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Patience is key
It doesn't take a genius to see that Liverpool's season hasn't got off to the best of starts, 11 points from ten games is hardly title winning form and the performance against Swansea in the League Cup defeat at Anfield isn't even worth contemplating. However, in my opinion, all the signs for long-term success are there. The future is exceedingly bright but the present set-up doesn't look bad either. Steven Gerrard is still at the top of his game and recently celebrated his 600th Liverpool appearance against Newcastle. Luis Suarez is now in his third season with Liverpool and has already scored 10 goals this term, seven less than he managed in the whole of last season. Added to that, the defensive partnership of Martin Skrtel and Daniel Agger is as good as any in the Premier League and there is certainly a quality, experienced spine to the team.
As for the youngsters, Raheem Sterling, without a doubt, looks to be Liverpool's best prospect. The 17-year-old was thrown into the starting line-up against Manchester City in August and hasn't looked back since, providing several impressive performances, including scoring his first senior goal in Liverpool's home victory over Reading. He has also received two senior England team call-ups which is testament to how far Sterling has progressed from not being involved in the first game of the season to being a first-team regular.
Other youngsters who have broken through this season include the mercurial Spaniard Jesus Fernandez Saez, otherwise known as Suso. The young midfielder joined the Reds three years ago, shunning Real Madrid by doing so. He has since earned his very first Spain U21 call-up following several excellent performances. Another youngster who has made fantastic strides this season is Andre Wisdom. The English U21 international made his debut in the Europa League game away to Young Boys of Bern, a debut which included a fantastic headed goal. Since his debut, Wisdom has started every Premier League game. Others such as Jack Robinson, Jon Flanagan and Jerome Sinclair, who at 16 years and six days became Liverpool's youngest ever player against West Brom in the League Cup, have made appearances as Rodgers emphasises the use of youth at the start of his reign.
One of the games that has given me the biggest sense of anticipation for the future at Liverpool is the game in Switzerland in Young Boys of Bern which Liverpool won 5-3. In my opinion, it was Liverpool's best performance of the season, which is rather strange considering that they conceded 3 rather sloppy goals, but every player came out of the game with a certain amount of credit. Wisdom scored with a Sami Hyypia-like header on what was a solid, measured debut for the 19-year old. Suso also had an excellent debut controlling the midfield with his stunning ball control and range of passing.
Slightly older at the age of 24 was Oussama Assaidi who, like Wisdom and Suso, was making his Reds bow and provided an outlet that the Reds haven't had for a few years - a player who is consistently willing to run at defenders and get a ball into the box. As well as these players, a man who certainly made his point that he wants to stick around during the Rodgers regime was Jonjo Shelvey. The 20-year old, like many other signing, has blown hot and cold throughout his Liverpool career to date but this was certainly one of his best games in a Red jersey. With the scores tied at 3-3, Rodgers unleashed the former Charlton Athletic youngster and Shelvey delivered with two well-taken goals, the second being a thunderous left-footed strike from 20 yards. Rodgers has since seen fit to use Shelvey as a vital part of the Liverpool squad, although a controversial red card against Manchester United halted his run in the Premier League side. Shelvey was restored against Udinese, scoring in a 3-2 defeat.
In the league, Liverpool only have two wins from the first 10 games, however this is incredibly unjust considering some of the performances that the Reds have put in. The opening game of the season, away to West Brom, was quite a shock for all Liverpudlians.
After a summer of such hype and anticipation, the Reds were blitzed 3-0 courtesy of goals from Zoltan Gera, Peter Odemwingie and Romelu Lukaku. Then came the first home league game of the Brendan Rodgers era, against defending champions Manchester City. Liverpool twice had the lead with stunning goals from Martin Skrtel and Luis Suarez, only to see two explicit defending errors cost them dearly as the match ended 2-2. The match followed the general trend of last season, the Reds creating chances but being cruelly punished for simple defensive mistakes.
This was certainly the case three weeks later as the Reds had to settle for a 1-1 draw at Sunderland despite controlling the game and limiting Sunderland to one shot on target. Finally, Rodgers first league triumph came at the sixth attempt with a 5-2 thrashing of Norwich at Carrow Road, and if you believe in superstitions, Bill Shankly's first Liverpool win arrived in his sixth game as well. Liverpool had been threatening to run riot all season and Norwich were on the receiving end of a second Luis Suarez hat-trick in two games at Carrow Road. Steven Gerrard and Nuri Sahin completed the rout.
However, negatives from the game were that the Reds conceded two very avoidable goals after yet more individual mistakes, possibly down to a lapse in concentration after being in such an unusually comfortable position. After a dull goalless draw at home to Stoke, Liverpool finally secured their first league win of the season at Anfield, thanks to Sterling's first senior goal. A very controversial Merseyside Derby was to follow. After Liverpool had surrendered a two goal lead, in stoppage time, unconfined joy turned to unbelievable injustice as Luis Suarez's perfectly legitimate goal was ruled out for 'offside'. Replays showed just how wrong the Referee's Assistant was.
Another major talking point concerning Rodger's team is the goalkeeping situation. Pepe Reina has been a rock in the Reds goal for the vast majority of his time at Liverpool but, throughout last season and the beginning of this, mistakes have crept into his game. He was at fault for the first goal in the FA Cup final and his two clangers against Hearts and Arsenal in the early months of the season have shed further doubt on his position. Brad Jones has been between the sticks during Reina's recent injury lay-off and the Australian hasn't done an awful lot wrong. Clean sheets against Reading and Anzhi have strengthened his claims and I believe he should be Liverpool's number one keeper for the foreseeable future.
Liverpool's league position is far from ideal. Let's not forget that less than five years ago, they were 4 points away from winning the title, but there is no doubt that if they continue to perform as they have been, at times creating chances at will, Liverpool will certainly get their rewards more often than not.
By Chris Coughlin (@chriscoughlin95)
As for the youngsters, Raheem Sterling, without a doubt, looks to be Liverpool's best prospect. The 17-year-old was thrown into the starting line-up against Manchester City in August and hasn't looked back since, providing several impressive performances, including scoring his first senior goal in Liverpool's home victory over Reading. He has also received two senior England team call-ups which is testament to how far Sterling has progressed from not being involved in the first game of the season to being a first-team regular.
Other youngsters who have broken through this season include the mercurial Spaniard Jesus Fernandez Saez, otherwise known as Suso. The young midfielder joined the Reds three years ago, shunning Real Madrid by doing so. He has since earned his very first Spain U21 call-up following several excellent performances. Another youngster who has made fantastic strides this season is Andre Wisdom. The English U21 international made his debut in the Europa League game away to Young Boys of Bern, a debut which included a fantastic headed goal. Since his debut, Wisdom has started every Premier League game. Others such as Jack Robinson, Jon Flanagan and Jerome Sinclair, who at 16 years and six days became Liverpool's youngest ever player against West Brom in the League Cup, have made appearances as Rodgers emphasises the use of youth at the start of his reign.
One of the games that has given me the biggest sense of anticipation for the future at Liverpool is the game in Switzerland in Young Boys of Bern which Liverpool won 5-3. In my opinion, it was Liverpool's best performance of the season, which is rather strange considering that they conceded 3 rather sloppy goals, but every player came out of the game with a certain amount of credit. Wisdom scored with a Sami Hyypia-like header on what was a solid, measured debut for the 19-year old. Suso also had an excellent debut controlling the midfield with his stunning ball control and range of passing.
Slightly older at the age of 24 was Oussama Assaidi who, like Wisdom and Suso, was making his Reds bow and provided an outlet that the Reds haven't had for a few years - a player who is consistently willing to run at defenders and get a ball into the box. As well as these players, a man who certainly made his point that he wants to stick around during the Rodgers regime was Jonjo Shelvey. The 20-year old, like many other signing, has blown hot and cold throughout his Liverpool career to date but this was certainly one of his best games in a Red jersey. With the scores tied at 3-3, Rodgers unleashed the former Charlton Athletic youngster and Shelvey delivered with two well-taken goals, the second being a thunderous left-footed strike from 20 yards. Rodgers has since seen fit to use Shelvey as a vital part of the Liverpool squad, although a controversial red card against Manchester United halted his run in the Premier League side. Shelvey was restored against Udinese, scoring in a 3-2 defeat.
In the league, Liverpool only have two wins from the first 10 games, however this is incredibly unjust considering some of the performances that the Reds have put in. The opening game of the season, away to West Brom, was quite a shock for all Liverpudlians.
After a summer of such hype and anticipation, the Reds were blitzed 3-0 courtesy of goals from Zoltan Gera, Peter Odemwingie and Romelu Lukaku. Then came the first home league game of the Brendan Rodgers era, against defending champions Manchester City. Liverpool twice had the lead with stunning goals from Martin Skrtel and Luis Suarez, only to see two explicit defending errors cost them dearly as the match ended 2-2. The match followed the general trend of last season, the Reds creating chances but being cruelly punished for simple defensive mistakes.
This was certainly the case three weeks later as the Reds had to settle for a 1-1 draw at Sunderland despite controlling the game and limiting Sunderland to one shot on target. Finally, Rodgers first league triumph came at the sixth attempt with a 5-2 thrashing of Norwich at Carrow Road, and if you believe in superstitions, Bill Shankly's first Liverpool win arrived in his sixth game as well. Liverpool had been threatening to run riot all season and Norwich were on the receiving end of a second Luis Suarez hat-trick in two games at Carrow Road. Steven Gerrard and Nuri Sahin completed the rout.
However, negatives from the game were that the Reds conceded two very avoidable goals after yet more individual mistakes, possibly down to a lapse in concentration after being in such an unusually comfortable position. After a dull goalless draw at home to Stoke, Liverpool finally secured their first league win of the season at Anfield, thanks to Sterling's first senior goal. A very controversial Merseyside Derby was to follow. After Liverpool had surrendered a two goal lead, in stoppage time, unconfined joy turned to unbelievable injustice as Luis Suarez's perfectly legitimate goal was ruled out for 'offside'. Replays showed just how wrong the Referee's Assistant was.
Another major talking point concerning Rodger's team is the goalkeeping situation. Pepe Reina has been a rock in the Reds goal for the vast majority of his time at Liverpool but, throughout last season and the beginning of this, mistakes have crept into his game. He was at fault for the first goal in the FA Cup final and his two clangers against Hearts and Arsenal in the early months of the season have shed further doubt on his position. Brad Jones has been between the sticks during Reina's recent injury lay-off and the Australian hasn't done an awful lot wrong. Clean sheets against Reading and Anzhi have strengthened his claims and I believe he should be Liverpool's number one keeper for the foreseeable future.
Liverpool's league position is far from ideal. Let's not forget that less than five years ago, they were 4 points away from winning the title, but there is no doubt that if they continue to perform as they have been, at times creating chances at will, Liverpool will certainly get their rewards more often than not.
By Chris Coughlin (@chriscoughlin95)
Wigan Athletic The Perennial Overachievers.
Come back in time to February 1995, lowly Wigan Athletic were languishing at the bottom of England’s lowest league and struggling to find money to pay their own staff and players. With little over 2000 home fans attending most games also, things were looking very, very bleak. However, over the next ten years, Wigan have undertaken a unique journey to the summit of England’s top league, in which nobody outside of the small town in Lancashire would have ever predicted.
Fast forward 17 years, 10 managers and a stadium move from Springfield Park to the DW Stadium, and you’ll find Wigan in the Barclays’ Premier League, regarded as the world’s best competition. So how has a club with little money, a small fan base and no trophies/history been able to reach and sustain in the Barclays Premier League for so long? 2 words, Dave Whelan.
In 1995, when he gained control of the club, Whelan stated “We're going to move into a new ground and in 10 years' time we're going to be in the Premier League.” He was laughed at and ridiculed by the media at the press conference that day. But the man stuck to his word, and low and behold, in his 10th season as Chairman, they were promoted to the ‘Promised Land’ as runners up of the Coca-Cola Championship in May 2005. A journey Whelan himself has labelled as being “Beyond his wildest dreams.”
When you talk about Wigan’s miraculous ascent through the Football League’s, you cannot forget a man that was the catalyst for their success, who goes by the name of Paul Jewell. When he took over the reigns in June 2001, Jewell had stated that his ambitions met those of the Chairman and that the club was seen to be ‘going places’. And from their, the rest as they say, is history. Wigan were shrewd in the transfer market, and after purchasing the likes of Jimmy Bullard, Jason Roberts and Nathan Ellington for low cut prices, Wigan achieved 2 promotions in the space of 4 years, acclaiming many plaudits along the way.
Upon reaching the Premier League, many people in the media suggested their stay at the top would be “short and in no way sweet” and already considered to be the Premier League’s ‘whipping boys’ before a ball had been kicked. This prediction was strengthened by two consecutive defeats to Chelsea and Charlton in their opening two games of the season. But after a hard fought 1-0 win over Sunderland, their first ever victory in the top flight, Wigan undertook an unbeaten streak in which nobody, even those at the club itself, could ever of imagined. Over the next 10 games, Wigan won 9 games and drew 1, resulting in them sitting in the Champions League spots for most of the season, before a late slump resulted in a very creditable 10th place finish.
Oh, and did I forget to mention that this little club, living on the outskirts of the big cities of Manchester and Liverpool made it to their first ever major cup final in the same season? Yes, upsetting all odds, Wigan would play Manchester United in the Carling Cup final at the Millennium Stadium in Cardiff. 26,000 ‘Wiganers’ made the trip across the Welsh border to watch their team on the biggest stage. The day ended on a slightly bum note however, with them losing 4-0, but the day will forever stay as one of the club’s greatest ever moments.
Despite the success that the Latics’ have achieved in recent years, it hasn’t always been plain sailing. The financial restraints that the club has over the bigger and richer clubs in the Premier League has meant that Wigan have a constant flirtation with relegation back to the Championship year after year. This therefore will always make survival the first objective in any Wigan manager’s To Do list, which is exactly what Jewell did in 2007. Only a win at Sheffield United on the final day of the season would be enough to keep them up. As it turned out, despite Lee McCulloch being sent off for most of the game, a David Unsworth penalty in front of the travelling support from Wigan was enough to keep them up for another year.
The years after this have been mainly a struggle for the Latics, under the management of the likes of Chris Hutchings and Steve Bruce. The latter conjuring up a team which many Latics’ fans consider to be their greatest ever team, with players such as Emile Heskey, Wilson Palacios and Antonio Valencia in the side. This team spent one season pushing for a European spot in 2008/09 but unfortunately missed out come the end of the year.
However, the end of that year brought about a new start for the Latics, with Bruce and many of Wigan’s stars leaving the club. Step forward Wigan legend, Roberto Martinez. The Spanish midfielder, affectionately known as Bobby to Wigan fans, spent 6 years as a player at the club between 1995 and 2001. Whelan had decided that it was now Martinez’s turn to steer the club, that still remain close to his heart, into a new era.
With a new manager came a new philosophy of total football, which mainly associates with the successful Spanish national side of today’s age. However, this style of play has had it’s critics, with the Wigan supporters initially split 50/50 down the middle on whether it was the right option. They may have had a point, if it hadn’t of been for Charles N’Zogbia and a late Hugo Rodallega winner at Stoke on the final day of the 2010/11 season, Wigan would be a Championship side. But the manager stuck to his guns, and has proved successful. Better late than never, eh?
Martinez and the Latics somehow went one better in 2011/12. Following 8 successive defeats in the early season, Wigan were languishing at the bottom of the league and after a 2-0 defeat to Swansea at home in March, many thought Bobby’s time was up. They were staring relegation right in the face, but the drama was yet to come. A change in formation from his usual 4-5-1 to a free flowing 3-4-3 formation caused a sudden resurgence of form, which was ignited by a Gary Caldwell inspired away win at Liverpool. Come the end of the season and Wigan survived the drop with a game to spare. A stunning first victory against Manchester United at home and a memorable first win away at Arsenal were a massive help to Wigan’s survival. Remarkably, Martinez had pulled off another ‘Great Escape’!
So where do Wigan go from here? Well, unless football changes financially, escaping relegation in the Premier League is as good as it will get for them. But, 7 consecutive years in the world’s best league is nothing short of remarkable for a club of Wigan’s size, with the minimal fan base and income that they get. The one thing I can tell you though, nobody can match little Wigan’s achievements over the past 15 years, and maybe no other team ever will.
Wigan Athletic can be seen as the modern day example to all the clubs in the lower leagues that miracles can happen, and with a shrewd Chairman cracking the whip, anything is possible.
By Sam Whyte (@SamWhyte1)
Fast forward 17 years, 10 managers and a stadium move from Springfield Park to the DW Stadium, and you’ll find Wigan in the Barclays’ Premier League, regarded as the world’s best competition. So how has a club with little money, a small fan base and no trophies/history been able to reach and sustain in the Barclays Premier League for so long? 2 words, Dave Whelan.
In 1995, when he gained control of the club, Whelan stated “We're going to move into a new ground and in 10 years' time we're going to be in the Premier League.” He was laughed at and ridiculed by the media at the press conference that day. But the man stuck to his word, and low and behold, in his 10th season as Chairman, they were promoted to the ‘Promised Land’ as runners up of the Coca-Cola Championship in May 2005. A journey Whelan himself has labelled as being “Beyond his wildest dreams.”
When you talk about Wigan’s miraculous ascent through the Football League’s, you cannot forget a man that was the catalyst for their success, who goes by the name of Paul Jewell. When he took over the reigns in June 2001, Jewell had stated that his ambitions met those of the Chairman and that the club was seen to be ‘going places’. And from their, the rest as they say, is history. Wigan were shrewd in the transfer market, and after purchasing the likes of Jimmy Bullard, Jason Roberts and Nathan Ellington for low cut prices, Wigan achieved 2 promotions in the space of 4 years, acclaiming many plaudits along the way.
Upon reaching the Premier League, many people in the media suggested their stay at the top would be “short and in no way sweet” and already considered to be the Premier League’s ‘whipping boys’ before a ball had been kicked. This prediction was strengthened by two consecutive defeats to Chelsea and Charlton in their opening two games of the season. But after a hard fought 1-0 win over Sunderland, their first ever victory in the top flight, Wigan undertook an unbeaten streak in which nobody, even those at the club itself, could ever of imagined. Over the next 10 games, Wigan won 9 games and drew 1, resulting in them sitting in the Champions League spots for most of the season, before a late slump resulted in a very creditable 10th place finish.
Oh, and did I forget to mention that this little club, living on the outskirts of the big cities of Manchester and Liverpool made it to their first ever major cup final in the same season? Yes, upsetting all odds, Wigan would play Manchester United in the Carling Cup final at the Millennium Stadium in Cardiff. 26,000 ‘Wiganers’ made the trip across the Welsh border to watch their team on the biggest stage. The day ended on a slightly bum note however, with them losing 4-0, but the day will forever stay as one of the club’s greatest ever moments.
Despite the success that the Latics’ have achieved in recent years, it hasn’t always been plain sailing. The financial restraints that the club has over the bigger and richer clubs in the Premier League has meant that Wigan have a constant flirtation with relegation back to the Championship year after year. This therefore will always make survival the first objective in any Wigan manager’s To Do list, which is exactly what Jewell did in 2007. Only a win at Sheffield United on the final day of the season would be enough to keep them up. As it turned out, despite Lee McCulloch being sent off for most of the game, a David Unsworth penalty in front of the travelling support from Wigan was enough to keep them up for another year.
The years after this have been mainly a struggle for the Latics, under the management of the likes of Chris Hutchings and Steve Bruce. The latter conjuring up a team which many Latics’ fans consider to be their greatest ever team, with players such as Emile Heskey, Wilson Palacios and Antonio Valencia in the side. This team spent one season pushing for a European spot in 2008/09 but unfortunately missed out come the end of the year.
However, the end of that year brought about a new start for the Latics, with Bruce and many of Wigan’s stars leaving the club. Step forward Wigan legend, Roberto Martinez. The Spanish midfielder, affectionately known as Bobby to Wigan fans, spent 6 years as a player at the club between 1995 and 2001. Whelan had decided that it was now Martinez’s turn to steer the club, that still remain close to his heart, into a new era.
With a new manager came a new philosophy of total football, which mainly associates with the successful Spanish national side of today’s age. However, this style of play has had it’s critics, with the Wigan supporters initially split 50/50 down the middle on whether it was the right option. They may have had a point, if it hadn’t of been for Charles N’Zogbia and a late Hugo Rodallega winner at Stoke on the final day of the 2010/11 season, Wigan would be a Championship side. But the manager stuck to his guns, and has proved successful. Better late than never, eh?
Martinez and the Latics somehow went one better in 2011/12. Following 8 successive defeats in the early season, Wigan were languishing at the bottom of the league and after a 2-0 defeat to Swansea at home in March, many thought Bobby’s time was up. They were staring relegation right in the face, but the drama was yet to come. A change in formation from his usual 4-5-1 to a free flowing 3-4-3 formation caused a sudden resurgence of form, which was ignited by a Gary Caldwell inspired away win at Liverpool. Come the end of the season and Wigan survived the drop with a game to spare. A stunning first victory against Manchester United at home and a memorable first win away at Arsenal were a massive help to Wigan’s survival. Remarkably, Martinez had pulled off another ‘Great Escape’!
So where do Wigan go from here? Well, unless football changes financially, escaping relegation in the Premier League is as good as it will get for them. But, 7 consecutive years in the world’s best league is nothing short of remarkable for a club of Wigan’s size, with the minimal fan base and income that they get. The one thing I can tell you though, nobody can match little Wigan’s achievements over the past 15 years, and maybe no other team ever will.
Wigan Athletic can be seen as the modern day example to all the clubs in the lower leagues that miracles can happen, and with a shrewd Chairman cracking the whip, anything is possible.
By Sam Whyte (@SamWhyte1)
Arsenal should look closer to home
There has been a lot of press lately highlighting how Arsenal fans laden the blame for this season’s failings on the departure of Robin van Persie.
Traitor. Deserter. Conspirator. Defector.
Or maybe the reality of the Gunners’ lack of success lays much closer to home than fans and insiders may wish to acknowledge. The Dutchman made his switch to Manchester United from the Emirates ahead of the new season and although he received a hostile reception from Arsenal fans on Saturday his former teammates provided a plethora of evidence to validate his decision. Van Persie opened the scoring in the third minute for his new club at Old Trafford as they moved to the top of the Premier League for the first time this season with a 2-1 victory over his former side. In the build-up to the match boss Arsene Wenger urged fans to refrain from distasteful language against the former favourite but the vile torrent of abuse which was hurled at Van Persie was misguided and leaves many pondering how mislaid the blame is for Arsenal’s recent shortcomings.
From the first whistle Van Persie’s former colleagues produced enough indication to suggest his departure alone is not the major issue.
Arsenals performance could be summarised simply; limp, scattered, motivation-less and powerless. A club with such rich history much be contemplating how it has ended up with so many players who seem unwilling and almost unable to add to their iconic heritage. In the opening minutes it was a mistake by Gunners’ skipper Thomas Vermaelen which opened the door to allow Van Persie to open the tally.
The Arsenal defence of late has appeared to have some kind of over-confident façade despite a clear inability to keep their cool under pressure, or clean sheets for that matter.
Andre Santos. Arsenal fans must cringe or feel a shiver down the spine each time they hear the name. Sir Alex Ferguson probably felt he already had tactical advantage when reading Santos’ name on the team-sheet as Antonio Valencia and Rafael da Silva were granted all the space they could wish for throughout the encounter. It is difficult to come up with a suggestion which would not be better than having Santos in the Arsenal line-up. Possibly the most bizarre moment of the match on Saturday was when Santos approached Van Persie in the tunnel at half-time to ask to swap shirts, to which the Dutchman responded by giving away his shirt but did take the Brazilian’s in return.
Followers of the backstage movements at the Emirates rejoiced in hearing of Steve Bould’s promotion to Wenger’s assistant, responsible for defensive training. Yet the calamitous miskick by Vermaelen which left Van Persie in on goal showed little signs of improvement at the back.
However, not all the culpability can rest on the field as Wenger himself failed to handle situations well during Saturday’s encounter.
Ferguson used a tactical substitution to replace Tom Cleverley after he picked up a yellow card in order to prevent a red card.
But in opposing fashion Wenger left Jack Wilshere on the field with a caution to his name and subsequently suffered the consequences with the England midfielder seeing red and taking an early shower. Few will argue Arsenal would have been in a far superior position if they had contested the final quarter of an hour with 11 men, even it would have meant Francis Coquelin entering into a defensive midfield role.Although the margin of defeat was narrow the deficiency in the Arsenal camp is blatantly obvious.From defensive frailties to tactical faux pas there is a vast array of issues to be resolved, but one thing is for sure, it is time for Arsenal to move on from the time of Robin van Persie and acclimatise to life after their former talisman.
By Ben Hampshire (@BH92)
Traitor. Deserter. Conspirator. Defector.
Or maybe the reality of the Gunners’ lack of success lays much closer to home than fans and insiders may wish to acknowledge. The Dutchman made his switch to Manchester United from the Emirates ahead of the new season and although he received a hostile reception from Arsenal fans on Saturday his former teammates provided a plethora of evidence to validate his decision. Van Persie opened the scoring in the third minute for his new club at Old Trafford as they moved to the top of the Premier League for the first time this season with a 2-1 victory over his former side. In the build-up to the match boss Arsene Wenger urged fans to refrain from distasteful language against the former favourite but the vile torrent of abuse which was hurled at Van Persie was misguided and leaves many pondering how mislaid the blame is for Arsenal’s recent shortcomings.
From the first whistle Van Persie’s former colleagues produced enough indication to suggest his departure alone is not the major issue.
Arsenals performance could be summarised simply; limp, scattered, motivation-less and powerless. A club with such rich history much be contemplating how it has ended up with so many players who seem unwilling and almost unable to add to their iconic heritage. In the opening minutes it was a mistake by Gunners’ skipper Thomas Vermaelen which opened the door to allow Van Persie to open the tally.
The Arsenal defence of late has appeared to have some kind of over-confident façade despite a clear inability to keep their cool under pressure, or clean sheets for that matter.
Andre Santos. Arsenal fans must cringe or feel a shiver down the spine each time they hear the name. Sir Alex Ferguson probably felt he already had tactical advantage when reading Santos’ name on the team-sheet as Antonio Valencia and Rafael da Silva were granted all the space they could wish for throughout the encounter. It is difficult to come up with a suggestion which would not be better than having Santos in the Arsenal line-up. Possibly the most bizarre moment of the match on Saturday was when Santos approached Van Persie in the tunnel at half-time to ask to swap shirts, to which the Dutchman responded by giving away his shirt but did take the Brazilian’s in return.
Followers of the backstage movements at the Emirates rejoiced in hearing of Steve Bould’s promotion to Wenger’s assistant, responsible for defensive training. Yet the calamitous miskick by Vermaelen which left Van Persie in on goal showed little signs of improvement at the back.
However, not all the culpability can rest on the field as Wenger himself failed to handle situations well during Saturday’s encounter.
Ferguson used a tactical substitution to replace Tom Cleverley after he picked up a yellow card in order to prevent a red card.
But in opposing fashion Wenger left Jack Wilshere on the field with a caution to his name and subsequently suffered the consequences with the England midfielder seeing red and taking an early shower. Few will argue Arsenal would have been in a far superior position if they had contested the final quarter of an hour with 11 men, even it would have meant Francis Coquelin entering into a defensive midfield role.Although the margin of defeat was narrow the deficiency in the Arsenal camp is blatantly obvious.From defensive frailties to tactical faux pas there is a vast array of issues to be resolved, but one thing is for sure, it is time for Arsenal to move on from the time of Robin van Persie and acclimatise to life after their former talisman.
By Ben Hampshire (@BH92)
The ‘Wigan Way'.
Having supported Wigan Athletic from the age of 6, and a season ticket holder of 12 years, I’ve come to realise that my football team doesn’t do things the easy, predictable way. It’s very much the contrary and is sometimes referred to as the ‘Wigan Way’ by some of our supporters.
This way of doing things ignited from our unexpected rise to the Premier League under Paul Jewell, were the team with no history and no fans achieved two promotions in three seasons. This style is continuing as recently as the end to our 2011/12 season, with the likes of Manchester United, Liverpool and Arsenal swept aside with consummate ease on our way to an unexpected survival. Fast forward to this week, and the ’Wigan Way’ was in full fruition. One win has come from the two games against Bradford and Spurs, but not in the way many pundits and fans alike predicted. But in fairness it should have been two from two.
The Bradford game was the most one sided game I’ve ever witnessed. Despite Roberto Martinez, affectionately known as Bobby to us, making 9 changes from the side that beat West Ham, we took total control from the first minute. Chance after chance was created but we couldn’t find a breakthrough, even having a goal disallowed from Ivan Ramis. Don’t get me wrong, Bradford came with a plan and executed it superbly, but we had the quality and the chances to win two games, never mind one. As for the Tottenham game, it was a well deserved three points. Spurs came into this game on the back of a defeat to Norwich in the cup just like ourselves, and before the game I expected Bale and co to come out firing. How wrong I could have been! Our system is something that teams still struggle against and this was the case today. The way we can switch from a 5-4-1 when defending to the free flowing 3-4-3 seems so effortless, and credit to that must go to Bob. Did Gareth Bale even take part in the game? He was virtually non-existent and credit must go to our wingbacks, Jean Beausejour and Emmerson Boyce, who were brilliant today in keeping Bale quiet, which in my opinion was key to us getting the three points!
Ben Watson came into the midfield with James McCarthy, as James McArthur was injured. I was concerned, as most of the good things to happen this season has been because of the two James’. I needn’t of worried, both McCarthy and Watson were superb, with the latter coming up with the winner.
Arouna Kone, what a signing. Quick, strong and direct would sum him up in three words. He loves to play on the last defender and he’s scary to look at, never mind to play against. His partnership with now Argentine international Franco Di Santo is blossoming and that can only be a good thing for Wigan Athletic. With their relationship growing by the game, and Shaun Maloney pulling the strings behind them, we actually look like a threat going forward, which we haven’t been for a few years now.
Back to back Premier League wins and with 2 home games against West Brom and Reading in our next 3 fixtures, I really think we should be looking up the table rather than looking over our shoulders. I’m not getting my hopes up too much though, because that just wouldn’t be the ‘Wigan Way’.
By Sam Whyte (@SamWhyte1)
This way of doing things ignited from our unexpected rise to the Premier League under Paul Jewell, were the team with no history and no fans achieved two promotions in three seasons. This style is continuing as recently as the end to our 2011/12 season, with the likes of Manchester United, Liverpool and Arsenal swept aside with consummate ease on our way to an unexpected survival. Fast forward to this week, and the ’Wigan Way’ was in full fruition. One win has come from the two games against Bradford and Spurs, but not in the way many pundits and fans alike predicted. But in fairness it should have been two from two.
The Bradford game was the most one sided game I’ve ever witnessed. Despite Roberto Martinez, affectionately known as Bobby to us, making 9 changes from the side that beat West Ham, we took total control from the first minute. Chance after chance was created but we couldn’t find a breakthrough, even having a goal disallowed from Ivan Ramis. Don’t get me wrong, Bradford came with a plan and executed it superbly, but we had the quality and the chances to win two games, never mind one. As for the Tottenham game, it was a well deserved three points. Spurs came into this game on the back of a defeat to Norwich in the cup just like ourselves, and before the game I expected Bale and co to come out firing. How wrong I could have been! Our system is something that teams still struggle against and this was the case today. The way we can switch from a 5-4-1 when defending to the free flowing 3-4-3 seems so effortless, and credit to that must go to Bob. Did Gareth Bale even take part in the game? He was virtually non-existent and credit must go to our wingbacks, Jean Beausejour and Emmerson Boyce, who were brilliant today in keeping Bale quiet, which in my opinion was key to us getting the three points!
Ben Watson came into the midfield with James McCarthy, as James McArthur was injured. I was concerned, as most of the good things to happen this season has been because of the two James’. I needn’t of worried, both McCarthy and Watson were superb, with the latter coming up with the winner.
Arouna Kone, what a signing. Quick, strong and direct would sum him up in three words. He loves to play on the last defender and he’s scary to look at, never mind to play against. His partnership with now Argentine international Franco Di Santo is blossoming and that can only be a good thing for Wigan Athletic. With their relationship growing by the game, and Shaun Maloney pulling the strings behind them, we actually look like a threat going forward, which we haven’t been for a few years now.
Back to back Premier League wins and with 2 home games against West Brom and Reading in our next 3 fixtures, I really think we should be looking up the table rather than looking over our shoulders. I’m not getting my hopes up too much though, because that just wouldn’t be the ‘Wigan Way’.
By Sam Whyte (@SamWhyte1)
Time Up For Arsene
Arsene Wenger. Outside of a certain Sir Alex Ferguson, the Frenchman has been the most influential and successful manager in Premier League history, with his pinnacle coming in 2004 after leading that famous, and largely awesome, Invincible's team: Played 38 - Won 26, Drew 12, Lost 0. However, that is the point. It was his pinnacle. The time when he was at his best. Since that incredible title winning campaign, Mr. Wenger has only won a single major trophy - The FA Cup in 2005. Following the 03/04 season, The Gunners have been in free-fall. Despite reaching the Champions League Final in 2006 - only to lose to Barcelona - the Gunners have only appeared in two domestic finals: both coming in the arguably insignificant League Cup, and they lost those too. Who could forget Obafemi Martins dramatic last minute winner for Birmingham City?
Here's a thought for you guys to chew on: what has happened to Arsenal? Of course, many will point to the sale of their best players to explain the lack of trophies, but even with a squad riddled with average footballers, Arsenal seem to have changed their tactics. The Arsene philosophy has been Total Football for years - it won the hearts and minds of the Highbury faithful, but more importantly it won silverware on many occasions. So despite no longer having legendary players, why have the tactics that served Arsenal so well over the years changed? At the very least, if you aren't winning trophies, entertain the supporters with some good football!
For those of you who utilise Twitter, you will recognise my next point. Piers Morgan, a lifelong Gooner and controversial media figure, has constantly tweeted his opinions about the Arsenal manager - usually calling for the Frenchman to get the sack. Not only are Arsenal fans annoyed at the slide down the table of ambition, but also at losing some of their better players: Nasri, Fabregas, Henry and a certain Van Persie come to mind. Arsenal aren't just no longer a title-challenging side, but they don't appear to be doing anything to attempt to change it.
Some fans will point to the board, but the fact is that Wenger doesn't ask for big players. The Frenchman instead often opts for younger talent, and while that sometimes comes off, such as Jack Wilshere and Alex Oxlade-Chamberlain, inexperienced youth simply cannot form the backbone of a title-challenging side - you need a mix of experienced maturity and young flamboyance to win titles. In the last transfer window, Wenger decided to change his ideas, acquiring the scintillating Santi Cazorla, as well as Oliver Giroud & Lukas Podolski; but those three aren't going to change what is, in my opinion, a very poor team.
After losing Van Persie, Arsenal have lost, effectively, their only remaining world class player. To replace Fabregas, Nasri and Van Persie is a nigh on impossible task - but Wenger hasn't even attempted to accomplish it. The days of Viera, Bergkamp and Henry destroying teams, and Arsenal being regarded as the best footballing side in Europe, have been replaced by a shaky, uncertain mess of a club, with increasingly frustrated supporters that deserve much better. Arsenal, this season, are going to continue their amazing run. However, it isn't a run to be proud of; in fact it is their run of seven consecutive years without a major trophy. They don't look dangerous in attack, they don't look creative in midfield (with the exception of Cazorla, and we will see how Wilshere is when he gets games under his belt) and they look extremely shaky at the back. The way that Valencia, Rooney, Young and Van Persie tore the Gunners defence apart was truly incredible. You have to say that Arsenal are all at sea in the majority of their games. So, on to the important question: Is it time for change at The Emirates?
Yes, it is. Wenger has had a great run but his days are over. The sooner the Gunners repalce the Frenchman, the sooner they will become the team to beat again. Oh, and I hear that a certain Mr. Redknapp and Mr. Benitez are out of work.
By Sam Braik (@SamBraik96)
Here's a thought for you guys to chew on: what has happened to Arsenal? Of course, many will point to the sale of their best players to explain the lack of trophies, but even with a squad riddled with average footballers, Arsenal seem to have changed their tactics. The Arsene philosophy has been Total Football for years - it won the hearts and minds of the Highbury faithful, but more importantly it won silverware on many occasions. So despite no longer having legendary players, why have the tactics that served Arsenal so well over the years changed? At the very least, if you aren't winning trophies, entertain the supporters with some good football!
For those of you who utilise Twitter, you will recognise my next point. Piers Morgan, a lifelong Gooner and controversial media figure, has constantly tweeted his opinions about the Arsenal manager - usually calling for the Frenchman to get the sack. Not only are Arsenal fans annoyed at the slide down the table of ambition, but also at losing some of their better players: Nasri, Fabregas, Henry and a certain Van Persie come to mind. Arsenal aren't just no longer a title-challenging side, but they don't appear to be doing anything to attempt to change it.
Some fans will point to the board, but the fact is that Wenger doesn't ask for big players. The Frenchman instead often opts for younger talent, and while that sometimes comes off, such as Jack Wilshere and Alex Oxlade-Chamberlain, inexperienced youth simply cannot form the backbone of a title-challenging side - you need a mix of experienced maturity and young flamboyance to win titles. In the last transfer window, Wenger decided to change his ideas, acquiring the scintillating Santi Cazorla, as well as Oliver Giroud & Lukas Podolski; but those three aren't going to change what is, in my opinion, a very poor team.
After losing Van Persie, Arsenal have lost, effectively, their only remaining world class player. To replace Fabregas, Nasri and Van Persie is a nigh on impossible task - but Wenger hasn't even attempted to accomplish it. The days of Viera, Bergkamp and Henry destroying teams, and Arsenal being regarded as the best footballing side in Europe, have been replaced by a shaky, uncertain mess of a club, with increasingly frustrated supporters that deserve much better. Arsenal, this season, are going to continue their amazing run. However, it isn't a run to be proud of; in fact it is their run of seven consecutive years without a major trophy. They don't look dangerous in attack, they don't look creative in midfield (with the exception of Cazorla, and we will see how Wilshere is when he gets games under his belt) and they look extremely shaky at the back. The way that Valencia, Rooney, Young and Van Persie tore the Gunners defence apart was truly incredible. You have to say that Arsenal are all at sea in the majority of their games. So, on to the important question: Is it time for change at The Emirates?
Yes, it is. Wenger has had a great run but his days are over. The sooner the Gunners repalce the Frenchman, the sooner they will become the team to beat again. Oh, and I hear that a certain Mr. Redknapp and Mr. Benitez are out of work.
By Sam Braik (@SamBraik96)
The Barclays Premier League Stand Out Stars So Far
With the Premier League at the tender age of nine gameweeks old, I have decided to put pen to paper (or fingers to keyboard) with a brief piece of my thoughts on who has stood out for me at this early stage. I am not, however, going to discuss the blatantly obvious and predictable brilliance of the likes of Juan Mata, Robin Van Persie and Santi Cazorla, my reason being that anybody with an ounce of football knowledge will have expected nothing less from the likes of those players.
I am going to get the ball rolling by talking about Jermain Defoe. A man who seems to blow hot and cold as if he's living out Katy Perry's first hit single. I have never been able to understand how Defoe's ability can fluctuate so dramatically between seasons. One season he could be lethal, simply unstoppable. The next, the opposing defense would be happy to see his name on the team sheet. This season has started off well for Defoe. I think credit has to go to André Villas-Boas for this. He has clearly instilled confidence in the striker. He must have sat with Defoe and assured him that he is his number one striker, ahead of Emmanuel Adebayor. Being put ahead of Adebayor is bound to fill the Englishman with an abundance of self-confidence. Confidence for a striker is absolutely pivotal to his success. At times, confidence is more important than actual ability - just ask Fernando Torres. Defoe is visibly full of confidence and his form thus far is nothing short of fantastic. Having scored five goals in nine league games it looks as if he could play a major part in deciding whether or not Tottenham can table a serious Champions League bid this year. I think his form will directly correlate between Spurs' position come May.
Next I want to move onto a man not many people will have heard of before this season - Christian Benteke. A lot of people were surprised to see Aston Villa splash around £7 million on the young Belgian international, myself included. I did not know what to expect, and to a certain degree I still don't. He has scored four goals in eight appearances for Villa so far and is doing his best to keep Darren Bent off the scoresheet. On top of this, he has also played and scored for Belgium this season and certainly looks a talent. At the age of only twenty-one, he is definitely one to watch for this season and possibly for many seasons to come.
The next name I'm going to mention might surprise you a bit. This man has come under a lot of criticism since his arrival in England but I have found myself defending him over and over again. This man is Olivier Giroud. The new Arsenal striker was always going to be under the spotlight after the departure of one Robin Van Persie. Despite only having one league goal and assist to his name in nine appearances, I feel the Frenchman has started well. He is missing a lot of chances, yes, but at least he is getting those chances. Once he takes a couple of these chances the goals will begin to come thick and fast for Giroud, in my opinion. He is suffering from a major lack of confidence. When he goes through, I think that he is more worried about missing than he is confident about scoring. This problem will eradicate itself after he hits the net a few times. The form of a striker can change in the blink of an eye as we saw earlier with Jermain Defoe and I have full confidence that Giroud will bag double figures for Arsenal this year and will push on next season. He scored an impressive twenty-one goals in thirty-six league games for Montpellier last season, this is proof enough that he knows how to stick the ball in the back of the net.
Raheem Sterling's name feels like it has been spoken about for a long, long time. So often with young players you hear a lot of hype about them when they are in their mid-teens and with most of them, they never live up to the expectations. Things look different for the Liverpool youngster. Since Rafael Benítez snapped him up from Queens Park Rangers in 2010 I have been eagerly waiting to see whether or not the Jamaican born youngster was the real deal or not. I was skeptical, and with good reason to be. It is rare for a player to actually meet the expectations set by fans and media. It would appear that Sterling has answered my questions with a solid start to his career. He has been a bright spark in this below-par Liverpool team. He became the clubs second youngest ever goalscorer, only behind Michael Owen. His youthful exuberance has been a breath of fresh air to the Premier League. With the ball at his feet, he brings fans to the edges of their seats, he worries defenses and excites his teammates. I have thoroughly enjoyed watching this young man play this season, and long may it continue!
Finally, my fifth and final player. This man has been around for quite a while. He has been criticised time and time again, and justifiably so in some cases. This year he is silencing his critics. Theo Walcott is a strange type of player. For years he has said he wants to be played through the middle of Arsenal's attack, but has never shown that he has the required attributes to do so. This year is different, this year he is backing up his requests with outstanding performances. The days of waiting for years for an Emirates goal are over for Walcott. Expect to see his name on the scoresheet more often. In all competitions this season, Walcott has played eleven times. In these eleven appearances, he has contributed with seven goals and four assists - not bad. It used to be the case that when he broke clear, you expected him to drag his shot wide or to panic and hit it straight at the 'keeper. Those days are a thing of the past. Walcott has grown, he has finally come of age and this is a worry for Premier League defenses. There is no doubt that Roy Hodgson will be keeping a keen eye on his development over the coming season and he may well have a big part to play come Brazil 2014.
By Conor Clancy (@Conorclancy9)
I am going to get the ball rolling by talking about Jermain Defoe. A man who seems to blow hot and cold as if he's living out Katy Perry's first hit single. I have never been able to understand how Defoe's ability can fluctuate so dramatically between seasons. One season he could be lethal, simply unstoppable. The next, the opposing defense would be happy to see his name on the team sheet. This season has started off well for Defoe. I think credit has to go to André Villas-Boas for this. He has clearly instilled confidence in the striker. He must have sat with Defoe and assured him that he is his number one striker, ahead of Emmanuel Adebayor. Being put ahead of Adebayor is bound to fill the Englishman with an abundance of self-confidence. Confidence for a striker is absolutely pivotal to his success. At times, confidence is more important than actual ability - just ask Fernando Torres. Defoe is visibly full of confidence and his form thus far is nothing short of fantastic. Having scored five goals in nine league games it looks as if he could play a major part in deciding whether or not Tottenham can table a serious Champions League bid this year. I think his form will directly correlate between Spurs' position come May.
Next I want to move onto a man not many people will have heard of before this season - Christian Benteke. A lot of people were surprised to see Aston Villa splash around £7 million on the young Belgian international, myself included. I did not know what to expect, and to a certain degree I still don't. He has scored four goals in eight appearances for Villa so far and is doing his best to keep Darren Bent off the scoresheet. On top of this, he has also played and scored for Belgium this season and certainly looks a talent. At the age of only twenty-one, he is definitely one to watch for this season and possibly for many seasons to come.
The next name I'm going to mention might surprise you a bit. This man has come under a lot of criticism since his arrival in England but I have found myself defending him over and over again. This man is Olivier Giroud. The new Arsenal striker was always going to be under the spotlight after the departure of one Robin Van Persie. Despite only having one league goal and assist to his name in nine appearances, I feel the Frenchman has started well. He is missing a lot of chances, yes, but at least he is getting those chances. Once he takes a couple of these chances the goals will begin to come thick and fast for Giroud, in my opinion. He is suffering from a major lack of confidence. When he goes through, I think that he is more worried about missing than he is confident about scoring. This problem will eradicate itself after he hits the net a few times. The form of a striker can change in the blink of an eye as we saw earlier with Jermain Defoe and I have full confidence that Giroud will bag double figures for Arsenal this year and will push on next season. He scored an impressive twenty-one goals in thirty-six league games for Montpellier last season, this is proof enough that he knows how to stick the ball in the back of the net.
Raheem Sterling's name feels like it has been spoken about for a long, long time. So often with young players you hear a lot of hype about them when they are in their mid-teens and with most of them, they never live up to the expectations. Things look different for the Liverpool youngster. Since Rafael Benítez snapped him up from Queens Park Rangers in 2010 I have been eagerly waiting to see whether or not the Jamaican born youngster was the real deal or not. I was skeptical, and with good reason to be. It is rare for a player to actually meet the expectations set by fans and media. It would appear that Sterling has answered my questions with a solid start to his career. He has been a bright spark in this below-par Liverpool team. He became the clubs second youngest ever goalscorer, only behind Michael Owen. His youthful exuberance has been a breath of fresh air to the Premier League. With the ball at his feet, he brings fans to the edges of their seats, he worries defenses and excites his teammates. I have thoroughly enjoyed watching this young man play this season, and long may it continue!
Finally, my fifth and final player. This man has been around for quite a while. He has been criticised time and time again, and justifiably so in some cases. This year he is silencing his critics. Theo Walcott is a strange type of player. For years he has said he wants to be played through the middle of Arsenal's attack, but has never shown that he has the required attributes to do so. This year is different, this year he is backing up his requests with outstanding performances. The days of waiting for years for an Emirates goal are over for Walcott. Expect to see his name on the scoresheet more often. In all competitions this season, Walcott has played eleven times. In these eleven appearances, he has contributed with seven goals and four assists - not bad. It used to be the case that when he broke clear, you expected him to drag his shot wide or to panic and hit it straight at the 'keeper. Those days are a thing of the past. Walcott has grown, he has finally come of age and this is a worry for Premier League defenses. There is no doubt that Roy Hodgson will be keeping a keen eye on his development over the coming season and he may well have a big part to play come Brazil 2014.
By Conor Clancy (@Conorclancy9)
Racist Referees and Dodgy Decisions - Chelsea 2-3 Manchester United
After a pulsating game of football finished 3-2 to Manchester United, it is with great sorrow and regret that I write this knowing that a game of such flair and passion will be overshadowed by several incidents, including a remarkable claim that referee Mark Clattenburg used a racial slur towards a Chelsea player. Well well well, where do I start? Two red cards, objects hurled at players, an offside winner, a steward in hospital, managers going at each other and of course, a racist referee.
Let's start with the football incidents. I'm not talking about Robin van Persie's superb finish, David De Gea's world class save from Fernando Torres or Juan Mata's delightful free kick just before half time - No, instead I find myself drawn to the first sending off, when Branislav Ivanovic was dismissed for clipping Ashley Young's heels as he raced through on goal. Now, following the letter of the law, Ivanovic was correctly sent off. He impeded Young's run on goal and stopped a clear goal-scoring opportunity. However, Ashley Young went down very easily. At the point when his heel was clipped, it was the one in the air, not the one on the ground. Surely he could have remained on his feet? Probably, but as we all know - nowadays fast, skilful wingers are the main culprits to hit the deck under minimal or zero contact. Also, Ivanovic clearly pulls his body and legs back as he runs across Ashley Young - a clear attempt to avoid what inevitably happened. As I continue onto the second sending off, I think back to that delightful sixty minutes where each team had eleven men, and after an opening half hour dominated by the away side, Chelsea showed true grit and incredible character to claw themselves back into the game.
But as I look at today's back pages - I don't see what I want to. I don't see headlines or articles screaming about how well van Persie took his goal, and I don't see headlines describing how Antonio Valencia returned to the United line up to absolutely terrorise the best left back in the world, no; what I see is reports on how Clattenburgs career is over and video technology is needed in football. Fernando Torres. Even now, he is not the same player that arrived from sunny Madrid to Merseyside several years ago and I very much doubt the Spaniard will ever reach those heights again. Having said that, I think that he showed ingenuity and lightning quick feet to nutmeg Jonny Evans and sprint past him - only to fling himself to the ground like he'd been hit by a bullet. Clattenburg produced the red card for the Chelsea frontman, but it was clear from the look on Jonny Evans face that the United defender had his doubts. As soon as Torres hit the Stamford Bridge grass, Evans spread his arms and stared fearfully at Clattenburg - almost accepting that he was going to get a second yellow. But as the referee walked past Evans and over to Torres, Evans appeared as shocked and confused as the rest of us. Torres received a second yellow, and admittedly it was very harsh. However, the Spanish frontman should, in my view, have been dismissed at the end of the first half for a ninja-style kick to Tom Cleverley's stomach. Credit to the United midfielder however, because he got straight up and shook Torres' hand. Right, on to the winning goal. There isn't much to write about here - Javier Hernandez came back from an offside position and the linesman didn't spot it. Even Hernandez himself replied 'Probably' when asked if he felt he was lucky not to have been judged offside.
This is where I feel video technology would improve the game. The speed and movement with which Hernandez retreated from his offside position to turn in Rafael's mishit shot was simply too much for the human eye to handle. In my opinion, a rugby style video referee would do the game no harm for dubious decisions like the ones I have described above - however the dinosaur UEFA President Michel Platini feels it will take away the spirit of football. The aftermath of the goal was shocking. Images of Michael Carrick lifting pieces of broken seats off of the pitch truly surprised me. Chelsea fans near the celebrating United fans decided that hurling objects and broken seats at them was a good way to vent frustration. What they failed to realise was that some of those objects hit a Chelsea steward, who required hospital treatment after the game.
On the touchlines, Sir Alex Ferguson and Roberto Di Matteo had a go at each other as well, with the fourth official having to step between the two managers to prevent anything more than just words being exchanged. However aside from all of these incidents, the claims that Mark Clattenburg was racist towards John Obi Mikel sticks out like a steak in a salad. Players abusing players has been around for years, but for an official to do it is absolutely incredible. If these accusations turn out to be true, then Mr. Clattenburg may enjoy a very early retirement. Who can blame Jason Roberts and Rio Ferdinand? Racism is becoming a prominent and almost common occurrence in the game - and one that needs to be eradicated. Now.
By Sam Braik (@SamBraik96)
Let's start with the football incidents. I'm not talking about Robin van Persie's superb finish, David De Gea's world class save from Fernando Torres or Juan Mata's delightful free kick just before half time - No, instead I find myself drawn to the first sending off, when Branislav Ivanovic was dismissed for clipping Ashley Young's heels as he raced through on goal. Now, following the letter of the law, Ivanovic was correctly sent off. He impeded Young's run on goal and stopped a clear goal-scoring opportunity. However, Ashley Young went down very easily. At the point when his heel was clipped, it was the one in the air, not the one on the ground. Surely he could have remained on his feet? Probably, but as we all know - nowadays fast, skilful wingers are the main culprits to hit the deck under minimal or zero contact. Also, Ivanovic clearly pulls his body and legs back as he runs across Ashley Young - a clear attempt to avoid what inevitably happened. As I continue onto the second sending off, I think back to that delightful sixty minutes where each team had eleven men, and after an opening half hour dominated by the away side, Chelsea showed true grit and incredible character to claw themselves back into the game.
But as I look at today's back pages - I don't see what I want to. I don't see headlines or articles screaming about how well van Persie took his goal, and I don't see headlines describing how Antonio Valencia returned to the United line up to absolutely terrorise the best left back in the world, no; what I see is reports on how Clattenburgs career is over and video technology is needed in football. Fernando Torres. Even now, he is not the same player that arrived from sunny Madrid to Merseyside several years ago and I very much doubt the Spaniard will ever reach those heights again. Having said that, I think that he showed ingenuity and lightning quick feet to nutmeg Jonny Evans and sprint past him - only to fling himself to the ground like he'd been hit by a bullet. Clattenburg produced the red card for the Chelsea frontman, but it was clear from the look on Jonny Evans face that the United defender had his doubts. As soon as Torres hit the Stamford Bridge grass, Evans spread his arms and stared fearfully at Clattenburg - almost accepting that he was going to get a second yellow. But as the referee walked past Evans and over to Torres, Evans appeared as shocked and confused as the rest of us. Torres received a second yellow, and admittedly it was very harsh. However, the Spanish frontman should, in my view, have been dismissed at the end of the first half for a ninja-style kick to Tom Cleverley's stomach. Credit to the United midfielder however, because he got straight up and shook Torres' hand. Right, on to the winning goal. There isn't much to write about here - Javier Hernandez came back from an offside position and the linesman didn't spot it. Even Hernandez himself replied 'Probably' when asked if he felt he was lucky not to have been judged offside.
This is where I feel video technology would improve the game. The speed and movement with which Hernandez retreated from his offside position to turn in Rafael's mishit shot was simply too much for the human eye to handle. In my opinion, a rugby style video referee would do the game no harm for dubious decisions like the ones I have described above - however the dinosaur UEFA President Michel Platini feels it will take away the spirit of football. The aftermath of the goal was shocking. Images of Michael Carrick lifting pieces of broken seats off of the pitch truly surprised me. Chelsea fans near the celebrating United fans decided that hurling objects and broken seats at them was a good way to vent frustration. What they failed to realise was that some of those objects hit a Chelsea steward, who required hospital treatment after the game.
On the touchlines, Sir Alex Ferguson and Roberto Di Matteo had a go at each other as well, with the fourth official having to step between the two managers to prevent anything more than just words being exchanged. However aside from all of these incidents, the claims that Mark Clattenburg was racist towards John Obi Mikel sticks out like a steak in a salad. Players abusing players has been around for years, but for an official to do it is absolutely incredible. If these accusations turn out to be true, then Mr. Clattenburg may enjoy a very early retirement. Who can blame Jason Roberts and Rio Ferdinand? Racism is becoming a prominent and almost common occurrence in the game - and one that needs to be eradicated. Now.
By Sam Braik (@SamBraik96)
Who needs Bent When we've got Benteke?
In the wake of Aston Villa’s 1-0 away win at Sunderland on Saturday I’d be happy if we sold Darren Bent in January, provided we get the right price for him. What is the right price? I don’t know; I’ll let Paul Lambert decide. I think it’s pretty clear now for all to see that he won’t be playing in an Aston Villa shirt next season though…
Bent did recover from a bad injury at the tail-end of last season and that could well be the reason to his sloppy form at the beginning of this season, but lately we are such a better team with him either on the bench or not in the squad at all. After some good early team performances, against Newcastle and Swansea in particular, we seemed to be set well as a team and be on for a decent season – or so we thought. Things soon turned out to be very different, and we had to take note of the real danger of relegation that we were (and still are) in. So does a team fighting to stave off relegation really need a 20-a-season striker like Bent?
You simply can’t deny that he is a brilliant goal-scorer and you’ll never find me arguing that; but I now see an argument once made to me that Bent is a luxury player. In a game which you are dominating and creating many chances then he’s a great addition, but in a game where you need all ten outfield players involved in build-up play then he’s a luxury Villa can’t afford. We don’t dominate many games, we don’t create endless chances game after game, and we don’t need a poacher whose only contribution to the team is a goal every now and then.
At 2PM on Saturday the Villa team news was announced for the game against Sunderland, and Bent hadn’t even travelled to Sunderland with the rest of the squad. The official line from the club was that he had injured his foot in training the previous day, how true this is I’m not sure. Surely if he had injured himself in Friday’s training session then it would have been talked about in the Friday press conference? It could be that Lambert didn’t want to give any tactical clues away to Martin O’Neill for what kind of strike-force he may deploy, but it’s not like Bent being out of the starting 11 is even a surprise anymore. There’s also a photo of Bent with Chris Herd’s girlfriend doing the rounds, and rumours of Bent being disciplined for a fall out with Herd – again how much of this is true I have no idea but it’s too much to all be a coincidence now.
So match-time and we start with Benteke again. The formation from the last league game however has changed, with more of a 4-3-3 / 4-5-1 look about it. Gabby Agbonlahor to the left and AndiWiemann to the right of Benteke, it seemed to work pretty well! Benteke was absolutely unplayable and despite not scoring, I find it hard to think of a game where he has performed better and influenced it so much. Like John Carew a few seasons ago, he bullied the opposition defence and won header after header, held the ball up superbly, and showed some more of the clever touches we’re becoming accustomed to seeing. He didn’t score and it was against a less than impressive Sunderland side that have had their fair share of problems so I can understand any scepticism, but the influence he had on play is what was most encouraging for me. With Benteke we have a focal point and with the money we would receive from selling Bent, we could definitely bring in some more experienced players and look towards a far better second half of the season.
Personally, I’m at the stage now where I’d sell Bent. I’m sure there’ll be a game in the not too distant future where I’ll regret saying it, but that’s football. We need reinforcements and this is far more likely to happen with the sale of Bent than if he were to stay at Villa – Lambert no doubt knows his plans already.
By Jon Startin (@Jon_Startin)
The Barclays Premier League: Over-Hyped or Justifiably Praised?
I can guarantee that every single one of you will have heard at least once that the Barclays Premier League is 'The best league in the world.' Whether or not you agree with this statement is entirely up to yourself. I, personally, do not subscribe to this belief whatsoever. I do not feel it is possible to label one league as definitively being the standalone best. This view, that the Premier League is the best is, in my opinion, one of extreme arrogance. Throughout this piece, I will make comparisons between the Premier League and the other major top divisions of European football. Depending on how it goes, I may even touch on South America.
The Premier League is an undeniably fantastic league. Before I get into this I want to clarify that I do love the league for what it is and obviously agree that it is one of the finest divisions our sport has to offer. Don't get me wrong, it certainly is up there as one of the best, but to say it's the best is a step too far. In what category is it superior to other leagues? Entertainment? Unpredictability? Value for money? Quality of football? Quality of teams or players? You can perhaps place a tick after entertainment but there is still a case to be argued against that. Unfortunately for the Premier League, all the other boxes have to be filled with a big red 'X'.
Firstly, surely the 'best league in the world' must have the best team in the world, right? The Premier League cannot boast of this. I don't think it's too outrageous for me to say that not only the best team, but the two best teams in the world are both feathers in the hypothetical cap of Spain's La Liga: Real Madrid and Barcelona. Everybody has their own opinion as to which of the two is superior, but I feel it is widely accepted that these two are head and shoulders above the rest. The Spanish top tier can also boast that it is home to unquestionably the two greatest players currently playing the game - Lionel Messi and Cristiano Ronaldo. You can also throw in Andrés Iniesta and Xavi for good measure. As well as a prosperous present, La Liga can also claim to house the most successful club in the history of the European Cup - Real Madrid, who have won the trophy a phenomenal nine times.
The Premier League is also an extremely predictable league. For years the so called 'Big Four' were seemingly untouchable at the summit of English football with the exception of Liverpool who dropped out briefly to be temporarily replaced by Everton for a season. There have only ever been five winners of the league: Manchester United, Chelsea, Arsenal, Blackburn and Manchester City. Compare this to France's Ligue 1. This is a league which admittedly is inferior in quality to the English, and I am not suggesting that it is a better league, but it has had as many winners in the last five years as the Premier League has since it commenced. It is likely to become six winners in six years this season as PSG look to take the reigns and dominate French football. Since 2007, Lyon, Bordeaux, Marseille, Lille and Montpellier have all had there hands on the domestic league trophy. Since the Premier League began, Paris Saint-Germain, Nantes, Auxerre, Monaco and Lens have also claimed to be the French champions. What I'm trying to get across here is, in the amount of time that five teams have won the Premier League, twice as many teams have won Ligue 1. Making it a much more open, unpredictable, and therefore exciting league, it could be argued.
One major problem that I have with the Premier League is that there is a lot of utter rubbish in it. If you exclude a few teams: the Manchester clubs, Chelsea, Spurs, Arsenal, Liverpool, Everton, Newcastle and Swansea, the remainder consists of mainly atrocious footballing sides who are in no way enjoyable to watch. If each club in the Premier League were to play the teams in their respective positions in the other major leagues, I know who my money would be on for the majority - and it would not be the English representatives. Just look at one example that springs to mind - Villareal. The Yellow Submarine finished 18th in La Liga last year. Imagine a hypothetical situation in which Villareal at any stage of last season were to play against Bolton Wanderers. Who would you expect to win that game? No further comment.
As far as the quality of football is concerned, take away Arsenal, Tottenham and Swansea (and obviously a few others) the Premier League really hasn't got much else to offer. There is a clutter of teams with little or no technical ability such as Stoke City (apologies Matthew Etherington.) The likes of Serie A and La Liga have an abundance of technically gifted players within every club. It is a completely different game to that in England. A game based primarily on the ability of the teams and players with the ball at their feet, unlike the Premier League where the clichéd 'Sam Allardyce type team' can prosper. The game in these countries where it is based on technical attributes is a much better game in my opinion, and I, personally, find it much more appealing to watch.
Serie A receives a lot of undue criticism. I am not trying to claim that it is hands down superior to our beloved league, but I have to be honest and say I definitely enjoy it more. Perhaps this is because it doesn't break my heart on a regular basis, as I do not 'support' a team in it the way I do in England. This allows me to enjoy the league from a completely neutral perspective and perhaps if I could view the Premier League in a similar light I may not be as critical as I am. I realise that the Italian style of football is not everybody's figurative cup of tea, but it absolutely engrosses me on a weekly basis. That is, most likely because I am, in the words of Marcus Speller, a "tactical pervert." I love witnessing vigorous tactical battles between two of football's heavyweights. It fascinates me. It is, at times, like watching a game of chess with a ball thrown in just to add to the fun. Again, I completely see why this may not appeal to you, but I'm sure I'm not in isolation when I say that Serie A is the league that I most enjoy watching that I do not have any real emotional attachment to.
I didn't even mention South America thus far in this piece but the Argentinian and Brazilian leagues respectively are also brilliantly unpredictable. Many of you may think that Santos and Corinthians are the two best teams in Brazil. This is not true. Santos, including Neymar and Ganso currently lie 11th in Brazil's Serie A while South American Champions Corinthians are sitting in 9th. All that needs to be said about Argentina is that River Plate have been relegated in recent years. Yes, River Plate, the club that many football fans think fight head-to-head with Boca on a yearly basis to become Argentina's top club.
All I wanted to really get across in this piece was that you cannot simply define one league as being the greatest. The recent Sky Sports driven hype is without doubt the major force behind this widespread belief that the Premier League is without doubt the 'greatest league of any sport ever seen in the history of the universe', but just look into it a little more before you hop on their overwhelmingly large bandwagon. Don't be afraid to explore various leagues and to open your eyes and mind to what football has to offer beyond your preferred team's domestic league.
I beg you all, spread your knowledge. Sample leagues you have never experienced before. I did last year with South America and have since stayed up past 3 in the morning just to watch Boca or the Copa Libertadores online. Be adventurous, if you do and still think the Premier League is the league for you, fair enough, at least you tried. But please don't be another one of those lazy stereotypical 'Sky Sports football fans' who watch the Premier League with rose tinted spectacles and refuse to venture out of their comfort zone.
Explore the world of football, you will not regret it.
By Conor Clancy (@Conorclancy9)
The Premier League is an undeniably fantastic league. Before I get into this I want to clarify that I do love the league for what it is and obviously agree that it is one of the finest divisions our sport has to offer. Don't get me wrong, it certainly is up there as one of the best, but to say it's the best is a step too far. In what category is it superior to other leagues? Entertainment? Unpredictability? Value for money? Quality of football? Quality of teams or players? You can perhaps place a tick after entertainment but there is still a case to be argued against that. Unfortunately for the Premier League, all the other boxes have to be filled with a big red 'X'.
Firstly, surely the 'best league in the world' must have the best team in the world, right? The Premier League cannot boast of this. I don't think it's too outrageous for me to say that not only the best team, but the two best teams in the world are both feathers in the hypothetical cap of Spain's La Liga: Real Madrid and Barcelona. Everybody has their own opinion as to which of the two is superior, but I feel it is widely accepted that these two are head and shoulders above the rest. The Spanish top tier can also boast that it is home to unquestionably the two greatest players currently playing the game - Lionel Messi and Cristiano Ronaldo. You can also throw in Andrés Iniesta and Xavi for good measure. As well as a prosperous present, La Liga can also claim to house the most successful club in the history of the European Cup - Real Madrid, who have won the trophy a phenomenal nine times.
The Premier League is also an extremely predictable league. For years the so called 'Big Four' were seemingly untouchable at the summit of English football with the exception of Liverpool who dropped out briefly to be temporarily replaced by Everton for a season. There have only ever been five winners of the league: Manchester United, Chelsea, Arsenal, Blackburn and Manchester City. Compare this to France's Ligue 1. This is a league which admittedly is inferior in quality to the English, and I am not suggesting that it is a better league, but it has had as many winners in the last five years as the Premier League has since it commenced. It is likely to become six winners in six years this season as PSG look to take the reigns and dominate French football. Since 2007, Lyon, Bordeaux, Marseille, Lille and Montpellier have all had there hands on the domestic league trophy. Since the Premier League began, Paris Saint-Germain, Nantes, Auxerre, Monaco and Lens have also claimed to be the French champions. What I'm trying to get across here is, in the amount of time that five teams have won the Premier League, twice as many teams have won Ligue 1. Making it a much more open, unpredictable, and therefore exciting league, it could be argued.
One major problem that I have with the Premier League is that there is a lot of utter rubbish in it. If you exclude a few teams: the Manchester clubs, Chelsea, Spurs, Arsenal, Liverpool, Everton, Newcastle and Swansea, the remainder consists of mainly atrocious footballing sides who are in no way enjoyable to watch. If each club in the Premier League were to play the teams in their respective positions in the other major leagues, I know who my money would be on for the majority - and it would not be the English representatives. Just look at one example that springs to mind - Villareal. The Yellow Submarine finished 18th in La Liga last year. Imagine a hypothetical situation in which Villareal at any stage of last season were to play against Bolton Wanderers. Who would you expect to win that game? No further comment.
As far as the quality of football is concerned, take away Arsenal, Tottenham and Swansea (and obviously a few others) the Premier League really hasn't got much else to offer. There is a clutter of teams with little or no technical ability such as Stoke City (apologies Matthew Etherington.) The likes of Serie A and La Liga have an abundance of technically gifted players within every club. It is a completely different game to that in England. A game based primarily on the ability of the teams and players with the ball at their feet, unlike the Premier League where the clichéd 'Sam Allardyce type team' can prosper. The game in these countries where it is based on technical attributes is a much better game in my opinion, and I, personally, find it much more appealing to watch.
Serie A receives a lot of undue criticism. I am not trying to claim that it is hands down superior to our beloved league, but I have to be honest and say I definitely enjoy it more. Perhaps this is because it doesn't break my heart on a regular basis, as I do not 'support' a team in it the way I do in England. This allows me to enjoy the league from a completely neutral perspective and perhaps if I could view the Premier League in a similar light I may not be as critical as I am. I realise that the Italian style of football is not everybody's figurative cup of tea, but it absolutely engrosses me on a weekly basis. That is, most likely because I am, in the words of Marcus Speller, a "tactical pervert." I love witnessing vigorous tactical battles between two of football's heavyweights. It fascinates me. It is, at times, like watching a game of chess with a ball thrown in just to add to the fun. Again, I completely see why this may not appeal to you, but I'm sure I'm not in isolation when I say that Serie A is the league that I most enjoy watching that I do not have any real emotional attachment to.
I didn't even mention South America thus far in this piece but the Argentinian and Brazilian leagues respectively are also brilliantly unpredictable. Many of you may think that Santos and Corinthians are the two best teams in Brazil. This is not true. Santos, including Neymar and Ganso currently lie 11th in Brazil's Serie A while South American Champions Corinthians are sitting in 9th. All that needs to be said about Argentina is that River Plate have been relegated in recent years. Yes, River Plate, the club that many football fans think fight head-to-head with Boca on a yearly basis to become Argentina's top club.
All I wanted to really get across in this piece was that you cannot simply define one league as being the greatest. The recent Sky Sports driven hype is without doubt the major force behind this widespread belief that the Premier League is without doubt the 'greatest league of any sport ever seen in the history of the universe', but just look into it a little more before you hop on their overwhelmingly large bandwagon. Don't be afraid to explore various leagues and to open your eyes and mind to what football has to offer beyond your preferred team's domestic league.
I beg you all, spread your knowledge. Sample leagues you have never experienced before. I did last year with South America and have since stayed up past 3 in the morning just to watch Boca or the Copa Libertadores online. Be adventurous, if you do and still think the Premier League is the league for you, fair enough, at least you tried. But please don't be another one of those lazy stereotypical 'Sky Sports football fans' who watch the Premier League with rose tinted spectacles and refuse to venture out of their comfort zone.
Explore the world of football, you will not regret it.
By Conor Clancy (@Conorclancy9)
Robin Van Perfect?
Possibly the biggest upset of the transfer window this summer was the sale of Van Persie to Manchester United. Not only did Arsenal weaken their own team, but they also strengthened their rivals. It was a well-known fact that he would leave with only a year left on his contract, however it was only late on into the saga that United seemed the likely destination. The main concerns from a United perspective were his fitness and if he could possibly be as much of a sensation as he was last season. Although it may take time for him to fully integrate into the team, we are only three games into the league and he has already found his feet with 4 goals.
The move to United may be perfect for him and the team. Not only does it give Rooney a real threat, it also gives the opposition a horrible head ache. In the seasons past, if Rooney had a bad game or was cut off successfully by the opposition United would struggle significantly. This was the same for Arsenal with Van Persie. However, with the combination of Van Persie and Rooney the focus for the opposition will be split. That being said we have not yet seen if the combination will work due to Rooney’s injury. Van Persie may excel even more at United due to the delivery from the wings that he lacked at Arsenal. At Arsenal he was never short of opportunities to score, however at United the focus is on scoring goals rather than the perfect goals. With Kagawa’s link-up and the likes of Valencia, Nani and Young sending in crosses Van Persie could potentially improve on his goal tally from last year. He gives United a maturity upfront that the likes of Welbeck should feed on. His technique and finishing skills make him the consistent goal scorer that United need.
Rooney has of course scored many goals for United, but Van Persie is a better goal scorer. And in these next few weeks Van Persie’s fitness levels will increase and his understanding with his new team mates will improve. When Rooney comes back from his injury he will need to up his game as Robin will be the main front man, with Kagawa looking like the new playmaker of the team. Rooney’s injury may be a blessing due to his fitness problems, if he works hard he could potentially do a Tevez and come back a new man. Robin wanting trophies and United trying to take back the title, Van Persie to United should be perfect.
By Sean McNeill (@Sean_Mc_Neill)
The move to United may be perfect for him and the team. Not only does it give Rooney a real threat, it also gives the opposition a horrible head ache. In the seasons past, if Rooney had a bad game or was cut off successfully by the opposition United would struggle significantly. This was the same for Arsenal with Van Persie. However, with the combination of Van Persie and Rooney the focus for the opposition will be split. That being said we have not yet seen if the combination will work due to Rooney’s injury. Van Persie may excel even more at United due to the delivery from the wings that he lacked at Arsenal. At Arsenal he was never short of opportunities to score, however at United the focus is on scoring goals rather than the perfect goals. With Kagawa’s link-up and the likes of Valencia, Nani and Young sending in crosses Van Persie could potentially improve on his goal tally from last year. He gives United a maturity upfront that the likes of Welbeck should feed on. His technique and finishing skills make him the consistent goal scorer that United need.
Rooney has of course scored many goals for United, but Van Persie is a better goal scorer. And in these next few weeks Van Persie’s fitness levels will increase and his understanding with his new team mates will improve. When Rooney comes back from his injury he will need to up his game as Robin will be the main front man, with Kagawa looking like the new playmaker of the team. Rooney’s injury may be a blessing due to his fitness problems, if he works hard he could potentially do a Tevez and come back a new man. Robin wanting trophies and United trying to take back the title, Van Persie to United should be perfect.
By Sean McNeill (@Sean_Mc_Neill)
So that's it. He's gone.
So that's it. He's gone. Robin van Persie has left Arsenal for Manchester United.
But the deal is one Arsenal quite simply had to do. It was £20m now or lose van Persie on a free transfer in a year's time. It was no longer just because van Persie wouldn't sign a new contract. The Arsenal love affair with the Dutchman had finished. Everyone says it would all have been forgotten the moment he scored a late winner. But I think it runs deeper than that. Fans knew he'd flirted with the (Red) devil, insulted the club with his ridiculous statement and there was no way back. Can you just imagine what his first set of captain's programme notes would have been like? "It's been an interesting summer..."
Or would he have used them to criticise the club's direction again? While the players still like and respect him, as a figurehead van Persie couldn't be seen as captain even if he was well regarded in that role by his team mates. Cesc Fabregas did something similar in 2010, but never went public with his desire to leave. Everyone knew but he kept the armband, stayed another year and then went to Barcelona. Fabregas remains popular. But it's all over for van Persie and the fact that he went to Manchester United rather than abroad will ensure he will never be remembered as an Arsenal legend. Shame. He is 29, had one year left on his contract, has a poor injury record and the only surprise was that Manchester United boss Sir Alex Ferguson was willing go above £20m to get his man. At that price, it is good business for Arsenal.
Sadly, van Persie's heroics last season will be instantly forgotten. I liken it to two players from the 80s: Liam Brady remained a hero despite going to Juventus. Frank Stapleton became public enemy number one by going to Manchester United. Stapleton was seen as greedy. Brady was forgiven because Juventus were one of European football's super powers at the time. I've spoken to lots of people about van Persie and many think it's worse him going to Old Trafford than Manchester City. I can't quite get the argument. Arsenal and United have been rivals for longer. Wenger and Sir Alex Ferguson have been at loggerheads for much of the past decade or so. But it's not as if van Persie is swapping Arsenal for Tottenham, the real arch enemies. Either way, it's seen as a betrayal and van Persie can forget a hero's return. He's off to try and win some trophies. Samir Nasri blamed everyone but himself for Arsenal failing to win trophies. At least van Persie kept up his end of the bargain. However, Arsenal have shown ambition this summer. They've brought in Santi Cazorla, Olivier Giroud and Lukas Podolski who are three top quality players: internationals and exciting, forward thinking players.
Lots of people keep telling me that Cazorla may even just be the best Premier League signing this summer. It strikes me that even if Alex Song follows van Persie out of the club to Barcelona, if Arsenal bring in a top quality midfielder to bolster the ranks and do a defensive job, then the club will actually have a stronger overall squad than last season.Arsenal have scouted Yann M'Vila and been after Nuri Sahin. I was also reminded the other day just how much depth they have in midfield. Mikel Arteta and Cazorla must surely start the season as part of the central midfield trio. Arteta was magnificent last year, Cazorla will operate as a playmaker in the ten role. Then you've still got Aaron Ramsey, Tomas Rosicky, Francis Coquelin, Emmanuel Frimpong. Abou Diaby and Jack Wilshere to come back. There's no doubt that Alex Oxlade-Chamberlain is seen as a central player in the longer term.
If Arsenal sign a direct replacement for Song, then the midfield will be stronger. If also they play two deeper lying players with Cazorla in front, then it may offer more protection and options. Last season, so much emphasis was put on van Persie. This season, if you have Theo Walcott on the right, Podolski on the left and Giroud through the middle then it gives Arsenal a better all round attacking threat.
They have also got Gervinho and Andrey Arshavin, both of whom have been flying in pre-season. Arsenal look stronger.
So, while the sales may be painful, the current team hasn't delivered trophies. So it's time for a change, a new era and Arsenal will be hoping the new players provide a new-look squad which can enjoy success.
By Matt Elam (@MattRElam)
But the deal is one Arsenal quite simply had to do. It was £20m now or lose van Persie on a free transfer in a year's time. It was no longer just because van Persie wouldn't sign a new contract. The Arsenal love affair with the Dutchman had finished. Everyone says it would all have been forgotten the moment he scored a late winner. But I think it runs deeper than that. Fans knew he'd flirted with the (Red) devil, insulted the club with his ridiculous statement and there was no way back. Can you just imagine what his first set of captain's programme notes would have been like? "It's been an interesting summer..."
Or would he have used them to criticise the club's direction again? While the players still like and respect him, as a figurehead van Persie couldn't be seen as captain even if he was well regarded in that role by his team mates. Cesc Fabregas did something similar in 2010, but never went public with his desire to leave. Everyone knew but he kept the armband, stayed another year and then went to Barcelona. Fabregas remains popular. But it's all over for van Persie and the fact that he went to Manchester United rather than abroad will ensure he will never be remembered as an Arsenal legend. Shame. He is 29, had one year left on his contract, has a poor injury record and the only surprise was that Manchester United boss Sir Alex Ferguson was willing go above £20m to get his man. At that price, it is good business for Arsenal.
Sadly, van Persie's heroics last season will be instantly forgotten. I liken it to two players from the 80s: Liam Brady remained a hero despite going to Juventus. Frank Stapleton became public enemy number one by going to Manchester United. Stapleton was seen as greedy. Brady was forgiven because Juventus were one of European football's super powers at the time. I've spoken to lots of people about van Persie and many think it's worse him going to Old Trafford than Manchester City. I can't quite get the argument. Arsenal and United have been rivals for longer. Wenger and Sir Alex Ferguson have been at loggerheads for much of the past decade or so. But it's not as if van Persie is swapping Arsenal for Tottenham, the real arch enemies. Either way, it's seen as a betrayal and van Persie can forget a hero's return. He's off to try and win some trophies. Samir Nasri blamed everyone but himself for Arsenal failing to win trophies. At least van Persie kept up his end of the bargain. However, Arsenal have shown ambition this summer. They've brought in Santi Cazorla, Olivier Giroud and Lukas Podolski who are three top quality players: internationals and exciting, forward thinking players.
Lots of people keep telling me that Cazorla may even just be the best Premier League signing this summer. It strikes me that even if Alex Song follows van Persie out of the club to Barcelona, if Arsenal bring in a top quality midfielder to bolster the ranks and do a defensive job, then the club will actually have a stronger overall squad than last season.Arsenal have scouted Yann M'Vila and been after Nuri Sahin. I was also reminded the other day just how much depth they have in midfield. Mikel Arteta and Cazorla must surely start the season as part of the central midfield trio. Arteta was magnificent last year, Cazorla will operate as a playmaker in the ten role. Then you've still got Aaron Ramsey, Tomas Rosicky, Francis Coquelin, Emmanuel Frimpong. Abou Diaby and Jack Wilshere to come back. There's no doubt that Alex Oxlade-Chamberlain is seen as a central player in the longer term.
If Arsenal sign a direct replacement for Song, then the midfield will be stronger. If also they play two deeper lying players with Cazorla in front, then it may offer more protection and options. Last season, so much emphasis was put on van Persie. This season, if you have Theo Walcott on the right, Podolski on the left and Giroud through the middle then it gives Arsenal a better all round attacking threat.
They have also got Gervinho and Andrey Arshavin, both of whom have been flying in pre-season. Arsenal look stronger.
So, while the sales may be painful, the current team hasn't delivered trophies. So it's time for a change, a new era and Arsenal will be hoping the new players provide a new-look squad which can enjoy success.
By Matt Elam (@MattRElam)
Can AVB Take Spurs Forward?
To say that Chelsea fans were a little sceptical when Andre Villas-Boas was appointed manager in June 2011 would be an understatement. At 33 years old, Boas was very young and was the same age as some of the senior players in the squad such as Frank Lampard and Didier Drogba, this concerned many fans who didn’t think AVB would be able to keep the dressing room in order.
The concerns of the fans were realised when results started to go wrong for Chelsea and by February, pressure was really starting to grow on AVB as Chelsea dropped out of the top four. The tipping point for many however was Villas-Boas’s decision to leave Frank Lampard and Ashley Cole out of a champions league tie with Napoli and on March 4th, Andre Villas-Boas was sacked as the Chelsea manager and replaced by Roberto Di Matteo.
Villas-Boas will have to follow in the footsteps of Harry Redknapp at White Hart Lane. When Harry Redknapp and Tottenham parted ways I genuinely feared the worst for the club, Harry had done some great work at the club and was really starting to build a good side, they had been unlucky to miss out on a Champions league spot after a great season in the league which saw them finish in 4th spot. However now that some time has passed since AVB took over at White Hart Lane, I’m starting to see the benefits of having him at the helm.
Although I agree that he is rather young, especially to be managing a potential top four Premier League team, Andre Vilas Boas is by no means inexperienced. He managed to lead Porto to an undefeated season in the league and although the Portuguese league is far from the most competitive in Europe, it is still a great achievement for any manager. It must also be noted that Villas-Boas worked under the “special one” Jose Mourinho at Chelsea. Villas-Boas would file scouting reports about the upcoming teams and Mourinho praised him for his work. Andre Villas Boas therefore has a natural ability for the tactical side of football.
Tottenham will be able to adapt under the management of Villas-Boas, it is likely that he will try to implement a continental style of play. Keeping good possession will be a key factor and Villas-Boas will also try to get his team to exploit the flanks at every opportunity so expect Aaron Lennon to flourish if he can keep healthy. I also fully expect to see Kyle Walker attacking up the flanks and he said in an interview for the Tottenham official website that he felt he was developing a good playing partnership with Lennon which could see some great football down that right flank for Spurs.
Andre Villas boas has been relatively inactive in the transfer market since joining Spurs, a lot of this could have to do with the ongoing Luka Modric transfer saga. If Modric is going to leave, AVB would do well to sell him sooner than later so that he has enough time to look for an adequate replacement. Modric has been instrumental in the success of Spurs over the last couple of years with his superb vision and range of passing, it will take quite a bit of money and searching to find somebody to fill the gap he will leave behind if he joins Real Madrid. There has a been talk of Spurs trying to sign French goalkeeper Hugo Lloris from Lyon although reports suggest that their latest bid has been rejected. Hugo Lloris, in my opinion would be a wise purchase for AVB, Gomes has sown that he isnt the most consistent keeper in the world and has made his fair share of blunders in the past season or two. Lloris would help sure up the defensive side of their game giving Spurs a good platform to build from.
In my opinion, Spurs under AVB will be a success. Some movement in the transfer market may be required. Obviously a replacement for Modric will be needed and possibly another striker if they are unable to retain the services of Emmanuel Adebayor. Do that and they have a good chance of being top four regulars. The biggest problem they will face will be the opposition from the other London clubs. Arsenal have spent well so far and Chelsea, well they have just simply spent and will most likely spend some more in order to bring in the big names.
AVB therefore has it all to do, but hey, maybe he’s the next special one. We’ll just have to wait and see.
By Ryan McDowell (@dowelly_)
The concerns of the fans were realised when results started to go wrong for Chelsea and by February, pressure was really starting to grow on AVB as Chelsea dropped out of the top four. The tipping point for many however was Villas-Boas’s decision to leave Frank Lampard and Ashley Cole out of a champions league tie with Napoli and on March 4th, Andre Villas-Boas was sacked as the Chelsea manager and replaced by Roberto Di Matteo.
Villas-Boas will have to follow in the footsteps of Harry Redknapp at White Hart Lane. When Harry Redknapp and Tottenham parted ways I genuinely feared the worst for the club, Harry had done some great work at the club and was really starting to build a good side, they had been unlucky to miss out on a Champions league spot after a great season in the league which saw them finish in 4th spot. However now that some time has passed since AVB took over at White Hart Lane, I’m starting to see the benefits of having him at the helm.
Although I agree that he is rather young, especially to be managing a potential top four Premier League team, Andre Vilas Boas is by no means inexperienced. He managed to lead Porto to an undefeated season in the league and although the Portuguese league is far from the most competitive in Europe, it is still a great achievement for any manager. It must also be noted that Villas-Boas worked under the “special one” Jose Mourinho at Chelsea. Villas-Boas would file scouting reports about the upcoming teams and Mourinho praised him for his work. Andre Villas Boas therefore has a natural ability for the tactical side of football.
Tottenham will be able to adapt under the management of Villas-Boas, it is likely that he will try to implement a continental style of play. Keeping good possession will be a key factor and Villas-Boas will also try to get his team to exploit the flanks at every opportunity so expect Aaron Lennon to flourish if he can keep healthy. I also fully expect to see Kyle Walker attacking up the flanks and he said in an interview for the Tottenham official website that he felt he was developing a good playing partnership with Lennon which could see some great football down that right flank for Spurs.
Andre Villas boas has been relatively inactive in the transfer market since joining Spurs, a lot of this could have to do with the ongoing Luka Modric transfer saga. If Modric is going to leave, AVB would do well to sell him sooner than later so that he has enough time to look for an adequate replacement. Modric has been instrumental in the success of Spurs over the last couple of years with his superb vision and range of passing, it will take quite a bit of money and searching to find somebody to fill the gap he will leave behind if he joins Real Madrid. There has a been talk of Spurs trying to sign French goalkeeper Hugo Lloris from Lyon although reports suggest that their latest bid has been rejected. Hugo Lloris, in my opinion would be a wise purchase for AVB, Gomes has sown that he isnt the most consistent keeper in the world and has made his fair share of blunders in the past season or two. Lloris would help sure up the defensive side of their game giving Spurs a good platform to build from.
In my opinion, Spurs under AVB will be a success. Some movement in the transfer market may be required. Obviously a replacement for Modric will be needed and possibly another striker if they are unable to retain the services of Emmanuel Adebayor. Do that and they have a good chance of being top four regulars. The biggest problem they will face will be the opposition from the other London clubs. Arsenal have spent well so far and Chelsea, well they have just simply spent and will most likely spend some more in order to bring in the big names.
AVB therefore has it all to do, but hey, maybe he’s the next special one. We’ll just have to wait and see.
By Ryan McDowell (@dowelly_)
Chelsea FC: Torres, Signings & Realistic Expectations.
This season is certainly shaping up to be an exciting one for the FA Cup and European champions. With big name signings such as Oscar, Eden Hazard and Marko Marin Chelsea really look like they mean business this coming season. On top of these imports, it looks like there is more to come following chief executive, Ron Gourlay's comment that Chelsea are not finished spending. It is widely believed that there could be a further two new faces strutting their stuff on the Stamford Bridge turf come September.
"Who are these two players?" Is without doubt the question on the lips of Chelsea fans all over the world. Well, there are widespread reports that there is a deal close to completion for Wigan's Victor Moses, whose agent was reportedly spotted at The Bridge on Tuesday afternoon. Is there any truth behind this alleged spotting? Who knows. We will have to wait and see. Thanks to Dave Whelan, however, we do know for a fact that Chelsea have shown interest in the young forward, having announced to the press that the London club have made several offers. I just have one question: Where would Moses fit in? To be honest, I don't think he would. With the options Chelsea already have available to them, would it be worth their while spending money on a player who is no better than what they already have?
Having said that, they are also apparently after Brazilian star Hulk. This signing would make a lot more sense. They play in the same position but the difference being, Hulk is a much better player. He would almost definitely improve the Chelsea squad. Hulk is a more powerful presence than Moses and is twice the player of Florent Malouda, (which albeit, is not a tough task.)
It is also considered that there is a deal in place to bring Cesar Azpilicueta to West London. Again, a strange transfer in my opinion. It would be strange to sign a player purely to have him as a substitute, but I can't see Ivanovic dropping to the bench either. The Serbian has been consistently one of Chelsea's best players over the past couple of seasons.
I am extremely excited about the signings being made by Chelsea this summer, but I can't stop wondering, why didn't they take place last season? It is no secret that transfers at Chelsea are dealt with above the manager. So why, when Roman Abramovic appointed André Villas-Boas as manager this time last year, did he not bring in players like Oscar and Hazard? Juan Mata was the only big signing last term but expectations of overnight change were still harshly set for the young manager.
Villas-Boas tried to implement a completely new style of football at Chelsea, a task that requires time and patience from fans and also from the clubs decision makers. He had the full support of many of the fans, unfortunately, the boards patience wore thin and eventually ran out leaving the young Portuguese manager jobless. Players in the mold of Oscar, Hazard and Marin were exactly what were needed a year ago. I cannot comprehend why deals of this fashion weren't completed then.
Chelsea's movement in the transfer window would suggest to me that the team is being built around and focused on the £50 million man - Fernando Torres. There is no doubt that he will be their main hope for goals this season and with the players being brought in to play behind him, he will certainly get more than enough chances to rediscover his goalscoring touch. This season is huge for El Niño. He made drastic improvements in the latter half of last season, scoring a vital goal against Barcelona and bagging his first hat-trick in blue in the process. During the summer he picked up the Golden Boot award for the European Championships so I'm expecting a confident Torres this season. A confident Torres is a different animal to what we've been seeing for the last 18 months. The biggest sign for me of how the team is being built around the Spaniard is that Chelsea have parted company with Didier Drogba and Nicolas Anelka since the beginning of the year, with no replacements being brought in at the time of writing. As I write this, Romelu Lukaku has joined West Brom on loan for the season - further evidence that it is all down to Torres this season. Expect to see that number 9 shirt running off in celebration time and time again throughout the coming season.
What should Chelsea fans realistically expect this season? Well, with the squad they are building there is no reason why they can't win the Premier League title in the next two or three years and quite possibly more European glory. But for this season, I think they should be hoping for domestic success, probably in The FA Cup. On top of this, a serious title challenge and probably the Semi-Finals of the UEFA Champions League would be seen as a good season. A top three finish, a piece of silverware, and a decent effort in the defense of their European crown must be considered as a good season.
Personally I predict Chelsea to achieve a top three finish easily. I think it will be between themselves and Manchester United for second place, with Manchester City as my favourites for the title this term, as much as much as it pains me to say it.
By Conor Clancy (@Conorclancy9)
"Who are these two players?" Is without doubt the question on the lips of Chelsea fans all over the world. Well, there are widespread reports that there is a deal close to completion for Wigan's Victor Moses, whose agent was reportedly spotted at The Bridge on Tuesday afternoon. Is there any truth behind this alleged spotting? Who knows. We will have to wait and see. Thanks to Dave Whelan, however, we do know for a fact that Chelsea have shown interest in the young forward, having announced to the press that the London club have made several offers. I just have one question: Where would Moses fit in? To be honest, I don't think he would. With the options Chelsea already have available to them, would it be worth their while spending money on a player who is no better than what they already have?
Having said that, they are also apparently after Brazilian star Hulk. This signing would make a lot more sense. They play in the same position but the difference being, Hulk is a much better player. He would almost definitely improve the Chelsea squad. Hulk is a more powerful presence than Moses and is twice the player of Florent Malouda, (which albeit, is not a tough task.)
It is also considered that there is a deal in place to bring Cesar Azpilicueta to West London. Again, a strange transfer in my opinion. It would be strange to sign a player purely to have him as a substitute, but I can't see Ivanovic dropping to the bench either. The Serbian has been consistently one of Chelsea's best players over the past couple of seasons.
I am extremely excited about the signings being made by Chelsea this summer, but I can't stop wondering, why didn't they take place last season? It is no secret that transfers at Chelsea are dealt with above the manager. So why, when Roman Abramovic appointed André Villas-Boas as manager this time last year, did he not bring in players like Oscar and Hazard? Juan Mata was the only big signing last term but expectations of overnight change were still harshly set for the young manager.
Villas-Boas tried to implement a completely new style of football at Chelsea, a task that requires time and patience from fans and also from the clubs decision makers. He had the full support of many of the fans, unfortunately, the boards patience wore thin and eventually ran out leaving the young Portuguese manager jobless. Players in the mold of Oscar, Hazard and Marin were exactly what were needed a year ago. I cannot comprehend why deals of this fashion weren't completed then.
Chelsea's movement in the transfer window would suggest to me that the team is being built around and focused on the £50 million man - Fernando Torres. There is no doubt that he will be their main hope for goals this season and with the players being brought in to play behind him, he will certainly get more than enough chances to rediscover his goalscoring touch. This season is huge for El Niño. He made drastic improvements in the latter half of last season, scoring a vital goal against Barcelona and bagging his first hat-trick in blue in the process. During the summer he picked up the Golden Boot award for the European Championships so I'm expecting a confident Torres this season. A confident Torres is a different animal to what we've been seeing for the last 18 months. The biggest sign for me of how the team is being built around the Spaniard is that Chelsea have parted company with Didier Drogba and Nicolas Anelka since the beginning of the year, with no replacements being brought in at the time of writing. As I write this, Romelu Lukaku has joined West Brom on loan for the season - further evidence that it is all down to Torres this season. Expect to see that number 9 shirt running off in celebration time and time again throughout the coming season.
What should Chelsea fans realistically expect this season? Well, with the squad they are building there is no reason why they can't win the Premier League title in the next two or three years and quite possibly more European glory. But for this season, I think they should be hoping for domestic success, probably in The FA Cup. On top of this, a serious title challenge and probably the Semi-Finals of the UEFA Champions League would be seen as a good season. A top three finish, a piece of silverware, and a decent effort in the defense of their European crown must be considered as a good season.
Personally I predict Chelsea to achieve a top three finish easily. I think it will be between themselves and Manchester United for second place, with Manchester City as my favourites for the title this term, as much as much as it pains me to say it.
By Conor Clancy (@Conorclancy9)
Arsenal Point Of View
Patrick Vieira scored the winning goal the last time Arsenal won a trophy. It was the FA Cup final that went to a penalty shoot out and despite being battered by Manchester United on the day neither team could find a winning goal. The rest, as they say, is history and Vieria stepped up to slot past Roy Carroll (remember him?) to give the North Londoners the trophy. However, no-one at the time would have predicted that it would be the last trophy for what is now 7 years and counting.
In Arsene Wenger’s defence, he’s had to deal with lots of various issues that haven’t always been fairly reported over the years. He’s had the departures of Patrick Vieira, Thierry Henry, Sol Campbell, Robert Pires, Ashley Cole and latterly Cesc Fabregas and Samir Nasri to deal with. The first four made up the backbone of the only team in English football history to go unbeaten for a season. If you analyse each departure individually, you could argue that taking the money for Vieria and Henry at the time was good business (certainly their best years were behind them), Sol Campbell left for none footballing reasons, Pires wanted a longer contract at 32. Cole’s situation was widely reported at the time though in reality he chose to back the right horse and go and play under Mourinho.
Arsenal have not been able to compete financially during these years. The move to the Emirates hamstrung Wenger and although he’s never publicly spoken about this or complained it’s very obvious this has held the competitiveness of the team on the field back. For that reason alone, he should be acclaimed – to put out a team that has competed in the top 3 for so many years when the nett spend is so little is remarkable; to do so in the days of Chelsea and Manchester City is astonishing. Wenger’s constant eye for developing talent has ensured that Arsenal have challenged at times despite never looking like they’d win the league.
Working in the City, I talk with lots of Arsenal fans. Many have wanted Wenger gone in recent times, and it’s easy to see why from a “plastic” point of view. But I think people miss the point; he’s not been given the same tools as other clubs to build the team he wanted to build. And long term, Arsenal are a substainable business model not laden down with debt. The Emirates cost them big money but the debt of GBP £400m approx has now been whittled down to around GBP £180m approx (according to latest accounts) and it’s only recently (this summer) that Wenger started to spend money on players again.
Regardless of whether Robin Van Persie leaves, the signings of Lukas Podolski, Olivier Giroud and Santi Cazorla will strengthen the Arsenal team from last season, with more to follow. There is lots of deadwood at the club for sure (any of Chamakh, Diaby, Squillaci, Diaby, Denilson, Arshavin, Park and Vela and it’s safe to assume Bendtner has no future there either) but with Steve Bould now assistant manager to drill the defence and the younger players a year older, I’d wager that the future is very, very bright for Arsenal.
Bould in particular deserves mention – a scholar of the “famous back five” defence under George Graham, he has been diligently learning his trade behind the scenes at Arsenal with the youth and reserve teams. His true value will be in instilling old fashioned defensive nous to modern, technical footballers.
They have a good young keeper and in Laurent Koscielny the most improved centre half in the league last season. Sagna is arguably the best right back in the league and getting Wilshere fit alongside Arteta and/or Cazorla would arguably be the best midfield unit in England – though obviously the holding player would be Alex Song (whom should realise he should sit and hold as that’s where his strength lies………) and he’d also need to be integrated into that midfield. On the flanks, Alex Oxlade-Chamberlain is the definition of potential and Theo Walcott is now becoming more consistent. Podolski will play wide left you’d imagine and Gervinho will be better for a season in England.
Van Persie may leave – but it looks more and more unlikely as the start of the season gets nearer – but I’m backing Arsenal to be real contenders for the title this season. They’ve finally got the true strength in depth needed to be title contenders and a manager who has been there, seen it and done it. Do not be surprised if they are still in a situation where they could win the League.
By Matt Elam (@MattRElam)
In Arsene Wenger’s defence, he’s had to deal with lots of various issues that haven’t always been fairly reported over the years. He’s had the departures of Patrick Vieira, Thierry Henry, Sol Campbell, Robert Pires, Ashley Cole and latterly Cesc Fabregas and Samir Nasri to deal with. The first four made up the backbone of the only team in English football history to go unbeaten for a season. If you analyse each departure individually, you could argue that taking the money for Vieria and Henry at the time was good business (certainly their best years were behind them), Sol Campbell left for none footballing reasons, Pires wanted a longer contract at 32. Cole’s situation was widely reported at the time though in reality he chose to back the right horse and go and play under Mourinho.
Arsenal have not been able to compete financially during these years. The move to the Emirates hamstrung Wenger and although he’s never publicly spoken about this or complained it’s very obvious this has held the competitiveness of the team on the field back. For that reason alone, he should be acclaimed – to put out a team that has competed in the top 3 for so many years when the nett spend is so little is remarkable; to do so in the days of Chelsea and Manchester City is astonishing. Wenger’s constant eye for developing talent has ensured that Arsenal have challenged at times despite never looking like they’d win the league.
Working in the City, I talk with lots of Arsenal fans. Many have wanted Wenger gone in recent times, and it’s easy to see why from a “plastic” point of view. But I think people miss the point; he’s not been given the same tools as other clubs to build the team he wanted to build. And long term, Arsenal are a substainable business model not laden down with debt. The Emirates cost them big money but the debt of GBP £400m approx has now been whittled down to around GBP £180m approx (according to latest accounts) and it’s only recently (this summer) that Wenger started to spend money on players again.
Regardless of whether Robin Van Persie leaves, the signings of Lukas Podolski, Olivier Giroud and Santi Cazorla will strengthen the Arsenal team from last season, with more to follow. There is lots of deadwood at the club for sure (any of Chamakh, Diaby, Squillaci, Diaby, Denilson, Arshavin, Park and Vela and it’s safe to assume Bendtner has no future there either) but with Steve Bould now assistant manager to drill the defence and the younger players a year older, I’d wager that the future is very, very bright for Arsenal.
Bould in particular deserves mention – a scholar of the “famous back five” defence under George Graham, he has been diligently learning his trade behind the scenes at Arsenal with the youth and reserve teams. His true value will be in instilling old fashioned defensive nous to modern, technical footballers.
They have a good young keeper and in Laurent Koscielny the most improved centre half in the league last season. Sagna is arguably the best right back in the league and getting Wilshere fit alongside Arteta and/or Cazorla would arguably be the best midfield unit in England – though obviously the holding player would be Alex Song (whom should realise he should sit and hold as that’s where his strength lies………) and he’d also need to be integrated into that midfield. On the flanks, Alex Oxlade-Chamberlain is the definition of potential and Theo Walcott is now becoming more consistent. Podolski will play wide left you’d imagine and Gervinho will be better for a season in England.
Van Persie may leave – but it looks more and more unlikely as the start of the season gets nearer – but I’m backing Arsenal to be real contenders for the title this season. They’ve finally got the true strength in depth needed to be title contenders and a manager who has been there, seen it and done it. Do not be surprised if they are still in a situation where they could win the League.
By Matt Elam (@MattRElam)
West Ham United Season Preview (2012-2013)
First of all a recap, last season the Hammers had an exceptional season in my opinion, the squad that we began the season with was weakened significantly from the side that were relegated with somewhat of a whimper the season prior to last. I had my doubts, as a realist, that this side could regain promotion straight away (we couldn’t do it in 2003-2004 after our previous relegation and arguably we were much better equipped to do so then) and I was certainly settling for a place in the play offs. Never in my mind did I expect the season to conclude as it did. We were up there, all season, top 2, battling with Southampton, but when it came down to it we buckled under pressure from the ever rising force that is Reading FC. For me personally this was horrific, going to school which was dominated by Reading supporters, who had let’s be honest, comfortably done the double over us and risen through the places to take the title out of both ours and Southampton’s hands. We were left with a slim hope of automatic promotion on the final day, but were denied by the saints smashing an already relegated Coventry. As the anthem states: “And like my dreams they fade and die…” And so to the Play Offs, Cardiff away for the first leg, and to put it simply we turned up for those 2 games and arguably played the best we had all season to pummel the bluebirds 5-0 on aggregate (including a 2-0 away win in a foreign country) the Irons were marching to Wembley. So the day came, we travelled early, we sold out (and more!), it is rumoured that there was almost 50,000 hammers in attendance in what could be described as one of our worst performances of the season, but somehow with the help of Carlton Cole’s long leg to flick the ball to Ricky Vaz Te, we sealed our place back in the Premier League to do battle once again with some of our greatest rivals!
Anyway, on to this season and the mountainous task of staying in the Premier League. I can’t say I’m too confident for the coming season, considering we are the worst side in the division prior to the transfer window due to last season’s league finishing. Although we may have bought in some fantastic players such as: James Collins and Mohamed Diame I do not think we have strengthened to the extent of our rivals such as Southampton’s Jay Rodriguez and Reading’s Guthrie, Shorey and Pogrebnyak. It is certainly going to be a difficult season!
Strengths: There is no question that our strengths are typically of a big Sam side, strong physical and attempting to be the dominant force at all times. Players like: Demel, Collins, Tomkins, Nolan and Cole will be a threat both to the physical condition of opponents and in general, I personally think Big Sam will try to gain any leverage he can in what is going to be a difficult season, Matty Taylor will be used frequently, he might not be the most pacey or skilful wide man, but that ‘left peg’ is something which we are going to have to manipulate from dead ball situations to try and gain an attackive advantage.
Weakenesses: The weakeness of West Ham United is the same as it has been ever since Matty Etherington left 5 or so years ago, a lack of creativity, the lack of someone who can pick up the ball and change the game in the wide areas. Some suggest that Vaz Te is capable of doing that, but I can’t see how Vaz Te, on a big stage, is not going to try and be greedy, and even if he does put in a few good performances he’ll be off and on to better things come the January window. Additionally, a lot of people suggest that our weakeness lies upfront, I cannot see how that is the case with the likes of: Cole, Maynard, Baldock, Carew, Piquonne, Vaz Te and Maiga all being a part of our front line (with more expected to come in) that scoring goals is the problem, the finishing is fine, the key problem is generating enough chances to score goals, something which: Taylor, Noble, Nolan, Collison and O’Neill cannot do, largely because none of the players aforementioned are technically wingers.
Attendances: The expectation is that West Ham will sell out virtually all of their away games this season, with exceptions possibly being Sunderland and fixtures with ridiculous times and obscene prices. The home attendances is a different matter, 35,000 is the capacity of the Boleyn Ground, and dependant on the size of following from the away side, I’d expect us to be at around 32-33,000 for the majority of our games this season (With the exceptions of game such as: Chelsea, Tottenham, Man Utd, Man City and Reading)
Prediction: It’s very difficult at this time for anyone to predict where any side will finish in the division due to the frantic transfer activity that can still occur. However I think West Ham will stay up, it won’t be pretty, it won’t be exciting, but I think we’ll do it. This will be down to one man, and one man only, Big Fat Sam. I don’t particularly like the man, his tactics or his choice in signings (lack of youth or creativity) but the underlying fact is that Sam is extremely experienced at doing exactly what is needed, his arguably organised and ‘bully-ish’ attitude will be difficult to overcome for any side this season, and for that reason I think we will just be okay, providing we don’t take on board too many injuries.
Thanks for reading and good luck to all of you for the coming season, cannot wait!!! #COYI
By Jake Knight (@Knighter10)
Anyway, on to this season and the mountainous task of staying in the Premier League. I can’t say I’m too confident for the coming season, considering we are the worst side in the division prior to the transfer window due to last season’s league finishing. Although we may have bought in some fantastic players such as: James Collins and Mohamed Diame I do not think we have strengthened to the extent of our rivals such as Southampton’s Jay Rodriguez and Reading’s Guthrie, Shorey and Pogrebnyak. It is certainly going to be a difficult season!
Strengths: There is no question that our strengths are typically of a big Sam side, strong physical and attempting to be the dominant force at all times. Players like: Demel, Collins, Tomkins, Nolan and Cole will be a threat both to the physical condition of opponents and in general, I personally think Big Sam will try to gain any leverage he can in what is going to be a difficult season, Matty Taylor will be used frequently, he might not be the most pacey or skilful wide man, but that ‘left peg’ is something which we are going to have to manipulate from dead ball situations to try and gain an attackive advantage.
Weakenesses: The weakeness of West Ham United is the same as it has been ever since Matty Etherington left 5 or so years ago, a lack of creativity, the lack of someone who can pick up the ball and change the game in the wide areas. Some suggest that Vaz Te is capable of doing that, but I can’t see how Vaz Te, on a big stage, is not going to try and be greedy, and even if he does put in a few good performances he’ll be off and on to better things come the January window. Additionally, a lot of people suggest that our weakeness lies upfront, I cannot see how that is the case with the likes of: Cole, Maynard, Baldock, Carew, Piquonne, Vaz Te and Maiga all being a part of our front line (with more expected to come in) that scoring goals is the problem, the finishing is fine, the key problem is generating enough chances to score goals, something which: Taylor, Noble, Nolan, Collison and O’Neill cannot do, largely because none of the players aforementioned are technically wingers.
Attendances: The expectation is that West Ham will sell out virtually all of their away games this season, with exceptions possibly being Sunderland and fixtures with ridiculous times and obscene prices. The home attendances is a different matter, 35,000 is the capacity of the Boleyn Ground, and dependant on the size of following from the away side, I’d expect us to be at around 32-33,000 for the majority of our games this season (With the exceptions of game such as: Chelsea, Tottenham, Man Utd, Man City and Reading)
Prediction: It’s very difficult at this time for anyone to predict where any side will finish in the division due to the frantic transfer activity that can still occur. However I think West Ham will stay up, it won’t be pretty, it won’t be exciting, but I think we’ll do it. This will be down to one man, and one man only, Big Fat Sam. I don’t particularly like the man, his tactics or his choice in signings (lack of youth or creativity) but the underlying fact is that Sam is extremely experienced at doing exactly what is needed, his arguably organised and ‘bully-ish’ attitude will be difficult to overcome for any side this season, and for that reason I think we will just be okay, providing we don’t take on board too many injuries.
Thanks for reading and good luck to all of you for the coming season, cannot wait!!! #COYI
By Jake Knight (@Knighter10)
How Cazorla could change everything
A year is a long time in football, a saying that can be perfectly illustrated by the situation at Arsenal. Around this time last year, Arsenal were about to lose their 2 best players, the creativity of Samir Nasri and their talisman Cesc Fabregas. The fans were becoming disillusioned with Arsene Wenger and when Arsenal slumped to an 8-2 defeat at the hands of Manchester United in late August, things were looking catastrophic. However Wenger refused to give in, some panic buying in the transfer market saw the signing of Mikel Arteta who proved extremely influential in the Arsenal midfield and did help compensate for the loss of Fabregas. Arsenal however still looked as though they were going to miss out on top 4 football for a good portion of the season although they did eventually manage to rally and finish 3rd in the table, although they were some way behind Manchester United in 2nd.
Wenger therefore would have been hoping to have a much more pleasant 2012 summer transfer window. These hopes however were thrown out the window when club captain Robin Van Persie announced that he would not be signing a new contract at the club. This again gave Wenger a headache. Van Persie had struck 30 gaols in the previous season and had been crucial in Arsenal's success. Wenger however reacted quickly making two signings early, bringing in Oliver Giroud of Montpellier and Lukas Podolski of Koln. The big signing that everyone is talking about however is that of Santi Cazorla from Malaga for a fee of around £15 million.
This signing is one that has got the fans excited. Cazorla has over 50 appearances for Spain, a real achievement when one looks at the crop of players to choose from in the Spanish squad. Cazorla also looked extremely lively in his debut season for Malaga scoring 9 goals and assisting in a further 6, good stats that Wenger will hope can be even better when Cazorla pulls on his Arsenal shirt. Wenger will no doubt have brought in Cazorla to fill the void left by Nasri. They are similar players and Cazorla should be able to provide the spark the Arsenal midfield so desperately needs and goals from midfield are something that Arsenal sorely missed last season.
However, the Santi Cazrola signing is one that could have one other huge benefit for Arsenal. There has been a lot of speculation regarding the move of Robin Van Persie in the last week with many papers reporting that the reason that Sir Alex Ferguson missed Manchester United's pre season game on Sunday against Valerenga was because he had stayed in Manchester in an attempt to wrap up the signing of Van Persie. However in the last week we have seen Roberto Mancini the Manchester City manager state that he did not believe City would sign Van Persie and Juventus also seem to be out of the race and are shifting interest towards Liverpool's Luis Suarez. This added to the fact that reports suggest that Van Persie has travelled to Germany with the squad, could surely mean the possibility of an Arsenal stay is on the cards. The club has certainly shown some ambition and it could have been enough to convince Van Persie to stay, especially if the club are still looking to bring in Nuri Sahin of Real Madrid on loan.
Santi Cazorla's transfer therefore could be a win win situation for Arsenal, the attacking creativity he brings to the squad could be linked up with one of the most dangerous strikers in the Premier League. One half of the battle is won, now Arsenal just need to convince Van Persie to stay.
By Ryan McDowell (@dowelly_)
Wenger therefore would have been hoping to have a much more pleasant 2012 summer transfer window. These hopes however were thrown out the window when club captain Robin Van Persie announced that he would not be signing a new contract at the club. This again gave Wenger a headache. Van Persie had struck 30 gaols in the previous season and had been crucial in Arsenal's success. Wenger however reacted quickly making two signings early, bringing in Oliver Giroud of Montpellier and Lukas Podolski of Koln. The big signing that everyone is talking about however is that of Santi Cazorla from Malaga for a fee of around £15 million.
This signing is one that has got the fans excited. Cazorla has over 50 appearances for Spain, a real achievement when one looks at the crop of players to choose from in the Spanish squad. Cazorla also looked extremely lively in his debut season for Malaga scoring 9 goals and assisting in a further 6, good stats that Wenger will hope can be even better when Cazorla pulls on his Arsenal shirt. Wenger will no doubt have brought in Cazorla to fill the void left by Nasri. They are similar players and Cazorla should be able to provide the spark the Arsenal midfield so desperately needs and goals from midfield are something that Arsenal sorely missed last season.
However, the Santi Cazrola signing is one that could have one other huge benefit for Arsenal. There has been a lot of speculation regarding the move of Robin Van Persie in the last week with many papers reporting that the reason that Sir Alex Ferguson missed Manchester United's pre season game on Sunday against Valerenga was because he had stayed in Manchester in an attempt to wrap up the signing of Van Persie. However in the last week we have seen Roberto Mancini the Manchester City manager state that he did not believe City would sign Van Persie and Juventus also seem to be out of the race and are shifting interest towards Liverpool's Luis Suarez. This added to the fact that reports suggest that Van Persie has travelled to Germany with the squad, could surely mean the possibility of an Arsenal stay is on the cards. The club has certainly shown some ambition and it could have been enough to convince Van Persie to stay, especially if the club are still looking to bring in Nuri Sahin of Real Madrid on loan.
Santi Cazorla's transfer therefore could be a win win situation for Arsenal, the attacking creativity he brings to the squad could be linked up with one of the most dangerous strikers in the Premier League. One half of the battle is won, now Arsenal just need to convince Van Persie to stay.
By Ryan McDowell (@dowelly_)
RVP - To buy or not to buy? Fergie's dilemma.
As I sit down to write this blog entry there was only one real topic on my mind, the Robin Van Persie transfer saga. The RVP stories have been building for a number of months now with the British media widely tipping the dutch striker to move on to pastures new and some made the prediction long before the season had even ended. Robin will no doubt put his decision not to sign a contract extension down to lack of ambition within the club to progress (brings back memories of Rooney a couple of years back). He clearly feels that Arsenal have let too many of their stars go in recent years without really bringing in the marquee signings to replace them and Arsenal's seven seasons without a trophy have convinced him he needs to move on to win silverware and lets be honest, silverware helps a player be remembered for years to come.
The big news for me however with the saga was finding out that Fergie had confirmed that Manchester United had made a bid for Van Persie. Immediately I started to see two very distinct views on the idea. One side were extremely excited (understandably as RVP scored 30 league goals last campaign) and the other side where a lot more realistic in their views, understanding that having Van Persie and Rooney at the club would mean that Danny Welbeck and Javier Hernandez would be fighting almost to be the chosen sub at the club. One fan said to me that he would love to see a Rooney - Van Persie partnership upfront and new signing Shinji Kagawa playing behind them. As exciting as that may sound I personally don't think its the best way forward for United. The saying "if it ain't broke, don't fix it" springs to mind. Fair enough City beat United to the league, but for all he superstars they bought, they only managed to do it on goal difference. The style United had last season worked fine, Rooney played some sensational football in his free role and Danny Welbeck exploded onto the scene big time although Sir Alex recently said that he wants Welbeck to score closer to 20 goals rather than the 9 he managed last season but he is certainly capable.
Welbeck has the potential to be a star for club and country in the coming years and Manchester United MUST hold on to his services, not buying RVP, who honestly, I don't even think suits the United system that well would be a huge sign of faith in the ability and importance of Hernandez but especially Welbeck, and hopefully Danny would pledge his future to United and get on with growing and reaching his full potential. United could do well to further strengthen their midfield with Lucas Moura looking possible and the defence could be beefed up if the Leighton Baines rumours are to be believed, Fergie did say that he would be bringing at least one more player in this transfer window and one of the latter would, in my opinion, be more beneficial in the long term to United, especially considering Van Persie will be 29 when the season kicks off again.
However, maybe I'm being too negative here. As a Manchester United fan I must admit, the sight of Robin Van Persie banging in 25 goals in a United shirt alongside a similar tally from Rooney sends streaks of happiness through my body and it should do for any fan of the club. Robin virtually carried the Arsenal team at times last season and apart from Alex Song, there wasn't exactly an abundance of creative talent in the side. It is indeed a scary thought when you think about what he could be capable of with Scholes, Rooney, Valencia, Nani etc linking up with him and launching crosses in at him.
Finally however, its back down to earth. Robin has had his fair share of injury problems and I seriously don't think 3 or 4 years of top form RVP with the injury risks is better for United than the possibility of 10 years of Danny Welbeck. Signing Van Persie will make the current contract negotiations much more difficult as Welbeck may feel that he won't get the necessary playing time. RVP then probably doesn't belong at Old Trafford, but boy would it make for an interesting headline.
By Ryan McDowell (@dowelly_)
The big news for me however with the saga was finding out that Fergie had confirmed that Manchester United had made a bid for Van Persie. Immediately I started to see two very distinct views on the idea. One side were extremely excited (understandably as RVP scored 30 league goals last campaign) and the other side where a lot more realistic in their views, understanding that having Van Persie and Rooney at the club would mean that Danny Welbeck and Javier Hernandez would be fighting almost to be the chosen sub at the club. One fan said to me that he would love to see a Rooney - Van Persie partnership upfront and new signing Shinji Kagawa playing behind them. As exciting as that may sound I personally don't think its the best way forward for United. The saying "if it ain't broke, don't fix it" springs to mind. Fair enough City beat United to the league, but for all he superstars they bought, they only managed to do it on goal difference. The style United had last season worked fine, Rooney played some sensational football in his free role and Danny Welbeck exploded onto the scene big time although Sir Alex recently said that he wants Welbeck to score closer to 20 goals rather than the 9 he managed last season but he is certainly capable.
Welbeck has the potential to be a star for club and country in the coming years and Manchester United MUST hold on to his services, not buying RVP, who honestly, I don't even think suits the United system that well would be a huge sign of faith in the ability and importance of Hernandez but especially Welbeck, and hopefully Danny would pledge his future to United and get on with growing and reaching his full potential. United could do well to further strengthen their midfield with Lucas Moura looking possible and the defence could be beefed up if the Leighton Baines rumours are to be believed, Fergie did say that he would be bringing at least one more player in this transfer window and one of the latter would, in my opinion, be more beneficial in the long term to United, especially considering Van Persie will be 29 when the season kicks off again.
However, maybe I'm being too negative here. As a Manchester United fan I must admit, the sight of Robin Van Persie banging in 25 goals in a United shirt alongside a similar tally from Rooney sends streaks of happiness through my body and it should do for any fan of the club. Robin virtually carried the Arsenal team at times last season and apart from Alex Song, there wasn't exactly an abundance of creative talent in the side. It is indeed a scary thought when you think about what he could be capable of with Scholes, Rooney, Valencia, Nani etc linking up with him and launching crosses in at him.
Finally however, its back down to earth. Robin has had his fair share of injury problems and I seriously don't think 3 or 4 years of top form RVP with the injury risks is better for United than the possibility of 10 years of Danny Welbeck. Signing Van Persie will make the current contract negotiations much more difficult as Welbeck may feel that he won't get the necessary playing time. RVP then probably doesn't belong at Old Trafford, but boy would it make for an interesting headline.
By Ryan McDowell (@dowelly_)
Sunderland AFC Season Preview 2012/13
The last few seasons has seen the fans of Sunderland been used to the club being very active in the transfer market with last summer seeing 11 new players coming through the door at the Stadium of Light. This summer has marked a different approach towards the transfer window and only Carlos Cuellar has so far walked through the doors.
Clearing the deadwood in the club has been Martin O’Neill’s main aim so far this summer and he has had some success with 18 playing staff so far leaving the club with notable names including £9 million goalkeeper Craig Gordon and Ghanaian international Asamoah Gyan who completed a permanent transfer to UAE club Al-Ain. Trimming the squad was a must, the wage bill at the club was way to high with players such as George McCarthy and Marcos Angeleri all commanding high wages at the club despite not playing one game for the club last season.
The main problem Sunderland must address if they want to succeed in their target for a top half finish this coming season is to find a quality striker, too many times the club found themselves on top in games last season only to struggle to put the ball in the back of the net. This is shown by the fact that no Sunderland player reached double figures in the Premiership last season with Nicklas Bendtnar only mustering up 8 goals on front, a figure that Stephane Sessegnon and Seb Larsson matched. Martin O’Neill seems to favour Scottish international Steven Fletcher as the answer to this problem but with one bid of £10 million rejected it remains to be seen whether he will come back with a improved offer or if he will look to the continent for the answer.
With the addition of Carlos Cuellar in the Sunderland backline Martin O’Neill will be reasonably happy with the depth he has in the centre back positions although with Wes Brown’s ongoing injury concerns he may look to add another centre back or look to bring through youngsters Louis Laing or John Egan from the clubs academy. One area which has brought uncertainty in recent years is the left back position, Assuming that O’Neill plans to play Phil Bardsley in the right back position that means the club is only left with Kieran Richardson to play there but there are still a lot of fans that doubt that left back is his best position and with links to Blackburn’s Martin Olson in recent weeks it suggests that O’Neill would like to play Richardson higher up the pitch.
The midfield so far this summer has remained unchanged from last season. In the centre of the pitch Lee Cattermole, Craig Gardner, David Vaughan and Jack Colback will all be vying for places but for all the industry they offer in the middle of the pitch creativity was a problem last season with the four only offering a combined 7 goals and 3 assists between them. On the right wing Seb Larsson will be looking to build on a solid opening season where the wide man scored 8 goals and O’Neill will be hoping he will be as deadly on set pieces as he was last season.
After setting the Premier League alight last season James McClean will be hoping to keep his fine form going into the new season but this time he won’t be a unknown package and he must prove he can have the same effect in games when coming up against teams who will have a clear game plan to keep the Ireland International quiet. One thing O’Neill hinted at trying last season was playing James McClean from the right wing allowing him to cut in from the right, this suggests the rumours that O’Neill could be interested in bring Aiden McGeady from CSKA Moscow could have some truth behind it especially as he is a player O’Neill rated highly from his time as Celtic manager.
Perhaps Sunderland’s best piece of business on top of a much needed centre forward will be keeping Benin international Stephane Sessegnon at the Stadium Of Light. Last season he was the lynchpin of the attack contributing to a to total of 40.5% of Sunderland’s goals with 9 assists and 8 goals to his name. This has brought the reported interest from Tottenham and Arsenal for the player who may be interested in a move to be closer to his family who failed to settle in Wearside and moved back to Paris.
All in all most fans at the club are cautiously optimistic on the forthcoming season and although a few fans are getting inpatient with the lack of activity of players coming in the club looks seemingly in safe hands under the guidance of Martin O’Neill where the club will be hoping to secure their position in the middle reaches of the Premier League with the long term aim of getting into Europe in the coming years.
By Stuart Kirk (@Kirkie88)
Clearing the deadwood in the club has been Martin O’Neill’s main aim so far this summer and he has had some success with 18 playing staff so far leaving the club with notable names including £9 million goalkeeper Craig Gordon and Ghanaian international Asamoah Gyan who completed a permanent transfer to UAE club Al-Ain. Trimming the squad was a must, the wage bill at the club was way to high with players such as George McCarthy and Marcos Angeleri all commanding high wages at the club despite not playing one game for the club last season.
The main problem Sunderland must address if they want to succeed in their target for a top half finish this coming season is to find a quality striker, too many times the club found themselves on top in games last season only to struggle to put the ball in the back of the net. This is shown by the fact that no Sunderland player reached double figures in the Premiership last season with Nicklas Bendtnar only mustering up 8 goals on front, a figure that Stephane Sessegnon and Seb Larsson matched. Martin O’Neill seems to favour Scottish international Steven Fletcher as the answer to this problem but with one bid of £10 million rejected it remains to be seen whether he will come back with a improved offer or if he will look to the continent for the answer.
With the addition of Carlos Cuellar in the Sunderland backline Martin O’Neill will be reasonably happy with the depth he has in the centre back positions although with Wes Brown’s ongoing injury concerns he may look to add another centre back or look to bring through youngsters Louis Laing or John Egan from the clubs academy. One area which has brought uncertainty in recent years is the left back position, Assuming that O’Neill plans to play Phil Bardsley in the right back position that means the club is only left with Kieran Richardson to play there but there are still a lot of fans that doubt that left back is his best position and with links to Blackburn’s Martin Olson in recent weeks it suggests that O’Neill would like to play Richardson higher up the pitch.
The midfield so far this summer has remained unchanged from last season. In the centre of the pitch Lee Cattermole, Craig Gardner, David Vaughan and Jack Colback will all be vying for places but for all the industry they offer in the middle of the pitch creativity was a problem last season with the four only offering a combined 7 goals and 3 assists between them. On the right wing Seb Larsson will be looking to build on a solid opening season where the wide man scored 8 goals and O’Neill will be hoping he will be as deadly on set pieces as he was last season.
After setting the Premier League alight last season James McClean will be hoping to keep his fine form going into the new season but this time he won’t be a unknown package and he must prove he can have the same effect in games when coming up against teams who will have a clear game plan to keep the Ireland International quiet. One thing O’Neill hinted at trying last season was playing James McClean from the right wing allowing him to cut in from the right, this suggests the rumours that O’Neill could be interested in bring Aiden McGeady from CSKA Moscow could have some truth behind it especially as he is a player O’Neill rated highly from his time as Celtic manager.
Perhaps Sunderland’s best piece of business on top of a much needed centre forward will be keeping Benin international Stephane Sessegnon at the Stadium Of Light. Last season he was the lynchpin of the attack contributing to a to total of 40.5% of Sunderland’s goals with 9 assists and 8 goals to his name. This has brought the reported interest from Tottenham and Arsenal for the player who may be interested in a move to be closer to his family who failed to settle in Wearside and moved back to Paris.
All in all most fans at the club are cautiously optimistic on the forthcoming season and although a few fans are getting inpatient with the lack of activity of players coming in the club looks seemingly in safe hands under the guidance of Martin O’Neill where the club will be hoping to secure their position in the middle reaches of the Premier League with the long term aim of getting into Europe in the coming years.
By Stuart Kirk (@Kirkie88)
Tottenham Season Preview 2012/13
The journey for the average Tottenham supporter over the last five years has been an eventful one. Marooned at the foot of the Barclay Premier League under Juande Ramos before the arrival of Harry Redknapp, the former West Ham and Portsmouth boss embarked on a mission to revive and return the north London club to the sharp end of English football. Within eighteen months Tottenham were indeed back at the top table, crossing swords with the likes of Inter Milan and Real Madrid and ensuring that the traditional English ‘top four’ became, along with Manchester City, a top six.
Whilst City’s expenditure guaranteed their place in the upper echelon of English and European football, Tottenham’s ascension deserved all the more credit for its more conservative spending by comparison, but also for the way they have remained faithful to their philosophy of stylish attacking football. At the outset Redknapp showed a commitment to a traditional 4-4-2 formation (occasionally 4-4-1-1 with van der Vaart slightly withdrawn) with width and pace that produced a brand of football at times exhilarating to watch. Young players such as Kyle Walker and Gareth Bale were given the chance to progress in the first team and became established stars, blended carefully with experienced campaigners such as Scott Parker, William Gallas, Brad Freidel and home-grown talisman Ledley King. Tottenham rose to third in the table at the start of 2012, hunting down the Manchester clubs above them and putting distance between them and a troubled Chelsea and misfiring Arsenal below. There had been no better time in recent memory to be a Tottenham fan.
Fast-forward six months and the picture is a starkly contrasting one. Redknapp, having been courted by top clubs and countries alike, is gone after an awful run of results that saw them overhauled by Arsenal and dumped unceremoniously out of the FA Cup by Chelsea. Furthermore, in spite of another fourth placed finish, Champions League football has again been denied after Chelsea’s triumphs over Barcelona and Bayern Munich in a manner that often defied belief. And, in a development in keeping with the bizarre sense of irony that has engulfed Spurs fans of late, the man at the helm now is Andre Villas Boas, the man whose removal at Chelsea prompted them to rediscover how to win games of football. Their best player, Luka Modric, and their top goal scorer last year, Emmanuel Adebayor, both look set to leave and, with apologies to central defender Jan Vetongen and midfielder Gilfi Sigurdsson, there have been no marquee signings to lift the spirits. Gareth Bale looks unlikely to be fit for the start of the season after a crude and frustratingly unpunished challenge by Liverpool’s Charlie Adam in a preseason friendly, little progress appears to have been made publicly on a new stadium, the rock Ledley King has been forced to retire and the campaign starts with a tricky trip to Newcastle in less than two weeks.
This season represents a huge test for the new man. At times lambasted for his perceived lack of sensitivity and people skills when handling Chelsea’s ego-saturated dressing room, and sacked by a club that went on to win European football’s greatest prize without him, AVB has much to prove. Success with Spurs would re-establish his credentials as one of Europe’s brightest young coaching talents. Failure would deal a blow to his career from which it would undoubtedly be difficult to recover. Open about his own failings as well as about his feeling towards his former employers in west London, he has the chance to repair the damage to his reputation at Tottenham, but will have to convince his new club’s supporters and not just chairman Daniel Levy that he is the real deal at this level. This will be made tougher by virtue of his predecessor’s enduring popularity in the stands at White Hart Lane, if not in the boardroom. This is perhaps set to be the season that defines AVB’s career. The club’s targets cannot and will not change even in the face of some much better funded competition; Champions league qualification and continuing improvement towards the summit of the Premier League, all whilst continuing to play football ‘the Spurs way’.
What positives can AVB cling to? There is no doubt that the task he faces is a daunting one, but it could be argued that it is less daunting than the one he attempted at Chelsea. Tottenham’s current playing squad is younger than the one he inherited at Stamford Bridge, and already play a type of football closer to that which he instilled at Porto and attempted to force upon the Blues. There are fewer dominant, volatile and/or high profile personalities to manage; no Drogba histrionics, power struggles with Terry and Lampard, or public relations nightmare’s such as £50m man Fernando Torres’ profligacy in front of goal or Ashley Cole shooting at people. He instead inherits a young and talented squad who were always happy to line up behind Redknapp, and who have quietly threatened the top teams for some time without landing a memorable blow. The appointment betrays a huge amount of faith in his ability on the part of Levy, a notoriously cautious chairman, and he will be further buoyed by the return fitness of Dawson, Huddlestone and Jenas, key players in past seasons who have something to prove themselves after long injury lay-offs. Bale and Walker represent the two of the standout British young talents at present, and in Scott Parker he has probably the best holding midfielder in the league (along with Tiote at Newcastle).
The last positive is the man himself. Before his ordeal at Chelsea his record at Porto made for seriously impressive reading and he was, until his appointment last year, the most highly rated young manager in Europe. He has won a European trophy as well as domestic honours in Portugal, and has done so whilst playing attractive football. He will know that this is a golden chance to rehabilitate himself, and thus will be determined to make his time at Spurs a success.
So can AVB produce at Spurs? He simply has to, both for the club and for himself. Will he? We must wait and see, but something suggests that those who wrote him off after his Chelsea ordeal may have to think again. It is well within the current squad to replicate last season’s fourth placed finish, especially if a replacement for Modric can be found who will drive the team from midfield. Liverpool look to be in another period of transition under Bredan Rogers, Arsenal must adjust to life after Robin van Persie, and Newcastle will have to pull out all the stops to replicate their phenomenal showing last term. Spurs may look like a club who perhaps missed their opportunity last year, but with so much on the line, expect them to push again for that top four slot. Anything less, and AVB’s time at Spurs may be his last in the Premier league.
By James Marsh (@jamesmmarsh)
Whilst City’s expenditure guaranteed their place in the upper echelon of English and European football, Tottenham’s ascension deserved all the more credit for its more conservative spending by comparison, but also for the way they have remained faithful to their philosophy of stylish attacking football. At the outset Redknapp showed a commitment to a traditional 4-4-2 formation (occasionally 4-4-1-1 with van der Vaart slightly withdrawn) with width and pace that produced a brand of football at times exhilarating to watch. Young players such as Kyle Walker and Gareth Bale were given the chance to progress in the first team and became established stars, blended carefully with experienced campaigners such as Scott Parker, William Gallas, Brad Freidel and home-grown talisman Ledley King. Tottenham rose to third in the table at the start of 2012, hunting down the Manchester clubs above them and putting distance between them and a troubled Chelsea and misfiring Arsenal below. There had been no better time in recent memory to be a Tottenham fan.
Fast-forward six months and the picture is a starkly contrasting one. Redknapp, having been courted by top clubs and countries alike, is gone after an awful run of results that saw them overhauled by Arsenal and dumped unceremoniously out of the FA Cup by Chelsea. Furthermore, in spite of another fourth placed finish, Champions League football has again been denied after Chelsea’s triumphs over Barcelona and Bayern Munich in a manner that often defied belief. And, in a development in keeping with the bizarre sense of irony that has engulfed Spurs fans of late, the man at the helm now is Andre Villas Boas, the man whose removal at Chelsea prompted them to rediscover how to win games of football. Their best player, Luka Modric, and their top goal scorer last year, Emmanuel Adebayor, both look set to leave and, with apologies to central defender Jan Vetongen and midfielder Gilfi Sigurdsson, there have been no marquee signings to lift the spirits. Gareth Bale looks unlikely to be fit for the start of the season after a crude and frustratingly unpunished challenge by Liverpool’s Charlie Adam in a preseason friendly, little progress appears to have been made publicly on a new stadium, the rock Ledley King has been forced to retire and the campaign starts with a tricky trip to Newcastle in less than two weeks.
This season represents a huge test for the new man. At times lambasted for his perceived lack of sensitivity and people skills when handling Chelsea’s ego-saturated dressing room, and sacked by a club that went on to win European football’s greatest prize without him, AVB has much to prove. Success with Spurs would re-establish his credentials as one of Europe’s brightest young coaching talents. Failure would deal a blow to his career from which it would undoubtedly be difficult to recover. Open about his own failings as well as about his feeling towards his former employers in west London, he has the chance to repair the damage to his reputation at Tottenham, but will have to convince his new club’s supporters and not just chairman Daniel Levy that he is the real deal at this level. This will be made tougher by virtue of his predecessor’s enduring popularity in the stands at White Hart Lane, if not in the boardroom. This is perhaps set to be the season that defines AVB’s career. The club’s targets cannot and will not change even in the face of some much better funded competition; Champions league qualification and continuing improvement towards the summit of the Premier League, all whilst continuing to play football ‘the Spurs way’.
What positives can AVB cling to? There is no doubt that the task he faces is a daunting one, but it could be argued that it is less daunting than the one he attempted at Chelsea. Tottenham’s current playing squad is younger than the one he inherited at Stamford Bridge, and already play a type of football closer to that which he instilled at Porto and attempted to force upon the Blues. There are fewer dominant, volatile and/or high profile personalities to manage; no Drogba histrionics, power struggles with Terry and Lampard, or public relations nightmare’s such as £50m man Fernando Torres’ profligacy in front of goal or Ashley Cole shooting at people. He instead inherits a young and talented squad who were always happy to line up behind Redknapp, and who have quietly threatened the top teams for some time without landing a memorable blow. The appointment betrays a huge amount of faith in his ability on the part of Levy, a notoriously cautious chairman, and he will be further buoyed by the return fitness of Dawson, Huddlestone and Jenas, key players in past seasons who have something to prove themselves after long injury lay-offs. Bale and Walker represent the two of the standout British young talents at present, and in Scott Parker he has probably the best holding midfielder in the league (along with Tiote at Newcastle).
The last positive is the man himself. Before his ordeal at Chelsea his record at Porto made for seriously impressive reading and he was, until his appointment last year, the most highly rated young manager in Europe. He has won a European trophy as well as domestic honours in Portugal, and has done so whilst playing attractive football. He will know that this is a golden chance to rehabilitate himself, and thus will be determined to make his time at Spurs a success.
So can AVB produce at Spurs? He simply has to, both for the club and for himself. Will he? We must wait and see, but something suggests that those who wrote him off after his Chelsea ordeal may have to think again. It is well within the current squad to replicate last season’s fourth placed finish, especially if a replacement for Modric can be found who will drive the team from midfield. Liverpool look to be in another period of transition under Bredan Rogers, Arsenal must adjust to life after Robin van Persie, and Newcastle will have to pull out all the stops to replicate their phenomenal showing last term. Spurs may look like a club who perhaps missed their opportunity last year, but with so much on the line, expect them to push again for that top four slot. Anything less, and AVB’s time at Spurs may be his last in the Premier league.
By James Marsh (@jamesmmarsh)
Top 10 Bargain Transfers in the Premier League
Over the years in the Premier League, there have been tons of bargains in the Premier League, that have turned become a revelation, so here is my Top 10 bargain transfers in the Premier League.
10.
Fabricio Coloccini
Deportivo – Newcastle £10 Million
When Newcastle snapped up the Argentinian centre-back in 2008, he was virtually unknown and it seemed a bit of a risk to splash out £10 Million on a defender yet to learn the secrets of the English game. Infact, the move proved to be one of the best bits of business that the Magpies have ever completed, as Coloccini established himself as one of the league’s top defenders, aswell as delivering some phenomenal performances, full of passion, commitment and desire. Coloccini is now one of the more experienced members of Alan Pardew’s squad and he now leads the team as captain, he has rapidly improved since signing in 2008 and I am a great admirer of the 30-year-old.
9.
Thierry Henry
Juventus – Arsenal
£11 Million
Not many people had heard of the Frenchman, when he arrived at Arsenal in 1999, but he had already played under manager Arsene Wenger at Monaco and the Gunners tactician must of saw something in Henry. £11 Million was quite a hefty fee for a player still only 21 and many may of presumed that the cash would be wasted and feared he would not adapt to the physical English game. Boy were they wrong. Thierry Henry went on to become one of the most successful players ever to grace the hallowed turf of Highbury, Arsene Wenger converted Henry into a striker, instead of a winger and it transformed Henry into a world-class striker, he racked up an unbelievable 174 goals for Arsenal and rightly earnt his status as a club legend. He played a integral part of the club’s ‘Invincibles’ period when Arsenal went 49 games unbeaten in 2002/03 season, scooping the Premier League title and Fa Cup. He regularly tore teams apart with his sensational control, blistering pace and thunderbolt of a shot, he oozed class and scored a bunch of goals throughout every season. The Gunners then made a huge profit on the French star, by selling him to Barcelona in 2007 for 24 million, he made a short comeback last season on loan but now plays for New York Red Bulls. One of the greatest players ever to play in the Premier League and a true Arsenal great.
8.
Peter Schmeichel
Brondby – Man United
£505,000
No-one had heard of the Danish stopper when Sir Alex Ferguson snapped him up in 1991, but he would go on to become one of the World’s greatest Goal-Keepers. He was absolutely outstanding for the Red Devils and he made some memorable saves and put in some brave displays. He was the real spine of the glorious United side in the 90′s and despite all the brilliant football that was being played further up the pitch, it was Schmeichel who won Fergie his titles. At £505,000 it was an absolutely steal of a deal, Schmeichel went on to achieve some great things in the game, at United and with other teams. Sir Alex Ferguson hailed the signing of Schmeichel as ‘the bargain of the century’ and he really does have a point.
7.
Dimitar Berbatov
Bayer Leverkusen – Spurs
£10.9 Million
Another player who was unknown when he made the move to England in 2006. He made an instant impact at Spurs and was a real fans favourite in the period of time he spent at White Hart Lane. In his first season at Spurs he was awarded for his dazzling displays with the Spurs Player of the Season and was named in the PFA Team of the Year. As soon as he moved to the English top-tier his ability was clear, he set the premier league alight immediately and took it by storm. Spurs then made a massive sum of money on the Bulgarian forward, when he swapped London for Manchester, by signing for Man United for a fee of £30 Million. He continued to come up with the goods for the Reds, but recently he has been isolated and has found it difficult to retain his spot in Fergie’s starting 11 ahead of Rooney, Welbeck and Hernandez, its disappointing because he is such a classy player and one I have always rated, and for a fee of £10 Million, he was a excellent signing for Spurs at the time.
6.
Juninho
Sao Paulo – Middlesbrough
£4.75 Million
Juninho was a surprise signing for Boro in1995, after being tracked by a host of top European clubs, It was the North-East which was his next destination. He became one of the greatest ever players to play for Middlesbrough and was the centre of the Boro side that boasted the talent of foreign exports such as Fabrizio Ravanelli and Emerson. He was known as ‘the little fella’ by the supporters of the Teesiders and really stole their hearts with his excellent skill, vision and play-making abilities. He was a key member of the side that reached both the FA and League Cup in 1997, yet was sent down to the Championship after being deducted 3 points. That season, he was runner up in the Football Writers Player of the Year and had a terrific campaign. For the time he spent in the North-East, he brought a new philosophy of entertaining and attractive football to the Premier League. He was a fantastic player and for what he brought to the game, I think £4.75 Million is exceptional value for a player of his talent. He was also sold on to Atletico Madrid for £12 Million and returned to the Riverside Stadium 2 more times, an absolute bargain.
5.
Martin Laursen
A.C Milan – Aston Villa
£3 Million
Martin Laursen, you might not remember too vividly, but I always will, an inspirational captain and leader and a beast of a centre-half. Signed by Villa in 2004, he had the potential to be a premier league legend, it was a shame that his career was cut short through injury because I really enjoyed watching him, he was a true role model, a great professional. He was as complete as a defender can get, he could bring the ball out, comfortable on the ball, vocal, could read the game, powerful in the air and a fierce tackler. He spent 5 years at Villa Park, although he could of played a lot longer if he hadn’t suffered from injuries. Laursen never really reached the heights he could of reached due to his ever present difficulties on the treatment table. However I still regard him as a true hero because he was such a good player to watch, £3 Million was a great deal for Villa as he served them brillantly and they could of made bags of money on him, if he’d stayed fit and not been forced to retire in 2009.
4.
Vincent Kompany
Hamburg – Man City
£6 Million
I’ll admit it, when Kompany first signed for City 4 years ago, I wasn’t too familiar with the Belgian, I just thought it would be another normal signing, but it proved to be one of the most important that the blues have ever made. If you said to me 4 years ago (when he signed), Vincent Kompany, will become one of the world’s best defenders and lift the Premier League trophy with Man City, I’d of probably ripped your head off! When he made his debut for the blues, I was very impressed, it was in a 3-0 home win against West Ham, he was playing in the holding role in midfield, allowing Elano and Ireland to attack, whilst sticking to his defensive duties. But since then, he has only grown into one of the world’s most complete defenders, accompanied with confidence on the ball and tremendous reading of the game. He was outstanding for the past two seasons, being named in the PFA Team of the Year twice and rightly earning the Premier League Player of the Season. Every time he comes up against a top-class striker like Drogba, Rooney or van Persie, they rarely see the ball, because he marshals them so well, he always wins the battle with opposition players and is fearless in the tackle. A great leader on the pitch, Kompany is worth 10 times more than he was when City brought him in.
3.
Alex Song
Bastia – Arsenal
£1 Million
Song was another player that Arsene Wenger brought in at an extremely young age, with no experience and yet to play at the top level. He was originally signed on loan in 2005 and the move was made permanent a year later. As a 21 year-old it seemed a tough task to force his way into a vibrant Arsenal 11, but at this moment in time, he stands as one of the first names on the teamsheet. He is a very gifted footballer,who can attack and defend, he is not particarly known for his goal-scoring but for his assists and starting of attacks. He formed a scintillating partnership with Cesc Fabregas in midfield and when he left at the start of last season, it was feared it would affect Arsenal a lot. However, Song really stepped up his game even further and shone for the Gunners, providing some wonderful passes over the top for Robin van Persie to latch on to. Known for his versatility and his long-range passing, I am shocked that Bastia only managed to get £1 Million out of Arsenal, I would value him at, at atleast 20 million now!
2.
Eric Cantona
Leeds – Man United
£1.2 Million
After recently winning the First Division Championship with Leeds, Howard Wilkinson made the decision that Cantona was available for transfer and sold him for £1.2 Million to arch-rivals Man United. It turned out to be one of the greatest transfers ever to be made in history, because Cantona sent United on their way to constant Premier League glory, as well as conquering Europe in 1999. He only spent 5 years at Old Trafford, but in that space of time, gave us all some magnificent moments of individual brilliance aswell as serving up his fair share of controversy aswell. He was blessed for superb technique, a lovely touch and perfect vision, he had the ability to see things on the pitch, like he was at the top of the Stretford End. One hell of a footballer who’s value should of been heavily increased!
1.
Cristiano Ronaldo
Sporting Lisbon – Man United
£12.24 Million
How do you replace David Beckham? How do you replace a player who can rip teams apart with his pin-point crossing and expert long-range shooting an d trade-mark free-kicks? Who do you bring in to wear the illustrious number 7 shirt that Best, Cantona and Beckham have graced? The answer is Cristiano Ronaldo. In 2003, United signed this unknown Portugese winger from Sporting Lisbon, he had requested he wear the number 28 jersey, that had been familiar with from his time with Sporting, but Sir Alex Ferguson requested he stepped up to the mark and wear the number 7 shirt. No-one had expected him to become such a legendary player, he used to fall over his own feet and he had a silly haircut. Yet he went on to come up with the goods on a regular basis for the Reds, he scored some beautiful goals for United, some exceptional free-kicks, wonderful solo goals and some goals full of undoubtable skill and quality. He near enough won games on his own and was inspirational in holding off the challenge of Chelsea and Arsenal in the Premier League. He scored a rocket free-kick against Portsmouth and a stunning strike just inside the Porto half in the away tie against Porto in the Champions League, 2 of the unforgettable moments he unleashes whilst playing for United. Ronaldo grabbed the attention and settled in quickly at Old Trafford, but his ability is amazing, his skill, his shot, everything about him is flawless, its as if he’s the complete footballer and athlete. United made an enormous profit on the Portugese phenomenon, when they sold him to Real Madrid for a world-record £80 Million. A prodigy, transformed into a legend, Ronaldo is my top bargain in the history of the Premier League.
By Josh Lawless (@BackOfTheNetJL)
10.
Fabricio Coloccini
Deportivo – Newcastle £10 Million
When Newcastle snapped up the Argentinian centre-back in 2008, he was virtually unknown and it seemed a bit of a risk to splash out £10 Million on a defender yet to learn the secrets of the English game. Infact, the move proved to be one of the best bits of business that the Magpies have ever completed, as Coloccini established himself as one of the league’s top defenders, aswell as delivering some phenomenal performances, full of passion, commitment and desire. Coloccini is now one of the more experienced members of Alan Pardew’s squad and he now leads the team as captain, he has rapidly improved since signing in 2008 and I am a great admirer of the 30-year-old.
9.
Thierry Henry
Juventus – Arsenal
£11 Million
Not many people had heard of the Frenchman, when he arrived at Arsenal in 1999, but he had already played under manager Arsene Wenger at Monaco and the Gunners tactician must of saw something in Henry. £11 Million was quite a hefty fee for a player still only 21 and many may of presumed that the cash would be wasted and feared he would not adapt to the physical English game. Boy were they wrong. Thierry Henry went on to become one of the most successful players ever to grace the hallowed turf of Highbury, Arsene Wenger converted Henry into a striker, instead of a winger and it transformed Henry into a world-class striker, he racked up an unbelievable 174 goals for Arsenal and rightly earnt his status as a club legend. He played a integral part of the club’s ‘Invincibles’ period when Arsenal went 49 games unbeaten in 2002/03 season, scooping the Premier League title and Fa Cup. He regularly tore teams apart with his sensational control, blistering pace and thunderbolt of a shot, he oozed class and scored a bunch of goals throughout every season. The Gunners then made a huge profit on the French star, by selling him to Barcelona in 2007 for 24 million, he made a short comeback last season on loan but now plays for New York Red Bulls. One of the greatest players ever to play in the Premier League and a true Arsenal great.
8.
Peter Schmeichel
Brondby – Man United
£505,000
No-one had heard of the Danish stopper when Sir Alex Ferguson snapped him up in 1991, but he would go on to become one of the World’s greatest Goal-Keepers. He was absolutely outstanding for the Red Devils and he made some memorable saves and put in some brave displays. He was the real spine of the glorious United side in the 90′s and despite all the brilliant football that was being played further up the pitch, it was Schmeichel who won Fergie his titles. At £505,000 it was an absolutely steal of a deal, Schmeichel went on to achieve some great things in the game, at United and with other teams. Sir Alex Ferguson hailed the signing of Schmeichel as ‘the bargain of the century’ and he really does have a point.
7.
Dimitar Berbatov
Bayer Leverkusen – Spurs
£10.9 Million
Another player who was unknown when he made the move to England in 2006. He made an instant impact at Spurs and was a real fans favourite in the period of time he spent at White Hart Lane. In his first season at Spurs he was awarded for his dazzling displays with the Spurs Player of the Season and was named in the PFA Team of the Year. As soon as he moved to the English top-tier his ability was clear, he set the premier league alight immediately and took it by storm. Spurs then made a massive sum of money on the Bulgarian forward, when he swapped London for Manchester, by signing for Man United for a fee of £30 Million. He continued to come up with the goods for the Reds, but recently he has been isolated and has found it difficult to retain his spot in Fergie’s starting 11 ahead of Rooney, Welbeck and Hernandez, its disappointing because he is such a classy player and one I have always rated, and for a fee of £10 Million, he was a excellent signing for Spurs at the time.
6.
Juninho
Sao Paulo – Middlesbrough
£4.75 Million
Juninho was a surprise signing for Boro in1995, after being tracked by a host of top European clubs, It was the North-East which was his next destination. He became one of the greatest ever players to play for Middlesbrough and was the centre of the Boro side that boasted the talent of foreign exports such as Fabrizio Ravanelli and Emerson. He was known as ‘the little fella’ by the supporters of the Teesiders and really stole their hearts with his excellent skill, vision and play-making abilities. He was a key member of the side that reached both the FA and League Cup in 1997, yet was sent down to the Championship after being deducted 3 points. That season, he was runner up in the Football Writers Player of the Year and had a terrific campaign. For the time he spent in the North-East, he brought a new philosophy of entertaining and attractive football to the Premier League. He was a fantastic player and for what he brought to the game, I think £4.75 Million is exceptional value for a player of his talent. He was also sold on to Atletico Madrid for £12 Million and returned to the Riverside Stadium 2 more times, an absolute bargain.
5.
Martin Laursen
A.C Milan – Aston Villa
£3 Million
Martin Laursen, you might not remember too vividly, but I always will, an inspirational captain and leader and a beast of a centre-half. Signed by Villa in 2004, he had the potential to be a premier league legend, it was a shame that his career was cut short through injury because I really enjoyed watching him, he was a true role model, a great professional. He was as complete as a defender can get, he could bring the ball out, comfortable on the ball, vocal, could read the game, powerful in the air and a fierce tackler. He spent 5 years at Villa Park, although he could of played a lot longer if he hadn’t suffered from injuries. Laursen never really reached the heights he could of reached due to his ever present difficulties on the treatment table. However I still regard him as a true hero because he was such a good player to watch, £3 Million was a great deal for Villa as he served them brillantly and they could of made bags of money on him, if he’d stayed fit and not been forced to retire in 2009.
4.
Vincent Kompany
Hamburg – Man City
£6 Million
I’ll admit it, when Kompany first signed for City 4 years ago, I wasn’t too familiar with the Belgian, I just thought it would be another normal signing, but it proved to be one of the most important that the blues have ever made. If you said to me 4 years ago (when he signed), Vincent Kompany, will become one of the world’s best defenders and lift the Premier League trophy with Man City, I’d of probably ripped your head off! When he made his debut for the blues, I was very impressed, it was in a 3-0 home win against West Ham, he was playing in the holding role in midfield, allowing Elano and Ireland to attack, whilst sticking to his defensive duties. But since then, he has only grown into one of the world’s most complete defenders, accompanied with confidence on the ball and tremendous reading of the game. He was outstanding for the past two seasons, being named in the PFA Team of the Year twice and rightly earning the Premier League Player of the Season. Every time he comes up against a top-class striker like Drogba, Rooney or van Persie, they rarely see the ball, because he marshals them so well, he always wins the battle with opposition players and is fearless in the tackle. A great leader on the pitch, Kompany is worth 10 times more than he was when City brought him in.
3.
Alex Song
Bastia – Arsenal
£1 Million
Song was another player that Arsene Wenger brought in at an extremely young age, with no experience and yet to play at the top level. He was originally signed on loan in 2005 and the move was made permanent a year later. As a 21 year-old it seemed a tough task to force his way into a vibrant Arsenal 11, but at this moment in time, he stands as one of the first names on the teamsheet. He is a very gifted footballer,who can attack and defend, he is not particarly known for his goal-scoring but for his assists and starting of attacks. He formed a scintillating partnership with Cesc Fabregas in midfield and when he left at the start of last season, it was feared it would affect Arsenal a lot. However, Song really stepped up his game even further and shone for the Gunners, providing some wonderful passes over the top for Robin van Persie to latch on to. Known for his versatility and his long-range passing, I am shocked that Bastia only managed to get £1 Million out of Arsenal, I would value him at, at atleast 20 million now!
2.
Eric Cantona
Leeds – Man United
£1.2 Million
After recently winning the First Division Championship with Leeds, Howard Wilkinson made the decision that Cantona was available for transfer and sold him for £1.2 Million to arch-rivals Man United. It turned out to be one of the greatest transfers ever to be made in history, because Cantona sent United on their way to constant Premier League glory, as well as conquering Europe in 1999. He only spent 5 years at Old Trafford, but in that space of time, gave us all some magnificent moments of individual brilliance aswell as serving up his fair share of controversy aswell. He was blessed for superb technique, a lovely touch and perfect vision, he had the ability to see things on the pitch, like he was at the top of the Stretford End. One hell of a footballer who’s value should of been heavily increased!
1.
Cristiano Ronaldo
Sporting Lisbon – Man United
£12.24 Million
How do you replace David Beckham? How do you replace a player who can rip teams apart with his pin-point crossing and expert long-range shooting an d trade-mark free-kicks? Who do you bring in to wear the illustrious number 7 shirt that Best, Cantona and Beckham have graced? The answer is Cristiano Ronaldo. In 2003, United signed this unknown Portugese winger from Sporting Lisbon, he had requested he wear the number 28 jersey, that had been familiar with from his time with Sporting, but Sir Alex Ferguson requested he stepped up to the mark and wear the number 7 shirt. No-one had expected him to become such a legendary player, he used to fall over his own feet and he had a silly haircut. Yet he went on to come up with the goods on a regular basis for the Reds, he scored some beautiful goals for United, some exceptional free-kicks, wonderful solo goals and some goals full of undoubtable skill and quality. He near enough won games on his own and was inspirational in holding off the challenge of Chelsea and Arsenal in the Premier League. He scored a rocket free-kick against Portsmouth and a stunning strike just inside the Porto half in the away tie against Porto in the Champions League, 2 of the unforgettable moments he unleashes whilst playing for United. Ronaldo grabbed the attention and settled in quickly at Old Trafford, but his ability is amazing, his skill, his shot, everything about him is flawless, its as if he’s the complete footballer and athlete. United made an enormous profit on the Portugese phenomenon, when they sold him to Real Madrid for a world-record £80 Million. A prodigy, transformed into a legend, Ronaldo is my top bargain in the history of the Premier League.
By Josh Lawless (@BackOfTheNetJL)
What could be Arsenal starting team be against Sunderland?
It began some time before the transfer window had even opened; even before the 2011/12 campaign drew to a close.
The first new arrival was Lukas Podolski; made official in April, the deal had been all but completed at least a month earlier, despite Arsene Wenger’s protestations otherwise.
Olivier Giroud followed soon after and things were looking rosy at the Emirates Stadium until Robin van Persie dropped a bombshell.
The Dutchman’s statement on his website revealing that he would not be signing a new deal to keep him in north London beyond next summer prompted what has now become the biggest transfer saga of the summer.
Unfortunately for the Gunners, Van Persie is not the only one who could be off if the papers are to be believed. Theo Walcott and Alex Song are targets for some of Europe’s biggest clubs this summer – Song in particular is said to be attracted interest from Barcelona, something that will cause real worry amongst Gunners fans.
But while there may be some players leaving there should be a handful of arrivals soon, with Santi Cazorla and Nuri Sahin closing in on signing for the north London club.
Whether the arrival of Podolski and Giroud were attempts to make Van Persie stay or the north London club planning for life without the 28-year-old – the fact Podolski has yet to be allocated a squad number perhaps answers that one – remains to be seen, as does Arsenal’s line up next season.
The impending arrival of Santi Cazorla next season certainly puts a few cats amongst the pigeons. While he was deployed out wide for Malaga for the majority of last season, the Spaniard’s passing stats for 2011/12 bear an uncanny similarity to those of another player soon to leave north London, Luka Modric.
He is just as adept through the middle as he is out wide and has been touted as a long-term replacement for Cesc Fabregas, so Wenger may opt to deploy him through the middle.
With Van Persie on the cusp of leaving Wenger will need to identify a new man to lead the line, and unless Fernando Llorente, a potential target, arrives at the Emirates, Giroud will be charged with spearheading the Arsenal attack.
The big Frenchman is a lot more deft than his hulking frame suggests so Arsenal fans need not worry about long ball becoming the norm at the Emirates, although his size makes him the perfect foil for Cazorla to bounce off, although he is not the most mobile.
Wenger has experimented with Gervinho through the middle in pre-season, but its unlikely the Ivorian will be deployed there this season; Wenger has better options at his disposal while the former Lille man proved himself unreliable in front of goal last time round.
Another interesting move by Wenger is the potential signing of Nuri Sahin. The Turkish midfielder has struggled at Madrid but has a remarkable range of passing – his ability to ping balls from deep to spark counter-attacks is remarkable.
The move for Sahin looks to be quite shrewd, especially as it should be a season-long loan agreement, thus covering for the absence of Jack Wilshere without exposing the club financially. He is likely to push slightly further forward than Mikel Arteta who was deployed much deeper last season, although Sahin’s fine defensive abilities means the two should be fairly interchangeable.
At the back, full-back looks an area in which Arsenal could be vulnerable yet again, especially with Bacary Sagna injured for the start of the season (there have been suggestions we could be about to bring in Gregory Van Der Wiel at a cut price fee.) Carl Jenkinson and Keiran Gibbs will likely get the nod out-wide, while the trusty partnership of Thomas Vermaelen and Laurent Koscielny will be relied upon once again. Arsenal face plenty of upheaval but there should also be reasons to smile; their attacking line up next season, if all their potential deals come off should be explosive - even if they remain vulnerable at the back.
Im expecting a big season, and although it's very difficult not to read the papers and all the gossip, don't believe a thing until it comes out on the official website.
My Potential starting XI v Sunderland (4-2-3-1): Szczesny, Gibbs, Jenkinson, Vermaelen, Koscielny, Arteta, Sahin, Podolski, Cazorla, Gervinho, Giroud
By Matthew Elam (@Mattrelam)
The first new arrival was Lukas Podolski; made official in April, the deal had been all but completed at least a month earlier, despite Arsene Wenger’s protestations otherwise.
Olivier Giroud followed soon after and things were looking rosy at the Emirates Stadium until Robin van Persie dropped a bombshell.
The Dutchman’s statement on his website revealing that he would not be signing a new deal to keep him in north London beyond next summer prompted what has now become the biggest transfer saga of the summer.
Unfortunately for the Gunners, Van Persie is not the only one who could be off if the papers are to be believed. Theo Walcott and Alex Song are targets for some of Europe’s biggest clubs this summer – Song in particular is said to be attracted interest from Barcelona, something that will cause real worry amongst Gunners fans.
But while there may be some players leaving there should be a handful of arrivals soon, with Santi Cazorla and Nuri Sahin closing in on signing for the north London club.
Whether the arrival of Podolski and Giroud were attempts to make Van Persie stay or the north London club planning for life without the 28-year-old – the fact Podolski has yet to be allocated a squad number perhaps answers that one – remains to be seen, as does Arsenal’s line up next season.
The impending arrival of Santi Cazorla next season certainly puts a few cats amongst the pigeons. While he was deployed out wide for Malaga for the majority of last season, the Spaniard’s passing stats for 2011/12 bear an uncanny similarity to those of another player soon to leave north London, Luka Modric.
He is just as adept through the middle as he is out wide and has been touted as a long-term replacement for Cesc Fabregas, so Wenger may opt to deploy him through the middle.
With Van Persie on the cusp of leaving Wenger will need to identify a new man to lead the line, and unless Fernando Llorente, a potential target, arrives at the Emirates, Giroud will be charged with spearheading the Arsenal attack.
The big Frenchman is a lot more deft than his hulking frame suggests so Arsenal fans need not worry about long ball becoming the norm at the Emirates, although his size makes him the perfect foil for Cazorla to bounce off, although he is not the most mobile.
Wenger has experimented with Gervinho through the middle in pre-season, but its unlikely the Ivorian will be deployed there this season; Wenger has better options at his disposal while the former Lille man proved himself unreliable in front of goal last time round.
Another interesting move by Wenger is the potential signing of Nuri Sahin. The Turkish midfielder has struggled at Madrid but has a remarkable range of passing – his ability to ping balls from deep to spark counter-attacks is remarkable.
The move for Sahin looks to be quite shrewd, especially as it should be a season-long loan agreement, thus covering for the absence of Jack Wilshere without exposing the club financially. He is likely to push slightly further forward than Mikel Arteta who was deployed much deeper last season, although Sahin’s fine defensive abilities means the two should be fairly interchangeable.
At the back, full-back looks an area in which Arsenal could be vulnerable yet again, especially with Bacary Sagna injured for the start of the season (there have been suggestions we could be about to bring in Gregory Van Der Wiel at a cut price fee.) Carl Jenkinson and Keiran Gibbs will likely get the nod out-wide, while the trusty partnership of Thomas Vermaelen and Laurent Koscielny will be relied upon once again. Arsenal face plenty of upheaval but there should also be reasons to smile; their attacking line up next season, if all their potential deals come off should be explosive - even if they remain vulnerable at the back.
Im expecting a big season, and although it's very difficult not to read the papers and all the gossip, don't believe a thing until it comes out on the official website.
My Potential starting XI v Sunderland (4-2-3-1): Szczesny, Gibbs, Jenkinson, Vermaelen, Koscielny, Arteta, Sahin, Podolski, Cazorla, Gervinho, Giroud
By Matthew Elam (@Mattrelam)
Manchester United – 20 on the horizon, or just the Blue Moon?
In a summer famed for its superheroes, both at the box office and at the Olympic Park, it seems fitting that two old foes are locked tight at the top of the domestic tree. Due to a superior goal difference and a stunning twist of fate in May, for the first time in 44 years, Manchester United go into the new season with the blue side of Manchester reigning supreme. That year, United were crown the first English champions of Europe, and the city of Manchester clambered to the very top of the domestic and European footballing ladder.
Fast forward to 2012, and the Manchester clubs are again domestic kings, but City are an altogether more ferocious beast. Wealthy owners and a seemingly endless amount of resources, there are murmurings that they are ready to knock United ‘off their perch.’ There is a sky blue momentum surging through the Premier League, and they are hungry for more. But a wounded beast is one still to be feared, and United are exactly that.
So the big question, where does this leave the Red Devils? If Sergio Aguero hadn’t score that late, late injury time winner against QPR in May, Sir Alex’s team would still be milking the plaudits of a 20th domestic title, and a staggering 13th Premier League championship in 20 years. And this is what will hurt United, the club with a proud tradition of a strong championship finish, didn’t finish well enough.
City didn’t win the title against QPR. They didn’t even win it when Vincent Kompany crashed his header past David De Gea at the Etihad. It was United who lost the title on April 22nd, when Nikola Jelavic and Stephen Pienaar scored late goals at Old Trafford to draw 4-4, a blow from which United never recovered. For a club with the unprecedented knack of winning big games with late goals, they tasted their own medicine, and it was a sour pill to swallow.
Looking forward to the 2012/2013 campaign, Sir Alex’s boys will be predator, intent on inflicting revenge. They’ll want just one thing, ‘their trophy back’. A traditionally early foray into the transfer market brought about the early acquisition of Shinji Kagawa from German double winners Borussia Dortmund. This has definitely whetted the appetite of United fans, a player so cool on the ball, threading the ball through the eye of a needle and with a knack of finding the net. This is also a player that had a better goal to game ratio, as well as a superior assist count than a certain Mr. E. Hazard, now residing in West London. The argument that the Bundesliga is stronger than Ligue 1 is an interesting one, but only time will tell if Kagawa or Hazard is the better value.
One thing for sure is that Kagawa was a huge success at the Westfalenstadion, and after two trophy-laden seasons, £17m may seem like shrewd business. The creative flair player United fan have been crying out for, a player reminiscent of a young Paul Scholes, possibly relieving the pressure on the original, still reluctant to re-enter retirement, and fellow veteran Ryan Giggs, both will need to manage their bodies more carefully than ever before.
The only other signing of note at the time of writing is Crewe youngster Nick Powell, an England Under-19 international, who helped Alexandra seal promotion to League 1 with a stunning star turn at Wembley. Luckily for Sir Alex, the deal was done before the playoffs, and any other potential destinations for the promising youngster were snuffed out.
This deal is definitely one for the future, a versatile player who sees himself as a central midfielder, but is just as capable up top and everywhere in between. Powell has certainly made an impression on the squad, and hopefully he will progress onto further success at Old Trafford, a very exciting prospect indeed.
The revolving door as left some members of the squad seeking alternative employment, with Michael Owen’s injury plagued 3 year stay being ended, with his fitness again failing him when he made impacts on the first team. Tomasz Kuszczak has also left the club, but was 4th choice by last season. Park Ji-Sung has move on to QPR, which surprised United fans somewhat, often seen as an important cog in Champions League ties. Fabio Da Silva has followed him to Loftus Road, albeit on a temporary deal. Precocious youngster Paul Pogba has jumped ship to Juventus, and fellow fringe player Richie De Laet has also moved on.
United though are keeping themselves busy in the transfer window, with potential deals for Brazilian wonderkid Lucas Moura and the highly publicised bid for Arsenal skipper Robin van Persie in the offing, as well as rumours of Leighton Baines leaving Everton for Manchester, there a some more twists and turns left this summer. Fans are crying out for an enforcer in the midfield, but if Darren Fletcher can recover from his chronic bowel condition, that will feel like a new signing in itself. Having skipper Nemanja Vidic back after a cruciate ligament injury will give United’s defence the balance and venom it lacked at times last year.
The onus is on players such as Valencia, the latest United number 7, and Rooney to continue the fine form they showed last year. Some squad players must step up and show what they bring to the squad this year, such as Anderson, Evans, Macheda, Cleverley and Berbatov, good players plagued by injury and inconsistency. Consistent form is the key, and players such as Carrick, Nani, Evra, Jones and Hernandez all had patchy spells in the form department, but improved and need to keep improving in pre-season. The key for United is to hit the ground running, state their intentions from the off and show that they are in business for the whole season.
Can United win the title? Well you’d be a fool to bet against them, as always. With a few more signings and a blistering start, United will be serious contenders. This summer may have belonged to the Dark Knight Rises, but I hope United’s very own Red Knight will Rise to the occasion and lead his troops to that 20th championship, eclipsing that Blue Moon for at least another year.
By Rhys Hopkins (@RHops10)
Fast forward to 2012, and the Manchester clubs are again domestic kings, but City are an altogether more ferocious beast. Wealthy owners and a seemingly endless amount of resources, there are murmurings that they are ready to knock United ‘off their perch.’ There is a sky blue momentum surging through the Premier League, and they are hungry for more. But a wounded beast is one still to be feared, and United are exactly that.
So the big question, where does this leave the Red Devils? If Sergio Aguero hadn’t score that late, late injury time winner against QPR in May, Sir Alex’s team would still be milking the plaudits of a 20th domestic title, and a staggering 13th Premier League championship in 20 years. And this is what will hurt United, the club with a proud tradition of a strong championship finish, didn’t finish well enough.
City didn’t win the title against QPR. They didn’t even win it when Vincent Kompany crashed his header past David De Gea at the Etihad. It was United who lost the title on April 22nd, when Nikola Jelavic and Stephen Pienaar scored late goals at Old Trafford to draw 4-4, a blow from which United never recovered. For a club with the unprecedented knack of winning big games with late goals, they tasted their own medicine, and it was a sour pill to swallow.
Looking forward to the 2012/2013 campaign, Sir Alex’s boys will be predator, intent on inflicting revenge. They’ll want just one thing, ‘their trophy back’. A traditionally early foray into the transfer market brought about the early acquisition of Shinji Kagawa from German double winners Borussia Dortmund. This has definitely whetted the appetite of United fans, a player so cool on the ball, threading the ball through the eye of a needle and with a knack of finding the net. This is also a player that had a better goal to game ratio, as well as a superior assist count than a certain Mr. E. Hazard, now residing in West London. The argument that the Bundesliga is stronger than Ligue 1 is an interesting one, but only time will tell if Kagawa or Hazard is the better value.
One thing for sure is that Kagawa was a huge success at the Westfalenstadion, and after two trophy-laden seasons, £17m may seem like shrewd business. The creative flair player United fan have been crying out for, a player reminiscent of a young Paul Scholes, possibly relieving the pressure on the original, still reluctant to re-enter retirement, and fellow veteran Ryan Giggs, both will need to manage their bodies more carefully than ever before.
The only other signing of note at the time of writing is Crewe youngster Nick Powell, an England Under-19 international, who helped Alexandra seal promotion to League 1 with a stunning star turn at Wembley. Luckily for Sir Alex, the deal was done before the playoffs, and any other potential destinations for the promising youngster were snuffed out.
This deal is definitely one for the future, a versatile player who sees himself as a central midfielder, but is just as capable up top and everywhere in between. Powell has certainly made an impression on the squad, and hopefully he will progress onto further success at Old Trafford, a very exciting prospect indeed.
The revolving door as left some members of the squad seeking alternative employment, with Michael Owen’s injury plagued 3 year stay being ended, with his fitness again failing him when he made impacts on the first team. Tomasz Kuszczak has also left the club, but was 4th choice by last season. Park Ji-Sung has move on to QPR, which surprised United fans somewhat, often seen as an important cog in Champions League ties. Fabio Da Silva has followed him to Loftus Road, albeit on a temporary deal. Precocious youngster Paul Pogba has jumped ship to Juventus, and fellow fringe player Richie De Laet has also moved on.
United though are keeping themselves busy in the transfer window, with potential deals for Brazilian wonderkid Lucas Moura and the highly publicised bid for Arsenal skipper Robin van Persie in the offing, as well as rumours of Leighton Baines leaving Everton for Manchester, there a some more twists and turns left this summer. Fans are crying out for an enforcer in the midfield, but if Darren Fletcher can recover from his chronic bowel condition, that will feel like a new signing in itself. Having skipper Nemanja Vidic back after a cruciate ligament injury will give United’s defence the balance and venom it lacked at times last year.
The onus is on players such as Valencia, the latest United number 7, and Rooney to continue the fine form they showed last year. Some squad players must step up and show what they bring to the squad this year, such as Anderson, Evans, Macheda, Cleverley and Berbatov, good players plagued by injury and inconsistency. Consistent form is the key, and players such as Carrick, Nani, Evra, Jones and Hernandez all had patchy spells in the form department, but improved and need to keep improving in pre-season. The key for United is to hit the ground running, state their intentions from the off and show that they are in business for the whole season.
Can United win the title? Well you’d be a fool to bet against them, as always. With a few more signings and a blistering start, United will be serious contenders. This summer may have belonged to the Dark Knight Rises, but I hope United’s very own Red Knight will Rise to the occasion and lead his troops to that 20th championship, eclipsing that Blue Moon for at least another year.
By Rhys Hopkins (@RHops10)
Is this Noels year?
So the new season is nearly underway and for Reading, it's been a busy summer. With the tour to Portugal and many fresh faces coming in, has Noel Hunt got what it takes to be a first team player by the time the new season arrives? With players such as Jason Roberts, new boy Pavel Pogrebnyak and even super sub Adam Le Fondre looking to impress. The big question is, has Hunt who has been at the club a number of years now got the flair pace and skill that is required to play in the best league in the world?
Some Fans would agree with myself and honestly say no he doesn't, and some Reading fans would say otherwise. Nevertheless he is a good player and is the smallest target man in all 4 divisions of English football. But he doesn't have the flair required to make an impact in the premier league in which he will be facing the likes of Kompany, Vidic, Terry and many other world class defenders. The Irishman is suited to the championship and is above average at that level, but as ive said, the premiership is a whole different ball game. But maybe, just maybe on the 18th of August he will step up to the mark and bag a few goals to prove he is good enough to compete at the very highest level.
By Ashley Lewin (@AshLoyalRoyal)
Some Fans would agree with myself and honestly say no he doesn't, and some Reading fans would say otherwise. Nevertheless he is a good player and is the smallest target man in all 4 divisions of English football. But he doesn't have the flair required to make an impact in the premier league in which he will be facing the likes of Kompany, Vidic, Terry and many other world class defenders. The Irishman is suited to the championship and is above average at that level, but as ive said, the premiership is a whole different ball game. But maybe, just maybe on the 18th of August he will step up to the mark and bag a few goals to prove he is good enough to compete at the very highest level.
By Ashley Lewin (@AshLoyalRoyal)
Arsenal Football Club - The Season Ahead
Where do I start? After another disappointing campaign trophy wise last season, our Gunners finished 3rd with an automatic Champions League place, although looking at the start of our season we did very well to get there! of course it goes without saying that without the hugely impressive season of Robin Van Persie, we arguably wouldn't of finished were we did. The cup competitions we participated in, well, The less said about them the better, losing 4-0 to AC Milan was an embarrassing performance and although we beat them 3-0 at the Emirates, it did little to soften the blow that we had failed to live up to expectations in Europe once again. Our FA Cup elimination to Sunderland was a complete shock and quite a lot of our fans did expect at least a semi final spot, but on the day we got outplayed, and in the Carling cup we produced a very brave performance against Manchester Citys strength in depth but like we have come to find out in the 7 years without a trophy, despite our flowing and sometimes beautiful footballing style it is not guaranteed to win us accolades.
However, that is last season. The 2012/2013 brings a new start and fresh expectation. Of course our first challenge was to tie our Captain 'Vantastic' down to a new contract and Arsene Wenger showed his intentions very swiftly, bringing in the vast experience of Lukas Podolski, who is proven at International and club level. Me, like the vast majority of Arsenal fans were licking their lips at the prospect of the Dutchman and the German leading the line for Arsenal next season. But then came a potential blow, which was the announcement that Robin would not be extending his stay at Arsenal, which lead to a mixed reaction from us Gooners, some calling Van Persie ungrateful whereas some agreeing with the reported reasons of his possible departure, I fell into the category of agreeing with Piers Morgan and for those who do not follow the controversial figure of Piers on Twitter, he demanded an explanation of what had been discussed in the meeting of Gazidis, Wenger and Van Persie, and it did become blatantly obvious that during this meeting, Van Persie had not been convinced of Arsenals' direction, Van Persie is aged 29 today and he wants to be challenging for silverware in the prime of his career, some believe that this was a signal for Mr Wenger to stick his finger out and invest heavily in this window, however Arsenal and Arsene are firm believers that no single man is bigger than the club and with this in mind Wenger has done something quite cunning in this wake of this announcement, he has invested a reported £12.5 million on the French leagues top scorer of 2011/12 in Olivier Giroud, arguably a ready made replacement for Van Persie, should he eventually leave.
Now Giroud stands at 6'3 and helped Montpellier to a shock league triumph, also the Frenchman has broken into the France national team who have huge amounts of talent in his department already, so personally I'm expecting a steady season from Giroud. However, recent reports have left Arsenal fans not knowing what to believe, he was never seriously going to City surely? and its been reported today that Mancini has gone on record to say that he doesn't believe Van Persie will be a City player (Of course this is the man who said City were out of the title race with 5 games remaining!). Juventus were suggested as a favoured and odds on destination, however with the apparant match fixing scandal once again being linked with the Turin based clubs manager it has been reported that Van Persie will not be heading to Italy. Which leaves Manchester United as the only possible destination, Myself personally I don't think Van Persie will go to United, I will even go as far as to say that Van Persie will not be going anywhere this summer, in my opinion the best option for both parties would be to keep the situation as it is at the moment, until January, then sit down have a look at the clubs season and go from there, we need to prove to Robin that we will once again be a force this season and Wenger is doing his best to show Van persie that the club can compete, with the current two signings who I have already mentioned and of course with the two Inpending signings of Santi Cazorla and Nuri Sahin.
The first of these (Cazorla) is getting me particulary excited, I have seen this guy play for a number of years and he has the lot, and he will hit top gear at Arsenal. He has speed, vision, a huge arrange of passing and he can score. And he is the big name all of us Arsenal fans have been crying out for, for the past 3 seasons. and Nuri Sahin is a top talent he is a holding player which is what we so desperately need, whether he is simply a back up for my player of the season for last year Alex Song or if he will be playing alongside him, he will bring a different dimension to our play, now he'll only be on loan but I can most definately see him being a hit and Wenger spending the reported 10 Million he is worth.
Now I should mention the reports suggesting that Theo Walcott and Alex Song could be on their way out, Walcott has a year left on his contract whereas Song has 2. I'll start with Song, he will be a HUGE loss should he go, from defensive midfield he bagged 11 assists, which was the 4th highest in the Premier League last season and that statistic is so impressive considering his position, he is the anchor man in our team and him and Arteta completemented each other beautifully last season, I wouldn't get worried personally, he loves the club and we have no reason to sell him, so you can put your house on seeing him in Arsenal colours next season. Theo Walcotts' possible departure won't concern that many Arsenal fans, but in my opinion it should, yes we have so much strength in his position, and yes he can be labelled as 'inconsistent' and sometimes he lacks that final ball, but with 11 assists and being our 2nd highest scorer last season we simply cannot afford to lose someone with his quality, personally I desperately want Theo to sign a new contract, we need as many quality players as we can get for next season, look at the teams like City and United they have quality players on their bench bursting for their opportunities and we need that, and when we finally seal the signings of Cazorla and Sahin then we will look tasty, and reports close to me suggest that we are in for Ibrahim Afellay and Gregory Van Der Wiel, A Left Winger and a Right Back respectively, both Dutchman and will also give Van Persie added insentive to stay.
My thoughts on where Arsenal will finish? expect us to be up there at the top of the Premier league fighting to be Champions again, I am an optimist, I can see us roaring into the Champions League semi finals, and grabbing FA Cup glory. Our team next season (to quote Paul Merson) will be an absolute worldy and believe me, Arsenal are destined for greatness once again, and will be realise that greatness in the 12/13 campaign, Premier League Champions and FA Cup winners 2012/2013 WILL be Arsenal Football Club.
By Matthew Elam (@Mattrelam)
However, that is last season. The 2012/2013 brings a new start and fresh expectation. Of course our first challenge was to tie our Captain 'Vantastic' down to a new contract and Arsene Wenger showed his intentions very swiftly, bringing in the vast experience of Lukas Podolski, who is proven at International and club level. Me, like the vast majority of Arsenal fans were licking their lips at the prospect of the Dutchman and the German leading the line for Arsenal next season. But then came a potential blow, which was the announcement that Robin would not be extending his stay at Arsenal, which lead to a mixed reaction from us Gooners, some calling Van Persie ungrateful whereas some agreeing with the reported reasons of his possible departure, I fell into the category of agreeing with Piers Morgan and for those who do not follow the controversial figure of Piers on Twitter, he demanded an explanation of what had been discussed in the meeting of Gazidis, Wenger and Van Persie, and it did become blatantly obvious that during this meeting, Van Persie had not been convinced of Arsenals' direction, Van Persie is aged 29 today and he wants to be challenging for silverware in the prime of his career, some believe that this was a signal for Mr Wenger to stick his finger out and invest heavily in this window, however Arsenal and Arsene are firm believers that no single man is bigger than the club and with this in mind Wenger has done something quite cunning in this wake of this announcement, he has invested a reported £12.5 million on the French leagues top scorer of 2011/12 in Olivier Giroud, arguably a ready made replacement for Van Persie, should he eventually leave.
Now Giroud stands at 6'3 and helped Montpellier to a shock league triumph, also the Frenchman has broken into the France national team who have huge amounts of talent in his department already, so personally I'm expecting a steady season from Giroud. However, recent reports have left Arsenal fans not knowing what to believe, he was never seriously going to City surely? and its been reported today that Mancini has gone on record to say that he doesn't believe Van Persie will be a City player (Of course this is the man who said City were out of the title race with 5 games remaining!). Juventus were suggested as a favoured and odds on destination, however with the apparant match fixing scandal once again being linked with the Turin based clubs manager it has been reported that Van Persie will not be heading to Italy. Which leaves Manchester United as the only possible destination, Myself personally I don't think Van Persie will go to United, I will even go as far as to say that Van Persie will not be going anywhere this summer, in my opinion the best option for both parties would be to keep the situation as it is at the moment, until January, then sit down have a look at the clubs season and go from there, we need to prove to Robin that we will once again be a force this season and Wenger is doing his best to show Van persie that the club can compete, with the current two signings who I have already mentioned and of course with the two Inpending signings of Santi Cazorla and Nuri Sahin.
The first of these (Cazorla) is getting me particulary excited, I have seen this guy play for a number of years and he has the lot, and he will hit top gear at Arsenal. He has speed, vision, a huge arrange of passing and he can score. And he is the big name all of us Arsenal fans have been crying out for, for the past 3 seasons. and Nuri Sahin is a top talent he is a holding player which is what we so desperately need, whether he is simply a back up for my player of the season for last year Alex Song or if he will be playing alongside him, he will bring a different dimension to our play, now he'll only be on loan but I can most definately see him being a hit and Wenger spending the reported 10 Million he is worth.
Now I should mention the reports suggesting that Theo Walcott and Alex Song could be on their way out, Walcott has a year left on his contract whereas Song has 2. I'll start with Song, he will be a HUGE loss should he go, from defensive midfield he bagged 11 assists, which was the 4th highest in the Premier League last season and that statistic is so impressive considering his position, he is the anchor man in our team and him and Arteta completemented each other beautifully last season, I wouldn't get worried personally, he loves the club and we have no reason to sell him, so you can put your house on seeing him in Arsenal colours next season. Theo Walcotts' possible departure won't concern that many Arsenal fans, but in my opinion it should, yes we have so much strength in his position, and yes he can be labelled as 'inconsistent' and sometimes he lacks that final ball, but with 11 assists and being our 2nd highest scorer last season we simply cannot afford to lose someone with his quality, personally I desperately want Theo to sign a new contract, we need as many quality players as we can get for next season, look at the teams like City and United they have quality players on their bench bursting for their opportunities and we need that, and when we finally seal the signings of Cazorla and Sahin then we will look tasty, and reports close to me suggest that we are in for Ibrahim Afellay and Gregory Van Der Wiel, A Left Winger and a Right Back respectively, both Dutchman and will also give Van Persie added insentive to stay.
My thoughts on where Arsenal will finish? expect us to be up there at the top of the Premier league fighting to be Champions again, I am an optimist, I can see us roaring into the Champions League semi finals, and grabbing FA Cup glory. Our team next season (to quote Paul Merson) will be an absolute worldy and believe me, Arsenal are destined for greatness once again, and will be realise that greatness in the 12/13 campaign, Premier League Champions and FA Cup winners 2012/2013 WILL be Arsenal Football Club.
By Matthew Elam (@Mattrelam)
Arsenal Season Preview 2012/2013
7 years. 7 years since Arsenal last won a trophy, not through lack of trying. Many already predict Arsenal to increase this period to 8 years due to our very bad start to the summer. Arsenal lost Pat Rice, their first team coach, to retirement. Also their captain and talisman Robin Van Persie stated he wouldn’t be signing a new contract, which then lead to unrest in the boardroom, mainly due to comments from .Alisher Usmanov. However, it would be foolish to believe that Arsenal have done nothing to remedy this.
The main talking point is Robin Van Persie. Undoubtly he carried Arsenal kicking and screaming through last season with his immense goal scoring abilities, and it would always be a struggle to persuade him Arsenal are trying to improve. Like Gazidis has mentioned, they ‘disagreed’ in which direction Arsenal should be taken, which is frankly ridiculous as surely both would like Arsenal to return to the very top. However as I write this Van Persie still hasn’t left, and there are many conflicting reports, one minute he’s signing for Manchester United and then the next he’s made a U-turn and is negotiating a new deal with the Gunners. Reports also state there’s a possibility of Van Persie staying until January, allowing our two (maybe three) strikers settle. Be it Juventus, either Manchester clubs or even with Arsenal, it’ll be interesting to see Van Persie take to the field again.
This leads to usually the quietest part of the Arsenal pre-season, transfers. So far Arsenal has released the calamitous goalkeeper Almunia, now at Watford, and have sold Mexican whiz-kid Carlos Vela to Real Sociedad. It’s also likely the forgotten man Park Chu Young will move on, along with Squillaci, Bendtner, Arshavin and Chamakh also likely to move on, which is what Arsenal need to do, remove the dead wood. The most amazing thing is that Arsenal have already signed two arguably world class strikers! The Ligue 1 top scorer and champion Olivier Giroud and the German stalwart Lukas Podolski. Giroud is strong in the air and good on his feet, and like Arsenal’ chief scout Giles Grimandi has stated, he was signed in case Van Persie did in fact not want to stay at Arsenal, so already there’s a replacement. Also Lukas Podolski is a very adaptable striker, able to play on the flanks or through the middle, and create goals or score them himself. The duo are undoubtedly talented, and wil add to the already magnificent strike force Arsenal hold, so there should be no chance of a lack of goals for the upcoming season. Rumours persist more signing will be coming in, with strong reports the Euro winner Santi Cazorla having already signed a four year contract, a midfielder which is known as the best midfielder in Spain not playing for Real Madrid or Barcelona. Nuri Sahin is also expected to join on loan from Real Madrid, as well as the young striker M’baye Niang currently choosing between Arsenal, Man City and AC Milan. There’s still a call for defenders to make sure Arsenal are solid for the upcoming season, however Wenger seems more than happy with his defence.
Arsenal are known for integrating their youth players with the first team, and this year it seems that Kyle Bartley, Thomas Eisfeld and Nico Yenarris’ turn. Bartley provides the new center back which pundits have been screaming for, and adds a commanding calm presence to the Arsenal defence, and seems more than ready to provide cover. Eisfeld is a tricky midfielder, with many resemblances to Rosicky and should appear more than once or twice this year, whilst Yennaris offers cover in defence or even in midfield, which is also what Arsenal have lacked.
This season will be interesting for Arsenal fans, there’s no reason why a trophy won’t be heading Arsenal’s way, with the new signings and the ever improving players. Koscielny, Song, Rosicky, Oxlade-Chamberlain and Arteta will be looking to keep up their amazing form last season. Also a significant member of the team will return the midfield terrier that is Jack Wilshere. An undeniably talented young midfielder with bags of potential, which will track back, pick out amazing passes and bust a gut for his team. There is also another midfielder re-appearing after another lay-off, Abou Diaby, a midfield powerhouse with a wonderful attacking flair and great ball control. These two will add to the Arsenal midfield and add to Wenger’s considerably talented wealth of midfield.
With new coach Steve Bould in place, and a solid pre season in which they’ve only lost the once, Arsenal are looking relatively comfortable. Two great new signing, with a possibility of 3 or more still to come in, and players maturing, the expectations remain the same. Compete for the league, or at least qualify for the Champions League, and who knows, there’s a very real chance a trophy may be heading to the Emirates Stadium very soon.
By Will Thomas (@WillJTee)
The main talking point is Robin Van Persie. Undoubtly he carried Arsenal kicking and screaming through last season with his immense goal scoring abilities, and it would always be a struggle to persuade him Arsenal are trying to improve. Like Gazidis has mentioned, they ‘disagreed’ in which direction Arsenal should be taken, which is frankly ridiculous as surely both would like Arsenal to return to the very top. However as I write this Van Persie still hasn’t left, and there are many conflicting reports, one minute he’s signing for Manchester United and then the next he’s made a U-turn and is negotiating a new deal with the Gunners. Reports also state there’s a possibility of Van Persie staying until January, allowing our two (maybe three) strikers settle. Be it Juventus, either Manchester clubs or even with Arsenal, it’ll be interesting to see Van Persie take to the field again.
This leads to usually the quietest part of the Arsenal pre-season, transfers. So far Arsenal has released the calamitous goalkeeper Almunia, now at Watford, and have sold Mexican whiz-kid Carlos Vela to Real Sociedad. It’s also likely the forgotten man Park Chu Young will move on, along with Squillaci, Bendtner, Arshavin and Chamakh also likely to move on, which is what Arsenal need to do, remove the dead wood. The most amazing thing is that Arsenal have already signed two arguably world class strikers! The Ligue 1 top scorer and champion Olivier Giroud and the German stalwart Lukas Podolski. Giroud is strong in the air and good on his feet, and like Arsenal’ chief scout Giles Grimandi has stated, he was signed in case Van Persie did in fact not want to stay at Arsenal, so already there’s a replacement. Also Lukas Podolski is a very adaptable striker, able to play on the flanks or through the middle, and create goals or score them himself. The duo are undoubtedly talented, and wil add to the already magnificent strike force Arsenal hold, so there should be no chance of a lack of goals for the upcoming season. Rumours persist more signing will be coming in, with strong reports the Euro winner Santi Cazorla having already signed a four year contract, a midfielder which is known as the best midfielder in Spain not playing for Real Madrid or Barcelona. Nuri Sahin is also expected to join on loan from Real Madrid, as well as the young striker M’baye Niang currently choosing between Arsenal, Man City and AC Milan. There’s still a call for defenders to make sure Arsenal are solid for the upcoming season, however Wenger seems more than happy with his defence.
Arsenal are known for integrating their youth players with the first team, and this year it seems that Kyle Bartley, Thomas Eisfeld and Nico Yenarris’ turn. Bartley provides the new center back which pundits have been screaming for, and adds a commanding calm presence to the Arsenal defence, and seems more than ready to provide cover. Eisfeld is a tricky midfielder, with many resemblances to Rosicky and should appear more than once or twice this year, whilst Yennaris offers cover in defence or even in midfield, which is also what Arsenal have lacked.
This season will be interesting for Arsenal fans, there’s no reason why a trophy won’t be heading Arsenal’s way, with the new signings and the ever improving players. Koscielny, Song, Rosicky, Oxlade-Chamberlain and Arteta will be looking to keep up their amazing form last season. Also a significant member of the team will return the midfield terrier that is Jack Wilshere. An undeniably talented young midfielder with bags of potential, which will track back, pick out amazing passes and bust a gut for his team. There is also another midfielder re-appearing after another lay-off, Abou Diaby, a midfield powerhouse with a wonderful attacking flair and great ball control. These two will add to the Arsenal midfield and add to Wenger’s considerably talented wealth of midfield.
With new coach Steve Bould in place, and a solid pre season in which they’ve only lost the once, Arsenal are looking relatively comfortable. Two great new signing, with a possibility of 3 or more still to come in, and players maturing, the expectations remain the same. Compete for the league, or at least qualify for the Champions League, and who knows, there’s a very real chance a trophy may be heading to the Emirates Stadium very soon.
By Will Thomas (@WillJTee)
Newcastle United – The season ahead
For the first time since 2007 the Toon are in Europe! After what could only be described as a complete shock last season we finished fifth. Now, as the new season draws closer, Newcastle fans are drooling at the fact that we are in the Europa league. With the draw for the play-off round on Friday Newcastle fans are counting down the days.
First of all, what we need for a gruelling Thursday-Sunday schedule every week, all Newcastle fans will admit are squad is very weak after our first 11. In goal we are sorted for a number of years with one of the stand out keepers of last season Tim Krul, at right back we are short, we have Danny Simpson, who is blatantly not a crowd favourite and that is about it. The on-going Debuchy saga seems to have hit a brick wall with Lille saying they will not sell, so who do we get? to be honest I don’t know, the Lille man has been our only target at right back and we don’t seem to rushing to buy a new one. At centre back we are also short, we have Steven Taylor, Mike Williamson and Captain Colo, and once again that’s it. After giving up on FC Twente’s Douglas, we once again have not been rushing to buy a new player, In my opinion we are missing out on a decent player in Douglas, but the staff at Newcastle seem to disagree, we have also have been linked with Sakho from PSG, if this happens I will eat my hat...He is a world class player and as much as I would love to see him in black and white it will not happen. At left back we have two good youngsters in Davide Santon and Shane Ferguson; all Newcastle fans are more than happy with that. In midfield we seem to be ok, with either the 433 or 442 formations that we adopted last season we are fine, when we play with 3 in the middle Yohan Cabaye, Cheick Tiote and Jonas Gutierrez we are more than ok, and when we play a flat 4, Ben Arfa and Jonas make great wingers either side of Cabaye and Tiote. And lastly the forwards; as is with the midfield we are ok, when the 442 formation is deployed Ba and Cisse will be an unstoppable combination, also when we play 433 with Ba on the left Ben arfa on the right and Cisse upfront by himself we will be deadly, as was seen towards the end of last season when we won 8 of our last 10 games.
Next, what we need to do in each of the competitions, firstly the Premier League, we need to try and play our full strength team as often as we can, all Newcastle fans would love to see another top 6 finish, and that is more than capable with our squad if we were to add a few fresh faces. The next most important competition in the pecking order of Newcastle fans is of course the Europa league, as we will have a very tough schedule we will need to rest some of key players to keep them injury free, the likes of Cabaye, Cisse and Ben arfa will have to stay clear of the injury table if they are to help us to premier league glory. And as for the league cup and FA cup, these will be good opportunities to blood some of our new young talent, like Bigirimana and Amalfitano and then possibly bring in the big guns if we progress to the latter stages. In conclusion, Newcastle have the toughest season in years coming up and can we handle it? I think yes, I’m putting it out there and saying we will finish in the top 6, get to the quarter finals of both the FA and league cup, and get to the final of the Europa league, whether we win any of the tournaments though is another matter..
By Josh Birkenshaw (@ToonBirky96)
First of all, what we need for a gruelling Thursday-Sunday schedule every week, all Newcastle fans will admit are squad is very weak after our first 11. In goal we are sorted for a number of years with one of the stand out keepers of last season Tim Krul, at right back we are short, we have Danny Simpson, who is blatantly not a crowd favourite and that is about it. The on-going Debuchy saga seems to have hit a brick wall with Lille saying they will not sell, so who do we get? to be honest I don’t know, the Lille man has been our only target at right back and we don’t seem to rushing to buy a new one. At centre back we are also short, we have Steven Taylor, Mike Williamson and Captain Colo, and once again that’s it. After giving up on FC Twente’s Douglas, we once again have not been rushing to buy a new player, In my opinion we are missing out on a decent player in Douglas, but the staff at Newcastle seem to disagree, we have also have been linked with Sakho from PSG, if this happens I will eat my hat...He is a world class player and as much as I would love to see him in black and white it will not happen. At left back we have two good youngsters in Davide Santon and Shane Ferguson; all Newcastle fans are more than happy with that. In midfield we seem to be ok, with either the 433 or 442 formations that we adopted last season we are fine, when we play with 3 in the middle Yohan Cabaye, Cheick Tiote and Jonas Gutierrez we are more than ok, and when we play a flat 4, Ben Arfa and Jonas make great wingers either side of Cabaye and Tiote. And lastly the forwards; as is with the midfield we are ok, when the 442 formation is deployed Ba and Cisse will be an unstoppable combination, also when we play 433 with Ba on the left Ben arfa on the right and Cisse upfront by himself we will be deadly, as was seen towards the end of last season when we won 8 of our last 10 games.
Next, what we need to do in each of the competitions, firstly the Premier League, we need to try and play our full strength team as often as we can, all Newcastle fans would love to see another top 6 finish, and that is more than capable with our squad if we were to add a few fresh faces. The next most important competition in the pecking order of Newcastle fans is of course the Europa league, as we will have a very tough schedule we will need to rest some of key players to keep them injury free, the likes of Cabaye, Cisse and Ben arfa will have to stay clear of the injury table if they are to help us to premier league glory. And as for the league cup and FA cup, these will be good opportunities to blood some of our new young talent, like Bigirimana and Amalfitano and then possibly bring in the big guns if we progress to the latter stages. In conclusion, Newcastle have the toughest season in years coming up and can we handle it? I think yes, I’m putting it out there and saying we will finish in the top 6, get to the quarter finals of both the FA and league cup, and get to the final of the Europa league, whether we win any of the tournaments though is another matter..
By Josh Birkenshaw (@ToonBirky96)
Season 11/12 Premier League Underrated XI
GK : Michel Vorm (Swansea) – The virtually unknown Dutch goalkeeper joined the swans in the summer they got promoted to the Premier League. Standing at 6ft 2, Michel has had a cracking debut season in the Premier League, pulling off an array of excellent saves to the the delight of the Swansea faithful. He made his debut for Swansea against the eventual title winners Manchester City. Although he conceded four goals, he also made eleven saves, more than any other Premier League goalkeeper, in a single game, in the whole of the season. No doubt, Michel Vorm has the ability and potential to play at the top level and it wouldn’t surprise me if many top clubs come swooping for the Dutchman in the near future.
LB: Leighton Baines (Everton) - Everyone likes Baines, but few talk about him amongst the top players, but look at his success for Everton. He has played 160 games since joining Everton 5 years ago, and has regularly been amongst their players of the year. Last season was no different, with the left back chipping in 4 goals for the club, combined with a string of fine performances.
CB: Fabricio Collocini (Newcastle) - The Newcastle captain must take much of the plaudits for the Toon’s great season. After some tough years at Newcastle, and failing to impress in his first few years the Argentine is now living up to his potential by guiding and engineering the Toon’s back-line.
CB: Ashley Williams (Swansea) –- There was debate whether Ashley would cope with the gap from the Championship to the Premier League, but the welsh international flourished in his first season in the premier league. Promoted teams punching above their weight need a leader, and luckily for Swansea they have had one last season.
RB: Phil Bardsley (Sunderland) - Strong in the tackle, reliable and incredibly consistent, the former Manchester United trainee has impressed fans at the Stadium of Light. Bardsley rounded off his season in fine fashion with a fine 25-yard screamer against Fulham.
RM: Victor Moses (Wigan)- The 21-year old has at times been unplayable, showing lightening pace, and scoring 6 goals in the process. Wigan have already slapped a £10 million price tag on him, showing just how highly they rate the winger.
CM: Yohan Cabaye (Newcastle) -Yohan has been nothing short of inspirational at times for Newcastle this season. As well as creating numerous chances, Cabaye has weighed in with goals of his own, including a superb curling free kick in their 3-0 win over Manchester United.
CM: Joe Allen (Swansea)–- The welsh international has played a huge part in central midfield combined with Leon Britton, both being dubbed ‘The British Xavi and Iniesta’. Allen’s simple but effective style of play has often gone unnoticed and without him Swansea would no doubt have struggled to exhibit the stylish, slick passing football that they play.
LM: Moussa Dembele (Fulham) - Dempsey may grab the headlines, but Dembele is just as important to Fulham’s attack. An exciting player who has adapted well whether used as an attacking or defensive midfielder. The Belgian will no doubt be at a top 4 club before we know it.
ST: Grant Holt (Norwich) –- Often reffered to as an ‘old-fashioned’ striker, Grant Holt has adapted to Premier League life with ease and his knack of scoring goals has not changed since his step up. His physical presence upfront can be too much for opposing defenders to handle at times. His 13 goals leave him in 7th in the top scorers charts. Not bad for a first year in the Prem.
ST: Nickica Jelavic (Everton) –- Signing for Everton in the January transfer window, the Croatian scored 11 goals subsequently finishing as Evertons leading goalscorer. This was an incredible feat for a striker who had joined in January. The transition from the SPL to the Premier League was a breeze, expect Jelavic to carry on his superb form onto next season.
By Sam Rourke (@rfcrourke)
LB: Leighton Baines (Everton) - Everyone likes Baines, but few talk about him amongst the top players, but look at his success for Everton. He has played 160 games since joining Everton 5 years ago, and has regularly been amongst their players of the year. Last season was no different, with the left back chipping in 4 goals for the club, combined with a string of fine performances.
CB: Fabricio Collocini (Newcastle) - The Newcastle captain must take much of the plaudits for the Toon’s great season. After some tough years at Newcastle, and failing to impress in his first few years the Argentine is now living up to his potential by guiding and engineering the Toon’s back-line.
CB: Ashley Williams (Swansea) –- There was debate whether Ashley would cope with the gap from the Championship to the Premier League, but the welsh international flourished in his first season in the premier league. Promoted teams punching above their weight need a leader, and luckily for Swansea they have had one last season.
RB: Phil Bardsley (Sunderland) - Strong in the tackle, reliable and incredibly consistent, the former Manchester United trainee has impressed fans at the Stadium of Light. Bardsley rounded off his season in fine fashion with a fine 25-yard screamer against Fulham.
RM: Victor Moses (Wigan)- The 21-year old has at times been unplayable, showing lightening pace, and scoring 6 goals in the process. Wigan have already slapped a £10 million price tag on him, showing just how highly they rate the winger.
CM: Yohan Cabaye (Newcastle) -Yohan has been nothing short of inspirational at times for Newcastle this season. As well as creating numerous chances, Cabaye has weighed in with goals of his own, including a superb curling free kick in their 3-0 win over Manchester United.
CM: Joe Allen (Swansea)–- The welsh international has played a huge part in central midfield combined with Leon Britton, both being dubbed ‘The British Xavi and Iniesta’. Allen’s simple but effective style of play has often gone unnoticed and without him Swansea would no doubt have struggled to exhibit the stylish, slick passing football that they play.
LM: Moussa Dembele (Fulham) - Dempsey may grab the headlines, but Dembele is just as important to Fulham’s attack. An exciting player who has adapted well whether used as an attacking or defensive midfielder. The Belgian will no doubt be at a top 4 club before we know it.
ST: Grant Holt (Norwich) –- Often reffered to as an ‘old-fashioned’ striker, Grant Holt has adapted to Premier League life with ease and his knack of scoring goals has not changed since his step up. His physical presence upfront can be too much for opposing defenders to handle at times. His 13 goals leave him in 7th in the top scorers charts. Not bad for a first year in the Prem.
ST: Nickica Jelavic (Everton) –- Signing for Everton in the January transfer window, the Croatian scored 11 goals subsequently finishing as Evertons leading goalscorer. This was an incredible feat for a striker who had joined in January. The transition from the SPL to the Premier League was a breeze, expect Jelavic to carry on his superb form onto next season.
By Sam Rourke (@rfcrourke)
Premier league new boys - a threat?
The three new teams West Ham, Southampton and Reading are being introduced into the premier league not for the first time, even though the premier league has been described as a cruel mistress can these 3 escape the drop like last seasons candidates QPR, Swansea and Norwich who in their previous season saw some delightful football that helped them avoid relegation; luck or not! This will give an in depth analysis on each of the three teams coming up for the new season ahead.
We start with West Ham and after coming down from the premier league in 2010/2011 many people; even their supporters thought with the diversity in their squad West Ham would ease through the championship. However the championship was up to its usual tricks and proved that it is much easier to slip into to it then get out. In the end West Ham did show that they belonged in the premier league but it took a 87th minute winner from fan favourite striker Vaz Te to settle it, after a reluctant Blackpool fell at the final hurdle to see West Ham win the play off final. This saw the hammers end their season on a high and full of confidence for the upcoming season in the premier league where they may think they belong but only time can tell. After all of that the hammers have dived straight into the transfer market completing the signings of George McCartney after a successful loan spell with the hammers last season the CB is obviously within their plans for next season. And the likes of others like Mohamed Diame from Wigan and experienced Bolton stopper Jussi Jaaskelainen to bolster West Ham’s survival hopes. West Ham have had some very big rumours spread about them with the likes of Modibo Maiga, Wanyama from Celtic, Alessandro Gamberini from Fiorentina and Andy Carroll Liverpool and England striker. Definite ones to watch from the West Ham team that definitely impressed us last season were midfield maestro Kevin Nolan and prolific striker Ricardo Vaz Te.
Runners up in the championship who expressed why they deserve another crack at the premier league is Southampton, they astonished us with their entertaining football which saw them earn a double promotion (which has happened twice now in two seasons). But no one could say they didn’t deserve it! After all they were in the top 2 for the whole of the season and had the leagues top scorer Rickie Lambert who will be hungry and ready for the premier league season to come. However after disappointing results towards the end of the season with a 3-1 loss to champions Reading and giving the title away when they lost Middlesborough 2-1 the next game. But eventually prevailed and didn’t have to undergo the heart pumping play offs. Unlike West Ham, Southampton have not went into the signings to early and are waiting for the right doors to open. They have though made a couple of signings; for example Rangers midfielder Steven Davis joined the saints on a three year deal and Burnley star Jay Rodriguez who has lit up the championship in the past couple of seasons. Like every club rumours are spread and the ones that seem pretty reliable are Alexander Buttner, who actually had a fee agreed but know is in danger of it collapsing. And Southampton have also expressed interest in Blues keeper Jack Butland but Birmingham wont budge unless a ridiculous offer comes in. The players the caught the eye of the audience was Rickie lambert and Adam Lallana.
And finally last but certainly not the least Reading; the royals have had a dramatical but spectacular season which saw them undergo a take-over from a Russian millionaire, saw then double West Ham including a six goal thriller down at Upton park. And most importantly clinching promotion against Forest. This season has seen Reading lose 5 games continuously seeing them lay near bottom of the championship, however lady luck swung their way and it saw the royals have an 8 game win streak like in previous seasons. This propelled them up to the top of the table luckily winning the title against the eagles with one game to go; avoiding play-off heartbreak like last season that saw Swansea defeat the royals 4-2. But with new investment Reading were looking forward to the transfer market and started all guns blazing signing Gareth McCleary forests player of the season, Danny Guthrie from Newcastle on a bosman, Pavel Pogrebnyak the Russian striker who proved he has what it takes to play in the premier league when he was on loan to Fulham last season. And finally ex-reading player Nicky Shorey has re-signed because he thought he owed it the club and supporters. Rumours are flooding round the club like the river Thames and the club has been linked with massive names. For instance premier league veteran Jermain Defoe and Newcastle starlet Danny Simpson. This will be a big season for the royals and the ones to watch are Adam Federici and Jem Karacan who featured heavily last season and are expected to do the same.
So what is your opinion? Will they prove to be threat and can they all survive the drop like last season again only time will tell.
By Dylan Haddrell (@ReadingFCfans69)
We start with West Ham and after coming down from the premier league in 2010/2011 many people; even their supporters thought with the diversity in their squad West Ham would ease through the championship. However the championship was up to its usual tricks and proved that it is much easier to slip into to it then get out. In the end West Ham did show that they belonged in the premier league but it took a 87th minute winner from fan favourite striker Vaz Te to settle it, after a reluctant Blackpool fell at the final hurdle to see West Ham win the play off final. This saw the hammers end their season on a high and full of confidence for the upcoming season in the premier league where they may think they belong but only time can tell. After all of that the hammers have dived straight into the transfer market completing the signings of George McCartney after a successful loan spell with the hammers last season the CB is obviously within their plans for next season. And the likes of others like Mohamed Diame from Wigan and experienced Bolton stopper Jussi Jaaskelainen to bolster West Ham’s survival hopes. West Ham have had some very big rumours spread about them with the likes of Modibo Maiga, Wanyama from Celtic, Alessandro Gamberini from Fiorentina and Andy Carroll Liverpool and England striker. Definite ones to watch from the West Ham team that definitely impressed us last season were midfield maestro Kevin Nolan and prolific striker Ricardo Vaz Te.
Runners up in the championship who expressed why they deserve another crack at the premier league is Southampton, they astonished us with their entertaining football which saw them earn a double promotion (which has happened twice now in two seasons). But no one could say they didn’t deserve it! After all they were in the top 2 for the whole of the season and had the leagues top scorer Rickie Lambert who will be hungry and ready for the premier league season to come. However after disappointing results towards the end of the season with a 3-1 loss to champions Reading and giving the title away when they lost Middlesborough 2-1 the next game. But eventually prevailed and didn’t have to undergo the heart pumping play offs. Unlike West Ham, Southampton have not went into the signings to early and are waiting for the right doors to open. They have though made a couple of signings; for example Rangers midfielder Steven Davis joined the saints on a three year deal and Burnley star Jay Rodriguez who has lit up the championship in the past couple of seasons. Like every club rumours are spread and the ones that seem pretty reliable are Alexander Buttner, who actually had a fee agreed but know is in danger of it collapsing. And Southampton have also expressed interest in Blues keeper Jack Butland but Birmingham wont budge unless a ridiculous offer comes in. The players the caught the eye of the audience was Rickie lambert and Adam Lallana.
And finally last but certainly not the least Reading; the royals have had a dramatical but spectacular season which saw them undergo a take-over from a Russian millionaire, saw then double West Ham including a six goal thriller down at Upton park. And most importantly clinching promotion against Forest. This season has seen Reading lose 5 games continuously seeing them lay near bottom of the championship, however lady luck swung their way and it saw the royals have an 8 game win streak like in previous seasons. This propelled them up to the top of the table luckily winning the title against the eagles with one game to go; avoiding play-off heartbreak like last season that saw Swansea defeat the royals 4-2. But with new investment Reading were looking forward to the transfer market and started all guns blazing signing Gareth McCleary forests player of the season, Danny Guthrie from Newcastle on a bosman, Pavel Pogrebnyak the Russian striker who proved he has what it takes to play in the premier league when he was on loan to Fulham last season. And finally ex-reading player Nicky Shorey has re-signed because he thought he owed it the club and supporters. Rumours are flooding round the club like the river Thames and the club has been linked with massive names. For instance premier league veteran Jermain Defoe and Newcastle starlet Danny Simpson. This will be a big season for the royals and the ones to watch are Adam Federici and Jem Karacan who featured heavily last season and are expected to do the same.
So what is your opinion? Will they prove to be threat and can they all survive the drop like last season again only time will tell.
By Dylan Haddrell (@ReadingFCfans69)
Men to watch 2012/2013 Premier League XI
GK: Adam Federici (Reading) had an excellent season for the championship winners last year, keeping many clean sheets and pulling off several vital stops, a strong season will be vital if the Royals are to want to stay in this division, and Reading will wish to continue to build on their impressive defensive organisation that served them so well last year
RB: Martin Kelly (Liverpool) After managing to make the England Euro squad, Kelly will look to build on this promise and to knock Glen Johnson out of both the England and Liverpool right back berths, a bright future.
CB: Phil Jones (Manchester United), a frustrating first season for the PL runners up will have frustrated Jones, the young defender will aim to improve and consolidate his place in both the Man United and England XI’s
CB: Nedum Onouha (QPR) after being frozen out of the Manchester City squad, expect this promising young defender to raise his game and also his reputation, Onouha has potential to go far, and after avoiding relegation last year, both him and the R’s have a real chance to make their mark on the Premiership next season
LB: Ryan Bertrand (Chelsea), after a shock start in last seasons CL final, expect to see Bertrand even more involved next year over what will be a long season for Chelsea with commitments to the super cup and world club championships, Bertrand was impressive in loan spells at Reading and Forest and has a lot of potential to be Cole’s natural successor for both club and country.
RM: Anthony Pilkington (Norwich), a good first season for Pilkington, showing creativity and guile on the wing, despite the loss of Lambert I believe Pilkington will continue to prosper in the exciting midfield trio of him, Surman and Hoolahan, are you watching Roy:?
CM: Shinji Kagawa (Manchester United), the new signing was absolutely superb for Borrusia Dortmund, could he be United’s answer to Silva? He shows a lot of promise and will expect to be involved in a lot of United’s goals
CM: Jem Karacan (Reading), another integral member of the Royals championship winning charge, the Turkish midfielder will be another key cog to the Royals aiming to gain survival, a very lively box to box midfielder who has both a good pass and tackle, step up.
LM: Ross Barkley (Everton), another exciting youth product of Everton who has boasted Rodwell, Coleman, Gosling and of course most famously Wayne Rooney, a lighting fast winger who will look to play an increasing role in the Everton side, a bright prospect for England too
ST: Jay Rodrigreuz (Southampton), a heavy 7 million price tag means he has a lot to live up too, was excellent for Burnley and has all the means to reproduce this form, him, Lambert and Sharp will need to be firing on all cylinders to ensure survival
ST: Mario Ballotelli (Manchester City) after being scape-goated for momentarily derailing the wheels of Man City’s champions winning season, Ballotelli has to prove his worth yet again. He had a much better season than he was given credit for, expect for it to be even better.
By Sam Buxey (@SamuelBuxey)
RB: Martin Kelly (Liverpool) After managing to make the England Euro squad, Kelly will look to build on this promise and to knock Glen Johnson out of both the England and Liverpool right back berths, a bright future.
CB: Phil Jones (Manchester United), a frustrating first season for the PL runners up will have frustrated Jones, the young defender will aim to improve and consolidate his place in both the Man United and England XI’s
CB: Nedum Onouha (QPR) after being frozen out of the Manchester City squad, expect this promising young defender to raise his game and also his reputation, Onouha has potential to go far, and after avoiding relegation last year, both him and the R’s have a real chance to make their mark on the Premiership next season
LB: Ryan Bertrand (Chelsea), after a shock start in last seasons CL final, expect to see Bertrand even more involved next year over what will be a long season for Chelsea with commitments to the super cup and world club championships, Bertrand was impressive in loan spells at Reading and Forest and has a lot of potential to be Cole’s natural successor for both club and country.
RM: Anthony Pilkington (Norwich), a good first season for Pilkington, showing creativity and guile on the wing, despite the loss of Lambert I believe Pilkington will continue to prosper in the exciting midfield trio of him, Surman and Hoolahan, are you watching Roy:?
CM: Shinji Kagawa (Manchester United), the new signing was absolutely superb for Borrusia Dortmund, could he be United’s answer to Silva? He shows a lot of promise and will expect to be involved in a lot of United’s goals
CM: Jem Karacan (Reading), another integral member of the Royals championship winning charge, the Turkish midfielder will be another key cog to the Royals aiming to gain survival, a very lively box to box midfielder who has both a good pass and tackle, step up.
LM: Ross Barkley (Everton), another exciting youth product of Everton who has boasted Rodwell, Coleman, Gosling and of course most famously Wayne Rooney, a lighting fast winger who will look to play an increasing role in the Everton side, a bright prospect for England too
ST: Jay Rodrigreuz (Southampton), a heavy 7 million price tag means he has a lot to live up too, was excellent for Burnley and has all the means to reproduce this form, him, Lambert and Sharp will need to be firing on all cylinders to ensure survival
ST: Mario Ballotelli (Manchester City) after being scape-goated for momentarily derailing the wheels of Man City’s champions winning season, Ballotelli has to prove his worth yet again. He had a much better season than he was given credit for, expect for it to be even better.
By Sam Buxey (@SamuelBuxey)
Garath McCleary – Non-league zero to Premier league hero?
Reading’s new boy Garath McCleary who signed on a bosman in May seems to have gone under the radar recently since other big names have joined the Madejski such as Pavel Pogrebnyak, Nicky Shorey and Danny Guthrie. However, despite being Nottingham Forest’s leading goal scorer last term with an impressive nine goal tally from midfield will he really be playing regularly in the Premier league especially with Reading’s impressive and large hierarchy of wingers?
Surely with Jimmy Kebe being a stand out player, Jobi McAnuff being the club captain, Hal Robson-Kanu being a fan favourite and Michail Antonio’s notable 5 goals from 14 appearances for newly-promoted Sheffield Wednesday whilst on a loan spell at the Yorkshire club for the back end of last season, McCleary won’t be a regular starter. Haven written that, the 25 year-old from Oxford scored a stunning 4 goals in a 7-3 demolishing of a solid Leeds side last March and seems to have a good demeanour on and off the pitch. This has to raise the question, could the winger be a regular starter in Brian McDermott’s side for the 2012/13 Barclays Premier league? Furthermore, Jobi McAnuff is 30 years of age and isn’t getting any younger, Jimmy Kebe’s performances although dazzling at times are inconsistent and with Michail Antonio repeatedly being linked with a permanent move to Sheffield Wednesday surely McCleary could be the future for Reading. Nevertheless, it won’t be easy to imprint his name into the starting eleven immediately, something which was proved by Tomasz Cywka nearing the latter the stages of last season who was full of talent which I believe wasn’t exploited fully and only made 4 appearances for the Royals in his brief time at the Madejski.
Garath’s career started at Oxford United where he stuttered and failed to impress and was very close to quitting football full time for a further education. However solid spells at Oxford City, Slough town and Bromley soon prompted a promising trial from what was Colin Calderwood’s Nottingham Forest after he had impressed the former Scotland international. Since then he has made over 100 appearances for the club from Nottinghamshire under 6 different managers. Last season, he was also voted Nottingham Forest’s player of the season by the supporters.
However, other than his successful 2011/12 league campaign in which he flourished, in the 2009/10 Championship season he received more red cards than he did score goals, in the season later he started just 8 times while frustratingly was sat on the bench for both playoff semi-final legs against Swansea who then went on to beat the Royals at Wembley to gain promotion. Many also say that his career has lived off of his four goal haul at Elland Road last season. Garath has already spoken and has stated his desire to play top-flight football and is eager to prove himself in the big time, which would overcome his past frustration in not playing week in and week out and therefore not being able to prove how good of a talent he really is.
Could he be the dark horse in the Reading side going up against Premier league fullbacks, running down the flanks, providing assists and maybe hitting the back of the net himself a few times? I’m sure he is capable. Despite, the Premier League being one of the most demanding leagues in the worlds, Garath McCleary could shine in it. In 2008 he signed for Nottingham Forest making a huge jump from playing in the Conference South with Bromley weekly to the 2nd tier of English football. Looking at his phenomenal goal to game ratio at Forest from midfield, being at nearly 1:8, he successfully accomplished the transition, only pointing towards the fact that he could make another transition in playing in the Premier league, his personal goal he set to himself as an aspiring teenager.
By Sam Jessett (@readingfcsam)
Surely with Jimmy Kebe being a stand out player, Jobi McAnuff being the club captain, Hal Robson-Kanu being a fan favourite and Michail Antonio’s notable 5 goals from 14 appearances for newly-promoted Sheffield Wednesday whilst on a loan spell at the Yorkshire club for the back end of last season, McCleary won’t be a regular starter. Haven written that, the 25 year-old from Oxford scored a stunning 4 goals in a 7-3 demolishing of a solid Leeds side last March and seems to have a good demeanour on and off the pitch. This has to raise the question, could the winger be a regular starter in Brian McDermott’s side for the 2012/13 Barclays Premier league? Furthermore, Jobi McAnuff is 30 years of age and isn’t getting any younger, Jimmy Kebe’s performances although dazzling at times are inconsistent and with Michail Antonio repeatedly being linked with a permanent move to Sheffield Wednesday surely McCleary could be the future for Reading. Nevertheless, it won’t be easy to imprint his name into the starting eleven immediately, something which was proved by Tomasz Cywka nearing the latter the stages of last season who was full of talent which I believe wasn’t exploited fully and only made 4 appearances for the Royals in his brief time at the Madejski.
Garath’s career started at Oxford United where he stuttered and failed to impress and was very close to quitting football full time for a further education. However solid spells at Oxford City, Slough town and Bromley soon prompted a promising trial from what was Colin Calderwood’s Nottingham Forest after he had impressed the former Scotland international. Since then he has made over 100 appearances for the club from Nottinghamshire under 6 different managers. Last season, he was also voted Nottingham Forest’s player of the season by the supporters.
However, other than his successful 2011/12 league campaign in which he flourished, in the 2009/10 Championship season he received more red cards than he did score goals, in the season later he started just 8 times while frustratingly was sat on the bench for both playoff semi-final legs against Swansea who then went on to beat the Royals at Wembley to gain promotion. Many also say that his career has lived off of his four goal haul at Elland Road last season. Garath has already spoken and has stated his desire to play top-flight football and is eager to prove himself in the big time, which would overcome his past frustration in not playing week in and week out and therefore not being able to prove how good of a talent he really is.
Could he be the dark horse in the Reading side going up against Premier league fullbacks, running down the flanks, providing assists and maybe hitting the back of the net himself a few times? I’m sure he is capable. Despite, the Premier League being one of the most demanding leagues in the worlds, Garath McCleary could shine in it. In 2008 he signed for Nottingham Forest making a huge jump from playing in the Conference South with Bromley weekly to the 2nd tier of English football. Looking at his phenomenal goal to game ratio at Forest from midfield, being at nearly 1:8, he successfully accomplished the transition, only pointing towards the fact that he could make another transition in playing in the Premier league, his personal goal he set to himself as an aspiring teenager.
By Sam Jessett (@readingfcsam)
Modric: Why Spurs Will Miss Him If He Leaves?
As all Premier League fans know, in recent years Tottenham Hotspur have been on the up, under Harry Redknapp they turned into title contenders only for them the drop away at the end of the 2011-2012 season. When I talk to people about why Spurs have transformed so much in the last 3 seasons the majority of people respond with one word: Bale. However, I think whilst Bale has been fantastic for Spurs the real heart of the Tottenham team is none other than Luka Modric.
It’s an unknown fact that whilst Modric is seen as the link between the midfield and the attack he only had 4 assists last season (according to ESPNSoccernet) from the 36 games which he played, which makes me think what the reported £35m price tag is paying for? I read a tweet earlier from OPTA which said since 2010-2011 Luka Modric has created 162 goalscoring chances. Only David Silva (177) has created more than that, and he had 15 assists in a Manchester City team that won the league. If Tottenham had a ‘poacher’ style forward who could bang the goalscoring chances which Luka had created into the net then I think they would be challenging more for the title than they already are. I think a Darren Bent would have been such a striker with his incredible ability to score from within the penalty area. Although Redknapp’s acquisition of Emmanuel Adebayor on loan from Manchester City went someway to help Modric and Tottenham with the electric start they made.
So from looking at his stats compared to David Silva what does Luka Modric bring to Spurs and where will his possible departure leave them? Modric could be criticised for not scoring enough to be a world class player, but that is not what his game is about. He is the player who would set the scoring chances up for another forward. His game is not based around scoring goals; it’s about getting the assists. That is where Spurs will miss him, let’s be honest Manchester United would suffer if they lost the player with the second highest amount of creating goal scoring chances. If Luka were to leave Spurs they would need to sign someone with the potential to re-create those kind of chances.
So who would Tottenham be looking at to replace the Croatian wizard? There have been many names suggested like Ganso, Oscar or even Fulham’s Moussa Dembele. However, I believe there are two people who Tottenham will look at to replace Modric, if he decides to leave. Tottenham’s very own Gylfi Sigurdsson who recently signed from Hoffenheim, who impressed on loan for Premier League rivals Swansea City. He plays the same sort of role as Modric and would almost be a like for like swap. The other name I could see heading to White Hart Lane if Luka were to leave the club would be a player who new manager Andre Villas-Boas coached at Porto: Joao Moutinho. Joao was an integral part of Portugal’s Euro 2012 campaign and has incredible stats from his time in Porto and valuable European experience which would be vital for a Tottenham side looking to establish themselves in the top 4 and then maybe on to greater things.
So, we know what Spurs will need to replace and we know who those possible replacements could be, I guess the ball is now in the court of Tottenham as to who and for how much they sell Modric for and where to. I guess the next couple of weeks will be crucial for Tottenham’s Premier League campaign in the 2012/2013 season. Safe to say it’s not been a smooth start at White Hart Lane for Andre Villas-Boas.
By Ben Callaghan (@slapshot6032)
It’s an unknown fact that whilst Modric is seen as the link between the midfield and the attack he only had 4 assists last season (according to ESPNSoccernet) from the 36 games which he played, which makes me think what the reported £35m price tag is paying for? I read a tweet earlier from OPTA which said since 2010-2011 Luka Modric has created 162 goalscoring chances. Only David Silva (177) has created more than that, and he had 15 assists in a Manchester City team that won the league. If Tottenham had a ‘poacher’ style forward who could bang the goalscoring chances which Luka had created into the net then I think they would be challenging more for the title than they already are. I think a Darren Bent would have been such a striker with his incredible ability to score from within the penalty area. Although Redknapp’s acquisition of Emmanuel Adebayor on loan from Manchester City went someway to help Modric and Tottenham with the electric start they made.
So from looking at his stats compared to David Silva what does Luka Modric bring to Spurs and where will his possible departure leave them? Modric could be criticised for not scoring enough to be a world class player, but that is not what his game is about. He is the player who would set the scoring chances up for another forward. His game is not based around scoring goals; it’s about getting the assists. That is where Spurs will miss him, let’s be honest Manchester United would suffer if they lost the player with the second highest amount of creating goal scoring chances. If Luka were to leave Spurs they would need to sign someone with the potential to re-create those kind of chances.
So who would Tottenham be looking at to replace the Croatian wizard? There have been many names suggested like Ganso, Oscar or even Fulham’s Moussa Dembele. However, I believe there are two people who Tottenham will look at to replace Modric, if he decides to leave. Tottenham’s very own Gylfi Sigurdsson who recently signed from Hoffenheim, who impressed on loan for Premier League rivals Swansea City. He plays the same sort of role as Modric and would almost be a like for like swap. The other name I could see heading to White Hart Lane if Luka were to leave the club would be a player who new manager Andre Villas-Boas coached at Porto: Joao Moutinho. Joao was an integral part of Portugal’s Euro 2012 campaign and has incredible stats from his time in Porto and valuable European experience which would be vital for a Tottenham side looking to establish themselves in the top 4 and then maybe on to greater things.
So, we know what Spurs will need to replace and we know who those possible replacements could be, I guess the ball is now in the court of Tottenham as to who and for how much they sell Modric for and where to. I guess the next couple of weeks will be crucial for Tottenham’s Premier League campaign in the 2012/2013 season. Safe to say it’s not been a smooth start at White Hart Lane for Andre Villas-Boas.
By Ben Callaghan (@slapshot6032)
Wayne Rooney should leave Manchester United
Wayne Rooney should leave Manchester United and sign for Real Madrid. Not only this, but he should do it for his International career; he should enable himself to become the player he potentially can - the player England so desperately need and want.
To the people who know me, I am a big advocate of Wayne Rooney and certainly as a football fan who doesn’t support one of the Big Four, one of his largest supporters. I am also a big supporter of Sir Alex Ferguson and believe, beyond no doubt, that he is the best manager in the world today. Yet for all the admiration, I don’t believe Old Trafford will help Wayne Rooney develop into the player that can really make the difference on the International stage.
When he left Everton, Rooney needed a manager like Sir Alex. He needed the mental support, and the father figure he so often describes. The talent has always been obvious but it was the temperament that let him down, yet it appears now that such trends seem to have switched. Whilst Wayne Rooney has been arguably the best forward in the Premier League in recent years, he has failed to perform in an England shirt; a claim backed up by a disappointing show at Euro 2012.
Former team-mate Cristiano Ronaldo was a great player at Manchester United, but at Real Madrid he has become one of the best. I firmly believe that should Wayne Rooney follow in his footsteps he too could share such praise. Spanish football is on the rise. It is arguably already at the top and is continuing to grow with the record breaking national team winning Euro 2012 despite taking to the field on several occasions without a recognised striker.
La Liga is now the place to play professional football, and it is the Premier League, and English coaches looking to the European mainland for answers. It wasn’t always the case. I am not sure I can put my finger on the exact reasons as to why this switch has occurred but it is hard to deny that it has happened and should be something Wayne Rooney takes into consideration should he want to take his career to the next level.
Wayne Rooney is a brilliant player, but to be the best, he must play with the best and play against the best. He can no longer do that in England. He can no longer do that at Manchester United. Move to Real Madrid Rooney, develop, and return to Wembley every couple of months. Maybe then, and only then, can we look forward to a summer in Brazil. I fear for English football, and should Wayne Rooney want to go down in history, fear that his future lies elsewhere.
By Frazer Lloyd-Davies (@FrazerLloyd)
To the people who know me, I am a big advocate of Wayne Rooney and certainly as a football fan who doesn’t support one of the Big Four, one of his largest supporters. I am also a big supporter of Sir Alex Ferguson and believe, beyond no doubt, that he is the best manager in the world today. Yet for all the admiration, I don’t believe Old Trafford will help Wayne Rooney develop into the player that can really make the difference on the International stage.
When he left Everton, Rooney needed a manager like Sir Alex. He needed the mental support, and the father figure he so often describes. The talent has always been obvious but it was the temperament that let him down, yet it appears now that such trends seem to have switched. Whilst Wayne Rooney has been arguably the best forward in the Premier League in recent years, he has failed to perform in an England shirt; a claim backed up by a disappointing show at Euro 2012.
Former team-mate Cristiano Ronaldo was a great player at Manchester United, but at Real Madrid he has become one of the best. I firmly believe that should Wayne Rooney follow in his footsteps he too could share such praise. Spanish football is on the rise. It is arguably already at the top and is continuing to grow with the record breaking national team winning Euro 2012 despite taking to the field on several occasions without a recognised striker.
La Liga is now the place to play professional football, and it is the Premier League, and English coaches looking to the European mainland for answers. It wasn’t always the case. I am not sure I can put my finger on the exact reasons as to why this switch has occurred but it is hard to deny that it has happened and should be something Wayne Rooney takes into consideration should he want to take his career to the next level.
Wayne Rooney is a brilliant player, but to be the best, he must play with the best and play against the best. He can no longer do that in England. He can no longer do that at Manchester United. Move to Real Madrid Rooney, develop, and return to Wembley every couple of months. Maybe then, and only then, can we look forward to a summer in Brazil. I fear for English football, and should Wayne Rooney want to go down in history, fear that his future lies elsewhere.
By Frazer Lloyd-Davies (@FrazerLloyd)
A New Force?
Abramovic completed his ambition of winning the Champions League which many considered close to impossible. Coming 6th in the league and a lack luster squad increased the shadowing doubt. However, with sheer determination they accomplished the dream. Many seen this win as the making of a transition, and it was foreseeable that an onslaught of departures and incomings would come in the summer. Without a manager even being decided on, Abramovic bought two players in Marin and Hazard combining to near £40million this accompanied by the departures of Drogba, Kalou and Bosingwa respectively have opened the door to a new younger Chelsea.
Last season they lacked the determination to succeed. Defensively Chelsea lacked a solid structure, but with Cahill fitting in smoothly and David Luiz seemingly more reliable, the right-back position is the only defensively weak area. Various names have been mentioned to fill the right-back spot, though it now seems Maicon is the target. While being vastly experienced, in the past season or two his form has dipped which happens to most defenders when reaching their 30’s. That being said the whole Inter Milan team have looked average, a move to Chelsea may bring him back to form.
The Chelsea midfield is a different story, it was continually good throughout the season. Lampard again chipped in with goals, while the likes of Meireles and Ramires showed true class. I don’t see any reason for them to buy an expensive midfielder such as Modric for close to £40million. Instead they should give games to Mc Eachran and Romeu. Attacking wise Chelsea lacked quality, Torres approached form by the end of the season but it was too late. The only bright side in that department was Mata who for £23million looks a real coup. The inclusion of Hazard for £32million will give them their own magician who can create something out of nothing. Marin would not excite me as much, he was once touted as a potential star but never lived up to the hype but at 23yrs old he may still turn into a good player. It seems Abramovic is going all out in the attacking department with players like Oscar and Hulk regularly linked. This could cause an overcrowding of talent at the club with a lack of balance. The likes of Hazard won’t want to sit on the bench which will mean Di Matteo will have to successfully rotate the squad and keep everyone happy.
Although the deal for Hulk seems to have broken down due to the price that Porto are requesting. The club are now targeting Leverkusen’s Schurrle and the Brazilian U21 Oscar both players are quoted to cost around the £25million mark. That said Chelsea may also go after striker with Drogba gone and Sturridge seeming to be out of favour, they only have Torres as an out-and-out striker. They could go after a world-class striker in Falcao or even Van Persie although the likes of Schurrle can play upfront. If the transfers of Maicon, Schurrle and Oscar do go through then Chelsea’s spending will have already reached the £100million mark. This would mean Chelsea will have paid around the same as Liverpool last season and have twice the quality.
Towards the end of last season Chelsea looked refreshed and eager to win which contrasted to the team under AVB. It’s hard to say what Di Matteo did differently, it may be down to the players simply liking him more. Even Torres played better and has since had a very successful European Championship. Chelsea supporters have good reason to be optimistic for next season. With an eagerness to succeed as well as new faces Chelsea could be a dominant force in not only the league but also Europe.
By Sean McNeill (@Sean_Mc_Neill)
Last season they lacked the determination to succeed. Defensively Chelsea lacked a solid structure, but with Cahill fitting in smoothly and David Luiz seemingly more reliable, the right-back position is the only defensively weak area. Various names have been mentioned to fill the right-back spot, though it now seems Maicon is the target. While being vastly experienced, in the past season or two his form has dipped which happens to most defenders when reaching their 30’s. That being said the whole Inter Milan team have looked average, a move to Chelsea may bring him back to form.
The Chelsea midfield is a different story, it was continually good throughout the season. Lampard again chipped in with goals, while the likes of Meireles and Ramires showed true class. I don’t see any reason for them to buy an expensive midfielder such as Modric for close to £40million. Instead they should give games to Mc Eachran and Romeu. Attacking wise Chelsea lacked quality, Torres approached form by the end of the season but it was too late. The only bright side in that department was Mata who for £23million looks a real coup. The inclusion of Hazard for £32million will give them their own magician who can create something out of nothing. Marin would not excite me as much, he was once touted as a potential star but never lived up to the hype but at 23yrs old he may still turn into a good player. It seems Abramovic is going all out in the attacking department with players like Oscar and Hulk regularly linked. This could cause an overcrowding of talent at the club with a lack of balance. The likes of Hazard won’t want to sit on the bench which will mean Di Matteo will have to successfully rotate the squad and keep everyone happy.
Although the deal for Hulk seems to have broken down due to the price that Porto are requesting. The club are now targeting Leverkusen’s Schurrle and the Brazilian U21 Oscar both players are quoted to cost around the £25million mark. That said Chelsea may also go after striker with Drogba gone and Sturridge seeming to be out of favour, they only have Torres as an out-and-out striker. They could go after a world-class striker in Falcao or even Van Persie although the likes of Schurrle can play upfront. If the transfers of Maicon, Schurrle and Oscar do go through then Chelsea’s spending will have already reached the £100million mark. This would mean Chelsea will have paid around the same as Liverpool last season and have twice the quality.
Towards the end of last season Chelsea looked refreshed and eager to win which contrasted to the team under AVB. It’s hard to say what Di Matteo did differently, it may be down to the players simply liking him more. Even Torres played better and has since had a very successful European Championship. Chelsea supporters have good reason to be optimistic for next season. With an eagerness to succeed as well as new faces Chelsea could be a dominant force in not only the league but also Europe.
By Sean McNeill (@Sean_Mc_Neill)
Wenger's biggest summer ever?
As nearly all football fans know, Arsenal haven’t won a trophy since beating Manchester United 5-4 on Penalties in the 2005 FA cup final. It has been a very frustrating period for all us Arsenal fans, losing in the Champions league final to Barcelona and a shock defeat to Birmingham in the Carling Cup final 2 years ago have been two of the most notable failures. However, showing promise in the league so many times before falling away at the back end of the season and seeing Chelsea become the first London club to win the UCL was equally as painful for many.
Arsene Wenger now faces, in my view, his most crucial summer so far as manager of Arsenal. He didn’t do his business early enough last year which saw us lose 8-2 to Manchester United days before the transfer window ended and left us with a shocking start to the season. This led Wenger into a buying spree on the final day of the summer transfer window. Despite this, we managed to qualify for the UCL for an amazing 16th year in a row, and once again finish above the small club down the road even though this was ‘their best season in 50years’. Wenger has started early with his business this summer, learning from last year’s antics it seems. He has captured Lukas Podolski and Olivier Giroud for less than £25million, both very good deals.
Lukas Podolski has now got 100caps for Germany scoring 44goals, and in my opinion is made for the BPL. Strong, quick and with a very powerful left foot which saw him score 18 goals in 29 games for relegated Koln will hopefully see him settle quickly and make a difference to the team. His ‘fear no-one’ attitude and the ability to change a match will certainly benefit the team; and for a little less than £11million this is a bargain and a magical piece of work by Wenger.
Then there is Olivier Giroud, a player I must admit , like many others, I know little about. He has certainly had an amazingly successful season for shock French Champions Montpellier, scoring 21 goals which made him top scorer in ligue 1 and lead to him receiving his international debut for France. He has been likened to Arsenal flop Marouane Chamakh, but he comes with more goals and more assists than Chamakh had at his final season at Bordeaux, as well as leading a relatively average team to a ligue1 title. The respected French journalist Phillipe Auclair said ‘in terms of value for money, I don’t think there is much better in Europe at the moment’. The fact that we fought off interest from Chelsea, among others, for his signature is impressive; and I do not think he is a replacement for RVP, he is there to provide depth, which is crucial as Arsenal cannot rely on Robin like we did last season.
There are also some very strong rumours that we are on the brink of signing Yann M’Villa. For me, he was one of the few impressive players in the French side at the euros, he wasn’t amazing – but he certainly didn’t do much wrong. He has been tipped as the next Viera, and despite Song being a world class player, defensively he can be lazy at times. M’villa would provide much needed protection in the midfield but whether that transfer materialises we will have to wait and see. I believe Wenger may also try and bring in a new, experienced keeper to play back up and maybe a defender as an extra squad player.
Arsenal will also be majorly boosted by the return of Jack Wilshere who is on his way to being back in time for pre-season, and while he may take time to come back to his best, he will certainly make a major difference being one of the best young players in England, if not the world. There is also, as always fresh talent coming through the academy who may make an impact by the end of the season, and young players coming back from loan who may fight for a place in the first team such as Joel Campbell.
One thing is for certain, Arsenal are certainly showing some ambition; so far everything has been done right. But keeping RVP and getting rid of deadwood players will be as crucial. We are starting to get a very strong squad together and it is looking as though it has some depth. When RVP isn’t firing next year, instead of Chamakh and Park to come on, there will be the likes of Gervinho and Girioud. The team will certainly become less reliant on Van Persie, thats if he stays, which is crucial. Hopefully the long wait for a trophy could be nearing an end – I for one, am excited to be an Arsenal fan at the moment.
By Luke Cottell (@Lukei96)
Arsene Wenger now faces, in my view, his most crucial summer so far as manager of Arsenal. He didn’t do his business early enough last year which saw us lose 8-2 to Manchester United days before the transfer window ended and left us with a shocking start to the season. This led Wenger into a buying spree on the final day of the summer transfer window. Despite this, we managed to qualify for the UCL for an amazing 16th year in a row, and once again finish above the small club down the road even though this was ‘their best season in 50years’. Wenger has started early with his business this summer, learning from last year’s antics it seems. He has captured Lukas Podolski and Olivier Giroud for less than £25million, both very good deals.
Lukas Podolski has now got 100caps for Germany scoring 44goals, and in my opinion is made for the BPL. Strong, quick and with a very powerful left foot which saw him score 18 goals in 29 games for relegated Koln will hopefully see him settle quickly and make a difference to the team. His ‘fear no-one’ attitude and the ability to change a match will certainly benefit the team; and for a little less than £11million this is a bargain and a magical piece of work by Wenger.
Then there is Olivier Giroud, a player I must admit , like many others, I know little about. He has certainly had an amazingly successful season for shock French Champions Montpellier, scoring 21 goals which made him top scorer in ligue 1 and lead to him receiving his international debut for France. He has been likened to Arsenal flop Marouane Chamakh, but he comes with more goals and more assists than Chamakh had at his final season at Bordeaux, as well as leading a relatively average team to a ligue1 title. The respected French journalist Phillipe Auclair said ‘in terms of value for money, I don’t think there is much better in Europe at the moment’. The fact that we fought off interest from Chelsea, among others, for his signature is impressive; and I do not think he is a replacement for RVP, he is there to provide depth, which is crucial as Arsenal cannot rely on Robin like we did last season.
There are also some very strong rumours that we are on the brink of signing Yann M’Villa. For me, he was one of the few impressive players in the French side at the euros, he wasn’t amazing – but he certainly didn’t do much wrong. He has been tipped as the next Viera, and despite Song being a world class player, defensively he can be lazy at times. M’villa would provide much needed protection in the midfield but whether that transfer materialises we will have to wait and see. I believe Wenger may also try and bring in a new, experienced keeper to play back up and maybe a defender as an extra squad player.
Arsenal will also be majorly boosted by the return of Jack Wilshere who is on his way to being back in time for pre-season, and while he may take time to come back to his best, he will certainly make a major difference being one of the best young players in England, if not the world. There is also, as always fresh talent coming through the academy who may make an impact by the end of the season, and young players coming back from loan who may fight for a place in the first team such as Joel Campbell.
One thing is for certain, Arsenal are certainly showing some ambition; so far everything has been done right. But keeping RVP and getting rid of deadwood players will be as crucial. We are starting to get a very strong squad together and it is looking as though it has some depth. When RVP isn’t firing next year, instead of Chamakh and Park to come on, there will be the likes of Gervinho and Girioud. The team will certainly become less reliant on Van Persie, thats if he stays, which is crucial. Hopefully the long wait for a trophy could be nearing an end – I for one, am excited to be an Arsenal fan at the moment.
By Luke Cottell (@Lukei96)
Lukaku – ‘The New Drogba’
Romelu Lukaku has, undoubtedly, a scoring record so far in his career that any striker would be proud of and this was evident surrounding the excitement when he joined Chelsea in the summer of 2011. Here I’m going to look at just why this 19 year old, 6 ft 3 in striker has been justifiably dubbed as ‘the new Drogba’.
Lukaku’s youth career was one to be treasured, after impressing at a young age at Rupel Bloom and Lierse, Anderlecht were quick to snap this young talent up. Lukaku went on to make 93 appearances for the Anderlecht youth team scoring an almost unthinkable 131 goals in the process, coming to just over 1.4 goals every game. Not a bad record so far then. Not long after this, unsurprisingly, he was called up to the Anderlecht first team at the tender age of 16 and made his debut just 11 days later in a championship play-off match against Standard Liege. This was followed up just a year later with Lukaku picking up the golden boot award in the Belgian league, whilst helping Anderlecht to the Belgian championship. The following year saw more success, as Lukaku picked up another award, this time the Belgian Ebony Shoe – an award given to the best African player (or of African origin) in the Belgian Pro League.
It came as no surprise to see that this early success in Lukaku’s career had the world’s best clubs fighting it out to get his signature. This decision was not a hard one for Lukaku, after a school trip to the Bridge in 2009 where he was quoted saying – ‘What a stadium. If one day in my life I will cry, it will be the day I play here. I love Chelsea.’ And now here he was, a Chelsea player.
But all has not been plain sailing since his arrival at Chelsea, with Lukaku making just 8 first team starts and scoring no goals as of yet. But maybe this is me being harsh, after all he is still only 19. Can we really expect instant success, especially considering the bridge between the Belgian Pro League and the English Premier League? Maybe not.
He has, however, made some impact, finishing the season as top scorer with 7 goals for the reserves and grabbing himself a man of the match performance in his first start for the first team against Blackburn, picking up an assist for John Terry’s opener.
So, considering the blistering start to Lukaku’s career and the odd glimmer of hope in his first season for Chelsea, I think it would be fair to say that Lukaku’s future is looking bright. Whether he turns out to be the next Drogba, as has been openly claimed by many pundits, is still to be seen but one thing is for sure he definitely has the physical build and has definitely shown positive signs towards doing so.
By Jack Steadman (@Steaders123
Lukaku’s youth career was one to be treasured, after impressing at a young age at Rupel Bloom and Lierse, Anderlecht were quick to snap this young talent up. Lukaku went on to make 93 appearances for the Anderlecht youth team scoring an almost unthinkable 131 goals in the process, coming to just over 1.4 goals every game. Not a bad record so far then. Not long after this, unsurprisingly, he was called up to the Anderlecht first team at the tender age of 16 and made his debut just 11 days later in a championship play-off match against Standard Liege. This was followed up just a year later with Lukaku picking up the golden boot award in the Belgian league, whilst helping Anderlecht to the Belgian championship. The following year saw more success, as Lukaku picked up another award, this time the Belgian Ebony Shoe – an award given to the best African player (or of African origin) in the Belgian Pro League.
It came as no surprise to see that this early success in Lukaku’s career had the world’s best clubs fighting it out to get his signature. This decision was not a hard one for Lukaku, after a school trip to the Bridge in 2009 where he was quoted saying – ‘What a stadium. If one day in my life I will cry, it will be the day I play here. I love Chelsea.’ And now here he was, a Chelsea player.
But all has not been plain sailing since his arrival at Chelsea, with Lukaku making just 8 first team starts and scoring no goals as of yet. But maybe this is me being harsh, after all he is still only 19. Can we really expect instant success, especially considering the bridge between the Belgian Pro League and the English Premier League? Maybe not.
He has, however, made some impact, finishing the season as top scorer with 7 goals for the reserves and grabbing himself a man of the match performance in his first start for the first team against Blackburn, picking up an assist for John Terry’s opener.
So, considering the blistering start to Lukaku’s career and the odd glimmer of hope in his first season for Chelsea, I think it would be fair to say that Lukaku’s future is looking bright. Whether he turns out to be the next Drogba, as has been openly claimed by many pundits, is still to be seen but one thing is for sure he definitely has the physical build and has definitely shown positive signs towards doing so.
By Jack Steadman (@Steaders123
In Nigel Adkins We Trust
Since Nigel Adkins took over the Southampton ship, not only has he become a household name and legend across Southampton, he has also drawn attention from around the country. Honestly this isn’t surprising, the physio-turned-manager took over Saints in August 2010, he immediately made his impression not only on the fans, but on the philosophy of the club.
The Southampton board and owners had set out a 5 year plan to get the Saints back to the Premier League, when we got out of administration and were only starting out in League One. Nigel Adkins joined the club a year after this was set out, and two years later, we are back where most of our fans think we belong.
Adkins managed to do this by immediately expecting 110% from his players, and implemented his own style of attacking football, making sure that we passed around the ball and be patient. This worked to a level that no-one expected, in his first season he saw his side win comfortably and humiliating some teams, like our 6-0 away victory against Oldham. This style of play was a delight to see from the Southampton faithful; who had got used to almost giving up hope in previous seasons. We continued to play this way in the Championship, and it worked amazingly well yet again. We didn’t leave the top two all season which is an incredible feat for any team, let alone for a newly-promoted club. He did what many haven’t achieved, gaining back-to-back promotions.
He very much believes in something which some managers don’t spend too much time on: Sustainability. He puts in a lot of his time helping with the academy side of things, and tries to bring as much of our own talent through the ranks, for example Adam Lallana. Many have said that he is integral to the team more so than Ricky Lambert.
He is a realistic manager, who takes each game at a time, although he mostly speaks in clichés, all of what he says is true. I truly believe that he, along with the facilities at hand, also the clubs folklore, will help us stay up and hopefully establish ourselves back as a Premier League team.
I have always seen Southampton as a big club, for instance we broke our club attendance record this season, vs Reading and had the second highest average attendance in the Championship.
Whilst having an outrageously tough first month in the Prem, with journeys to the Etihad and the Emirates to make, and welcoming the likes of Man United, I still insist that we can make an impression. All we need to do is play the way we have played and I think a few upsets are on the cards. In Nigel Adkins we trust.
By Will Sharp (@WIllSharp94)
The Southampton board and owners had set out a 5 year plan to get the Saints back to the Premier League, when we got out of administration and were only starting out in League One. Nigel Adkins joined the club a year after this was set out, and two years later, we are back where most of our fans think we belong.
Adkins managed to do this by immediately expecting 110% from his players, and implemented his own style of attacking football, making sure that we passed around the ball and be patient. This worked to a level that no-one expected, in his first season he saw his side win comfortably and humiliating some teams, like our 6-0 away victory against Oldham. This style of play was a delight to see from the Southampton faithful; who had got used to almost giving up hope in previous seasons. We continued to play this way in the Championship, and it worked amazingly well yet again. We didn’t leave the top two all season which is an incredible feat for any team, let alone for a newly-promoted club. He did what many haven’t achieved, gaining back-to-back promotions.
He very much believes in something which some managers don’t spend too much time on: Sustainability. He puts in a lot of his time helping with the academy side of things, and tries to bring as much of our own talent through the ranks, for example Adam Lallana. Many have said that he is integral to the team more so than Ricky Lambert.
He is a realistic manager, who takes each game at a time, although he mostly speaks in clichés, all of what he says is true. I truly believe that he, along with the facilities at hand, also the clubs folklore, will help us stay up and hopefully establish ourselves back as a Premier League team.
I have always seen Southampton as a big club, for instance we broke our club attendance record this season, vs Reading and had the second highest average attendance in the Championship.
Whilst having an outrageously tough first month in the Prem, with journeys to the Etihad and the Emirates to make, and welcoming the likes of Man United, I still insist that we can make an impression. All we need to do is play the way we have played and I think a few upsets are on the cards. In Nigel Adkins we trust.
By Will Sharp (@WIllSharp94)
Di Matteo – early success, but can it be kept up in the long-run?
Being a Chelsea fan, I was ecstatic hearing the news of Di Matteo signing a new 2-year contract as Chelsea manager. In just his few months in charge in the 2011/12 season he made a sizeable impact, turning what had been somewhat of a shambles of a season for the blues into arguably one of our most successful, bringing home not only the FA Cup but, the downfall of so many ex-Chelsea managers, the Champions League.
Andre Villas-Boas arrived at Chelsea at the beginning of the 2011/12 season with a huge level of expectation and excitement following his immense success at Porto, bringing home the Europa League, winning the Portuguese Cup and winning the Portuguese league after an unbeaten season, and all of this coming in just one year in charge of the club. This excitement and expectation was short lived however, with AVB’s tactics and controversial team management quickly losing him fans. The constant persistence to play with such a high line at the back often came under scrutiny from fans, pundits and players alike as Chelsea continued to leak goals notably after a run of bad results against the league’s top clubs, including the ever-present haunting of a 5-3 drubbing at home to Arsenal. On top of this constant flawed tactic, AVB made some controversial team choices most notably with the exclusion of Frank Lampard from the starting line-up on more than one occasion.
All of these factors led to the eventual sacking of Andre Villas-Boas when the board were finally tipped over the edge after a 1-0 loss to West Brom.
Enter Di Matteo. He made an immediate impact leading Chelsea to a 5-4 aggregate win against Napoli in the Champions League last 16 after what seemed like a certain exit from the competition, following a less than convincing first leg. All of a sudden the team had found that little extra something and they seemed to go from strength to strength. Di Matteo had reignited the team morale and belief that had all been burnt out during AVB’s reign. Just a few days after our success against Napoli, Di Matteo led us to the FA Cup semi-finals with a 5-2 win over Leicester and had achieved what at the time seemed to be impossible – help Torres to once again find form, who scored two goals and managed two assists in that game.
The season kept on progressing well and although our premier league form was still not that of a title challenging team, there were sure signs of improvement. Meanwhile, our European campaign carried on blossoming, beating Benfica and then overcoming the ‘impossible’ and beating Barcelona after a ferocious second leg drawing 2-2 at the Camp Nou with only 10 men on the field for over two thirds of the game. The Champions League final awaited us. This colossal performance, against arguably the greatest club team of all time, somewhat overshadowed our FA Cup semi-final win. A 5-1 thrashing of Spurs, our season was well and truly back on track.
With our premier league campaign slowly dying out, achieving only a 6th place finish, two of the biggest games of the clubs recent history followed in the space of just two weeks. The 5th May, another FA Cup final. Chelsea overcame a valiant effort from Liverpool following one of many Drogba, big game, star performances and we picked up our 7th FA Cup trophy. 19th May, Munich. Enter one final colossal Didier Drogba performance to keep us in the game after going 1-0 down and leading us to the greatest achievement for any European club, winning the Champions League.
These events surely guaranteed Di Matteo the job full-time? It didn’t seem so for a while, but after what seemed like an age, Roberto was finally named manager with a 2-year contract.
But going back to the title of my blog, can he keep up this success in the long term? As a Chelsea fan I like to think this is certainly possible but it may not be as simple as we think. Di Matteo was inducted to restore order to the Chelsea camp and not much else really, it was almost as if he managed the team with a nothing-to-lose attitude and this certainly helped with the success that followed his arrival. But following his first season atics, there will again be an air of expectation and anticipation of even more success, and I will admit as a Chelsea fan, this is a feeling I possess. This anticipation may yet again lead to the failure of another Chelsea manager, as rather than when Di Matteo first entered the club as manager with next to no pressure, he is now going to be expected to produce these performances and success again, but with the added pressure of already achieving more than was expected by him.
Can he deal with this extra pressure? In the past his managerial career hasn’t merited this, with a big sense of second-season syndrome in his time with West Brom. After leading them to promotion in his first year in charge, this was followed by a lengthy spell of struggling and poor results, which eventually led to him parting company with the club.
As a Chelsea fan I can only hope the same doesn’t happen with us and that in his second season he goes on from strength to strength and with that a period of more success to follow. Only time will tell.
By Jack Steadman (@Steaders123)
Andre Villas-Boas arrived at Chelsea at the beginning of the 2011/12 season with a huge level of expectation and excitement following his immense success at Porto, bringing home the Europa League, winning the Portuguese Cup and winning the Portuguese league after an unbeaten season, and all of this coming in just one year in charge of the club. This excitement and expectation was short lived however, with AVB’s tactics and controversial team management quickly losing him fans. The constant persistence to play with such a high line at the back often came under scrutiny from fans, pundits and players alike as Chelsea continued to leak goals notably after a run of bad results against the league’s top clubs, including the ever-present haunting of a 5-3 drubbing at home to Arsenal. On top of this constant flawed tactic, AVB made some controversial team choices most notably with the exclusion of Frank Lampard from the starting line-up on more than one occasion.
All of these factors led to the eventual sacking of Andre Villas-Boas when the board were finally tipped over the edge after a 1-0 loss to West Brom.
Enter Di Matteo. He made an immediate impact leading Chelsea to a 5-4 aggregate win against Napoli in the Champions League last 16 after what seemed like a certain exit from the competition, following a less than convincing first leg. All of a sudden the team had found that little extra something and they seemed to go from strength to strength. Di Matteo had reignited the team morale and belief that had all been burnt out during AVB’s reign. Just a few days after our success against Napoli, Di Matteo led us to the FA Cup semi-finals with a 5-2 win over Leicester and had achieved what at the time seemed to be impossible – help Torres to once again find form, who scored two goals and managed two assists in that game.
The season kept on progressing well and although our premier league form was still not that of a title challenging team, there were sure signs of improvement. Meanwhile, our European campaign carried on blossoming, beating Benfica and then overcoming the ‘impossible’ and beating Barcelona after a ferocious second leg drawing 2-2 at the Camp Nou with only 10 men on the field for over two thirds of the game. The Champions League final awaited us. This colossal performance, against arguably the greatest club team of all time, somewhat overshadowed our FA Cup semi-final win. A 5-1 thrashing of Spurs, our season was well and truly back on track.
With our premier league campaign slowly dying out, achieving only a 6th place finish, two of the biggest games of the clubs recent history followed in the space of just two weeks. The 5th May, another FA Cup final. Chelsea overcame a valiant effort from Liverpool following one of many Drogba, big game, star performances and we picked up our 7th FA Cup trophy. 19th May, Munich. Enter one final colossal Didier Drogba performance to keep us in the game after going 1-0 down and leading us to the greatest achievement for any European club, winning the Champions League.
These events surely guaranteed Di Matteo the job full-time? It didn’t seem so for a while, but after what seemed like an age, Roberto was finally named manager with a 2-year contract.
But going back to the title of my blog, can he keep up this success in the long term? As a Chelsea fan I like to think this is certainly possible but it may not be as simple as we think. Di Matteo was inducted to restore order to the Chelsea camp and not much else really, it was almost as if he managed the team with a nothing-to-lose attitude and this certainly helped with the success that followed his arrival. But following his first season atics, there will again be an air of expectation and anticipation of even more success, and I will admit as a Chelsea fan, this is a feeling I possess. This anticipation may yet again lead to the failure of another Chelsea manager, as rather than when Di Matteo first entered the club as manager with next to no pressure, he is now going to be expected to produce these performances and success again, but with the added pressure of already achieving more than was expected by him.
Can he deal with this extra pressure? In the past his managerial career hasn’t merited this, with a big sense of second-season syndrome in his time with West Brom. After leading them to promotion in his first year in charge, this was followed by a lengthy spell of struggling and poor results, which eventually led to him parting company with the club.
As a Chelsea fan I can only hope the same doesn’t happen with us and that in his second season he goes on from strength to strength and with that a period of more success to follow. Only time will tell.
By Jack Steadman (@Steaders123)
Oxlade-Chamberlain or Walcott?
As an arsenal fan, i always compare the two players and their different ability's. From just watching the Euro 2012 this year, us England fans have seen what the two have to offer. Even though England's tournament turned into a disappointing one, we saw a lot of promise from the two.
Firstly, Theo Walcott, 23 years of age. Signed from championship side Southampton to top premier league side Arsenal for a fee of which began at £5 million, but was raised to £9.1 million due to appearances for country and club. Many fans had doubts about the youngster signing for Arsenal, as he was still a not very known footballer. However, Arsenal fans had a lot more belief for the youngster when he was called up to the England squad for the 2006 World cup. Walcott made his debut for the club on 19th August, coming on as a substitute against Aston Villa. This was the chance for the footballing world to see the talent of the youngster. Within quick succession, Walcott proved his talent, assisting Gilberto Silva. Now the whole world of football had Walcott on their mind, as his potential was world class.
It was clear to every fan that Walcott's strong point was his acceleration and pace. He was quickly named fastest footballer in the premier league, or maybe even the world. With this pace came sponsors such as Nike. Yet, as the seasons progressed, Walcott's ability was starting to be doubted. His consistent - ency was not good enough for the likes of the premier league. Arsenal fans resulted in actually 'booing' when they knew that Walcott was playing. Walcott also picked up nicknames whilst in bad form such as 'Theo run with the ball Walcott' as all he seemed to do was sprint with the ball, with no final product.
Despite all of this, in Euro 2012 we saw what Walcott is really capable of producing on the pitch. As a substitute for England vs. Sweden, Walcott dramatically changed the game. Walcott was bought on when England were 2-1 down. He came on and made an instant impact to the team. Scoring to make England level, but also assisting Danny Welbeck to give England the lead.
Alex Oxlade-Chamberlain, 18 years of age. Also signed from Southampton to Arsenal at the age of 17 for a fee of £15 million. This confused many fans across the premier league as £15 million for a 17 year old seems crazy money unless he turned out to be world class. But the 'ox' instantly got the fans on his side from sensational performances at such a young age. Fans all over the country knew Oxlade-Chamberlain for a good reason now. Then came more good performances from the 'wonderkid' where he scored, assisted and greatly helped Arsenal get crucial victories. There's one game that stands out more than the rest though, that game is where Chamberlain started center midfield against top side AC Milan, in the champions league second leg. In the first leg, Chamberlain wasn't started which made fans angry as they believe he's a game changer in the Arsenal jersey and this was a crucial game. Arsenal were hammered 4-0 at the San Siro. This made the second leg almost impossible to come back for Arsenal. They ended up winning the match 3-0 but that wasn't good enough. However, it was easily noticed how well Chamberlain played that match, covering the whole pitch, his work rate is clearly much higher than Walcott's as he defends as well as attacks.
With all this good reputation, the pressure comes piling onto the youngster as his expectations are now so high at a young age. The fans of both Arsenal and England are now expecting the youngster to produce amazing quality when on the pitch and similar to how Walcott was, he is heavily criticized when making mistakes on the pitch. It's almost like since he's gotten the good reputation, he cannot handle the pressure at such a young age but it is clear that he has what it takes to survive in the premier league, the best league in the world. He has the attributes you want in a player, speed, agility, finesse, ball control and brilliant passing.
Walcott was equally as good as Chamberlain at the age of 17, but Walcott seemed to flop when he got to an age that people wouldn't recongise him as a youngster anymore. Will this be the same with Oxlade-Chamberlain? You decide.
By Josh Keen (@Joshkeeno)
Firstly, Theo Walcott, 23 years of age. Signed from championship side Southampton to top premier league side Arsenal for a fee of which began at £5 million, but was raised to £9.1 million due to appearances for country and club. Many fans had doubts about the youngster signing for Arsenal, as he was still a not very known footballer. However, Arsenal fans had a lot more belief for the youngster when he was called up to the England squad for the 2006 World cup. Walcott made his debut for the club on 19th August, coming on as a substitute against Aston Villa. This was the chance for the footballing world to see the talent of the youngster. Within quick succession, Walcott proved his talent, assisting Gilberto Silva. Now the whole world of football had Walcott on their mind, as his potential was world class.
It was clear to every fan that Walcott's strong point was his acceleration and pace. He was quickly named fastest footballer in the premier league, or maybe even the world. With this pace came sponsors such as Nike. Yet, as the seasons progressed, Walcott's ability was starting to be doubted. His consistent - ency was not good enough for the likes of the premier league. Arsenal fans resulted in actually 'booing' when they knew that Walcott was playing. Walcott also picked up nicknames whilst in bad form such as 'Theo run with the ball Walcott' as all he seemed to do was sprint with the ball, with no final product.
Despite all of this, in Euro 2012 we saw what Walcott is really capable of producing on the pitch. As a substitute for England vs. Sweden, Walcott dramatically changed the game. Walcott was bought on when England were 2-1 down. He came on and made an instant impact to the team. Scoring to make England level, but also assisting Danny Welbeck to give England the lead.
Alex Oxlade-Chamberlain, 18 years of age. Also signed from Southampton to Arsenal at the age of 17 for a fee of £15 million. This confused many fans across the premier league as £15 million for a 17 year old seems crazy money unless he turned out to be world class. But the 'ox' instantly got the fans on his side from sensational performances at such a young age. Fans all over the country knew Oxlade-Chamberlain for a good reason now. Then came more good performances from the 'wonderkid' where he scored, assisted and greatly helped Arsenal get crucial victories. There's one game that stands out more than the rest though, that game is where Chamberlain started center midfield against top side AC Milan, in the champions league second leg. In the first leg, Chamberlain wasn't started which made fans angry as they believe he's a game changer in the Arsenal jersey and this was a crucial game. Arsenal were hammered 4-0 at the San Siro. This made the second leg almost impossible to come back for Arsenal. They ended up winning the match 3-0 but that wasn't good enough. However, it was easily noticed how well Chamberlain played that match, covering the whole pitch, his work rate is clearly much higher than Walcott's as he defends as well as attacks.
With all this good reputation, the pressure comes piling onto the youngster as his expectations are now so high at a young age. The fans of both Arsenal and England are now expecting the youngster to produce amazing quality when on the pitch and similar to how Walcott was, he is heavily criticized when making mistakes on the pitch. It's almost like since he's gotten the good reputation, he cannot handle the pressure at such a young age but it is clear that he has what it takes to survive in the premier league, the best league in the world. He has the attributes you want in a player, speed, agility, finesse, ball control and brilliant passing.
Walcott was equally as good as Chamberlain at the age of 17, but Walcott seemed to flop when he got to an age that people wouldn't recongise him as a youngster anymore. Will this be the same with Oxlade-Chamberlain? You decide.
By Josh Keen (@Joshkeeno)
Torres, Chelsea’s number 9
The £50 million switch from red to blue was a hot topic across the whole footballing world. But who would have thought that the story would still be brought up on a weekly basis? As we all know the move from Liverpool didn’t flourish as Fernando would have wanted, yet is there still aspects in his one and half seasons at Chelsea to show promise for the future? I think so.
Fernando Torres or El Niño (as he was known in Spain) struggled to cement himself into the starting line up at Chelsea and as we all know he found it extremely hard to find the back of the net, only scoring 12 goals from 46 appearances, because of this I cannot help but agree with the majority of people, and say that Torres just doesn’t look the same, his touch is sloppy, his passes fall short and his shots fire wide on a regular basis.
Torres scored his first goal for Chelsea against West Ham United in a 3–0 victory, which ended a run of 903 minutes of football without scoring a single goal, however this was subjected to claims that weather conditions greatly helped the number 9, which was evident by the ball practically stopping in the wet mud in front of the Mathew Harding stand, So even when he does score critics are hot on the case and seem adamant on casting a shadow over him.
He then went on to start the 2011/2012 campaign looking fresh and he began to make clever runs into the spaces behind defenders and provide crucial link up play with wide men around him. All looked promising when he netted his second goal for Chelsea and first of the season against title contenders Manchester united on the 18th of September. However as I’m sure you’re aware his performance and goal will be forever overlooked, due to the clear missed opportunity in front of an open goal. Following this he managed to secure a 3rd goal for Chelsea against newly promoted Swansea city, however Torres always seems to ruin the occasion as he violently two footed Mark Gower just 10 minutes after scoring. Once again finding form and then plummeting back down.
However apart from the evident difference in performance between his time at Liverpool and Chelsea, his phenomenal work ethic and his ability to not give up has maintained his stature as a well reckoned player. His goal against Barcelona to secure a champions league final place for Chelsea was not only well taken but also well deserved, the 12 assists he also provided this season (crucial ones include, the set up for kalou in the 1-0 win over Benfica giving us a helpful away goal) have made me believe that he could still turn around his horrendous up and down start to his Chelsea career. I believe that Torres will find is magnificent form which he so clearly had in 2008 euros competition and the majority of his time at Liverpool. The added factor of Chelsea’s former main man Didier Drogba leaving has left Torres with perfect chance to become a world class striker once again. Form is temporary, class is permanent.
By Ryan Farley (@RyanF0800)
Fernando Torres or El Niño (as he was known in Spain) struggled to cement himself into the starting line up at Chelsea and as we all know he found it extremely hard to find the back of the net, only scoring 12 goals from 46 appearances, because of this I cannot help but agree with the majority of people, and say that Torres just doesn’t look the same, his touch is sloppy, his passes fall short and his shots fire wide on a regular basis.
Torres scored his first goal for Chelsea against West Ham United in a 3–0 victory, which ended a run of 903 minutes of football without scoring a single goal, however this was subjected to claims that weather conditions greatly helped the number 9, which was evident by the ball practically stopping in the wet mud in front of the Mathew Harding stand, So even when he does score critics are hot on the case and seem adamant on casting a shadow over him.
He then went on to start the 2011/2012 campaign looking fresh and he began to make clever runs into the spaces behind defenders and provide crucial link up play with wide men around him. All looked promising when he netted his second goal for Chelsea and first of the season against title contenders Manchester united on the 18th of September. However as I’m sure you’re aware his performance and goal will be forever overlooked, due to the clear missed opportunity in front of an open goal. Following this he managed to secure a 3rd goal for Chelsea against newly promoted Swansea city, however Torres always seems to ruin the occasion as he violently two footed Mark Gower just 10 minutes after scoring. Once again finding form and then plummeting back down.
However apart from the evident difference in performance between his time at Liverpool and Chelsea, his phenomenal work ethic and his ability to not give up has maintained his stature as a well reckoned player. His goal against Barcelona to secure a champions league final place for Chelsea was not only well taken but also well deserved, the 12 assists he also provided this season (crucial ones include, the set up for kalou in the 1-0 win over Benfica giving us a helpful away goal) have made me believe that he could still turn around his horrendous up and down start to his Chelsea career. I believe that Torres will find is magnificent form which he so clearly had in 2008 euros competition and the majority of his time at Liverpool. The added factor of Chelsea’s former main man Didier Drogba leaving has left Torres with perfect chance to become a world class striker once again. Form is temporary, class is permanent.
By Ryan Farley (@RyanF0800)
Mario Balotelli – Hero or villain?
All football fans know who this mad but elegant Italian striker is but Mario Balotelli holds the key to whether he turns out to be a hero or villain for club and country.
He joined Inter Milan from Lumezzane, where he made his senior debut at the tender age of 15. In just his second game at Inter and three days after his debut, he scored twice in a 4-1 Coppa Italia victory over Reggina, he also scored in the 2008 Supercoppa Italiana final. In November of that year he became the youngest Inter player to score in the Champions League when he scored against Anorthosis Famagusta, Balotelli continued to be impressive throughout for Inter. When current Manchester City boss Roberto Mancini took over following his dismissal from Inter he brought Balotelli with him in the summer of 2010 for a cool £24 million.
In his first year for City he managed 10 goals in all competitions including a hat-trick against Aston Villa in late December. However his aggression seemed apparent when he picked up 11 yellow cards and 2 reds. In his second and latest season he scored 18 goals in all competitions but again finding his aggression a problem to deal with, picking up another 9 yellow and 2 red cards. He proved his worth to the ‘big boys’ of the league scoring an impressive 2 goals in the rout against bitter rivals Manchester United. Currently Balotelli is in Poland/Ukraine for Euro 2012 and has had a good campaign so far and with no bad headlines to out shine him and with a superb goal against the Republic of Ireland in their last group game. On Sunday he played well against England and was unlucky not to score following some brilliant work to get past the back four and beating the offside trap.
However, headlines about Mario since his arrival in England have not always been so great. He grabbed headlines in Milan whilst at Inter when he was seen wearing an AC Milan shirt, Inter’s rivals, and to wear a shirt of your biggest rivals is unspeakable in any sport. He first grabbed headlines at City when him and former team-mate Jerome Boateng had a training ground bust up. Mario didn’t seem to take any notice of last time and nearly ended up with another bust-up with fellow team-mate Micah Richards, but Mancini intervened and Richards and Mario patched things up. Away from the pitch, Mario has created problems, notably two events, firstly the ‘fireworks incident’ where he reportedly set of fireworks in his own bathroom and set fire to his five-bedroom house. This happened to be the talking point of the nation’s football fans and others worldwide, and Balotelli reacted when he scored in the 6-1 victory over United with the iconic words ‘Why Always Me?’ on his under armour. Secondly he was caught throwing darts at youth team players from a window, thankfully no players were harmed but Mario punished.
Mario is still young and can change his ways, he can look to his international team mate, Italian Antonio Cassano. Cassano has been hailed as Italy’s ‘bad boy’, and some say worse than Super Mario. Cassano in his early years had never escaped headlines in Italy, from screaming at his Real Madrid manager Fabio Capello to boasting about sleeping with ‘600-700’ women. Antonio then suffered a minor heart defect last year and spent five months out of football but he has came back fighting and has became a headline maker for the right reasons.
Balotelli has the skill, passion and finishing to be a great in the beautiful game, but if he doesn’t overcome his anger then he possibly may be a ‘could have been’ player.
By Joe Chuter (@joechuter)
He joined Inter Milan from Lumezzane, where he made his senior debut at the tender age of 15. In just his second game at Inter and three days after his debut, he scored twice in a 4-1 Coppa Italia victory over Reggina, he also scored in the 2008 Supercoppa Italiana final. In November of that year he became the youngest Inter player to score in the Champions League when he scored against Anorthosis Famagusta, Balotelli continued to be impressive throughout for Inter. When current Manchester City boss Roberto Mancini took over following his dismissal from Inter he brought Balotelli with him in the summer of 2010 for a cool £24 million.
In his first year for City he managed 10 goals in all competitions including a hat-trick against Aston Villa in late December. However his aggression seemed apparent when he picked up 11 yellow cards and 2 reds. In his second and latest season he scored 18 goals in all competitions but again finding his aggression a problem to deal with, picking up another 9 yellow and 2 red cards. He proved his worth to the ‘big boys’ of the league scoring an impressive 2 goals in the rout against bitter rivals Manchester United. Currently Balotelli is in Poland/Ukraine for Euro 2012 and has had a good campaign so far and with no bad headlines to out shine him and with a superb goal against the Republic of Ireland in their last group game. On Sunday he played well against England and was unlucky not to score following some brilliant work to get past the back four and beating the offside trap.
However, headlines about Mario since his arrival in England have not always been so great. He grabbed headlines in Milan whilst at Inter when he was seen wearing an AC Milan shirt, Inter’s rivals, and to wear a shirt of your biggest rivals is unspeakable in any sport. He first grabbed headlines at City when him and former team-mate Jerome Boateng had a training ground bust up. Mario didn’t seem to take any notice of last time and nearly ended up with another bust-up with fellow team-mate Micah Richards, but Mancini intervened and Richards and Mario patched things up. Away from the pitch, Mario has created problems, notably two events, firstly the ‘fireworks incident’ where he reportedly set of fireworks in his own bathroom and set fire to his five-bedroom house. This happened to be the talking point of the nation’s football fans and others worldwide, and Balotelli reacted when he scored in the 6-1 victory over United with the iconic words ‘Why Always Me?’ on his under armour. Secondly he was caught throwing darts at youth team players from a window, thankfully no players were harmed but Mario punished.
Mario is still young and can change his ways, he can look to his international team mate, Italian Antonio Cassano. Cassano has been hailed as Italy’s ‘bad boy’, and some say worse than Super Mario. Cassano in his early years had never escaped headlines in Italy, from screaming at his Real Madrid manager Fabio Capello to boasting about sleeping with ‘600-700’ women. Antonio then suffered a minor heart defect last year and spent five months out of football but he has came back fighting and has became a headline maker for the right reasons.
Balotelli has the skill, passion and finishing to be a great in the beautiful game, but if he doesn’t overcome his anger then he possibly may be a ‘could have been’ player.
By Joe Chuter (@joechuter)
Redknapp’s last season, why did it go wrong?
Many people were quick to criticise Spurs’ season, mainly due to the electric start they made.
Tottenham revelled in the praise of media pundits and everyone within football at the start of the season, where did everything go wrong? The season started extremely badly with a 3-0 and 5-1 defeats to United and City respectively, this cast a negative shadow on Tottenham, many people predicting a poor season, which proved to be extremely premature. Many people forget that Scott Parker and Emmanuel Adebayor were yet to sign for Spurs during this early season period, these players flourished and became key and influential figures in late 2011. This was twinned with the looming transfer saga of Luka Modric which withdrew focus on the early season, once this was resolved and Spurs headed into September, the expectations were very low due to a poor start leaving Spurs 19th and Wolves in 1st. As the season moved into the latter stages of the calendar year, the early carling cup exit to Stoke City and the mild distraction of the Europa League showed little affect on the players which spurred them on and contributed to a run of 13 games undefeated. Spurs looked untouchable and were coasting through games and looking rather confident.
Spurs started 2012 strongly with a solid win over West Brom. This game epitomized the high expectations of the supporters of which they expect to win every home game. These ambitions escalated and people were starting to think the ‘small force’ Spurs, could win the Premier League. Could they win it? No. The dreams were shattered by a refereeing shocker which culminated in Mario Balotelli avoiding a sending off and then going on to win the game. This led to many supporters being content with 3rd place. With the lead ahead of Arsenal stretched to 13 points and with Spurs playing a very attractive brand of football, the balance of power appeared to be shifting in London with Tottenham becoming a strong threat to the league leaders. Until..
Fabio Capello’s departure from the hierarchy of International English football, led to the gaffer becoming the main name on everyone’s lips. This extreme media hype caused Redknapp to appear to lose focus on the main prize, 3rd place. This came alongside Redknapp’s court case which he eventually went on to win. His return to the lane after the court outcome was against Newcastle on a chilly February evening, the atmosphere at the stadium was absolutely jaw dropping, it send shivers down your spine. Spurs won the game 5-0 and looked at their brilliant best. This game appeared to be the peak of the form, with Tottenham losing 5-2 to bitter North London rivals, Arsenal. This came after Spurs raced into an early, fortunate 2-0 lead. This result started a massive dip in form and results, Spurs’ lead was cut down to a level game. With many people questioning the managers capabilities.
With Harrys mind appearing to be drifting towards England, the form became even worse, and was confirmed after a 2-1 home defeat to Norwich, the only home defeat to a club outside of Manchester. The turn in results encouraged panic within the Tottenham camp. Spurs fans were calling Redknapp’s head.
The season ended with Spurs finishing in 4th place, which was considered a success according to the Spurs management. From a fans point of view, due to the huge lead we created. This should have been expanded and gone onto greater things. The main targets seemed to be decreasing throughout the season and Tottenham settled for 4th. This was then destroyed by Chelsea when the replaced Spurs in the Champions league due to their triumph in Munich.
Redknapp was sacked and there has been alot of negativity about the board’s knowledge. But what i do know is, Daniel Levy and Joe Lewis are clever people, and we will be back. I assure you of that. Blue and white army.
By Will Barnes (@binseyyyy)
Tottenham revelled in the praise of media pundits and everyone within football at the start of the season, where did everything go wrong? The season started extremely badly with a 3-0 and 5-1 defeats to United and City respectively, this cast a negative shadow on Tottenham, many people predicting a poor season, which proved to be extremely premature. Many people forget that Scott Parker and Emmanuel Adebayor were yet to sign for Spurs during this early season period, these players flourished and became key and influential figures in late 2011. This was twinned with the looming transfer saga of Luka Modric which withdrew focus on the early season, once this was resolved and Spurs headed into September, the expectations were very low due to a poor start leaving Spurs 19th and Wolves in 1st. As the season moved into the latter stages of the calendar year, the early carling cup exit to Stoke City and the mild distraction of the Europa League showed little affect on the players which spurred them on and contributed to a run of 13 games undefeated. Spurs looked untouchable and were coasting through games and looking rather confident.
Spurs started 2012 strongly with a solid win over West Brom. This game epitomized the high expectations of the supporters of which they expect to win every home game. These ambitions escalated and people were starting to think the ‘small force’ Spurs, could win the Premier League. Could they win it? No. The dreams were shattered by a refereeing shocker which culminated in Mario Balotelli avoiding a sending off and then going on to win the game. This led to many supporters being content with 3rd place. With the lead ahead of Arsenal stretched to 13 points and with Spurs playing a very attractive brand of football, the balance of power appeared to be shifting in London with Tottenham becoming a strong threat to the league leaders. Until..
Fabio Capello’s departure from the hierarchy of International English football, led to the gaffer becoming the main name on everyone’s lips. This extreme media hype caused Redknapp to appear to lose focus on the main prize, 3rd place. This came alongside Redknapp’s court case which he eventually went on to win. His return to the lane after the court outcome was against Newcastle on a chilly February evening, the atmosphere at the stadium was absolutely jaw dropping, it send shivers down your spine. Spurs won the game 5-0 and looked at their brilliant best. This game appeared to be the peak of the form, with Tottenham losing 5-2 to bitter North London rivals, Arsenal. This came after Spurs raced into an early, fortunate 2-0 lead. This result started a massive dip in form and results, Spurs’ lead was cut down to a level game. With many people questioning the managers capabilities.
With Harrys mind appearing to be drifting towards England, the form became even worse, and was confirmed after a 2-1 home defeat to Norwich, the only home defeat to a club outside of Manchester. The turn in results encouraged panic within the Tottenham camp. Spurs fans were calling Redknapp’s head.
The season ended with Spurs finishing in 4th place, which was considered a success according to the Spurs management. From a fans point of view, due to the huge lead we created. This should have been expanded and gone onto greater things. The main targets seemed to be decreasing throughout the season and Tottenham settled for 4th. This was then destroyed by Chelsea when the replaced Spurs in the Champions league due to their triumph in Munich.
Redknapp was sacked and there has been alot of negativity about the board’s knowledge. But what i do know is, Daniel Levy and Joe Lewis are clever people, and we will be back. I assure you of that. Blue and white army.
By Will Barnes (@binseyyyy)
Reading FC – Barclays Premier League 2012/13
Here we go again. Reading’s third crack in the top flight is beckoning and I for one am more than excited. Clinching the 2011/12 nPower championship title pipping Southampton and West Ham was an incredible feat for Reading, dubbed ‘the weakest side to win a championship title’ by some harsh critics.
After losing to Stevenage in the FA Cup 3rd round at home, morale was hindered within the players and fans alike. Losing to Hull at home to a dubious Robbie Brady goal a week or two after the Stevenage game, was a prominent moment in which I really considered the possibility of relegation for this Reading side. To see the change that occurred within the side and how we bounced back from them two games is no other than unbelievable. Brian McDermott didn’t panic. His mentality is to be admired, the calm and collected demeanour he portrays isn’t put on at all..a direct paradox to one Neil Warnock.
The sudden announcement that an unknown ‘Thames Sport Investment’ were to partly take over Reading Football Club came as a shock to me and fellow supporters. Thames Sport Investment otherwise known as ‘TSI’ headed by a wealthy Russian ‘Anton Zingarevich’ created a strange feeling of the unknown and excitement was evident as soon as the announcement was made. It could be said that Anton ZIngarevich was a major component in the winning of the championship, enabling us to keep Jimmy kebe at the club and sign a well known experienced striker in the form of Jason Roberts. Some Reading fans contemplated whether Jason was ‘past it’, but it was clear he wasn’t from the minute he made his debut in the Reading shirt. Jason’s experience was noticeable to have made an impact on and off the pitch.
Too say im excited about being back in the Barclays Premier League is an understatement, i’m ecstatic. We need to acquire new players to add to the squad to really push on as a club and become established in the top-flight. Anton Zingarevich needs to delve deep into his pockets and purchase players who have premiership know-how and players who have great potential futures ahead of them. John Madejski will still urge that we go about our business in a ‘wise and prudent’ manner which is necessary to make the club sustainable for the future. Being linked with players such as Pavel Pogrenybak, Jermaine Defoe and Dame N’Doye is incredible, I would have never imagined this in a million years at the beginning of last season. To have the likes of Rooney, Aguero, and Eden Hazard coming to the Madejski stadium next season is nothing other than extraordinary.
It is essential that Reading don’t turn into a ‘QPR’, where players have been bought for extortionate prices and high wages and subsequently not gelled as a team. I would take a mid-table finish right now given the current squad at the time of writing, but it will be very interesting to see the activity that Reading partake in the transfer market over the next couple of weeks. I just hope that Reading can follow the ‘Stoke model’ and become established in the top flight and potentially reach Europeon competitions in the future. One thing is for sure, no Premier League team should ever underestimate Reading, as the courage and belief that lies within the squad is honourable and a credit to football.
By Sam Rourke (@rfcrourke)
After losing to Stevenage in the FA Cup 3rd round at home, morale was hindered within the players and fans alike. Losing to Hull at home to a dubious Robbie Brady goal a week or two after the Stevenage game, was a prominent moment in which I really considered the possibility of relegation for this Reading side. To see the change that occurred within the side and how we bounced back from them two games is no other than unbelievable. Brian McDermott didn’t panic. His mentality is to be admired, the calm and collected demeanour he portrays isn’t put on at all..a direct paradox to one Neil Warnock.
The sudden announcement that an unknown ‘Thames Sport Investment’ were to partly take over Reading Football Club came as a shock to me and fellow supporters. Thames Sport Investment otherwise known as ‘TSI’ headed by a wealthy Russian ‘Anton Zingarevich’ created a strange feeling of the unknown and excitement was evident as soon as the announcement was made. It could be said that Anton ZIngarevich was a major component in the winning of the championship, enabling us to keep Jimmy kebe at the club and sign a well known experienced striker in the form of Jason Roberts. Some Reading fans contemplated whether Jason was ‘past it’, but it was clear he wasn’t from the minute he made his debut in the Reading shirt. Jason’s experience was noticeable to have made an impact on and off the pitch.
Too say im excited about being back in the Barclays Premier League is an understatement, i’m ecstatic. We need to acquire new players to add to the squad to really push on as a club and become established in the top-flight. Anton Zingarevich needs to delve deep into his pockets and purchase players who have premiership know-how and players who have great potential futures ahead of them. John Madejski will still urge that we go about our business in a ‘wise and prudent’ manner which is necessary to make the club sustainable for the future. Being linked with players such as Pavel Pogrenybak, Jermaine Defoe and Dame N’Doye is incredible, I would have never imagined this in a million years at the beginning of last season. To have the likes of Rooney, Aguero, and Eden Hazard coming to the Madejski stadium next season is nothing other than extraordinary.
It is essential that Reading don’t turn into a ‘QPR’, where players have been bought for extortionate prices and high wages and subsequently not gelled as a team. I would take a mid-table finish right now given the current squad at the time of writing, but it will be very interesting to see the activity that Reading partake in the transfer market over the next couple of weeks. I just hope that Reading can follow the ‘Stoke model’ and become established in the top flight and potentially reach Europeon competitions in the future. One thing is for sure, no Premier League team should ever underestimate Reading, as the courage and belief that lies within the squad is honourable and a credit to football.
By Sam Rourke (@rfcrourke)
Square Pegs, Round Holes.
After a very mediocre, frustrating season for Stoke City FC, with not much to shout about apart from an entertaining Europa League Adventure, Fans of the Potters wonder why this term they failed to push on any further. Stoke fans went into the new season with a good feeling after a splash of the cash from Peter Coates in the Summer Window, Spending almost Twenty Five Million pounds, bringing in quality players such as Crouch, Palacios and Jerome. The Potters yet again failed to pick up very many points on the road and with controversial tactics and decisions by Tony Pulis, only finished 14th in the Barclays Premier League; The lowest position they have finished in the four year spell after promotion from the Npower Championship. So where did it all go wrong for Stoke City this season?
A Huge factor that Stoke fans consider a big part of a disappointing season was how Players were being forced to play out of position, after failing to invest in what was actually needed in the summer. For example, Robert Huth, Stoke City’s player of the season after a fantastic season the year before, where he was the Premier Leagues top scoring Defender and was noted as one of the most consistent defenders of the season, was now being forced to play as a right back so that Pulis could sheppered newly signed, experienced defender Jonathon Woodgate into the team. Woodgate became very unpopular for this and quickly determined the name Jonathon Floodgate after several dismal performances including one where he was taken off after twenty three minutes. Stoke fans were bewildered why Huth was being treated like this after such a promising season at centre back and why Pulis had broken the strong bond that had Blossomed between Huth and Shawcross over the previous season. Marc Wilson, a promising Centre Back/Centre Midfielder signed from Portsmouth, had been forced to play left back due to Higginbotham’s injuries for the majority of the season. He was harshly criticised for his performances but clearly did not have the attributes or the common nature to play the position which it seemed at the time Pulis was the only one not to be recognising this. Ryan Shotton a natural centre half, had also been forced to play as a winger in Pennants absence from off the field activities. Another thing that upset Stoke fans was how Jonathon Walters, who had failed to score in over twenty games, was still starting in front of Cameron Jerome. Jerome had come off the bench in nearly every game and provided Pace, Power and Determination, And more importantly was scoring goals. Jerome kept knocking on the door of the starting XI but Pulis still refused to start him alongside Crouch whilst poor John Walters couldn’t hit a barn door with a Banjo.
It is widely known Stoke City come heavily under fire for the manner they play the ‘beautiful game’. Being a season ticket holder like myself, I agree and know first hand that some of the aspects of our game are un-natural to the game of football and can be drabble to watch with systems such as the long throw ins and the route one ‘Hoof’ that people commonly describe it as. This way has now been called ‘Pulis Ball’ by Stoke Fans but they also recognise that people do not always do Stoke justice for some of the good elements and football they play too. One thing Stoke fans have come to hate the most about the way they play is how when they score, they sit back and allow the opposition to come and attack them. This has been there downfall for a long time and shows some of the negativity in the football they play; this is also shown in practically every away game. Stoke has an absolute abysmal away record over the past five seasons and if it wasn’t for the fortress that the Britannia has come, I am sure stoke would have been relegated by now. In away games the team sit deep, invite the home team to attack them and hope to counter on the break, this does not work and provides very limited opportunities to score also showing a lack of creativity and confidence in the squad. The long throw has also become very ineffective now and teams are now prepared for it and can deal with the throw in almost every time leaving fans wondering why very poor players such as Rory Delap still start.
So how do Stoke City progress into a better side for next season?..One thing is for sure that they need to invest a lot of money in the summer to bring in quality players. Fullbacks, Wingers and a goal-scorer upfront is top of the transfer list. Being strongly linked with players such as Matt Jarvis and Martin Olsson are promising signs and could perhaps bring the spark and flair that the team desperately need. Stoke also need to be more adventuress in there play and use the ball to greater effect when In possession, as Stoke have a nasty habit of giving the ball away far too cheaply. Stoke also come under heavy fire for being ‘thugs’- provoked by a terrible accident in which Aaron Ramsey broke his leg two seasons ago, Stoke have quickly shrugged off this label, proving this by finishing mid table in the fair play league showing how mindless some remarks towards the team are at times.
By Dom Billings (@dombillings)
A Huge factor that Stoke fans consider a big part of a disappointing season was how Players were being forced to play out of position, after failing to invest in what was actually needed in the summer. For example, Robert Huth, Stoke City’s player of the season after a fantastic season the year before, where he was the Premier Leagues top scoring Defender and was noted as one of the most consistent defenders of the season, was now being forced to play as a right back so that Pulis could sheppered newly signed, experienced defender Jonathon Woodgate into the team. Woodgate became very unpopular for this and quickly determined the name Jonathon Floodgate after several dismal performances including one where he was taken off after twenty three minutes. Stoke fans were bewildered why Huth was being treated like this after such a promising season at centre back and why Pulis had broken the strong bond that had Blossomed between Huth and Shawcross over the previous season. Marc Wilson, a promising Centre Back/Centre Midfielder signed from Portsmouth, had been forced to play left back due to Higginbotham’s injuries for the majority of the season. He was harshly criticised for his performances but clearly did not have the attributes or the common nature to play the position which it seemed at the time Pulis was the only one not to be recognising this. Ryan Shotton a natural centre half, had also been forced to play as a winger in Pennants absence from off the field activities. Another thing that upset Stoke fans was how Jonathon Walters, who had failed to score in over twenty games, was still starting in front of Cameron Jerome. Jerome had come off the bench in nearly every game and provided Pace, Power and Determination, And more importantly was scoring goals. Jerome kept knocking on the door of the starting XI but Pulis still refused to start him alongside Crouch whilst poor John Walters couldn’t hit a barn door with a Banjo.
It is widely known Stoke City come heavily under fire for the manner they play the ‘beautiful game’. Being a season ticket holder like myself, I agree and know first hand that some of the aspects of our game are un-natural to the game of football and can be drabble to watch with systems such as the long throw ins and the route one ‘Hoof’ that people commonly describe it as. This way has now been called ‘Pulis Ball’ by Stoke Fans but they also recognise that people do not always do Stoke justice for some of the good elements and football they play too. One thing Stoke fans have come to hate the most about the way they play is how when they score, they sit back and allow the opposition to come and attack them. This has been there downfall for a long time and shows some of the negativity in the football they play; this is also shown in practically every away game. Stoke has an absolute abysmal away record over the past five seasons and if it wasn’t for the fortress that the Britannia has come, I am sure stoke would have been relegated by now. In away games the team sit deep, invite the home team to attack them and hope to counter on the break, this does not work and provides very limited opportunities to score also showing a lack of creativity and confidence in the squad. The long throw has also become very ineffective now and teams are now prepared for it and can deal with the throw in almost every time leaving fans wondering why very poor players such as Rory Delap still start.
So how do Stoke City progress into a better side for next season?..One thing is for sure that they need to invest a lot of money in the summer to bring in quality players. Fullbacks, Wingers and a goal-scorer upfront is top of the transfer list. Being strongly linked with players such as Matt Jarvis and Martin Olsson are promising signs and could perhaps bring the spark and flair that the team desperately need. Stoke also need to be more adventuress in there play and use the ball to greater effect when In possession, as Stoke have a nasty habit of giving the ball away far too cheaply. Stoke also come under heavy fire for being ‘thugs’- provoked by a terrible accident in which Aaron Ramsey broke his leg two seasons ago, Stoke have quickly shrugged off this label, proving this by finishing mid table in the fair play league showing how mindless some remarks towards the team are at times.
By Dom Billings (@dombillings)
Jimmy Kebe- Has he Still Got What it takes?
Kebe is a popular figure at the Madejksi Stadium and has been since his arrival back in 2008, though in the past season Kebe’s poor performances have seen many fans turn on him and it begs the question, has he still got what it takes?
As a Reading fan I think Kebe is a legend, he is creative, incredibly quick and in my opinion the only player at Reading who is a game changer. These assets are what make Kebe the highly rated winger that has earned him his title of “The Malian Magician”. Kebe has netted 24 goals for Reading in his 157 appearances, the majority of goals coming in the 2009-10 season where he netted an impressive tally of 12. Kebe was voted 2nd in the player of the season for two successive years and became our main man after the departure of prolific striker Shane Long.
Unfortunately, Kebe failed to step up to the mark and to put it bluntly has been appalling this season netting a disappointing 3 goals with only a few good performances. Kebe had a contractual dispute from the start of the season up until January and it appeared another prize asset would be lost due to financial issues which had seen Reading lose the likes of Sigurdsson, Mills and Long. This dispute soon made Kebe an infamous figure, his string of poor and inconsistent performances coupled with his lazy attitude began to exile Kebe from the fans and it appeared he would not be wearing a Reading Shirt next season.
Though miraculously Reading gained investment from out of the blue. Russian millionaire Anton Zingarevich gave Reading a financial boost which persuaded Kebe to sign a new contract until 2014. From then on, Reading became a force in the Championship and made an incredible surge to go on and secure promotion, pipping favourites West Ham and Southampton of the title in the process. However, Kebe failed to improve his performances and many fans believe Kebe no longer deserves a place in the starting 11.
The pressure is on Kebe next campaign. Last season was a season to forget for Kebe who needs to turn on the style if he wants to cut it in the big time. With the Garath McCleary waiting in the wings, Kebe could become Reading’s new bench warmer for the 2012/13 season. But we all know Kebe is capable of playing in the top flight, his technical ability is unquestionable and Brian McDermott has bought out the best in him. His demeanour makes people warm to him as a person and his sock pulling antics against West Ham will never be forgotten. He is a first class player and a player who can leave some defenders without a clue. But will Kebe show his talent next season? Or is it time he was replaced? Ultimately does he still, have what it takes? Only time will tell but the only definite is next season will be an exciting one.
By Jonathan Buxey (@JonnyBuxey_1871)
As a Reading fan I think Kebe is a legend, he is creative, incredibly quick and in my opinion the only player at Reading who is a game changer. These assets are what make Kebe the highly rated winger that has earned him his title of “The Malian Magician”. Kebe has netted 24 goals for Reading in his 157 appearances, the majority of goals coming in the 2009-10 season where he netted an impressive tally of 12. Kebe was voted 2nd in the player of the season for two successive years and became our main man after the departure of prolific striker Shane Long.
Unfortunately, Kebe failed to step up to the mark and to put it bluntly has been appalling this season netting a disappointing 3 goals with only a few good performances. Kebe had a contractual dispute from the start of the season up until January and it appeared another prize asset would be lost due to financial issues which had seen Reading lose the likes of Sigurdsson, Mills and Long. This dispute soon made Kebe an infamous figure, his string of poor and inconsistent performances coupled with his lazy attitude began to exile Kebe from the fans and it appeared he would not be wearing a Reading Shirt next season.
Though miraculously Reading gained investment from out of the blue. Russian millionaire Anton Zingarevich gave Reading a financial boost which persuaded Kebe to sign a new contract until 2014. From then on, Reading became a force in the Championship and made an incredible surge to go on and secure promotion, pipping favourites West Ham and Southampton of the title in the process. However, Kebe failed to improve his performances and many fans believe Kebe no longer deserves a place in the starting 11.
The pressure is on Kebe next campaign. Last season was a season to forget for Kebe who needs to turn on the style if he wants to cut it in the big time. With the Garath McCleary waiting in the wings, Kebe could become Reading’s new bench warmer for the 2012/13 season. But we all know Kebe is capable of playing in the top flight, his technical ability is unquestionable and Brian McDermott has bought out the best in him. His demeanour makes people warm to him as a person and his sock pulling antics against West Ham will never be forgotten. He is a first class player and a player who can leave some defenders without a clue. But will Kebe show his talent next season? Or is it time he was replaced? Ultimately does he still, have what it takes? Only time will tell but the only definite is next season will be an exciting one.
By Jonathan Buxey (@JonnyBuxey_1871)
Adam Le Fondre - Will He Cut It In The Big Time?
As a self proclaimed Reading FC fan i write this blog, with no bias intended but the ability that Adam Le Fondre obtains should not be overlooked.
Adam Le Fondre bought from Rotherham to Reading for £250,000 has proved to be nothing other than a revelation, taking on the number 9 shirt left by the prolific Shane Long.
Le Fondre scored goals that ultimately won Reading the Championship, often not starting the game but coming off the bench and scoring when called upon. Vital goals off the bench producing wins against Watford, Millwall, Leeds and Southampton were pivotal in Reading’s 2011/2012 championship winning campaign. His double against Southampton away will go down in Reading FC folklore, seeing Adam exquisitely take the ball past a faltering Kelvin Davis and calmly slotting it into the net, sending the Reading Fans in the away end into delirium was a sight to behold.
Adam has found the step up from League 2 to the Championship straightforward and his knack of scoring goals has not changed. ‘Alfie’ himself won’t be happy being a substitute forever but going from League Two to the Premier League in just 12 months is a big jump for the former Rotherham striker. He is a supreme finisher and when given a goal scoring opportunity never fails to hinder the chance, his late winning goal away at Watford broadcasted live on Sky Sports was a perfect example of his prime finishing ability.
Adam Le Fondre oozes with confidence and his exuberance and passion for football is evident everytime he steps on the pitch. It will be interesting to see how Alfie gets on in the top flight, but one thing for sure is that when given a chance in front of goal, this guy can score at any level.
At the meager height of 5ft 10 his natural pace combined with his expert positioning enables him to get into optimum attacking positions. Coming up against prominent defenders in the premier league such as Vincent Kompany and John Terry will no doubt be a massive challenge for Alfie, but without a doubt Adam will relish the opportunity to come up against world class opposition.
By Sam Rourke (@rfcrourke)
Adam Le Fondre bought from Rotherham to Reading for £250,000 has proved to be nothing other than a revelation, taking on the number 9 shirt left by the prolific Shane Long.
Le Fondre scored goals that ultimately won Reading the Championship, often not starting the game but coming off the bench and scoring when called upon. Vital goals off the bench producing wins against Watford, Millwall, Leeds and Southampton were pivotal in Reading’s 2011/2012 championship winning campaign. His double against Southampton away will go down in Reading FC folklore, seeing Adam exquisitely take the ball past a faltering Kelvin Davis and calmly slotting it into the net, sending the Reading Fans in the away end into delirium was a sight to behold.
Adam has found the step up from League 2 to the Championship straightforward and his knack of scoring goals has not changed. ‘Alfie’ himself won’t be happy being a substitute forever but going from League Two to the Premier League in just 12 months is a big jump for the former Rotherham striker. He is a supreme finisher and when given a goal scoring opportunity never fails to hinder the chance, his late winning goal away at Watford broadcasted live on Sky Sports was a perfect example of his prime finishing ability.
Adam Le Fondre oozes with confidence and his exuberance and passion for football is evident everytime he steps on the pitch. It will be interesting to see how Alfie gets on in the top flight, but one thing for sure is that when given a chance in front of goal, this guy can score at any level.
At the meager height of 5ft 10 his natural pace combined with his expert positioning enables him to get into optimum attacking positions. Coming up against prominent defenders in the premier league such as Vincent Kompany and John Terry will no doubt be a massive challenge for Alfie, but without a doubt Adam will relish the opportunity to come up against world class opposition.
By Sam Rourke (@rfcrourke)