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Written By: Keano!

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Life After Guus?

...We have all heard the reports and stories and indeed the confirmed statements, that Chelsea/Russian team manager, Guus Hiddink will leave Chelsea come the end of the season to return to his national job. This has been backed by Guus himself, the Chelsea boardroom and fans alike. The question then falls, who will takeover?

After Claudio Ranieri, then Jose Mourinho and dare I say it Avram Grant, Chelsea fans must have been fearing that they wouldn't get in a manager capable of delivering success. Hiddink has kept them rolling over, but will there be someone now to pick up the baton? Names that do spring to mind to me anyway include, David Moyes, Martin O'Neill and Jose Mourinho.

David Moyes
Very strong candidate for me. He has been with Everton for quite a while, but one wonders can he take them much further then he already has done. He has the chance to get one over Chelsea in the FA Cup final coming up, but in all honesty, do you think he can crack the top 4 with Everton, go on a strong European run with Everton, hang onto top notch players that come through in Everton? I'm not so sure and I would be amazed if someone of his experience and knowledge didn't have his name on a file in the Chelsea boardroom filed under "Shortlist For Guus' Replacement", or something along those lines. Moyes has always stated his desire to go places with Everton but every season when all's going well, they consistently seem to fall off the leading pack and finish 6th/7th/8th. Then there is the case of money. All managers would be tempted from getting probably double their current wage or even more and if Mr. Roman Abromavich walks along and tells Moyes that he will double his wage packet and surrender massive transfer funds to the Scot, surely Moyes would take it, no?

Martin O'Neill
I would say he wouldn't take it as much as Moyes. O'Neill has really turned Villa around in a relatively short space of time, and does have a nice set up and squad in his possession, and couple that with visible progression and you can't really see him wanting to leave when he could well break the top 4 with his Aston Villa team. Unlike Moyes, he has really come close to it this season and has managed to hang onto his star men in Barry, Young, Agbonlahor, Laursen for now and couple that with astute buys like Emile Heskey who is a handful for any defence and you have yourself a team that on their day could beat anyone in the league. Having said that, O'Neill left Celtic, albeit due to personal issues, so he does know what it is like to leave a project in full flow as such.

Jose Mourinho
The "Special One". Would he make the return to the 'bridge? Everyone knows that he isn't really content in Italy with Inter Milan. The Italian media don't take to his arrogant side and controversial comments the same why the English did. He also has a team he said himself wasn't as good as it could be and saw that side knocked out of the Champions League by Manchester United. He has said he would love to manage in the Premier League and this Summer could be the ideal time for him to take up the blue baton again with Hiddink seemingly committed to leaving. The Chelsea faithful sang his name for long spells after he left the club and whilst Avram Grant was manager, but one wonders how they would take to a man who many bookies are tipping to be the next Manchester United manager? When Inter Milan played United at Old Trafford in the Champions League second leg, prior the game, he referred to being at Old Trafford as "being at home" and even stated he was friendly with the grass man and that he was a good guy. Does he want Fergie's job? He left Chelsea because of Abromavich's control over team affairs, or so it was made out, and with Roman still at the top of the tree, would much have changed really?

For me they're are the three main contenders for the job. I've heard other rumors and names that surface included, Gianfranco Zola, Sven-Göran Eriksson and Mark Hughes, all of whom have their qualities but I doubt they will be seated in the home team dugout at Stamford Bridge next season.


One thing for sure is that bookies will have to be careful on this one because the best odds appear to be don't bet on anyone. Personally, if I was asked who I thought would be Chelsea manager next season presuming Hiddink stays faithful to his promise, then I'd stick my head out and say David Moyes.

Written By: Keano!

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Tugay To Leave Blackburn Rovers

...Turkish midfielder, Tugay will leave his English club at the end of the season. Blackburn Rovers today confirmed that the 38 year old would be leaving come May.

Manager, Sam Allardyce, had this to say on the Turks departure,

We will say farewell at the end of the season and thank you very much for what you have done for Blackburn. Tugay has had a fantastic career, but the ever-increasing physical demands of the Premier League mean you cannot go on forever.

The former Galatasaray and Rangers man has made over 200 appearances from Rovers since 2001 and scored 11 times. Its believed that he will hang up his boots rather then continuing his career.

Written By: Keano!

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James Wants More Games

...David James has claimed he will never retire from International duty. James (38) is seeing some impressive 'keeper's coming through in the ranks with Scott Carson, Robert Green, Ben Foster and of course Paul Robinson all staking a claim for a starting place.

Places are all the more important now as the World Cup next year could well be James' last chance to display his abilities at such a level. Ever since Paul Robinson's moment in Croatia, he has seemed second and third fiddle to the England set up and Fabio Capello is seemingly sticking with the Portsmouth stopper.

In all honesty, it seems like David has been around from the beginning of time, and what a career he has had, earning a rather comical nickname in "Calamity James" for his unpredictable moments of madness on the football pitch, which over the years has seen his team concede goals.

he is now an integral part of the Pompey set up and is doing very well with them, winning the FA Cup with them last May. He'll need to keep in form and stay injury free if he wants to be in the squad heading to South Africa next Summer. Speaking to BBC Radio, he had this to say on his England future,

"I'll never give up on playing for my country, but there will come a point when some people will wish I would. As long as I'm fit and capable to play in the Premier League then I'll put myself forward for England selection and I think that's only right," said the man of many hairstyles.

James has made over 550 appearances in the English game and has won close to 48 first team caps for his country.

Written By: Keano!

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O'Neill Backs Two Tier League

...With recent reports suggesting that Celtic and Rangers maybe added to the Premier League creating a two tier league, many have been split on the decision on whether to allow them into the worlds supposed greatest league.

Martin O'Neill, former Celtic manager, today claimed that he was in favour of the proposal and would relish the chance of playing the two teams from up North. Theres no doubt about it, but Celtic and Rangers are in a league of their own in Scotland and should they wish to test themselves against the best, then they need to be up against top opposition.

Speaking to Aston Villa's official website, O'Neill had this to say on the matter.

"My personal thought is that Celtic and Rangers would enhance the Premier League, Glasgow is a phenomenal football city - Celtic house 60,000 and Rangers house 50,000. I'm not sure about Rangers but I know Celtic's capacity could go from 60,000 to 80,000 overnight, without a doubt," O'Neill said

"When I was manager of Celtic a number of years ago, there was some talk of both teams joining the Premier League in some capacity. There was mention of them being put in the Championship too, or maybe even lower down than that, and then making them work their way up through promotion. If forced to do that, they would eventually get to the top and end up as monumental players in the Premier League."

So O'Neills feelings toward the matter are unquestionably in favour of it and you would imagine other managers such as Sir Alex Ferguson having managed up there before would see it in the same light.

There are slight concerns though. With the way the FA are so easily pushed around by Sky TV these days for fixture changes and times, who knows what clubs may have to travel. Last Monday saw Portsmouth travel from the South Coast all the way to Newcastle and fans alike, which let me tell you, isn't something one would plan for a Monday evening. Who's to say Portsmouth, Fulham or any of the Southern clubs would face long journey's on a weekday to Glasgow?

Having said that, its widely expected that the FA will have the matter on the agenda for their AGM coming up in June.

Written By: Keano!

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Webb Admits Mistake

...After a cracking 45 minutes from Manchester United last weekend which saw them turn around a 2 goal deficit, into a stunning 5-2 win, most will be remembering the game for the awarding of a penalty in the early stages of the second half, which no doubt changed the game and drastically improved United's momentum in the game.

Since, Howard Webb has said he was wrong to award the penalty to Michael Carrick who appeared to nick the ball away from an on rushing Gomes, but to be taken down by the Tottenham Hotspur stopper. Replays have proven that despite Carrick getting a slight nick to take the ball away, Gomes did in fact get finger tips to the ball, making it a very good piece of goalkeeping.

Webb was slated after the game by rival fans and questioned intensely in the media spotlight. Webb, supposedly England's best referee, had probably altered the scoreline himself and handing United a key to open the doors Tottenham had set up. Theres no doubt about it, Spurs were in dream land. How many teams have a 0-2 lead going into the second half at Old Trafford? Not many is the answer.

Speaking to the BBC, Webb had this to say on the incident,

"I've looked at it again and I think it was a mistake but we make these decisions honestly. It's not always easy to see the way the play pans out from pitch level."said the 37 year old."

He went onto add,

"I could see the Manchester United player touch the ball and saw him get clattered by the goalkeeper but didn't see the extra deviation from the goalkeeper's fingers touching the ball.

I'm disappointed as I always strive for perfection. I'll look at the tape in detail later in the week and try to avoid it happening again in the future. I never want to have a negative impact on a game and I get no pleasure from not reaching the high standards we set ourselves. But show me a man who's never made a mistake and I'll show you a man who's done nothing."

Question is, did Webb hand United the Title?

Written By: Keano!

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City To Swoop For Eto'o

...After the mega deals talked about last Summer and last January by Manchester City, the latest star on their list is one Samuel Eto'o. The Barcelona ace in arguably the best form of his life has been tagged at around 40M and reports from both Manchester City and Barcelona make things appear like this move could well be on this Summer.

Eto'o decided against leaving Barcelona when his former team mates Ronaldinho and Deco parted with the La Liga leaders. Should he end up moving to Eastlands, he'll be joining up with Robinho who stated he does want to stay with the richest club in world football.

BBC understood that club officials met with each other on Monday lunchtime to discuss club relations, and in the midst of all of that, the possible transfer of the Cameroonian arose.

Manchester City were citing deals to bring world figures such as, Cristiano Ronaldo, Buffon, Gerard, Lampard, Terry, Fernando Torres and Kaka to the club with tags around 100M on most of the players listed.

Either way, I feel personally that a mega deal will take place this Summer involving Manchester City, and with reports leaking the way they are at the current stage, the Eto'o looks like a fairly good bet.


Check back here for all the latest news.

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Di Michele To Remain A Hammer?

...Italian, David Di Michele, is keen on a lengthened stay at The Hammers after a good season in London.

The man on loan from Torino has added 4 goals to his name in 27 appearances for Zola and he wants to get more out of the club, stating that he wishes to remain for a few years. Speaking to the clubs official website, David had this to say on his stay at the club,

I would love to stay at West Ham for a few more years. I am surprised how well I settled down in London. My wife and my children as well, we could not have asked more. It's has been a good season for me. Maybe I should have scored a few more goals, but I am very satisfied because I played much more games than I expected.

...and on the rest of the current season, his hopes,

We are still in the position to get the qualification to the Uefa Cup, which would be unbelievable. There are still four games, we all are confident we can do it.

West Ham are indeed in an impressive position after flirting with Relegation not too long ago, and should they get a few good results from their remaining games, the the Europa League could well be calling upon them in 2009/2010.

Four games left for Zola's men include;

Stoke City (A)
Liverpool (H)
Everton (A)
Middlesbrough (H)

Written By: Keano!

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Newcastle Set For Relegation?

...Newcastle United, one of the supposed "big" teams in the country could well be playing their stuff in the Championship next season after their bid to stay clear of the drop zone took a massive hit last night at St. James' when a dogged Portsmouth side held the Barcodes 0-0. Michael Owen and Martins had fantastic chances to score during the game, but Pompey did show signs of really making it a rotten night.

Current Table









From BBC Sport


So as you can see, they are really in trouble and will need what many are predicting, 3 wins from 4 remaining games. And those games aren't the sort you'd want when needing the points at the business end of the season.

Liverpool (A) - Liverpool still pushing United the distance will want to keep up the pressure
Middlesbrough (H) - Like The Toon, are in danger of going down, they will need the points too
Fulham (H) - I'd be amazed if they didn't win this. Fulham are in limbo at this stage of the season
Aston Villa - (A) - What a fixture to have to have at this stage of the season. Tough isn't the word

So lets say push comes to shove and Newcastle do end up going down, what next? Mike Ashely, seen downing a pint amongst supporters earlier in the season on the right, what will he do. A few weeks ago, he was the scourge of the city and it seems that the Shearer appointment has earned him some lea way with the Geordie's. Will he look to sell for a lower price (Previously estimated at 200 million) or will he look for his full fee?

Shearer has only taken the job, and he had 8 games to get a team not working at all out of the drop zone, which even for the best isn't enough time I think. Time will tell although I really fear for them in the coming weeks. The scoreline will almost certainly be against them at Anfield at the weekend, so I wouldn't so much read into the result as the performance. If they can put in a strong solid shift, and only loose by a goal or even nick a point, then that would give them the confidence for the clashes with Middlesbrough and Fulham. Middlesbrough for the record have a daunting game with Manchester United, and although the Riverside has been a stumbling block in recent seasons for the current Champions with 4-1 and 2-2 scorelines fresh in the memories of Boro fans, surely they won't be capable of a shock result against United?


Newcastle's game with Liverpool on Sunday will be streamed on Premier League Chat as will the Boro tie with United on the Saturday.


Written By: Keano!

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The Magic of Hiddink

Title: The Magic of Hiddink

Enough has been said by various journalists and pundits about the impact Guus Hiddink has had on Chelsea since he arrived here. I think the best way to illustrate just the enormity of his impact is to take a look at how desperate things were before Abramovich brought him in, and just how exactly he's managed to turn us around.

Celebrate After Arsenal?

Title: Celebrate After Arsenal?

It maybe too early, although after the weekend, coming back from two goals down and ending up thrashing Spurs at home, I am now extremely confident that the Premier League trophy will be staying in Old Trafford for the third season running.

Liverpool may have stuck with us for a lot longer then most would have expected them to, but by the looks of it, we are nearing that wonferful feeling of lifting the tophy aloft in May. Not only that, but we could well seal it at home to Arsenal which for me anyways, would be fantastic after they sealed their Premier League crown a few seaons ago on our patch. Provided Liverpool and United win their games from now, that will be the day where we can let our focus rest soley on the Champions League presuming we are still in it which again is against Arsenal.

So looking at it from a different angle, Arsenal will have a massive say in our season and oh how sweet it would be to wrap up a log hard season with a victory over them at the Theatre Of Dreams


Written By: Keano!

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Hillsborough 20th Anniversary

Title: Hillsborough 20th Anniversary

Wednesday, April 15th will mark the 20th anniversary of one of footballs most tragic events. It is of course the Hillsborough disaster where Liverpool fans were crushed against barriers and fellow fans after stewarding and policing at the area let their guards down.

The FA Cup game between Nottingham Forest and Liverpool stopped mid play, as many thought rioting or crowd troubles had arisen, yet no one could have imagined that those people hoping fences, climbing up walls and desperately trying to escape the mass of bodies were trying to save their lives.

One particular memory I will always hold is that of people being carried away from the crowds on the advertisement boards lined around the pitch, which were used as make-shift stretchers.Below is a list of those who will be remembered during the memorial service. Liverpool FC will be holding a special service at Anfield where everyone is welcome to attend.

John Alfred Anderson (62)
Colin Mark Ashcroft (19)
James Gary Aspinall (18)
Kester Roger Marcus Ball (16)
Gerard Bernard Patrick Baron (67)
Simon Bell (17)
Barry Sidney Bennett (26)
David John Benson (22)
David William Birtle (22)
Tony Bland (22)
Paul David Brady (21)
Andrew Mark Brookes (26)
Carl Brown (18)
David Steven Brown (25)
Henry Thomas Burke (47)
Peter Andrew Burkett (24)
Paul William Carlile (19)
Raymond Thomas Chapman (50)
Gary Christopher Church (19)
Joseph Clark (29)
Paul Clark (18)
Gary Collins (22)
Stephen Paul Copoc (20)
Tracey Elizabeth Cox (23)
James Philip Delaney (19)
Christopher Barry Devonside (18)
Christopher Edwards (29)
Vincent Michael Fitzsimmons (34)
Thomas Steven Fox (21)
Jon-Paul Gilhooley (10)
Barry Glover (27)
Ian Thomas Glover (20)
Derrick George Godwin (24)
Roy Harry Hamilton (34)
Philip Hammond (14)
Eric Hankin (33)
Gary Harrison (27)
Stephen Francis Harrison (31)
Peter Andrew Harrison (15)
David Hawley (39)
James Robert Hennessy (29)
Paul Anthony Hewitson (26)
Carl Darren Hewitt (17)
Nicholas Michael Hewitt (16)
Sarah Louise Hicks (19)
Victoria Jane Hicks (15)
Gordon Rodney Horn (20)
Arthur Horrocks (41)
Thomas Howard (39)
Thomas Anthony Howard (14)
Eric George Hughes (42)
Alan Johnston (29)
Christine Anne Jones (27)
Gary Philip Jones (18)
Richard Jones (25)
Nicholas Peter Joynes (27)
Anthony Peter Kelly (29)
Michael David Kelly (38)
Carl David Lewis (18)
David William Mather (19)
Brian Christopher Mathews (38)
Francis Joseph McAllister (27)
John McBrien (18)
Marion Hazel McCabe (21)
Joseph Daniel McCarthy (21)
Peter McDonnell (21)
Alan McGlone (28)
Keith McGrath (17)
Paul Brian Murray (14)
Lee Nicol (14)
Stephen Francis O’Neill (17)
Jonathon Owens (18)
William Roy Pemberton (23)
Carl William Rimmer (21)
David George Rimmer (38)
Graham John Roberts (24)
Steven Joseph Robinson (17)
Henry Charles Rogers (17)
Colin Andrew Hugh William Sefton (23)
Inger Shah (38)
Paula Ann Smith (26)
Adam Edward Spearritt (14)
Philip John Steele (15)
David Leonard Thomas (23)
Patrik John Thompson (35)
Peter Reuben Thompson (30)
Stuart Paul William Thompson (17)
Peter Francis Tootle (21)
Christopher James Traynor (26)
Martin Kevin Traynor (16)
Kevin Tyrrell (15)
Colin Wafer (19)
Ian David Whelan (19)
Martin Kenneth Wild (29)
Kevin Daniel Williams (15)
Graham John Wright (17)

R.I.P.

Written By: Keano!

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Jose Wouldn’t Turn Down United

Title: Jose Wouldn’t Turn Down United

Former Chelsea manager and media favourite Jose Mourinho claimed that if Sir Alex Ferguson stepped down as Manchester United manager, he wouldn’t be able to refuse an offer should he be approached by the United board. The Inter Milan manager saw his side knocked out of the Champions League by Sir Alex last month and in an interview at Old Trafford prior the second leg, Jose replied “It feels like home…” when asked how he felt upon returning to the Theatre Of Dreams, where his Chelsea side never beat United during his reign.

Mourinho has never hidden his admiration for the English game, and is widely expected to be back in the Premier League in the coming seasons, but questions remain to as who would be the club signing the man who led Porto to a Champions League honour, and Chelsea to several honours including two back to back titles. Not too long ago, he went on record stating his belief that Cristiano Ronado, tipped with a move to Real Madrid, should stay at Manchester United because it was the right club for him. Speaking to American Sporting media, ESPN, Jose had this to say on a possible move along with realising Ferguson may stay for a few more seasons,

Which is the manager that says no? Nobody can say no! Manchester United belongs to a small group of clubs from around the world where nobody can say no. I don’t believe in 2010 he (Alex Ferguson) is leaving. I don’t believe. I think year after year he is the same, he’s exactly the same person; healthy, happy, so I don’t see a reason for him to quit and in a very fair way, I hope he still goes, I hope he still goes on, because he’s good.

It is a statement which makes one wonder how much of Jose wants to manage United? Did the interest arise on that night when he went dancing down the Old Trafford touchline? Did it start when United broke Chelsea’s dominance and won the Premier League crown stopping a possible 3 in a row? Either way, the tactical genius has Manchester on his radar and when you look at a possible shortlist for managers taking over from Sir Alex, Jose is surely on the list and the list won’t be too long I myself would think.

Written By: Keano!

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Ferguson: Hey Big Spender!

Title: Ferguson: Hey Big Spender!

Man Utd boss Sir Alex Ferguson has reignited the flames in his feud with Rafa Benitez of Liverpool. Ferguson hinted at his expectation for Benitez to embark on a spending spree in the summer, after the conclusion of a series of protracted contract negotiations led to Benitez signing on the dotted line, committing himself to the Reds until 2014. The Man Utd boss continued by disputing Benitez's earlier claims that the Red Devils have outspent Liverpool by £100m. He clearly took an exception to Benitez's claims as he immediately ordered Man Utd staff to check up on the figures. Ferguson then revealed that it was in fact his Liverpool counterpart who has been spending more, and by United's calculations Benitez has spent £24m more.

He said United's own figures showed Liverpool had spent £24m more in overall terms.

"He's well ahead of us in spending in the last five years," Ferguson claimed.

-BBC Sport

The PLC's hatchet man turan provides a damning indictment on why Man Utd manager Sir Alex Ferguson may well be suffering from a severe case of delusion. When I first came across Ferguson's remarks, my immediate reaction was something along the lines of "Jeez! Is this guy for real?" I could not believe that Ferguson can even have the cheek let alone the nerve to suggest that Liverpool and indeed Benitez have outspent him. I refer to my case as follows. The signing of Fernando Torres has been Liverpool's one and only £20m+ purchase. It is also quite telling that Liverpool have not managed to break the British record transfer fee in recent years. On the other hand, as for Man Utd, I can name a whole host of players bought for £20m+ - Berbatov £30.75m, Rooney £27m, Ferdinand £30m [British record transfer fee at the time], Veron £28.1m [British record transfer fee at the time]... and even then a host of others have come pretty close to the £20m mark - Van Nistelrooy £19m [British record transfer fee at the time], Carrick £18.6m, Hargreaves £17m, Anderson + Nani £30m, Tosic + Ljajic £16.3m [This transfer came just days after Mr "I do not think there will be any January transfers, I am happy with what I have got" made his remarks...] This is not to mention a host of other [albeit less expensive] flops - Saha £12.8m, Kleberson £6m, Djemba-Djemba £3.5m, David Bellion £3m, Quinton Fortune £1.5m... The only signing that represents even a hint of Ferguson's financial prudence was that of Cristiano Ronaldo £12.25m, whose value has since rocketed. The apparent lack of financial constraints is also evident during Ferguson's reign at Man Utd, something which is not mirrored by his Liverpool counterpart. Benitez enjoyed a brief spell of increased transfer spending shortly after the arrival of American duo Tom Hicks and George Gillett as new owners of the club, and it was during this honeymoon period that £20m+ Torres was purchased by Benitez. Since then, the new owners have tightened the purse strings and as a consequence Benitez has consistently had to generate transfer funds from player sales, something that is apparently unfamiliar to Ferguson. Some Man Utd fans have slagged off Benitez for buying into quantity rather than quality. This is a flawed criticism. If Benitez had the financial resources to blow £30m on a single player, I am sure he would have done so by now. The "quantity over quality" argument put forward by United fans can be observed by a more refreshing approach. Imagine that both managers have been given £100,000 each to spend on a brand new car of their
choice, using the United fans' argument Ferguson would use the money to buy a top of the range Porsche whilst Benitez would use it to buy twenty Nissan Micras. From this metaphorical representation, you can immediately see how absurd the "quantity over quality" argument sounds. In reality, however, Ferdinand's transfer fee alone would dwarf the cost of the entire Liverpool's defence, and the contrast is even more stark between Liverpool and Man Utd's attack. As for Ferguson's expectation for Rafa to spend big this summer, I say don't kid yourself Fergie, I would hardly call Benitez's reported £30m summer transfer kitty big judging by your standards.

What Ferguson has said is nothing short of ridiculous, it's almost as similar as Spurs saying to Arsenal,"You've spent more than us and that's why you have won all the cups." Some Man Utd fans honestly believe that Benitez cannot recognise the difference between a £20m Keane and a £30m Berbatov, nor can he distinguish the gulf between a Lennon and a Messi/Ronaldo.... Do you seriously believe Benitez can be so inept that he would intentionally go for a mediocre player if he had the funds for a world class player? If you do, then more fool you.

NB - January transfer




















Liverpool

Amount spent: £0

Estimated amount received: Keane £12m (rising with add-ons)

Manchester United

Estimated amount spent: Zoran Tosic and Adem Ljajic £17.3m

Amount received: £0

When Benitez hinted he was unlikely to do any major transfer deals in January, he was being truly sincere and actually meant what he said. Ferguson should take note... I personally wouldn't be surprised if Sir Alex does manage to find the £32m from somewhere to secure Tevez on a permanent deal, since finding vast sums of money to spend is obviously a hobby of his. This thought must have eluded Ferguson when he made those remarks disputing Benitez's claims. Perhaps the Liverpool boss should continue to goad him until he eventually wakes from his case of severe delusion and smell the coffee.





Written By: turan

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Are Foreign Player's To Blame For England Failure?

Title: Are Foreign Player's To Blame For England Failure?

...are they really?



November 21st 2007. Despite having an umbrella Steve McClaren is soaking wet. He doesn't manage to hide under it. Rain gets to him. Rain which has been coming down from his critics' pen's throughout his entire international career, and which will most certainly get stronger once he leaves the holly turf of Wembley stadium and steps into the tunnel. A tunnel which he's dragged their beloved England to. He knows that it was his last day as an England manager. England have failed. England senior football team won't be at the major International tournament for the first time since the 1994 World Cup in the United States.

After a few days of a so called hangover journalism, which included some good, constructive criticism but also some laughable suggestions (a letter to Blatter in which an author demands that England should be given a direct place in the World and European Cups), a thought how foreign players in EPL are to blame for England downfall, came up.

To make it clear what we're talking about we must determine what is branded as success or as a failure for one team. Success in football is a relative thing . For one it is the quarter finals, for others, nothing less than the final or only being a champion would do. But all in all, in football most of the times there is only one winner. Where is England in that story? Well they have managed to convince themselves and everyone else that they belong to the later group. Nothing less than a final. And if they fail to achieve it they start looking for excuses rather than the reasons. As I said, the later excuse that has come up is that influx of the foreign players is to blame for England underachieving. But how could that be? Were England champions in 2006, 2004 maybe? Or were they champions back in 1996 when the Championship was held at their soil? No.

Cristiano Ronaldo | Cesc Fabregas | Robinho | Fernando Torres

So what gives them the right to think they're the world class team? Some would say[i] “Well, the names like Gerrard, Lampard, Rooney, Terry, Ferdinand, J. Cole, A. Cole, Beckham etc.”[/i] If that's the case – how come foreign players have the influence on England national team then? Furthermore – not only that those players are brilliant players, but they are mostly the leading stars and main players in their teams. Sure foreign players have been bought more recently than in previous years, but it's not Vidic's fault that he cost about 7 million pounds and Rio Ferdinand about 30 million.

Take Brazil, Argentina, Germany or France for example. While the French league is struggling to keep up with the pace of other top 4 leagues their national team has been brilliant in the past decade. World Champions, European Champions, European semi finalists, World Cup finalists. We don't need to talk about Brazil's achievements and in Argentina's defence I will only say that they're the two times World champions and two times Olympic Champions. How about Germany? Where leading stars are foreign players and mostly foreign players which is not England's case? What's in common to these nations? The fact that they don't have such a strong league and that their young players seek their bread abroad. So saying that league strength reflects the strength of a national team is wrong. My Croatia proves that.

So the Premier League IS the strongest team in the world – true. The Premier League IS the strongest league in the world only because of foreign players – false. Even if it was true it wouldn't have any relevance with an English national team. If foreign players smother the young English talent, then why don't the English youngsters learn from the young Argentineans, Brazilians, Croats if you like and go to find their luck elsewhere in order to gain some experience before coming back to EPL? Maybe because they don't want to play for less money?

Now we've come to one of the real problems of England national team. England agents over rate their players, media can't wait for the same players to make a blunder to make them look like clowns and players haven't learned to deal with the pressure coming after making such mistakes - and that goes around the circle for quite some time now.

Foreign players don't come to England because they're better than homegrown players that much, they come because they're less expensive and with them or without them English Premier League is not the cause of England's constant failure, same as the Brazilian league is not the cause of Brazilian's success.

Written By: crooney

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The Perfect Foil For Fernando Torres?

Title: The Perfect Foil For Fernando Torres?

Rumours about Liverpool's interests in David Viila and his namesake Silva resurfaced recently, whilst Man City have been linked with a move for Villa. The availability of Villa and a host of other Valencia stars such as David Silva and Raul Albiol has become more prominent due to recent reports suggesting Valencia is in dire financial straits.

I have been a long time admirer of Villa and did cling on to the faintest hope that Liverpool might have signed him last summer. However, that always seemed improbable and Benitez eventually ruled out an immediate move for him, opting for Robbie Keane instead. Given that Keane was sold in January, I really do hope Rafa and the Liverpool board seriously reconsider moving for Villa, as having him and Torres up front is a salivating prospect. But the financial constraints that Hicks and Gillette place on Benitez for transfers make me doubt whether this would ever happen...

More often than not Benitez has had to sell players to generate funds before buying, and Liverpool's one and only £20m+ signing to date has been Torres. In the January transfer window Liverpool did not make a single signing and it was clear there wasn't much of a budget for Rafa to dabble in the market with in the first place. Meanwhile, Man Utd managed to sign Serbian duo Zoran Tosic and Adem Ljajic for a reported combined fee of around £16.3m. Moreover, I don't think the United board would hesitate if Fergie was to take up the option to sign Tevez permanently for around £30m.

The bottom line I think is that Hicks and Gillette should either cough up with the money or sell up. The fact that they are doing neither is extremely infuriating for us Liverpool fans. They have hinted at selling but to then quote to prospective buyers a price of £500m when the club still has outstanding debts that has yet to be refinanced just shows what the duo are all about. It was hardly surprisng when I read that talks with the interested buyers hit stumbling block after stumbling block, I mean to describe the quoted price of £500m as over the top would be a massive understatement.

Finally, there are some who suggested that Torres and Villa do not play well together based on their performances during Euro 2008. I personally don't buy that whatsoever. Torres and Villa are the first names on the team sheet playing upfront for the #1 ranked team in the world. They might not work as well together as some might expect but they are still a formidable partnership. Afterall, they won Euro 2008 playing together and they continue to do so for Spain. Furthermore, it was clear to see during Euro 2008 that Torres and Villa relate very well with each other, which is a big plus point in my opinion. If, and it's a big if, Rafa is backed to move for Villa then I believe we have a very good chance of signing him over other teams, as I expect Rafa and the Spanish contingent at Liverpool would prove to be a huge temptation for him to join the Reds.

Written By: turan

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Is Jose Mourinho a really bad choice for United?

Title: Is Jose Mourinho a really bad choice for United?

Now love him or hate him but we all know that it's not easy to find Fergie's successor like for like...
At Man United they may have to settle for the next best thing and take into consideration any option possible including Jose Mourinho - that's right The Special One himself!
There aren't any managers whose goal is to entertain and win trophies at the same time . We know for a fact that Wenger is trying to cope with it but he hasn't had much success lately and he's been getting a lot of stick for it to be honest - and he's one of the best in the business

I actually think Chelsea with Robben and Duff were a joy to watch - their counter attacks were for the manuals - I think what Mourinho has tried and still trying to do with inter is to copy THAT Chelsea with Muntari trying to act Essien/Makelele , and Quaresma (while he was there) and Mancini trying to act Duff and Robben -with Zlatan being Drogba and Adriano trying to be something in between Drogba and Crespo - a mix of a skillful powerhouse (Drogba) and an eventual important goals scorer (Crespo)

I think with these players that United currently have , they couldn't play bad and that he should be given a chance in some point of his career
Apart from him I see only Del Bosque (his Real team played great and the fact is that they fell apart when he left) Hitzfield (won about everything ), Lippi, - but their main problem is that they're coming near the end of their careers. So would it be rather pointless in appointing a manager who's going to stick around for a few years only ?

Other than them I can remember only one young coach whose team has dominated with their attacking performances and he's actually won some trophies and played in the Champions League quite a few times - his name is Thommas Schaff - a manager of Werder Bremen - the way he snatched the title from Bayern (not sure if it was a double) with great attacking performances with a mediocre team is for an applause really

But sure King Eric would have to say something about it eh ?

Written By: crooney

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What a day...

Title: What a day...

So how did it go? In a nutshell, it was awesome. The day had it all. A first visit in 20 years, a six year old lads first ever visit, a win and a pantomime villain.

Having not been in so long I was really excited before the game. Even with it being changed to a 12.30 kick off on a sunday and travel chaos for thousands there was still a virtual full house. Despite there being nearly 15, 000 more people than when I last went the place did seem smaller than I remember, but then I was a 15 year old lad crammed into the old north bank last time.

The game itself was fairly even I thought and either side could have won, except City had £50m worth of miss-firing talent and the mighty Hammers had the latest academy star to rely on. Robinho was nothing short of woeful and Bellamy was just as ineffective. Up step 20 year old Jack Collison to show them how to do it and the crowd goes wild. Bellamy had already departed at this point and had done so in the most cowardly way. He sauntered over to the bench and then had a chat with his manager before running off down the tunnel before anyone realised what was happening. He had been targeted for some abuse through the game but it could have been a hell of a lot worse.

Parker was immense and accounted for Richards, Bellamy and Robinho apparently, great days work fella.

Credit to the city fans as well. They were very vocal and really got behind their team. They were also more than happy to get involved in the banter.

The sour note of the day was the injury to Valon. Looks serious and according to today's paper he's out for the rest of the season. He will be a big miss for us but, one persons misfortune is another's opportunity. Savio looked good when he came on and may now get a run in the side. He'll need to adjust quickly but early signs are promising.

As for me, well my passion is renewed and I'm already planning my next game. Looking to do an away day and can't wait. Youth football is going to have to wait for one more angry parent and refereeing will have to deal with the disappointment that I will not be joining their ranks .

What a day! Come On You Irons

Written By: 13hammers

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Going to Upton Park tomorrow

Title: Going to Upton Park tomorrow

Tomorrow sees my first visit to Upton Park in 20 years. There are many things riding on this game and it's not just money or the result. It could determine my future involvement in football. Should the mighty Hammers win and I have an amazing experience then it could spur me to attending more regularly. At present I still play myself but the knee's are going and I'm getting older. I'm now thinking about what happens when I have to give up. Following football now is very expensive so it needs to be good tomorrow.

The natural thing to do would be to go with my girlfriends 8 year old to his games and turn into one of those annoying parents. However, if things go well tomorrow then this will change everything.

As for the game itself, the return of a certain Mr Bellamy should at least ensure an electric atmosphere, getting the crowd worked up and creating plenty of noise. He does, of course, also cause a conundrum. He is the sort of person who seems to thrive on being despised and raise his game against former clubs. I fully intend to politely inform him of my feelings about what he did but, in reality, should I really be that angry at at the despicable little man. What did he really do at West Ham. In 2 years he played about 20 odd games and was not in double figures in terms of goals. Drew a big salary in that time for little return. He has form for being disruptive (allegedly lol) and for being disloyal. He has shown no respect for the clubs that have taken a gamble on him, giving him chance after chance. So what to do? Jeer him and boost his desire or, as I've seen suggested elsewhere, refuse to even acknowledge his existence. How confused would he be if the crowd remained silent and looked non-plussed at the mention of his name? Treating him like some player from foreign parts that only his manager has heard of. If it could be done I'd laugh my proverbial's off.

Our recent results are cause for concern. We face a city team that are woeful away from home but appear to be picking up. Couple that with the fact that both teams and players seem to break their bad streaks against and I'm a bit worried. I can't wait to see first hand the Zola revolution but think he'll have had his work cut out to get the players confidence up after a very poor display midweek.

So, experience dependent, tomorrow could see me commit a large portion of my hard earned dollar to attending Upton Park on as regular a basis as possible. However, should I spend in the region of £80 -£100 to see a steaming pile of turd my options are limited. Quit football all together, turn into a raging touchline parent (I can't seem to do quiet and encouraging when footballs involved) or (and I'm joking here) become a referee.

I feel like a kid on Christmas eve a the moment and really hope I'm not getting over excited, having not been in such a long time, but we will see. If I'm not feeling too suicidal tomorrow I'll let you know how it went.

Written By: 13hammers

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Is 3-5-2 the way for Liverpool ?

Title: Is 3-5-2 the way for Liverpool ?

While watching Liverpool the other day, I was thinking- why should anyone of the great triangle Gerrard, Mascherano, Xabi , get benched . It's about 3 great central midfielders and it would be shame that one of them gets converted to the flank or gets benched. They would find their spot in 90 percent of the teams , and if anyone would be guaranteed a place in United team, apart from Torres, it's one or two of them . Of course Gerrard is one but no big unjustice would be done if any of the later 2 found their place in United team.
So, here's the thought - why not trying 3-5-2 with 2 holding midfielders ( Xabi, Mascherano ) , 1 attacking midfielder ( Gerrard ) , with Babel and Riera (or Kuyt ) on the flanks, and Torres and Kuyt ( or Babel ) in attack. So I think that Benitez should use his solid, firm midfield in order to : 1. Take possesion away from opponents more often, 2. Score goals through good combination of passes . Think about it - why should every english team have 4 defenders ? I mean , when a team attacks, fullbacks go forward in order to penetrate the flank, and let's face it - Liverpool don't have such a quality fullbacks who can repeatedly do the job. Not as often as Evra,Sagna,Bosingwa,Cole hell even as Rafael or Wes Brown ( whoever saw the last season knows what I'm talking about).Why shouldn't Rafa try something different ? Nothing would be changed, players would keep their natural positions - Riera would stay on the flank, Kuyt too, and central midfield would stay as they are. Steve McClaren tried something similar in Zagreb (thankfully ), but his problem was not trying it before, picking the wrong players for the system and telling them simply - "go and play" without having the time to practice it and underestimating the opponent.
But now when Liverpool are all but out of the title race, Rafa has enough time to make the team gel. And it is easily converted into any formation- 4-3-3, 3-4-3, 4-4-2, you name it - those players can play it.

I know most of you gonna say how it doesn't go through in England, but when you think of it - nothing else has went through for Liverpool already, especially not 4-4-2 rotation system. What's there to lose ?!

Cheers

Written By: crooney

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Liverpool's title hopes were dealt a severe blow as they were held to a draw by Manchester City at Anfield. - Taken from BBC Sports football page.

Title: Liverpool's title hopes were dealt a severe blow as they were held to a draw by Manchester City at Anfield. - Taken from BBC Sports football page.

Liverpool's title hopes were dealt a severe blow as they were held to a draw by Manchester City at Anfield.

City broke the deadlock when former Liverpool striker Craig Bellamy's shot was deflected in off Alvaro Arbeloa.

A poor Liverpool had rarely threatened but levelled when Dirk Kuyt poked home after a Yossi Benayoun cross.

Shay Given saved a powerful Benayoun strike in a frantic finish but the Reds failed to get a winner and trail Manchester United by seven points.

Liverpool have now drawn six and won seven at home, while United have drawn just one and won 12 at Old Trafford.

It is a telling statistic, revealing the story of Liverpool's failure to break down visitors to Anfield and, with Steven Gerrard and Xabi Alonso missing, their lack of squad strength and creativity compared to United's was also highlighted.

Benitez not giving up title race yet

The Merseysiders had gone into the game with the pressure of knowing anything less than a win would have delivered a damaging blow to their title aspirations after United beat Blackburn on Saturday.

The gravity of Liverpool's situation was hard to tell from the majority of their play as they struggled to find any sort of rhythm or fluency.

City have won just once away from home in the league this season but were looking comfortable from the start and should have taken the lead through Stephen Ireland.

He had intercepted a stray Javier Mascherano pass and released Robinho on the right with a long diagonal ball before making a run into the Liverpool box.

The Brazilian found Ireland at the far post but the City midfielder's shot lacked conviction as he tamely sidefooted straight at keeper Jose Reina.

606: DEBATE What are your thoughts on the game?

Liverpool's play was laboured and predictable and they lacked a player in the mould of the injured Gerrard to to take the game by the scruff of the neck and inspire their play.

Striker Fernando Torres tried his best to fill the Gerrard void as he set up chances that he would have relished for Albert Riera and Benayoun.

But Riera dragged a shot wide and Benayoun put his effort into the crowd to sum up a poor first-half which suggested anything but a side challenging for the title.

Things got worse for Liverpool soon after the break when Robinho started a move which saw him find Vincent Kompany, who teed up Bellamy.

Bellamy's shot went in off an Arbeloa deflection and gave the Reds little choice but to commit more numbers forward.

We showed what we're about - Hughes

The situation was looking desperate the longer the game went on before Kuyt equalised when he pounced after Torres scuffed an effort from Benayoun's low cross.

City had seen Liverpool overturn a two-goal deficit to win in the reverse fixture earlier this season.

But, despite Benayoun's late effort and in contrast to their defensive vulnerability so far this season, the visitors held on to earn a point.

---

Liverpool: Reina, Arbeloa, Carragher, Skrtel, Dossena (Aurelio 76), Benayoun, Mascherano (Babel 83), Lucas, Riera (El Zhar 63), Torres, Kuyt.
Subs Not Used: Cavalieri, Hyypia, Ngog, Spearing.

Booked: El Zhar.

Goals: Kuyt 78.

Man City: Given, Richards, Dunne, Onuoha, Bridge, Zabaleta, De Jong, Kompany, Ireland, Bellamy, Robinho (Caicedo 88).
Subs Not Used: Hart, Garrido, Vassell, Evans, Elano, Weiss.

Booked: Dunne, Kompany.

Goals: Arbeloa 51 og.

Att: 44,259

Ref: Phil Dowd (Staffordshire).

---

BBC Sport Player Rater man of the match: Stephen Ireland on 6.85 (on 90 minutes).

Please note that you can still give the players marks out of 10 on BBC Sport's Player Rater after the match has finished.

Credit to: BBC Sport -> Football -> Premier League

Blues Hold On to 1-0 Win

Title: Blues Hold On to 1-0 Win

The Blues inspired by Frank Lampard get back to winning ways as Anelka found the back of the net

First game in management for Guus Hiddink, who looked excited for the big game.

It was a good first half, from both sides as they looked to nick an early goal. Chelsea enjoyed a lot of possession in the game , and that was where the match was Decided. Ballack looked bit anonymous like the last few games. Kalou out was the best option for Chelsea in the first half. The only dangerous chance that Villa had was through a Ashley Young free kick which hit the crossbar.

The star studded Chelsea line up looked up for the challenge in the first 45 as they kept the ball well.

1-0 Anelka

The Dutch coach who is temporarily in charge till the end of the season played Anelka and Drogba in the same 11 and it looked to pay off.

Villa's midfield got mixed as 2 men went to Lampard but didn't do enough, leaving the space for him to slip it through to Anelka. Great feet and close control from Lampard and an even better finish from Anelka.


Villa surge forward

Chelsea looked quite a bit Vulnerable in the second as Villa pressed forward It was a good start by Villa for the second half. They kept knocking on the door but sadly it never opened. Ashley Young was fantastic for Villa and provided the quality they needed. Martin O'Neill brought on John Carew to freshen things up.

Petr Cech was tested at his near post by Agbonlahor after muscling Alex aside, and the keeper also saved well from Barry's shot.

Hiddink brought on Deco who showed superb skills to put in Ballack in stoppage time who was denied by Friedel who was up to the task.


But the patched up Chelsea defence held on for a 1-0 win.Hiddink, the new manager in place at Chelsea got the the three points that take them above Villa into third place in the table. Chelsea are now back on track although way behind the pace set by Manchester United. Great game , great atmosphere and a great win for Chelsea.


Goals and Goalscorers

1-0 Nicolas Anelka [Assissted by Lampard]

Written By: futbol

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Man Utd vs Blackburn Preview.

Title: Man Utd vs Blackburn Preview.

Rooney likely to start as Red Devils look to extend their lead upto 8 points at the top of the table. Extending their Lead United have an added incentive for winning, that is extend their lead upto eight points before Liverpool play next. Experts beleive Sam Allardyce's Rovers side who currently occupy the last relegation spot and find themselves a point from safety may not pose much of a threat to a United side that is on the move. Rooney's Comeback Rooney made his comeback from a hamstring injury as a substitute against Fulham and scored with his first touch on Wednesday. This will be the last game that precedes the Inter Milan game away in the Champions League on Tuesday. Sir Alex would look to give Rooney some match fitness before United take on Mourinho's Inter. Team News Man Utd team (from): Van der Sar, Foster, Kuszczak, O'Shea, Rafael, Ferdinand, Vidic, Evans, Evra, Ronaldo, Carrick, Gibson, Scholes, Giggs, Park, Fletcher, Rooney, Berbatov, Tevez, Welbeck Blackburn team (from): Robinson, Bunn, Ooijer, Khizanishvili, Nelsen, Warnock, Givet, Olsson, Dunn, Villanueva, Grella, Tugay, Andrews, Diouf, Pedersen, Treacy, Mokoena, Haworth, Santa Cruz, McCarthy, Roberts.

Written By: futbol

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How Can Liverpool Win The Title?

Title: How Can Liverpool Win The Title?

As a loyal Manchester United supporter and I know this may be against my religion, but I personally believe Liverpool can still challenge United for this year’s title. First off, I’ll start by saying at the beginning of this season Liverpool had all the credentials of a league winning side. They had the right blend of experience and youth, along with the superstars in Gerrard and Torres.
In my opinion, it won’t be easy, but if anyone can beat Manchester United to the title this year, I believe its Liverpool. What needs to be done in order to win their first title in 18 years?
1. Their manager, Rafa Benitez needs to concentrate on his own team. There is no need to hit out at United, the FA or whatever. Besides, you can’t wind mind games with the mastermind that is Sir Alex Ferguson.
2. It is vital that both Steven Gerrard and Fernando Torres stay injury free for the remainder of the season. Gerrard is the heart of the team and midfield. If Torres can get firing, watch out United.
3. Liverpool must focus on their results. Concerning themselves with United’s results will add extra pressure. Basically, forgetting all about United from-here-on-end will do Liverpool a world of good.
4. Beat United at Old Trafford.
If Liverpool can manage to do these things (this is just my opinion), it should make for an interesting title race.

Written By: Jerrakos

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How To Beat Manchester United?

Title: How To Beat Manchester United?

Its a question 19 other Premier League managers are thinking, along with countless others ones around Europe and Manchester United just keep on winning, even when playing poorly.

With talents of Rooney, Ronaldo, Tevez, Giggs, Berbatov, Scholes, Vidic, Ferdinand, Van Der Sar, Nani, Anderson...and on and on and on...how do you stop them? As a United fan, heres how I think we can be got at...

1. Play tough! Bolton did it before, and roughed us up, get physical, hit (fairly) players hard in challenges. get Ronaldo oiut of the game early on. If you let him know he's gonna be hit hard, he'll fade away.

2. Cross that ball! Whip countless crosses into the box. Sure 9 out of 10 maybe brilliantly defended, but that 1 could lead to a chance.

3. Go man for man in midfield. If you give Scholes/Carrick/Fletcher/Giggs/Anderson etc... time on the ball, they'll demolish you. Get tight, stay tight. Get the toe in and stop them getting their heads up to find a 30 yarder to set up attacks.

4. Take your chances! You will get 2 maybe 3 chances to score against United in a game, and you simply MUST take them by the scruff of the neck. At the very least, call the keeper into a save!


Sounds simple reading, of course. But to me anyways, this is how United can be got at, and even doing all the above....they still might nick it!

Written By: Keano!

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Liverpool Need A Lucky Break!

Liverpools title challenge could look all the harder come their match on Sunday against Manchester City at Anfield.

Should Manchester United, current leaders, beat Blackburn Rovers at Old Trafford on Saturday evening, then the Mersysiders will be 8 points behind the Champions and the pressure will be on big time.

Since Rafa's "rant", Liverpool have stutered and stumbled, but hope was renewed when they admirably came from behind twice to beat Portsmouth on the South Coast 3-2 after they were minutes away from defeat.

Liverpool have never won the Premier League Crown, but this season is argueably their best chance in years. Chelsea and Arsenal have been cut loose, and its seemingly down to the two bitter rivals.


United fans will be hopeful of close rivals, City doing them a massive favour, and with Mark Hughes in charge, you'd think Liverpool maybe in need of a lucky break!



Written by: Keano!

Bookies Payout On United Doing The Treble

Incredibly, not even at the end of February and Bookies, PaddyPower are paying out on Manchester United sealing the Premiership, FA Cup and League Cup crowns.

The Irish bookies are so confident of the English, European adn World Champions winning the three that they've suspended all bets on the odds and paid out to delighted punters.

A spokesperson had this to say...

"Teams can't even score against United at the moment so what hope have they of catching them? Nobody can touch them, they look unbeatable in England anyway. We're going to have to rely on somebody from Europe stopping them in the Champions League."

Power has paid out on bets early before, when it comes to Man Utd winning the Premier League. But a bookmaker has never coughed up so quickly on a domestic treble.

"We’re confident that we won't be left with egg on our faces by paying up early, United just have that look of invincibility about them this season."


United are currently 5 points clear of Liverpool in the League, in the FA Cup Quarter-Finals against either Swansea City or Fulham and face Carling Cup holders, Tottenham Hotspur in the final at Wembley on March 1st.


One thing for certain is that this season, will not be a trophy less year at Old Trafford, it would seem.

Eduardo Back With A Bang

After suffering a shocking injury last season, all most exactly 12 months down a long road to recovery, Eduardo Da Silva made his Arsenal return in the FA Cup 4th Round Reply against Cardiff City at the Emriates ast night.

The script was written really, and was followed eerily well, as fans saw the youngster float a header into the back of the net after a sweet Arsenal move. It really was an emotional moment as he found his goal scoring touch so quickly.

He added a second to his name after that and almost seasled a wonderful hat-trick until Arsene Wenger replaced him with Van Persi on the hour mark.

Arsenal ran out 4-0 winners on the night, as the brused Cardiff aside with very little challenge from the Championship team.


Great news for Arsenal that Eduardo is back, and Arsenal now have a 5th round tie in store at home to Burnley (Who knocked them out of the League Cup) and the winners of that will have a home tie against either Championship side Sheffield United, or Premier League new-boys, Hull City.

FA Cup 6th Round Draw

Blackburn/Coventry V Chelsea
Swansea/Fulham V Man United
Cardiff City/Arsenal or Burnley V Sheffield United or Hull City
Everton v West Ham United V Middlesbrough

Ties to be played on 7/8 March


My views on who shall be featuring in the semi-final pot..

Chelsea - Man United - Sheffield United - Everton


One thing for sure is I hope we don't get United and Chelsea in the final again after the no show the two gave 2 seasons ago!

Tottenham Vs. Arsenal (0-0)

The spoils are shared, and in a reverse of the fixture at Ashburton Grove, Arsenal can feel the better for the result. No goals, but this was far from a dire encounter.

The North London derby, the one we all mark on the calender, and after that 4-4 draw earlier in the season anything could have happened this afternoon. Arsenal were boosted by Arshavin and Eduardo being named in the squad, albeit on the bench.

In charge of the game was Mike "card king" Dean sent into a highly charged local derby with the highest red card count of the Premier referees. Slightly odd. However, he was to produce a red card, sending off Emmanuel Eboue. Dean had asked Eboue three times to leave a decision alone, but Eboue seemed either deaf or daft, and continually moaned, earning himself a yellow card. Had he have kept his mouth shut, the next incident might well have passed un-noticed. The player was having a blinder until this point as well, but after an early yellow, he was always going to be watched, and so it proved to be. An off the ball incident with Modric saw Eboue kick out, and Dean had little alternative but to issue a second yellow, followd by the red, and Arsenal were down to ten men for the majority of the game.

Perhaps he was frustrated after a goal was ruled out, and for the life of me, I still can't see why, and that with the benefit of replays. Had the goal been given, perhaps Eboue wouldn't have been in such a moaning mood, who knows. As it was Arsenal were under pressure for most of the remainder of the game.

At the point of the red card, Adebayor had just been taken off with a hamstring problem and replaced by Bendtner, who I am sure was being reserved for a far later impact appearance, something he has been rather good with lately.

Arsenal put up stern resistance to most thrown before them, but Middlesex had their chances, and how close they were on several occasions. Robbie Keane on his return looked keen to impress, but couldn't find a way past Almunia. Although Middlesex dominated for long periods, Arsenal had their moments, and possibly could have won the game on a couple of occasions late on, but Cudicini was equal to all thrown before him.

At the end of the day, Arsenal can feel mighty pleased with a point under the circumstances, especially looking at the statistics! So a goalless draw, and an eleventh match unbeaten. Too many of those games are draws, hence our league position, but today not many would be complaining.

Arshavin and Eduardo were unused, so Wenger still has these players up his sleeve, and with Adebayor now added to the injury room, we will need them!

-GoonersWorld

England Squad For Spain

England Squad:

Goalkeepers: Green (West Ham), Hart (Man City), James (Portsmouth).

Defenders: Bridge (Man City), A Cole (Chelsea), R Ferdinand (Man Utd), Jagielka (Everton), G Johnson (Portsmouth), Terry (Chelsea), Upson (West Ham), L Young (Villa).

Midfielders: Beckham (LA Galaxy), Barry (Villa), Carrick (Man Utd), Downing (Middlesbrough), Lampard (Chelsea), Milner (Villa), Wright-Phillips (Man City), A Young (Villa).

Forwards: Agbonlahor (Villa), C Cole (West Ham), Crouch (Portsmouth), Heskey (Villa)

January Transfer Window (Prem Teams)

Format:


Club
In: Player (Club Which Player Came From, Fee)
Out: Player (Club Going To, Fee)

----------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------

Arsenal
In: Andrei Arshavin (Zenit St Petersburg, £15m)
Out: Paul Rodgers (Northampton Town, Loan), Jay Simpson (West Brom, Loan), Rene Steer (Gillingham, Loan), Rui Fonte (Crystal Palace, Loan), Henri Lansbury (Sthingyhorpe United, Loan)

Aston Villa
In: Arsenio Halfhuid (Excelsior, Undisc.), Emile Heskey (Wigan, £3.5m)
Out: Wayne Routledge (Queens Park Rangers, Undisc.)

Blackburn
In: Nick Blackman (Macclesfield, Undisc.), Gael Givet (Marseille, Loan), El-Hadji Diouf (Sunderland, £2m)
Out: Eddie Nolan (Preston North End, Undisc.), Frank Fielding (Rochdale, Loan), Sergio Peter (Sparta Prague, Undisc.), Alan Judge (Plymouth Argyle, Loan), Matt Derbyshire (Olympiakos, Loan), Jamie Clarke (Rotherham United, Loan)

Bolton
In: Sebastien Puygrenier (Zenit St Petersburg, Loan), Ariza Makukula (Benfica, Loan), Mark Davies (Wolverhampton Wanderers, Undisc.)
Out: Heidar Helguson (Queens Park Rangers, Undisc.), Kevin Nolan (Newcastle, £4m)

Chelsea
In: Gökhan Töre (Bayer Leverkusen, Undisc.), Ricardo Quaresma (Internazionale, Loan)
Out: Wayne Bridge (Manchester City, £10m), Ben Sahar (De Graafschap, Loan), Jack Cork (Watford, Loan), Scott Sinclair (Birmingham, Loan), Lee Sawyer (Coventry City, Loan), Carlo Cudicini (Tottenham, Free), Carl Magnay (Milton Keynes Dons, Loan), Jimmy Smith (Leyton Orient, Loan) , Sergio Tejera (Real Mallorca, Undisc.)

Everton
In: Jô (Manchester City, Loan)
Out: Lee Molyneux (Southampton, Free), John Ruddy (Crewe Alexandra, Loan), John Kissock (Accrington Stanley, Loan)

Fulham
In: Giles Barnes (Derby, Loan), Olivier Dacourt (Internazionale, Loan), Julian Gray (Coventry City, Undisc.)
Out: Thomas Moncur (Wycombe Wanderers, Free), Hameur Bouazza (Birmingham, Loan), Lee Parker (Queens Park Rangers, Undisc.) Seol Ki-Hyeon (Al-Hilal, Loan), Leon Andreasen (Hannover 96, Loan), Andranik Teymourian (Barnsley, Loan), Adrian Leijer (Norwich City, Loan)

Hull
In: Kevin Kilbane (Wigan, Undisc.), Manucho (Manchester United, Loan), Kamil Zayatte (Young Boys, £2.5m), Jimmy Bullard (Fulham, £5m)
Out: Dean Windass (Oldham Athletic, Loan), Stelios Giannakopoulos (Larissa, Free), Wayne Brown (Leicester City, Loan)

Liverpool
In: None
Out: Jermaine Pennant (Portsmouth, Loan), Krisztian Nemeth (Blackpool, Loan), Craig Lindfield (Accrington Stanley, Loan), Peter Gulacsi (Hereford United, Loan), Adam Hammill (Barnsley, Loan), Robbie Keane (Tottenham, Undisc.)

Manchester City
In: Wayne Bridge (Chelsea, £10m), Craig Bellamy (West Ham United, £14m), Nigel De Jong (Hamburg SV, Undisc.), Shay Given (Newcastle United, Undisc)
Out: Sam Williamson (Wrexham, Free), Javan Vidal (Aberdeen, Loan), Paul Marshall (Blackpool, Loan), Jô (Everton, Loan), Tal Ben-Haim (Sunderland, Loan)

Manchester United
In: Zoran Tosic (Partizan Belgrade, Undisc.), Adem Ljajic (Partizan Belgrade, Undisc.), Ritchie De Laet (Stoke City, Undisc.)
Out: David Gray (Plymouth Argyle, Loan), Sam Hewson (Hereford United, Loan), Manucho (Hull, Loan), Tom Cleverly (Leicester City, Loan), James Chester (Peterborough United, Loan)

Middlesbrough
In: Marlon King (Wigan, Loan)
Out: Seb Hines (Derby County, Loan), Jonathan Grounds (Norwich City, Loan), Graeme Owens (Blackpool, Loan), Hossam Mido (Wigan, Loan), Rhys Williams (Burnley, Loan), Tom Craddock (Luton Town, £80,000)

Newcastle
In: Peter Lövenkrands (Unattatched, Free), Kevin Nolan (Bolton, £4m), Ryan Taylor (Wigan, Undisc.)
Out: Charles N'Zogbia (Wigan, Undisc.), Shay Given (Manchester City, Undisc)

Portsmouth
In: Nadir Belhadj (Lens £4.4m), Jermaine Pennant (Liverpool, Loan), Pelé (Porto, Loan), Hayden Mullins (West Ham, Undisc.), Angelos Basinas (AEK Athens, Undisc.), Theofanis Gekas (Bayer Leverkusen, Loan)
Out: Lassana Diarra (Real Madrid, £20m), Jean Christophe (Southend United, Undisc.), Jermain Defoe (Tottenham, £15m), Richard Duffy (Millwall, Loan), Khaleem Hyland (Zulte-Waregem, Loan)

Stoke
In: Matthew Etherington (West Ham, Undisc.), James Beattie (Sheffield United, Undisc.), Henri Camara (Wigan, Loan)
Out: Ritchie De Laet (Manchester United, Undisc.), Nathaniel Wedderburn (Notts County, Loan), Tom Soares (Charlton Athletic, Loan), Carl thingyinson (Leeds United, Loan), Lewis Buxton (Sheffield Wednesday, Nominal)

Sunderland
In: Calum Davenport (West Ham United, Loan), Tal Ben-Haim (Manchester City, Loan)
Out: Roy O'Donovan (Blackpool, Loan), Graham Kavanagh (Carlisle United, Free), Ross Wallace (Preston North End, Undisc.), Liam Miller (Queens Park Rangers, Undisc.), Pascal Chimbonda (Tottenham, Undisc.), Jordan Henderson (Coventry City, Loan), El-Hadji Diouf (Blackburn Rovers, £2m), Michael Chopra (Cardiff City, Loan)

Tottenham
In: Jermain Defoe (Portsmouth, £15m), Carlo Cudicini (Chelsea, Free), Wilson Palacios (Wigan, Undisc.), Pascal Chimbonda (Sunderland, Undisc.), Robbie Keane (Liverpool, Undisc.)
Out: Andy Barcham (Gillingham, Undisc.), Paul Stalteri (Borussia Monchengladbach, Free), Kevin-Prince Boateng (Borussia Dortmund, Loan), Troy Archibald-Henville (Exeter City, Loan), David Button (AFC Bournemouth, Loan), César (Valencia, Free), Dorian Dervitte (Southend United, Loan), Tomas Pekhart (Slavia Prague, Loan)

West Brom
In: Marc-Antoine Fortune (AS Nancy Lorraine, Loan), Jay Simpson (Arsenal, Loan), Youssuf Mulumbu (Paris Saint-Germain, Loan), Juan Menseguez (San Lorenzo, Loan)
Out: Joss Labadie (Shrewsbury Town, Loan), Lee Baker (Kidderminster Harriers, Free), Sherjill MacDonald (Roeselare, Loan)

West Ham
In: Savio Nsereko (Brescia, Undisc.), Radoslav Kovac (Spartak Moscow, Loan)
Out: Joe Widdowson (Grimsby Town, Loan), Matthew Etherington (Stoke City, Undisc.), Lee Bowyer (Birmingham, Loan), Kyel Reid (Wolverhampton Wanderers, Loan), Craig Bellamy (Manchester City, £14m), Hayden Mullins (Portsmouth, Undisc.), Calum Davenport (Sunderland, Loan), Julien Faubert (Real Madrid, Loan)

Wigan
In: Hossam Mido (Middlesbrough, Loan), Hugo Rodallega (Necaxa, £4.5m), Ben Watson (Crystal Palace, Undisc.), Charles N'Zogbia (Newcastle United, Undisc.)
Out: Lewis Montrose (Cheltenham Town, Loan), Luke Ashworth (Leyton Orient, Loan), Kevin Kilbane (Hull City, Undisc.), Marlon King (Middlesbrough, Loan), Emile Heskey (Aston Villa, £3.5m), Wilson Palacios (Tottenham, Undisc.), Henri Camara (Stoke, Loan), Ryan Taylor (Newcastle, Undisc.)

Given Swaps Newcastle For City

Much publicized move, Shay Given to Manchester City, has finally gone through with the Irsih stopper moving to the City of Manchester for an undisclosed fee.

Given, hailed as one of the best around and not nearly given the credit he really deserves is set to push aside Joe Hart and Kasper Schmeichel from the goal line in the blue of Manchester as Mark Hughes looks to try and sure up the defence in his side.

Upon signing the 32 year old, Hughes had this to say.

"I am delighted that we have been able to acquire such an accomplished keeper."



Given is expected to line-out for the first time next Saturday in City's home game to Middlesbrough.

Given is the next name on the list of signings for Man City following Wayne Bridge, Craig Bellamy and Nigel de Jong to Eastlands.




Brought to you by Premier League Chat

Prem Round-Up (Feb 1st)

Unlike yesterday's action, today had a bit more bite and a little bit more interest too. We had a Tyne-Wear Derby to start us off at lunchtime and then the title challengers game between Liverpool and Chelsea at Anfield.


Newcastle played host to visitors, Sunderland in the Tyne-Wear Derby and were looking for a win to boost their form under Joe Kinnear. After a lively opening, with Sunderland doing all the pushing, Harper was unable to deny Cisse a goal after he failed to prevent the Sunderland forwards second strike giving Sunderland the lead. Sunderland deservedly led at half time, but in the second Newcastle came forward a lot more and began to create chances with Damien Duff and Jonas Gutierrez really taking hold fo the game driving at the Sunderland defence. But midway through the half, everybody, including some of the Newcastle players were stunned when Howard Webb awarded a penalty to the home side after he had judged Malbranque's tackle on Taylor had been worthy of a foul. It looked extremely harsh and Newcastle didn't deserve the opportunity to score from the spot on 69 minutes. Shola Ameobi stepped p and smashed the ball home to make things interesting for the last 20 or so minutes. Both sides tussled for a goal, with the games stretched, when substitute, Michael Chopra managed to nip the ball off the Newcastle defence after some shocking defender. The striker was in on goal, and when you would think all he had to do was wrap his right peg around the ball and curl it into the far corner beyond Harper, he tried to play in Kenwyne Jones with an audacious chipped ball with the outside of his foot, yet the skills were absent and he over ht the ball and Jones had to turn away from goal in order to keep it in play. It was a golden opportunity to nab a possible 3 points! Thats how it ended, and Sunderland, despite feeling they could have taken all the points from Geordie land, will be pleased with the performance.

At 16:00, Liverpool and Chelsea lined up in the cold of Anfield, and even the light dusting of snow too! It was a game where there simply had to be a winner, otherwise, Manchester United would have been 4 clear of the two with a game in hand. A very tame and timid first half played out, with Liverpool having the two best chances with long range drives from Alonso and Mascherano which both called Petr Cech into action to keep the scores level. Mike Riely had a game to forget really, issuing needless cards at various points and making some very suspect decisions. The second half began and Liverpool came to life as Chelsea seemed to almost tire. Alex was like a rock at the back blocking numerous shots and passes from Liverpool. However, all was to change drastically, as referee Riely brandished a red card to Chelsea midfielder Frank Lampard, for "serious foul play" on Xabi Alonso. Lampard who appeared to actually win the ball was stunned as Alonso lay on the floor. It seemed a very, very harsh sending off and one you would expect to see overturned at the FA. Questions also arose, when Steven Gerrard lunged at a Chelsea player yet didn't receive a card at all. 89 minutes passed and it was all looking like Man United's evening when up popped Fernando "El Nino" to head the ball past Cech, who wasn't in the best position, after a decent Liverpool move. Chelsea appeared to give up then and Liverpool capitalized on this and Chelsea's woeful defending as Ashley Cole failed to deal with the ball and as the ball broke loose, Torres again, had an open net in front of him to roll the ball into and send Chelsea hearts lower, and lower. A final talking point was an outrageous "kick" from Bosingwa on Benayoun in the corner as he lifted his leg and shoved his studs into the back of the Liverpool winger. You have to wonder, if Lampard's "foul" deserved a red, what on earth let Bosingwa stay on the pitch. Wit the linesman less then a meter from it too, you just have to sit back in amazement at the poor officiating. I think Bosingwa can be expecting a suspension in the coming days as the FA must surely take action upon it. The game ended 2-0 to the home side and arguably Chelsea's title challenge now.


Many eyes will be on Manchester United and Liverpool at Old Trafford on March 14th.



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