BLOG POSTS
Posted Sep 8th 2008, 11:58pm
The Man City Revolution
Mark Hughes has been quick to cool the excitement over Manchester City's recent take over. It would be very easy to get carried away with the situation, but with Hughes at the helm, feet will remain firmly on the ground at the City of Manchester Stadium. The January transfer window is a long way off, and when it does arrive what chance will City have of bringing in more big names? As Hughes himself has pointed out the Champions League will be well underway, clubs will be reluctant to sell players mid way through domestic and european competition. Obviously with the cash at their disposal players will be brought in come January, but you feel the Blue half of Manchester will have to wait until next summer for the big blockbuster signings. So far the likes of Cristiano Ronaldo, Steven Gerrard, Fernando Torres and Cesc Fabregas as well as countless others are reported to be on City's wanted list. The transfer fees won't be a problem, the wages offered will be obscene, but the lure of guaranteed Champions League Football is a priceless bargaining chip that Manchester City do not yet have to offer. However high City set their targets this season you feel a top four finish may just be out of reach.
A change in ownership often leads to a change in management, I really hope this is not the case. The perfect man is already in place, he is down to earth and a realist, he will ensure that the clubs excellent youth policy will continue to produce talented youngsters for the first team regardless of funds available to him. He also won't buy for the sake of it, he will identify players he feels are right for the football club. Rest assured Sparky won't be splashing tens of millions on bench warmers who will rarely taste first team action.
Before the investment of the Abu Dhabi Group Hughes had already made major and shrewd additions to his ranks. With the current squad buoyed by recent events, they will want to make their case for being a part of the forthcoming revolution. None of the City players will want to make way for the pending influx of signings, everyone will be fighting to be a part of it. With the fresh faces who have already arrived, combined with highly probable additions come January, City should well be in position to top the chasing pack
Manchester City are well and truly marching toward the big time. The next question is, which one of the big four will make way? Manchester United and Chelsea will take some moving, so that leaves Liverpool and Arsenal looking nervously over their shoulders.
Posted Sep 6th 2008, 10:09pm
Englnd Andorra
Andorra 0 England 2
Huddled round my laptop watching a blurry constantly buffering 4x4 screen I was taken back to my childhood. When all football was on terrestrial, our Mum would often opt for the soaps rather than the big match, luckily my brother had a 3.5" portable tv, and we'd gather round the dining table to watch. Happy days but I digress.
All to predictable but job done. The severe lack of confidence spreading through the England team meant that the fact the Andorrans would tire would prove to be key. England started ok, but again as the first half ebbed away and frustrations grew England started to revert to the long ball. I don't think there was a soul in the crowd who wasn't praying for the half time whistle.
Capello didn't need fifteen minutes to put a rocket up his players, it was interesting to see them take to the pitch so early with Capellos short sharp half time talk still ringing in their ears. Two changes were made Heskey for Defoe, ending yet another frustrating performance from the Pompey front man. Joe Cole on in place of Stewart Downing, one can only hope that this will finally put an end to Downing's international career, the only reason the Boro wide man has any caps to his name is the fact he is left footed. Cole was rightly restored to the left flank. In a quick fire five minutes early in the second half, super sub Cole proved his worth with two well taken strikes. Special mention must also go to Wayne Rooney, his reverse ball for Cole and England's second was quite sublime.
Unfortunately that was pretty much it, the game fell back into the first half pattern. Andorra don't make it easy, they don't play to score, will kick lumps out of opponents and hit the floor rolling at every opportunity. It was England's job to break this stubborn side down, and they did, just. You cannot make the mistake of reading to much into this game, just take the positives. Most notably Joe Cole, the left flank should now be his for keeps, the Chelsea mans inventiveness is priceless and he seems the only player in the squad to be playing with confidence.
Wednesday will be a totally different affair, David James will have to put his gloves on when we line up against the Croats for a start. Capellos starting eleven may yield yet more surprises. Walcott's position hangs in the balance, Beckhams experience will be needed Wednesday night, which may cost the Arsenal youngster. Question is where? And will it be for ninety minutes? Was Beckhams cameo as sweeper a clue for Wednesday night? Maybe Frank Lampards inability to recreate club form for country has cost him his place. Lampards team mate at Chelsea Joe Cole must start. Everton's Lescott will make way for a fit again Ferdinand. Glenn Johnson put in a good shift, but his desire to get forward may mean that the more defensively minded Wes Brown will slot into the right back position. Upfront is again where all the questions lie. Rooney is a shadow of his former self, he needs performance and the sooner the better. Heskey will most likely get the nod ahead of Jermaine Defoe, the Wigan frontmans ability to hold the ball up could prove to be a valuable commodity. England will come under a lot of pressure come Wednesday, Capello will look to Heskey to provide an outlet and give our back four some respite.
Game one is done and dusted, three points are registered. You can't help but feel that this is going to be another roller coaster of a qualification campaign
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Posted Sep 5th 2008, 12:02am
Crunch time for Capello
Crunch Time for Capello
After a crazy transfer deadline day induced week of domestic Football it's time to turn our attention to World Cup qualification. "The honeymoon is over" has been a tag line for every newspaper and sports website when discussing Capello's England, I don't want to use it myself, but lets face it, it is, well and truly over. Five games into Fabio's reign as England manager and we are no wiser to where we are headed. More questions than answers have followed every game of the Italians tenure so far.
Andorra on Saturday is three points in the bag, there are no easy games in International Football? Yes there are and this is one of them. Then on to the big one, Croatia away. Defeat in Zagreb will not end all hopes of qualification but could leave squad morale at an all time low and the England faithful finally turning their backs on our hugely under achieving national team.
Make no bones about it the Croats are far superior technically than we are. Our disastrous World Cup qualify campaign can testify to that. England are going to Zagreb as underdogs, hopefully this will inspire England and give the fans the performance they have been crying out for. Underdogs or not Capello must be going into this double header with a 4 point absolute minimum return as his target. Time to back up his claims that his squad has the capabilities to be as good as the Spanish, it's easy to say, it's time to do your talking on the pitch.
Capello was brought in to stamp his discipline on the team, to make it clear that each player must earn their right to wear the shirt. Quite rightly so, however, Michael Owen (89 caps 40) Goals has earned his right, that when fit he plays. If you look at the strikers selected it is a head scratcher. I applaud the inclusion of Jimmy Bullard, but the exclusion of Owen is reminiscent of McClarens attempted statement of "I'm the boss" when he dropped David Beckham. The exclusion of Michael Owen could well haunt Capello for many weeks to come.
It is a struggle to pick a starting 11 from the squad selected, unfortunately not in a good way. It is shaping up to be another square peg round hole scenario. Next week is a huge match, bigger than Capello may realise, England fans have more than lost their patience with the England side they are rapidly losing faith and more worryingly interest, its not so much the results, it's the limp, lackluster performances we have been forced to endure.
Wednesday night needs Capello at his most focused, he needs to get big performances from his so called big players. The fans want the passion and the pride back, what we need is a performance. Come Wednesday night England expects, quite possibly for the very last time.
Heres hoping the underdog tag brings back the bulldog spirit
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Posted Sep 4th 2008, 9:54pm
New Season New Spurs
Tottenham
How can you write anything about Spurs these days without mentioning Berbatov? Well I'm going to try my best. Time to focus on the players who are still at the lane, what’s done is done and it is time to move on.
It is yet another new look Spurs this season, but what is the potential of the current Tottenham squad. Where else to start but in goal:
Cesar Sanchez is providing cover this time around, an experienced keeper who you'd think will be reliable if and when called upon. Our main man behind the sticks is Heurelho Gomes, brought in from PSV. A goalkeeper was clearly Ramos' first priority. Although experienced and very highly rated in some quarters, the jury is still very much out on the big Brazilian. His shot stopping is not in question, its more the basics where you doubt him, you also can't help but sense an air of the erratic with Gomes, you get the feeling he could be left red faced a few times this season. Time as always will tell.
Moving into defence, I am a huge admirer of Bale and Hutton, two class full backs, excellent going forward but both more than capable of the defensive. Corluka, expensive as he was, is another no brainer a quality player who can only improve a forever leaky back four. With Gilberto, Gunter and Assou-Ekotto suring up the flanks, it’s an area of the pitch to be happy with. Granted the other three are still yet to prove themselves in this league but I am confident from what I have seen, they can only improve. The heart of our defensive quartet is of the highest quality, a centre back pairing that most sides would envy, question is will they stay fit. Unfortunately I doubt they will, and with the once invincible Michael Dawson a shadow of his former self, cover is light. Although not forgetting the versatility of Corluka, Zokora and Huddlestone.
Creativity should not be a concern form midfield with the likes of Modric, Jenas, Lennon, Bentley and not forgetting the Hoddle like vision of big Tom Huddlestone. With O’Hara and tireless Zokora making up the midfield, you can see why Ramos is happy, for now, in our midfield ranks. The question here is getting the best out of them, and ultimately their best position. A lot has been said of Tottenhams lack of a defensive midfielder, but I think that responsibility can be given to any of Huddlestone, Zokora or O'Hara. It is a question of keeping them in that position. Zokora is a hugely talented player, whose versatility to slot in the back for has hampered his development. Let’s not forget Zokora was a target for our North London rivals, and Mr Wenger knows a player when he sees one. Zokora will not stop from first whistle to last, he uses the ball simply and effectively and on occasion when I have seen him stride out of defense with the ball he is reminiscent of a former Arsenal hero now plying his trade for Juventus. Between Zokora and O'Hara I see no urgent need to splash the cash, give our guys a crack first.
The main problem for our midfield is the same Capello, McClaren, Eriksson and countless before have faced at international level, the left hand side. Bentley and Lennon do their shifts out there but undoubtedly your wide men have to play on their favored side. No doubt Bale and Gilberto can fill the gap, but again ideally we would have a proven left winger out there. Centre of the park we have Huddlestone, Jenas and Modric, three quality but very different players. Getting this midfield right is the trick and will be key to a successful season. Even more so as it is looking like we will be going for a 4-5-1 formation, in that case you'd have to take Dos Santos out of the striker category. I have a feeling Gio will spend a lot of is time in the free role or out on the left.
Roman Pavlyuchenko has a lot on his shoulders, another striker was an absolute must which didn't materialize on deadline day(although apparently a deal for an unknown striker fell through at the last minute). Pavlyuchenko is a proven goal scorer his record at club and international level is more than impressive. He shouldn't have too much trouble adjusting to the pace and the physicality of the premiership. He will prove to be a good buy but he has a huge void to fill. Hoping to Assist Roman fill that void will be Darren Bent and Frazier Campbell. Bent had a pre season who could only have dreamt of, his goal at Chelsea should give him the belief to carry that form into the premiership now. Fingers have been pointed and jokes have been made at Bents expense, I have a sneaky suspicion he may well prove a few people wrong this season. You do feel though that this is Bents last chance to prove himself. That leaves me with last but by no means least the Berbatov deal breaker, Frazier Campbell, very highly thought of and subject to a 7 million pound bid from Hull before becoming a part of the Berbatov deal. This move for Campbell should go some way to show if his potential will be realized at Premiership level, if it is, what options do Tottenham have on making the deal permanent? Only time will tell, one thing for sure it is an opportunity the youngster will no doubt grab with both hands.
Squad wise, we have a way to go to match the top four, compared to our main rivals for 5th Portsmouth, Villa, Man City and the like, there is no reason why we shouldn't be top of that particular pile. Goals, as they always are in football, are the most important thing. Huge responsibility lies at the feet of Bent and our two new recruits. If they don't hit the ground running it will be a very long wait for the January transfer window. Where a Centre Back and Striker must be added, no excuses. Preferably a striker who won't be cup tied for European Football or the UEFA cup could be a painful nail biting experience again this year.
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Posted Sep 4th 2008, 9:51pm
Curbs & Keegan
Curbs and Keegan
Only three games into the new season and two Premiership managers have already parted company with their employers. Curbishley and Keegan both resigned their posts this week after impressive starts to the season for both clubs. West Ham with a more than satisfactory 6 points from 9 and Newcastle with 4, considering Newcastle have travelled to Old Trafford and the Emirates already this season, thats a more than ok return.
It has already been a crazy week in Football and these two departures cap it off. More so as it was the managers who left, citing transfer policies as their reason. I for one applaud them for taking the decision. Who would be a Football manager these days, if it is not the players holding clubs to ransom it is the board, apparently buying and selling players without the managers knowledge.
Unfortunately for Newcastle fans I don't think their board will ever learn. To have a successful Football Club you must have 100% faith in the man you put at the helm, he must have the final say on who comes and who goes in regards to playing staff.
The sale of James Milner appeared to be the final nail in the coffin, but in a statement released by Keegan earlier he was quoted as saying "..clubs should not impose any player any manager that he does not want." What is unclear is which player has been imposed upon Keegan. Regardless of who the mystery man or men turn out to be I back Keegan in his statement.
Curbishley clearly felt left in the dark in regard to the sales of Anton Ferdinand and George McCartney, the latter of the two has since enforced the matter, claiming Curbishley was under the impression that both players were staying at Upton Park.
So where now for the clubs? And where now for managers? If not for the windfall Manchester City had recieved they could well be looking for a new man as Mark Hughes made his annoyance known over the transfer of Vedran Corluka to Tottenham.
West Ham have apparently drawn up a shortlist of 30 candidates(some short list!!) Paolo Di Canio and Slaven Bilic appear to be front runners. Di Canio would be a gamble of mammoth proportions. Bilic on the other hand is a definate possibility, a lot will hinge on the outcome of Croatia's upcoming internationals before any decision is made on that front I fear.
A penny for for Mike Ashleys thoughts!! How big will his shortlist be, and no disrespect to Newcatle fans but who would want the job. It is the poison chalice of Football. Six permanent managers have been at the helm of Newcastle between Keegans two reigns, stability just does not seem to be in the Newcastle vocabulary.
Hats off to Alan Curbishley and Kevin Keegan, if you are not being allowed to manage then the only option is to walk away. There is no way a manager can manage if he is being undermined by the board(just ask Martin Jol). One thing is for sure, three games in, you can most definatley say that the Premiership is back up and running.
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Posted Oct 16th 2006, 8:00pm
McClaren
So Steve McClaren is shocked at the backlash after our two embarrassing displays! Has he not looked at a newspaper in the last 5 years, Sven had more column inches than Osama, Sadam, Posh & Becks put togeteher and rarely a good word was said.
What did he expect for poor displays in qualification games? Better luck next time? Unlucky Lads? Football management is a results business & time is a luxury few managers get. McClaren really is showing his naivity, only the FA wanted him as boss in the first place, only through the eyes of the FA could you see that the last managers assistant would be the one to turn the team around & make fresh changes.
Management is such a dangerous game, Kevin Blackwell recently sacked by Leeds after a poor start to the season, completely ignoring the fact that he lead them to the play off finals last season, Alan Pardew fears for his future at West Ham! If Pardew is sacked no one is safe, after such a difficult start he has worked wonders at the club & last seasons achievements were beyond the most optimistic of Hammers fans dreams. Leeds were 90 minutes from Premiership football, West Ham were 90 seconds from lifting the FA cup, come October one manager has been sacked & the other has publicly admitted he is fearful of the sack, it screams insanity.
If it was the same for player Titus Bramble would've been sacked months ago, heres a guy on thousands a week who hasn't put in a performance of merit since he's been at the club, Graeme Souness lost 6 games as manager at the same club and was promptly sacked.
Anyway I digress, back to McClaren, he dropped Beckham due to below par performances yet still insists on Lampard, now I'm not one to criticise Frank he's performed well for us in the past & scored some vital goals, but international football is abour form players & Frank is out of form in a big way. I have no doubt he'll peak again but if you are not performing for club there isn't much chance of stepping up a level & performing for your country. I'll end with a question, what exactly must Kevin Nolan do to get an international call up? seems being one of the premierships most impressive midfielders for 2+ years isn't quite good enough.
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Thanks Chris, hard as a Spurs fan to be positive for the Hammers, but it had to be said
Posted by Stuart Webb, Oct 18th 2006, 6:38pm
Very good point about Kevin Nolan - I'm no Bolton fan, yet I do rate Nolan very highly; he seems to have a very good all round game, and has been the image of consistency the last couple of seasons.
Lampard has been non existent in an England shirt for a long period now - he definitely should be dropped until he can prove otherwise, and it should open the door for someone else to come in, and or just play Gerrard back into the centre with a holding midfielder like Hargreaves, and place either Lennon or Wright-Phillips on the right in their natural positions...
Sadly football is a fickle business, and you are more often than not remembered for the bad things rather than the good. As a manager you are on a hiding to nothing, but saying that if you do well you get the plaudits, do badly and you inevitably will get slaughtered.
Saying that, with amounts of cash they all earn, don't feel too sorry for them if and when they do get the abuse, thats part of the package.
Lampard has been non existent in an England shirt for a long period now - he definitely should be dropped until he can prove otherwise, and it should open the door for someone else to come in, and or just play Gerrard back into the centre with a holding midfielder like Hargreaves, and place either Lennon or Wright-Phillips on the right in their natural positions...
Sadly football is a fickle business, and you are more often than not remembered for the bad things rather than the good. As a manager you are on a hiding to nothing, but saying that if you do well you get the plaudits, do badly and you inevitably will get slaughtered.
Saying that, with amounts of cash they all earn, don't feel too sorry for them if and when they do get the abuse, thats part of the package.
Posted by Sam Dorrington, Oct 19th 2006, 11:03am
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