lose and will go for it.
Finally, a little rant on those dirty mischief makers at Barca and Madrid, whose public pursuit of a certain Spaniard is getting quite silly now. First of all, we shouldn't be surprised at the way things are done over there, they have big daily sports papers like Marca and big sport radio stations that make it their business to create transfer rumour nonsense, we have the same over here. The difference though is the system of presidents, heads of football and other such positions that are voted on during elections. That's where you get guys like Florentino Perez at Madrid, he says 'vote for me cos I'll bring in Ronaldo, Kaka and Benzema' and there you have it. It has mainly been Barcelona though who have been pursuing Cesc, twats like Joan Laporta and Txixixixixi Bergustin (or something) go on about the Barca DNA that Cesc has and all this fucking nonsense, you've even got Xavi, Iniesta and Puyol joining in now. We know that one day Cesc will go, to Barca or Madrid, but it's down to us and the boss to make sure that day is in 5/8 years and not 1/2. I get a little nervous when he's away with Spain, I don't want him to enjoy playing with Xavi too much and get his head turned, something like that could easily happen this summer. The boss has hand written a letter to both of them to say, 'look, I'm not selling Cesc or anyone at the moment so you might aswell fuck off. If you wanna make a mistake and buy another Hleb from us in a few years, give us a ring and we'll sort summink out, until then, shit off.' A £40million bid for him and signs of unhappiness and the boss might think again. He's done nothing but be committed so far though, our best player, our captain, our leader. We love you boy! Take her easy.
Tuesday, 12 January 2010
African Nations Cup, Premier League, Transfers
The beginning of the African Nations Cup was shockingly overshadowed by a machine gun attack on the Togo team bus on Friday. I believe 3 people have died from the attack so far, and that another player is currently in serious condition in hospital. It's a truly horrifying incident that hammers home what a different world we live in, that this kind of thing can happen with a degree of 'so what' about it. People are getting killed in their hundreds in these sorts of incidents across Africa and it makes football seem very insignificant indeed. Togo have since pulled out of the tournament and their players are in a period of mourning - Roberto Mancini rightfully stated yesterday that his player Adebayor should not return until he is absolutely ready to do so. To go back slightly, this attack wasn't a few bullets by some mad men who get scared away very quickly, it was a relentless barrage that lasted half an hour. Some people have suggested that this summer's World Cup is in jeopardy or maybe that it should be in jeopardy, but it's difficult to agree with that. While I and probably many more certainly have some long standing concerns about South Africa and rightly so, but an incident like this can't be used as an excuse to cancel the whole thing. I think Angola is something like 2000 miles away from SA, they're clearly very different places. The tournament is underway now anyway, Ivory Coast slipped to a surprising 0-0 draw with Burkina Faso, but the standout result has to be the opening game, where hosts Angola were 4-0 on Mali with 10 minutes to go, and somehow managed to draw the game 4-4. Incredible.
With the weather strangling most of the sport over the weekend, it gave Arsenal and Utd the chance to close in on Chelsea's lead in the Premier League. The Arsenal played pretty badly and snuck a 2-2 draw at home to Everton. A disappointing result on paper, but no disaster. The drew 3-3 at Stamford Bridge a few weeks ago, and despite a poor start to the season the Toffees are clearly no mugs. They won't have forgotten the 6-1 hammering they got from the Goons on opening day, and have some very decent players. Landon Donovan has been added to their squad and played pretty well on Saturday. From what I've seen of the bloke I rate him, he's had some disappointing spells in Germany but maybe he will prove he can do it on this side of the pond at last. For Arsenal, we did well to keep that unbeaten run going because it's a real tough period we're about to get into. We have Bolton back to back now, but then Stoke away in the cup, then Villa (A), Utd (H), Chelsea (A), Liverpool (H) and Porto (A). The Villa and Liverpool games are both midweekers aswell, that run of games really will decide our season. As for Utd they struggled to a 1-1 at in form Birmingham, and look a team who are having serious problems at the moment. They've been pretty poor all season really, only that in the first couple of months they managed to get the wins using their famous Utd powers of jammyness and time added on. Now they've been found out a little, Ronaldo is badly missed, Valencia and Obertan are poor replacements, Berbatov isn't fit, Carrick not playing well, defence MIA, and Rooney is doing his level best to hold them together. Ahh, it feels good.
Paddy Viera has returned to England, he's joined City and former boss Mancini. You hear a lot of people saying he's not got the legs anymore, he's past it, blah blah blah, but I can't pass any judgement because I don't see alot of Italian football. He'll bring a big lift to that dressing room, and there's a certain Monsiuer Domenech who he needs to impress so you can bet he'll be up for it. Utd claim they don't want anyone but you hear that a £12million + Nani move for Di Maria is already on the table. Chelsea are making similar claims, but with their transfer embargo due to kick in in the summer, the chances of Aguero or Ribery turning up are increased. Wenger has distanced himself from Chamakh, Gignac and Carlton Cole, of those the big Hammers man seems most appealing. And the smaller clubs will be doing their usual wheeling and dealing to try and keep their heads above water - Van Nistelrooy to Stoke anyone? Take her easy.
With the weather strangling most of the sport over the weekend, it gave Arsenal and Utd the chance to close in on Chelsea's lead in the Premier League. The Arsenal played pretty badly and snuck a 2-2 draw at home to Everton. A disappointing result on paper, but no disaster. The drew 3-3 at Stamford Bridge a few weeks ago, and despite a poor start to the season the Toffees are clearly no mugs. They won't have forgotten the 6-1 hammering they got from the Goons on opening day, and have some very decent players. Landon Donovan has been added to their squad and played pretty well on Saturday. From what I've seen of the bloke I rate him, he's had some disappointing spells in Germany but maybe he will prove he can do it on this side of the pond at last. For Arsenal, we did well to keep that unbeaten run going because it's a real tough period we're about to get into. We have Bolton back to back now, but then Stoke away in the cup, then Villa (A), Utd (H), Chelsea (A), Liverpool (H) and Porto (A). The Villa and Liverpool games are both midweekers aswell, that run of games really will decide our season. As for Utd they struggled to a 1-1 at in form Birmingham, and look a team who are having serious problems at the moment. They've been pretty poor all season really, only that in the first couple of months they managed to get the wins using their famous Utd powers of jammyness and time added on. Now they've been found out a little, Ronaldo is badly missed, Valencia and Obertan are poor replacements, Berbatov isn't fit, Carrick not playing well, defence MIA, and Rooney is doing his level best to hold them together. Ahh, it feels good.
Paddy Viera has returned to England, he's joined City and former boss Mancini. You hear a lot of people saying he's not got the legs anymore, he's past it, blah blah blah, but I can't pass any judgement because I don't see alot of Italian football. He'll bring a big lift to that dressing room, and there's a certain Monsiuer Domenech who he needs to impress so you can bet he'll be up for it. Utd claim they don't want anyone but you hear that a £12million + Nani move for Di Maria is already on the table. Chelsea are making similar claims, but with their transfer embargo due to kick in in the summer, the chances of Aguero or Ribery turning up are increased. Wenger has distanced himself from Chamakh, Gignac and Carlton Cole, of those the big Hammers man seems most appealing. And the smaller clubs will be doing their usual wheeling and dealing to try and keep their heads above water - Van Nistelrooy to Stoke anyone? Take her easy.
Tuesday, 5 January 2010
Carling Cup, Coyle, Rosicky
The Carling Cup semis start tonight with Villa taking on Blackburn, the one that no-one really cares about. Villa will be favourites but Blackburn deservedly beat Chelsea in the last round, despite having to take them to penalties to do so. These are of course 2 legged affairs and if the rules haven't changed from 2007 then away goals only count after extra time. I remember 2007 because I was lucky enough to go to Arsenal v Spurs that year, the White Hart Lane leg having finished 2-2 (after a 2-0 Spurs lead) and the Grove leg was 1-1 after 90. We went on to score 2 more in extra time to send those dirty boys back up the Seven Sisters Road, revenge was painful the following year though.... The main event is unquestionably tomorrow at Eastlands for the Manchester derby. I'm glad the Beeb have finally taken some note in this competition by picking up the game for live TV, should be an intriguing clash. The red half edged a thrilling 4-3 at Old Trafford earlier in the season, there was the Owen goal, the Bellamy goals, the Rio horror show and Carlos Tevez getting booed by his old fans, much to the Argentine's confusion. Make no mistake this is a great competition to be involved in, I would have been delighted if Arsenal were in the semis, as I've said before it was a chance to finally bury that 'haven't won anything in....' tag. A day out at Wembley will be most welcome for 2 lucky clubs, I'll take a punt on Villa v City.
Owen Coyle has been the subject of a bit of a tug-of-war in the last few days between current club Burnley, and possible future employers Bolton. An approach was made by Bolton to steal Coyle away, and as I write all compensation issues are solved and it is basically down to Coyle now to decide what he wants to do - apparently he asked for 24 hours to sleep on it. Coyle has done well with Burnley, a side from an unfashionable part of the world he's got them promoted to the Premier League and is doing ok. Their away form has admittedly been very poor but they've turned Turf Moor into a bit of a fortress. Bolton sit in the relegation zone two points worse off that Burnley albeit with 2 games in hand, but the club are almost famous now for ugly dirty football, so I hope Coyle stays and Bolton go down. He had a brief spell with the....Reebokers? as a player, which included a very important game which if I talk about too long in Reading, SAS Royals fans will come smashing through my window to kill me, but surely sense will prevail ahead of sentimentality. The only other reason he must be interested then, is money. Money for himself and money to spend on players. Bolton aren't exactly rolling in it, but he must know that the finances available to him would be considerably more than the funds he currently has. Who knows, it could be Coyle's dream to turn Bolton into an attacking, free flowing, footballing team more akin to his current side. Amazingly, he turned down an approach from Celtic in the summer but now he's willing to hedge it all on a trip across the North for the sake of a few quid. I wouldn't if I were you Owen.
Finally, good news from the Arsenal, Tomas Rosicky has signed a new contract with the club, his old deal was up in the summer. True to Arsenal form it's a 'long term contract' which doesn't stipulate the length, I would think it's 3 years though as Rosicky is already an old man at 29. I've loved the lad since he stepped into the club in 2006, a good engine, a sly eye for a pass and has one hell of a hit on him. His spell at the club has been dogged by injuries though, the worst coming in January 2008 where he limped off against Newcastle, not to be seen again for an astonishing 18 months. It was some kind of rare hamstring tendon problem, the likes of which Wenger had apparently never seen before, and numerous surgeries were unable to stop the pain for Super Tom. He spoke recently of his time out and the fear he had that he would never play again, but thankfully that is behind him now and he's back involved in the team. It shows some tremendous faith from the boss to stick with the player, and he's well aware that now is the time to pay back all that faith and patience by winning the league with this team. He's one of the old heads in the team now, so he's got a big responsibility to show these kids the way to pick up trophies. This signing marks a busy period for the club, they have re-signed 15 players in the last 9 months, including the likes of Van Persie, Walcott, Song and Eduardo. The appointment of Ivan Gazidis as Chief Exec has been an excellent one, we've brought in Arshavin and Vermaelan in that time, and done all the other aforementioned in-house signage. Come on you Gunners! Take her easy.
Owen Coyle has been the subject of a bit of a tug-of-war in the last few days between current club Burnley, and possible future employers Bolton. An approach was made by Bolton to steal Coyle away, and as I write all compensation issues are solved and it is basically down to Coyle now to decide what he wants to do - apparently he asked for 24 hours to sleep on it. Coyle has done well with Burnley, a side from an unfashionable part of the world he's got them promoted to the Premier League and is doing ok. Their away form has admittedly been very poor but they've turned Turf Moor into a bit of a fortress. Bolton sit in the relegation zone two points worse off that Burnley albeit with 2 games in hand, but the club are almost famous now for ugly dirty football, so I hope Coyle stays and Bolton go down. He had a brief spell with the....Reebokers? as a player, which included a very important game which if I talk about too long in Reading, SAS Royals fans will come smashing through my window to kill me, but surely sense will prevail ahead of sentimentality. The only other reason he must be interested then, is money. Money for himself and money to spend on players. Bolton aren't exactly rolling in it, but he must know that the finances available to him would be considerably more than the funds he currently has. Who knows, it could be Coyle's dream to turn Bolton into an attacking, free flowing, footballing team more akin to his current side. Amazingly, he turned down an approach from Celtic in the summer but now he's willing to hedge it all on a trip across the North for the sake of a few quid. I wouldn't if I were you Owen.
Finally, good news from the Arsenal, Tomas Rosicky has signed a new contract with the club, his old deal was up in the summer. True to Arsenal form it's a 'long term contract' which doesn't stipulate the length, I would think it's 3 years though as Rosicky is already an old man at 29. I've loved the lad since he stepped into the club in 2006, a good engine, a sly eye for a pass and has one hell of a hit on him. His spell at the club has been dogged by injuries though, the worst coming in January 2008 where he limped off against Newcastle, not to be seen again for an astonishing 18 months. It was some kind of rare hamstring tendon problem, the likes of which Wenger had apparently never seen before, and numerous surgeries were unable to stop the pain for Super Tom. He spoke recently of his time out and the fear he had that he would never play again, but thankfully that is behind him now and he's back involved in the team. It shows some tremendous faith from the boss to stick with the player, and he's well aware that now is the time to pay back all that faith and patience by winning the league with this team. He's one of the old heads in the team now, so he's got a big responsibility to show these kids the way to pick up trophies. This signing marks a busy period for the club, they have re-signed 15 players in the last 9 months, including the likes of Van Persie, Walcott, Song and Eduardo. The appointment of Ivan Gazidis as Chief Exec has been an excellent one, we've brought in Arshavin and Vermaelan in that time, and done all the other aforementioned in-house signage. Come on you Gunners! Take her easy.
Monday, 4 January 2010
Welcome Back!
Long time no blog eh? I am sad this morning because the Christmas/New Year festive season is finally over, it's probably my favourite time of the year. I told myself everyday to write a little something, I mean it's not as if we don't have any football to comment on over these wonderful couple of weeks, is it?! Without going into every talking point of every game that has taken place, I can safely say that we have a wonderful Premier League. What a title race we are having this season! Chelsea have gone through a tough period, Utd likewise, and despite Arsenal's good form of late, we have had bad spells aswell. It's a cliche I know, but right now anyone really can beat anyone in this division, there 'aint no gimmies anymore. On the Arsenal, the Villa result was massive and we owe it in no small measure to our captain Fabregas, who half injured already came off the bench, scored 2 wonderful goals and 27 minutes later left the pitch fully injured. It's apparently not too serious and he should be back for Everton on the weekend, where he'll probably be placed on the bench and have to perform the same rescue mission all over again! We need a striker, no doubt about that right now, despite our excellent goals tally and good form of late, Arshavin isn't a centre forward, Eduardo is struggling with form, and he along with Vela are getting played wide which isn't helping their confidence in front of goal. Walcott seems permanently injured, and Bendtner is some way off too - his last game was on 31st October. I don't like to moan about injuries because every team gets them, and some are worse off than us, but we do seem to get our big players out every season for significant lengths of time. This year Walcott, Clichy, Gibbs and Bendtner have all been out for months at a time, Denilson, Rosicky, Nasri, Cesc and Diaby have all had little 2/3 weekers and of course our main man up front RvP who was in ridiculous form will miss something like 6 months of football. We're told that Chamakh won't be moving in January but we should sign a pre-contract with him now, Dzeko and Balotelli will be too pricey, and there's no way Wenger would take a punt on a Van Nistelrooy. The window should be interesting.
Elsewhere in the division Birmingham continue to be this year's surprise package, unbeaten in 10 I think and having won most of those. Fulham are doing very well again and it speaks volumes of the club and of Roy Hodgson to say that that is not a surprise to anyone. Mancini has had a decent start at City but in 2 easy fixtures, we won't know if the decision to dump Hughes was the correct one, for some time yet. They are fighting with Liverpool, Villa and Spurs for that elusive 4th spot for Champions League football, right now I'd put them in the following order; City, Spurs, Liverpool, Villa. West Ham have sneaked themselves out of the relegation zone, the current bottom 3 of Pompey, Hull and Bolton would be an excellent trio to wave off to the darkness of the Championship. Speaking of Bolton, Gary Megson was turfed out last week, he managed to put together a team as ugly as Sam Allardyce's, but without winning any games. And the rolling joke that is Pompey, for a third month this season they haven't paid their players and staff, and have been issued with a 'wind up petition' for HMRC, which I understand means that they need to 'strengthen' their financial situation by February, or face administration. At the moment every penny that comes into the club (and there aren't many of those) goes straight back out the door to creditors, other clubs they owe money to, and outstanding loans. It doesn't look good.
FA Cup 3rd round weekend is always a highly anticipated one, but with one glaring exception it really failed to catch fire. That exception happened at Old Trafford where Leeds rocked up, played some great stuff and thoroughly deserved to win the game. There's always this horrible feeling in the pit of your stomach when watching Utd chase a game, they almost always get at least the equaliser, and as Leeds led the game I was fearing the worst. But the League One side continued to press on the break, hit the bar from a free kick and Beckford would have expected to add to his earlier goal. It didn't matter in the end though, a poor Utd team (not just yesterday but a wider picture of their whole season) couldn't make the breakthrough and Leeds are rewarded with another tough trip in round 4, this time to Spurs. Arsenal didn't really deserve the win at Upton Park, a familiar story for the Hammers this season of play well, get nothing. They deserved a replay last night, but some persistence and quality from the Gunners was enough to edge it. Liverpool toiled to a replay after a 1-1 draw with Reading, probably the only other result to raise half an eyebrow over the weekend. Reading deserved it too, and might well have nicked a late goal, but now face a tough trip to Anfield for a replay. Only 1 non-league side remains, and Forest Green have only the weather to thank for that after their game at Notts County was called off, and there wasn't a single win for a team in a lower division than their opponents. More tomorrow, I promise. Take her easy.
Elsewhere in the division Birmingham continue to be this year's surprise package, unbeaten in 10 I think and having won most of those. Fulham are doing very well again and it speaks volumes of the club and of Roy Hodgson to say that that is not a surprise to anyone. Mancini has had a decent start at City but in 2 easy fixtures, we won't know if the decision to dump Hughes was the correct one, for some time yet. They are fighting with Liverpool, Villa and Spurs for that elusive 4th spot for Champions League football, right now I'd put them in the following order; City, Spurs, Liverpool, Villa. West Ham have sneaked themselves out of the relegation zone, the current bottom 3 of Pompey, Hull and Bolton would be an excellent trio to wave off to the darkness of the Championship. Speaking of Bolton, Gary Megson was turfed out last week, he managed to put together a team as ugly as Sam Allardyce's, but without winning any games. And the rolling joke that is Pompey, for a third month this season they haven't paid their players and staff, and have been issued with a 'wind up petition' for HMRC, which I understand means that they need to 'strengthen' their financial situation by February, or face administration. At the moment every penny that comes into the club (and there aren't many of those) goes straight back out the door to creditors, other clubs they owe money to, and outstanding loans. It doesn't look good.
FA Cup 3rd round weekend is always a highly anticipated one, but with one glaring exception it really failed to catch fire. That exception happened at Old Trafford where Leeds rocked up, played some great stuff and thoroughly deserved to win the game. There's always this horrible feeling in the pit of your stomach when watching Utd chase a game, they almost always get at least the equaliser, and as Leeds led the game I was fearing the worst. But the League One side continued to press on the break, hit the bar from a free kick and Beckford would have expected to add to his earlier goal. It didn't matter in the end though, a poor Utd team (not just yesterday but a wider picture of their whole season) couldn't make the breakthrough and Leeds are rewarded with another tough trip in round 4, this time to Spurs. Arsenal didn't really deserve the win at Upton Park, a familiar story for the Hammers this season of play well, get nothing. They deserved a replay last night, but some persistence and quality from the Gunners was enough to edge it. Liverpool toiled to a replay after a 1-1 draw with Reading, probably the only other result to raise half an eyebrow over the weekend. Reading deserved it too, and might well have nicked a late goal, but now face a tough trip to Anfield for a replay. Only 1 non-league side remains, and Forest Green have only the weather to thank for that after their game at Notts County was called off, and there wasn't a single win for a team in a lower division than their opponents. More tomorrow, I promise. Take her easy.
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