Bleacher Report - Articles by Simon Williams

The Premier League Prediction 2009-2010

Simon Williams — Fri, 07 Aug 2009 07:38:34 -0400

Its that time of year again, when everyone thinks they know how the forthcoming Premier League campaign is going to pan out.

Last season, it turned out that I didn't know very much. Of the twenty Premier League placings, I only got three spot on. They were Arsenal in 4th, Wigan in 11th and Sunderland in 16th.

Elsewhere, my biggest errors were Portsmouth to finish 5th (they finished 14th as they went through three different managers), Fulham to finish 15th (Roy Hodgson masterminded a 7th placed finish), and Middlesbrough to finish 12th (they were relegated in 19th place).

I did get 11 teams within three places of their finishing position, so it wasn't a complete disaster, but there is plenty of room for improvement in 2009-2010, so here goes:

PREMIER LEAGUE PREDICTION 2009-2010

1ST LIVERPOOL

I am a great believer in the theory that to win the title, if you are not the reigning champion, you have to have come close the season before. With that in mind, realistically only Manchester United, Liverpool and Chelsea can win the league this season.

Liverpool are going to manage it sooner or later; like Manchester United before them, they are too big a club to not win the league forever. If Torres plays 30 plus league games, that could make the difference.

STAR MAN - FERNANDO TORRES

2ND MANCHESTER UNITED

Even in transitional campaigns, United do not often finish outside the top two. With Ronaldo and Tevez gone, and Fergie already talking up tactical changes, a fourth straight title might be a step too far. It is far from impossible, but the simple law of averages suggests that it is less likely, although they will inevitably be there or thereabouts.

STAR MAN - WAYNE ROONEY

3RD CHELSEA

They may be the bookies favourites, but I do not agree on this occasion. Yet another new manager for an ageing squad to relate to does not equal instant success in my opinion. Of course, they will be very strong, very hard to beat, and will challenge in all competitions purely because of the quality at their disposal, but Ancelotti has only won a single league title in his career, and I can't see that changing in his first year in a new country.

STAR MAN - MICHAEL ESSIEN

4TH MANCHESTER CITY

From 10th to 4th in one season, is it possible? I think it is. Last season Manchester City were seriously affected by a UEFA Cup campaign. This time they are not in Europe, so will play significantly fewer games. Fewer games, plus a vastly strengthened squad equals fast improvement in my mind. This could be the beginning of a big change at the top of English football.

STAR MAN - GARETH BARRY

5TH ARSENAL

When I predicted Arsenal to finish 4th last term, IInbox (0) was accused of writing the Gunners off in some quarters, so I imagine similar criticisms will follow this prediction. In my mind, though, it is the obvious progression, or lack of, for the team.

Two more big players sold in the summer, and to an obvious rival, which suggests the expense of the Emirates is beginning to hamper them in the short term. Long term, they might be the team to beat, but it could be a few tough seasons for Arsenal fans before we get to that point.

STAR MAN - ANDREI ARSHAVIN

6TH EVERTON

Steady Everton have reached something of a zenith; without investment, they can't realistically finish much higher, but they have enough of a quality advantage over the rest of the division to ensure they will do well again. If their strikers stay injury free, they could be in the mix for 4th place.

STAR MAN - LEIGHTON BAINES

7TH TOTTENHAM

'Arry somehow managed to negotiate an 8th place finish last term after the disasterous start...I can't see how they are going to get much higher than that, though. The squad has been improved, but the reliance on Ledley King's leadership still worries me defensively, and other than Palacios, the central midfield lacks quality also.

STAR MAN - LUKA MODRIC

8TH ASTON VILLA

At xmas 2008, I honestly believed Villa might finish 4th last season. It didn't happen, in fact, it spectacularly didn't happen, as their form collapsed. Martin Laursen, the best centre-back outside the top four, has retired, and Gareth Barry, one of the best midfield players outside the top four, has moved on. Villa appear to have lost all momentum, and I can only see a disappointing season for Villains.

STAR MAN - ASHLEY YOUNG

9TH WEST HAM

Gianfranco Zola quietly did an excellent job with the Hammers last term. Signings and sales have been minimal, but they are a tidy little team with some good young players and not qualifying for Europe last term will be a blessing in disguise. They are not ready for that yet, but they will be comfortable.

STAR MAN - JACK COLLISON

10TH WIGAN ATHLETIC

Some appear to be predicting a struggle for Wigan, but I do not concur with that view. Roberto Martinez is a manager who knows his stuff, and Jason Scotland is an excellent bargain signing who not many defenders will enjoy playing against.

Valencia will be a loss, but Figueroa is becoming one of the best fullbacks in the division and will be the next Wigan gem.

STAR MAN - MAYNOR FIGUEROA

11TH FULHAM

7th place last season was a tremendous achievement for Roy Hodgson, but Europe League football is a taxing business, and this will surely effect the league form of a squad relatively light on quality back up. A comfortable season, though, and they will enjoy the European flavour at Craven Cottage.

STAR MAN - DANNY MURPHY

12TH SUNDERLAND

Steve Bruce has formed a fearsome top end with Campbell, Bent and Jones, surely guaranteed to get goals. Defensively, though, they worry me. Bruce will sort that over time, but it will take longer than one season to make the Mackems a top half team. A season of promise for the future though.

STAR MAN - FRAIZER CAMPBELL

13TH STOKE CITY

Stoke were the surprise of last season in the end. To finish 12th was a magnificent achievement for Tony Pulis and his players. Everyone will know what they are about this time round, but knowing about it and stopping it are two very different things. Beattie and Fuller are a quality duo in attack, and this team knows how to defend in numbers. It's not pretty, but it will be successful again.

STAR MAN - JAMES BEATTIE

14TH WOLVERHAMPTON WANDERERS

Mick McCarthy might not be everyone's cup of tea, but he has put together a pretty good CV over the years. Many will remember his nightmare season with Sunderland, but this Wolves team are a different kettle of fish. They have real quality in Ebanks-Blake, Kightly and Doyle, and good mix of youth and experience. I think they will stay up with relative ease.

STAR MAN - SYLVAN EBANKS-BLAKE

15TH BLACKBURN ROVERS

I am finding it hard to see how Blackburn can improve much on last season's struggle. With Allardyce in charge, they should have enough to stay up, but they lack quality in pretty much all areas.

Plenty of experience, though, and this should be enough for survival, longer term, however, their Premier League status is looking suspect without some serious investment.

STAR MAN - STEPHEN WARNOCK

16TH BOLTON WANDERERS

Poor old Gary Megson: The fans don't appear to want him, but in truth he has done a pretty decent job since arriving at the Reebok. Still wildly inconsistent, but they always seem to do enough against the other bottom half sides to stay up, and I think they will manage it again.

STAR MAN - MATT TAYLOR

17TH BURNLEY

For Hull City 2009, read Burnley 2010. No one expected Hull to stay up, but a blistering first four months was enough in the end...just.

I think Burnley can be equally as good in the opening months of the season. They proved in the Carling Cup last term that they can mix it with the big boys, and they play an attractive brand of football. Likely to fade as they get found out in the 2nd half of the season, but Owen Coyle is a very good manager, and I think he can do it.

STAR MAN - WADE ELLIOT

18TH HULL CITY

Lets face it, Hull were pretty lucky last season. To stay up with 35 points is a rarity, and they can't afford to be so poor again for the length of time they were last season after November.

Jozy Altidore is a signing I am looking forward to seeing, but I am not sure about the squad as a whole. Phil Brown is also developing a bad habit of appearing to think he is bigger than his team and players, (whether he actually does think this or not) and this could affect morale.

STAR MAN - JOZY ALTIDORE

19TH PORTSMOUTH

There are only so many of your better players you can sell before things start to unravel. Diarra, Defoe, Crouch, Benjani, Johnson are just five who have left Fratton Park in recent years. They still have James, Campbell, Krancjar and Distin, but for how long?

Paul Hart is a good football man, but I think he may be fighting a losing battle here. The good times could be over for Pompey.

STAR MAN - DAVID JAMES

20TH BIRMINGHAM CITY

I watched Birmingham a few times last season, and they did not impress me once. I honestly feel they only got promoted at all because of Burnley's cup runs, otherwise it would have been the Clarets who got the second automatic spot and someone else would have won the playoffs.

They are well-organised and hard to beat at home, but I don't see any quality, and blowing £6m on an untried Ecuadorian striker could end in tears.

STAR MAN - SEBASTIAN LARSSON

What Happened to Arsene Wenger the Manager?

Simon Williams — Sun, 19 Jul 2009 08:56:00 -0400

The majority of Arsenal fans appear to be delighted, and I am not quite sure why. For the fourth summer running, one of their most important players has left the club.

In the summer of 2006, it was Sol Campbell on a free transfer, Sol has since gone on to have three more good years at Portsmouth, while Arsenal's central defence has never looked solid.

In 2007, it was Thierry Henry. There was no doubting the quality of the deal, £16m for a player of his age, who had just had an average season, was good money. Henry has since though gone on to win the Champions League and be a vital cog in Barcelona's all conquering 2008-2009 team.

In 2008, it was Hleb and Flamini. Neither player has gone on to better things yet, both finding themselves largely on the substitutes bench at Barca and Milan respectively. Again Arsenal financially benefited from the sale Hleb, gaining approx £15m, but Flamini left for nothing.

In 2009, it is Emanuel Adebayor who has departed, for another healthy sale price of £25m to moneybags Manchester City. Again, good money in the bank for Arsenal, but will it make them a better team?

There is no question in my mind that the departure of Sol Campbell was not good for Arsenal. In Sol's final season 2005-2006, they conceded 31 league goals.

In 2006-2007, this total grew to 35. In 2007-2008, it was 31 again, and in 2008-2009 goals conceded increased to 37. There has been no noticeable improvement to the defence since Sol Campbell's departure.

Of course Campbell was not the only reason for a good or bad defence, but the fact that he has had a further three years of playing at a high standard, while Arsenal's defence has looked particularly vulnerable in an area where Campbell excelled (attacking the ball in the air), suggests that Campbell maybe left to early.

Whether Arsene Wenger could have stopped his departure or not is debatable.

Henry's departure initially seemed to have a good effect on the Arsenal team, they had a brilliant start to the 2007-2008 season, and were well in contention to win the title in February before a disasterous run ended their Premier League hopes.

As an experienced winner, maybe a fit Henry could have helped to ease the pressure on the young players in those crucial moments when it matters most.

Still, in the summer of 2008, after having such a strong previous season, Arsenal had genuine reason for optimism that they could win a trophy in the following season. This optimism quickly dissipated as Hleb and Flamini moved on, and the season started poorly.

Arsene Wenger had seemingly been unable to persuade two of his best performers to stay at the club. Now, after Adebayor's departure, we learn that he too wanted to leave in the summer of 2008.

Why are Arsenal now finding it so difficult to hold on to their stars? They had no trouble holding on to Bergkamp, Vieira, and Henry when they were all at their peak. Now, players appear to want to leave Arsenal before they have even reached their peak.

As I mentioned earlier, many Arsenal fans appear delighted at Adebayor's departure. He is too lazy, greedy, and unsettling they cry. These things may, or may not, be true, but what cannot be denied is that he was an excellent goalscorer for them

He averaged 0.43 goals per league game in an Arsenal shirt. This is better than the Premier League average of Drogba (0.40), Rooney (0.36) and Van Persie (0.34). In fact, in recent seasons, only Ronaldo and Torres have a better goals to game average than Adebayor.

Is this really such a good sale for Arsenal? True, it is another £25m in the bank, which means with only £10m spent so far on Vermaelen, the bank statement will show yet another credit against Wenger's name.

But it will also mean that the remaining players at the club have seen yet another star depart. While Arsenal cannot exactly be called a selling club, they are not exactly spending freely either.

I do not believe a team can build success by continually selling their more dependable players. Manchester United under Alex Ferguson have been the masters of selling players at a good price, but they sell from a position of strength, after successes, not from a position of fourth place in the league and 18 points behind.

Wenger may well find another cheaper replacement for Adebayor, but will it actually make Arsenal better, which is what they must strive to be to win trophies.

Arsene Wenger was once a fantastic football manager who built superb teams who won trophies. Has the constraints of building the Emirates, which was supposed to help Arsenal compete at the top end, actually turned him in to just a very good bank manager?

You can trust him with your money, but it seems, you can no longer trust him to maintain a winning team, and persuade players to stay with the Arsenal project.

Some Arsenal fans are pleased to see the back of Adebayor, are they right? Or has "In Arsene We Trust" now lost all sense of perspective?

We will find out in the next 12 months, but in my opinion, Arsenal cannot win a meaningful trophy in 2009-2010, to do so, you need experienced big game players, and Arsenal seem incapable of hanging onto them.

Officiating in England: A Reffing Disgrace?

Simon Williams — Mon, 02 Feb 2009 12:36:42 -0500

As I watched this weekend's Premier League fixtures evolve, one thing stuck out. The frankly awful standard of officiating. Ref-bashing is possibly the biggest participation sport in the UK, and I am usually loathe to join in the fun, but sometimes there is simply no other option.

Whether it be Howard Webb giving Newcastle a bizarre penalty from an impossible viewing angle, Martin Atkinson failing to notice Shaun Wright-Phillips kick back at Rory Delap from five yards away, or Mike Riley, well, simply being Mike Riley, there was some appalling officiating this weekend.

Some of you might be thinking that this is not evidence of a decline in standards, just a coincidence of bad decisions in one weekend, and that refereeing in England is just as bad (or good if you are feeling generous) as it has always been.

You might be right, but before you make your mind up I ask to consider a few things. Firstly, current FA estimates suggest that in some areas of the country 20 percent of games are played without a qualified match official.

Now of course I am talking about your local grassroots Sunday morning leagues here, but it goes without saying that it is in these leagues that the Mike Riley's of this world learn their trade. If there is a smaller pool at that level, then the chances of finding top officials who are willing to be professional decreases at an alarming rate.

You may have noticed some very young officials making the headlines this season. Stuart Atwell is just 25 but has made it on to the Premier League official list. It is he who gave the "phantom goal" for Reading against Watford earlier in the season in the Championship—a decision so spectacularly bad that Reading's manager Steve Coppell even offered to replay the match.

The promotion of young officials such as Atwell suggests one thing to me—the FA are getting desperate. There are simply not enough good referees coming through, so any that show competence at a lower level are being fast-tracked to the top before they are ready for the responsibility.

I don't blame the referees themselves. They are the best around, but it is that very fact that is so worrying. Terrible decisions are being made with greater frequency than ever before in my opinion. Inconsistency has never been so consistent.

The FA recently launched a programme to find 8000 new referees across England by 2012. There is no doubt that new blood is needed, but will the our desperation for new talent just further dilute the quality? Will referee's who 10 years ago would not have made the grade, now pass with flying colours purely because we need them?

You can't help but think that local FA's will take advantage of the new policy in the same way local education authorities took advantage of the clamour for university places by handing out A grades at A-level like chips in the canteen.

Of course, Sky TV will continue to preach that they hold the solution to all our woes with greater use of their technology. Some find the idea of trial by TV nauseating, some see it as a glorious inevitability that will increase standards and decrease controversy.

Personally I fail to see how anyone cannot see the benefits such TV usage could bring to top-level football. We would all feel a great deal happier if our teams were given red cards that were warranted, and penalties against us that were justified, instead of the lottery officiating that we have now.

The problem lies lower down the pyramid. Sky might be able to bail out Mike Riley and Howard Webb when they drop a clanger, but what about the rest of us?

As a regular watcher of League One football, I can assure you that the standard is no better than the hideousness you see on Match Of The Day every weekend. The only upside is that generally you do not get such adept con-artists as Steven Taylor or Steven Gerrard at this lower level, so refereeing is substantially easier.

Some say the England Manager's position is the "impossible job". Those that think so should try refereeing for a living, who knows, they might even be good at it.

Relegation Review: Will Spurs Get It Right?

Simon Williams — Mon, 12 Jan 2009 11:20:15 -0500

The Harry Honeymoon is well and truly over at the Lane. After a breathtaking start to life at Tottenham, Harry could have been forgiven for thinking Spurs would march in to the top half of the table in double quick time.

Instead, after 10 points from his first 12 available, including a win over Liverpool and a dramatic draw with Arsenal, Spurs remain in the bottom three some two months later.

Five games without a win have left Redknapp fuming at the mentality of his players, clearly he feels that many members of his squad are not pulling their weight, but as this seems to have been the case for two years, what exactly can he do about it?

After the £15m lavished on bringing back Jermain Defoe, it is unlikely that 'Arry will be given much more to spend in this transfer window, unless he sells some of those players that he is clearly not happy with.

Spurs were abject at Wigan on Sunday, eventually going down to a late winner in a poor game. Defoe barely had a sniff, and never looked like continuing his remarkable record of 'debut' goals, not that this was his real debut for Spurs of course.

Redknapp, for all his undoubted qualities in galvanising players, is no miracle worker, and you can only get the best out of players who actually want to play for you. Some of the Spurs players appear so bereft of confidence and consistency, that it is difficult to see how they can put together any kind of winning run.

They are still well in contention to remain in the division of course, and sit only seven points behind 8th placed Hull. There remains though the nagging concern that time continues to pass, and the same problems (feeble away form, prone to conceding late goals, lack of midfield balance) continue to trouble the team.

Their next three games are all winnable, and Spurs simply must win two of them to instill any kind of confidence that they can survive the battle. Portsmouth visit the Lane on Sunday, followed Stoke at home on the 27th January, and Bolton away on the 31st January.

While these vital Premier League games are more important for the long term future of the club, there remains the concern that Cup distractions might upset league form. Between the Portsmouth and Stoke games, Spurs play the second leg of their Carling Cup tie at Burnley (fortunate to be defending a three goal advantage), and face a trip to Old Trafford in the fourth round of the FA Cup.

On top of these domestic cups, the UEFA Cup resumes on the 19th February. Could it be that some of Spurs less successful recruits will view good performances in the shop window of European football more important than Premier League points?

Spurs are the only side in the relegation fight that have this number of distractions. Man City still have UEFA Cup action, but they are out of both domestic cups, and have the capacity to sign more players.

Stoke and Bolton have only league games remaining for the rest of the season, while West Brom and Portsmouth might find themselves in the same position if their tricky cup replay's this week at Peterborough United and Bristol City respectively do not go successfully.

With only nine points separating the bottom 13 teams in the league, it is still impossible at this stage to say with any certainty who will be relegated.

West Brom were looking a dead cert, but after a couple of home wins they have dragged themselves back into contention. If the Baggies were to beat Middlesbrough this coming Saturday at the Hawthorns, they could easily find themselves out of the bottom three altogether.

Fulham have been on an impressive unbeaten run that has taken them up to 9th in the table, with two games in hand, but even they only sit six points ahead of the drop zone.

Two months ago it was assumed that Hull would canter to safety with games to spare, but they have won only one league game since the 25th October, out of 12 attempts. Their early form gave them a nice cushion with which to soften the poor run, but Phil Brown will be nervously looking over his shoulder if the slide continues for much longer.

From here on in, every single game for the 13 teams involved is massive. They will all be playing each other several times over in the next three months. Nobody can take anything for granted, however big the club, and the names of the players.

In the current table of results this season against teams in the bottom half of the table, Spurs lie bottom with only nine points taken against their nearest rivals. Headline grabbing results against your Arsenals and your Liverpools are all well and good, but they don't keep you in the Premier League.

A Miracle In Nyon: Champions League Draw

Simon Williams — Fri, 19 Dec 2008 05:53:59 -0500

OK, so as miracles go at Christmas time it was not exactly up there with that trickster fella from Nazareth, but it's a rare occasion indeed when Liverpool are drawn with Real Madrid. The two European giants have met competitively just once in the past, in the European Cup final of 1981.

In the Champions League era, matchups between the huge European clubs are becoming increasingly common, but the 2008-2009 Champions League last 16 draw has thrown up some nicely original ties.

Not only do we have Rafa Benitez returning to his home club, we also have Jose Mourinho returning to England to face Manchester United with his Inter Milan side, and Claudio Ranieri returning to Chelsea with Juventus.

Throw in Arsenal v Roma, and we have some truly mouth-watering ties, and that's just from an Anglo-centric viewpoint.

Rafa Benitez is already a huge favourite with the Madristas for a shot at managing their club one day, so you can be sure that should Liverpool manage to negotiate the tie, his stock will be even higher in the Spanish capital.

From a Real viewpoint, the tie gives Juande Ramos a great chance to reinstate his reputation. Liverpool have been one of the best teams in Europe in the last four seasons, reaching two finals and another semi, so to knock them out would send a message that Real mean business, despite their troubles at home.

Jose Mourinho will be relishing another trip to Old Trafford, having knocked Manchester United out in 2004 on his way to winning the trophy with Porto. That was the beginning of the English media's love affair with Jose, and you can be sure there will be an orgy of quotes from the special one between now and March 11, when the love affair could be over for the time being.

Alex Ferguson will rightly fear no opposition, his team are the champions after all, but he will also know that this will be a mammoth test for his team if they are to become the first side to successfully defend the Champions League.

Juventus have been purring in Europe, the old lady returning to the stage to which they are truly suited after a couple of years in the wilderness. Claudio Ranieri's reputation in England was never that good, but he has always been an underrated presence, and you can be sure he will have his team brilliantly prepared for the battle at the Bridge.

Phil Scolari will know that playing at home first is dangerous for Chelsea, given their mixed home form, and they might need the old Chelsea resilience back if they are to finish the job in Turin.

Arsenal and Roma are not having the best of times domestically, and that adds to the intrigue here. On paper, given Roma's pretty woeful record against English clubs, Arsenal should be strong favourites. Roma are a force to be reckoned with in the Stadio Olimpico though, and like Chelsea, Arsenal could pay for not winning their group and getting the second leg at home.

In Arsenal's favour is the fact that they had the same scenario against AC Milan last term, and produced their best performance of that season in the away leg to get through after a disappointing home result. They might need to do the same again to make the quarterfinals.

Elsewhere, title favourites Barcelona will not be unduly concerned with facing Lyon. The two have recent history having met at the group stage of last season's competition.

Barca won 3-0 at home and drew 2-2 at Stade Gerland late in 2007, and it is very difficult to for-see anything other than a Barca qualification 18 months on, especially if they maintain their current awesome form into the new year.

Atletico Madrid v Porto could be well turn out to be the tie of the round for the neutral. Both teams are better going forward than defending, and both are better at home than on their travels. Everything here is pointing to a very closely fought affair that could go all the way to extra-time.

One thing is for certain, there will definitely be some goals scored in two exciting legs. My head says that Porto's greater experience at this stage could prove crucial, but my heart lies with the dynamic Madrid side in this one.

Villarreal v Panathinaikos is arguably the weakest tie at this stage. It is hard to look past the Yellow Submarines here, they have the greater quality and big game experience, and as long as they are not complacent they will surely have too much class for an average Panathinaikos side who have achieved great things by just getting to this stage.

Stranger things have happened, but I can't see a Greek tragedy for Villarreal.

The final match-up sees Sporting Lisbon taking on Bayern Munich. Bayern will not be too disappointed with this draw, having avoided horror draws against Chelsea, Arsenal or Inter Milan.

Lisbon are always a threat, especially on their own patch, but Bayern will mean business having been out of the limelight, and could restore their reputation with a strong run in 2009.

It's a bit early for full scale predictions when injuries and transfers could change the picture between now and the last week in February when it all kicks off, but what the hell, here are my early choices for the quarter final line up:

Liverpool

Juventus

Manchester United

Arsenal

Barcelona

Atletico Madrid

Villarreal

Bayern Munich

Four Keys To Winning the English Premier League

Simon Williams — Wed, 26 Nov 2008 05:00:27 -0500

In the modern game is easy to rule people out of the title race before it has even really started. Every defeat or draw is treated like its the end of the world, and proof that this or that club are not capable of winning the title.

With this in mind, I have analysed the last five Premier League seasons to see what it really takes to win the Premier League title, and what it means for the current title race.

Home Form

To win the Premier League title, your home form must be nothing less than magnificent.

In the last five seasons, the title winners have averaged a sensational 50 points from 19 home games. Chelsea in 2005-2006 managed an almost perfect record of 18 wins and one draw, a huge total of 55 points.

The lowest winning total from the last five years came in both 2004-2005 (Arsenal) and 2006-2007 (Man Utd) with 47 points from the 57 available, still a pretty impressive set of stats.

Amazingly in five years worth of matches, the Champions have only lost three home games between them, with Man Utd losing two in 2006-2007, and one in 2007-2008. For three seasons the Champions did not lose a home league game at all.

Chelsea are fully expected to challenge for the title this season, but they need to improve their home form to do so based on the last five years averages. The Blues have already dropped points in four of seven matches. Chelsea won the title despite dropping points in five home games in 2004-2005, the most matches in which points have been dropped by the Champions.

With 12 home games left this term, Chelsea must realistically win 10 of them at least to be in with a chance of the title. They might well need to win all 12.

Liverpool and Manchester United both have title winning home form so far this term, United dropping points just once, on the opening day, and Liverpool stuttering just twice. Both clubs do have all of their toughest home tests to come though, and can't afford to rest on their laurels. Liverpool might well rue slip-ups against lowly Stoke and Fulham, but only time will tell.

With two home defeats, Arsenal have already lost as many home games as any of the Champions of the last five5 seasons. With Chelsea and Liverpool still to visit the Emirates, defeat in either game or any other will realistically be the final nail in the coffin of their title chances.

Most likely to have title winning home form: Man Utd

Still in contention: Liverpool

In the Last Chance Saloon: Chelsea and Arsenal

Away Form

Only Chelsea in 2004-2005 won the title with better away form than home form, and the Blues will be buoyed by that, and their current away form, as they might need a repeat to win the title.

In winning the title last season, Man Utd only won 10 of 19 away games, with 35 points being the lowest total from the last five seasons. Fortunately for United that away stuttering was coupled with awesome home form, as it was for Chelsea in 2005-2006 as they won the title with only 36 points on the road.

That season saw Chelsea record five defeats on their travels, the highest number of the Champions. In total, the Champions have been beaten 13 times in five seasons, but 12 of those have come in the last three seasons.

In short, you can afford a few slip-ups on your travels as long as your home form is of the title winning variety, but you must make sure that you at least reach the 35 point mark to have any chance of challenging for the title. Forty points plus and you can look forward to a happy holiday.

Chelsea have shot out of the blocks on the road this term, winning all seven matches. With 12 games to go, they could well challenge their own record haul of 48 points from the 2004-2005 season. That said, they are yet to face any of their toughest away games, with Liverpool, Arsenal, Man Utd, Everton, Spurs and Aston Villa all yet to be visited.

They can though afford a few slip-ups in these games, but not too many if they drop many more points at home.

It is away from Anfield that Liverpool have shown the most improvement this term, winning five of seven games so far. They have also faced four of their toughest tests, winning at Chelsea and Everton, drawing at Aston Villa, and losing at Spurs.

With plenty of winnable away fixtures yet to come, Rafa Benitez will be quietly confident that his sides form on their travels can hold up to scrutiny.

Manchester United may have had the best start at home this season, but their away form has been a different story, with only 2 wins from 7 games. They are right to point out though that they have already faced Everton, Arsenal, Chelsea, Aston Villa, Liverpool and Portsmouth away from Old Trafford.

With Man City coming up on Sunday, and Spurs away on the 13th December, Utd would have played all of their toughest away games before the half way stage. If they can escape those two fixtures without too much more damage, they will be confident of doing enough in their remaining away games to mount a title challenge. Slip-ups must be kept to a minimum from here on in though.

Arsenal have already lost three times on the road, and still have to visit Liverpool, Man Utd, Chelsea, Spurs, Aston Villa and Everton. In short, its almost impossible to make a case for Arsenal displaying title-winning away form this season. You cannot write them off of course, but it would take a Herculean effort to figure in the title race now.

They will though play a huge role in the destination of the title. As one of the few teams with a more than a slim chance of beating the other members of the Big Four, the games between the rest and Arsenal with be of massive importance, starting with Chelsea v Arsenal on Sunday.

Most likely to have title winning away form: Chelsea and Liverpool

Still in contention: Man Utd

Staring down the barrel: Arsenal

Christmas Form

With games coming thick and fast and barely time to let your turkey go down, Christmas is always a crucial time in the title race.

In the last five seasons, across some 30 matches (six per season), the title winners have only lost two games, winning a staggering 24.

In short, if you want to win the title, you have had to win at least four of your six Christmas period matches. This time round though, we only have five games over the Christmas period, which could make it less important than usual, or it could mean that any slip-up is magnified.

So who are the most likely Christmas kings this time round?

Well, looking at the fixtures, Manchester United will be playing catch up because of World Club Championship, meaning that the games they do play over Christmas are essential.

They visit Spurs and Stoke, with Middlesbrough and Chelsea at home, and four wins might be the only way to keep in the title race, or a minimum of three wins and a draw, depending on other results of course.

Chelsea face a tricky looking Christmas schedule. They face two London derbies, with West Ham (H) and Fulham (A), as well as tough away trips to Everton and Manchester United. West Brom at the Bridge is an easier looking test in the middle.

Liverpool have an easier Christmas on paper. Arsenal (A) is huge game on the 21st December, but trips to Stoke and Newcastle, and home games against Hull and Bolton give plenty of opportunity for points.

Arsenal need a storming Christmas to keep in contention, but they will have to do it the hard way. As well as Liverpool at the Emirates, they face Aston Villa (A) on Boxing Day. They kick off Christmas with a trip to Middlesbrough, and end with easier looking home games against Bolton and Portsmouth.

Most likely to light up Christmas: Liverpool

Could get by: Chelsea

Potential Christmas stuffing: Arsenal and Man Utd

The Final Countdown

So if only a killer Christmas will do, what about the final flourish, do you need to win eight in a row, or can you stumble over the finishing line?

Well the truth is, you can stumble over the line. In the last five seasons, none of the title winners have won more than five of their last eight matches, and in both 2003-2004 (Arsenal) and 2006-2007 (Man Utd), the Champions won only four of their last eight games.

The last three seasons have seen five defeats in the last 24 games of the Champions. Of course some of this can be put down to taking the foot off of the gas, after the title has already been won, but its still the case that games 31-38 are amongst the hardest to win, primarily because every opponent is either fighting for their lives, or playing without a care in the world. Both of these can be deadly.

Many people do not think that Liverpool will be able to last the pace if it comes down to the final knockings this season, but there is a pattern to how they have finished the season under Benitez.

Much will depend on whether they are still in the Champions League. The only season they have not still been in the Champions League under him come April was 2005-2006, and in that season they finished sensationally, winning all 8 of their final matches.

It could well take a relatively early Champions League exit for Liverpool to win the Premier League this season, but only time will tell.

Manchester United are traditionally considered the strong finishers, but in truth in the last 5 seasons they do not have a great record in the last eight games. Their best haul being last seasons run of five wins, two draws and one defeat. If they are still playing catch up come game 31, that finish is not likely to be enough to win the title.

Chelsea and Arsenal both usually finish with a good final run-in, its likely to be too much to make up for Arsenal this time round but Chelsea will be confident going in to the last eight matches if they are leading the way or close to the top.

Most likely to breeze in: Chelsea

Most likely to come from behind: Arsenal

Need to be already caught up: Man Utd

Need to be out of the Champions League or five points clear: Liverpool

Overall

So there you have it—who is your money on?

Personally I have fancied Chelsea for some time to win the league this season, but after reviewing the home form of the last five title winners, and their stuttering home start, now I am not so sure. They face a hellish away schedule still, and might have to win most of these games to win the league.

Liverpool will be happy that they are still in touch having faced some of their toughest away fixtures, I can see them lasting the pace, and if not in the Champions League, they really could go all the way. They are reliant on key players though, and if they face too many matches in the last couple of months they are likely to come unstuck.

Manchester United have stumbled through a bad fixture list to start the season with, and will feel pretty content with their position at the moment. From now until the end of February though they can hardly afford any slip-ups at all. If they are top at the end of March they will win the league, but I don't think they will be.

Arsenal have already slipped up too often, but they can have a massive say in where the title ends up, they play all of the big boys in the last two months of the season, and though they can't win the league themselves, they will take great pleasure in ruining the chances of any of their three rivals.

After all that, I haven't got a clue who is going to win the league! This year really is an open three-horse race in my opinion.

Premier League: Bored of the Big Four

Simon Williams — Mon, 10 Nov 2008 05:44:19 -0500

So here we are again, it's barely the middle of November and the Premier League table already has a depressingly familiar look.

Some of you will be looking at the league table and thinking something along the lines of "Only nine points separating fifth place to 20th, this is going to be a hell of a season!" But is it really?

Sure, the signs are that the relegation scrap is going to go down to the wire (which it usually does anyway) and the UEFA Cup spots will only be decided at the end of the season (which they usually are anyway). But what about closing the gap between the big four and the rest?

This was supposed to be the season where the likes of Aston Villa, Spurs, Everton, and Man City made in-roads towards the promised land of the Champions League. Liverpool and Arsenal were vulnerable, we were told.

Well so far, the big four have lost seven games between them out of 47 (around 15 percent). The other four supposed contenders have lost 21 out of 48 (around 44 percent). Note that out of those seven big four defeats, three came in games against each other.

Only Arsenal have looked anything remotely resembling vulnerable, with surprising defeats against Fulham, Stoke, and Hull, yet they still sit three points in front of fifth placed Villa already, who themselves have lost poorly to Stoke, Middlesbrough, and Newcastle.

With the likely confidence boost from Saturday's win over Manchester United, Arsenal should step up their game in the next month or so and are likely to increase that gap, while the other three members of the dominant four are unlikely to slip up too often themselves.

Manchester United may only be one point ahead of Aston Villa, but the gulf between the sides has already been apparent across the opening months, and United have a game in hand.

It's looking safe to assume that the challenge to the big four will be over before it even really began this term, with Man City struggling, Everton and Spurs already playing catch up, and Villa still prone to feeble defeats against teams they should beat on paper.

Liverpool, Chelsea, and Manchester United have been beaten just once by non-big four opposition so far this season, in a total of 28 games. Yes, anyone CAN beat anyone, but the chance of an also-ran beating a big four team is becoming less likely with every season.

Anyone can win the lottery if they buy a ticket, but it doesn't mean the chances of it happening are high.

The big four have a positive goal difference of plus 58. The rest of the Premier League has a negative goal difference of minus 58, with only Manchester City and Aston Villa in the black after 12 games, and Fulham at zero.

Much was made of Hull City's start to the season, and there is no doubt it was both glorious and surprising (partly glorious because it was so surprising, and there lies the rub), but after three defeats on the bounce, albeit with two of those coming against big four opposition, they have sunk back into the relegation-haunted/UEFA Cup chasing pack.

Englishmen have often taken great delight in mocking the fact that the league north of the border is dominated by Rangers and Celtic, with the rest in a league of their own. But what's the difference between a 12-team league dominated by two teams, and a 20-team league dominated by four? I am struggling to see a profound one.

What is so galling about this season is that some of the also-rans have no real excuse for their apparent inability to compete. Aston Villa invested heavily in a team that finished sixth last season, while Arsenal lost a key player in Mathieu Flamini and have stuttered at the beginning of the season.

This has been a great opportunity wasted by Aston Villa (and others) to put a marker down that they will be contenders this season. Arsenal have lost three matches this term, and could go on to lose six or even more potentially in total.

(Arsenal fans, before you accuse me of writing you off, be fair. You still have five matches against the big four, including three away from home, so a few more defeats in the next 26 matches is a perfectly reasonable, if unappetising, thought for non-Gooners and Gooners alike.)

That means that Arsenal could lose more games than any of the big four managed last season (Champions Manchester United lost the most, with five defeats), but nobody looks in a position to take advantage even if that did happen, and the other clubs only have themselves to blame for that.

Villa should be doing better than they are, given the funds at their disposal, and the money they have already spent. It is continually damaging to Martin O'Neill's big reputation that they are not really competing for a Champions League place.

It is harsh to compare eras, but I can't help but wonder what Brian Clough, to whom O'Neill is consistently compared, would have achieved with this Villa set-up.

Manchester City have only just been awarded the PIN number to the bank of Dubai, but they were already investing heavily in their squad before the takeover. They were improving on a team that managed ninth place last season, despite an end to the season that was ruined by managerial uncertainty.

Up until January last term City were already looking like Champions League contenders. Alas, it didn't last, but they have no real excuse for losing seven of 12 matches this term with the players at their disposal.

It's not just the teams who should be contending who are underperforming, though.

Sunderland are not a team who should be competing with the big four, but given the amount of money they have spent in the last two years they should be doing far better than they are.

They managed 15th last term, so they could reasonably be expected to challenge the top 10 at least after spending a small fortune in the summer. It might still happen for them, but their inauspicious start suggests another season of mediocrity at best. Roy Keane has a bigger collection of strikers than Arthur Scargill ever managed.

Everton have been hampered by financial constraints, and the fact that they have got themselves back up to seventh after a bad start says a lot about the ability of David Moyes. They are spoken of as Champions League contenders because of their consistent over-achievement, and it would be wrong to criticise them for not looking likely to compete this term.

Spurs, well, they are Spurs. Even after their disastrous start to the season they are only eight points behind fifth placed Villa, and can be reasonably expected to finish in the top half of the table, at least now that Harry Redknapp has sole charge of the team.

Then we will be where we are every season with Spurs. Next year will be the one...

That appears to be the tag line for the Premier League: Next season someone will REALLY challenge the big four. But when will it happen? And how many fans will the EPL lose to boredom in the meantime?

Wayne Rooney: The Big Man is Back in Town

Simon Williams — Thu, 16 Oct 2008 05:05:41 -0400

The 2nd April is not a date that many remember. Coming the day after April Fools Day, it is another one of those nothing dates that mean little to most unless you have a particular anniversary or birthday on that date.

In 2003 however, it was the day that Wayne Rooney beguiled the nation on his first start for England, aged just 17 and a half. It came against Turkey at the Stadium of Light, Sunderland, in a crucial Euro 2004 qualifier.

Rooney did not score on that day, as England won 2-0, but he gave a performance of such footballing maturity that few who saw it will ever forget it.

He had already dazzled in the Premier League, but this was international football, with an England side who for decades had cried out for technically gifted leaders who could elevate the team to greater heights than for many a year.

Many had tried, Gascoigne, Hoddle, Barnes, their flames had flickered, sometimes dazzled, mostly burned out too quickly, but this kid looked different. He was built like a man, he had immense power, self-confidence, technical ability, and a ferocious work-rate.

For the next year Rooney's star continued to rise. There were questions about his temperament, but his performances were usually so high that those questions were easily put on the back-burner.

I loved Rooney in this early period, he was honestly the best English player I had ever seen, and my father-in-law, in his eighth decade, who had seen Lofthouse, Matthews, Finney, Charlton et al in their pomp, told me exactly the same thing.

After Rooney limped off against Portugal in the Euro 2004 quarterfinal on June 24th 2004, he had played 17 times for England and scored nine goals. He was still a teenager, and English men and women everywhere wondered just how good this kid was going to be.

Surely he was going to be the one who would really make an impact on the world stage, our own Maradona, Cruyff, Zidane—a player who the team would be built around for the next 10-15 years.

Then, for whatever reason, over the next four years Rooney's performances for England began to falter. Were we expecting too much too soon? Was his burgeoning Manchester United career taking precedence over England? Did injuries take their toll as they had on Michael Owen? Was his temperament too fragile? Was he badly managed by Eriksson, and then McClaren?

In truth, all of the above probably had some kind of impact on Rooney's loss of form for his country. I am keen to point out that this is all relative. A 25% on form Rooney is still more dangerous than most other English forwards, such is his ability, and Rooney was still playing majestically for Manchester United for the most part, and majestically for England on occasion.

But, between October 9th 2004 and September 6th 2008, Rooney played 28 times for England and only scored five times, three of those in friendlies. Only once in that period can I remember a truly stunning Rooney performance, to match those of his early international period, when England defeated Argentina 3-2 in Switzerland in a prestige pre-World Cup 2006 friendly.

That was back on November 12th 2005, and from then on, I began to question whether we would ever see Rooney back to what he was. This was not about fulfilling his potential, this was about being as dynamic and dramatic as he was as a 17-year-old.

Again, like Michael Owen before him, in my opinion, Rooney seemed to be getting, if anything, worse with age. At best he was stagnating, he certainly didn't seem to be getting any better. I wondered whether in the end, the best memories of Rooney I would ever have would be those of Turkey on his first start, and from Euro 2004.

Now it is early days under Fabio Capello, but for the first time in a long time, I am truly excited again about what Rooney can achieve with England. Five goals in three games after five in the previous 28. In anyone's book, that marks a dramatic return to form.

It is not just about goals though. Rooney looks sharp and fit, he has barely made a bad tackle recently, he has not berated the referee with all the grace of your local chav, his control has been exquisite, he is at the centre of most of England's good play, and he is playing the game with a smile on his face and with controlled aggression.

In short, he looks to have finally grown up.

Okay, so the opposition have not been Brazil, Germany, and Italy, and I am sure his harshest critics and England haters will be quick to point out that none of Croatia, Kazakhstan, or Belarus are likely to figure too highly in the World Cup winners betting.

I cannot answer those critics, as only time will tell if this is a false dawn, or the start of phase two in the Rooney march towards world domination.

Whatever the future holds, right now it is difficult not to come to the conclusion that Rooney is back. I know many Manchester United fans will be saying "has he ever been away?", well for you maybe not, but for England, surely few could argue that Rooney has been a shadow of his former self.

Until now.

It would be easy to give Capello all the credit for Rooney's apparent transformation, but in truth, it's down to Fabio, Ferguson, Heskey, etc. etc., but most of all, it's down to Rooney himself. Only he can fulfil his own potential, and if he can maintain his current form for England, then we can all start to dream again.

As a Liverpool fan Rooney is never likely to be my favourite player, for obvious reasons, but when he is playing as well as this for his country, as an Englishmen it is difficult not to fall in love with him all over again.

Watch out world, the big man is back, and I couldn't be happier.

UEFA Cup Group Stage: Draw Round Up

Simon Williams — Tue, 07 Oct 2008 02:45:41 -0400

Portsmouth will be celebrating at the thought of facing AC Milan in the UEFA Cup in the next couple of months, with Peter Crouch no doubt particularly keen to get one over on the side he was left out against in Liverpool's Champions League final defeat just 15 months ago.

Here is a re-cap of the full draw...

GROUP A

FC Schalke 04, Paris St Germain, Manchester City, Racing Santander, FC Twente.

Not an easy draw from a Man City perspective, but it should be one they are capable of progressing from. Schalke are strong but not the most daunting of the top seeds, while Paris St Germain are not setting the world alight under Paul Le Guen.

Santander will be tough opponents from pot four, while Steve Mclaren will get another chance against English opposition and will be hoping for a run in the competition to improve his reputation.

Predicted Qualifiers: Man City, FC Schalke 04, Racing Santander.

GROUP B

SL Benfica, Olympiakos, Galatasaray, Hertha Berlin, FC Metalist Kharkiv.

This group is as unpredictable as they come. Metalist will be underdogs, but they eliminated Besiktas in round one so will be dangerous opponents for anyone.

Top seeds Benfica have made a stuttering start to the Portuguese season, as have Hertha in Germany, while Olympiakos were beaten by Anorthosis Famagusta in Champions League quallfying, but are top of the Greek league.

Galatasaray have struggled in recent seasons by their standards, and are currently sixth in the Turkish league. What the hell, I will take a shot anyway:

Predicted Qualifiers: SL Benfica, Galatasaray, FC Metalist Kharkiv.

GROUP C

Sevilla FC, VFB Stuttgart, UC Sampdoria, FK Partizan Belgrade, Standard Liege.

Another tight group in prospect here. Standard Liege were one of the pot five teams who everyone would have been looking to avoid, given their excellent displays against both Liverpool and Everton recently.

Sevilla are looking for a third UEFA Cup in four seasons, and while that may be beyond them, they are still a quality side. Stuttgart sit third in Germany and in Mario Gomez boast one of the most coveted strikers in Europe (despite his rubbish Euro 2008!).

Sampdoria have made a terrible start to the Italian league season, without a win in six games, while a trip to Belgrade is always a tough match and they are already six points clear in Serbia, having won six out of six.

All of those sixes add up to a devilish group.

Predicted Qualifiers: Sevilla FC, VFB Stuttgart, Partizan Belgrade.

GROUP D

Tottenham Hotspur, FC Spartak Moscow, Udinese, Dinamo Zagreb, NEC Nijmegen.

Spurs were probably the pot one side that all the other teams did want to meet, given their form, and although the draw could have been worse for Juande Ramos' side, at the moment they don't look capable of beating anyone with a pulse.

NEC are struggling in the Dutch league, so should have little chance in this group, while Luka Modric will be up against his old team in Dinamo Zagreb. The loss of Modric has made little difference to them as they sit five points clear in Croatia.

Spartak are enduring a torrid season in Russia, sitting in seventh place with only six games to go, while Udinese have made a strong start to Serie A. Unbelievably, I still think Spurs will get through.

Predicted Qualifiers: Spurs, Udinese, Dinamo Zagreb.

GROUP E

AC Milan, SC Heerenveen, SC Braga, Portsmouth, VFL Wolfsburg.

The Rossoneri will not be too worried about this group and should expect a relatively comfortable qualification if they maintain recent improved form.

Heerenveen are hot at home but weak on their travels, while Braga have won only one of five league games this season, so should hold no fears for Pompey who saw off Guimaraes in round one.

Wolfsburg are yet to win away in Germany, but will not be the group whipping boys. Third place could be tight, but its hard to look past Milan and Pompey for the top two spots. Pompey might even get a famous result against Ronaldinho and co—stranger things have happened.

Predicted Qualifiers: AC Milan, Portsmouth, Heerenveen.

GROUP F

SV Hamburg, Ajax, Slavia Prague, Aston Villa, MSK Zilina.

The Villains must be pretty content with this draw, which should see them in the knock-out stage. A trip to Slovakia to face Zilina would be a trip in to the unknown, but Villa should have too much for them, and they might well draw them at home anyway.

Slavia lead the Czech league after nine games, and will need to be respected given their European experience.

On paper Ajax is a tough game, but they are struggling badly in Holland and were beaten 5-2 by Heerenveen last time out.

Hamburg will be a real test as they lead the German League, but Martin O'Neill is a former finalist in this competition with Celtic, and he could well go that far again this year.

Predicted Qualifiers: SV Hamburg, Aston Villa, Slavia Prague.

Group G

Valencia CF, Club Brugge, Rosenborg, FC Copenhagen, St Etienne.

Revitalised Valencia will be looking to put last season's horrors behind them, and the 2004 winners will be fancied to go all the way by many.

Club Brugge have made a strong start in Belgium and will fancy their chances of qualification, while European regulars Rosenborg are always obdurate opponents but lack quality.

St Etienne are a blast from the past but their home form could be crucial in this group and Bafetembi Gomis will be expected to provide the goals.

Copenhagen have had recent Champions League excursions but the Danish league is not the strongest and they might struggle here.

Predicted Qualifiers: Valencia SF, Club Brugge, St Etienne.

Group H

CSKA Moscow, Deportivo La Coruna, Feyenoord, AS Nancy, Lech Poznan.

This could be another "toss a coin" group. CSKA won this competition only a few years ago, and while they are not as strong as they were, they are still currently second in the Russian league.

Deportivo have made a typical start to their La Liga season, good at home and bad on their travels. Feyenoord, meanwhile, have won only one of their five league games in Holland and are in a bad place by their standards.

Nancy have been the draw specialists so far in France, with five from eight league games, while Lech Poznan have started the Polish season reasonably well and appear well equipped as an away side with three wins in four games.

What the hell, lets plump for the underdog.

Predicted Qualifiers: CSKA Moscow, Deportivo La Coruna, Lech Poznan.

Betting on outright winner, best prices correct on 7th October 2008:

AC Milan 5-1

Valencia 11-1

Sevilla 14-1

Man City 14-1

Aston Villa 16-1

Spurs 16-1

Schalke 25-1

Hamburg 33-1

Portsmouth 33-1

Standard Liege 40-1

Ajax 40-1

Udinese 40-1

Value Bet: Hamburg e/w at 33's looks good to me.

Champions League: Matchday One Review

Simon Williams — Thu, 18 Sep 2008 05:46:48 -0400

Romance is back in the Champions League this year. For the last few years it's been all about the big boys of Western, Southern, and Central Europe, but in week one of the 2008-2009 campaign, the East set down its marker for a fightback of Phoenix proportions, with a little help from a few South Americans...

GROUP A

There is only one team to talk about in this group, and sorry Chelsea fans but it's not the dynamic Blues. CFR 1907 Cluj is a name that will not be familiar with most football fans across the globe, until now.

Not content with breaking the 17 year dominance of Bucharest based teams in the brilliantly named Liga 1 Frutti Fresh, this tiny club from Cluj-Napoca (the third biggest city in Romania) sensationally defeated Italian giants Roma on their own patch.

Argentinian Juan Culio did the the damage with two goals (that's him on the right in the picture if you were wondering why you didn't recognise the player!), after veteran Christian Panucci had given Roma a 17th minute lead.

Cluj play Chelsea next at home on October 1st, and the Blues warmed up for the trip in to the unknown with a comfortable 4-0 win over Laurent Blanc's hapless Bordeaux side. By all accounts Chelsea were slightly flattered by that score-line, but it would be a brave man who bet against yet another semi-final appearance at least for Phil Scolari's team.

Chelsea should have no trouble topping this group now, while Cluj have a serious chance of qualification, and I will be cheering them on all the way! (Sorry Roma & Bordeaux fans!)

GROUP B

Anorthosis Famagusta are an old fashioned European name that will be familiar to many, but the Cypriot minnows have surely had few better results in their history than a goalless draw at Champions League regulars Werder Bremen.

The Germans dominated possession as you would expect, but in truth they rarely challenged the committed Anorthosis rearguard, with a paltry five shots on target to show for their 64% of the ball.

The Cypriot's could have even sneaked a win, with three shots on target of their own. I can just imagine what mad manager and former Newcastle player Temuri Ketsbaia's reaction would have been if one of them had gone in. Advertising hoardings beware! Mike Ashley could do a lot worse...

Jose Mourinho knows his way round the Champions League, and most are expecting a better effort from Inter Milan this time round. They got their challenge off to a routine start with a 2-0 win in Greece against Panathinaikos.

Inter should cruise to the group win, but second place looks well up for grabs.

GROUP C

Pep Guardiola has not made the most auspicious start to his management career at Barca, but it was back to business this week as they saw off Sporting at Camp Nou.

Goals from Marquez, Eto (pen), and Xavi did the damage, with Tonel replying for the Portuguese side. Barca have their problems, but rarely stutter in the Champions League group stage.

Shaktar Donestsk have threatened a good Champions League run for a few years now, and the Ukranian giants might be finally ready to reach the knock-out stages. A 2-1 win in Basle was a great start to the campaign, as Basle is no easy trip, just ask Gerard Houillier.

Shaktar started with five Brazillians, with that kind of pedigree it's hardly surprising that they netted a superb free-kick through Fernandinho, with Jadson the other scorer.

Barca should win the group, and I reckon Shaktar can follow them through.

GROUP D

No doubt about the star of matchday one in this group, no, not Stevie G, but Kun Aguero. South Americans peppered the goals charts this week, and the little wizard added two strikes in an excellent 3-0 win in Eindhoven for Atletico Madrid.

Atletico have not been spoken of as contenders by many, mainly because of their lack of European experience in recent years, but with Aguero and Forlan up front, and Simao loading the bullets, they have the firepower to challenge any team on their day.

They should be joined in the knock-out stage by Liverpool, who produced a resillient but flawed performance to win at Stade Velodrome, Marseilles, for the second time in nine months.

Rafa wouldn't have been happy with his teams defending, but with Pepe Reina in this sort of form, who needs defenders? Steven Gerrard did the damage at the other end, with two efforts making it 99 club goals for the midfield dynamo.

GROUP E

Not much to talk about here, two nil-nil draws that barely got the pulse going at all let alone racing. The main talking points concerned weakened teams and calamitous refereeing.

Man Utd and Villarreal both fielded weakened teams (partly influenced by injury and suspension), suggesting that they are both confident of progressing by virtue of beating Celtic and Aalborg, and are not that fussed about top spot.

On the pitch, Ronaldo made a welcome return and was rapturously applauded by the majority when he came on with 30 mins left. A friend of mine was at the match though, and tells me that there was a fair few boos drowned out by the Viva Ronaldo's!, so don't believe that all is forgiven just yet.

Utd arguably could have had two penalties, but those decisions were nothing compared to the horrow show from Italian referee Matteo Simoni Trefoloni at Celtic Park.

Not content with awarding Celtic an (in my view) dubious looking penalty for a foul on Shaun Maloney, which Barry Robson promptly missed, the ref later gave a red card to the wrong player after adjudging a professional foul against Giorgios Samaras.

Now Samaras is so slow I am convinced that an Aalborg defender would have caught him up so it didn't warrant a red anyway, but having made the decision you would back the referee to be able to tell the difference between a blond Dane and a dark haired Aussie, some 20 yards away from the original incident at the time.

How such an error is made at the top-level of football in this day and age of 4 officials armed with microphones and earpieces is truly astounding. Still, it got the hitherto unknown Michael Beauchamp (the Aussie) an interview on Sky Sports, a conspiracy theorist might even blame Richard Keys for the whole shabang.

GROUP F

This one looks likely to be a very tidy group that will go to the wire. Bayern Munich have returned to the big time, and they were made to work very hard for a 1-0 win in Bucharest against Steaua.

Former Manchester City donkey Daniel Van Buyten got the goal, but with him at the back there is no way Bayern can win the competition. He is much safer in the opposition box than his own, which is not a plus for a defender.

While Van Buyten was enhancing his attacking reputation, Jean Alain Boumsong continues to do untold damage to what's left of his defensive one. He produced another error-strewn display as Lyon were made to come back from two down to force a draw at home to Fiorentina.

Gilardino netted twice for the Viola, reminding Europe that he does know where the net is afterall, while Karim Benzema was again on the scoresheet for Lyonnais.

Top marks to the Fiorentina defender that tried to play offside while his mate was play-acting on the touch-line some 20 yards behind him, leading to Lyon's first goal. I am not sure who it was, but he could give Van Buyten and Boumsong a run for their money in the terrible defending stakes.

It is anyone's guess who gets through this tight group, but Bayern will probably be one of them.

GROUP G

Porto are a team who seem to sell some of their best players every year, but never get any worse. They must have some scouting department at that club, Ajax could do with borrowing them to learn how its done.

Fenerbahce were Porto's latest victims, going down 3-1 despite a debut Champions League goal from Dani Guiza. Spanish coach Luis Aragones must have been fuming at the defending from his team, as they tamely allowed Lisandro Lopez and Lucho Gonzalez to strike early.

They must have some kind of production line in South America involving cloning and Eugenics, as they just can't stop scoring goals the world over. Didn't many Nazis make it to South America to escape the just punishment for their horrific crimes? Now that is a conspiracy theory...

Not many South Americans (or Nazis, thankfully) on show in Kiev though, as Arsenal held the resurgent Ukraninans to a draw with a late Gallas equalizer. The Gunners should have won in truth, but still haven't learned that there are no points awarded for artistic merit in football.

You always know when Arsene Wenger is worried about his team, he sits on the bench in a state of apoplepsy usually only seen in the Queen Vic at Christmas time.

Still, Arsenal should make it through here, with Porto likely to join them, but the edgy away trips could bring more of Wenger's inspired histrionics.

GROUP H

You have to feel sorry for BATE Borisov. They make it to the big time for the first (and possibly only) ever time, and get drawn with Real Madrid, Juventus, and the UEFA Cup winners for their efforts.

The Belarussians made a decent fist of it against a Madrid side going through the motions, going down 2-0 with Ruud Van Nistelrooy proving that it's not only those born in South America who are prolific in the goalscoring stakes.

I bet if Ruud ever appeared on Who Do You Think You Are it would be revealed that his great great great great grand parents were a poor Shetland pony and a Brazillian centre-forward.

Alessandro Del Piero is one of those players that I have never fallen in love with, and while the commentators were marvelling at his 40 yard free-kick winner against Zenit St Petersburg, I was still bemused at what the keeper was playing at.

Defeat was harsh on Zenit, for whom alleged Venezuelan born Portuguese striker Danny missed an absolute sitter. Someone needs to check his birth certificate, as he can't possibly be South American born with that kind of finishing.

Zenit will still figure strongly in this group, and I still harbour faint hopes that they could manage to knock Juve out and make it through with Real.

Emile Heskey: England's Unsung Hero

Simon Williams — Thu, 11 Sep 2008 07:09:11 -0400

Germany 1-5 England, Croatia 1-4 England, two scorelines and matches that will live long in the memory of every Englishman or woman who has an interest in football, and even a few who don't.

The memories will mainly concern Michael Owen and Theo Walcott's hat-tricks, Steven Gerrard's blistering volley or Wayne Rooney's emergence from international slumber.

When you ask England fans in 20 years time to name the four players who played in both matches, some might guess Rio Ferdinand, some might remember David Beckham's late substitute appearance against Croatia, some might recall Ashley Cole's tenacity from left-back, but how many will remember that Emile Heskey played a key role in both matches?

Heskey has always been a bit of misfit amongst football fans, a striker who doesn't score goals is always a difficult one for the layman to get their head around. He was loved at Leicester City, where he began his career, because he was a home-town boy playing at a time of great success for the club under Martin O'Neill.

When he moved to Liverpool in March 2000 for £11m, he had played 143 league games for Leicester and scored 40 goals. A steady return for 22 year-old, but £11m worth of player?

Most were sceptical.

In his first full season at Anfield, 2000-01, Heskey was a revelation. He netted 22 times in 55 appearances, as Liverpool completed a historic cup treble. Paired with Michael Owen for the most part, with Robbie Fowler as back up, the trio netted a mammoth 63 goals between them in all competitions.

Heskey also scored his first goals for England that season, starting with a strike against Malta, and then netting on Sven-Goran Eriksson's debut as manager against Spain in a 3-0 win.

Alas, Heskey's prolific streak was not to last. He netted only 13 goals in his second Liverpool campaign, then nine, then 12. He was forever associated with Gerard Houllier, whose tenure had soured into a reign of terror by the end of 2003-04.

Inevitably, Heskey found himself surplus to requirements, and he has not since been able to regain a place at one of the top teams in the English pyramid. Birmingham signed him for £6.25m, he scored a few goals, he had a few injuries, and then Steve Bruce took him to Wigan for £5.5m.

While Heskey's club career has flattered to deceive, the same could be said of his international career. His goal record at international level is even worse than at club level, managing just five goals in his 48 caps to date.

It is important to look beyond goals when it comes to Heskey though. Apart from that one season in 2000-01, Heskey has never been a goalscorer. Even in that great personal season, his average was little better than one every three games—respectable, but hardly prolific.

It is when Heskey is played with others who can score goals for him, like Michael Owen, Wayne Rooney, or Theo Walcott that he is worth his weight in gold.

Firstly, he is a great first line of defence. He works tirelessly, and his mobility (unlike the far more prolific Peter Crouch), allows him to cover the whole width of the pitch.

When he defends corners, he is a giant, and when you add his height to the likes of Terry, Ferdinand and James, it is little wonder that England have relatively few problems defending even the most wicked set-piece deliveries, compared to many other international teams.

Tricky midfield dynamos who keep the ball for fun, yes we are not too hot on them, but devilish free-kick experts? We eat them for breakfast thanks largely to the defensive attributes of strikers like Heskey.

Also, again unlike Crouch, Heskey is very adept at winning free-kicks. Lets be honest here, if Heskey were foreign we would call him a diver.

He positions himself with his back to defenders, protects the ball, then when he feels the slightest contact, he goes to ground. This is vital for England in particular, because as we all know, we are not the best at keeping possession.

Again, I do not mean to pick on Peter Crouch—as I like him very much as a player, and as a person he seems like a thoroughly nice bloke—but Crouch has the opposite effect on England to Heskey. Where Heskey wins free-kicks, Crouch gives them away, as referees seem unable to look past his height.

With Heskey in the team, the rest of the team looks more assured. They know they can hit a long ball if necessary, and he will willingly flick it on or chase it. When Crouch plays, the long-ball does not become an option, but a necessity, in the mind of the players, and England become increasingly stretched as a result.

Yes Crouch is a bigger goal threat, but he unsettles the equilibrium of the unit. Maybe that is why "Don Fabio" is ignoring the international goal record of the Pompey man.

When Capello admitted he was unhappy with Joe Cole and Wayne Rooney after the Andorra game, it was because they were leaving Heskey isolated. Capello knew that would be the death-knell against Croatia, and that meant that Rooney and Walcott made sure they kept high up the pitch in support of him, and gave England instant returns when in possession.

Joe Cole on this occasion was asked to play a little more inside, to help Lampard and Barry cope with the dangerous Modric. It gave Corluka space, but Capello trusted that he was one of the weakest in possession for the Croats, and a couple of scary moments aside, he was right.

Ashley Cole was left with an intriguing battle with the excellent Srna, and both had their moments of superiority over the other, but Cole's stamina meant he could cover the whole left-flank at times and go beyond both Cole, and later Jenas, when England were in cruise mode.

Note that Jenas, a right footer, looked entirely comfortable on the left. Why? Because England were at ease with the system, they were confident, and so they played like they can.

Tactically, for once, England were spot on last night, just as they had been seven years earlier in Munich. Heskey was a major factor in that tactical plan. It is this tactical prowess, above all else, that Heskey provides.

He is an outlet, a cog in a wheel. There are far better strikers out there in the wide world than Emile Heskey, but very few who are as willing to sacrifice themselves for the team as much as he is.

He is the 2008 version of Nobby Stiles, a man of little natural talent, but who does a very specific job very, very well.

Many England fans will not remember that Heskey played a key role in two of the best results in our recent history, but if his tactical astuteness can help the team to greater heights in the next few years, then the name of this softly spoken Leicester giant could go down in history.

Alternatively, we might have to wait another seven years before England produce another tactical masterplan. For everyone with England in their hearts, I hope its not the latter.

We have had enough false dawns to last us a lifetime.

The Race Is On For South Africa 2010

Simon Williams — Thu, 04 Sep 2008 05:32:27 -0400

Money, business, takeovers, Arabs, Dubai, wages, resignations, meetings blah blah blah, I think I just died of boredom. What have any of them got to do with football? I am sure most of us here love the game itself, not the circus that surrounds it.

With that in mind, lets take a look at this weekend's upcoming World Cup 2010 Qualifiers from a truly global perspective, and get back to talking about football. The European qualifiers will be reviewed in a separate article.

CONMEBOL

The South American qualification series is already well under way, with 6 of 18 rounds already completed. Paraguay have leaped out of the blocks and lead the way with 13 points from their six matches, and this record will be sorely put to the test as they line up against second placed Argentina on Saturday in Buenos Aires.

Argentina have failed to win in their last three qualification matches, so will be keen to get their campaign back on track, while the Paraguayans were heavily beaten in Bolivia last time out. Expect a tight affair, with a draw a distinct possibility.

Brazil meanwhile are down in fifth place in the standings, Dunga's all-star team failing to get any momentum going. They face a tricky trip to Chile on Sunday. The Chileans are one place above them in fourth spot. Brazil always find a way to qualify, and surely will do again given the talent at their disposal, but I could see Chile springing a surprise here to pile the pressure on.

Elsewhere Ecuador, who have qualified for the last two tournaments (reaching the last 16 in 2006), face a must win match at home to Bolivia. The duo sit in eigth and ninth respectively in the standings, and whoever loses here can probably book their 2010 summer holidays, as they won't be going to South Africa. Ecuador should have enough on their own patch.

In the other games, Colombia face Uruguay, and last placed Peru are at home to improving Venezuela. Colombia have already downed Argentina in Bogota, so should take the honours there, while Venezuela are outside bets for the fifth placed play-off spot and can do their prospects no harm with a win in Lima.

Round Eight kicks off on Tuesday, with Paraguay expected to down Venezuela. On Wednesday, Brazil will surely steel themselves to beat Bolivia at home, and Argentina should win in Peru. Uruguay v Ecuador and Chile v Colombia are tougher calls, and they could well produce some draws to complete this crucial double header of matches.

CAF

If you think the South American campaign is a drawn out affair, then wait until you see the African qualifying system. Already well into its second of three rounds, the campaign has seen footballing minnows Comoros, Somalia, and Guinea-Bissau eliminated in Round 1.

Round 2 sees 48 teams split into 12 groups and playing 6 matches each, with 12 group winners and 8 next best teams making it to the final qualifying round. The next week sees the 5th collection of matches played, and it's all or nothing for some competitors.

In Group 1, Cameroon will ensure qualification to Stage 3 with a win away at Cape Verde. Group 2 sees leaders Guinea facing a tough trip to inflation busting Zimbabwe, with the losers likely to be under serious pressure from Kenya in the final match.

Angola, surprise qualifiers in 2006, face a must win match away to Benin to avoid this campaign ending swiftly in Group 3.

Nigeria are running away with Group 4 with a 100% record, but fellow giants Ghana still have work to do in Group 5, and must win in Libya to ensure their place in Stage 3.

Group 6 sees Senegal hoping to clinch their place with a win in Algeria, with Gambia still in contention. Ivory Coast should top Group 7 with a win in Mozambique. Perennial qualifiers Morocco will be through to Round 3 with a win over Ethiopia in Group 8.

Burkina Faso are the surprise team of the tournament so far, they lead Group 9 ahead of Tunisia with a 100% record, having won in Tunisia. They will clinch the group should they complete a famous double at home.

Mali lead Group 10, with Chad surrounded in controversy having been barred from the African Nations Qualifying (the campaign serves as qualifiers for both tournaments), but allowed to compete by FIFA for the World Cup places.

There looks unlikely to be a repeat of Togo's unlikely qualification in 2006, as they recover from the shocking violence that marred their match with Mali in the 2008 African Nations Cup qualifier. They currently sit bottom of Group 11.

Group 12 sees DR Congo battling with Egypt for top spot, with the winners of their meeting ensured progress to Round 3.

This is certainly a marathon not a sprint!

AFC & OFC

This weekend sees the big kick-off in the final stage of the Asian Qualifying zone, with Australia competing in the zone for the first time. After an already gruelling series, they are joined in Group A by Japan, Bahrain, Uzbekistan, and Qatar.

Australia kick off with a tough tie in Uzbekistan next Wednesday, with Japan starting away to Bahrain on Saturday. Bahrain then travel to Qatar on Wednesday.

The top two teams in each group qualify for the finals, with the two third placed teams playing off for the chance to meet the top qualifier from the Oceania zone for the final qualifying place.

New Zealand will ensure that they are the Oceanic representatives in that match if they can defeat New Caledonia in Noumea on Saturday.

How about an Australia v New Zealand match up for a place in the World Cup Finals? It could well happen.

Group B in Asia looks set to be very closely fought. It consists of both Korea Republic (South Korea) and Korea DPR (North Korea), and if they could fight to the death for top spot they probably would do. Iran and Saudi Arabia have a history of qualification, but will find their record serverely tested in this group that also includes UAE.

UAE kick off proceedings against Korea DPR on Saturday, followed by Saudi Arabia vs Iran. The first of the Korean derbies takes place on Wednesday, in Shanghai, China, because of a row over the playing of the National Anthems the last time they met. That match could be a bit tasty!

CONCACAF

The third of four stages of the North and Central American qualifying campaign began in August, with 12 teams left in three groups of four.

In Group 1, Trinidad and the USA will be expected to qualify for the final six team group, and they both started with a win. USA visit Cuba on Saturday, followed by a home tie Trinidad on Wednesday. Trinidad precede that match with a home game against Guatemala.

Group 2 sees Sven-Goran Eriksson's Mexico play Jamaica and Canada in successive home games on Saturday and Wednesday. With Honduras the other team in this interesting group, that should be tight.

Costa Rica will be expected to coast through Group 3, and having already beaten El Salvador they should have to much quality for Surinam and Haiti, whom they meet this week.

The top two teams in each of the three groups qualify for Round 4, with the top three teams from Round 4 qualifying for the World Cup. The 4th placed team will then play off against the 5th placed team from South America for the final qualification spot.

If you have read all the way to here, well done!

Bleacher Report and Quality Control—How Many Is Too Many?

Simon Williams — Wed, 20 Aug 2008 04:18:02 -0400

As I write this article, I see that there have been some 40 articles written in the FIFA strand of Bleacher Report in the last 24 hours. This is a very impressive statistic that shows how the Bleacher football community has grown in the last few months, but in my opinion it also leaves us with something of a quandary.

My theory is this: With the current level of 40 articles a day likely to increase as more members join over the coming months, the chances of any of our articles taking on more than just a passing interest will decrease dramatically.

It will become all-important to get your article on the front page, and in the headline position if possible.

If you are not on that front page, chances are that your article will fall by the wayside, with just a few comments from your devoted fans to sustain interest. Our articles will become increasingly repetitive, as we all fight to have our say on the issues of the day.

Some may think this is all fair and square, that only the best articles will make it onto the front page. If you want to be there, then you have to be the best.

However, I doubt that this will be the reality. More likely is that a prolific selection of writers will repeatedly get on the front page, regardless of the quality of their articles. Many of the more prolific writers are merely reporting the news of the day, news that is already freely available from umpteen other sources.

Is this a display of untrained journalistic quality—which is surely the essence of Bleacher Report—or just an easy way to write a quick article and keep yourself at the top of the (in my opinion, meaningless) writers' rankings?

This article in itself will be a test of Bleacher's reach. It should be in the interests of every football writer to read this article. This is not because I think it is superior in quality to anyone else's, but because it directly discusses what we do.

Will it make the FIFA front page? What does it prove if it does? How many reads and comments will it get if it doesn't?

My theory is that Bleacher Report needs some kind of way to limit the number of articles published per day. Some may find this idea abhorrent and completely opposed to the core aims of free-journalism that the site encourages. I welcome your comments and opinions.

I see it as the only way that any of us will be able to enhance what we do, and ensure that an article we might spend a long time writing gets the maximum viewing potential over more "throwaway" articles that simply re-hash reports from Sky Sports News or BBC Sport. That's the kind of news that, let's face it, the vast majority of us as football fans will already be well aware of.

I have no plan about how such "quality control" should or could work, but I think such a plan will become increasingly necessary if the FIFA strand continues to grow at its current rate.

Association Football is the biggest spectator sport in the world, and lots of people want to write about it. But how will the compulsion to write survive if the waters in which our musings float become so diluted?

Is it better to have 10 articles a day that get 20 comments, or 200 articles that get one?

John Terry and Rio Ferdinand: Are They England's Best Bet?

Simon Williams — Tue, 19 Aug 2008 04:46:45 -0400

Fabio Capello got one over on the mainstream media on Tuesday, when he named Chelsea's John Terry as his permanent England captain.

Most media sources had reported that Manchester United's Rio Ferdinand would get the nod, ahead of Terry and Steven Gerrard—but the FA had obviously pulled the wool over their eyes.

Rio Ferdinand was named as vice-captain, suggesting that Fab's first choice defensive partnership is pretty much set in stone. So Bleacher members, do we agree that Rio and Terry should be the first choice centre back partnership?

There is little doubting the quality of either player. Ferdinand in particular was outstanding last season, and seems to be getting better with age, showing more maturity on and off the pitch.

Terry's place in the team was perhaps considered more under threat, given that he was the captain previously but had it removed at the beginning of Capello's reign.

However, Phil Scolari has kept Terry as Chelsea's main man, suggesting that his stock is very high throughout world football. After all, Scolari is a World Cup winner with an almost bottomless pit of money available to buy a new centre half, should he have felt the need.

What message does Capello's choice send out to England's other centre halves?

The likes of Upson, King, Woodgate, Richards and Wheater now know that no matter how well they play, week in and week out, they are highly unlikely to dislodge Terry and Ferdinand in the England team—at least while Fab is in charge and the latter are fit and available.

As well as demoralising the ambitions of England's other defenders, the choices send very mixed messages out concerning the FA's 'Respect' initiative.

Neither Terry nor Ferdinand are respectful to referees. Terry has been the Chelsea ring-leader in surrounding referees when they make decisions against the Blues, with Ferdinand performing a similar role for Manchester United.

They snarl, they swear, they throw their toys out of the pram and perform their best 'hard-done-by' expressions. It remains to be seen whether either player will change this, or whether they will make a complete mockery of the FA's aims in continuing with their gutter tactics.

It must be said that in terms of being respectful to referees, not many of the other candidates for the captaincy are paragons of virtue either.

Wayne Rooney is to a referee what Kryptonite is to Superman, draining them of energy with his constant and embarrasing vitriol and anger. The latest desperate hope is that marriage will calm Wayne down. It won't.

Steven Gerrard does his best to referee games on his own, by diving and appealing with equal disregard for 'Respect', though he does at least like to keep ref's on his side—a more friendly dirty tricks campaign, if you like.

Gareth Barry is probably the only contender who can hold his head high in the respect regard, but it's unlikely that he was ever at the forefront of Capello's mind.

So John Terry will keep the England captaincy for the foreseeable future. Is he a good captain? Well, if such luminaries as Jose Mourinho, Phil Scolari and Fabio Capello think so, then who am I to disagree?

However, perhaps a more pertinent question is, should Terry and Ferdinand automatically be the first choice defensive pairing?

I remain unconvinced on this matter, and if I was an English centre half on the fringes of the team or squad, I wouldn't be feeling very confident about playing much international football in the next few years.

Fab has made his choices, now they must (at last) deliver a string of solid performances, starting at Wembley tomorrow against the Czech Republic.

The Premier League Prediction 2008-2009

Simon Williams — Thu, 31 Jul 2008 10:32:52 -0400

Many have had their say on the 2008-2008 Premier League season, and with just over two weeks to go to the big kick off I couldn't wait any longer to put in my two pence worth...

1) CHELSEA

Everyone will remember last season for Manchester United's double, so it's easy to forget just how close Chelsea came to doing a treble of their own.

With a proven winner now at the helm, all the talent remains in the squad and they will be keen to regain their status as trophy winners, not nearly men.

"Big" Phil will work his magic early on the Blues and their famous resilience will carry them over the line. Don't expect fantasy football just yet though.

2) MANCHESTER UNITED

Three successive titles are always hard to come by. Everyone will be out to get the Red Devil's this season, even more than they usually are. The fixture list has not been kind with Portsmouth, Liverpool, Everton and Arsenal all away in the first three months.

Of course they have the talent to go all the way again, but on fine margins such things are decided, and it's unlikely that Ronaldo will have a season to match his goal feats of last.

The enigmatic Berbatov may cause more problems than he solves should he join.

3) LIVERPOOL

I expect a healthy points tally, and fewer draws than last term with the arrival of Robbie Keane giving more attacking threat to add to Torres, Gerrard and an improving Babel.

I would dearly love to say they will finish higher, but realistically it is mighty difficult to compete with the "big two." An 80 Point haul is achievable and will satisfy most sane Reds for now.

Anything more than that would be unexpected but the title should still be a four horse race fairly late on in March.

4) ARSENAL

Please note that by tipping Arsenal to finish fourth I am by no means writing them off. They will no doubt thrill us all again with some brilliant attacking play, and if they keep van Persie fit then they will score even more goals.

It will be a four horse race in 2008-2009 and Arsenal will not miss out by much, perhaps only eight points separating the top four. The reason they finish bottom of the "mini-league" is purely down to the defence.

They have the weakest back-line of the contenders, and have so far done nothing to rectify that in the transfer market. Arsenal conceded 31 in 2007-2008, compared to Man Utd (22), Chelsea (26, with persistent injury problems for Terry, Carvalho and Cech), Liverpool (28, with Agger missing most of the season).

5) PORTSMOUTH

Our 'arry is doing a fine job at Fratton Park. The signing of Crouch to play with Defoe gives them a double act to worry every Premier League defence and guarantees a steady supply of goals.

David James and Sol Campbell still provide steel at the back, ably abetted by the under-rated Distin.

The UEFA Cup is a distraction, but with their experience and numerous international's they should be able to cope with that well enough. A club on the up, with a new stadium not far away, they could soon be realistic Champions League contenders.

6) TOTTENHAM HOTSPUR

I am of the opinion that Juande Ramos is a very shrewd operator. Some are predicting even better than sixth, but lets be realistic, a jump from 11th last term to Champions League contenders is a step too far.

Modric, Dos Santos, and maybe Arshavin and Pavlyuchenko will ease the pain of losing Keane and Berbatov. Bentley will provide more drive and quality delivery from the midfield.

A question mark remains over the defence (what if Woodgate/King are injured?), but Gomes will at least ensure that goal-keeping calamities are kept to a minimum. The central midfield is another area in need of strengthening, but Juande might have to wait until next summer to solve that problem with lots of cash already spent, or ear-marked for spending.

7) MANCHESTER CITY

Mark Hughes first season at the helm will be a relative success as the unstable Eriksson era is consigned to history.

Hughes worked wonders on a miniscule budget with Blackburn. City are bigger in every way, but Hughes has the temperament to tame the beast.

They were good enough for ninth last term, and with Hughes' tenacity and some astute captures it will be a season of great promise for the Eastlands club. The Jo-Elano-Petrov axis will provide quality and skill, and Roque Santa Cruz could well join the party to provide the strength.

8) EVERTON

The Toffee-men are in a state of limbo at the moment. They don't appear to have the funds to make the leap from UEFA Cup to Champions League, and at the time of writing the new stadium hangs in the balance.

A smallish squad needs strengthening to avoid being overtaken, but time is running out and I fear that Spurs, Pompey and City have already got the hop on the outfit from Goodison Park.

David Moyes is set to sign a new contract, but where do they go from here? The likes of Arteta, Yakubu and Lescott will be looking enviously at other clubs if they cannot sustain European football.

9) ASTON VILLA

Villa find themselves in a similar position to Everton, the mystery difference being that they appear to have money but why is Martin O'Neill so reluctant to spend it?

They have needed a new right-back for time immemorial but still haven't signed one, Sidwell is a decent player but hardly inspirational, and two new goal-keepers are not likely to get Villa fans excited. Bouma's injury means a shaky defence is more stretched than ever coupled with Mellberg's departure.

Barry already wants to move, how much longer before Young and Agbonlahor follow suit? Villa are a solid out-fit, but they need more class and in greater numbers, particularly defensively, if they are to continue on an upward trend. I can't see it happening with only a month of the transfer window left.

10) WEST HAM UNITED

Exactly the same as last season. Frustratingly for West Ham, last season should have been so much better. Had they not been decimated by injuries, the Hammers could have easily worried the top six last term after a raft of new signings.

This time around, those signings will probably be fitter, but few have been added to the squad this summer. A fit front two of Ashton and Bellamy is as good as Crouch and Defoe, maybe even better, but the wide midfield positions are weak and more goals are needed from a steady central midfield.

Defensively, they are solid enough (bizarre runs of 4-0 defeats not withstanding), but Alan Curbishley will not have a season to excite the Hammers hordes, and he could find himself under unfortunate pressure as a result.

11) WIGAN ATHLETIC

Don't laugh, hear me out, then make your mind up. In 2008 so far Wigan have played 18 League games, they have won six, drawn six and lost six. That is perfect mid-table form, and Steve Bruce is now fully settled in at the JJB.

They have (so far), kept hold of their best players, Scharner, Kirkland, Valencia and Palacios. They have added quality and youth in Kapo, De Ridder and Cattermole and they are now a very tidy team.

A small squad, but with enough quality to be one of the surprises of the season, they won't face a relegation scrap this time round.

12) MIDDLESBROUGH

I imagine I will be in a minority of fans who think that Middlesbrough will finish at the top of the North-East table, but I honestly think they have a decent little team growing.

Alves will add goals to the incisive work of Tuncay and Aliadiere, while Downing is much-maligned but it is a fact that he is one of the most productive wide-men in the Premier League.

Wheater is a great dominator in both boxes, and he will be needed as two young keepers fight for the number one spot, but I think Gareth Southgate is an underrated presence who is gradually finding his feet at the helm.

13) NEWCASTLE UNITED

Many seem to be predicting Newcastle to be top six contenders, and I have to say I have no idea why. Yes Owen, Martins and Viduka are all good players, but they had them last season. They will score too many goals to worry about relegation, but the Champions League years are an increasingly distant and unlikely to be repeated memory.

The defence remains virtually non-existent, with Steven Taylor ploughing a lone furrow in commitment and quality, he needs an experienced leader to guide him, as well as two new full-backs.

The closest the midfield has to a leader is the ageing Nicky Butt, while Joey Barton spends more time in court than he does on the pitch. Gutierrez is being talked up on the wing, but Newcastle have signed so many mistakes over the years its difficult to feel confident he will deliver the goods.

14) BLACKBURN ROVERS

The biggest drop in my predictions from last term's finish, but I don't see this as a disasterous season for Rovers. Mark Hughes over-achieved with a small club compared to many, add an inexperienced new manager and the loss of your biggest creative influence (Bentley), and that usually spells a transitional year.

If Roque Santa Cruz goes to Man City, as many are predicting, then its hard to see Blackburn contending in the top half of the table, even if Alex Ferguson were manager.

Ince will do a good job, but this will be an inauspicious start as he gets used to his new surroundings, and the players get used to his methods.

15) FULHAM

Roy Hodgson did a very fine job in keeping Fulham up last term, and I can see him repeating the trick with a little more comfort this time round.

They have a big squad that is midfield heavy and defensively they must improve, but Schwarzer is a shrewd capture in goal, and Zamora will replace McBride well up front.

That midfield has an abundance of quality in Murphy, Bullard, Gera and Davies. It will not be dull at the Cottage as goals fly in at both ends, but away from home Hodgson will keep them solid enough to have a steady campaign.

16) SUNDERLAND

Roy Keane has taken the "Tottenham reject" approach to the transfer market this summer, and as those players were good enough to get Spurs in 11th last term, they should be good enough to keep Sunderland out of trouble.

The injury to Kenwynne Jones is a major worry, but a midfield containing Malbranque and Andy Reid will have more creativity than they managed last term.

Some are predicting Sunderland as the surprise package, but the defence still looks too feeble for my money to have them finishing higher up the league. 59 goals against last season, and Pascal Chimbonda will not have a dramatic effect on that tally.

17) WEST BROMWICH ALBION

The only one of the promoted clubs who looks likely to have any chance of staying up, thanks largely to an expansive style of play and a healthy number of goalscorers.

That said, the loss of Kevin Phillips should not be underestimated, and it will not be an easy ride for a team who are far better on the attack than on the defensive.

I have them pipping Bolton to the final safe place in the league, based only on the ability of the likes of Luke Moore, Ishmael Miller and Roman Bednar to find the net on a fairly regular basis. Tony Mowbray is a good manager, and they will improve on this scary first season.

18) BOLTON WANDERERS

They survived, just, in 2007-2008, and I don't think sufficient goals have been added to the squad to see anything other than a struggle this time around.

Elmander (£11m) is a huge outlay for a player with a mediocre scoring record in France, suggesting he is more creator than scorer. That's all well and good, but who is going to put the ball in the back of the net? Kevin Davies? (Three league goals last season.)

Fabrice Muamba is a good signing in midfield, but I can only see him joining the ranks of one of those unfortunate players who gets relegated, transfers back up, and then gets relegated again.

He should thank his lucky stars he is not Hermann Hreidarsson, who managed to get relegated from the big league no less than four times in 10 seasons before 'Arry saved him from his recurring nightmare.

19) STOKE CITY

I would love to say that Stoke will finish in mid-table, and that the club of Stanley Matthews and Gordon Banks will take the Premier League by storm, but its just not going to happen.

They fought their way to the big league with a old fashioned style that Wimbledon would have been proud of, but thats not going to cut it any more in the globalisation age.

They will be better than Derby, and will have the odd moment of glory, but it will back from whence they came nonetheless.

20) HULL CITY

It's a depressing reality of English football these days that one of the main reasons teams get promoted to the Premier League is by relying on loan players from the clubs they hope to be playing against.

Frazier Campbell darted and dashed his way in to Hull City folklore, helped by his dad Dean Windass (well, he might as well be), but then hotfooted it back to Old Trafford just as quickly.

With Campbell set to spend the season on the Manchester United bench, Hull's chances of survival have decreased exponentially. They are an honest team, they have some experience in Mendy, Barmby and Boateng (and Windass must go beyond "experienced"), but at the end of the day, they surely won't be good enough.

SUMMARY

So that's it, Chelsea to wrestle back the title in an absorbing four horse race, Portsmouth to threaten a new challenge to the established order, Villa and Everton to fall behind the pack, Wigan and Middlesbrough to be the closest to a surprise, Alan Curbishley to do what he does best and finish mid-table, and most depressingly of all, the three promoted teams to predictably struggle to retain their status, with only West Brom managing it at the death.

On three, Ready............ Aim.......... Fire your comments!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!

Euro 2008: The Official UEFA Squad Of The Tournament

Simon Williams — Mon, 30 Jun 2008 04:34:26 -0400

Many of us have already debated our own choices for players and team of the tournament in Euro 2008, but this is what the official UEFA Technical panel came up with as their squad of the tournament, and my verdict on the picks:

Goalkeepers: Buffon (Italy), Casillas (Spain), Van Der Sar (The Netherlands)

Difficult to disagree with these solid choices, all three keepers had excellent tournaments and made some great saves.

Defenders: Bosingwa (Portugal), Lahm (Germany), Marchena (Spain), Pepe (Portugal), Puyol (Spain), Zhirkov (Russia)

I find it strange that two Portugal players are picked here. They did not defend well collectively, and only kept one clean sheet in the tournament. Pepe scored a decent goal, and Bosingwa attacked with pace, but neither excelled defensively.

I would not pick Lahm either, he scored a great goal in the Semi-Final but again he is a defender. His defending was abject, pretty much for the whole tournament, culminating in Torres rinsing him in the final and Lahm being subbed at half time.

Croatia defended well as a team, and I think Josip Simunic deserved a pick as the rock in that defence, while Capdevila and Ramos both had better overall tournaments than Lahm, as did Anyukov of Russia.

Midfielders: Altintop (Turkey), Modric (Croatia), Senna (Spain), Xavi (Spain), Zyryanov (Russia), Ballack (Germany), Fabregas (Spain), Iniesta (Spain), Podolski (Germany), Sneijder (Netherlands)

Very odd that Fabregas was picked ahead of Silva here. The regular Spanish midfield was Senna, Silva, Iniesta, and Xavi, and Silva is the only one who misses out. Fabregas played decently when on the pitch, but no better than Silva in my opinion, and Silva scored a brilliant goal in the Semi-Final, albeit set up by Fabregas' incisive pass.

Elsewhere, solid choices, with Bastian Schweinsteiger the only big miss. Maybe his red-card counted against him, as UEFA made a big thing of respect in this tournament. This may also account for Silva's absence, as he could and probably should have been sent off in the Final, by the letter of the law.

Altintop was the pick of the Turkish midfield, so I am happy to see him rewarded although Arda Turan was another decent option.

Attackers: Arshavin (Russia), Pavlyuchenko (Russia), Torres (Spain), Villa (Spain)

Solid choices here. Villa, Pavlyuchenko, and Arshavin were givens as they made a big impact on the finals, although Arshavin could have been chosen under midfielders.

Torres did not have a great tournament overall, but when you score the winner in the final you are always likely to get picked, and he did well enough to be one of the better centre-forwards on show.

I think Semih Senturk could have got a place here, his goals were as dramatic as they were important for his team, and the Turks deserved more than just one place in the squad on the back of a thrilling tournament.

Player Of The Tournament: Xavi (Spain)

Another solid choice, Xavi was outstanding throughout and scored a great goal too in the Semi-Final. I think Senna could have given him a run for his money though, without him the Spanish defence would not have been so secure, as he gave them great protection, and can also play himself with great passing and drive.

I don't think any one player lit up the tournament, in the same way, perhaps a Zidane or a Maradona have done in major tournaments in the past, but the choice had to be a Spaniard as they have been comfortably the best team.

From goalkeeper, to defence, to their brilliant midfield and deadly attack, even the Spanish reserves were excellent in the 3rd group match. They are rightly rewarded with 9 choices in the 23 man squad overall, and it could have even been more.

I am particularly pleased to see that Cristiano Ronaldo has been ignored, not because I have anything against Ronaldo as he is a brilliant player, but he did not have a good tournament. Sometimes players are picked purely based on their name and reputation, so it is nice to see UEFA showing some integrity.

Do you agree with UEFA's choices, or have they ignored your favourite player?

Transfer Merry-Go-Round: What does your EPL team need?

Simon Williams — Sat, 28 Jun 2008 00:35:30 -0400

With Euro 2008 nearly over and pre-season training just around the corner, the transfer river will be in full flow over the next 2 months. Lets take a look at where each team needs to reinforce by August 31st so that their EPL dreams can come true in 2008-2009:

Manchester United: Ronaldo is the word for United this summer, and much of their transfer activity will depend on what the Portuguese winger decides to do with his career. If he stays, then transfer activity should be pretty quiet.

A right-back and a target man should ensure that United are the squad to beat in 2008-2009. Should Ronaldo move on, Fergie's coffers will be overflowing, and a couple of big name attackers would help fill the gap.

Chelsea: A new manager, a whole new team? Virtually every Chelsea player has been linked with a move away this summer, and much of their transfer activity will depend on who does move on.

Bosingwa has already been signed to solve the right back problem that has proved more difficult to solve than a Rubik's cube on acid. Expect big names and big money, but can Big Phil transform the style and staff of a team, and win the title at the first attempt? Or is Roman only interested in the Champions League?

Arsenal: If you believe the press then Arsenal are facing a summer exodus. In reality, it looks like Flamini and Hleb will be the only major departures. Not disastrous, but it does leave a pretty big hole in last season's impressive midfield.

Nasri has already been signed to replace the probably Barca' bound Hleb, while Arsene might leave it to Diaby and Song to replace Flamini. Alternatively, he could move for a more experienced holding player. Elsewhere, a commanding centre-half is surely a must if Arsenal are not to endure another trophyless season.

Liverpool: Dossena and Degen are already signed to reinforce the wide-defensive positions, and Barry looks likely to replace Alonso in midfield. These moves should ensure that Liverpool will keep the defensive stability that has been a regular of Rafa's reign, but everyone knows that Liverpool need more spark in the attacking third.

Rafa confidante Guillem Balague has hinted at a deal aready done for an attacking player who will excite Liverpool fans, we will just have to wait and see who it is.

Everton: Little action so far for Everton, with money, or lack of it, dominating the transfer gossip. David Moyes knows he must spend or risk standing still, but how much will he have at his disposal?

With Carsley and Gravesen moved on, a new holding midfield player must be a priority. A genuine winger would help add to their attacking armoury, while Tony Hibbert doesn't exactly inspire confidence in the right back position. If Everton are to challenge the top four, then top class players only need apply for the roles.

Aston Villa: Fed up with a bigger club circling for your best player? At least Villa fans can console themselves with the fact that even Manchester United are going through the same fraught Summer. It seems inevitable that Barry will move on, with Sidwell heavily linked as his replacement. That will help fill the void, but such is Barry's influence on Villa's play that more will be needed if the Villains are to bother the top 6 again.

Mellberg has moved on so a quality right back is essential, as is a permanent goalkeeper as the Villa defence was far from secure last term. The way Villa play, with Carew up top on his own, more goals from central midfield are needed, and Petrov needs to step up to the plate or be moved on.

Blackburn: Another team more concerned with departures than signings at the moment. Bentley's exit looks a formality, but Blackburn should be able to keep Santa Cruz around for another season at least. With Tugay ageing, a quality central playmaker is needed, and obviously Bentley will need replacing in the wide right position.

Some competition on the left side for the complacent Pedersen would not go amiss, as well as some pace in a slow defence. A young goalkeeper to learn from Brad Friedel would also be good signing.

Portsmouth: Glen Little has been a surprise arrival at Fratton Park already, and former Reading team-mate Nicky Shorey could follow if West Ham do not make his dream come true. Shorey would certainly add some quality to the troublesome left side, and a younger centre-half to challenge the ageing limbs of Campbell and Distin is surely a must.

A new partner for Defoe would ensure the goals flow, with Crouch a possibility to challenge Kanu for the target man role. A genuine pacy winger as an alternative to Krancjar's roaming would also give them more depth (Little has been signed with this in mind, but another wouldn't hurt). Still, the squad looks pretty strong and they should do well again.

Manchester City: Mark Hughes could prove to be City's best signing of the summer, and his appointment should mean that they hold onto the likes of Dunne, Richards and Hart. Jo looks set to join which should add goals and flair to the excellent hold up play of Benjani, and the return of Bojinov will be like a new signing anyway.

This is another team that could do with genuine width on the right side, and Bentley is surely an option here unless he moves to a Champions League team. Garrido and Ball did not convince at left-back last season so that could also be a Hughes priority. Ronaldinho looks like a step too far, and Hughes is likely to spend sensibly rather than ostentatiously.

West Ham United: Mid-table, mid-table, mid-table, just what can Alan Curbishley do to get higher than mid-table in the Premier League? West Ham have more potential than Charlton ever did, but there are signs that the early funds of the new owners have dried up as they are unconvinced by their managers spending up to now.

A fit squad will have a big impact, but its hard to see West Ham troubling the top six without serious defensive reinforcements, with a partner for the consistent Upson a big priority. Bellamy and Ashton should form a good front duo, with Zamora and the exciting Sears looking good as back ups. With Solano gone, Dyer permanently injured, and Ljungberg well past his best, wide players are needed to provide the service, as well as a goalscoring central midfielder.

Tottenham Hotspur: Did Spurs really finish as low as 11th last season? I'm afraid so. Juande Ramos steadied the ship and had a trophy win to boot, but everyone knows the defence needs serious work if Spurs are to challenge the top six again. Gomes looks set to end Robinson's Spurs career, and he is a good commanding signing, if a little eccentric.

Modric and Dos Santos will provide the thrills, and Berbatov looks likely to stay and resume his deadly partnership with Keane. Bale should excite if he can stay fit, and Woodgate and King should provide a solid base, but will the back-up be good enough when they are injured?

A dominant holding player will help the leaky defence, and if Spurs can find one then, with the help of the new goalkeeper, they could have a very good season. The trouble is, how many times have we heard that before?

Newcastle United: What a strange season it was for Newcastle, from indifference, to desperation, to thrilling and back again. Nothing in the summer market so far has suggested that next year will be any different. Shifting at the boardroom level suggests all is not well at St James' Park, and the team need serious investment if they are to avoid another bottom half finish.

Virtually a whole new defence is needed, or at least two parts to go with Taylor and Beye, and some better back-ups. A midfielder to control their play, and more thrills in the wide positions would help keep the fans onside. Martins and Owen will provide goals, but a younger target man would ensure that the inconsistent Viduka is not so badly missed when injured or out of form.

Middlesbrough: Afonso Alves whet the teesiders appetite last season, and they will be expecting lots of goals and lots of thrills now he is fit and more settled into the English game. Tuncay and Alliadiere are able deputees in terms of pace and skill, but a target man to give 'Boro a change of play would ensure that goals are more frequent than last term. Mido is still around, and supposedly more fit, but that remains to be seen.

In midfield, a dominant central player is needed to replace Boateng, and more help in the wide positions for the overburdened Downing, assuming he stays , should be priorities. Defensively, a experienced goalkeeper looks essential after the departure of Schwartzer, while a pacy partner for the improving Wheater could make 'Boro into a top half side.

Wigan Athletic: Steve Bruce did a good steady job last term in ensuring Wigan's survival, and he also made them more exciting to watch with Palacios and Valencia providing some real South American flair. Kirkland and Scharner give them a great base to work from, but some subtlety up front to go with the power of King and Heskey would give them more firepower.

A better holding player than the ugly Michael Brown would also help, but Wigan have the basis of a decent little squad. Keeping it together with a couple of additions should be enough to steer clear of the drop again, and maybe even look towards mid-table.

Sunderland: They huffed and puffed last season, and eventually they had enough to blow the spectre of relegation down. Roy Keane did not look like a happy man though, and knows that serious reinforcements of quality are needed to keep the Mackems out of the bottom six next term. The defence needs some major work as none of the back four are worthy of playing in front of the impressive Gordon in the long-term.

There is some quality and fight in the midfield, particularly from Whitehead and Richardson. Kenwynne Jones is a good target man but needs more help. Keane signed alot of partners for him last season, and while Chopra chipped in with a few goals, none of the others looked the part. Although Swede Prica deserves more time. There is talk of £50m to spend, which is all well and good, but Keane needs to spend it more wisely if Sunderland are to avoid another struggle.

Bolton Wanderers: Nobody gave Gary Megson much of a chance last season (including me) but to be fair he did a steady job and kept them going to the last when it looked like relegation was inevitable. Now he has to prove he can build a team of his own, and the building has already begun with Elmander and Muamba, big money buys. Muamba will add some midfield steel, and Elmander some creativity, but more goals are needed badly in this team.

A better left-back than J-lloyd Samuel should be a priority, as Ricardo Gardner is injury prone and defensively weak, despite his attacking flair. Jaaskelainen still provides a good starting point, and Al-Habsi a good back up, but it's attackers that Bolton badly need, and they must find a regular goal-scorer to avoid another scrappy season.

Fulham: The great escapists of last term will be eager to avoid the same histrionics this time round. Roy Hodgson has already been busy, with two new goalkeepers (Schwarzer and Stockdale) and Gera and Teymourian added to bring some real class to an already strong looking midfield. Gera, Davies, Bullard, Murphy and Teymourian will provide plenty of bullets for the strikers, but with Brian McBride back home in the USA they need better guns to do the shooting.

The midfield also looks attack heavy, and a solid defensive player or two should be a priority. A pacy partner for Hangeland would ensure fewer goals conceded, and Fulham need to be less open next season if they are to improve on 17th place.

West Bromwich Albion: Back in the big-time the Baggies need some defensive reinforcements if they are to avoid yet another relegation scrap. Dean Kiely is an able goalkeeper, but will his age catch up with him? They conceded too many goals last season even in winning the Championship title, and need to be stronger this time round. The left-side looks particularly weak with Paul Robinson whole-hearted, but something of a liability and prone to too many rash tackles.

Gera is a loss from the midfield, but Greening, Koren, Brunt, Morrison and Teixeira have enough to create plenty of chances for Phillips, Miller, Bednar, Moore, and Beattie who give them real options in attack. A strong defensive midfield player would help the defence, but Tony Mowbray is an attack minded manager, and I expect them to provide some real thrills next season. Will the gung-ho style pay-off?

Stoke City: Stoke are in a strange position. Promoted on the back of a set piece game reminiscent of Watford, and we all know what happened to them in the Premier League; its just not enough. They will be looking to the Bolton model instead for inspiration, as they have come too far to completely change their style now. Bolton succeeded by signing players of real quality to fit into their old-fashioned way of playing, and it worked big-time.

Stoke need to follow suit to survive, and if they can find some glamour signings to replicate the likes of Okocha, Campo and Djorkaeff, then Stoke could surprise a few. A big squad of mediocre players will not be enough in the Premier League, and Tony Pulis is surely experienced enough to know that, but will he have the freedom to pay big wages?

Hull City: Phil Brown will know all about Bolton, he was their assistant manager in the glory (or should that be gory?) years under Sam Allardyce. His Hull team have displayed a little more style than Bolton ever did though, and they have some real flair in Marney and Hughes. With Frazier Campbell back at Manchester United for the moment though, its hard to think anything other than major re- enforcements being needed to avoid embarrassment.

If they can re-sign Campbell that will be a big plus as the kid is clearly a big threat, and he and Folan formed a nice partnership that would worry most Premier League defences. Myhill is a good goalkeeper, and Dawson a good full-back, but they need more pace at the back and better protection from the midfield. To say they need a new team would be harsh, but they need at least six quality signings to make a positive impact on the division.

So there you have it, do you agree with my assessments? Where do you think your team needs to improve next season? Who are the liabilities that are unsettling your chances? Who would you realistically want to see signed by August 31st?

The Original Overrated EPL Star: Eric Cantona

Simon Williams — Wed, 25 Jun 2008 04:06:13 -0400

In the middle of a European Championships it is difficult not to overrate players. As we watch on TV, it seems like every other player is described as "great," "outstanding" and "exceptional." It is what leads the modern football fan to ignore the true great players of the past, and focus only on the present players when talking about greatness.

It is standard today for, in terms of entire football history, a pretty average player to be regarded as outstanding. In the current media age, such hyperbole is inevitable, and we are all taken in by it in one way or another.

The EPL is the biggest media machine in football, and as such, it has always been at the forefront of overrating players. Thierry Henry, Cristiano Ronaldo, Steven Gerrard, and Frank Lampard to name a few, but these four have been declared "the best in the world" despite their performances on the biggest stages of all, European Championships and World Cups, not matching their EPL exploits.

I am not saying that any of those players are not quality, but have any of them ever really been the best in the world?

In my opinion, Eric Cantona was the first to be grossly overrated by the EPL media machine. When you look seriously at Eric’s career, what will he be remembered for most? Will it be a tremendous goal in a key game for club or country? Will it be for shaping a crucial match to his will, and lifting his team-mates from the jaws of defeat?

No is the answer. Cantona is most remembered for his Kung-Fu kicking, his bizarre press-conferences, and his false pretensions to be an artist or an actor.

Football? In the media age, that is a mere sideshow to creating an aura, a myth, an ego.

Let us look at club football first. Cantona struck 161 goals in 432 appearances in his club career. A respectable sum, but hardly one that sends shivers down the spines of your Pele's, Cruyff’s, Maradona's and Muller's.

Most noticeable is that he only managed 432 games. Even Maradona, with all of his personal problems, managed 590 club matches. Surely longevity is as much a factor in judging a player as anything else?

Cantona made his debut for Auxerre in 1983, at age 17, he retired from football in 1997, at just 30, in a huge shock. His early retirement is another factor in the myth of Cantona, we miss most what we feel we have been deprived of.

In reality though, was Cantona really such a big miss? Manchester United managed to win the treble without him just two seasons after his retirement. That doesn’t exactly suggest that they had difficulty replacing him does it?

In their first season without Cantona, 1997-1998, Manchester United finished secondin the EPL a point behind Arsene Wenger’s double-winning Arsenal side. Again, if Cantona was that special, surely it would have had a much more dramatic effect on the United team when he was no longer there, and such a sudden departure too?

In fact in finishing on 77 points in 1997-1998, United had managed two points more without Cantona, than they had in the previous title winning season with him. They also scored just three fewer goals in 1997-1998, despite the shock departure of such a supposedly huge creative and goalscoring influence.

The Champions League is arguably the highest level of football, comparable in quality to the international game but exceeding it on the basis that the club teams are a mixture of the best from any country. Now, such a "great player" as Cantona would surely have made a big impact on the Champions League right?

Well, not quite. Cantona played a total of 24 games in the European Cup/Champions League, scoring just seven goals. Cantona was part of the disgraced Olympic Marseille squad which lost the European Cup Final on penalties in 1991, but he played just three games in that run.

He then played for Leeds in the competition in 1992-1993 before he joined Manchester United, scoring just once in four games in the first ever Champions League as Leeds were knocked out by Rangers.

The next season (1993-1994) was his first for Manchester United in the competition, and while he scored twice in their four matches, he was unable to prevent them being knocked out by Galatasaray in the second round. Cantona had scored two penalties in the FA Cup final that year as United won the double, and he was voted PFA Player of the year, but on the biggest stage, he was a non event.

This was a time when Turkish football was not the force is it now, and though Gala were a decent team, you would expect a team including one of the "best in the world" to have beaten them.

In the next stage, Gala finished bottom of a group containing Barcelona, AS Monaco, and Spartak Moscow, they didn't win a single match out of six and scored only one goal in the process.

The next season (1994-1995) was not much better in the Champions League. Cantona featured in just two matches without scoring, as United were knocked out in the first group stage, including a humiliating 4-0 defeat in the Camp Nou, though Cantona himself was missing with injury for that match.

Eric was to have just one more season in the Champions League, 1996-1997, his final season as a player, when he scored three goals in 10 matches. This time United managed to get to the semi finals, impressively beating Porto 4-0 on aggregate after struggling through the group stage with three wins and three defeats.

Surely this could be Eric’s moment to show his class, a European Cup semi-final, at his peak aged 30?

Alas, it was not to be. United lost both home and away to Borussia Dortmund 1-0, and yet again, Cantona had failed to perform when it mattered most.

Borussia went on to lift the trophy, with Lars Ricken scoring that wonderful lob in the final. The rest of Ricken’s career was pretty average, but he will always be remembered for that magical moment on the pitch.

So if the Champions League was not to Eric’s liking, maybe he made a bigger impact on international football, after all, that is where the true global stars are made.

On the face of it, statistically, Cantona’s French career was decent. He won 45 caps, scoring a very respectable 20 goals. Not an amazing record, but none-too-shabby either. When you delve deeper though, he was as much of a disappointment in international football as he was in European club football.

His first big chance in a major tournament came in Euro 1992. France were managed by Michel Platini, who was a big fan of Cantona, and made allowances to include him in the team, despite doubts over his temperament. Paired up front with the goal-machine Jean Pierre Papin, it seemed a match made in heaven.

Unfortunately, France were as dismal as they have been in Euro 2008. They did not win a game and were out in the first round. Yet again, when it mattered most on the biggest stage, Cantona failed to deliver.

He did not play in another major tournament. France, with Cantona a key member of the team, did not qualify for the 1994 World Cup under Gerard Houllier.

They needed only a draw at home to Bulgaria in the final qualifier to progress, but the Bulgarians, inspired by a proper world class star in Hristo Stoichkov, won 2-1.

Cantona continued to play for France under Aime Jacquet, but by the time Euro 1996 came round, he had Kung-fu’d his way to an international ban, and was replaced as the fulcrum of the team by another proper world class star, Zinedine Zidane.

France went out on penalties in the semi final without Cantona in the squad, another team showing no sign of missing Eric after he had gone.

By 1998, Eric was retired and France were World Champions. So let's sum that up with Cantona as a key player, France were dismal in Euro 1992, and failed to qualify for the 1994 World Cup.

Without Cantona as a key player, they reached the semi final’s of Euro 1996, and won the World Cup in 1998. Ooh Aah Cantona! More like Oh dear Cantona...

That was the career of Eric Cantona, a very talented player, but also one of the most overrated players ever to play the game. Its amazing what a bit of media hype can do for the public's perception of a career.

Euro 2008: Have the Dutch peaked too early?

Simon Williams — Tue, 10 Jun 2008 04:54:43 -0400

I am sure even the most biased Italian fans would agree that the Netherlands were outstanding last night in their 3-0 victory over the World Champions.

In a superb match that Italy certainly contributed to excellently at times themselves, the Netherlands scored two brilliant counter-attacking goals and had a plethora of awesome individual performances, from Wesley Sneijder to Gio Van Bronckhorst.

Many pundits are now tipping the Dutch to win Euro 2008. While based on last night's performance they are clearly contenders, I do not believe they will win the tournament—they might not even make the semifinals, or amazingly even get out of their group.

You may well wonder why. Well, cast your mind back just two years, to the World Cup of 2006. Jose Pekerman's Argentina shot out of the blocks in a familiar "group of death."

They beat Ivory Coast 2-1 in a superb match, then followed that up with the phenomenal 6-0 destruction of hapless Serbia, complete with one of the best World Cup goals of all-time when a technically brilliant, patient, probing move was finished by Esteban Cambiasso.

Most people at this stage were wondering who could possibly beat Argentina. They looked head and shoulders above everyone else, and some were already handing them the trophy.

After a relatively dull draw with The Netherlands in the final group game, they then featured in another brilliant match in Round Two against Mexico, playing with 10 men for most of the match before winning with a wonderful goal from Maxi Rodriguez in extra time.

They had been tested, but still progressed, and it seemed their name was on the trophy.

They then lost in the quarter finals on penalties to Germany, looking a shadow of their former selves as the Germans suffocated them with pressure and passion.

This is tournament football. One, two, three, even four great performances are all well and good, but if you lose game five, you are going home with nothing.

Euro 2004 looked like it would belong to the Czech Republic—they superbly topped a group featuring both the Netherlands and Germany, beating the Dutch wonderfully 3-2 on the way through. Denmark proved no match for them in the quarter finals, with a 3-0 win comprehensive and threatening for the rest.

Next up was Greece in the semis, they had unbelievably knocked out France, but surely the Czechs would dispatch the Greeks with relative ease. It didn't happen, as the Greeks made history with an extra-time winner and went on to lift the trophy.

It remains to be seen whether The Netherlands will repeat last night's brilliant form, whether they will drop off but still progress, or whether they will not see those heights again and just be a memory as they are knocked out early.

What is clear is that nothing can be drawn from the opening of a major tournament.

France were dismal yesterday against Romania, but two years ago I remember seeing an equally dismal France draw 0-0 with Switzerland, and then 1-1 with South Korea, before needing an unconvincing 2-0 win over unheralded Togo to qualify for the knock-out stage. They ended up in the World Cup final.

Italy started brightly against Ghana in World Cup 2006, but were then held to a dismal draw by the USA in their second match, and laboured to a fortunate 1-0 win over Australia in the second round. They ended up winning the World Cup.

The team that laughs last, laughs loudest...

Sky Sports News: Fact or Fiction?

Simon Williams — Thu, 05 Jun 2008 04:54:03 -0400

We are in the midst of the worst period of the football year. Not only is there hardly any football to watch (thank Jebus there is only two days before Euro 2008 starts), but the press, and certain 24 hour sports news channels, are in speculation overdrive.

This rash speculation seems to have taken over Bleacher Report as well, with many transfer rumors incorrectly presented as completed deals, when there might in reality be much more left in the story before a player signs on the dotted line.

Some Bleacher members are even referring to news channels as factual sources, while official club websites, always the first to announce official transfer news, are ignored.

Sky Sports News is the biggest offender, by its very nature it has to have new football news every day, every hour, every minute. The trouble is, at this time of the year, when an international tournament is about to start, and when those not playing or managing in it are on holiday, then actual news is pretty thin on the ground.

As a result, they rely on the word of agents, "club sources," and other unmentionables. Now the word of an agent can't be trusted at the best of times, but in the middle of the transfer window?

They are hardly likely to announce that there is no interest whatsoever in their player, and he is not looking to renegotiate his contract, are they?

Of course Sky Sports News gets a lot right, it has to, its raison d'etre is to supply the news of the day, but, at this time of the year more than any other, it also gets an awful lot wrong.

This is because it merely presents the transfer rumors of the day, it does not claim them as fact, it is far more sensible than that.

What appears in the press in the morning is highly likely to appear on Sky Sports News later in the day, particularly those stories from The Sun and The Times, because they all come under the Rupert Murdoch media empire.

Many people read these papers, watch these channels, and present the rumors as facts to other people, and so the rumor mill goes on.

From a personal viewpoint it would be nice if Bleacher Report were a little less like Sky Sports News.

Of course we can all guess at what players are going where, and who is following which manager to whom, its part of the fun of football, but we should endeavor to ensure we actually have the facts when we are claiming to present factual information.

Here are ten stories chosen from today's news on the Sky Sports website, let's see in the next few months how many of them actually turn out to become deals:

Cristiano Ronaldo will move to Real Madrid, as long as they are prepared to meet Manchester United's asking price.

Giovanni Dos Santos will join Spurs for £4.7m up front, rising to £7.9m.

Ronaldinho and Jo could both join Manchester City after Mark Hughes ratified the deals.

Emmanuel Adebayor is AC Milan's top summer transfer target.

Stoke City are targeting Lee McCulloch from Rangers, but are not interested in Daniel Cousin.

Zoltan Gera will leave West Brom, with Fulham leading the chase for the soon to be out of contract star.

Jose Mourinho is happy with his strikers at Inter Milan, and is not interested in Didier Drogba.

Three Premier League clubs are chasing Anderlecht defender Roland Juhasz, with Newcastle said to be leading the chase for the Hungarian.

Spurs are believed to be leading the race to sign Real Zaragoza forward Sergio Garcia.

Richard Dunne could be set to stay at Manchester City after the arrival of Mark Hughes as manager.

So there you have it, ten random rumors from Thursday June 5th 2008. By 31st August 2008 we will have some idea about which had truth, and which were tittle tattle with no foundation.

Until the transfer window closes, I urge all Bleacher members to be careful with their reporting of moves as fact; after all, we all want to know what’s really happening in the football world.

Blackburn Rovers: What Now?

Simon Williams — Wed, 04 Jun 2008 04:51:53 -0400

Today, the news that all Blackburn Rovers fans must have dreaded for the last couple of seasons has finally arrived. Manager Mark Hughes has moved on to pastures new, signing a three-year contract to succeed Sven Goran Eriksson at Manchester City.

Many will speculate on what this means for Hughes' management career (can he really manage United at some point after City? Will currently miffed United fans grow up and get over themselves?), and for Manchester City as a club, but what about Blackburn Rovers?

It had already been a summer of worrying speculation for Rovers' fans, with star players David Bentley and Roque Santa Cruz both heavily linked with moves away.

With the manager who brought players like that to the club now gone, speculation on the future of many of their other good players—Stephen Warnock, Benni McCarthy, Ryan Nelsen, Morten Gamst Pedersen—will now surely grow further.

Warnock has already intimated that he only signed a new deal at the club recently on the proviso that Hughes would be in charge for the length of the deal. Nelsen, the club captain, has moved to try and quell fears of an exodus:

"We're all contracted to Blackburn, it's as simple as that. We all love coming into work and we all love playing for the club. So we're really happy at what we do," he said.

"I can't talk for other players about what they might want to do in the future, but I certainly know on the last day of the season we were all happy."

The last sentence appears to be the most salient there. Blackburn might be one of only four clubs to have won the Premier League, but they are a relatively small club nonetheless. Hughes' outstanding management and name made sure they punched above their weight and attracted players who wouldn't normally give Blackburn a second glance.

His departure, although inevitable in the long-term, was always going to be a massive blow.

It remains to be seen whether Hughes will be raiding his old club, but with Manchester City in desperate need of a quality centre-forward, Santa Cruz will surely be at the forefront of his mind.

David Bentley might have bigger clubs than City on his mind, and a move to Liverpool or Tottenham looks a distinct possibility for him.

Nelsen could be seen by Hughes as an ideal replacement should Richard Dunne still feel he wants to leave City.

Pedersen is unlikely to join the Eastlands outfit, with Martin Petrov seemingly in command of the left wing position, but a move to Newcastle could be a real possibility.

Meanwhile Warnock would likely attract the attentions of Portsmouth, Sunderland, and Newcastle himself.

Of course any talk of moves is pure speculation, but Blackburn Rovers fans will have to get used to that in the next few months.

Whoever takes over at Ewood Park is going to have to make holding on to the bulk of his seventh placed squad the first job on his list of things to do, otherwise Blackburn could follow in the footsteps of Charlton and Bolton, clubs who punched above their weight thanks to excellent management, but who then found life afterwards more difficult.

Ironically, Sam Allardyce, the man who did so much for Bolton, is the early frontrunner for the Blackburn job. It represents the perfect opportunity to rebuild his reputation on one hand, but the most difficult of challenges on the other.

Euro 2008: Six Potential Stars

Simon Williams — Sun, 01 Jun 2008 04:45:01 -0400

We have all heard of the Ronaldo's, the Torres's and the Toni's of this world, but what about those lesser known European talents who could make a name for themselves in Euro 2008, and perhaps earn themselves big money moves in the process?

Here are six players who some may not have heard of, but who could be the talk of the town in a month's time:

Orlando Engelaar (Netherlands)

A 6-foot-5 holding midfield player sounds like a joke, but Endelaar breaks the mould in great style.

At 28 years old, he has seemingly come from nowhere to be a potentially key member of the Dutch team in the Euros, protecting the back four with aplomb and allowing the likes of Robben, Van Der Vaart and Sneijder to do their stuff.

The Captain of Champions League-bound Twente Enschede, his passing is his greatest strength, keeping the ball moving well, and always looking to pass forward.

Previously with Breda and Genk, he could well be a late comer to a true European giant if he impresses in the next month.

Jeremy Toulalan (France)

He is a 24-year-old central midfield player who came through the highly regarded youth system at Nantes and is now a key player for Lyon and France.

Toulalan just had a great season with the French double winners and impressed against Manchester United in the Champions League.

In 2006, he was voted in the Team of the Tournament at the UEFA U21 Championships. He can play anywhere across the midfield, but is primarily used in the holding role for Lyon and France.

Ebi Smolarek (Poland)

If Poland are to achieve anything in this summer's tournament, much will rest on the skill and goals of Smolarek. He scored nine goals in the qualifying campaign and has an impressive 13 goals in 29 caps overall.

Smolarek, 27, is the son of Poland legend Wlodzimierz Smolarek, who was part of the Poland team that finished third in the 1982 World Cup.

Ebi's club career has been a mixed bag. After spells with Feyenoord and Borussia Dortmund, he now plays for Racing Santander, who recently qualified for the UEFA Cup for the first time in their history with a sixth-place finish in Spain's La Liga.

Nicolae Dica (Romania)

Drawn in the deadliest 'Group of Death' in memory, Romania might have a short stay at Euro 2008, but playmaker Dica will have a chance to impress against some of the best players in the world when he faces Netherlands, Italy and France.

A key player for Steaua Bucharest, the 28-year-old Dica led them to the UEFA Cup semi-finals in 2005, and has a great record of 13 goals in 36 Champions League and UEFA Cup games overall. He scored a hat trick as a substitute against Montenegro just yesterday (May 31), to take his tally to nine goals in 25 games for Romania.

Aleksandr Anyukov (Russia): An unsung hero of Zenit St Petersburg's UEFA Cup winning run, Anyukov is a buccaneering right back of the highest class.

He now has 29 caps as he approaches 26 years of age. With his best years ahead of him, he could well be plying his trade in one of the best European Leagues come the start of next season.

Anyukov will be a key part of Russia's attacking strategy, especially with club team-mate Andrei Arshavin banned for the first two games of the tournament.

Think of a European version of Sevilla's Daniel Alves, with less diving but fewer spectacular goals. He also defends with pace and strength.

Sabri Sarioglu (Turkey)

This very pacy 23-year-old right back or winger is one of the new stars of Turkish football. He has over 100 appearances for Galatasaray already, and impressed in the Champions League in 2006-2007, particularly at Anfield, where he starred in a 3-2 defeat for Gala against Liverpool.

Sarioglu is a great dribbler, and his left foot is perhaps more dangerous than his right, despite playing from the right. He scores spectacular goals and is a real crowd pleaser. He has had disciplinary problems, but could be a star by the end of the finals.

Which lesser known players do you think will have an impact on the finals? Remember, I am not looking for the obvious choices, the Ronaldo's and Torres's of this world get enough praise already!

English Premier League: Club-by-Club Review of 2007-2008

Simon Williams — Tue, 13 May 2008 06:35:57 -0400

As another EPL season is consigned to the recycle bin of history (we have to be green these days), here is my review of those who have done well, those who could do better, and those who will spend the summer in detention:

1. Manchester United. Most people's favourites at the start of the season, and despite a lacklustre start and a mediocre finish, they didn't disappoint overall.

Cristiano Ronaldo was incredible, and moved up another gear after being only amazing in 06-07; surely he has no more gears left? New signings all looked the part, and Fergie will already be pretty confident of title number 11 next season. 9.5/10

2. Chelsea. The "Special One" was replaced by the dour one, but on the pitch it was largely business as usual.

New signings were a mixed bag, and some uncharacteristic home draws cost them the title. Champions League glory could yet beckon, but the summer changes have already begun.

Next season will be the one in which to judge Avram Grant when it will really be his team, assuming he makes it that far. 8/10

3. Arsenal. How much longer can Arsene's guns be called "young?" They thrilled us all before Christmas, and Gooners must have been dreaming of a season to remember.

The second half of the season unravelled though, and Mathieu Flamini has already jumped ship.

Some tweaking will be required, but the ingredients are there to challenge again. Four points from the top is hardly the stuff of nightmares, but Wenger badly needs a trophy to go with the thrills next season, or the vultures will be circling in greater numbers. 8/10

4. Liverpool. A recurring nightmare off the pitch, on it has been a bizarre mixture of the sublime (Start, Finish, Torres), the mediocre (the middle months of the campaign), and the ridiculous (Barnsley, Havant & Waterlooville).

The CL offered some salvation, and, despite two years with no trophy, the spine of the team looks very healthy in quality and age. This season will always be remembered as the beginning of a Liverpool legend in Torres. 7.5/10

5. Everton. A very pleasing season for the blue side of Liverpool. Threatened to de-rail their neighbours in the league, in the end it never materialised, but a League Cup semi and a fair UEFA Cup run were highlights.

Oldham had their day at Goodison, but that was a rare off-day for Moyes' consistent team. The Yak and Steven Pienaar added some flair to the steel, but if regular participation in the CL is going to become a reality, then they need to spend pretty big to compete.

Can the chairman find the cash? And can Moyes find a trophy for his growing CV? 9/10

6. Aston Villa. Top six shows a good effort, but Villa was dismal in the cups, and have to cope with the Intertoto Cup in the summer which could potentially hamper next season's start.

Ashley Young and Gabriel Agbonlahor have been fearsome, and plenty of goals have brightened up the campaign.

Randy Lerner has the cash, but will O'Neill spend it wisely enough to turn Villa in to CL contenders? And can they hold onto Captain Fantastic Gareth Barry? 8/10

7. Blackburn Rovers. Mark Hughes' reputation continues to grow by the season. Last season Benni McCarthy cleaned up the "signing of the season" awards; this time round it was Roque Santa Cruz, who added goals galore and fitness to the glimpses of quality he showed at Bayern.

No cup run this time round, and where can Rovers realistically go from here? Bentley and Santa Cruz are already being talked up for summer moves, but the biggest worry for Rovers' fans must surely concern the future of their golden gaffer... Are Blackburn fans the only ones in the country (other than Manchester Utd) who don't want Sir Alex Ferguson to quit? 8.5/10

8. Portsmouth. Our 'Arry has done it again. Pompey fans are in dreamland as they flirt with Europe in the league, and even win at Old Trafford in the Cup.

A strong squad that needs to get stronger still to elongate the glory years, but if Pompey win the FA Cup on Saturday, the fans will have had a memorable season whatever the future holds. How they must be relieved that 'Arry saw the light and turned Newcastle down. 9.5/10

9. Manchester City. A typical City season you might say. Just when it looks like they are on the verge of something special, they go and self-destruct in a manner that only City can.

Is their any truth in the rumour that seats at Eastlands come with free pacemakers?

Sven's agony looks set to continue for a little longer as he takes the team for an end of season tour of Thailand, those ladyboys must look more appetising for him than the planned meeting with mad Thaksin though.

Just close your eyes and think of August to November, City fans: Elano's goals, Petrov's wing wizardry, those were the glory days of Sven's short lived reign... 7.5/10

10. West Ham United. Surely mid-table mediocrity is just what the Hammers needed after last season's mayhem? Well, Alan Curbishley is certainly the man to deliver it, but can he do better?

Maybe we will find out next season if his array of permanently injured signings turn out to be not permanently injured (did he really expect any different from Kieron Dyer and Craig Bellamy?).

The club spent a fortune last summer and might not get that luxury again this time round, and the West Ham fans are not the most forgiving, so it could get a bit tasty at Upton Park in 2009. Even so, this year has been pretty good considering the treatment room has been busier than Terminal Five. 7/10

11. Tottenham Hotspur. What were the odds on Spurs finishing 11th?

An awful league season for a team with pretensions of fourth place when the season kicked off, but at least they had a cup final win, over Chelsea no less, to ease the pain, as well as laughing at Arsenal's demise and hammering them in a cup semi to boot.

Jol managed to last longer than the board's appalling treatment of him suggested, but they now have their man in Juande Ramos. Expect major surgery in the summer, with Dimitar Berbatov among the likely departures. 4/10 for the league, 6/10 if you factor in the Cup win

12. Newcastle United. Most people would never have put feisty but dull "Big" Sam Allardyce together with Newcastle, and predictably the partnership didn't last long.

The Geordies are much more at home with energetic dreamer King Kev (Keegan), who flirted with relegation before remembering he was the messiah and not a very naughty boy.

He then went and spoiled it all by reminding them that they had no chance of finishing in the top four any time soon, but they will let him off with just a slapped wrist for that one. By next Christmas he will be surely be waxing lyrical about his brilliant side, and threatening the top four stranglehold... ok maybe not. 5/10

13. Middlesbrough. Didn't score more than three in a game all season until the final day, but hardly surprising after losing the Yak and fat but talented Mark Viduka.

Boro lost Jonathan Woodgate in January as well, so with their three best players gone in one campaign, Gareth Southgate must be pretty content with a 13th place finish.

Dismal cup defeat to Cardiff when it looked like the competition had opened up for them was a low, but they have improved as the season has gone on, and have reason to feel confident of better next time round, when goal machine Afonso Alves should be fully operational. 7/10

14. Wigan. Post-Jewell was always going to be tricky, but Wigan found themselves a mid-season diamond in Steve Bruce.

Until then, it looked like relegation all the way under Hutchings, but Bruce got the best out of key players Paul Scharner, Antonio Valencia, and Emile Heskey, and they even took some points off of the Big Four on their way to securing safety with a game or two to spare.

Wigan will need more reinforcements if they are to avoid a third relegation scrap in succession next season, though. 7.5/10

15. Sunderland. How do you stay up by three points after promotion to the Premier League? Well, spending £45m will help.

In truth, it wasn't always spent wisely, with Roy Keane getting more strikers than Arthur Scargill ever managed, but Craig Gordon and Kenwyne Jones were the biggest outlays and the biggest successes.

Expect more Irishmen next season, as Stephen Hunt and Kevin Doyle will surely join from Reading. Any chance of them "doing a Wimbledon" and re-locating to Dublin?

Stranger things have happened; Roy Keane even seems like a nice bloke these days... 7.5/10

16. Bolton Wanderers. Out of all the people I regularly talk to about football, I was the only one who predicted a huge struggle for Bolton at the start of the season, and while it is nice to be proved right every now and again, conversely, I have previously waxed critical on Gary Megson being a terrible manager.

So when Megson pitched up at Bolton, I couldn't believe my eyes. Then it turned he wasn't so terrible after all! Curiouser and curiouser.

Megson somehow managed to keep them up in the final few weeks, as well as overseeing a credible UEFA Cup run that included knocking out Atletico Madrid. No really, read it again, I swear it's true. 6/10

17. Fulham. Recent EPL years have seen more Great Escapes than a dozen Christmas tv schedules put together.

For Portsmouth, then West Ham, now read Fulham.

Lawrie Sanchez was as terrible as most right minded people thought he would be, but not to worry, Fulham had a trick up their sleeve, and an English one at that!

Possibly the only manager in history to have managed Inter Milan, Finland, and Fulham (even accounting for computer games), Roy Hodgson proved to be quite the miracle worker, helped by the merlin-like skills of Jimmy Bullard. You couldn't make it up. 7/10 (1 for August to March, 6 for April and May)

18. Reading. Steve Coppell is a funny sort of bloke, and a funny sort of manager. He seems to move from genius to disaster from one season to the next, with this the fourth relegation of his management career.

Last season he trusted his squad and got his rewards, this time, maybe he trusted them a little too much.

Doyle, Nicky Shorey et al all failed to reproduce previous heroics, and began to look like the average players most of them probably are.

Expect an exodus as EPL teams look twice at this season in the summer, and knowing Coppell, if he hangs around, they will probably come straight back up. 4/10

19. Birmingham City. Birmingham are one of those clubs who find themselves in a strange position in the modern football landscape.

Too big and rich for the football league, but not rich enough for the EPL. They go down, spend a few quid that most don't have, come back up, then realise that everyone else has bigger pots of cash and find themselves going back down again.

Alex McCleish's reputation doesn't appear to have been majorly damaged, and in truth they made a small improvement under him in terms of points per game, but the fans must surely be fed up with being a permanent yo-yo. One last flick back up next season lads, honest... 5/10

20. Derby County. What more is there to say?

Nothing I guess, beware Stoke and the rest, as the big lottery hand used to say, "It Could Be Yooooouuuuuuu." 1/10 (1 for the fans, who had to endure it, and did so in good humour and voice)

AFC Bournemouth - The Greatest Escape?

Simon Williams — Thu, 01 May 2008 02:19:26 -0400

English League One's AFC Bournemouth have had a torrid season, deducted 10 points for going into administration, they have found themselves playing catch up since January.

Now, with their final game of the season just two days away, Bournemouth are on the verge of pulling off possibly the greatest relegation escape of all time.

After losing to Gillingham on the 22nd March, Bournemouth sat a massive 14 points away from safety, with just seven games to go. A couple more defeats and they would be relegated in double quick time.

But then, out of the blue, something amazing happened. Bournemouth, perhaps with the pressure off and relegation imminent, started winning, and winning, and winning again.

Bournemouth have won six successive games. First up was Tranmere Rovers at home, and after a dream start with a goal in the first minute, they ran out 2-1 winners.

Next was Millwall at home, 2-0 this time, with both goals coming in the final 15 minutes. Surely just a delaying of the inevitable most thought.

Even after those home wins, Bournemouth still sat nine points adrift of safety with only five games to play, and next up were run away leaders Swansea away from home. This would surely be the final nail in the coffin, as defeat could lead to relegation on Saturday April 5th.

Bournemouth were determined to not go out with a whimper, but when Swansea took the lead after 50 minutes, Cherries fans must have been fearing the worst. Then, amazingly, an equalizer in the 90th minute through 18 year old Joe Partington. He had only turned 18 four days earlier, on the 1st April, but this was no April fools joke.

A draw would have been an astonishing enough result, but Bournemouth weren't finished yet. After 92 minutes, Jo Kuffour struck a dramatic winner to send the travelling fans wild. Bournemouth had pulled off something incredible, an away win at Championship bound Swansea City, three league wins on the bounce for the first time all season.

So, four games to go, but still six points to make up. Still a mountain to climb, and surely this form could not last?

Next up were Bristol Rovers at home, and it was an old head who helped them to victory number four. Darren Anderton, 36 years old, and a scorer in the World Cup finals for England 10 years ago, struck the opening goal in another 2-1 win, with Kuffour netting the decisive second in front of a near 7000 crowd, some 2800 higher than the Tranmere game from just a few weeks earlier.

Cherries fans were starting to believe in the impossible.

But, some bad news, relegation contenders Crewe had also won, so Bournemouth were still six points adrift of safety on April 12th, with just three games left to play. Failure to win at Walsall in their next game, and the dream would be over.

Walsall would be a tough game, they were comfortably in the top half, but they had won more away than at home, so a chance for Bournemouth perhaps. 10 minutes played, and Bournemouth struck first through Hollands, but on 33 minutes it was 1-1. Bournemouth did not let their heads drop for long. Two minutes later, and Jo Kuffour netted his 5th goal in six games to make it 2-1, then, after withstanding some Walsall pressure, the points were made safe in the 63rd minute when Pitman stroked home a penalty.

A fifth straight win, this was real Roy of the Rovers stuff, why we all love watching football. Bournemouth were now just four points from safety, a gain of 10 points in less than a month.

It appears the footballing gods had planned the fixture list to perfection. The next game for Bournemouth, last Saturday the 26th April, saw them at home to fellow relegation strugglers Crewe.

The Alex had won two games on the bounce themselves to ease their relegation worries, but they were just six ahead of Bournemouth, and knew that defeat would leave them needing something in their final game to be sure of safety. They didn't bet on Newcastle and Aston Villa target Sam Vokes though.

The striker, another 18 year-old, scored his 12th goal of the season for a one nil win. Six straight wins for the Cherries, incredible, beautiful and mesmerising.

Vokes had gone 18 games without scoring from the start of the season, but had been on fire since the new year and it was only right that he netted the winner in such a crucial game.

So there we have it, Bournemouth have just one game to go to save themselves, they are one point behind Cheltenham Town, and three points behind Crewe, heading in to this Saturdays matches.

Bournemouth face a trip to Carlisle, a team who desperately need the points themselves as they chase automatic promotion, and who have lost only three home games all season, winning 17 out of 22 matches.

Crewe are at home to mid table Oldham, who have nothing to play for. Cheltenham are at home to Doncaster, Carlisle's rivals for automatic promotion. Can Bournemouth win a seventh straight game, and complete the greatest of escapes?

I have no ill-feelings for Cheltenham, Crewe, or Carlisle, but I will certainly be rooting for the Cherries on Saturday afternoon. A win at Carlisle will be the seventh wonder of the Cherries world.

It will equal a club record for league wins stretching back to 1970.

Isn't football brilliant!?

*Some of you may be wondering why Portsmouth manager Harry Redknapp is the photo attached to this article, well Harry was Bournemouth manager for nine years from 1983-1992, famously knocking Manchester United out of the FA Cup in 1984.

He is a legend at the club, and earlier this year promised to do all he could to ensure that the Cherries would not go out of business. He is also a famous great escape artist himself, pulling Portsmouth from the depths two seasons ago to complete a dramatic final day escape.

An All-English Final: Vision of the Future?

Simon Williams — Wed, 30 Apr 2008 05:36:14 -0400

In 1997 the rules of the Champions League were changed to allow more than one team from each nation to participate. Now, 11 years later, we have our first all-English final.

This is not the first one nation final. That came in just the third year under the new rules, in 1999-2000 when Real Madrid beat Valencia 3-0 in Paris to win the Spanish honours.

That year Valencia had beaten Barcelona in the semi finals, denying Europe, and Spain, the "dream" final between the two great rivals of Spanish football.

If Chelsea overcome Liverpool tonight and win the right to face Manchester United in Moscow, they will perform a similar feat as Valencia managed.

Liverpool and Manchester United are the two great historical giants of English football in the same way that Real and Barca are the greats in Spain, with a similar level of antipathy between teams and fans.

Three years after the first all-Spanish affair, came the first all-Italian final. Juventus and AC Milan bored everyone to sleep at Old Trafford, with AC eventually winning 3-2 on penalties after a goalless, and largely uneventful, 120 minutes in 2003.

Now, after five years of mixed nation finals, we have the very first all-English affair. What I think we can say with some degree of certainty, is that it won't be the last.

If you look at the Champions League in recent years, all of the "Big Four" have been serious contenders to win the competition. And that will surely only continue in the foreseeable future.

Liverpool have two finals and a semi final to their name in four seasons. Arsenal have one final and a litany of quarter final appearances. Manchester United have a final and two semi finals in the noughties. And Chelsea are in their fourth semi final in five seasons.

When you look to next season's Champions League and beyond, the Big Four have to feature heavily in the list of favourites for the competition, along with Real, Barcelona, and the new-look Bayern Munich and Juventus. Elsewhere, finding genuine final contenders is not easy.

AC Milan may yet nick fourth spot in Italy and qualify. But if they don't, the other three Italian contenders (Inter Milan, Roma, and Fiorentina) hardly fill you with confidence in terms of their Champions League history, past or present.

In Spain, perennial threat Valencia, who reached two finals in the early noughties and won the UEFA Cup, have slipped into mediocrity.

Sevilla are a team more likely to break up than to grow, and their best days may be behind them.

Villarreal are great to watch. They made the semi finals in 2006, but they lack the history and fanbase of the other Spanish giants. And history does seem to have a strong influence on the destiny of this great competition.

Atletico Madrid are relatively new to European competition in recent years. It is difficult to see them as serious contenders to win the competition should they qualify for next season.

Of course, there is always the chance of a "surprise" finalist. Just four years ago we had Porto and Monaco in the final.

Porto were a great mixture of a great group of largely homegrown players (Maniche, Deco, Costinha, Ricardo Carvalho), and an inspired new manager (Mourinho).

Monaco's appearance was a complete shock, and when you look at their team in that final, few of the players have since gone on to great achievement—Roma, Evra, Ibarra, Bernardi, Giuly, Morientes, Eduoard Cisse, Zikos, Rothen, Rodrigues, Givet. Hardly household names with a few notable exceptions such as Evra, Giuly, and Morientes.

Adebayor was also an unused substitute in 2004. In 2002 it was a Michael Ballack inspired Bayer Leverkusen's turn, knocking out both Liverpool and Manchester United on the way.

While finalists such as those in 2002 and 2004 make for a very welcome change, they are very much the exception to the rule.

Consider the superior television funding the Big Four have behind them, and the reputations they have throughout the footballing world. It's very difficult to foresee anything other than more all-English finals in the next decade—or at least a strong presence in the last four.

Of course, football can, and frequently does, change very quickly. And this writer certainly hopes that is the case. The final of the Champions League should, as often as possible, be a truly European affair.

Finals and semi finals dominated by one nation can only damage the competition in the long-term.

This is one of the pitfalls of a great competition. I am certainly in favour of allowing more than one team from each nation to participate.

I know none of you will be surprised by that, given that I am a Liverpool fan. But I genuinely think it has added great drama to the competition, and strengthened it beyond belief.

And there is certainly no going back now, despite the protests of the purists to the "Champions League" name.

I would honestly think this even if Liverpool finished fifth every season. The Champions League is a far better competition than the European Cup ever was, but it has caused as many problems as it has solved.

It is up to UEFA and FIFA to come up with ways of strengthening other domestic leagues and making one-nation finals less likely in the future.

I fear that Sepp Blatters' "foreigner rule," while admirable in aim in many ways, is out of step with modern thinking. I can't see it being ratified by the European Union, so we will be back to square one.

The next decade will be very interesting.

Manchester United-Barcelona: Sir Alex Ferguson Talks One Game, Plays Another

Simon Williams — Thu, 24 Apr 2008 04:29:02 -0400

Sir Alex Ferguson said on the 9th April 2008 “We have the opportunity now to achieve something really special. We want to go to Barcelona and show we’re a good team.

“Barcelona are a wonderful club but we can’t go there and be negative. We have to go there and be really positive. If we do that then we’ve got a chance.”

So SAF, what changed in those two weeks before last nights 10 men behind the ball bore-fest at Camp Nou? Did that look like team being 'really positive' to anyone on Bleacher Report? It sure as hell didn't look like that to me.

Please let me get it straight that I am not criticising United for their tactics as a rule, nil-nil in Camp Nou is a decent result, it makes sense to get men behind the ball, be solid, and not give the likes of Eto'o, Messi, and Deco space to play.

BUT this defensive display came on the back of Sir Alex Ferguson proclaiming the attacking qualities of his own side, how they could match Barcelona, among other proclamations that the tie was actually the 'dream final'. I think SAF needs to look up his local psychiatrist (I suspect Eric Cantona has the number of a few good ones), because someone whose dreams are that dull needs serious professional help.

Liverpool and Chelsea, compared to Manchester United, are considered to be rather dull teams, whose game is based on sound defence, and making things difficult for the opposition. In recent years Liverpool and Chelsea have both played at Camp Nou in Champions League first leg knock out ties, so lets look at the stats from those games and compare them to last night.

Shots on target:

Manchester United, April 2008 - 1

Liverpool, February 2007 - 5

Chelsea, March 2006 - 4

Total Shots:

Manchester United, April 2008 - 5

Liverpool, February 2007 - 7

Chelsea, March 2006 - 9

Possession:

Manchester United, April 2008 - 39%

Liverpool, February 2007 - 38%

Chelsea, March 2006 - 49%

Caught Offside:

Manchester United, April 2008 - 3

Liverpool, February 2007 - 6

Chelsea, March 2006 - 5

Corners:

Manchester United, April 2008 - 3

Liverpool, February 2007 - 2

Chelsea, March 2006 - 0

So the stats of Liverpool and Chelsea, who according to most neutrals and pundits, are relatively dull teams when compared to Manchester United, have attacking statistics from recent games at Camp Nou that compare favourably with Manchester United in some instances, similarly in others, and crucially, fair far better in shots, both on target and in total. This was, we were led to believe, going to be a ''really positive'' Manchester United, while Liverpool and Chelsea are dull and negative.

We must also remember, again, according to most neutrals and pundits, that the Barcelona of now is inferior to the Barcelona of 12 months ago, and far far inferior to the Barcelona of 2006 that eventually disposed of Chelsea on their way to winning the Champions League. Yet supposedly, Manchester United are a far superior attacking outfit to Chelsea and Liverpool. If Barca have got worse, and Manchester United are so superior to Chelsea and Liverpool as an attacking force, why was there even a need for such defensive, stifling tactics? Surely Barca would be there for the taking for such a dynamite attacking force as United? Is that the sound of silence I hear?

I will leave you with the number of goals scored by the 'big 4' in all competitions this season, it makes interesting reading for those of the hard of thinking:

Manchester United - 100 in 51 games - 1.96 per game

Chelsea - 96 in 56 games - 1.71 per game

Arsenal - 105 in 55 games - 1.90 per game

Liverpool - 112 in 55 games - 2.03 per game

Coming soon from The Myth Buster - Arsene Wenger - Is he really the transfer market wizard we are led to believe?

Premiere League: Captain Gareth Barry Would Highlight Respect Agenda

Simon Williams — Fri, 28 Mar 2008 01:55:35 -0400

The mainstream media has been awash with stories about respect in recent weeks. From Ashley Cole to Javier Mascherano, from John Terry to Wayne Rooney, issues of respect, or a lack of it, have dominated coverage of the EPL and the England National team.

Rio Ferdinand was the latest short term recipient of the England captaincy this week, with John Terry, once seen as the very pinnacle of 'English fighting spirit' relegated to the role of public enemy number 3 (edged out by 'Cashley' Cole and always a Vitriolic English media favourite 'Slag-Off the Argy' - this week being Mascherano's turn).

With respect and the Captaincy in mind, in my opinion, there should be only one contender for the role of England captain - Gareth Barry.

Barry behaves impeccably, on and off the pitch. He is Aston Villa captain, but unlike Ferdinand, Gerrard, Terry and Rooney, when he converses with officials he does not snarl, he does not shout, you rarely see him swear or dispute decisions in any other way than a cordial, adult manner.

He is fast moving towards 400 games for Aston Villa, despite being only 27, and while he picks up a few bookings, and the odd red card (3 in his career) this is surely to be expected from a commited defensive midfield player.

Furthermore, Barry appears to be a central part of the plans of Fabio Capello. He has started both of Capello's games in charge, playing 74 mins against Switzerland, and the full 90 mins against France. This has not always been the case in Barry's career, he was shamefully ignored by Sven Goran Eriksson, but since returning to the fold under Steve Mclaren he has barely put a foot wrong. He does the simple things, moves the ball, rarely giving it away, getting in the right positions and always wanting the ball from his team-mates. He has been man of the match several times since his return to the set up, and under Capello, looks set to be a fundamental part of the 4-2-3-1 formation that the coach prefers.

I am sure most Manchester United fans will want Ferdinand to be captain, most Liverpool fans will want Gerrard to be captain, most Chelsea fans will want Terry to be captain. Well I am afraid this is not about your petty oneupmanship and big 4 squabbles. This is about the England National Team, a new future, an adult era of respect for eachother and officials, valuing possession and doing your talking on the pitch. We do not want divers, we do not want abusers, we do not want bling merchants, referee harassers and drug test ignorers. We do not want short-termism and false highs.

Gareth Barry is a man of integrity, longevity, respect, loyalty and quality. He should be the England captain, and I wouldn't be at all surprised if Mr Capello gives him his chance while he shuffles the captaincy around. This writer hopes it becomes more than just a chance.

Six Of The Best: English League One

Simon Williams — Fri, 28 Mar 2008 00:59:28 -0400

Last month I looked at some of the best young players in English League Two, but what about those who are slightly further up the English Pyramid, just two divisions from the alleged 'promised land' of the Premier League?

Here are some of the stars of the future from League One:

Jason Scotland (Swansea City)

At 29 years old, Scotland may not be the most obvious choice for a future Premier League player, but anyone who has seen him play for Title chasing Swansea this season will no why. The burly Trinadadian striker, similar in build and style to international team-mate Kenwynne Jones of Sunderland, has 28 goals to his name this season, after scoring 33 goals in 66 games for St Johnstone in the Scottish League. With Swansea set for promotion to the Championship, expect him to earn more plaudits next season, with a move to the Premier League not an impossibility despite his age.

Jermaine Beckford (Leeds Utd)

Beckford has been sharing the limelight at the top of the League One scoring charts this season with the aforementioned Scotland. With 19 goals to his name, he is the new hero of fallen Leeds Utd, and while he may not have the big name of previous Leeds strikers, Robbie Keane, Mark Viduka or Robbie Fowler, that may change in the future. At 24 years old he has his best years ahead of him. Quick, strong, but with great technical ability, he scores all sorts of goals, and at 6ft 2 inches is a great size. Has already been linked with moves to the EPL, he will surely get there if he continues his progress.

Anthony Gerrard (Walsall)

He has a famous surname, but in the future it might be the cousin of Liverpool skipper Steven who is getting the plaudits. Released by Everton as a youngster he signed for Walsall and hasn't looked back. A tough tackling centre half who now has 100 league appearances to his name. Walsall were promoted last season and are enjoying a creditable first season back in League One, with Gerrard a key part of that rise. Came to Walsall with former Everton team-mate Daniel Fox, a player who has since moved on to Coventry and become an England U21 player. It might not be long before Gerrard follow suit.

Joe Garner (Carlisle United)

Carlisle look set to follow Swansea into the Championship this season, and young striker Joe Garner has been a big factor in their success. Signed from Blackburn for £150,000 after failing to make the breakthrough at Ewood Park, Garner has taken to League One football like a duck to water. Approaching just 20 years of age, he has netted 14 goals in 30 appearances this season, with injury disrupting his progress. If he continues to improve at his current rate, £150,000 will be money very well spent, and Blackburn might be wishing they had held on to him.

Sam Vokes (Bournemouth)

Bournemouth have endured something of a nightmare season, with administration making relegation from League One almost inevitable. One bright spot for them has been the form of some of their young players, and 18 year old striker Vokes has taken most of the headlines. Already averaging a goal every 3 games, despite a third of his appearances being as a substitute, Vokes has been heavily linked to Newcastle United, with a deal apparently agreed for the summer as Kevin Keegan looks to build for the future.

Julian Bennett (Nottingham Forest)

Commanding Left-Back who has put in a series of eye-catching displays this season as Forest have kept the most clean sheets in the division. Signed from Walsall when just 21, he immediately made the left back position his own, and now 23 he looks to have a good future in what is traditionally a 'problem' position in English football. Strong, quick, and a threat in the opposition box also with 7 goals in 70 appearances for Forest. Recently signed a new contract as Forest look to tie him down, they will have a fight on their hands though if he continues his steady rate of progress.

So there you have it, 6 names you will be hearing a lot more about in the near future. Next month I move on to the Championship and look at the players just a stones throw away from the big time.

Myth Busting Part One: Redeeming Rafa Benitez

Simon Williams — Mon, 17 Mar 2008 09:05:19 -0400

The mainstream media, don't you just love them? Afterall they give many of us the quotes and stats on which we base some of our most deeply held football opinions and can give us conviction when arguing on the most banal of sporting subjects.

Sometimes though, they have their own agenda, which can get in the way of the facts. When all is said and done, they exist to make money and form opinion, so convenient stories can easily get in the way of the truth.

This is the first in a series of 'myth busting' attacks on the mainstream media, and it concerns the alleged 'rotation' of Fernando Torres by Liverpool manager Rafa Benitez. Now if you believe many of the most pervasive media outlets, from Sky Sports, to Match of the Day, you would think that Torres has been left out by Benitez with great regularity, that if only Rafa had played the Spanish goal machine more often, Liverpool might have featured more prominently in the title race.

Now here is the truth.

Liverpool have played 30 league games so far this season. Fernando Torres has started 24 of those games. Now if were as simple as that, then fair enough, leaving Torres out for 6 matches, or 20% of games, would appear to be verging on madness when you have a player with such a prolific strike rate.

Of course, it is not quite so simple, nor as crazy, as it may appear. For 3 league matches, Torres has been unavailable due to injury. So now we sit at 24 out of 27 possible starts for Torres. Further to that, on all 3 occasions when he has been fit but not started, he has been brought on from the substitute bench, against Portsmouth, Fulham and Birmingham respectively. So Torres has featured in 27 of Liverpool's 30 league games this season, or 90%. In those 3 games in which he did not start, Liverpool did not lose any, with only the 0-0 draw at home to Birmingham being realistically any 'points dropped'. The Fulham game was won 2-0, with Torres scoring as a substitute, the Portsmouth game was drawn 0-0, the same scoreline managed by Arsenal at Pompey, while Chelsea and Manchester United were both held 1-1 at Fratton Park.

All 3 of those games in which he was benched were in the first 10 games of the season, when Torres was very much the new kid on the block in a new league with new team-mates and new opponents. In those circumstances, surely it is only common sense to introduce a player gradually, especially when the heavy International schedule brought about by the climax of the Euro 2008 qualifying campaign is added to the mix, as well as the existence of fellow new strikers Ryan Babel and Andrei Voronin needing time on the pitch to acclimatize to their new surrondings just as quickly as Torres for the benefit of the rest of the season.

By way of contrast, lets compare Fernando Torres' season so far to that of the biggest EPL name of all, Cristiano Ronaldo. Ronaldo has started 23 of Manchester United's 29 league matches in 2007-2008. He was suspended for 3 matches in August after being sent off in the aforementioned game with Portsmouth, so that makes 23 starts in 26 matches, or 88.4% of games compared to 24/27 for Torres, or 88.8%. So Torres has started virtually the same number of league matches this season as arguably one of the 3 best players in the world, who is in his 5th season in English football.

I will repeat that, for the hard of thinking. Fernando Torres has started the same percentage of games when available as Cristiano Ronaldo has when he has been available.

Further to that, in the 3 games that Ronaldo did not start for Manchester United against Bolton, Aston Villa and Fulham, Utd actually lost one. The game was against Bolton in November, and it came after an international break. Ronaldo was not injured, but did not feature even as a substitute for United. They lost 1-0. Ronaldo featured as a substitute in the two other games he did not start. United won the other two matches, so in the 3 games in which Torres was rested, Liverpool got 5 points, in the 3 matches that Ronaldo was rested, United got 6 points. Wow, a 1 point difference, when Liverpool currently sit 8 points behind the Champions who also have a game in hand. Hardly the stuff necessary for headlines and endless debates is it? Try watching Jeff Stelling and co on Sky Sports on a Saturday afternoon with that in mind, it really is mindblowing.

So there we have it, two great players, two great teams, two great managers. One manager is charged with rotating one great player too much, a charge not backed up by any statistics. The other manager leaves his best player out and loses a league game, yet no-one bats an eyelid.

I am not suggesting that Alex Ferguson should have received any criticism for the Bolton defeat, of course he shouldn't. He is paid to make decisions, and no-one could deny that the vast majority of the decisions he makes as a manager are correct, so he is rightly given respect for his achievements, and a little leeway when there is an opportunity, however tiny, to offer criticism.

Why, in the face of virtually the same statistics, is a manager who has won two league titles, a UEFA Cup, a Champions League, and an FA Cup, not afforded the same leeway? There lies the crux of this story, and the pervasive nature of the media. They always have an agenda, they hype things to the nth degree, and, when all is said and done, they flagrantly lie if the occasion suits them.

I look forward to busting more myths before the season is out. Don't believe everything, or maybe anything? you read or hear, its always better to check things out for yourself before judging.

Liverpool FC: Fernando Torres, Ryan Babel Offer Glimpse of Brighter Future

Simon Williams — Thu, 06 Mar 2008 05:37:42 -0500

Fernando Torres scored his second successive Anfield hat-trick this week as Liverpool cranked up the pressure on Everton and Aston Villa in the race for fourth place in the EPL.

At just 23 years of age, Torres has taken to English football like a duck to water. Many were skeptical, observing his goalscoring record for Atletico Madrid, where he averaged 12-15 goals a season, with cynicism.

33 games and 24 goals later, Torres has silenced all but the harshest critics. Some, unbelievably, still contend that he only scores against weaker opposition—ignoring his goals against Chelsea, Marseille, and Porto.

This also ignores the fact so many other strikers fail to score any where near as frequently against even the weakest opposition.

While Liverpool fans lick their lips at the thought of Torres getting even better—it is after all only his first season in English football, and his first season in the Champions League—his fellow flyer Ryan Babel has made fewer headlines.

That is, until recently. Babel has started six successive games on the Liverpool left flank, and his performance in the recent win at Bolton earned him much praise from all media sources.

Babel has eight goals in his debut season, a decent return for a player who has frequently been substituted. The game at Bolton was his first 90 minutes for Liverpool, and while he has often frustrated, at just 21 years of age, there is much more to come from the former Ajaz whizz kid.

If you compare Babel to the likes of Cristiano Ronaldo (six goals in his debut Manchester United season, although just 18) and Robin Van Persie (11 goals in his debut Arsenal season at 21), it is clear that Babel has made a respectable impact. Liverpool fans will expect a rapid rise over the next few seasons.

Liverpool may have had a very up and down season, on and off the pitch. As takeover talk continues to surround the club, there are at least two reasons to be very optimistic about the future.

Babel and Torres may well turn out to be two of the best signings the club has made since the legendary John Barnes and Peter Beardsley joined the club in the summer of 1987.