Various rants about various things.
The world is fucked but then again when have people not said it has been fucked over the past couple of decades! Israel should be put up for war crimes. The war in Syria is a massacre and I am also sure that there is many more wars going on that are not even being reported on. I am glad that there is free Palestine marches going around the country and I will be joining one or two or them in the near future but unless the Americans stop supporting Israel and see HAMAS as this big army that counteract Israel which to me is nearly impossible then this slaughter of mostly innocent people will continue. It just disturbs me that is is actually happening and none of the big countries are doing anything to stop it.
Regulations in Formula One. Ahhhh fuuuccckkk yes there was a great Hungarian Grand Prix last Sunday and Daniel Riccardio showed why he will be a future world champion but for the fact that Mercedes are allowing Rosberg and Hamilton to race each other the season would be pretty dull. The regulation that basically freezes engine development for the whole year put any of the Renault and the Ferrari powered cars at a severe disadvantage since they knew from the beginning it did not have the pace to compete with the Mercedes powered cars has made qualifying a big bore for the most part as you pretty much know who is going to be pole. Races thankfully have been good for the most part as the battle for the podiums and at times Mercedes fragility have made things a little interesting. The other gripe is economy saving. The cars have a limit of 100kg per race and on a couple of circuits it is very dicey and on the limit. I hate this rule, I know that F1 is meant to be on the cutting edge of technology and that going green and saving the planet is top of the agenda at the moment but I though racing is meant to be going flat out going wheel to wheel every single lap! Where did that go?It will get worse with throwing rules in that will make sense in a commercial or safety aspect but not in a racing sense whatsoever.
As some of you may know I have a podcast now run with my friend Anthony called Between the Line and so far without any promotion we have an average of 50-100 listeners per podcast which is great and we now have to get the name out there please spread the word. I think it can go a long way fingers crossed!!
That was not a rant, that was self-publicity!!Last rant has to go to people who listen to anything got to do with the current music scene. I suppose it has passed me by but when has the last time there has been a movement of some description. It seems to be most music these days has a producer in the studio, hit the auto tune button, presses a default button raises the noise spouts some lyrics (in American rap for example it is always the combination of much money they have, how much drugs they have taken and how much sex they have had with girls) Sounds good right! There have been some great rap artists (N.W.A., Public Enemy), Dance (The Prodigy, Chemical Brothers, Pete Tong) and so on... today it is rubbish noise most of it. Pop music is so generic as well it is not funny. Just so fucking tedious my ears bleed (well not really but you get the point!) There is hope, there are some good bands about from the Waterford scene (Kodakid, Solar Taxi, O Emperor) If you really want the good music form today it is there it is just harder to find not the generic crap they play on the radio.
Ranting is over for now Ill have my predictions for the new Premiership season up soon. So lots to talk about there so talk soon. Please agree or disagree to this and have some lively debates about it.
Monday, July 28, 2014
Wednesday, June 11, 2014
Why I love the World Cup!
So as I write this, the World Cup in Brazil starts tomorrow (June the 12th) and fever pitch has hit yours truly. If you are trying to explain to someone why this competition is the centre of the universe and they pull a face of disdain at you, they just do not understand really! Ha!Ha!
Why do I love it. I think even with the massive changes in football over the last 20 years the World cup for the most part has maintained its massive mystique and also every match that you watch and that is pretty much every match you can you want that bit of magic that will be etched in your memory forever (Bergkamp's goal against Argentina in 98 springs immediately to mind), controversy,( Zidane getting sent off in the World Cup final in 2006, his last ever game), joy to the nation,( Most of all the three world cup campaigns Ireland have been involved in) and also picking a favourite team if your nation is not in it like this year in this writers case. I always have a soft spot for the Dutch even though I turned against them after that shocking display in the World Cup Final in 2010. Karma collected them in the Euros two years later so they are back onside with me. Also I'll be cheering on the Japanese as well. Loved the way they played in the Confederations cup last year and I think they will win many friends in this tournament.
Other memories I have include Roger Milla for Cameroon in the 90 world cup and any time I played footy in primary school afterwards I would always try and do the goal celebration with a little wiggle in the corner flag! Robert Baggio almost single handedly dragging Italy to the final in 1994 and then missing the penalty in shoot out to hand the tournament to Brazil. Ronaldo's shocking day in the final in 1998 after having a seizure, being out of the side and then eventually played but never had a look in as the French destroyed the Brazilians in the final. Ronaldo's redemption by scoring the goals to win Brazil the world cup in 2002 against Germany in the final. Fabio Cannavaro cementing his status as an Italian legend with an amazing tournament in 2006 and the Spanish winning the World Cup deservedly four years later in South Africa.
I think England will get knocked out of the group stage unless Roy Hodgson decides to go bold. A lot of people are going for a Brazil vs Argentina final although I still think Spain will be there or there abouts and I think the French are a good dark horse alongside Chile if anyone is fancying an each way bet.
It will hopefully be a better World Cup than 2010 and I think there is enough quality teams for that to make it happen. Why do I love the World cup? Hopefully the next month will answer that question. Also the return of Apres Match as well as the last time we see Bill O'Herilhy presenting both moments to saviour. Hope everyone enjoys the tournament. I surely hope so.
Why do I love it. I think even with the massive changes in football over the last 20 years the World cup for the most part has maintained its massive mystique and also every match that you watch and that is pretty much every match you can you want that bit of magic that will be etched in your memory forever (Bergkamp's goal against Argentina in 98 springs immediately to mind), controversy,( Zidane getting sent off in the World Cup final in 2006, his last ever game), joy to the nation,( Most of all the three world cup campaigns Ireland have been involved in) and also picking a favourite team if your nation is not in it like this year in this writers case. I always have a soft spot for the Dutch even though I turned against them after that shocking display in the World Cup Final in 2010. Karma collected them in the Euros two years later so they are back onside with me. Also I'll be cheering on the Japanese as well. Loved the way they played in the Confederations cup last year and I think they will win many friends in this tournament.
Other memories I have include Roger Milla for Cameroon in the 90 world cup and any time I played footy in primary school afterwards I would always try and do the goal celebration with a little wiggle in the corner flag! Robert Baggio almost single handedly dragging Italy to the final in 1994 and then missing the penalty in shoot out to hand the tournament to Brazil. Ronaldo's shocking day in the final in 1998 after having a seizure, being out of the side and then eventually played but never had a look in as the French destroyed the Brazilians in the final. Ronaldo's redemption by scoring the goals to win Brazil the world cup in 2002 against Germany in the final. Fabio Cannavaro cementing his status as an Italian legend with an amazing tournament in 2006 and the Spanish winning the World Cup deservedly four years later in South Africa.
I think England will get knocked out of the group stage unless Roy Hodgson decides to go bold. A lot of people are going for a Brazil vs Argentina final although I still think Spain will be there or there abouts and I think the French are a good dark horse alongside Chile if anyone is fancying an each way bet.
It will hopefully be a better World Cup than 2010 and I think there is enough quality teams for that to make it happen. Why do I love the World cup? Hopefully the next month will answer that question. Also the return of Apres Match as well as the last time we see Bill O'Herilhy presenting both moments to saviour. Hope everyone enjoys the tournament. I surely hope so.
Wednesday, April 23, 2014
So what went wrong with Moyes?
Or this should be called what did anything go right in David Moyes' reign as Manchester United. One thing is for sure the old United tradition of keeping trust in managers and giving them a chance to build their own squad is now gone. Manchester United is now a business and if there are not immediate results on the pitch than the fans, the board and the shareholders will call for a change as soon as possible. It is a commercial venture so Manchester United are basically like every other big club these days a commercial entity, any manager that lasts two years from now on at United will be doing well.
So was it the right choice to sack Moyes then? I thought that at least he should have been given the summer transfer window to try and bring in players to improve the team which badly needs rebuilding. Alex Ferguson did not do David Moyes any favours by leaving the team he did for him. There was questions at the end of last season about how good this Manchester United team really was as they won a very poor premiership and got knocked out handily enough in the champions league. It was a testament to Sir Alex with the team he did have that United did win the premiership last season as Moyes with the same team this season are 23 points adrift of Liverpool so how and where did it all go wrong?
The players have to take some responsibility for it. No matter if they hated the game management of Moyes as rumoured but at least show some fight if they are losing in matches and far too often there was not. Some players in certain games simply gave up which was never a United mantra. Moyes at times as well never made changes in games as if he was afraid to take a chance which definitely had an affect on the players no doubt. A combination of the two definitely affected them in the bigger games and that was why they were handily beaten in so many of those matches.
United botched the transfer window last summer for sure and Ed Woodward, the man who replaced David Gill does have to take some responsibility for this as well as he was the person who was in charge of trying to seal some deals and it did not happen. In the end Mauroine Fellaini was signed on transfer deadline day a couple of weeks after United could have had him cheaper a few weeks earlier. Juan Mata was signed in January and he will settle in to the team by the time the new season starts but that was difficult to expect him to make an immediate impact. It was a mess and did nit help Moyes at all.
Bottom line is Moyes lost the support of the players and the Glazers made the decision that they did not trust him with the money that they even realise that needs to be spent to bring United back to the forefront of the English game again. It was not a footballing decision, it was a commercial decision.
What now for Moyes? I think maybe a stint at a European club to learn new methods of coaching might be not a bad idea. For United Carlo Ancelotti would be the ideal situation but if he wins either La Liga or the Champions League you can see him being at Madrid for at least another season. Van Gaal has the track record and will probably be the next boss but with his reputation of being very erratic could put off the Glazers of employing him. Either way it could be someone else but it is going to be a very interesting summer for United and will be a fascinating watch.
So was it the right choice to sack Moyes then? I thought that at least he should have been given the summer transfer window to try and bring in players to improve the team which badly needs rebuilding. Alex Ferguson did not do David Moyes any favours by leaving the team he did for him. There was questions at the end of last season about how good this Manchester United team really was as they won a very poor premiership and got knocked out handily enough in the champions league. It was a testament to Sir Alex with the team he did have that United did win the premiership last season as Moyes with the same team this season are 23 points adrift of Liverpool so how and where did it all go wrong?
The players have to take some responsibility for it. No matter if they hated the game management of Moyes as rumoured but at least show some fight if they are losing in matches and far too often there was not. Some players in certain games simply gave up which was never a United mantra. Moyes at times as well never made changes in games as if he was afraid to take a chance which definitely had an affect on the players no doubt. A combination of the two definitely affected them in the bigger games and that was why they were handily beaten in so many of those matches.
United botched the transfer window last summer for sure and Ed Woodward, the man who replaced David Gill does have to take some responsibility for this as well as he was the person who was in charge of trying to seal some deals and it did not happen. In the end Mauroine Fellaini was signed on transfer deadline day a couple of weeks after United could have had him cheaper a few weeks earlier. Juan Mata was signed in January and he will settle in to the team by the time the new season starts but that was difficult to expect him to make an immediate impact. It was a mess and did nit help Moyes at all.
Bottom line is Moyes lost the support of the players and the Glazers made the decision that they did not trust him with the money that they even realise that needs to be spent to bring United back to the forefront of the English game again. It was not a footballing decision, it was a commercial decision.
What now for Moyes? I think maybe a stint at a European club to learn new methods of coaching might be not a bad idea. For United Carlo Ancelotti would be the ideal situation but if he wins either La Liga or the Champions League you can see him being at Madrid for at least another season. Van Gaal has the track record and will probably be the next boss but with his reputation of being very erratic could put off the Glazers of employing him. Either way it could be someone else but it is going to be a very interesting summer for United and will be a fascinating watch.
Monday, April 14, 2014
Oh Nancy! and respecting the business.
Well this is about pro wrestling. My first blog about it. Yes I am thirty one years old but pro wrestling gives me the escapism I need for entertainment and also the fact that I love the art of pro wrestling when it is done right its the best feeling in the world. That is what I felt after watching the Hall of Fame Speeches especially Jake the Snakes and the Warriors. The Mania show itself which was easily the best Mania since 24 in my opinion. Who was not shocked after taker losing the streak or genuinely ecstatic after Daniel Bryan's title win. The Raw was feel good as well until the shocking news the following day that Jim Hellwing, the Ultimate Warrior passed away aged 54. After a momentous weekend, it kind of sucked the airway a little bit and what made it worse was the utter shambles of an interview Nancy Grace did with Diamond Dallas Page about Warriors death days after the event.
It was not Page's fault, he was there thinking he was going to give a good eulogy for Warrior's death instead lazy reporting and Journalism took over with the beat of a drum from good old Nancy and did not care about the good aspects of Warrior and respecting his memory. All she gave a damn about was the sensationalist report that another wrestler died so yeas here we go again!Drugs! Maybe the steroids he took did have an affect on him in later life but why speculate on that? That she did not care about Warrior's wife and children while producing this shambolic report is also a disgrace.I bet that there was no drugs or drink in his system when he died. We will see when toxicology reports come out (by the time this comes out everyone will find out) The inaccuracies about the drug deaths are staggering. On that list that she showed a lot of those did not die because of steroids especially Joey Marella who was a referee who died tragically in a car crash and of course Owen Hart who died tragically when a stunt went wrong in a PPV show in the Kemper Arena in Kansas City. Nancy and her researchers did a fantastic job there didn't they?
Also the doctor stating the obvious. What was the point there?Duh!!!
It was cheap and sensational and there was a Nancy Out campaign on Twitter but I cannot see anything happen as she is a media darling and very powerful by all accounts. I just wish the media can once not make a lazy distinction between steroids and wrestlers cliches, go through all the usual bullshit they do and actually respect wrestlers and the wrestling industry for once? It probably won't happen in our lifetime but Warrior you were one of my childhood heroes and were inspirational to many once you left the squared circle and my thoughts and prayers go to your wife and two daughters. Nancy Grace should be ashamed for herself. I let you judge whether you are a wrestling fan or not if you think this was right or wrong so to speak.
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=b6gv-WOE17s
Also the blog will be regular doing the summer during the World Cup. Looking forward to it. Congrats to Bubba Watson on the Masters two in three years is an amazing achievement. should be a great few years coming for him. Blog on F1 next few days. Till next time.
It was not Page's fault, he was there thinking he was going to give a good eulogy for Warrior's death instead lazy reporting and Journalism took over with the beat of a drum from good old Nancy and did not care about the good aspects of Warrior and respecting his memory. All she gave a damn about was the sensationalist report that another wrestler died so yeas here we go again!Drugs! Maybe the steroids he took did have an affect on him in later life but why speculate on that? That she did not care about Warrior's wife and children while producing this shambolic report is also a disgrace.I bet that there was no drugs or drink in his system when he died. We will see when toxicology reports come out (by the time this comes out everyone will find out) The inaccuracies about the drug deaths are staggering. On that list that she showed a lot of those did not die because of steroids especially Joey Marella who was a referee who died tragically in a car crash and of course Owen Hart who died tragically when a stunt went wrong in a PPV show in the Kemper Arena in Kansas City. Nancy and her researchers did a fantastic job there didn't they?
Also the doctor stating the obvious. What was the point there?Duh!!!
It was cheap and sensational and there was a Nancy Out campaign on Twitter but I cannot see anything happen as she is a media darling and very powerful by all accounts. I just wish the media can once not make a lazy distinction between steroids and wrestlers cliches, go through all the usual bullshit they do and actually respect wrestlers and the wrestling industry for once? It probably won't happen in our lifetime but Warrior you were one of my childhood heroes and were inspirational to many once you left the squared circle and my thoughts and prayers go to your wife and two daughters. Nancy Grace should be ashamed for herself. I let you judge whether you are a wrestling fan or not if you think this was right or wrong so to speak.
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=b6gv-WOE17s
Also the blog will be regular doing the summer during the World Cup. Looking forward to it. Congrats to Bubba Watson on the Masters two in three years is an amazing achievement. should be a great few years coming for him. Blog on F1 next few days. Till next time.
Tuesday, December 31, 2013
Happy new years The review of 2013.
It was a great year of sport but then again I am going to say that every year to the day that I die. Here are the highlights and lowlights which got people fascinated in 2013.
Team of the year- New Zealand Rugby Team To go all the year unbeaten with a little bit of luck on the way The All Blacks were dominant from start to finish in this calendar year and with fans and pundits pretty much agreeing that this could be the greatest rugby team the world has ever seen, we shall wait and see what this team can produce from 2014 and onwards. It will be fascinating to watch.
Honourable mentions: The British and Irish Lions for producing an amazing series against Australia, Bayern Munich for dominating German and European football and then somehow halfway through this season under Pep Guardiola being even better than they were last season. Clare Hurling team for providing everyone with thrills in what was widely regarded as one of the best Hurling Championships Ever and Red Bull F1 Racing Team for dominating the sport for the fourth successive season.
Match of the year- All Ireland Hurling Final 8th September 2013 Clare 0-25 Cork 3-16
The two games between these two counties were absolute drama from start to finish but at a toss of a coin I would have to go for the first effort between the two. The weather was good, the championship was one of the best ever and the final lived up to what all that it had preceded. Clare should have won it the first time around but eventually they did get their day in the sun in the replay. Fantastic stuff and hopefully next year can provide the thrill and spills that this year did.
Honourable Mentions: Dublin's victory over Kerry in the All Ireland Football Semi, The Lions 23-21 win in the first test against Australia and because of the madcap finish, Watford beating Leicester in the semi-finals of the championship play-off. If you do not remember the ending here it is for a reminder.
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=59E-kVQ3ZlU&hd=1
Shock of the Year: Oscar Pistorius arrest, The poster boy of the Paralympics had everything going for him good looks, great girlfriend, admiration from his home nation South Africa until the early hours of February 14 2013 when he shot girlfriend Reeva Stenkamp through hos locked bathroom door killing Stenkamp immediately. Pistorius has always claimed that he thought it was a burglar coming into his house and he shot in self-defense when infact it was his girlfriend he allegedly mistakenly shot. His trial is set to start on the 3rd of March next year. Whatever happens now, bladerunner has had a remarkable fall from grace.
Honourable Mentions: Alex Ferguson's retirement although looking at it now it was well timed and also the question has to be asked how much power does he still wield at the club. It is certainly not doing David Moyes and favours that is for sure. Lance Armstrong even though it was not that much of a shock, he still admitted to all the doping and the breakdown of how he did it to avoid getting caught was more shocking than the revelation itself. Micheal Schumachers accident and as I type this he is till in critical condition after having two operations. Get well soon Schumi.
Documentary of the year: Keane-Vieira This documentary which was aired on ITV4 was meant to give insight of the rivalry between Roy Keane and Patrick Vieira when they were playing for Manchester United and Arsenal respectively. It did give us great insight into that rivalry but what was more impressive was Keane's honesty and personal admittances in the documentary which gave the viewer the chance to see personals side which we rarely get to see and whomever watched it probably respected at least Keane more after watching it than they might have before. Keane's admission he should have played at the World Cup was startling and it all brought flashbacks to what might have been in the World Cup in 2002. I still would have picked Denis Irwin instead of Ashley Cole in that combined 11 though. Come on Pat!
Sportsperson of the year: Plenty of candidates for this one Anyone from the New Zealand rugby team deserve a mention especially Kieran Reed who was their stand out player. Zlatan Ibrahimovic for scoring outstanding goals and generally being Zlatan, Rafael Nadal, Novak Djokovic and Andy Murray for bringing mens tennis to new heights in 2013. The four majors winners in golf deserve a mention Adam Scott, Justin Rose, Phil Mickelson and Jason Dufner alongside Henrik Stenson who topped both money lists this year which was an incredible achievement, Chris Froome for his Tour De France victory, Cristiano Ronaldo for overtaking Lionel Messi as being the best player in the world this year, Shane O'Donnell for that incredible performance in the All Ireland Hurling final replay, Sebastian Vettel for dominating the Formula One season in style winning the last nine races in a row is an amazing achievement by anyone standards and still only 26 which is scary, but the winner has to be an Irishman, Rob Heffernan take a bow son after missing out on a medal at the Olympics the previous year, Rob responded with character and at Moscow won the 50k walk and a gold medal for Ireland. The Corkman deserves his spot as the number one guy this year.
For 2014: My hopes are The Premiership race to be just as exciting the second half of the season as it did the first and for Arsenal to win it of course!Still think Man. City will win it though. For Ireland on the back of the New Zealand to show the same commitment and heart going into the six nations and to try and win it from the outset. We now know what we are capable of and that should be a springboard for the six nations.
Finally I wish everyone a Happy new Year and see everyone in 2014!
Team of the year- New Zealand Rugby Team To go all the year unbeaten with a little bit of luck on the way The All Blacks were dominant from start to finish in this calendar year and with fans and pundits pretty much agreeing that this could be the greatest rugby team the world has ever seen, we shall wait and see what this team can produce from 2014 and onwards. It will be fascinating to watch.
Honourable mentions: The British and Irish Lions for producing an amazing series against Australia, Bayern Munich for dominating German and European football and then somehow halfway through this season under Pep Guardiola being even better than they were last season. Clare Hurling team for providing everyone with thrills in what was widely regarded as one of the best Hurling Championships Ever and Red Bull F1 Racing Team for dominating the sport for the fourth successive season.
Match of the year- All Ireland Hurling Final 8th September 2013 Clare 0-25 Cork 3-16
The two games between these two counties were absolute drama from start to finish but at a toss of a coin I would have to go for the first effort between the two. The weather was good, the championship was one of the best ever and the final lived up to what all that it had preceded. Clare should have won it the first time around but eventually they did get their day in the sun in the replay. Fantastic stuff and hopefully next year can provide the thrill and spills that this year did.
Honourable Mentions: Dublin's victory over Kerry in the All Ireland Football Semi, The Lions 23-21 win in the first test against Australia and because of the madcap finish, Watford beating Leicester in the semi-finals of the championship play-off. If you do not remember the ending here it is for a reminder.
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=59E-kVQ3ZlU&hd=1
Shock of the Year: Oscar Pistorius arrest, The poster boy of the Paralympics had everything going for him good looks, great girlfriend, admiration from his home nation South Africa until the early hours of February 14 2013 when he shot girlfriend Reeva Stenkamp through hos locked bathroom door killing Stenkamp immediately. Pistorius has always claimed that he thought it was a burglar coming into his house and he shot in self-defense when infact it was his girlfriend he allegedly mistakenly shot. His trial is set to start on the 3rd of March next year. Whatever happens now, bladerunner has had a remarkable fall from grace.
Honourable Mentions: Alex Ferguson's retirement although looking at it now it was well timed and also the question has to be asked how much power does he still wield at the club. It is certainly not doing David Moyes and favours that is for sure. Lance Armstrong even though it was not that much of a shock, he still admitted to all the doping and the breakdown of how he did it to avoid getting caught was more shocking than the revelation itself. Micheal Schumachers accident and as I type this he is till in critical condition after having two operations. Get well soon Schumi.
Documentary of the year: Keane-Vieira This documentary which was aired on ITV4 was meant to give insight of the rivalry between Roy Keane and Patrick Vieira when they were playing for Manchester United and Arsenal respectively. It did give us great insight into that rivalry but what was more impressive was Keane's honesty and personal admittances in the documentary which gave the viewer the chance to see personals side which we rarely get to see and whomever watched it probably respected at least Keane more after watching it than they might have before. Keane's admission he should have played at the World Cup was startling and it all brought flashbacks to what might have been in the World Cup in 2002. I still would have picked Denis Irwin instead of Ashley Cole in that combined 11 though. Come on Pat!
Sportsperson of the year: Plenty of candidates for this one Anyone from the New Zealand rugby team deserve a mention especially Kieran Reed who was their stand out player. Zlatan Ibrahimovic for scoring outstanding goals and generally being Zlatan, Rafael Nadal, Novak Djokovic and Andy Murray for bringing mens tennis to new heights in 2013. The four majors winners in golf deserve a mention Adam Scott, Justin Rose, Phil Mickelson and Jason Dufner alongside Henrik Stenson who topped both money lists this year which was an incredible achievement, Chris Froome for his Tour De France victory, Cristiano Ronaldo for overtaking Lionel Messi as being the best player in the world this year, Shane O'Donnell for that incredible performance in the All Ireland Hurling final replay, Sebastian Vettel for dominating the Formula One season in style winning the last nine races in a row is an amazing achievement by anyone standards and still only 26 which is scary, but the winner has to be an Irishman, Rob Heffernan take a bow son after missing out on a medal at the Olympics the previous year, Rob responded with character and at Moscow won the 50k walk and a gold medal for Ireland. The Corkman deserves his spot as the number one guy this year.
For 2014: My hopes are The Premiership race to be just as exciting the second half of the season as it did the first and for Arsenal to win it of course!Still think Man. City will win it though. For Ireland on the back of the New Zealand to show the same commitment and heart going into the six nations and to try and win it from the outset. We now know what we are capable of and that should be a springboard for the six nations.
Finally I wish everyone a Happy new Year and see everyone in 2014!
Thursday, November 21, 2013
A fantastic weekend of Sport!
The title says it all. A fantastic weekend of sport including the return of the Premiership, the top two clash in the Bundesliga, A huge domestic fight in Britain, the return of Manny Pacquaio and if you are into it the Ashes and the last of the Autumn internationals are also taking place in the Rugby. Here is what is on the box this weekend with predictions.
Football:
Everton Vs Liverpool (BT Sport 1 12.45 KO)
Everton's recent run in the Merseyside derby is dreadful and Liverpool have made a great start to the season. Roberto Martinez has mad a decent start to his Everton career and he will look at this as a platform for the rest of the season. I fancy that Everton could give Liverpool a really good game here and might nick the victory especially if they can neutralize the service to Luis Suarez and Daniel Sturridge and also get the service to their own star striker Romalu Lukakau. A narrow home win.
Prediction: Everton 1 Liverpool 0
Arsenal Vs Southampton (Setanta Sports 1 3.00 KO)
Arsenal will want to bounce back from their disappointing defeat to Manchester United last time out and I think they will although it will be difficult against a Southampton side who are third place in the premiership on merit. Problem is for Southampton away from home especially they have struggled to score goals and that is why I think the might come undone here. Also Theo Walcott and possibly Lukas Poldolski will be back for this game which will be a boost for the Gunners. Another narrow home win.
Prediction: Arsenal 1 Southampton 0
West Ham Vs. Chelsea ( Sky Sports 1 5.30 KO)
West Ham are badly struggling and Jose Mourinho is under fire a little bit for the way he has handled some of his players and also some of the results Chelsea have accumulated this season. West Ham are badly missing Andy Carroll and seem to be lost mainly in what they are trying to do and have been mainly terrible at home. Chelsea should have too much for them but I have been wrong about them before in this blog. Will go for them here though.
Prediction: West Ham 1 Chelsea 2
Sunday:
Man. City vs. Tottenham (Sky Sports 1 1.30 KO)
City have been Jekyll and Hyde this season mainly away from home truthfully. One thing they do not struggle to do is score goals in Sergio Aguero and Alvaro Negredo they have a very potent partnership up front. Spurs this season have struggled to score goals from open play when they have been in the front foot and questions have been asked as to why Jermain Defoe or Eric Lamela have not been given more chances in the first team at the expense of Roberto Soldado who has struggled since he joined the North London club at the start of the season. This game will suit them ore but I see City who are still invincible at home to have too much for Spurs.
Prediction: Man. City 2 Spurs 0
Cardiff Vs Manchester United (Sky Sports 1 4.00 KO)
Man. Utd. have found a way to win under David Moyes. They rely heavily on their two wingers and two strikers to get the goals and be very compact and tight behind them while pressing. This worked very well against Arsenal. Cardiff after their win against Swansea will be in a better place than they were before the Swans game and also should give United problems going forward. I do still see United winning although Robin Van Persie might be out which will be a blow. A tight away win.
Prediction. Cardiff 1 Man Utd. 2
Monday:
West Brom Vs. Aston Villa (Sky Sports 8.00 KO)
A midlands derby of sorts which is very important for both teams. West Brom were rightly aggrieved with the poor penalty decision against Chelsea which cost them two points.Villa have been hit and miss but are better than they were last season. I fancy West Brom to win this and by a couple of goals as they generally do well at the Hawthorns when they are on a run. Home Win.
Prediction: West Brom 3 Aston Villa 1.
Quick Predictions for the rest of the games.
Fulham 2 Swansea 2
Hull 2 Palace 0
Newcastle 3 Norwich 1
Stoke 1 Sunderland 1
Which leaves us then with the big two in the Bundesliga!
Saturday:
Borussia Dortmund Vs Bayern Munich (BT Sports 1 5.30 KO)
Fantastic that this is on and I think this will be a barn burner sorry for the cliche. I do have Munich as slight favourites but this is really hard to predict. Dortmund have serious problems as they have none of their first choice defenders while Munich have Bastian Schweinsteiger (ankle), Claudio Pizarro (thigh), Xherdan Shaqiri (thigh) and Holger Badstuber (knee) on the sidelines. Whatever is left of Munich's attack though should fancy going after the depleted Dortmund;s defence and are favourites to nick an away victory.
Result: Dortmund 1 Munich 2
BOXING:
Saturday:
Carl Froch Vs. George Groves (Sky Box Office Fight approx 10.15 p.m.)
George Groves has given a good account of himself in the thrash talking before the fight but he will he cause a shock on the night? I think Froch will win out because his experience and his jab will counter Groves' power shots and his constant movement which he will try and employ like he did against James DeGale which was Groves biggest fight to date. Froch will eventually find his target and wear Groves Down.
Prediction:Froch by UD 12.
Manny Pacquiao Vs. Brandon Rios (
Even though Rios and his camp have talked up his chances in this fight the centre of attention as always has been on Manny Pacquiao. Does he have enough hunger left and does he have enough in the tank to counter the speed and aggression Rios does have. Rios lost a rematch to Mike Alvarado last time out while Manny was famously knocked out by Juan Manuel Marquez in their fourth bout together.
"The fight should be pretty even for about the first six rounds. Pacquiao should be able to win early as Rios settles in. Then the underdog should settle in and start using that power to level things out heading into the second half of the bout.
From there, Pacquiao's big-fight experience should prove vital. He knows how to pace himself to go the distance while Rios is going to use a lot of energy looking for the knockout. Pac-Man should take advantage of that to score a late KO of his own." (Reference: Daniels, Tim Bleacher Report, 20th November 2013).
Prediction Pacquiao by KO 11
Rugby:
Sunday:
Ireland Vs New Zealand (RTE 2 2.00 KO)
Ireland at the moment are in a cross roads so to speak. Difficult decisions need to be made now to benefit the team for later on. Some players are on the last legs including Brian O' Driscoll, Gordon Darcy and Paul O' Connell but also the problem is where are the replacements for these three legends. The other problem is the modern game has passed Ireland by a little bit especially in our forward line. We have players like Sean O'Brien and Cian Healy who are great especially at the breakdown but are not particularly mobile and you have England for an example who have those same type of players but who are also skilled ball carriers who can make huge yards just by running with the ball and help their back line get the ball in more advanced areas. Courtney Lawes, Tom Wood and the captain Chris Robshaw being prime examples. And Ireland's opponents on Sunday who by far and away are the best examples of this with players like Owen Franks, player of the year Kieran Read and longtime captain Richie McCaw.Ireland will no doubt put up more of a fight than they did against Australia but expect the All Blacks to run rampant especially in the second half it won't be pretty.
Prediction: Ireland 9 New Zealand 50
An amazing weekend ahead and I will leave you with the Zlatan and Ronaldo show from during the week in the World Cup Play Offs. To next time.
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=p5cT8X-ixKU&hd=1
Football:
Everton Vs Liverpool (BT Sport 1 12.45 KO)
Everton's recent run in the Merseyside derby is dreadful and Liverpool have made a great start to the season. Roberto Martinez has mad a decent start to his Everton career and he will look at this as a platform for the rest of the season. I fancy that Everton could give Liverpool a really good game here and might nick the victory especially if they can neutralize the service to Luis Suarez and Daniel Sturridge and also get the service to their own star striker Romalu Lukakau. A narrow home win.
Prediction: Everton 1 Liverpool 0
Arsenal Vs Southampton (Setanta Sports 1 3.00 KO)
Arsenal will want to bounce back from their disappointing defeat to Manchester United last time out and I think they will although it will be difficult against a Southampton side who are third place in the premiership on merit. Problem is for Southampton away from home especially they have struggled to score goals and that is why I think the might come undone here. Also Theo Walcott and possibly Lukas Poldolski will be back for this game which will be a boost for the Gunners. Another narrow home win.
Prediction: Arsenal 1 Southampton 0
West Ham Vs. Chelsea ( Sky Sports 1 5.30 KO)
West Ham are badly struggling and Jose Mourinho is under fire a little bit for the way he has handled some of his players and also some of the results Chelsea have accumulated this season. West Ham are badly missing Andy Carroll and seem to be lost mainly in what they are trying to do and have been mainly terrible at home. Chelsea should have too much for them but I have been wrong about them before in this blog. Will go for them here though.
Prediction: West Ham 1 Chelsea 2
Sunday:
Man. City vs. Tottenham (Sky Sports 1 1.30 KO)
City have been Jekyll and Hyde this season mainly away from home truthfully. One thing they do not struggle to do is score goals in Sergio Aguero and Alvaro Negredo they have a very potent partnership up front. Spurs this season have struggled to score goals from open play when they have been in the front foot and questions have been asked as to why Jermain Defoe or Eric Lamela have not been given more chances in the first team at the expense of Roberto Soldado who has struggled since he joined the North London club at the start of the season. This game will suit them ore but I see City who are still invincible at home to have too much for Spurs.
Prediction: Man. City 2 Spurs 0
Cardiff Vs Manchester United (Sky Sports 1 4.00 KO)
Man. Utd. have found a way to win under David Moyes. They rely heavily on their two wingers and two strikers to get the goals and be very compact and tight behind them while pressing. This worked very well against Arsenal. Cardiff after their win against Swansea will be in a better place than they were before the Swans game and also should give United problems going forward. I do still see United winning although Robin Van Persie might be out which will be a blow. A tight away win.
Prediction. Cardiff 1 Man Utd. 2
Monday:
West Brom Vs. Aston Villa (Sky Sports 8.00 KO)
A midlands derby of sorts which is very important for both teams. West Brom were rightly aggrieved with the poor penalty decision against Chelsea which cost them two points.Villa have been hit and miss but are better than they were last season. I fancy West Brom to win this and by a couple of goals as they generally do well at the Hawthorns when they are on a run. Home Win.
Prediction: West Brom 3 Aston Villa 1.
Quick Predictions for the rest of the games.
Fulham 2 Swansea 2
Hull 2 Palace 0
Newcastle 3 Norwich 1
Stoke 1 Sunderland 1
Which leaves us then with the big two in the Bundesliga!
Saturday:
Borussia Dortmund Vs Bayern Munich (BT Sports 1 5.30 KO)
Fantastic that this is on and I think this will be a barn burner sorry for the cliche. I do have Munich as slight favourites but this is really hard to predict. Dortmund have serious problems as they have none of their first choice defenders while Munich have Bastian Schweinsteiger (ankle), Claudio Pizarro (thigh), Xherdan Shaqiri (thigh) and Holger Badstuber (knee) on the sidelines. Whatever is left of Munich's attack though should fancy going after the depleted Dortmund;s defence and are favourites to nick an away victory.
Result: Dortmund 1 Munich 2
BOXING:
Saturday:
Carl Froch Vs. George Groves (Sky Box Office Fight approx 10.15 p.m.)
George Groves has given a good account of himself in the thrash talking before the fight but he will he cause a shock on the night? I think Froch will win out because his experience and his jab will counter Groves' power shots and his constant movement which he will try and employ like he did against James DeGale which was Groves biggest fight to date. Froch will eventually find his target and wear Groves Down.
Prediction:Froch by UD 12.
Manny Pacquiao Vs. Brandon Rios (
Even though Rios and his camp have talked up his chances in this fight the centre of attention as always has been on Manny Pacquiao. Does he have enough hunger left and does he have enough in the tank to counter the speed and aggression Rios does have. Rios lost a rematch to Mike Alvarado last time out while Manny was famously knocked out by Juan Manuel Marquez in their fourth bout together.
"The fight should be pretty even for about the first six rounds. Pacquiao should be able to win early as Rios settles in. Then the underdog should settle in and start using that power to level things out heading into the second half of the bout.
From there, Pacquiao's big-fight experience should prove vital. He knows how to pace himself to go the distance while Rios is going to use a lot of energy looking for the knockout. Pac-Man should take advantage of that to score a late KO of his own." (Reference: Daniels, Tim Bleacher Report, 20th November 2013).
Prediction Pacquiao by KO 11
Rugby:
Sunday:
Ireland Vs New Zealand (RTE 2 2.00 KO)
Ireland at the moment are in a cross roads so to speak. Difficult decisions need to be made now to benefit the team for later on. Some players are on the last legs including Brian O' Driscoll, Gordon Darcy and Paul O' Connell but also the problem is where are the replacements for these three legends. The other problem is the modern game has passed Ireland by a little bit especially in our forward line. We have players like Sean O'Brien and Cian Healy who are great especially at the breakdown but are not particularly mobile and you have England for an example who have those same type of players but who are also skilled ball carriers who can make huge yards just by running with the ball and help their back line get the ball in more advanced areas. Courtney Lawes, Tom Wood and the captain Chris Robshaw being prime examples. And Ireland's opponents on Sunday who by far and away are the best examples of this with players like Owen Franks, player of the year Kieran Read and longtime captain Richie McCaw.Ireland will no doubt put up more of a fight than they did against Australia but expect the All Blacks to run rampant especially in the second half it won't be pretty.
Prediction: Ireland 9 New Zealand 50
An amazing weekend ahead and I will leave you with the Zlatan and Ronaldo show from during the week in the World Cup Play Offs. To next time.
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=p5cT8X-ixKU&hd=1
Friday, October 18, 2013
Premiership Weekend Preview
Apologies for not posting up positions 11-20 in my mid term review of the Premiership. I will do review of those teams on a future date. After the exciting international break and the layout of who is going to the world cup and the talk of potential winners has already started. Club football returns this weekend hurrah! After Noel King shooting himself in the foot in the post match interview after Ireland's win over Kazakhstan and Roy Hodgson's joke about monkeys which gave the P.R. brigade another chance to spout off the weekend is here and It cannot come soon enough. Also fingers crossed for Iceland in the play offs next month. What an achievement just to get there.
So for the matched this weekend.
Newcastle vs Liverpool (BT Sports Ko 12.45 p.m.)
This will be an intriguing affair. Liverpool riding on a crest of a wave at the moment and Newcastle have been very Jekyll and Hyde. If Suarez and Sturridge click like they have so far in their short run partnership surely they will be too good for Newcastle but if Newcastle can produce a performance like they did against Cardiff last time out and if Remy and Ben Arfa are firing Newcastle can be a threat but I think Liverpool will have to much for them here.
Prediction Newcastle 1 Liverpool 2
Man. Utd. vs. Southampton (Setanta Sports 1 Ko 3.00 p.m.)
If Man. Utd. are serious about about doing anything in the league this season then they have to start winning and performing consistently which they have done yet under David Moyes and Southampton and they way they have started their season will be no easy touch. I expect Southampton to give United a really tough game and will not be surprised if they get a result at Old Trafford.
Prediction: Man. Utd. 1 Southampton 1
Arsenal vs. Norwich (Ko 3.00 p.m.)
What Arsenal were really good at when they were in their pomp were dismissing inferior sides especially at home and if they are to be serious about the title they need to dismiss Norwich and teams like them in similar ilk if they are going to have a tilt at the title. Norwich have very poor away form and if they can't stifle Arsenal early on and stop them getting into their natural rhythm then their is only going to be one winner.
Prediction: Arsenal 3 Norwich 1
Chelsea vs Cardiff (3.00 p.m.)
Chelsea were lucky to win against Norwich last time out but they should be thankful that they are playing a Cardiff side that are in turmoil behind the scenes at the moment. Whatever has happened behind the scenes there is now disharmony between the Cardiff chairman and manager and you get the sense that if you were a betting man than Malky Mackay will be the next one to get the chop. I expect Chelsea to win comfortably here.
Prediction: Chelsea 3 Cardiff 0
Everton vs. Hull (3.00 p.m.)
Hull have been impressive so far this season and Steve Bruce has done an excellent job as manager. Everton lost their unbeaten record last time out against Man. City and want to get back to winning ways as on as possible. Hull will Everton a difficult time but with Lukaku being in the Everton side he can always make a difference and I think he will be difference between the two sides here. Home win.
Everton 2 Hull 0.
Stoke vs West Brom (3.00 p.m.)
Stoke are playing good football under Mark Hughes but are struggling to score goals. West Brom after a shaky start are putting results together again. I fancy that this could be a prime contender for a draw if anyone is backing it.
Stoke 1 West Brom 1.
Swansea vs. Sunderland. (3.00 p.m.)
Gus Poyet's first game in charge for Sunderland is not an easy one against a Swansea side who have been a bit inconsistent probably due to the Sunday-Thursday axis of playing in the Europa League. They though should be too good for Sunderland here who will be trying to find their feet under Poyet.
Swansea 2 Sunderland 0
West Ham vs. Man. City. (Sky Sports 1 K.O. 5.30 p.m.)
West Ham had a terrific result against Spurs last time out and that was without playing any strikers. At home they might get caught out with that system though as they will be expected to be on the front foot a bit more and leaving themselves vulnerable to counter attack. Kompany is out for City again but they should cope without him for this fixture. Away win although I said that for the Cardiff and Villa games and was wrong there. Surely that won't repeat itself here and don't expect it do so.
West Ham 1 Man. City 2
SUNDAY:
Aston Villa vs Tottenham (Sky Sports 1 K.O. 4 p.m.)
Villa can be really good once teams are actually on the front foot against them but are not so good when they are on the front foot. Spurs will be looking to recover from their shock home defeat against West Ham last time out and they should have too much quality from them but they need to start scoring more from open play which for some reason they have struggled to do on a regular basis. Still going for an away win on this one.
Aston Villa 1 Tottenham 2
MONDAY:
Two other managers who are in the sack race , Martin Jol and Ian Holloway really need a win to keep of the pressure for at least this week. Palace probably bought too many players in the summer and are struggling to integrate them all in while Fulham have some very gifted technical players but at the same time would not run their socks off for the team so to speak. A very high score draw I reckon for this one which neither manager really needs or wants at this stage of the season.
Fulham 2 Crystal Palace 2
And Finally a tribute to one of the greatest Irish players of all time, Ignore some of the spelling mistakes in the links though. Very annoying indeed. Till next time.
So for the matched this weekend.
Newcastle vs Liverpool (BT Sports Ko 12.45 p.m.)
This will be an intriguing affair. Liverpool riding on a crest of a wave at the moment and Newcastle have been very Jekyll and Hyde. If Suarez and Sturridge click like they have so far in their short run partnership surely they will be too good for Newcastle but if Newcastle can produce a performance like they did against Cardiff last time out and if Remy and Ben Arfa are firing Newcastle can be a threat but I think Liverpool will have to much for them here.
Prediction Newcastle 1 Liverpool 2
Man. Utd. vs. Southampton (Setanta Sports 1 Ko 3.00 p.m.)
If Man. Utd. are serious about about doing anything in the league this season then they have to start winning and performing consistently which they have done yet under David Moyes and Southampton and they way they have started their season will be no easy touch. I expect Southampton to give United a really tough game and will not be surprised if they get a result at Old Trafford.
Prediction: Man. Utd. 1 Southampton 1
Arsenal vs. Norwich (Ko 3.00 p.m.)
What Arsenal were really good at when they were in their pomp were dismissing inferior sides especially at home and if they are to be serious about the title they need to dismiss Norwich and teams like them in similar ilk if they are going to have a tilt at the title. Norwich have very poor away form and if they can't stifle Arsenal early on and stop them getting into their natural rhythm then their is only going to be one winner.
Prediction: Arsenal 3 Norwich 1
Chelsea vs Cardiff (3.00 p.m.)
Chelsea were lucky to win against Norwich last time out but they should be thankful that they are playing a Cardiff side that are in turmoil behind the scenes at the moment. Whatever has happened behind the scenes there is now disharmony between the Cardiff chairman and manager and you get the sense that if you were a betting man than Malky Mackay will be the next one to get the chop. I expect Chelsea to win comfortably here.
Prediction: Chelsea 3 Cardiff 0
Everton vs. Hull (3.00 p.m.)
Hull have been impressive so far this season and Steve Bruce has done an excellent job as manager. Everton lost their unbeaten record last time out against Man. City and want to get back to winning ways as on as possible. Hull will Everton a difficult time but with Lukaku being in the Everton side he can always make a difference and I think he will be difference between the two sides here. Home win.
Everton 2 Hull 0.
Stoke vs West Brom (3.00 p.m.)
Stoke are playing good football under Mark Hughes but are struggling to score goals. West Brom after a shaky start are putting results together again. I fancy that this could be a prime contender for a draw if anyone is backing it.
Stoke 1 West Brom 1.
Swansea vs. Sunderland. (3.00 p.m.)
Gus Poyet's first game in charge for Sunderland is not an easy one against a Swansea side who have been a bit inconsistent probably due to the Sunday-Thursday axis of playing in the Europa League. They though should be too good for Sunderland here who will be trying to find their feet under Poyet.
Swansea 2 Sunderland 0
West Ham vs. Man. City. (Sky Sports 1 K.O. 5.30 p.m.)
West Ham had a terrific result against Spurs last time out and that was without playing any strikers. At home they might get caught out with that system though as they will be expected to be on the front foot a bit more and leaving themselves vulnerable to counter attack. Kompany is out for City again but they should cope without him for this fixture. Away win although I said that for the Cardiff and Villa games and was wrong there. Surely that won't repeat itself here and don't expect it do so.
West Ham 1 Man. City 2
SUNDAY:
Aston Villa vs Tottenham (Sky Sports 1 K.O. 4 p.m.)
Villa can be really good once teams are actually on the front foot against them but are not so good when they are on the front foot. Spurs will be looking to recover from their shock home defeat against West Ham last time out and they should have too much quality from them but they need to start scoring more from open play which for some reason they have struggled to do on a regular basis. Still going for an away win on this one.
Aston Villa 1 Tottenham 2
MONDAY:
Two other managers who are in the sack race , Martin Jol and Ian Holloway really need a win to keep of the pressure for at least this week. Palace probably bought too many players in the summer and are struggling to integrate them all in while Fulham have some very gifted technical players but at the same time would not run their socks off for the team so to speak. A very high score draw I reckon for this one which neither manager really needs or wants at this stage of the season.
Fulham 2 Crystal Palace 2
And Finally a tribute to one of the greatest Irish players of all time, Ignore some of the spelling mistakes in the links though. Very annoying indeed. Till next time.
Tuesday, October 8, 2013
Premiership Review Positions 6-10
Here are the next five continuing from yesterday.
6. Tottenham Hotspur Pts. 13 GS:GA 6:5 Top Scorer Sigurosson (3)
Tottenham with all the quality players they have at their disposal rightly think that they have a chance of not just qualifying for the champions league but to actually go for the league title itself. Until the weekend loss to West Ham the defence was water tight but a second half collapse against the Hammers proved a setback for Andre Villas Boas' team before the international break. They will recover from what happened to them at the weekend but the big problem has been scoring from open play with the two goals scored against Norwich the only two they have scored from open play so far in the league this season. They need more creativity from the midfield and also a settled eleven when it comes to the big games. The players are there for them to mount a title challenge It is up to Villas-Boas to make them believe that they can do it.
7. Everton Pts. 12 GS:GA 10:9 Top Scorer Lukaku (4)
Everton with Roberto Martinez definitely have mad a positive start to the season. Martinez probably would have thought Christmas came early when he got Gareth Barry and especially Romelu Lukaku both on loan on transfer deadline day. Both have had an immediate impact with Barry excelling in a defensive midfield role and Lukaku being the striker that Everton has solely missed over the years already scoring four goals in his first few appearances. Everton did get a marker as to where they are compared to the rest of the big teams when Ma. City beat them at the weekend but under Martinez they should improve throughout the season and a top four place can be within reach for sure.
8. Hull City Pts. 11 GS:GA 6:7 Top Scorer Brady (3)
Hull have surprised many people with the start they have made but in Steve Bruce they have an experienced Premiership Manager who can guide his young squad through all the pitfalls and give them belief that they can be an established Premiership Side. Robbie Brady has made a great start to life in the Premiership and also bring in Jake Livermore and Tom Huddlestone from Spurs have been great additions to their inexperienced squad and have added a touch of Quality to their side. Whether they can maintain their impressive start remains to be seen but under Bruce's guidance there is no reason why the newly christened Tigers cannot survive and indeed thrive in the Premiership.
9. Manchester United. GS;GA 10:9 Top Scorer Rooney, Van Persie (3 each)
Man. Utd. have had early teething problems under David Moyes but stuff about Moyes out from some sections of United fans and media types is way off the mark. He has two main problems he does not have a probing central midfielder who joins up with his attackers and can contribute to scoring goals as well. Cesc Fabregas would have been the answer but he stayed at Barcelona maybe a raid of the Bundesliga in January might sort that out. The other since he plays 4-4-2 is that generally his wingers which are a huge part of that system have generally been rubbish. So bad in fact that Moyes decided to take a chance on young eighteen year old Adnan Januzaj. Thankfully he delivered to great goals and delivered three much needed points for United before the international break. He will play more often and will be interesting to see how he does now he is under the spotlight. United will eventually click but the question is will it be too late to do anything by the time they do? Will be interesting to watch that is for sure.
10. Astoin Villa GS:GA 9:8 Top Scorer Benteke (4)
Villa are going to have a better season than last. They can be frustrating but also exhilarating. Inconsistency which will carry on but no chance of relegation. With enough attacking talent in Wiemann, Agbonlahor and Benteke they will always been a threat but defensive wise and also if they have to be on the front foot most of the game Villa are found wanting. Villa fans after last season wont be complaining too much if they finish the season around where they are now and maybe a decent cup run as well.
Positions 11-15 tomorrow.
6. Tottenham Hotspur Pts. 13 GS:GA 6:5 Top Scorer Sigurosson (3)
Tottenham with all the quality players they have at their disposal rightly think that they have a chance of not just qualifying for the champions league but to actually go for the league title itself. Until the weekend loss to West Ham the defence was water tight but a second half collapse against the Hammers proved a setback for Andre Villas Boas' team before the international break. They will recover from what happened to them at the weekend but the big problem has been scoring from open play with the two goals scored against Norwich the only two they have scored from open play so far in the league this season. They need more creativity from the midfield and also a settled eleven when it comes to the big games. The players are there for them to mount a title challenge It is up to Villas-Boas to make them believe that they can do it.
7. Everton Pts. 12 GS:GA 10:9 Top Scorer Lukaku (4)
Everton with Roberto Martinez definitely have mad a positive start to the season. Martinez probably would have thought Christmas came early when he got Gareth Barry and especially Romelu Lukaku both on loan on transfer deadline day. Both have had an immediate impact with Barry excelling in a defensive midfield role and Lukaku being the striker that Everton has solely missed over the years already scoring four goals in his first few appearances. Everton did get a marker as to where they are compared to the rest of the big teams when Ma. City beat them at the weekend but under Martinez they should improve throughout the season and a top four place can be within reach for sure.
8. Hull City Pts. 11 GS:GA 6:7 Top Scorer Brady (3)
Hull have surprised many people with the start they have made but in Steve Bruce they have an experienced Premiership Manager who can guide his young squad through all the pitfalls and give them belief that they can be an established Premiership Side. Robbie Brady has made a great start to life in the Premiership and also bring in Jake Livermore and Tom Huddlestone from Spurs have been great additions to their inexperienced squad and have added a touch of Quality to their side. Whether they can maintain their impressive start remains to be seen but under Bruce's guidance there is no reason why the newly christened Tigers cannot survive and indeed thrive in the Premiership.
9. Manchester United. GS;GA 10:9 Top Scorer Rooney, Van Persie (3 each)
Man. Utd. have had early teething problems under David Moyes but stuff about Moyes out from some sections of United fans and media types is way off the mark. He has two main problems he does not have a probing central midfielder who joins up with his attackers and can contribute to scoring goals as well. Cesc Fabregas would have been the answer but he stayed at Barcelona maybe a raid of the Bundesliga in January might sort that out. The other since he plays 4-4-2 is that generally his wingers which are a huge part of that system have generally been rubbish. So bad in fact that Moyes decided to take a chance on young eighteen year old Adnan Januzaj. Thankfully he delivered to great goals and delivered three much needed points for United before the international break. He will play more often and will be interesting to see how he does now he is under the spotlight. United will eventually click but the question is will it be too late to do anything by the time they do? Will be interesting to watch that is for sure.
10. Astoin Villa GS:GA 9:8 Top Scorer Benteke (4)
Villa are going to have a better season than last. They can be frustrating but also exhilarating. Inconsistency which will carry on but no chance of relegation. With enough attacking talent in Wiemann, Agbonlahor and Benteke they will always been a threat but defensive wise and also if they have to be on the front foot most of the game Villa are found wanting. Villa fans after last season wont be complaining too much if they finish the season around where they are now and maybe a decent cup run as well.
Positions 11-15 tomorrow.
Monday, October 7, 2013
Premiership Review Positions 1-5
After another round of Premiership action and with the final round of World Cup Qualifiers coming up now is a good time to see how the table is looking after seven games and see where all the teams are at going into the international break. Starting with the top 5. Positions 6-10 tomorrow
1. Arsenal Pts. 16 GS:GA 14:8 Top Scorer Giroud, Ramsey (4 each)
After the Aston Villa debacle earlier in the season Arsenal have recovered remarkably well and the arrival of Mesut Ozil from Real Madrid on transfer deadline day has given the whole club a lift. After a tough draw against West Brom where they should have lost if Nicholas Anelka's boots were on Jack Wiltshire's deflected goal saved Arsenal's blushes and continued their fine form. After the players come back from international duty the two main concerns are if Oliver Giroud gets injured can anyone replace him (Maybe Ozil as a false No. 9 perhaps) and also they have only kept one clean sheet which needs to improve if they want to keep their title ambitions in check but after the Villa defeat it is a good time to be an Arsenal fan with Aaron Ramsey's, Oliver Giroud, Mathieu Flaimini's and Ozils form in particular Arsenal can be in title contention for sure.
2. Liverpool Pts. 16 GS:GA 11:5 Top Scorer Sturridge (6)
Liverpool have room to improve but like Arsenal they are riding on a crest of a wave at the minute. Brendan Rodgers saying that Liverpool have not hit peak form at the minute is paradoxically a good sign as there is room for improvement in the team. Mainly the problem has been trying to dominate teams for the ninety minutes and finishing teams off. Still with the return of sixteen points from their first seven games is a good return and Liverpool can also say with no irony at all that they have a chance of doing something this season
3. Chelsea Pts. 14 GS:SA 10:4 Top Scorer Oscar (3)
Few teething problems, Mourinho not knowing what his best side is yet. The Juan Mata and striking situations yet after seven games they are only two points behind and apart from the forwards there is strength in depth everywhere else and Juan Mata looks as though he is actually back in the side now as well. After the win against Norwich which was hard fought Chelsea are in good shape and have to be considered to be one of the favourites.
4. Southampton Pts. 14 GS:GA 7:2 Top Scorer Lambert (2)
What a brillant start to this season for Southampton. Very solid base with Arthur Boruc in fine form and a defence of mainly Dejan Lovren, Jose Fonte, Luke Shaw and Nathan Clyne Southampton are a solid team and things can even get better with the developing of the strike partnership of Dani Osvaldo and Ricky Lambert things are good for Southampton. Mauricio Pochettino has been brilliant for them and no disrespect to Saints fans but by the end of the season if this continues he will be head hunted for a bigger job. Until then the Saints should definitely enjoy the ride.
5. Man. City Pts. 13 GS:GA 17:8 Top Scorer Aguero, Yaya Toure (4 each)
Another one of the favourites for the title who have had a bit of a dodgy start. Man. City know where they are at in Europe as Bayern Munich completely outclassed them for ninety minutes. They have had also dodgy results in the premiership away from home as they have lost to Cardiff and Aston Villa. They will figure how to balance defence and attack eventually and a lot of goals have been scored so there is no problem there. Once that balance is addressed and also Joe Harts form needs to be sorted or he needs to be dropped. He has been very poor so far this season. If those problems can be solved then City can still win the title a;though possibly not Europe as the Bayern game proved.
Positions 6-10 tomorrow.
Results from the weekend: Man City 3-1 Everton, Cardiff 1-2 Newcastle, Fulham 1-0 Stoke, Hull 0-0 Aston Villa, Liverpool 3-1 Crystal Palace, Sunderland 1-2 Manchester United, Norwich 1-3 Chelsea, Southampton 2-0 Swansea, Tottenham 0-3 West Ham, West Brom 1-1 Arsenal.
1. Arsenal Pts. 16 GS:GA 14:8 Top Scorer Giroud, Ramsey (4 each)
After the Aston Villa debacle earlier in the season Arsenal have recovered remarkably well and the arrival of Mesut Ozil from Real Madrid on transfer deadline day has given the whole club a lift. After a tough draw against West Brom where they should have lost if Nicholas Anelka's boots were on Jack Wiltshire's deflected goal saved Arsenal's blushes and continued their fine form. After the players come back from international duty the two main concerns are if Oliver Giroud gets injured can anyone replace him (Maybe Ozil as a false No. 9 perhaps) and also they have only kept one clean sheet which needs to improve if they want to keep their title ambitions in check but after the Villa defeat it is a good time to be an Arsenal fan with Aaron Ramsey's, Oliver Giroud, Mathieu Flaimini's and Ozils form in particular Arsenal can be in title contention for sure.
2. Liverpool Pts. 16 GS:GA 11:5 Top Scorer Sturridge (6)
Liverpool have room to improve but like Arsenal they are riding on a crest of a wave at the minute. Brendan Rodgers saying that Liverpool have not hit peak form at the minute is paradoxically a good sign as there is room for improvement in the team. Mainly the problem has been trying to dominate teams for the ninety minutes and finishing teams off. Still with the return of sixteen points from their first seven games is a good return and Liverpool can also say with no irony at all that they have a chance of doing something this season
3. Chelsea Pts. 14 GS:SA 10:4 Top Scorer Oscar (3)
Few teething problems, Mourinho not knowing what his best side is yet. The Juan Mata and striking situations yet after seven games they are only two points behind and apart from the forwards there is strength in depth everywhere else and Juan Mata looks as though he is actually back in the side now as well. After the win against Norwich which was hard fought Chelsea are in good shape and have to be considered to be one of the favourites.
4. Southampton Pts. 14 GS:GA 7:2 Top Scorer Lambert (2)
What a brillant start to this season for Southampton. Very solid base with Arthur Boruc in fine form and a defence of mainly Dejan Lovren, Jose Fonte, Luke Shaw and Nathan Clyne Southampton are a solid team and things can even get better with the developing of the strike partnership of Dani Osvaldo and Ricky Lambert things are good for Southampton. Mauricio Pochettino has been brilliant for them and no disrespect to Saints fans but by the end of the season if this continues he will be head hunted for a bigger job. Until then the Saints should definitely enjoy the ride.
5. Man. City Pts. 13 GS:GA 17:8 Top Scorer Aguero, Yaya Toure (4 each)
Another one of the favourites for the title who have had a bit of a dodgy start. Man. City know where they are at in Europe as Bayern Munich completely outclassed them for ninety minutes. They have had also dodgy results in the premiership away from home as they have lost to Cardiff and Aston Villa. They will figure how to balance defence and attack eventually and a lot of goals have been scored so there is no problem there. Once that balance is addressed and also Joe Harts form needs to be sorted or he needs to be dropped. He has been very poor so far this season. If those problems can be solved then City can still win the title a;though possibly not Europe as the Bayern game proved.
Positions 6-10 tomorrow.
Results from the weekend: Man City 3-1 Everton, Cardiff 1-2 Newcastle, Fulham 1-0 Stoke, Hull 0-0 Aston Villa, Liverpool 3-1 Crystal Palace, Sunderland 1-2 Manchester United, Norwich 1-3 Chelsea, Southampton 2-0 Swansea, Tottenham 0-3 West Ham, West Brom 1-1 Arsenal.
Monday, September 23, 2013
Di Canios sacking the silly season begins.
For all of his faults and Sunderland's poor start to the season Paola Di Canio did not deserve the sack. His poor start is not what allegedly cost him his job it was infact after one too many arguments with his own players they were the ones who said to chairman Ellis Short than the game was up less than six months and thirteen games into his Sunderland tenure it was over.
A lot of people have said that including Hull boss Steve Bruce is that Di Canio's methods were outdated and the modern player does not react favourably to them. The other reason is that Sunderland transfer regime was all wrong in the summer. The clubs director of football Roberto De Fanti made all the signings and signed a whopping fourteen players which was asking for disaster from the start. Of those 14 players only five had previous Premier League Experience and thirteen were foreign and it always takes a bit of time for foreigners to settle into a new league and culture. There was too many signings and the one player Di Canio really wanted Tom Huddelstone ended up at Hull and has made a great start for them.
Player power did win this battle as Di Canio gave one tongue lashing too many but Ellis Short should have realised this could have happened the day he made the appointment back in March. If the results were better at the start of this season and this came up from the players Short probably would have backed the manager and let him continue on but instead the results were poor and the players had had enough of him, Short pulled the trigger and let him go.
Sunderland are in a mess now at the moment and it is their own fault for causing it. Who will take over? Roberto Di Matteo and Gus Poyet are early favourites for the job and neither would be a bad choice. Whatever happens whomever comes in now needs to find a settled team quickly and stamp their authority on the side. Also encourage De Fanti to be patient and try and get the right signings in Quality rather than Quantity in the January transfer window to save their season.
IN OTHER TIDBITS:
Manchester City laid a marker down in their 4-1 victory over Man. Utd. They look a different team when their leader and Captain Vincent Kompany is in the team and he was simply magnificent on Sunday. People are already starting to question David Moyes as his early big game record has been poor. He still needs time and the other thing is when Manchester City are on song they are simply better than Manchester United in most areas. United were always more consistent but that might change this season if Moyes can't figure out how to win the bigger games. They were also missing Van Persie and that was huge as well.
Arsenal top of the league. Mesut Ozil settling in nicely and provided the three assists at the weekend and the continued goalscoring form of Aaron Ramsey is great to see as well.
Brendan Rogers had a day to forget as his action of playing four centre backs backfired and also Liverpool lacked creativity with Coutinho missing. At least for Liverpool Luis Suarez will be back in the Capitol One Cup against Man. Utd. which will lift the Pool again no doubt.
Tottenham were very good against Cardiff and somehow did not manage to score until the last kick of the game but the goal was worth the wait with Paulinho's finish for the eventual winner. Former Spurs keeper Erik Thordvest came up with a great line saying we might have sold Elvis but we bought the Beatles. It is a huge season for Spurs and they definitely have the squad to deliver not just the Champions League Qualification but quite possibly the league itself.
Last but not least the most amazing thing happened, Yes Mario Balotelli finally missed a penalty in Milan's two-one home defeat to Rafa Benitez' Napoli. It was a mixed night for Mario as he missed the penalty also hit a stunner against the crossbar scored Milan's goal that nearly got back into the match late on and finally got sent off after the match for dissent and totally lost the plot by kicking, screaming and taking off his shirt after abusing the ref incessantly. Napoli under Rafa though are a very good side who bought well in the summer and have a hundred percent record so far in the league along with Roma. It has the makings of a good season in Italy.
PL Results: Norwich 0-1 Aston Villa, Liverpool 0-1 Southampton, Newcastle 2-3 Hull, West Brom 3-0 Sunderland, West Ham 2-3 Everton, Chelsea 2-0 Fulham, (Sun) Arsenal 3-1 Stoke, Crystal Palace 0-2 Swansea, Man City 4-1 Man Utd, Cardiff 0-1 Tottenham
I will eave you for now with the two free kick crackers Everton's Leigton Baines scored against West Ham. Ronaldo eat your heart out!
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Oc3251iMo7I
A lot of people have said that including Hull boss Steve Bruce is that Di Canio's methods were outdated and the modern player does not react favourably to them. The other reason is that Sunderland transfer regime was all wrong in the summer. The clubs director of football Roberto De Fanti made all the signings and signed a whopping fourteen players which was asking for disaster from the start. Of those 14 players only five had previous Premier League Experience and thirteen were foreign and it always takes a bit of time for foreigners to settle into a new league and culture. There was too many signings and the one player Di Canio really wanted Tom Huddelstone ended up at Hull and has made a great start for them.
Player power did win this battle as Di Canio gave one tongue lashing too many but Ellis Short should have realised this could have happened the day he made the appointment back in March. If the results were better at the start of this season and this came up from the players Short probably would have backed the manager and let him continue on but instead the results were poor and the players had had enough of him, Short pulled the trigger and let him go.
Sunderland are in a mess now at the moment and it is their own fault for causing it. Who will take over? Roberto Di Matteo and Gus Poyet are early favourites for the job and neither would be a bad choice. Whatever happens whomever comes in now needs to find a settled team quickly and stamp their authority on the side. Also encourage De Fanti to be patient and try and get the right signings in Quality rather than Quantity in the January transfer window to save their season.
IN OTHER TIDBITS:
Manchester City laid a marker down in their 4-1 victory over Man. Utd. They look a different team when their leader and Captain Vincent Kompany is in the team and he was simply magnificent on Sunday. People are already starting to question David Moyes as his early big game record has been poor. He still needs time and the other thing is when Manchester City are on song they are simply better than Manchester United in most areas. United were always more consistent but that might change this season if Moyes can't figure out how to win the bigger games. They were also missing Van Persie and that was huge as well.
Arsenal top of the league. Mesut Ozil settling in nicely and provided the three assists at the weekend and the continued goalscoring form of Aaron Ramsey is great to see as well.
Brendan Rogers had a day to forget as his action of playing four centre backs backfired and also Liverpool lacked creativity with Coutinho missing. At least for Liverpool Luis Suarez will be back in the Capitol One Cup against Man. Utd. which will lift the Pool again no doubt.
Tottenham were very good against Cardiff and somehow did not manage to score until the last kick of the game but the goal was worth the wait with Paulinho's finish for the eventual winner. Former Spurs keeper Erik Thordvest came up with a great line saying we might have sold Elvis but we bought the Beatles. It is a huge season for Spurs and they definitely have the squad to deliver not just the Champions League Qualification but quite possibly the league itself.
Last but not least the most amazing thing happened, Yes Mario Balotelli finally missed a penalty in Milan's two-one home defeat to Rafa Benitez' Napoli. It was a mixed night for Mario as he missed the penalty also hit a stunner against the crossbar scored Milan's goal that nearly got back into the match late on and finally got sent off after the match for dissent and totally lost the plot by kicking, screaming and taking off his shirt after abusing the ref incessantly. Napoli under Rafa though are a very good side who bought well in the summer and have a hundred percent record so far in the league along with Roma. It has the makings of a good season in Italy.
PL Results: Norwich 0-1 Aston Villa, Liverpool 0-1 Southampton, Newcastle 2-3 Hull, West Brom 3-0 Sunderland, West Ham 2-3 Everton, Chelsea 2-0 Fulham, (Sun) Arsenal 3-1 Stoke, Crystal Palace 0-2 Swansea, Man City 4-1 Man Utd, Cardiff 0-1 Tottenham
I will eave you for now with the two free kick crackers Everton's Leigton Baines scored against West Ham. Ronaldo eat your heart out!
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Oc3251iMo7I
Thursday, September 12, 2013
The Last Trap
So Giovanni, Marco and Manuela have gone and the dust has settled since the back to back defeats against Sweden and Austria with the announcement that Trapattoni has left by mutual consent in this brief blog I want to delve into whether his reign was a success, where the national team is now after he leaves and what does the next manager need to do to try and take Ireland to the next level and qualify for Euro 2016.
I generally believe that with a few quibbles which I will mention Trapattoni did well in general as manager of Ireland in his five and a half year spell at the helm of the national team. Ireland were a Thierry Henry handball away from qualifying for the World Cup in South Africa and then brought us to our first international competition in ten years by bringing Ireland to Poland for Euro 2012. Unfortunately this is where things started to wrong for Trap as his team floundered in what was admittedly a very tough group but in the way we surrendered matter of fact in the defeats to Croatia, Spain and Italy caused a lot of the Irish Public even then for Trap to go. Ireland in this world cup qualification campaign have been essentially a disaster , a team which have no ideas and have meekly surrendered to teams who in essence are not really that much better than us (with the exception of Germany of course) and that if Ireland paid more to their full potential we instead of Sweden would be sitting pretty second in the group.
Trapattoni's critics, me included have said things like the negative play, falling out with certain players, not going to games to see how certain players were doing and all things he should be doing while earning two million a year on his contract which was reduced to 1.2 million by the time the job was finished. My biggest criticism of him as well as the above points I have stated was the fact that he never bothered to learn English properly. I cannot imagine what it would be like on a training ground with all the players speaking English and the coach does not speak perfect English. Team talks would have been more difficult to come across than they should have and I would like to think if the team were struggling in a match how would Trppattoni get across his instructions to the team as to how to come back into a match tactically more than anything else. It was a big failing in my view. Overall though he did get us to the Euros and for that I would like to thank him as it gave me personally my best holiday ever in Poland which will probably never be replicated. Thanks Gio.
Who comes in and what needs to be done? Well there are players that were exiled under Trappatonis reign like Anthony Stokes and Andy Reid that can come into the side. Surely they are better options then for instance Simon Cox or Glen Whelan? The team the new manager will inherit though is not one that would exclude confidence. Shay Given and Damien Duff have retired and there is nothing much behind them. Robbie Keane and Richard Dunne surely are playing their last games for Ireland as well and it is up to the new manager to see who can be unearthed. Of the players that who are there at least Seamus Coleman has made the breakthrough which should have probably happened eighteen months earlier. James McCarthy can flourish at Everton under his boss which he had at Wigan Roberto Martinez and hopefully then can replicate that in the Irish side. A lot to prove from him for sure but it is probably the best we got in that position unless Andy Reid does get that recall. He definitely deserves his chance again after playing really for Nottingham Forest the past twelve months. Wes Houlihan deserves his chance as well. Why Trapattoni stubbornly stuck to his guns and not pick him when it was obvious he should have been in the first team is beyond me but he should get a chance under whomever gets the job. Others like Robbie Brady, Shane Long, Anthony Stokes, Anthony Pilkington, Ciaran Clark and Kieron Westwood and there is still a good basis for a good team that can play decent football is well which would be the other thing that the fans would want if possible as most of the football under Trap's reign was terrible to be fair.
Who is going to get the job? Martin O' Neill is the favourite to get the job and if nothing else O'Neills greatest asset is his man management skills and to convince the team that they can beat anyone and play without fear although the flip side to that is that his Sunderland reign ended in tears and some of the football they were producing was quite frankly terrible,. I would welcome his appointment but would approach with cautious optimism as well. Roy Keane has been mentioned but could he get on with the F.A.I. after their past? Probably not I would reckon. Mick McCarthy has also been mentioned and most Irish fans would welcome Mick back in the fold as apart from the Saipan debacle Mick mostly did do a good job first time around and has experience of getting Ireland to a world cup while playing some good football as well. Brian McCdermott and Chris Hughton are definitely future Irish managers but too soon for both as they have big club jobs at the moment with Leeds and Norwich but their time will come down the line. The bottom line is the team definitely is not as good as it one was but there are still enough good players for Ireland to be a threat to qualify for Euro 2016 and it does help that 24 instead of 16 qualify for the tournament and fans are hoping that we can go to Germany in three years time for another big tournament and to do it in a style that is somewhat pleasing to the eye. Over to the F.A.I. to appoint the right man.
Ill leave you with a montage (of sorts) to Traps reign:
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=LRdobJFHABI
I generally believe that with a few quibbles which I will mention Trapattoni did well in general as manager of Ireland in his five and a half year spell at the helm of the national team. Ireland were a Thierry Henry handball away from qualifying for the World Cup in South Africa and then brought us to our first international competition in ten years by bringing Ireland to Poland for Euro 2012. Unfortunately this is where things started to wrong for Trap as his team floundered in what was admittedly a very tough group but in the way we surrendered matter of fact in the defeats to Croatia, Spain and Italy caused a lot of the Irish Public even then for Trap to go. Ireland in this world cup qualification campaign have been essentially a disaster , a team which have no ideas and have meekly surrendered to teams who in essence are not really that much better than us (with the exception of Germany of course) and that if Ireland paid more to their full potential we instead of Sweden would be sitting pretty second in the group.
Trapattoni's critics, me included have said things like the negative play, falling out with certain players, not going to games to see how certain players were doing and all things he should be doing while earning two million a year on his contract which was reduced to 1.2 million by the time the job was finished. My biggest criticism of him as well as the above points I have stated was the fact that he never bothered to learn English properly. I cannot imagine what it would be like on a training ground with all the players speaking English and the coach does not speak perfect English. Team talks would have been more difficult to come across than they should have and I would like to think if the team were struggling in a match how would Trppattoni get across his instructions to the team as to how to come back into a match tactically more than anything else. It was a big failing in my view. Overall though he did get us to the Euros and for that I would like to thank him as it gave me personally my best holiday ever in Poland which will probably never be replicated. Thanks Gio.
Who comes in and what needs to be done? Well there are players that were exiled under Trappatonis reign like Anthony Stokes and Andy Reid that can come into the side. Surely they are better options then for instance Simon Cox or Glen Whelan? The team the new manager will inherit though is not one that would exclude confidence. Shay Given and Damien Duff have retired and there is nothing much behind them. Robbie Keane and Richard Dunne surely are playing their last games for Ireland as well and it is up to the new manager to see who can be unearthed. Of the players that who are there at least Seamus Coleman has made the breakthrough which should have probably happened eighteen months earlier. James McCarthy can flourish at Everton under his boss which he had at Wigan Roberto Martinez and hopefully then can replicate that in the Irish side. A lot to prove from him for sure but it is probably the best we got in that position unless Andy Reid does get that recall. He definitely deserves his chance again after playing really for Nottingham Forest the past twelve months. Wes Houlihan deserves his chance as well. Why Trapattoni stubbornly stuck to his guns and not pick him when it was obvious he should have been in the first team is beyond me but he should get a chance under whomever gets the job. Others like Robbie Brady, Shane Long, Anthony Stokes, Anthony Pilkington, Ciaran Clark and Kieron Westwood and there is still a good basis for a good team that can play decent football is well which would be the other thing that the fans would want if possible as most of the football under Trap's reign was terrible to be fair.
Who is going to get the job? Martin O' Neill is the favourite to get the job and if nothing else O'Neills greatest asset is his man management skills and to convince the team that they can beat anyone and play without fear although the flip side to that is that his Sunderland reign ended in tears and some of the football they were producing was quite frankly terrible,. I would welcome his appointment but would approach with cautious optimism as well. Roy Keane has been mentioned but could he get on with the F.A.I. after their past? Probably not I would reckon. Mick McCarthy has also been mentioned and most Irish fans would welcome Mick back in the fold as apart from the Saipan debacle Mick mostly did do a good job first time around and has experience of getting Ireland to a world cup while playing some good football as well. Brian McCdermott and Chris Hughton are definitely future Irish managers but too soon for both as they have big club jobs at the moment with Leeds and Norwich but their time will come down the line. The bottom line is the team definitely is not as good as it one was but there are still enough good players for Ireland to be a threat to qualify for Euro 2016 and it does help that 24 instead of 16 qualify for the tournament and fans are hoping that we can go to Germany in three years time for another big tournament and to do it in a style that is somewhat pleasing to the eye. Over to the F.A.I. to appoint the right man.
Ill leave you with a montage (of sorts) to Traps reign:
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=LRdobJFHABI
Friday, August 30, 2013
Premiership Preview Super Sunday
I had a nightmare with the predictions last week so hopefully this week ill get back on track!
Saturday
Man. City Vs Hull (BT Sport 1 12.45 ko)
Hull will be buoyed by their battling win against Norwich and with a lot of the game with ten men but they wont be kidding themselves about how hard a task it will be going to the Eithad even though Man City suffered a shock loss to Cardiff last week. City looked ill at ease without Vincent Kompany and also the continuing poor form of Joe Hart who was to blame for at least two of the goals. City should still have too much for Hull at home and go into the international break in good stead.
Prediction: Man City 3 Hull 1
Cardiff Vs Everton (Setanta Sports 1)
Cardiff had an amazing win over Man City last weekend and they should carry that confidence coming into this weekend against an Everton side who have yet their find their feet under new boss Roberto Martinez and the shadow hanging over the potential departures of Marouane Fellaini and Leighton Baines. They are playing nice football but have yet to to find their cutt9ng edge and if Cardiff especially at set pieces can replicate their win from last week you could fancy them for the win again this time although I think a draw would be more likely.
Prediction: Cardiff 1 Everton 1
Newcastle Vs Fulham
Newcastle need something good to happen and it could happen here. Doubts still linger about whether Yohan Cabaye is going to be at the club by the end of the transfer window but rumour has it he will be playing this weekend and could be the difference here. Fulham have been branded the laziest team in the league. They were very poor against Arsenal but also in Dimitar Berbatov and Darren Bent they could score a lot of goals as well. Think there could be a load of gals here and maybe a point is the best either can expect.
Prediction: Newcastle 2 Fulham 2
Norwich Vs Southampton.
Could be a really good game this one. Norwich were very poor against Hull last week but at home they will get a load of pints. I like the look of Southampton and it will be interesting to see how Osvaldo fits into the picture. He should have been sent off last week and will need to keep his temper in check but there is no denying his talent. I think Southampton will nick this one but would not be one hundred percent confident on it.
Prediction: Norwich 1 Southampton 2
West Ham Vs Stoke
West Ham look a very good outfit and have made a good start without conceding a goal as well which is a bonus. They wont be easy to beat at home but a lot of what they can achieve this season will be the fitness of Andy Caroll. He provides the focal point of their attack and if he is not there I think in certain games West Ham will struggle to score. It will take time for Stoke to adapt to Mark Hughes style of play and early on I fancy they will not take too many points early on in the season and also need a few more bodies up front. I see a comfortable afternoon for West Ham.
Prediction: West Ham 2 Stoke 0
Crystal Palace Vs Sunderland (Sky Sports 1 5.30 ko)
Palace and Sunderland have not made the best of starts to the premiership. Palace under Ian Holloway are already struggling and Ian Holloway has already has his odds slashed to be the first manager sacked in the premiership. It is going to be difficult to get out of the malaise they are already in even if it is two games down. Thankfully they are playing a Sunderland side who are trying to find their feet with all the new players that are in the new squad Palace might be able to sneak three points here.
Prediction: Crystal Palace 2 Sunderland 1
Sunday
Liverpool vs. Man. Utd. (Sky Sports 1 1.30 ko)
Big game for both. I do fancy Liverpool in this one. They have made a very good start and I can see them taking advantage of a United side still trying to find their feet under David Moyes. Pressure will be on Moyes more than Rogers and even though Wayne Rooney's performance was a source of relief for Moyes the lack of chances they created against Chelsea would cause alarm bells and I can see Liverpool keeping it tight and catching United on the counter and with Daniel Sturridge on the form that he is in there is no reason why he can't continue his form into this game and get the three points for the Pool.
Prediction: Liverpool 2 Man Utd.1
West Brom Vs. Swansea
West Brom have made an indifferent start to the season and missing the presence of Lukakau has hurt them for sure but with Nicolas Anelka and Matej Vydra available for this game against Swansea they might get their first win of the season. Swansea have struggled so far this season but it has been a difficult start for them but I see West Brom picking up the three points here.
Prediction: West Brom 1 Swansea 0
Arsenal Vs. Spurs (Sky Sports 1 4.00 ko)
Spurs have spent around 100 million as of today. They broke their transfer record for the third time this summer with the signing of Eric Lamela from Roma. It will be too late for him to play in the derby but that and also the impending arrival of Christian Eriksen from Ajax and AVB has built up a formidable squad for the forthcoming campaign which rightly has Arsenal fans worried. Arsenal still need to add but Arsene Wegner's press conference ahead of this game he seemed relaxed and the belief is he will get signatures before the transfer window closes which will strengthen the squad which is needed badly. This game will have loads of goals as usual but I do give Arsenal the edge simply because of the previous two games between these two at the emirates have finished 5-2 to the home side and the crowd will probably carry Arsenal through on this one as well.
Prediction: Arsenal 3 Tottenham 2
Next blog has the review of the weekends action and also a review of the super cup between Bayern Munich and Chelsea which should be a fasinating match between the two best friends of the world Jose Mourinho and Pep Guardiola.
Goal of the Week: Daniels Sturridge's effort was probably a better goal for Liverpool against Aston Villa but I love chips over the keeper and Danny's effort for Zenit St. Petersburg against Pacos Ferreira was one of those sweet efforts you can replay again and again.
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=e3sC7D4r0S4
Talk next week enjoy the weekend!
Saturday
Man. City Vs Hull (BT Sport 1 12.45 ko)
Hull will be buoyed by their battling win against Norwich and with a lot of the game with ten men but they wont be kidding themselves about how hard a task it will be going to the Eithad even though Man City suffered a shock loss to Cardiff last week. City looked ill at ease without Vincent Kompany and also the continuing poor form of Joe Hart who was to blame for at least two of the goals. City should still have too much for Hull at home and go into the international break in good stead.
Prediction: Man City 3 Hull 1
Cardiff Vs Everton (Setanta Sports 1)
Cardiff had an amazing win over Man City last weekend and they should carry that confidence coming into this weekend against an Everton side who have yet their find their feet under new boss Roberto Martinez and the shadow hanging over the potential departures of Marouane Fellaini and Leighton Baines. They are playing nice football but have yet to to find their cutt9ng edge and if Cardiff especially at set pieces can replicate their win from last week you could fancy them for the win again this time although I think a draw would be more likely.
Prediction: Cardiff 1 Everton 1
Newcastle Vs Fulham
Newcastle need something good to happen and it could happen here. Doubts still linger about whether Yohan Cabaye is going to be at the club by the end of the transfer window but rumour has it he will be playing this weekend and could be the difference here. Fulham have been branded the laziest team in the league. They were very poor against Arsenal but also in Dimitar Berbatov and Darren Bent they could score a lot of goals as well. Think there could be a load of gals here and maybe a point is the best either can expect.
Prediction: Newcastle 2 Fulham 2
Norwich Vs Southampton.
Could be a really good game this one. Norwich were very poor against Hull last week but at home they will get a load of pints. I like the look of Southampton and it will be interesting to see how Osvaldo fits into the picture. He should have been sent off last week and will need to keep his temper in check but there is no denying his talent. I think Southampton will nick this one but would not be one hundred percent confident on it.
Prediction: Norwich 1 Southampton 2
West Ham Vs Stoke
West Ham look a very good outfit and have made a good start without conceding a goal as well which is a bonus. They wont be easy to beat at home but a lot of what they can achieve this season will be the fitness of Andy Caroll. He provides the focal point of their attack and if he is not there I think in certain games West Ham will struggle to score. It will take time for Stoke to adapt to Mark Hughes style of play and early on I fancy they will not take too many points early on in the season and also need a few more bodies up front. I see a comfortable afternoon for West Ham.
Prediction: West Ham 2 Stoke 0
Crystal Palace Vs Sunderland (Sky Sports 1 5.30 ko)
Palace and Sunderland have not made the best of starts to the premiership. Palace under Ian Holloway are already struggling and Ian Holloway has already has his odds slashed to be the first manager sacked in the premiership. It is going to be difficult to get out of the malaise they are already in even if it is two games down. Thankfully they are playing a Sunderland side who are trying to find their feet with all the new players that are in the new squad Palace might be able to sneak three points here.
Prediction: Crystal Palace 2 Sunderland 1
Sunday
Liverpool vs. Man. Utd. (Sky Sports 1 1.30 ko)
Big game for both. I do fancy Liverpool in this one. They have made a very good start and I can see them taking advantage of a United side still trying to find their feet under David Moyes. Pressure will be on Moyes more than Rogers and even though Wayne Rooney's performance was a source of relief for Moyes the lack of chances they created against Chelsea would cause alarm bells and I can see Liverpool keeping it tight and catching United on the counter and with Daniel Sturridge on the form that he is in there is no reason why he can't continue his form into this game and get the three points for the Pool.
Prediction: Liverpool 2 Man Utd.1
West Brom Vs. Swansea
West Brom have made an indifferent start to the season and missing the presence of Lukakau has hurt them for sure but with Nicolas Anelka and Matej Vydra available for this game against Swansea they might get their first win of the season. Swansea have struggled so far this season but it has been a difficult start for them but I see West Brom picking up the three points here.
Prediction: West Brom 1 Swansea 0
Arsenal Vs. Spurs (Sky Sports 1 4.00 ko)
Spurs have spent around 100 million as of today. They broke their transfer record for the third time this summer with the signing of Eric Lamela from Roma. It will be too late for him to play in the derby but that and also the impending arrival of Christian Eriksen from Ajax and AVB has built up a formidable squad for the forthcoming campaign which rightly has Arsenal fans worried. Arsenal still need to add but Arsene Wegner's press conference ahead of this game he seemed relaxed and the belief is he will get signatures before the transfer window closes which will strengthen the squad which is needed badly. This game will have loads of goals as usual but I do give Arsenal the edge simply because of the previous two games between these two at the emirates have finished 5-2 to the home side and the crowd will probably carry Arsenal through on this one as well.
Prediction: Arsenal 3 Tottenham 2
Next blog has the review of the weekends action and also a review of the super cup between Bayern Munich and Chelsea which should be a fasinating match between the two best friends of the world Jose Mourinho and Pep Guardiola.
Goal of the Week: Daniels Sturridge's effort was probably a better goal for Liverpool against Aston Villa but I love chips over the keeper and Danny's effort for Zenit St. Petersburg against Pacos Ferreira was one of those sweet efforts you can replay again and again.
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=e3sC7D4r0S4
Talk next week enjoy the weekend!
Tuesday, August 27, 2013
Premiership Review Chosen One vs Special One.
Yes it was the big game this weekend but it failed to deliver the fireworks that a lot of people were expecting. The ploy of playing without a recognised striker was a weird choice as Chelsea ended up for an hour of the game with four attackers and no real focal point. The United defenders had no-one to mark most of the time. Jose was trying with his attack to move the united back line around and keep them guessing but I do not think after this game Kevin De Bryune will play centre forward again any time soon. The big news for United was the inclusion of Wayne Rooney and he was the best player on the pitch involved in nearly all the good moments on the pitch for the Red Devils. The one thing that struck me was even when Torres came on Chelsea were still very negative but United struggled at the other end to create anything either but at least it seemed that they were more going for the victory than Chelsea were. You would fancy Jose and Chelsea were more happy with the point but it will be more interesting to see if Chelsea experiment again without a recognised striker. More good news as it seems Rooney won't be handing in a transfer request to force a move to Chelsea and with Jose imposing a forty eight hour deadline for Wayne to decide it seems more likely Rooney will stay with United and if he keeps producing performances consistently like he did in the Monday Night Game then it will be a boost for David Moyes and also the Manchester United support were fully behind him in the stadium even if Chelsea fans were cheekily cheering for him as well as if he was going to them!
The shock of the weekend was Cardiff's 3-2 victory over Manchester City and questions over the absence of Vincent Kompany and the alarming poor form of Joe Hart. The second and third goals from corners were very poor defensively from a City point of view and would not be surprised if they go back in for a central defender before the window shuts as I do not think Javi Garcia is the answer in that position. Great victory for Cardiff nonetheless passionate crowd and Frazier Campbell's two goals would certainly have gone done well at his former club Manchester United. Cardiff City Stadium will be a hard place to go this season.
Results: Fulham 1-3 Arsenal, Everton 0-0 West Brom, Hull 1-0 Norwich, Newcastle 0-0 West Ham, Southampton 1-1 Sunderland, Stoke 2-1 Crystal Palace, Aston Villa 0-1 Liverpool, Cardiff 3-2 Man City, Tottenham 1-0 Swansea, Man Utd. 0-0 Chelsea.
Next Blog Friday League Cup and Champions League Reviews plus Preview of the weekend including the Euro Super Cup between Bayern and Chelsea and the big double header on sunday Liverpool Vs Man Utd and The North London Derby between Arsenal and Spurs.
Last but not least Romario and his best goals for Barcelona.
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=JfVBnVZyQN0
The shock of the weekend was Cardiff's 3-2 victory over Manchester City and questions over the absence of Vincent Kompany and the alarming poor form of Joe Hart. The second and third goals from corners were very poor defensively from a City point of view and would not be surprised if they go back in for a central defender before the window shuts as I do not think Javi Garcia is the answer in that position. Great victory for Cardiff nonetheless passionate crowd and Frazier Campbell's two goals would certainly have gone done well at his former club Manchester United. Cardiff City Stadium will be a hard place to go this season.
Results: Fulham 1-3 Arsenal, Everton 0-0 West Brom, Hull 1-0 Norwich, Newcastle 0-0 West Ham, Southampton 1-1 Sunderland, Stoke 2-1 Crystal Palace, Aston Villa 0-1 Liverpool, Cardiff 3-2 Man City, Tottenham 1-0 Swansea, Man Utd. 0-0 Chelsea.
Next Blog Friday League Cup and Champions League Reviews plus Preview of the weekend including the Euro Super Cup between Bayern and Chelsea and the big double header on sunday Liverpool Vs Man Utd and The North London Derby between Arsenal and Spurs.
Last but not least Romario and his best goals for Barcelona.
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=JfVBnVZyQN0
Friday, August 23, 2013
Premiership Preview
Saturday
Fulham Vs Arsenal (BT Sports 12.45 ko)
After their loss last weekend to Villa and all the negativity about their lack of signings at the club fans and manager alike were relived of the three-nil win against Femerbache which will get Arsenal into the champions league proper for the sixteenth time in a row which is some sort of achievement. The problem over lack of signings is still there and business will need to pick up next week if there is any chance they will win anything this season. They face a tricky tie against a Fulham side which recorded a rare away against Sunderland and with Dimitar Berbatov in their side against a patched up Arsenal defence in particular they will prove a threat and traditionally these are tight derby matches. I would still fancy an Arsenal win though but it will not be easy.
Prediction: Fulham 1 Arsenal 2
Everton Vs West Brom (Setanta Sports 1 3.00 ko)
Everton should be favorites for this one as they would have been disappointed about dropping two points to Norwich last weekend. West Brom struggled last week in losing to Southampton and even though it was a last minute penalty and goal they conceded it was deserved victory for Southampton and Roberto Martinez's first home game in charge the Everton team should be motivated and too good for West Brom.
Prediction: Everton 2 West Brom 1
Hull Vs Norwich (3.00 ko)
Hull would not have probably learned much in their loss to Chelsea last week except maybe the much higher quality of the better teams in the Premiership. They will be up for this, their first home game against a team they will probably think they can beat . A good draw for Norwich in their first game with Ricky Van Wolfswinkel scoring on his debut and also the arrival of Johan Elmander has boasted their striking options even further. A high scoring contest is on the cards I would reckon here.
Prediction: Hull City Tigers 2 Norwich 2
Newcastle Vs West Ham (3.00 ko)
Newcastle's first home game of the season should be interesting with the turmoil over Joe Kinnear's appointment, and the absence of Yohan Cabaye after Arsenal's bid and subsequent improved bid from Paris St. Germain raises questions as to if Cabaye is staying at the club. They need a win here to get the fans on their side and the way the fans react to to the team could be important in this match. West Ham got off to a solid start against Cardiff last weekend and looking to extend their good run this weekend. Their away form was poor last season and with only one fit striker at the moment they could struggle to score at St. James Park. I do think West Ham can win this one simply because Newcastle have worst problems.
Prediction: Newcastle 1 West Ham 3
Southampton Vs Sunderland (3.00 ko)
Southampton had a good win over West Brom last weekend and have since added Daniel Osvaldo from Roma which could be a very good signing indeed. Sunderland were poor against Fulham and Paolo Di Canio might take a while to figure his best team out since there are a lot of new faces at the Stadium of Light and I think Southampton can take all three points in their first home game of the season.
Prediction: Southampton 2 Sunderland 0
Stoke Vs Crystal Palace (3.00 ko)
Stoke were decent and compact in their 1-0 defeat to Liverpool but were lightweight upfront. Palace struggled against Spurs and one-nil was quite flattering to them. Stoke if they reproduce their intensity of the Liverpool performance with a bit of better quality in the final third will surely win this one out.
Prediction: Stoke 2 Crystal Palace 0
Aston Villa Vs Liverpool (5.30 ko Sky Sports 1)
Villa have been good in the first two games and look a very decent side judging by the first two performances. Liverpool were also good although they should have put the game to bed and nearly lost two points but a Mignolet save, saved the win for the reds. Villa could have a real good chance of getting the three points but if Liverpool do improve in the finishing department it could be a very good game indeed. Villa to edge it but I could not say that to a reasonable degree.
Prediction: Aston Villa 2 Liverpool 1
Sunday
Cardiff Vs Man City (4.00 ko Sky Sports 1)
Cardiff had a bit of a struggle last weekend against West Ham not registering a single shot on target. Their new signing Andreas Cornelius might get a run out this weekend and could help them up front. City were very good against Newcastle and I think if they play to the same level against Cardiff there is only going to be one winner.
Prediction Cardiff 0 Man. City 3
Tottenham Vs Swansea (4.00 ko)
Tottenham had a good European victory during the week to go along with the victory against Crystal Palace and they are in good shape. With the inevitable departure of Gareth Bale Spurs are planning the future without him although it looks as though Willian deal has fallen though which will be a blow to them although if they do get Eric Lamela it will still be a boost to them. Swansea want the transfer window to end now as there is a still a threat of them losing both Michu and Ashley Williams which will be a blow to them. They were unlucky losing 4-1 to Man Utd last weekend and a good European victory has showed what a good team they are but I do think Spurs will be too good for them on the day.
Prediction: Spurs 3 Swansea 1
Monday
Man Utd. Vs Chelsea (8.00 ko Sky Sports 1)
I always hate the fact that big games like these are on very early on in the season as I do not think they mean as much as if they played it lets say middle of October. A loss for either side wont really do either any harm. United have Robin Van Persie on fire as usual. Chelsea might jig their team a little bit. It will not surprise me if this is a draw and both teams move on a quickly as possible.
Prediction: Man Utd 1 Chelsea 1
Goal(s) of the week. Real Sociedad scored two crackers in Lyon to nearly guarantee them qualification into the group stage in the Champions League.
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=KUNZW6fgo9k
See ya Monday enjoy the action over the weekend. Also looking forward to the return of Formula One as well. I hope Fernando Alonso pulls something out of the bag but it is probably between the Red Bulls and Mercedes again.
Fulham Vs Arsenal (BT Sports 12.45 ko)
After their loss last weekend to Villa and all the negativity about their lack of signings at the club fans and manager alike were relived of the three-nil win against Femerbache which will get Arsenal into the champions league proper for the sixteenth time in a row which is some sort of achievement. The problem over lack of signings is still there and business will need to pick up next week if there is any chance they will win anything this season. They face a tricky tie against a Fulham side which recorded a rare away against Sunderland and with Dimitar Berbatov in their side against a patched up Arsenal defence in particular they will prove a threat and traditionally these are tight derby matches. I would still fancy an Arsenal win though but it will not be easy.
Prediction: Fulham 1 Arsenal 2
Everton Vs West Brom (Setanta Sports 1 3.00 ko)
Everton should be favorites for this one as they would have been disappointed about dropping two points to Norwich last weekend. West Brom struggled last week in losing to Southampton and even though it was a last minute penalty and goal they conceded it was deserved victory for Southampton and Roberto Martinez's first home game in charge the Everton team should be motivated and too good for West Brom.
Prediction: Everton 2 West Brom 1
Hull Vs Norwich (3.00 ko)
Hull would not have probably learned much in their loss to Chelsea last week except maybe the much higher quality of the better teams in the Premiership. They will be up for this, their first home game against a team they will probably think they can beat . A good draw for Norwich in their first game with Ricky Van Wolfswinkel scoring on his debut and also the arrival of Johan Elmander has boasted their striking options even further. A high scoring contest is on the cards I would reckon here.
Prediction: Hull City Tigers 2 Norwich 2
Newcastle Vs West Ham (3.00 ko)
Newcastle's first home game of the season should be interesting with the turmoil over Joe Kinnear's appointment, and the absence of Yohan Cabaye after Arsenal's bid and subsequent improved bid from Paris St. Germain raises questions as to if Cabaye is staying at the club. They need a win here to get the fans on their side and the way the fans react to to the team could be important in this match. West Ham got off to a solid start against Cardiff last weekend and looking to extend their good run this weekend. Their away form was poor last season and with only one fit striker at the moment they could struggle to score at St. James Park. I do think West Ham can win this one simply because Newcastle have worst problems.
Prediction: Newcastle 1 West Ham 3
Southampton Vs Sunderland (3.00 ko)
Southampton had a good win over West Brom last weekend and have since added Daniel Osvaldo from Roma which could be a very good signing indeed. Sunderland were poor against Fulham and Paolo Di Canio might take a while to figure his best team out since there are a lot of new faces at the Stadium of Light and I think Southampton can take all three points in their first home game of the season.
Prediction: Southampton 2 Sunderland 0
Stoke Vs Crystal Palace (3.00 ko)
Stoke were decent and compact in their 1-0 defeat to Liverpool but were lightweight upfront. Palace struggled against Spurs and one-nil was quite flattering to them. Stoke if they reproduce their intensity of the Liverpool performance with a bit of better quality in the final third will surely win this one out.
Prediction: Stoke 2 Crystal Palace 0
Aston Villa Vs Liverpool (5.30 ko Sky Sports 1)
Villa have been good in the first two games and look a very decent side judging by the first two performances. Liverpool were also good although they should have put the game to bed and nearly lost two points but a Mignolet save, saved the win for the reds. Villa could have a real good chance of getting the three points but if Liverpool do improve in the finishing department it could be a very good game indeed. Villa to edge it but I could not say that to a reasonable degree.
Prediction: Aston Villa 2 Liverpool 1
Sunday
Cardiff Vs Man City (4.00 ko Sky Sports 1)
Cardiff had a bit of a struggle last weekend against West Ham not registering a single shot on target. Their new signing Andreas Cornelius might get a run out this weekend and could help them up front. City were very good against Newcastle and I think if they play to the same level against Cardiff there is only going to be one winner.
Prediction Cardiff 0 Man. City 3
Tottenham Vs Swansea (4.00 ko)
Tottenham had a good European victory during the week to go along with the victory against Crystal Palace and they are in good shape. With the inevitable departure of Gareth Bale Spurs are planning the future without him although it looks as though Willian deal has fallen though which will be a blow to them although if they do get Eric Lamela it will still be a boost to them. Swansea want the transfer window to end now as there is a still a threat of them losing both Michu and Ashley Williams which will be a blow to them. They were unlucky losing 4-1 to Man Utd last weekend and a good European victory has showed what a good team they are but I do think Spurs will be too good for them on the day.
Prediction: Spurs 3 Swansea 1
Monday
Man Utd. Vs Chelsea (8.00 ko Sky Sports 1)
I always hate the fact that big games like these are on very early on in the season as I do not think they mean as much as if they played it lets say middle of October. A loss for either side wont really do either any harm. United have Robin Van Persie on fire as usual. Chelsea might jig their team a little bit. It will not surprise me if this is a draw and both teams move on a quickly as possible.
Prediction: Man Utd 1 Chelsea 1
Goal(s) of the week. Real Sociedad scored two crackers in Lyon to nearly guarantee them qualification into the group stage in the Champions League.
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=KUNZW6fgo9k
See ya Monday enjoy the action over the weekend. Also looking forward to the return of Formula One as well. I hope Fernando Alonso pulls something out of the bag but it is probably between the Red Bulls and Mercedes again.
Wednesday, August 21, 2013
The Midweek Blog Episode 1 Yes It is About Arsenal
First of all my apologies for the delay in the last two Premiership Previews of the season being done after the season actually started and in this blog it will be the first of the midweek blog which will concentrate on last leagues action. This will usually be done on a Monday and then the weekend blog will be done on a Friday previewing what is coming up at the weekend.
So this first one is dedicated to Arsenal. I was at the game at Aston Villa and you all seen the game or highlights of it and seen the negative reaction after the 3-1 loss. This was my seventh time at the ground and any little thing that goes wrong in a match some of the supporters really can turn on the team and this was when at times we were winning games comfortably! This was the first time I have experienced a loss when seeing Arsenal live and the negative reaction this time sadly has been justified. When Ivan Gatzidis said in a statement at the start of June that Arsenal had money to spend all us supporters presumed wisely that there were deals for players that were just about done for and will bring this team back to where it should be and that is challenging for the Premiership and the Champions League. What has happened instead is that the club has got rid of a lot of the fringe players and dead wood but have not replaced them with better quality players which has left the squad very thin indeed and a few injuries and Arsenal will be struggling to field a first team never mind the bench.
Have Arsenal completely lost the ability to sign decent quality players altogether? From the Luis Suarez saga to letting Gonzalo Higuain slip trough our fingers to be let go to Napoli, to the half halfheartedness of bids for Luis Gustavo and Yohan Cabaye fans must be wondering what is going on? Arsene Wegner has always payed what he though the value of a player is and that is not necessarily what the seller thinks the player is worth. It is an admirable quality no doubt but what has handicapped Wegner in trying to come up with valuations this season in particular is the fact that Gatzidis said the money was there to spend and now clubs are always going to demand more money than what the player is necessarily worth because they know the money is there for Arsenal to spend. Whatever signings Arsenal make between now and when the transfer window closes if any at all will seem to be a desperation signing no matter what way you look at it. If Arsenal fail to beat Fenerbache in the Champions League play offs there will be more pressure on him and it could be the beginning of the end for him at the club which will be sad if he does bow out like that. The man who transformed Arsenal football club from top to bottom would deserve a better dignified ending than the one that many are predicting for him at this present time. Hopefully Arsenal can still get the recruitment we need and get the results needed especially in the Champions League in particular and things will go back in the right direction.
PL Results Week 1:(Sat) Liverpool 1-0 Stoke, Arsenal 1-3 Aston Villa, Norwich 2-2 Everton, Sunderland 0-1 Fulham, West Brom 0-1 Southampton, West Ham 2-0 Cardiff, Swansea 1-4 Man. Utd. (Sun) Crystal Palace 0-1 Tottenham, Chelsea 2-0 Hull, (Mon) Man City 4-0 Newcastle (Wed) Chelsea vs Aston Villa
Ill have a few tidbits on Friday about last weekend and also preview this weekends games talk then!
So this first one is dedicated to Arsenal. I was at the game at Aston Villa and you all seen the game or highlights of it and seen the negative reaction after the 3-1 loss. This was my seventh time at the ground and any little thing that goes wrong in a match some of the supporters really can turn on the team and this was when at times we were winning games comfortably! This was the first time I have experienced a loss when seeing Arsenal live and the negative reaction this time sadly has been justified. When Ivan Gatzidis said in a statement at the start of June that Arsenal had money to spend all us supporters presumed wisely that there were deals for players that were just about done for and will bring this team back to where it should be and that is challenging for the Premiership and the Champions League. What has happened instead is that the club has got rid of a lot of the fringe players and dead wood but have not replaced them with better quality players which has left the squad very thin indeed and a few injuries and Arsenal will be struggling to field a first team never mind the bench.
Have Arsenal completely lost the ability to sign decent quality players altogether? From the Luis Suarez saga to letting Gonzalo Higuain slip trough our fingers to be let go to Napoli, to the half halfheartedness of bids for Luis Gustavo and Yohan Cabaye fans must be wondering what is going on? Arsene Wegner has always payed what he though the value of a player is and that is not necessarily what the seller thinks the player is worth. It is an admirable quality no doubt but what has handicapped Wegner in trying to come up with valuations this season in particular is the fact that Gatzidis said the money was there to spend and now clubs are always going to demand more money than what the player is necessarily worth because they know the money is there for Arsenal to spend. Whatever signings Arsenal make between now and when the transfer window closes if any at all will seem to be a desperation signing no matter what way you look at it. If Arsenal fail to beat Fenerbache in the Champions League play offs there will be more pressure on him and it could be the beginning of the end for him at the club which will be sad if he does bow out like that. The man who transformed Arsenal football club from top to bottom would deserve a better dignified ending than the one that many are predicting for him at this present time. Hopefully Arsenal can still get the recruitment we need and get the results needed especially in the Champions League in particular and things will go back in the right direction.
PL Results Week 1:(Sat) Liverpool 1-0 Stoke, Arsenal 1-3 Aston Villa, Norwich 2-2 Everton, Sunderland 0-1 Fulham, West Brom 0-1 Southampton, West Ham 2-0 Cardiff, Swansea 1-4 Man. Utd. (Sun) Crystal Palace 0-1 Tottenham, Chelsea 2-0 Hull, (Mon) Man City 4-0 Newcastle (Wed) Chelsea vs Aston Villa
Ill have a few tidbits on Friday about last weekend and also preview this weekends games talk then!
Premiership Preview: West Ham
West Ham
In
Razvan Rat (Shakhtar Donetsk) Free
Adrian (Real Betis) Free
Andy Carroll (Liverpool) Undisclosed
Danny Whitehead (Stockport County) Undisclosed
Stewart Downing (Liverpool) Undisclosed
Out
Carlton Cole Released
Gary O'Neil (Queens Park Rangers) Free
Robert Hall (Bolton Wanderers) Undisclosed
Positives: West Ham are always going to be a difficult side to beat under Big Sam Allarydce and also with the permanent signing of yes Andy Carroll they can cause mayhem in the opposition back line any time he is on the pitch. Problem is how many times can he play as if he is not playing they do not have many other options up front. The signing of Downing is an interesting one. Can Big Sam resurrect his career like he has Joe Cole's? West Ham will do well to get into the top ten but would not rule it out.
Negatives: The lack of options up front and their back line is suspect to pace although the arrival of Razyan Rat from Shaktar might solve that problem.
Prediction: 12th
In
Razvan Rat (Shakhtar Donetsk) Free
Adrian (Real Betis) Free
Andy Carroll (Liverpool) Undisclosed
Danny Whitehead (Stockport County) Undisclosed
Stewart Downing (Liverpool) Undisclosed
Out
Carlton Cole Released
Gary O'Neil (Queens Park Rangers) Free
Robert Hall (Bolton Wanderers) Undisclosed
Positives: West Ham are always going to be a difficult side to beat under Big Sam Allarydce and also with the permanent signing of yes Andy Carroll they can cause mayhem in the opposition back line any time he is on the pitch. Problem is how many times can he play as if he is not playing they do not have many other options up front. The signing of Downing is an interesting one. Can Big Sam resurrect his career like he has Joe Cole's? West Ham will do well to get into the top ten but would not rule it out.
Negatives: The lack of options up front and their back line is suspect to pace although the arrival of Razyan Rat from Shaktar might solve that problem.
Prediction: 12th
Premiership Preview: West Brom
West Bromwich Albion
In
Nicolas Anelka Free
Goran Popov (Dynamo Kiev) Loan
Diego Lugano (Paris St Germain) Free
Matej Vydra (Udinese) Loan
Zoltan Gera (Unattached) Free
Out
Marc Antoine-Fortune (Wigan Athletic) Free
Gonzalo Jara (Nottingham Forest) Free
Jerome Thomas (Crystal Palace) Free
James Hurst (Crawley Town) Free
Positives: A very good first season from Steve Clarke would have brought a bit of optimism to the Hawthorns for the coming season. A solid base of players which includes Ben Foster in goal and Gareth McAuley and Jonas Olsson at centre-back, with Claudio Yacob and Youssouf Mulumbu shoveling the coal in the midfield engine room with Shane Long a constant menace up front. They have the ability to finish top half this season with the acquisition of Matej Vydra the one to watch out for since he was voted championship player of the year last season with Watford.
Negatives: Romelu Lukaku is a loss to them. He scored 17 league goals for them last season and even though they have replaced him with Vydra and also the Nicolas Anelka they don't offer the brute physicality that Lukaku offered which was a lot of times last season their main focal point of their attack. Also a genuine lack of pace may hurt them in some games when they would not offer a genuine counter attack to teams who would have a lot of the ball for example. Still 10th place I think is a good reasonable bet for them.
Prediction: 10th
In
Nicolas Anelka Free
Goran Popov (Dynamo Kiev) Loan
Diego Lugano (Paris St Germain) Free
Matej Vydra (Udinese) Loan
Zoltan Gera (Unattached) Free
Out
Marc Antoine-Fortune (Wigan Athletic) Free
Gonzalo Jara (Nottingham Forest) Free
Jerome Thomas (Crystal Palace) Free
James Hurst (Crawley Town) Free
Positives: A very good first season from Steve Clarke would have brought a bit of optimism to the Hawthorns for the coming season. A solid base of players which includes Ben Foster in goal and Gareth McAuley and Jonas Olsson at centre-back, with Claudio Yacob and Youssouf Mulumbu shoveling the coal in the midfield engine room with Shane Long a constant menace up front. They have the ability to finish top half this season with the acquisition of Matej Vydra the one to watch out for since he was voted championship player of the year last season with Watford.
Negatives: Romelu Lukaku is a loss to them. He scored 17 league goals for them last season and even though they have replaced him with Vydra and also the Nicolas Anelka they don't offer the brute physicality that Lukaku offered which was a lot of times last season their main focal point of their attack. Also a genuine lack of pace may hurt them in some games when they would not offer a genuine counter attack to teams who would have a lot of the ball for example. Still 10th place I think is a good reasonable bet for them.
Prediction: 10th
Friday, August 16, 2013
Premiership Preview: Sunderland
Sunderland
InCabral (Basle) Free
Modibo Diakite (Lazio) Free
Valentin Roberge (Maritimo) Free
David Moberg Karlsson (IFK Goteborg) Undisclosed
Vito Mannone (Arsenal) Undisclosed
Jozy Altidore (AZ Alkmaar) Undisclosed
El Hadji Ba (Le Havre) Free
Emanuele Giaccherini (Juventus) Undisclosed
Ondrej Celustka (Trabzonspor) Loan
Out
Titus Bramble Released
Matthew Kilgallon (Blackburn Rovers) Free
Ryan Noble Released
Simon Mignolet (Liverpool) Undisclosed
Ahmed Elmohamady (Hull City) Undisclosed
Danny Graham (Hull City) Loan
Alfred N'Diaye (Eskisehirspor) Loan
James McClean (Wigan Athletic) Undisclosed
Positives: With all the Ins and Outs that has gone on over gthe summer at Sunderland this is Di Canios team and they have made some good signings with the most eye popping one the signing of Emanuele Giaccherini from Juventus. No dount Di Canio and his Italian connections made that one possible. With stories emulating from their pre-season camp abiut some of their fitness training they should be the fittest team in the premiership if nothing else. Also should be motivated by the sheer presence of Paulo Di Canio and lack of motivation has hindered Sunderland teams of the recent past.
Negatives: Paulo Di Canio can snap at any moment and his temper has lead him into trouble several times as a player and as a manager while he was at Swindon.His unpredictable volatile nature could affect the team in the worst way and players could lose confidence in their manager pretty quickly from there. If he can reign in himself from such tantrums than it should not be an issue. It could take time ti blend in all the squad as well since there are many new faces in so expect a slow start. Overall though I think Sunderland with Giaccherini especially in the side can finish top half and get a decent cup run as well.
Prediction: 9th
Premiership Preview: Stoke
Stoke
In
Erik Pieters (PSV Eindhoven) 3.6m euros
Marc Muniesa (Barcelona) Free
Out
Dean Whitehead (Middlesbrough) Free
Matthew Upson (Brighton & Hove Albion) Free
Rory Delap (Burton Albion) Free
Mamady Sidibe Released
Carlo Nash (Norwich City) Free
Matthew Lund (Rochdale) Free
Positives: I am going to try and be positive to Stoke fans but there is not a lot of joy to be had at the Brittania. With Mark Hughes' appointment as Stoke maannger it did not get anyone on the edge of their seats and it is going to be a hard act to follow what Tony Pulis did there for the years that he was at Stoke. I think I will go to the negatives now sorry Stoke fans.
Negatives: Stoke regressed rather than go forward last season and that was worrying given the amount of money that was spent in those two seasons. Tony Pulis probably saw the writing on the wall and decided to leave at the end of last season. Since Mark Hughes took over he has signed tow defensive minded players and no-one else. They badly need someone creative in the midfield and a striker who is going to score 15-20 goals a season for them. Considering Mark Hughes transfer market record when he had the money at Q.P.R. in particular would cast doubt on whether he is going to get the support or not from the board to get those type of players that Stoke need to survive essentially. The aura of how they were tough to beat and hard to play against especially at the Brittania disappeared last season and if Hughes can't revive that then Stoke could go down and I predict they will go down due to lack of goals more than anything else.
Prediction:18th
In
Erik Pieters (PSV Eindhoven) 3.6m euros
Marc Muniesa (Barcelona) Free
Out
Dean Whitehead (Middlesbrough) Free
Matthew Upson (Brighton & Hove Albion) Free
Rory Delap (Burton Albion) Free
Mamady Sidibe Released
Carlo Nash (Norwich City) Free
Matthew Lund (Rochdale) Free
Positives: I am going to try and be positive to Stoke fans but there is not a lot of joy to be had at the Brittania. With Mark Hughes' appointment as Stoke maannger it did not get anyone on the edge of their seats and it is going to be a hard act to follow what Tony Pulis did there for the years that he was at Stoke. I think I will go to the negatives now sorry Stoke fans.
Negatives: Stoke regressed rather than go forward last season and that was worrying given the amount of money that was spent in those two seasons. Tony Pulis probably saw the writing on the wall and decided to leave at the end of last season. Since Mark Hughes took over he has signed tow defensive minded players and no-one else. They badly need someone creative in the midfield and a striker who is going to score 15-20 goals a season for them. Considering Mark Hughes transfer market record when he had the money at Q.P.R. in particular would cast doubt on whether he is going to get the support or not from the board to get those type of players that Stoke need to survive essentially. The aura of how they were tough to beat and hard to play against especially at the Brittania disappeared last season and if Hughes can't revive that then Stoke could go down and I predict they will go down due to lack of goals more than anything else.
Prediction:18th
Premiership Preview: Southampton
Southampton
In
Dejan Lovren (Lyon) Undisclosed
Victor Wanyama (Celtic) Undisclosed
Out
Frazer Richardson (Middlesbrough) Free
Danny Butterfield Released
Dan Seaborne (Yeovil Town) Free
Ryan Dickson (Colchester United) Free
Ben Reeves (Milton Keynes Dons) Free
Sam Hoskins (Yeovil Town) Free
Richard Chaplow (Millwall) Free
Vegard Forren (Molde FK) Undisclosed
Steve De Ridder (FC Utrecht) Free
Positives: Southampton are proving to be big spenders and with Dejan Lovren and Victor Wanyama coming in for relative big money Southampton and Mauricio Pochettino are putting their money where there mouth is. A top 10 finish is the goal and if they don't suffer from second season syndrome as so many clubs have suffered in the past then top ten could be a realistic possibility. They are good going forward and if Rodriguez, Ramirez and Ricky Lambert repeat the form of last season they can give anyone a game.
Negatives: Southampton fielded the youngest back four of anyone last season and the inexperience showed last season as their defence was very leaky at times last season. They have signed Dejan Lovren but they might need one or two others to try and stem the amount of goals that they did concede last season.
Premiership Prediction: 14th
In
Dejan Lovren (Lyon) Undisclosed
Victor Wanyama (Celtic) Undisclosed
Out
Frazer Richardson (Middlesbrough) Free
Danny Butterfield Released
Dan Seaborne (Yeovil Town) Free
Ryan Dickson (Colchester United) Free
Ben Reeves (Milton Keynes Dons) Free
Sam Hoskins (Yeovil Town) Free
Richard Chaplow (Millwall) Free
Vegard Forren (Molde FK) Undisclosed
Steve De Ridder (FC Utrecht) Free
Positives: Southampton are proving to be big spenders and with Dejan Lovren and Victor Wanyama coming in for relative big money Southampton and Mauricio Pochettino are putting their money where there mouth is. A top 10 finish is the goal and if they don't suffer from second season syndrome as so many clubs have suffered in the past then top ten could be a realistic possibility. They are good going forward and if Rodriguez, Ramirez and Ricky Lambert repeat the form of last season they can give anyone a game.
Negatives: Southampton fielded the youngest back four of anyone last season and the inexperience showed last season as their defence was very leaky at times last season. They have signed Dejan Lovren but they might need one or two others to try and stem the amount of goals that they did concede last season.
Premiership Prediction: 14th
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