Bleacher Report - Articles by Salaar Shamsi

The Bottom Corner: Is FIFA Just a Bunch of Muppets?

Salaar Shamsi — Fri, 20 Nov 2009 06:42:08 -0500

FIFA have dashed the Republic of Ireland's hopes of replaying their World Cup qualifying play-off with France.

The Football Association of Ireland requested a replay after Thierry Henry's clear handball in the build-up to William Gallas' decisive goal.

Thierry Henry admitted to handling the ball, but it doesn't mean anything to the Irish, who were absolutely sensational throughout the game—they played their hearts out and deserve to be in South Africa next year.

The goal has created an outrage in the football world, many have blasted Henry for having no morals and drawn comparisons to Diego Maradona’s "Hand of God" goal.

Irish supporters rightly claim they have been robbed of an opportunity to be part of the World Cup.

It’s a real shame to see the Irish bow out especially after seeing how Ireland dominated the game, the level of passion and spirit showed by Giovanni Trappatoni’s men was truly spectacular.

Sunderland chairman Niall Quinn has described the event as ‘the greatest injustice in sport.’

Former Republic of Ireland midfielder Ray Houghton has called for FIFA president Sepp Blatter to make a public statement on the decision by football's world governing body.

"Where is Sepp Blatter? Why hasn't he come out and stood up and told everyone how it is."

"He's very good at telling other countries how to run their game. It really needed the top man to come out and tell the footballing public why they have made this decision."

If you have a look at how FIFA responded to this controversy, you might begin to question the credibility of the game’s leading body.

FIFA stated that the result of the match cannot be changed and the match cannot be replayed because it is clearly mentioned in the laws of the game that decisions taken by the referee are final.

A statement released by FIFA reads :

"There is no way the game can replayed”.

"To do so would cause absolute chaos for football. If it was replayed then every match in the future would also be subject to these calls for a replay any time a referee misses an incident”

"FIFA's rules are absolutely clear. Law 5 states that a referee's decision on points of fact are final. That is the end of it. You cannot replay the match on this basis."

"You have to have a rule that says the referee's judgement is always right."

The FAI had claimed there was a precedent because FIFA ordered Uzbekistan to replay Bahrain in 2006 World Cup qualifier when the referee made a "technical error" after a penalty had been awarded.

However, in that instance, the referee was guilty of wrongly applying the rules rather than missing an offence, he awarded an indirect free-kick against Uzbekistan when one of their players encroached on the Bahrain penalty area as the Uzbeks successfully converted a penalty.

The correct decision would have been to order the penalty to be retaken.

Personally, I’m beginning to question whatever happened to FIFA and its fair play campaign?

My heart goes out to the thousands of Irish fans who travelled to Paris and have been wrongly denied a chance to support their heroes in South Africa.

Perhaps, FIFA just doesn’t have the balls to stand up to the French who are, make no mistake about it, one of the strongest parties in world football.

A World Cup without France, where it might be just, would’ve hit FIFA and the French as hard as a jawbreaker.

It’s extremely unfortunate that we won’t get to see the likes of Shay Given, Damien Duff, Robbie Keane, and Kevin Doyle in South Africa but football is really cruel game, isn’t it?

FIFA may have gone by their own rules here but they clearly haven’t done the right thing.

The problem with bringing video technology into the game, many tend to argue, is that it will affect the human aspect and the natural beauty and intensity of the sport. Well, when you get results like this, is it a risk worth taking?

Has FIFA shown double standards here?

Hold that thought for now.

That's it from The Bottom Corner, here's Salaar Shamsi signing off, until next time, it's goodbye.

The Bottom Corner: Has Michael Owen Answered His Critics Yet?

Salaar Shamsi — Sat, 14 Nov 2009 03:49:34 -0500

Sir Alex Ferguson took a massive gamble during the summer. When the likes of Cristiano Ronaldo and Carlos Tevez had left Old Trafford, he had to find adequate replacements to ensure they would retain the Premier League for a fourth consecutive time.

It might be worth mentioning that Ronaldo and Tevez, between them, scored almost half of all the goals United had scored in the past two seasons.

Needless to say, United needed a big name signing who could guarantee goals, Sir Alex Ferguson though begged to differ.

The Scot brought in Wigan's Antonio Valencia, who despite his overwhelming physique wasn't recognized as a regular goalscorer.

Valencia's arrival was followed by the signing of former Liverpool striker, Micheal Owen, a free agent after his contract with Newcastle had expired on a 'pay-as-you-play' deal.

The move received a mixed reaction from the football world and the Old Trafford faithful in particular.

Some weren't particularly happy with the signing of Owen because he was too 'injury-prone'.

Others suggested Sir Alex was a genius for pulling off such a shrewd business move because Owen was known as a deadly finisher and recognized as a phenomenal striker.

Liverpool fans weren't too happy, they termed Owen as a 'joke', a 'traitor' and even drew comparisons of Owen's move to Judas' betrayal.

The former Real Madrid man accepted the fact that he would be behind Dimitar Berbatov and Wayne Rooney in United's pecking order.

The transfer window eventually slammed shut and nobody else arrived at Old Trafford except for relatively unknown French prodigy, Gabriel Obertan.

Sir Alex Ferguson backed the likes of Dimitar Berbatov and Wayne Rooney to step up, he also said he would give more opportunities to the likes of Federico Macheda and Danny Welbeck.

Owen's first start for United ended with 1-0 defeat to newly promoted Burnley and the skies came shattering down , it appeared as if Sir Alex had got it all wrong, he was blamed for failing to strengthen United's squad during the summer.

Owen missed two straight forward chances in the games against Birmingham and Burnley and came under scathing criticism for it.

However, United's title defense eventually picked up the pace with a 5-0 thrashing of Wigan and 2-1 victory against Arsenal.

Owen scored his first United goal at Wigan, with a fine left footed strike that recalled his halcyon days.

If he was looking for a chance to become an Old Trafford hero, he certainly got it when his predecessor Carlos Tevez and new-team and United rivals Manchester City came to Old Trafford.

In the most dramatic circumstances, Owen scored an incredible winner in the 96th minute of play and thus becoming an instant crowd favorite at the Theatre of Dreams.

Arguably his best United goal came in the Carling Cup against Barnsley, where a sharp turn and a stunning finish silenced the whole crowd.

Owen didn't have the happiest time on his return to Anfield, he came on as a substitute and was put through on goal before being brought down rather controversially by Liverpool's Jaime Carragher. United went on to lose the game, 2-0, as Nemanja Vidic was sent off for the third consecutive time against the Reds.

He couldn't help United losing to Chelsea at Stamford Bridge either but Owen has scored in all competitions for the Red Devils after opening the scoring in 3-3 draw with CSKA Moscow in the UEFA Champions League at Old Trafford.

In his brief stint with the Red Devils, he has already picked up a knock kept him out of action for three weeks.

Despite being five points behind Chelsea, I think United are still quite well placed and in competition for a fourth consecutive league title.

Now, the real question is, has Michael Owen answered his critics?

He was labelled as 'too old', they said 'his time is over', they said 'he's too injury prone', they said 'he's a traitor', they said 'United will regret not signing somebody like a David Villa or Luis Fabiano'.

Hold that thought for now.

That's it from The Bottom Corner , here's Salaar Shamsi signing off, until next time, it's goodbye.

The Bottom Corner : Is Rio Ferdinand's Time Up?

Salaar Shamsi — Wed, 11 Nov 2009 10:03:50 -0500

Rio Ferdinand joined Manchester United in 2002 for a staggering £29.1 million.

Ferdinand, a product of West Ham United's academy joined the Red Devils from a financially crippled Leeds United and made his presence felt in his very first season at the club.

Manchester United went on to win the Premier League in his debut season at the club with Ferdinand eventually becoming an integral part of their success.

However, Roman Abramovich's arrival in West London and Chelsea's domestic dominance meant the Premier League eluded the Red Devils for two consecutive seasons.

Ferdinand, who has been part of the PFA Team of the Year, a stunning four times, has been consistently troubled by serious injuries throughout his career.

Over the past three years, Rio Ferdinand and his Serbian counterpart, Nemanja Vidic have formed a deadly partnership in the heart of Manchester United's defense which has played a massive role in the Red Devils completing a hatrick of Premier League titles.

Ferdinand and Vidic, who have the ability to intimidate any strike force also helped United to become European Champions by defeating Chelsea in Moscow only to surrender their crown to FC Barcelona in Rome last season.

The remarkable partnership has drawn comparisons to United's legendary defensive partnership of Gary Pallister and Steve Bruce.

However, despite winning the Premier League for the last three seasons, this season has been a completely different story for both Rio Ferdinand and Manchester United.

The Red Devils who lost the likes of Cristiano Ronaldo and Carlos Tevez over the summer have been troubled by injuries particularly in defense.

Rio Ferdinand, Nemanja Vidic, Edwin Van der Sar, Wes Brown, Rafael Da Silva, Darren Fletcher, Ji Sung Park, Ryan Giggs, Dimitar Berbatov and Wayne Rooney have all seen the inside of United's treatment room this season.

United skipper Gary Neville rightly suggests that United's inconsistency is largely because of the continuous changes being made at the back.

Sir Alex Ferguson has backed Rio Ferdinand to rediscover the form and fitness which once made him known as one of England's best ever center-backs.

Ferdinand has been struggling for both form and fitness with Manchester United and England this season which means both Sir Alex Ferguson and Fabio Capello are being pressurized to prepare for life after the ex-Leeds United man.

The recent unavailability of both Vidic and Ferdinand has forced Ferguson to pair Jonny Evans with Wes Brown in the heart of United's backline and Capello might not even take Ferdinand to South Africa if the likes of Gary Cahill, Matthew Upson or Joleon Lescott prove to be of better value than the Manchester United man.

Ferdinand has played some games for United this season including the thrilling win over Manchester City and the defeat to Liverpool but his form remains a huge concern for the Old Trafford faithful.

A massive blunder in United's derby game against Manchester City, where Ferdinand cheekily chipped the ball towards John O'Shea only to be expertly intercepted by Craig Bellamy, who convincingly outran Ferdinand and guided the ball into the back of the net behind Ben Foster, almost cost the Red Devils, a crucial two points before Micheal Owen scored a stunning winner in stoppage time.

Ferdinand also erred in the defeat at Anfield, failing to hold off Fernando Torres as the Spaniard smashed the ball past Van der Sar into the back of the net. Well, that’s football, you win some, and you lose some.

All of this means football pundits have been debating whether Ferdinand, who has also captained Manchester United should be axed or not, especially from the England side.

Ferdinand’s contract with the Red Devils run through till 2013 but some believe it might be best for United to play Jonny Evans ahead of the Englishman, keeping the future in mind.

Personally, I feel somebody of Rio Ferdinand’s quality deserve another chance with both club and country but as they say, in football, you simply never know.

That wraps up this edition of The Bottom Corner, until next time, this is B/R’s very own Salaar Shamsi saying, good bye.

The Bottom Corner : How Do You Find Another Ryan Giggs?

Salaar Shamsi — Fri, 06 Nov 2009 15:39:25 -0500

Welcome to the inaugural edition of The Bottom Corner . A new series launched by Bleacher Report's 'Featured Columnist', Salaar Shamsi

Manchester United’s Ryan Giggs will celebrate his 36^th birthday on the 29^th of November. Despite being one of the oldest players on the pitch, Giggs is still arguably Manchester United’s most influential player.

The ex-Wales captain was part of Manchester City's 'School of Excellence' and nearly signed for United's bitter rivals before being snapped up by Sir Alex Ferguson when he turned 14.

Giggs is officially recognized as the most decorated player in the history of English Football with eleven Premier League title medals.

He made his first league appearance for the Red Devils in 2-0 defeat to Everton at Old Trafford back in March 1991 and hasn't looked back since.

A couple of months later, he became an Old Trafford hero for scoring in a 1-0 victory against city rivals, Manchester City.

Giggs has proven himself as a great goalscorer. To date he is the only player to have scored in every single season of the English Premier League.

Arguably, his greatest ever goal was a solo effort in United's FA Cup semifinal replay against Arsenal in 1999. The goal will live long in the memory of all Manchester United supporters.

Giggs' career accolades also boast two UEFA Champions League winning medals, four FA Cup winning medals and three Carling Cup winning medals.

When United supporters talk about replacing somebody like Cristiano Ronaldo or Carlos Tevez, maybe they should be more concerned with how they would replace Ryan Giggs or Paul Scholes, who are quite literally what Manchester United is all about.

They are Red Devils, through and through.

A prominent part of United's treble winning class of 1999, Giggs played a vital role when United regained European supremacy in the 07-08 season.

He is a true Old Trafford legend, and United will have a real headache when they set out to replace him. Needless to say, Nani, Tosic, or whoever is drafted in will have some pretty big boots to fill.

Giggs, who was awarded the PFA Player of the Year Award last season, is a doubt for United's crucial trip to Chelsea on Sunday, but United will need him to be fit and firing if they are to get anything from the tie at Stamford Bridge.

Ryan Giggs, we salute you!

That's it from The Bottom Corner , here's Salaar Shamsi signing off, until next time, it's goodbye.

Tottenham Hotspur : Merely Pretenders or So Much More?

Salaar Shamsi — Sun, 01 Nov 2009 02:54:55 -0500

Spurs were outclassed by Arsenal in Saturday's early kickoff at the Emirates Stadium.

The game ended 3-0 in favour of the Gunners, courtesy of a brace from Robin Van Persie and stunning goal by Arsenal skipper, Cesc Fabregas.

It was a second consecutive Premier League defeat for Harry Redknapp's men after last week's 1-0 defeat to Stoke City at White Hart Lane, which means Spurs are now fourth in the league table with 19 points from 11 games, a point ahead of Liverpool, who lost away at Fulham.

Aston Villa and Manchester City are also level on points with Liverpool. However, City have 18 points from nine games, which means they have two games in hand to gain a healthy lead on the others.

Spurs were missing the suspended Jermain Defoe and the injured Aaron Lennon from their cavalry when they traveled to face their North London rivals.

Redknapp chose to play Jermaine Jenas on the left of what appeared to be a four-man midfield.

The move didn't work out as Jenas played as more of a central figure ahead of Wilson Palacios and Tom Huddlestone in central midfield, which ultimately meant the left wing was dried up besides when Benoit Assou-Ekoto chose to make a run down the flank.

Arsene Wenger's men took complete advantage of Jenas' absence. Bacary Sagna was given an open invitation to attack down the wing at will and the French full back created two goals for Van Persie.

Redknapp realized the problem and brought on Gareth Bale, but it was too late.

Spurs and particularly the lanky Peter Crouch missed Aaron Lennon's pace on the right flank.

David Bentley didn't cause any problems for Gael Clichy, simply because he was unwilling to run at the defenders. The ex-Arsenal man seemed content to launch the ball forward whenever he found it at his feet but never found either Crouch or Keane upfront.

Spurs looked quite shaky in defense with the exception of Vedran Corluka, who had a decent outing.

Veteran defender Ledley King was rather hesitant at the back and new signing Sebastian Bassong appears to have run out of gas after some impressive shows earlier in the season.

Fortunately for Spurs though, Micheal Dawson and Jonathan Woodgate and nearing full fitness and were on the bench on Saturday.

Spurs have had a decent beginning to their campaign and despite two back to back defeats, are looking in good shape.

If they are more consistent than the likes of Liverpool, Manchester City, Sunderland and Aston Villa, they might just find themselves in a Champions League place come the end of the season.

Liverpool in Dire Straits With Only Themselves to Blame

Salaar Shamsi — Thu, 22 Oct 2009 01:51:46 -0400

Four successive defeats to Fiorentina, Chelsea, Sunderland, and Lyon mean Liverpool's ambitions of gaining any silverware both in the Premier League or in Europe have been dealt a massive blow.

The Reds are currently placed eighth in the Barclays Premier League table and seem to have simply run out of gas.

Injuries to Liverpool's star duo of Steven Gerrard and Fernando Torres haven't really helped matters much, and the questionable sale of Xabi Alonso to Real Madrid continues to haunt the Anfield faithful.

Alonso's replacement, ex-Roma midfielder Alberto Aquilani, is still recovering from a long-term injury with the title, more or less, already lost.

Rafael Benitez has come under fire for failing to get a winning combination together and many pundits are beginning to suggest his departure might pave the way for Liverpool to move forward.

A battle between co-owners, Tom Hicks and George Gillet and speculation over Saudi Prince Faisal bin Fahd's intentions to invest in the club has added to the level of insecurity around Anfield.

On the pitch, however, Liverpool seem to be lacking creativity.

What Xabi Alonso brought to the table was an air of creativity. He and Gerrard could create goals but Alonso's departure means the burden has fallen blatantly on the shoulders of the Liverpool skipper, who earlier scored a last-gasp goal to earn Liverpool a 3-2 win at Bolton.

Take Gerrard out of the equation and Liverpool does not have anybody to create a goal. In that case, your best hope is to launch long balls forward hoping somebody like Dirk Kuyt can get on the end of it. Yossi Benayoun has had a sparkling season so far despite Liverpool's lackluster performances, and the ex-West Ham midfielder appears to be somebody who is willing to shoulder some level of responsibility.

Benayoun is the kind of player who can create a moment of magic. He can make something out of nothing and he can create goals.

Benitez has confused himself even more with the Kuyt scenario. The Dutch forward was transformed into a right winger by Benitez, who conveniently pushes him up to lead the line, every now and again whenever Torres is on the sidelines.

Kuyt isn't really somebody who you would look at to create a goal,although to his credit, he's got a tremendous work ethic. He keeps on running and running, chasing every ball without any complaints. He'll get into the box and find the net, but only if someone can create an opportunity for him.

Benitez's faith in Lucas is surprising, in fact Lucas could be pinned as a reason for many of Liverpool's problems.

The Brazilian midfielder has been largely inconsistent; he's way too defensive-minded and often slows up Liverpool's pace on their counterattacks.

Playing Javier Mascherano and Lucas together is insane; two defensive midfielders in one lineup is like an invitation to the opposition to come and attack and it's like saying, "we'll see if we can hold you off."

Glen Johnson hasn't really been a crowd favorite with the Anfield faithful. He's decent in attack and could be considered as one of the keys to Liverpool's rather depleted attack, but he's way too shaky in defense.

Jaime Carragher's performance have been rather disappointing, it appears as if he's worn out and needs to hang up his boots, sooner rather than later.

Benitez really needs to take a few gambles, and I appreciate him trying to put somebody like Spearing into the fold. He needs to be more brave while making his decisions. Having Torres injured is not the end of the world. Wayne Rooney and Thierry Henry are also injured but Manchester United and Barcelona are managing just fine without them.

He could use somebody like Ryan Babel or Albert Riera more efficiently, rather than allowing them to rot on the bench.

Benayoun and Kuyt would be certain starters, but Lucas' performances need to go under the scanner.

It might be worthwhile reverting to having two men up front (perhaps Andriy Voronin, David N'Gog or even Kuyt) and using a rather conventional method of whipping balls into the box for them rather than having one lad run his socks off in Torres' absence.

Changes need to be made on Merseyside and the time is now; otherwise Bye, Bye Benitez!

A Look at Life In the Premier League For the New Boys!

Salaar Shamsi — Sun, 27 Sep 2009 06:50:58 -0400

The new season brought the likes of Burnley, Birmingham City and Wolverhampton Wanderers to English football's top flight.

Here we look at how the new boys have come to terms with life in what is arguably the world's most competitive league.

Burnley

Lets look at Owen Coyle's Burnley first, who came to the Premier League after a 1-0 victory over Sheffield United in the playoff final at Wembley.

Burnley's opening game ended with a 2-0 defeat at Stoke City.

The Clarets' home season got off to the best possible start, with a shock upset against the reigning champions Manchester United , defeating them at Turf Moor courtesy of a typical Robbie Blake strike.

The honeymoon continued when David Moyes' Everton visited Turf Moor and returned to Merseyside empty handed. Wade Elliot's strike giving Burnley six points from their first two games.

Consecutive away defeats at Chelsea and Liverpool were expected but still brought the high-flying Clarets crashing down to earth.

A surprising 3-1 win back at home over Sunderland was followed by a shocking 5-0 defeat to Tottenham at White Hart Lane.

Burnley have been brilliant at home, winning all three home games against Manchester United, Everton, and Sunderland. However, they have been quite poor on their travels and have been thrashed in each of their away games; but lets not get too critical because they've only played away at Chelsea, Stoke, Tottenham, and Liverpool.

I'm expecting them to be this season's surprise package like Hull City last season and Reading in the season before last.

Burnley, who made eight new additions to their squad in the summer including the arrivals of David Nugent, Tyrone Mears, Andre Bikey, and Steven Fletcher, are reasonably well placed in midtable with nine points from seven games.

Birmingham City

Nobody knows getting into the Premier League and going down to the Championship better than Birmingham City.

Alex McCleish's side have had an indifferent start to their season.

The Blues made several signings in the summer including star Ecuadorian striker, Christian 'Chucho' Benitez, Cardiff's Roger Johnson, and ex Rangers' skipper Barry Ferguson.

A 1-0 defeat to Manchester United on the opening day of the season was followed by 1-0 win at St. Andrews against Portsmouth and a frustrating 0-0 draw against Stoke City.

Aaron Lennon's stoppage time winner at White Hart Lane meant a final score of 2-1 and Birmingham returned home without a point.

A home defeat to local rivals, Aston Villa, was followed by an away victory against Hull City courtesy of a towering header by Gary O'Connor but another defeat to Bolton means Birmingham need to be a lot more consistent if they are to avoid the drop again.

The Blues are in 14th place with seven points from seven games.

Wolverhampton Wanderers

Mick McCarthy's Wolverhampton Wanderers, who won the Championship signed nine new players over the summer including Chelsea's young defender Micheal Mancienne (on Loan), Sunderland's Greg Halford, and Reading's Kevin Doyle.

Wolves got their season under way with a 2-0 defeat to West Ham but wins against Wigan and Fulham mean the Molineux faithful are believing in their troops despite defeats to Blackburn and Manchester City.

They now travel to the Stadium of Light to face Sunderland in Sunday's only Premier League game.

Most Likely to become a part of the Top 10: Burnley

Most Likely to avoid relegation by the skin of their teeth: Birmingham City

Most Likely to get relegated: Wolves

Has Carlo Ancelotti Revived Chelsea's Premier League Challenge?

Salaar Shamsi — Sat, 19 Sep 2009 03:44:14 -0400

Loved by some, hated by others.

The thought of a certain Jose Mourinho re-appearing in Chelsea's dugout would spark mixed reactions from the Blues' faithful.

The self-proclaimed 'Special One' has moved from West London and is currently managing Italian Champions, Inter Milan.

Mourinho created history with the Blues winning the Premier League in his first season at the club ending a league title drought which had stretched over five decades; the Portuguese mastermind then repeated the feat, the following season and became a legendary figure at Stamford Bridge.

After a poor start to his third season in England, Roman Abrahimovich lost his patience and before you knew it, Mourinho was history.

But Mourinho's departure meant Chelsea endured another three years without a Premier League title and watched Manchester United enjoy a hat-trick of titles.

Avram Grant and Luiz Felipe Scolari failed to bring any silverware to the club and even though Guus Hiddink's remarkable cameo at the club meant Chelsea won the FA Cup, the Premier League trophy continued to evade them.

A certain Carlo Ancelotti walks in, twice winner of the UEFA Champions League with AC Milan, and Chelsea's chances of returning to the path to glory may have been given a major boost.

A two year ban on transferring players for illegal dealing of French starlet Gael Kakuta might not be as big a problem as it appears to be.

Chelsea currently have a well-rounded squad led by the passionate John Terry (pictured above), which boasts the likes of Frank Lampard, Nicolas Anelka, Deco, Michael Ballack, Didier Drogba, Petr Cech and Ricardo Carvalho.

The Blues also have some young blood within their ranks, Franco Di Santo is currently on loan at Blackburn like Scott Sinclair and Micheal Mancienne; whilst new signing Daniel Sturridge along with the likes of Salomon Kalou, Fabio Borini, Jeffery Bruma, Sam Hutchinson, Micheal Woods, Gael Kakuta, Ryan Bertrand, and Jacopo Sala could provide a steady future for the club.

Chelsea, out of the big four, have got their Premier League title chase off to the best possible start and, besides Manchester City, are the only team to have won all of their games.

Florent Malouda's late winner against Stoke City wasn't the first time, the Blues have ground out three points at the end of a game and it certainly won't be the last time that happens.

However with Michael Essien, John Obi Mikel, Salomon Kalou, and Didier Drogba likely to be unavailable when the African Cup of Nations commences and the odd hiccups likely to occur, Chelsea will looking to gain as many points at they possibly can.

Nicolas Anelka's second half strike against Porto meant their European ambitions are also track, despite Drogba's absence.

The Blues are flying high and they are looking good.

Are they flattering to deceive?

Can Ancelotti's arrival stop Manchester United from making it to four consecutive titles?

Three Way Street : What Eduardo, Arsenal and UEFA Have To Say...

Salaar Shamsi — Tue, 15 Sep 2009 07:07:07 -0400

Not surprisingly, news of UEFA's decision to overrule Eduardo's two match ban for 'diving' against Celtic has created quite an uprising in footballing circles around the world.

The "fact" that the Croatian forward had dived appeared to be a foregone conclusion, and the culprit was rightly handed a two game penalty for "deceiving the referee."

Arsenal refused to budge and appealed against the ban, which was eventually overturned. The question worth asking here is—"Why?"

Let's have a look at what UEFA have to say in defense of their actions.

A statement from UEFA reads: "Following examination of all the evidence, notably the declarations of both the referee and the referees' assessor, as well as the various video footage, it was not established to the panel's satisfaction that the referee had been deceived in taking his decision on the penalty."

Read that again folks.

Nope, your eyes aren't letting you down here.

UEFA have made yet another controversial decision here.

Did I say controversial?

UEFA's rather useless "Appeals Body" was not satisfied enough to conclude whether or not Eduardo was guilty.

Are you bloody, kidding me?

Are they blind?

I could look at the video once and say without a shadow of a doubt that he had indeed dove.

A six-year-old kid could tell between Eduardo's theatrics and a genuine fall apart.

UEFA, not for the first time, has made a complete mockery out of itself and their highly esteemed Appeals Body is just a laughing stock.

A sad day in the history of the beautiful game when the inmate has managed to escape from prison without a scratch.

Hypocrisy is an evil which apparently runs freely within Europe's footballing body.

Arsenal aren't too far behind, though, and the Gunners also released a statement which reads: "We are grateful that the appeal body focused on the evidence and made the right decision in this case."

"We were able to show that there was contact between the goalkeeper and Eduardo and that the decision of the UEFA disciplinary body should be annulled.

"We fully support the drive for fair play in football and believe it is important that UEFA provide clear and comprehensive standards that will be consistently enforced going forward."

If I have any more of this, I might just cry.

Whatever happened to the beautiful game?

Well, let's go ahead and hear what the man of the moment, Eduardo, has to say in the aftermath of being released from jail.

"I'm very pleased that we have finally arrived at the truth. All we needed to do was to prove what happened, and we have managed to do that. This decision makes me feel a lot better.

"All I remember of the incident is that as soon as I had possession of the ball I headed towards goal at full speed. I was very close to the Celtic keeper and felt contact on my foot and then lost my balance. I know perhaps more than anyone else that when you have contact at speed it can be dangerous."

"I just want to say that I'm a fair player. To score goals you must take your opportunities and I'm not the type of player who needs to be dishonest to score goals."

This is a very sad day for football when a obvious cheat wins the day. Please, can we set a standard for our youngsters who are the future in this game?

Absolutely ridiculous. It was definitely "simulation," and now the message is that diving is acceptable. What a waste of time. UEFA should have the courage of their convictions.

"When you feel contact, you go down." That's where football is heading and apparently UEFA is fully behind this idea.

Enough said?

Why Arsenal May Regret Failing To Strengthen Their Squad

Salaar Shamsi — Fri, 04 Sep 2009 12:38:58 -0400

After an exhausting summer which was eventually followed by the inauguration of another football season, the transfer window is closed until January.

We all know Arsenal let go of two key players in Emmanuel Adebayor and Kolo Toure to Manchester City but I'm not going to trace the implications of those moves to have a dozen Gunners breathing down my neck and debating over whether Arsenal can cope without the African duo or not.

Arsenal started the season on fire, a 6-1 thrashing of Everton at Goodison Park had most Gooners dreaming of winning the title after a gap of what has stretched to over half a decade.

The game was followed by comprehensive victories over Portsmouth and twice over Celtic.

Then came Arsenal's first major test of the season away to Old Trafford against Champions Manchester United, who themselves are still getting used to life after Cristiano Ronaldo.

I'm not getting into whether Arsenal deserved to lose; whether Mike Dean was to blame or whether Abou Diaby had a bad day, bottom line—Arsenal came home empty-handed.

Ziltch. No Points. The honeymoon over. Arsenal brought back down to earth.

After the International break, The Gunners will face Manchester City with both Adebayor and Toure likely to start against a team where they once made a name for themselves in England.

Pictured above is Arsenal's only new signing, Thomas Vermaelen, who has been absolutely phenomenal and has formed a decent partnership with William Gallas this season.

Now comes the problem, folks.

If Arsenal lose to City, that means two consecutive defeats. Which will invariably trigger a massive revolt against Arsene Wenger's policies and his inability to bring new faces to North London.

Arsenal started the season, all guns blazing. Why?—I'll tell you.

The Gunners endured a frustrating season last time out, barely holding on to fourth place by the skin of their teeth.

Coming into the new season, they were all fired up, especially the likes of Denilson, Diaby and Song keen to make an impression, desperate to show their worth, to make up for lost time, to put the past behind them and to try to get into the reckoning for title.

That is the mindset they were in walking out of the tunnel at Goodison Park.

The sad reality is you always run out of gas; mostly, for Arsenal, they start the season brilliantly, but run out of gas by Christmas. I'm not suggesting the hunger for winning has died down but that might just be the case.

Injuries have troubled Arsenal in the last few seasons but Wenger refuses to learn. If Rosicky, Walcott, Fabregas and somebody like Eduardo falls prey to an injury, Arsenal will need to turn to the likes of Aaron Ramsey, Jack Wilshere, Carlos Vela and Fran Merida for inspiration.

It might be asking too much of some promising but inexperienced lads.

New faces bring a new desire, hunger, ambition and a rejuvenated passion to keep challenging for the title which may not exist in Arsenal's case.

I didn't read too much into Arsenal's first few performances and I don't intend to read too much into their defeat to Manchester United.

For Arsenal to at least improve on last season's finishing position, they will need to garner a lot more out of Bendtner, Song, Diaby and Denilson with Andrei Arshavin holding the key to their success.

Arsenal were linked to a host of players including Subotic and Chamakh but neither put on an Arsenal shirt.

The season is far from over and to count Arsenal out at this time would be foolish but Arsene Wenger may have missed a trick here.

As my friend and Chelsea Community Leader, Alan McGuiness, once wisely said "It's not a sprint, it's a marathon."

EPL Special Preview: Manchester United vs Arsenal

Salaar Shamsi — Mon, 24 Aug 2009 15:07:35 -0400

Manchester United vs. Arsenal.

In the Premier League, it doesn't really get any bigger than this.

Over the years, United and Arsenal have provided us with some exciting encounters. Given Arsenal's sensational start to the season, where the Gunners have scored a mouthwatering 12 goals in their first three games, this one could prove to be another fierce clash.

Arsenal began their season with a 6-1 thrashing of Everton at Goodison Park.

The Gunners then travelled to Scotland, defeating Celtic 2-0 in a Champions League qualifier.

When Portsmouth travelled to the Emirates Stadium for Arsenal's first home game of the season, Abou Diaby scored a brace in a 4-1 victory for Arsene Wenger's men, which ensures Arsenal will come into Saturday's late kickoff with Manchester United high on confidence.

I caught up with Bleacher Report analyst Deepak Israni, a well-known Arsenal supporter and the Real Madrid Community Leader, to discuss what he expected from this game.

Deepak Israni's prediction for Manchester United vs. Arsenal

Arsenal have been pretty good in the three matches played so far, and the results speak for themselves, but Manchester United are obviously better than the three teams that Arsenal have played to this point.

However, Manchester United are facing problems in the defense—Nemanja Vidic's probable three-match ban, Jonny Evans waiting for surgery, Rio Ferdinand out injured, and Edwin Van der Sar missing as well will allow Arsenal to score goals.

Thomas Vermaelen and William Gallas have made a solid partnership at the back for Arsenal, so United will find the goals hard to come by. Also, they will find it hard to create something from the midfield even if Michael Carrick plays. Alexandre Song and Denilson have been playing very good, and they might well be able to manage without Cesc Fabregas—who remains a doubt.

It would take individual brilliance, which Cristiano Ronaldo provided, which maybe Wayne Rooney can deliver. I was in favor of a 1-3 win for Arsenal, but the Rooney factor has made me think more in the lines of 2-3.

Manchester United's season got off to a rather traditional slow start, with a scrappy 1-0 victory against Birmingham and a shock 1-0 defeat to Burnley. However, a 5-0 thrashing of Wigan Athletic at DW Stadium last week means United have proved that there is life after Ronaldo.

Much like Arsenal, the Red Devils will come into the game high on confidence.

Vidic's alleged ban hasn't been confirmed yet, and neither has Evans' surgery, which means both are still in contention to start against the Gunners.

Rooney is undoubtedly the man to watch out for, as far as United are concerned. He has three goals in three appearances this season.

Fortunately for United, both Dimitar Berbatov and Michael Owen also netted their own first goals of the season at the DW Stadium.

Arsenal captain Cesc Fabregas may miss the match with a hamstring injury.

Salaar Shamsi's prediction for Manchester United vs. Arsenal

Arsenal's outstanding start to the season means the Gunners will be high on confidence coming to Old Trafford. This is Arsenal's first test against a major opponent this season. No disrespect to Everton, Celtic, or Portsmouth, but Man United is in a league of its own. This game might bring Arsenal back down to earth.

This means it's a chance for the likes of Song, Denilson, and Co. to show what they're made of against a quality opponent.

However, I'm not saying much till the players walk out on the pitch. Looking at Arsenal's good form, it will be a very close game, but considering it's at Old Trafford, United to nip it for me.

2-1 to the Red Devils.

Following In Barca's Footsteps, Sir Alex Considers Changing Formation!

Salaar Shamsi — Fri, 21 Aug 2009 07:05:01 -0400

Manchester United were comprehensively beaten by FC Barcelona in last season's UEFA Champions League Final.

Over the summer, United lost the likes of Cristiano Ronaldo and Carlos Tevez to Real Madrid and Manchester City respectively.

They were eventually replaced by former Newcastle and Liverpool striker, Micheal Owen and Wigan's Luis Antonio Valencia.

Neither of duo have had an impact in either of United's opening games of the season, a 1-0 victory over Birmingham at Old Trafford and a 1-0 defeat to Burnley at Turf Moor.

Sir Alex Ferguson has been severely criticised especially by the British media in failing to sign adequate replacements for Ronaldo and Tevez, which would have gone a long way in ensuring a fourth consecutive Premier League title for the Red Devils.

A return of just one goal in the champions' first two fixtures, including Wednesday's shock defeat at Burnley, has led to suggestions that Ferguson could scrap his initial plan and make a move for one of Valencia's outstanding pair, David Villa and David Silva.

However, Ferguson has insisted that will not happen:

"Did I say we wouldn't make any more signings?" the Scot said.

"That is it. I have already made the point—and I am sure of it. This is a great group of players."

United travel to the DW Stadium on Saturday in order to face Wigan Athletic. The Latics come into the game on the back of a home defeat to newly promoted Wolverhampton Wanderers in midweek.

Sir Alex Ferguson's men will need to lift their spirits in order to gain three points and get their title challenging ambitions back on track.

The Red Devils will be boosted by the return of Nemanja Vidic, though Vidic's partner in central defense, Rio Ferdinand, has been ruled out of action for three to four weeks.

Ferguson has hinted United could take a leaf out of Barcelona's book by playing with three strikers upfront.

The Catalan giants completed a historic treble last season with the likes of Lionel Messi, Samuel Eto'o and Thierry Henry scoring a combined tally of 99 goals in all competitions last season.

Though, Eto'o has joined Inter Milan, it is widely believed Josep Guardiola will use his replacement, Zlatan Ibrahimovic in a similar formation.

Arsenal have resorted to a similar strategy this season playing Andrei Arshavin, Robin van Persie and Nicklas Bendtner upfront.

Sir Alex Ferguson was asked whether he could use a similar ploy and he revealed it is "possible".

If Sir Alex Ferguson experiments with three strikers upfront, he is likely to use Wayne Rooney, Dimitar Berbatov and the much criticised Micheal Owen ahead of Danny Welbeck and Federico Macheda.

Although, if Owen plays in the centre, Rooney would once again fall out on the left flank.

This would possibly mean United employing three midfielders and points towards the fact that United's wingers: Zoran Tosic, Gabriel Obertan, Luis Antonio Valencia, Ji Sung Park and Nani won't be getting as much playing time as they previously were.

Darren Fletcher, Michael Carrick and Anderson are likely to take three spots in midfield and could be rotated with "golden oldies" Paul Scholes and Ryan Giggs.

Perhaps, a strategy like this can help United overcome the departure of Ronaldo and Tevez.

Do you think Manchester United should try out the 4-3-3 formation?

Manchester United Defeated by Burnley, The End of the World Is Here!

Salaar Shamsi — Thu, 20 Aug 2009 05:15:50 -0400

Manchester United's defeat to Burnley last night has given all of United's opponents an opportunity to blast United's ambitions of winning the Premier League title for a fourth consecutive season.

Article after article, I'm reading some of these lines again and again.

"Ferguson got his team wrong"

"Owen is useless"

"Berbatov is a waste of money"

"Now they're nothing without Ronaldo"

Some suggest Sir Alex Ferguson rotated his team too much, in what was only the second game of the season. He replaced Micheal Carrick, Anderson, Ryan Giggs, Ji Sung Park, and Micheal Owen with the likes of Darren Fletcher, Paul Scholes, Nani, Luis Antonio Valencia, and Dimitar Berbatov.

Now, you might say, there's a valid point here. I think not.

Giggs actually had a great game, unfortunately for him because United lost and it went unnoticed.

You don't have to score to have a great game.

Anderson showed last season and even in preseason that he is more than capable of taking up a place in United's midfield.

Micheal Carrick is arguably the best "passer" in English Football today.

You could have question marks hanging over Park—he's not the best footballer in the World but what he gives you is commitment and United can use somebody like him on the pitch.

United's problem last night certainly wasn't creating chances.

Oh no, no, no!

The Red Devils created many chances last night, the finishing touch just wasn't there.

It was just one of those nights.

To anyone who says "United missed Ronaldo", I'd say "Mate, did you actually watch the game?"

Now to Micheal Carrick's penalty.

Personally, it was more a case of a fine save by Jensen more than an awful take by Carrick.

Who should take penalties?

Micheal Carrick, I'd tell you, is more than capable of taking spotkicks for United.

Who isn't allowed to miss one?

Didn't Cristiano Ronaldo miss penalties?

West Ham, Barcelona, Chelsea. These are just a few of the ones that Ronaldo failed to hit the back of the net with.

However, the likes of Nani, Anderson, Micheal Owen, Ryan Giggs and even Wayne Rooney could take them instead of Carrick.

Micheal Owen missed a dolly last night, a header that he really should've scored with and the skies came crashing down.

Owen didn't have the best game ever.

Who isn't allowed to have a bad night?

Didn't Ronaldo have bad nights, where he simply didn't turn up?

Anybody who doubts the quality of one of England's best ever finishers is a merely a fool, yes, his standard has dropped owing to injuries but given a bit more playing time, he will pick up.

As for Berbatov, he came on from the bench and immediately created a decent chance for himself only to be denied Jensen.

The Bulgarian scored 14 goals in all competitions last season, often match-winning goals, when United won 1-0 against Boro or Bolton or 2-1 against Newcastle.

14 goals. A decent return but not nearly enough for a Manchester United's Number 9.

If Berbatov was ever to show his worth, this is the season for him to do it.

I think everybody's being a bit too critical of Sir Alex Ferguson and Manchester United to be honest.

All big teams slip up, every now and then, Man United are no different. Burnley were purely fantastic on the night, they played with their hearts on their sleeves and deserved the win.

Whether it's a 1-1 draw to Newcastle or Portsmouth or losing to Manchester City, United haven't really had the perfect start but if you can go on and win the league, it will be forgotten.

It's not the end of Manchester United, they are traditionally slow starters, every single season, United doesn't have the most amazing start, we go to Christmas around third or fourth and pick up pace from there, while the others have ran out of gas.

Don't you write off Manchester United just yet, folks.

Here's Legendary Salaar (TM) signing off saying, "Tomorrow's another day."

ICC Champions Trophy 2009: The Contenders

Salaar Shamsi — Mon, 17 Aug 2009 18:44:10 -0400

Well, The ICC Champions Trophy, also known as the mini-World Cup featuring the world's eight best cricketing nations is a month away and I thought I'd take an indepth look at the strengths and weaknesses of each and every participant. Group A features Australia, India, West Indies and Pakistan. Group B features hosts South Africa, New Zealand, Sri Lanka and England.

Begin Slideshow

EPL Super Sunday: Liverpool's Campaign Begins With A Defeat to Spurs!

Salaar Shamsi — Sun, 16 Aug 2009 16:37:55 -0400

Folks, if Saturday managed to spring about a few surprises, Sunday wasn't to be outdone either.

The first Sunday of the new English Premier League had two games being played, Manchester United hosted Birmingham City in the early kickoff while Liverpool travelled to Tottenham Hotspur.

Manchester United began their Premier League defense without several key defenders including Rio Ferdinand, Gary Neville, Rafael Da Silva, and Nemanja Vidic, which meant Sir Alex Ferguson was forced to pair Jonny Evans with John O'Shea at the heart of United's defense.

Wayne Rooney partnered Dimitar Berbatov upfront while new signing Luis Antonio Valencia made his league debut for the Red Devils.

Birmingham had defensive problems of their own as Giovanni Espinoza, Scott Dann and Liam Ridgewell were all missing due to injuries.

Alex McCleish handed a debut to Scottish midfielder, Barry Ferguson while Ecuadorian striker, Christian "Chucho" Benitez looked on from the bench.

Cameron Jerome headed the attack on his own and was occasionally joined by James McFadden, Keith Fahey, and Sebastian Larsson.

United constantly troubled Birmingham's defense in the first half as Wayne Rooney's fierce strike was denied by the finger tips of on-loan Manchester City keeper Joe Hart in the opening minutes of play at Old Trafford.

Nani had a golden chance to put the Red Devils ahead minutes later but the Portuguese winger made a mess of Patrice Evra's cut back sending the ball into the stands.

Valencia tried to impress the Old Trafford faithful but failed to have any real impact on the game.

United eventually broke the deadlock when Darren Fletcher's long ball found Nani on the left wing, Nani's cross was met by Wayne Rooney, in the six yard area. Rooney's header teasingly rebounded after striking Joe Hart's post but Rooney was prepared and neatly tucked the rebound into the net, providing United, a much deserved lead in the 34th minute of play.

Birmingham came close when Frank Quedrue's header was saved off the line by Patrice Evra.

United lead the Blues going into the break but Birmingham came close to finding an equaliser after the interval when Cameron Jerome's long range effort went inches wide of Ben Foster's goal.

Foster also made a sensational save to deny substitute Christian Benitez late in the second half as United held on to take the three points.

Micheal Owen failed to score on debut despite being put one-on-one with Hart by Rooney's cheeky play-on.

Tottenham Hotspur played host to Liverpool at White Hart Lane and Harry Redknapp chose to leave new signing Peter Crouch on the bench against his former club.

Robbie Keane, though, led Spurs against the Reds, after his return to White Hart Lane from Anfield last season.

Liverpool started with Fernando Torres upfront, Steven Gerrard just behind him and the Dutch duo of Dirk Kuyt and Ryan Babel assisting the Spaniard from the flanks.

It wasn't too long before Liverpool started missing Xabi Alonso, who left for Real Madrid earlier this month.

His replacement Alberto Aquilani still faces time on the sidelines.

Lucas and Javier Mascherano were paired together in midfield in Alonso's absence and Liverpool appeared to be missing an air of creativity.

The only spark or two provided to the Reds were by new signing Glen Johnson, who caused problems for the Spurs defense whenever he charged up the right wing.

Surprisingly enough, it appeared Fernando Torres never came to the party. The Spaniard looked a little rusty, perhaps, still settling into the new season.

Spurs took a deserved lead in the first half when Benoit Assou-Ekotto fired in an unstoppable strike after Tom Huddlestone's freekick had struck the Liverpool wall.

Wilson Palacios was absolutely brilliant in the Spurs' midfield while Luka Modric, Tom Huddlestone, and Aaron Lennon had an equally good outing.

Robbie Keane missed out on not one, but two fantastic chances to score against his former club.

His header from a brilliant Modric cutback was expertly saved by Pepe Reina, who denied him again minutes later when he tried to apply the finishing touches to an Aaron Lennon through ball.

After the interval, Liverpool levelled the scores when Glen Johnson was unsportingly brought down by Gomes in the box and Steven Gerrard blasted the resulting spotkick into the roof of the net to give Liverpool, a much-needed equaliser.

The Reds fell behind again minutes later, when debutant Sebastian Bassong headed Modric's freekick passed Reina into the back of the net and White Hart Lane went up in a roar.

Yossi Benayoun came on for Ryan Babel and Peter Crouch replaced Robbie Keane to make his Spurs debut but the North Londoners held on to collect all three points.

Phil Dowd controversially turned down Liverpool's claims for a penalty after Assou-Ekotto appeared to have handled the ball in the area, but replays showed the touch was unintentional.

Spurs were brilliant, they created a lot of chances and deserved the win.

A horrible start, then, to Liverpool's title chase on the opening weekend but all of the other members of the Big Four—Arsenal, Chelsea and Manchester United—began their respective campaigns with victories.

Manchester City also got their campaign off to a winning start with Emmanuel Adebayor and Stephen Ireland scoring in a 2-0 away victory against Blackburn Rovers.

That's a wrap, folks!

Here's Legendary Salaar (TM) signing off, saying, "Thank God, the Premier League is back!"

EPL Opening Day Review : Incredible Arsenal Crush Everton!

Salaar Shamsi — Sat, 15 Aug 2009 16:51:38 -0400

After two boring months without competitive club football, the English Premier League's newest season began on Saturday.

Chelsea hosted Hull City in Saturday's early kickoff.

The Blues made only one change to the side which defeated Manchester United on penalties in the Community Shield, with Jose Bosingwa replacing Branslav Ivanovic.

Chelsea was quite poor in the first half besides Didier Drogba's volley which narrowly missed Thomas Myhill's goal from Boswinga's cross in the opening minutes of play at Stamford Bridge.

Stephen Hunt's surprising opener was cancelled out by a sensational Didier Drogba freekick and it wasn't until stoppage time at the very end of the game where the Ivorian striker stunned the Tigers with a late winner, a brilliant chip which he later admitted was meant to be a cross.

Football can be a very cruel game sometimes, a spare of thought for Myhill who made as many as nine remarkable saves to deny the Blues but was eventually beaten.

Manchester City was away to Blackburn Rovers as they commenced a campaign during which they are being tipped to break into England's much acclaimed Top Four using their new arrivals.

Carlos Tevez was left on the bench as Robinho, Emmanuel Adebayor and Craig Bellamy all started the much awaited game at Ewood Park.

Shaun Wright Phillips set up Adebayor and the ex-Arsenal blasted a shot into the top corner to give City an overwhelming lead in the opening minutes of play.

City played some attractive football playing Robinho on the left, Wright Phillips on the right with Barry and Ireland in the centre.

Kolo Toure and Richard Dunne showed signs of forming a decent partnership but it wasn't until the very end of the game that City doubled their lead with Ireland's effort creeping past Paul Robinson's near post.

Premier League new-boys Burnley and Wolves began life in the top flight with 2-0 defeats to Stoke City and West Ham respectively.

Bobby Zamora's goal earned Fulham a precious away victory against Portsmouth at Fratton Park as did Darren Bent's header for Sunderland against Bolton at the Reebok Stadium.

Aston Villa were surprisingly defeated by Wigan Athletic under new manager, Roberto Martinez at Villa Park.

Hugo Rodagella's stunning strike and a second half effort from Jason Koumas were enough to earn the Latics, a memorable win on the opening day of the season.

The late-kickoff was at Goodison Park, a much anticipated game between Everton and Arsenal.

The Gunners have been subjected to much criticism after being unable to strengthen their squad after Vermaelen despite the departures of Emmanuel Adebayor and Kolo Toure to Manchester City, who are threatening to overtake the North Londoners to fourth place and a Champions League spot.

Arsenal started with Andrei Arshavin, Nicklaus Bendtner and Robin Van Persie upfront with Cesc Fabregas holding a three-man midfield together.

The Gunners were on fire in the second half, goals from Denilson, William Gallas and debutant, Thomas Vermaelen putting Arsene Wenger's men 3-0 up at the break.

Fabregas with two assists was actively involved in the goals.

The Spaniard who is being chased by Barcelona then scored a brace and Eduardo sealed a rout when Arshavin's poked effort struck the woodwork and stood up for the Croatian forward to tuck it into the net.

A statement of intent then from the Gunners on the opening day of the season, it was truly a perfect day for them on which every player, even Emmanuel Eboue had a decent outing and that's really saying something!

Arsenal has issued a warning to all the doubters and laughed in the face of all their critics with this performance.

The fire is burning but how long before the flames stop flickering?

Consistency is the name of the game.

Arsene Wenger's reluctance to add new faces to his squad may have been justified with this phenomenal performance but Personally, I think Arsenal could still use a couple of quality additions to their cavalry.

That wraps it up for the opening day of the season, which promises to be quite an exciting one, Legendary Salaar (TM) signing out folks, stay tuned for Manchester United vs Birmingham and Spurs vs Liverpool tomorrow!

It's Time for Those Ridiculous Predictions Again!

Salaar Shamsi — Sun, 09 Aug 2009 17:36:22 -0400

Every new season brings an element of excitement, an air of uncertainty and a sense of hope, in other words, it's probably the only time of the year when even Pompey supporters will be hoping of winning the league.

It's the time of the year, where we see all kinds of ridiculous predictions from fans across the globe: in some, you'll see Chelsea getting relegated, in others, Wolves will be qualifying for the Champions League, but it's what being a passionate supporter of a particular club is all about.

Perhaps, you've heard of Awesome TM or Cool TM and following in their footsteps, I'm officially endorsing my own identity as Legendary TM.

In doing so, I've made some Legendary predictions for this season's English Premier League and without further delay, they are as follows.

1. Manchester United

I know Cristiano Ronaldo's left, but I can see Darren Fletcher, Anderson, Wayne Rooney, and Michael Owen stepping up and making a difference. Under the guidance of Sir Alex Ferguson, United are favourites to take the title to Old Trafford for the fourth time in a row.

2. Chelsea

United's biggest concern in my opinion isn't Liverpool, it's Chelsea; but the Blues' success largely depends upon whether Carlo Ancelotti gets a better start than Luis Felipe Scolari did.

Ancelotti appears to be content with the lot he's got and with Ballack, Lampard, Deco, Essien geared up in midfield, Chelsea could give United a fair run for their money.

3. Liverpool

Liverpool's performance last season was their best in 18 years, yet, they fell four points adrift of United. Despite the presence of Torres and Gerrard, I can't see the Reds posing a decent enough challenge for the title come May.

4. Aston Villa

Villa missed out last season and they've lost a leader in Gareth Barry, but Martin O'Neill's squad has Young, Agbonlahor, Milner, and Downing waiting to stand up and be counted; they could trump a depleted Arsenal side to fourth place.

5. Arsenal

Arsenal have been significantly weakened by the departures of Adebayor and Toure and injuries to Nasri and Company aren't helping Arsenal's chances of bringing silverware home after a break which has stretched to around half a decade.

Unless Wenger can whip up some magic, fourth place is as good as gone.

6. Everton

David Moyes has fended off City's interest in Lescott, which is a huge bonus to the Toffees. Mikel Arteta returns, and alongside Cahill, Osman, Jo, Yakubu, and Fellaini, he could transform Everton's season.

7. Fulham

Roy Hodgson is a real fighter and he knows how to get his troops organized on the battlefield, and Danny Murphy and Clint Dempsey are two players to keep an eye on. The Cottagers also have European Football to look forward to.

8. Burnley

One of the new boys always seems to spring up with a surprise package, be it Reading or Hull City. I fancy Owen Coyle's Burnley to surprise the league this season. They have some quality players like Blake, Caldwell, and Eagles and have made decent additions in Steven Fletcher, Fernando Guerrero, and Tyrone Mears.

9. Manchester City

City have spent big money adding the likes of Tevez, Santa Cruz, and Adebayor, but a balance is lacking, and Mark Hughes' side isn't gelling all that well in pre-season

They might surprise you in the odd game but overall should barely end up in the top half.

10. Sunderland

Steve Bruce worked wonders with Wigan and I wouldn't be surprised if he did more of the same with the Black Cats.

They made brilliant additions to their ranks with Paulo Da Silva, Frazier Campbell, Darren Bent, and Lorik Cana and should end up in the top half of the table.

11. Tottenham Hotspur

Old Harry Redknapp likes to reconnect with his players, whether it's Defoe or Crouch. Spurs have brought in Crouch, Naughton, and Bassong but Legend TM gets the feeling it won't be a season to remember for the North Londoners, at least not in the league.

12. West Ham United

Another London club to follow, Gianfranco Zola's Hammers seem to be lacking the firepower upfront and they need somebody like Toni or Gudjohnsen to arrive and get a decent return.

13. Wigan Athletic

Steve Bruce and Luis Antonio Valencia have left the JJB Stadium. Testing times ahead for Roberto Martinez, as the Premier League is a different ball game. Lee Cattermole and Hugo Rodagella are two players to watch.

14. Blackburn Rovers

Big Sam Allardyce doesn't have Roque Santa Cruz to count on. He's managed to get Franco Di Santo on loan from Chelsea, but a lack of goals means a rather low place in the league. They should, however, manage to avoid the drop.

15. Bolton Wanderers

Gary Megson's forward line is very thin, Johan Elmander and Kevin Davies need support. Zat Knight, Paul Robinson and Sam Ricketts have strengthened the defense but reinforcements are needed upfront.

16. Stoke City

Tony Pulis' team picked up momentum last season and despite Dean Whitehead being the only notable signing, Stoke should avoid the drop again if Fuller and Beattie fire up front.

17. Birmingham City

Nobody knows coming up to the Premier League, getting relegated to the Championship and repeating the procedure over and over again quite like Birmingham City.

This time, though, Alex McCleish should have other ideas, and he has made some great signings like Christian Benitez, Joe Hart, Giovanni Espinoza, Roger Johnson, and Barry Ferguson to ensure they stay in England's Top Flight.

18. Portsmouth

Sad times on the South Coast. The takeover probably won't happen until the transfer window is closed, which means the club won't make any notable signings.

Steve Finnan and Fredric Piquionne have arrived. They could be followed by Mark Viduka, but it's a case of nothing doing for Pompey.

19. Hull City

Phil Brown's finally coming to the terms with the pressure of the Premier League. Jozy Altidore and Seyi Olofinjana are the only notable signings but the Tigers, who narrowly avoided relegation last season despite a high flying start will need something big from Geovanni, Jimmy Bullard and Company to avoid it this time round.

20. Wolverhampton Wanderers

Perhaps, the most controversial prediction comes at the very bottom of the list, Mick McCarthy's done well to bring Kevin Doyle, Greg Halford and Andrew Surman to Wolves, and the club have some quality in Micheal Kightly and Sylvan Ebanks-Blake.

But can Wolves sustain the pressure of the Premier League, will overconfidence of winning the Championship get to them like West Brom? Time will tell.

There you go!

I've stuck my head out of the window here and made some wacky predictions, what do you think of LEGEND TM and his predictions?

What are your predictions?

A Farewell To Shyam and Maire, B/R Might Never Be The Same Again.

Salaar Shamsi — Sat, 08 Aug 2009 13:54:49 -0400

I'm quite saddened to say that Bleacher Report has just lost two gems.

Maire Ofeire and Shyam Partharsarathi, two prominent names in B/R's World Football Community, have decided to part ways with the open source network.

Shyam and Maire, Co-Community Leaders of Arsenal Community, have made a massive contribution to the growth and popularity of the Arsenal Community, the World Football (FIFA) Community, and Bleacher Report as a whole.

As the Community Leader of the World Football section, I have witnessed the remarkable development which the Arsenal community has gone through under their leadership.

A combined 281 articles between them, Maire and Shyam have proudly made the Arsenal community into the most productive community in the football section.

Over 700 Bleacher Creatures are now members of the Gunners community. Prior to Shyam and Maire's input, it was merely a page.

They provided hope to the Gunners' faithful when all seemed lost.

I have personally enjoyed working with Shyam. He's a level-headed chap, well-acquainted with all the information needed to take the next step, which is a positive. I hope he takes it all into account in his everyday life.

Maire, I know we've had some bad days, but I truly admire your passion as a proud Gunner and your optimism as a fan journalist.

This is indeed a terrible shock.

Shyam and Maire have decided to move on, but we hope they will return in their spare time because they will always be welcome.

Ironically, both of them have a bit of travelling to do, be it, in different parts of the world.

Maire and Shyam are being given the right to nominate their successors and rightly so.

I salute you for your outstanding contributions and utmost devotion towards the development of our community.

Personally, I'm going to miss both of you.

Best of luck with your future endeavours.

To Maire and Shyam!

For B/R might never be the same without them.

Brace Yourselves My Brethren, the Action Begins Again!

Salaar Shamsi — Tue, 04 Aug 2009 09:45:32 -0400

After two months of excruciating pain without any competitive football, the countdown to the new football season has finally begun!

If the Confederations Cup was meant to provide any relief to millions of football fanatics who were starved for action, it ended a little too early.

Oh Lord! What a blessing football is!

A game which crosses all boundaries of age, race, country and religion, football unites the human race.

Barcelona's victory over Manchester United in Rome effectively gave them the right to be called Kings of Europe, it also brought the curtains down on what was undoubtedly, quite a memorable season.

Thanks the heavens for preseason action and while silverware from the Emirates Cup and the Audi Cup may not carry any significance, it gives the fans, the opportunity to have a glimpse of what to expect when the actual season gets underway.

New signings are introduced to the spectators and the managers are given the chance to test them under new strategies, tactics and formations.

The off-season means transfer speculation reaches it's height.

'Money-Bags' (Real Madrid and Manchester City fall under this category) take full advantage of this opportunity, splashing the cash, left, right and centre, adding quality to their ranks with the likes of Cristiano Ronaldo, Kaka, Karim Benzema, Carlos Tevez and Emmanuel Adebayor—regardless of how much they cost.

What a feeling it is, the anticipation, the excitement brought with them by new arrivals arriving at your club.

The media surely knows how to cash in on these football fanatics.

'They will sell you, what you want to hear.'

All this hype further deepens the level of frustration building inside the common football fan.

Questions begin to arise in our hearts and the answer seem to be at least a never-ending summer away.

Can Arsenal cope without Adebayor and Toure?

Are Owen and Valencia good enough to replace Tevez and Ronaldo?

Can Carlo Ancelotti succeed in his first stint as a Premier League manager with Chelsea?

Will this season see the Premier League trophy go to Anfield?

How will Mark Hughes play four world-class strikers together?

Can Barca retain the Champions League?

Will Ronaldo and Kaka be flops at Madrid?

Questions...Questions...Questions...

In the Premier League, the focus might be on the top of the table with City hoping to break into the monopoly created by the Big Four.

However, I think it's a special feeling for the new boys—Burnley, Birmingham and Wolves—it will be exciting to see how they fare in the top flight, can they give the big boys, a run for their money?

For them it's like the first day of school all over again" new class, new friends, old foes? Beware of those bullies!

I feel your frustration, my brethren for football is in our blood.

Don't worry though, your agony is about to vanish, the countdown has began.

Here's to another season of some hard-fought, competitive football which will, hopefully, live long in our memories!

Bordeaux Reject Arsenal's "Ridiculous" Bid for Chamakh

Salaar Shamsi — Mon, 03 Aug 2009 07:50:59 -0400

Arsenal's supporters have been constantly pleading with Arsene Wenger to make some additions to a rather depleted Arsenal squad which has seen the likes of Emmanuel Adebayor and Kolo Toure depart with only Thomas Vermaelen coming in.

Samir Nasri's injury has further dented Arsenal's chances of bringing home some silverware after an interval which has stretched to around half a decade.

Arsene Wenger apparently believes his squad is 'strong enough' to compete this season.

The Gunners triumphed in the Emirates Cup, thanks largely to outstanding contributions from Andrei Arshavin and Jack Wilshere.

Brede Hangeland, Sebastian Bassong, Patrick Viera, Klaas Jan Huntelaar, and Marouane Chamakh are amongst a host of names, who are being linked with a move to the Emirates Stadium.

Arsenal resumed their rebuilding process with an offer of just £5million for Bordeaux's Marouane Chamakh, which Bordeaux president Jean-Louis Triaud branded as 'ridiculous'.

Chamakh, though, is frustrated at being unable to secure a move to the Premier League despite offers from Sunderland and Arsenal.

"I am angry, I am disgusted and I do not understand why they have done that."

"One thing is certain, I will not be signing a new contract—if they will not let me go now, I will leave for free."

"If a solution cannot be found quickly, everyone will lose. Frankly I really do not want to start the season with Bordeaux."

Chamakh is infuriated that neither Sunderland or Arsenal can agree terms with Bordeaux.

"Already I am told that Sunderland is not the club for me."

"But since when does a club chose the future of a player?, then my bosses tell me they will let me go to one of the 'Big Four' like Arsenal."

"And then when an offer comes in, it is refused because they want a bigger fee as I have one year left on my contract."

"Everything is being done to prevent my move, I do not understand given how much service I have given to Bordeaux."

Not surprisingly, Chamakh is not making any secret of his agony.

Bordeaux coach Laurent Blanc confirmed he was informed by the player he could not play in their clash with Villarreal on Sunday.

"I received a phone call on Saturday evening, he told me he was sick and I am forced to believe it."

The Moroccan striker has reportedly travelled to England to push through a move.

Chamakh's frustration is understandable but why are Arsenal offering only £5 million for him when they received £25 million for Emmanuel Adebayor, the man, he is likely to replace.

Kaka, Ronaldo, and Messi: Is Sunny Spain the Place to Be?

Salaar Shamsi — Wed, 29 Jul 2009 14:39:42 -0400

Ladies and Gentlemen.

Introducing the three best players in Europe and probably even in the world, Cristiano Ronaldo, Lionel Messi, and Ricardo Kaka.

The 2008-2009 season comes to an end, all three of them are at different clubs, in different leagues, and using the Champions League as a platform to compete with each other.

Cristiano Ronaldo, at Manchester United in England, lighting up the Premier League for 18 league goals last season.

Lionel Messi already in Spain with La Liga Champions, FC Barcelona, scored 23 league goals last season.

Kaka in Italy with AC Milan, scored 16 league goals last season.

Here comes the summer and brings one Florentino Perez back to Real Madrid.

Perez eagerly launches a sequel to his invention, the Galacticos, who despite a star studded cast first time around, featuring Raul, Ronaldo, Zinedine Zidane, Luis Figo, Roberto Carlos, and David Beckham, failed miserably.

The sequel is planned, a budget is arranged.

Kaka is the first man to be roped in for a whooping ₤68.5 million.

The Galacticos II also features ex-Manchester United winger, Cristiano Ronaldo, who was next to put pen to paper, for a staggering ₤80 million.

Lyon's French wonderkid, Karim Benzema came next, for a stunning...hold your breath—₤35 million.

Valencia's want away defender cum midfielder, Raul Albiol couldn't resist this opportunity, he followed suit, in a deal worth ₤11.5 million.

Alvaro Negredo and Esteban Granero returned but they probably won't be making the cut for airing of the Galacticos II.

From the existing squad, the cast also features the likes of Ruud Van Nistelrooy, Raul (making his second appearance), Wesley Sneijder, Rafael Van der Vaart, and Arjen Robben.

After these transfers were completed, Manchester United, Lyon, and AC Milan didn't just lose a player; or didn't just lose their best player.

The English Premier League, Serie A, and French Ligue One have lost valuable star power. In other words, a significant drop in their star value.

This could lead to a fall in their following and global viewership, with loads of money blown into thin air, and we're all aware of the consequences.

All Cristiano Ronaldo fanatics and Kaka enthusiasts will now switch over to La Liga.

Lets compare a bunch of "World Class" stars from the Premier League to some from La Liga.

Premier League—Fernando Torres, Steven Gerrard, Wayne Rooney, Frank Lampard, Carlos Tevez, Cesc Fabregas, Micheal Essien, Robinho, Dimitar Berbatov, Andrei Arshavin, Micheal Ballack, Nicolas Anelka, Didier Drogba.

La Liga—Thierry Henry, Sergio Aguero, David Villa, David Silva, Lionel Messi, Cristiano Ronaldo, Kaka, Rafael Van der Vaart, Karim Benzema, Klaas Jan Huntelaar, Zlatan Ibrahimovic, Andres Iniesta, Xavi.

Which list looks more attractive?

Opinions are likely to differ based on different schools of thought, but I think the second list has a slight edge over the first one.

Now that we've got that settled, lets look at why all the starlets are moving to Espana?

Mind you good fellows, it's not just Ronaldo, Benzema, and Kaka even lads like Nilmar ditched Blackburn and Spurs for Villarreal.

Shunshuke Nakamura went to Espanyol despite attracting interest from Sunderland.

Even Maxwell and Ibrahimovic left Inter for Barca—with Eto'o heading the other way of course.

Jeremy Mathieu chose Valencia ahead of Hull and Wigan, and even Jermaine Pennant's gone to Zaragoza!

The Premier League and Serie A aren't really as appealing, are they?

Why?

Don't beat yourself up if you don't know the answer, we'll figure it out.

Money (income, after deduction of tax, in the Premier League and Serie A, unless you're at Manchester City or at any of the Big Four are likely to be less than that compared to the average La Liga outfit) Wigan's Maynor Figueroa earns £18,000 a week, in comparison, a player of a similar calibre, Atletico Madrid's Andrea Pernia earns £42,000 a week.
Tax as suggested by Willie Gannon, in his article, is another prime reason which makes La Liga so attractive. The player's in Spain get to keep a larger proportion of their real income which invariably means their real disposable income is higher than the average Premier League player.
Glory? This happens to be by far the most controversial point, but if you ask players who played in Spain and England for e.g Diego Forlan, he says "They are both good countries but here (Spain), football is tougher and I'd like to stay here." Perhaps, that points towards the fact, that players gain more satisfaction playing in Spain.
Weather is another important factor. Most players feel more comfortable in "Sunny Spain" as compared to the snow in England as Nemanja Vidic was earlier rumoured to be keen to leave Manchester United for Barcelona due to an "unfavorable climate."

Is it a growing trend?

Is Spain really the place to be now?

Is La Liga, in any way, better, than the Premier League?

Have Arsenal Pressed the Self-Destruct Button?

Salaar Shamsi — Wed, 29 Jul 2009 04:48:51 -0400

Year after year, Arsenal sell their best players which ultimately provides them with yet another and another trophy less season, such has been the case for at least half of the last decade.

All of a sudden, The Invincibles seem nothing more than just a distant memory.

"Of all the things, I still remember, Summer's never looked the same, The years go by and the time just seems to fly by, But the memories remain."

Thierry Henry, Fredrik Ljungberg, Patrick Viera, Sol Campbell right through to Mathieu Flamini, Aleksandr Hleb and now the likes of Emmanuel Adebayor and perhaps even Kolo Toure.

"I'm rushing back to let you know, No, No, There's no life after you."

Whatever might be the reason for this—whether it's covering the stadium debt, whether it's the lack of funds given to Arsene Wenger, or whether it's the persistent injuries that never seem to go away—the mere fact remains, these departures significantly weaken Arsenal and how then, can you expect them to go and compete consistently for silverware?

"You'd think I'd learn my lesson by now, You'd think that I'd some how figure out, That if you strike the match, you're bound to feel the flame."

They might get a high-flying start but as Christmas approaches, they slowly and steadily begin to fall out of contention for the league.

Arsenal fans were delighted by the sale of Emmanuel Adebayor, the badge kisser who was found offside, more often than not, scored 16 goals in all competitions last season (in 38 appearances)

"No you don't belong to me, I think you lied to me, and with my back against the wall, it's hard to be strong."

Wenger has yet to bring in a replacement for the Togo striker who joined Manchester City for a fee reportedly worth £25 million.

Mirko Vucinic, Obafemi Martins, Edin Dzeko, and Marouane Chamakh are the latest in a long line of forwards being linked to the club, yet, the Gunners haven't seen any new arrival since that of Thomas Vermaelen.

"It's no surprise, I won't be here tomorrow, I can't believe that I stayed till today."

It now appears, out of nowhere that Nicklas Bendtner is apparently, ready to step up to the plate and replace him. Mind you, I think this is the same Bendtner who was blasted by certain sections of the Arsenal faithful last season until he scored a late winner against Bolton, was it?

The same Bendtner who clashed with Adebayor? The same Bendtner who walked out of a night club without his pants, earlier this summer? The same Bendtner who apparently rejected a move to AC Milan?

"I know this will take time, can you give me one last chance to make it right."

However, there is Robin Van Persie, who has pledged his future to the club, what a relief that must be for Arsene Wenger!

"For the first time, you can open your eyes and see the world without your sorrow."

Eduardo seems to have a recovered from a career-threatening and Andrei Arshavin seems to have settled in well at the Emirates Stadium, so perhaps, Arsene Wenger is content with what he's got.

If they need some backup, I'd think Wenger would like to turn to the likes of Carlos Vela and perhaps even play Theo Walcott upfront, if needed to do so.

Arsene Wenger refuses to press the panic button and well, why should he?

"Well, it's not the time to breakdown, Keep it together now, well, it's not the time to breakdown."

However, Arsene's strategies sometimes can be called bizarre at best, his obsession with adding youth to his ranks might be a positive (in the long-term) but why not add a couple of experienced, mature (leaders) Who can guide that youth? Who can inspire the youth?

"What about now? What about today? What if you're making me all that I was meant to be?"

Samir Nasri's injury has rocked the balance in Arsenal's midfield. Andrei Arshavin might be needed to play on the left flank for a bit, an obvious boost is the return of Thomas Rosicky. Despite the rumours, Cesc Fabregas appears to set to stay, a much needed relief for the Gunners.

Abou Diaby (hopefully Wenger won't ever play him on the left again), Denilson, Alex Song and even Aaron Ramsey besides the likes of Jack Wilshere and Theo Walcott could expect to find alot more playing time this season.

Arsenal were linked to Lorik Cana, Felipe Melo, Xabi Alonso, and Gokhan Inler but failed to bring any of them to the Emirates Stadium.

Hey Arsene! Why not get Viera back?

I think Arsenal should offload Emmanuel Eboue to Fiorentina, why do they want him so bad? What a disaster he was for Arsenal? He was ridiculed by most Arsenal fans, wasn't he? The substitute who got substituted.

Arsene Wenger doesn't talk much these days, it appears as if, his hands are tied.

On replacing Adebayor and Toure, he said, "I am more focused on getting everybody fit for the start of the season but we are looking at opportunities as well, there are still some pre-season games to see what we really need."

What we really need? Don't you know what you need?

A defender? A defensive midfielder? An imposing striker?

The season hasn't even begun yet.

"It's a long way now, If only I could turn around, there's no direction where I stand."

Kolo Toure's departure won't do any good to Arsenal's defense, now would it? Unless, they can use the funds to get somebody in the same bracket as him, if not better.

Brede Hangeland, well, Fulham have reportedly slapped a "not for sale" tag on him but didn't Manchester United and AC Milan do the same on Cristiano Ronaldo and Kaka respectively?

It's funny what a couple of millions can do!

Sebastian Bassong? Tell you what, he got relegated with Newcastle and some thing tells me, if Arsenal want, they can pull this transfer off and from the most ridiculous of rumors, you might ever hear, here's another—Bassong, Duff (replacement for the injured Nasri), and Martins to Arsenal for £25million and Armand Traore, heading the other way.

Boro's David Wheater is another name in the tabloids besides Sevilla's Federico Fazio (also earlier being tracked by Manchester United) and Real Madrid's Christopher Metzelder being linked to Arsenal.

William Gallas, Gael Clichy, Vermaelen, and Sagna are form the core of Arsenal's defense with Kieran Gibbs, Silvestre, and perhaps even Song, serving as backup, needless to say, reinforcements needed!

Senderos might come in handy, if he's not shipped off to somewhere in Italy.

"When the time comes we will do something."

Mr. Wenger, when will the time come?

When the transfer window is closed? When most of your squad is injured? When preseason is over? In January? After you've seen them against Everton, in the Premier League opener?

Act while you can my brethren, or risk losing your fourth spot to Aston Villa, Manchester City or Everton!

"Well, I'll try to do it right this time around, lets start over, I'll try to do it right this time around, It's not over."

Jose Mourinho to Replace Sir Alex Ferguson at Manchester United?

Salaar Shamsi — Tue, 28 Jul 2009 05:30:54 -0400

Looks like the "Special One" has began talking again!

Ring any bells?

Indeed, the headline wasn't meant to fool you, it is believed according to various reports that former Chelsea manager Jose Mourinho has revealed he is interested in replacing Sir Alex Ferguson at Manchester United.

Mourinho and Ferguson shared a bit of a love-hate relationship while the Portuguese tactician was at Stamford Bridge but it is suggested that Mourinho would jump at the chance to replace Ferguson at Old Trafford.

Sir Alex Ferguson has been at the helm of Manchester United for some 23 years now, Holy Cow!

Despite several rumours of retirement and earlier falling back on a planned "hangin' of boots" in 2002, the sixty-something Scot continues to fight.

Last season, his health was reported to be steadily deteriorating due to the constant travelling but Ferguson, it appears, has no intention of stepping down any time soon.

Though when he does, Manchester United will have a bit of a headache in choosing his replacement.

Ferguson's son, Darren, is believed to be a contender. Darren is currently managing "The Posh", Peterborough in the Championship.

Mike Phelan, Ferguson's wingman, and Carlos Quieroz, who left United to take up the Portuguese job, are also contenders.

Eric Cantona, David Moyes, Brian McClair, Roy Keane, Steve Bruce, Bryan Robson, and even Mark Hughes (forget it, he's at City) are also names who have popped up in the past.

Another addition to this list is that of Jose Mourinho, who is excited by the prospect of taking up Fergie's role.

"I would consider going to Manchester United but United have to consider if they want me to succeed Sir Alex Ferguson."

"If they do, then of course."

Jose earned the reputation of being a bit of a big mouth in his time with the Blues and he couldn't resist throwing a cheap-shot at his former club who have failed to win the league since his departure.

"Since I left I became champion again (at Inter Milan) but they (Chelsea) have not been champions again."

"I keep on winning and they don't."

Do you think Mourinho would be an adequate replacement for Sir Alex Ferguson, once the gaffer, if ever, chooses to retire?

The Curious Case of a Certain David Beckham!

Salaar Shamsi — Thu, 23 Jul 2009 16:24:11 -0400

Who would have guessed that David Beckham, the son of a kitchen fitter and a part-time hairdresser, would grow up to become one of the "biggest" players to grace the football field?

A graduate of Tottenham Hotspur's school of excellence, Beckham's fairytale career began at Manchester United.

In his time at Old Trafford, David Beckham became a Red Devil through and through; he was an absolute fan favourite.

He won six Premier League titles with United and was a prominent part of United's treble winning team in 1999.

He eventually left Old Trafford to join Spanish giants Real Madrid in 2003.

He became more than a star in his time at the Santiago Bernabeau. A "superstar," or perhaps even more, Beckham became a brand, an empire. He was worth millions more than your ordinary professional footballer.

He was part of a Galacticos team which also featured Zinedine Zidane, Raul, Luis Figo, Ronaldo, and Roberto Carlos, but much to the dismay of Beckham's supporters, he didn't really win much with Real. The Supercopa triumph in 2003 was the only bit of silverware until Beckham's last season at the club, when they won La Liga.

Though he wasn't an outright success on the pitch, on the financial front, Beckham was absolutely brilliant. Madrid's revenue from sales of merchandise promoted by the former English skipper was remarkably high.

Beckham's international career saw a string of highs and lows. After being sent off against Argentina at World Cup in 1998, he had become a public enemy. But Beckham vowed to hit back and, after another failure at Euro 2000, Beckham was given the captain's armband.

He scored a valiant revenge, scoring the winner which knocked Argentina out of the World Cup in 2002, but Beckham never brought any glory home. Whether it was Euro 2004 or the World Cup in 2006, England fell well short of finish line on both occasions.

Beckham became known as a fashion plate, and together with his wife, Victoria, the couple became lucrative spokespeople sought after by clothing designers, fashion magazines, perfume and cosmetics manufacturers, and hair stylists.

His move to the MLS club the Los Angeles Galaxy was heavily criticised on the footballing front as a step backwards, but it reaffirmed his status as a celebrity. Soon he was no stranger to the glitz and glamour of LA.

He launched his own line of perfumes titled "David Beckham - Instinct" and holds contracts which entitle him to endorse products for well known companies such as Adidas and Pepsi.

Beckham's arrival to the US began a rather strange love-hate relationship between the player and the fans of LA Galaxy.

The MLS, not surprisingly, was delighted to have Beckham on board. As a global phenomenon with a mouthwatering image, Beckham was tipped to set the game alight in America, to bring in new soccer fanatics.

After all, finding a player of Beckham's quality in Major League Soccer is like finding a needle in a haystack.

He was welcomed warmly by the Galaxy faithful, but a year and half later, the story seems to have turned on it's head.

Galaxy ended last season at the bottom of the table and their fans obviously weren't too happy about it.

They hold the enviable duo of Landon Donovan and David Beckham, but the shocking failure was heavily criticised by all linked to the Californian club.

Beckham was keen to revamp his England career and realized Fabio Capello wouldn't bring him back to play for the Three Lions if he sat on his million dollar butt in LA, hence he arranged a short loan deal to Serie A giants, AC Milan, and greatly impressed the Rossoneri.

Playing alongside the likes of Ronaldinho, Andrea Pirlo, Kaka, and Alexandre Pato, Beckham got a feel of some intense Italian football and realized what he had been missing out on in the United States. Hence, he chose to extend his three month loan with the il Diavolo until the end of the season. This meant he would miss the first half of Galaxy's season.

Beckham's decision was met with stiff resentment from the LA Galaxy supporters who began to question his commitment towards the club, and even the players, including Donovan, questioned his "professionalism".

When he returned to Galaxy, the supporters gave him a piece of their mind.

He was constantly booed on his return, he was the subject of verbal abuse, and got tangled in a brawl with some supporters and some heated words were exchanged before security interrupted and pulled the midfielder away.

"Go Home Fraud" is a clear message sent by the Galaxy faithful towards Beckham, and maybe he should.

Poor Old Beckham doesn't have anybody to scratch his back in California.

Face it Beckham!

Your $250 million worth honeymoon with LA Galaxy is as good as over, now set your priorities straight.

The motive behind his move from Madrid to LA was perhaps a more relaxed family life where Posh and the kids could settle, but sacrifices will need to be made if he wants to keep himself in the reckoning for a place in England's squad for South Africa 2010.

He's clearly no longer welcome in LA, so why not move on?

A return to Milan seems the most likely option although Blackburn Rovers, Tottenham Hotspur, Chelsea, and perhaps even Manchester United could provide useful alternates.

"You play with fire, it's gonna burn you!"

The Curious Case of a Certain Samuel Eto'o

Salaar Shamsi — Sun, 19 Jul 2009 12:58:04 -0400

This is the story of a lad who grew up playing football on the dusty streets of Douala.

A graduate of Cameroon's Kadji Sports Academy, Eto'o was swooped up by Spanish giants, Real Madrid at the tender age of 16, back in 1997.

He had hardly put on a Madrid shirt when he signed a permanent deal with Mallorca after an impressive loan spell at the club.

He became an instant hit with the Mallorca fans, scoring 70 goals in his time at the ONO Estadi, but when FC Barcelona came calling, Eto'o packed his bags and headed for the Nou Camp.

This inaugurated a rather peculiar love affair between the player and the Catalans, which has refused to die out.

Eto'o moved to Barca back in 2004 and has been a consistent goal scorer through out his time with the Catalan Giants but despite an undying passion for the club, he has often been charged of a rather sulking attitude problem.

Which reminds us of his infamous public outburst against Ronaldinho and Frank Rijkaard.

This 'problem of sorts' was highlighted when before taking over as manager of Barcelona, Josep Guardiola openly suggested that he wanted three players to be shown the Camp Nou door: Ronaldinho, Deco and Eto'o.

Ronaldinho left for AC Milan, Deco for Chelsea, but Eto'o stayed put because no convincing offers came in for him.

Hence, Guardiola was forced to swallow his pride and make the Cameroon forward, a part of his plans.

A season later, little has changed, Guardiola, apparently is still keen to let go of the player despite the fact that Eto'o scored a staggering 35 goals last season including one in the Champions League Final, helping the Catalans to sweep a glorious treble.

This brings out some rather mind boggling thoughts into one's mind.

Firstly, how and perhaps importantly, why does a club want to get rid of a man who has scored 130 goals for them in the last five seasons?

Secondly, how is it possible that no other "European" club wants to buy a striker with such a record?

Well, not unless you include Manchester City!

No disrespect to the Manchester City but since they are not part of either the UEFA Champions League or the Europa Cup (UEFA Cup), they can't exactly be called a European club, though, their geographic location suggests they are very much a part of the continent.

Eto'o was never to keen on moving to City and not heading out into such untested waters could prove to be a wise decision.

It will be fascinating to see how Manchester City can keep the likes of Roque Santa Cruz, Carlos Tevez, Robinho, Craig Bellamy, Felipe Caicedo, Valeri Bojinov, Benjani and Emmanuel Adebayor happy together!

Samuel Eto'o, though, seems set for a move to Serie A Champions, Inter Milan after their President, Massimo Moratti expressed interest in bringing the forward to the San Siro in a deal which could possibly involve Zlatan Ibrahimovic moving the other way.

He might not be in Josep Guardiola's good book but as long as he can keep on finding the back of the net, the future of Samuel Eto'o appears quite bright.

Do Liverpool Fans Have the Right to Call Michael Owen a "Traitor"?

Salaar Shamsi — Wed, 08 Jul 2009 12:23:08 -0400

Michael Owen recently completed his "not-so blockbuster move" to Premier League Champions, Manchester United.

Owen became a free agent after his contract with the relegated Newcastle United expired earlier this month.

Owen insisted he was keen on returning to the Premier League which brought about reported interest from the likes of Hull City, Stoke, Everton, Aston Villa, and even the likes of Liverpool were thought as potential suitors of the player who eventually joined the Red Devils.

The former Real Madrid striker is keen to stage a comeback for the England ahead of next year's World Cup Finals in South Africa and believes Manchester United will provide him with the platform needed to impress Fabio Capello.

It will also give Owen a chance to form a partnership with England striker, Wayne Rooney, for which his form and fitness will need to be at a higher level than United's Bulgarian frontman, Dimitar Berbatov.

Manchester United haven't exactly matched Real Madrid's stunning spending spree which helped them capture the likes of Kaka, Cristiano Ronaldo, Karim Benzema, and Raul Albiol but then again, who can?

Despite the high profile departures of Cristiano Ronaldo and Carlos Tevez, Sir Alex Ferguson hasn't exactly replaced them with world-class players, but knowing Ferguson, who has been the at the helm of the Red Devils for over two decades, he surely knows what he's doing.

Wigan's Antonio Valencia impressed Sir Alex over the course of last season and the Scot has brought in the Ecuadorian winger to replace Ronaldo, who joined Madrid for a staggering 80-million pound fee.

Micheal Owen has signed a "pay-as-you-play" deal which makes him an absolute steal, many have questioned United's decision to sign the ex-Liverpool forward but the basic facts remain that Owen is quality striker with a proven goalscoring record at the highest level which leaves his susceptibility to injury as the only negative aspect of the transfer.

Manchester United have also completed the signing of relatively unknown French winger Gabriel Obertan from Bordeaux on a four-year contract.

Owen's move to Old Trafford has sent shock waves around the footballing world. Liverpool fans in particular have blasted the player for joining their arch-rivals.

Reports suggest members of the official Liverpool supporters club have inaugurated a petition to bring down Michael Owen's picture from the wall of Anfield "Legends".

Other lads from Merseyside believe Michael Owen is a "traitor" for joining Liverpool's rivals.

Now let's investigate whether these claims are valid, or not.

Michael Owen is from Chester and not from Liverpool which doesn't really qualify him as a "local lad" but Owen did begin his professional career with the Reds after leaving the youth team of Mold Alexandra.

Owen became a part of Liverpool at the tender age of 14 and went on to score over 200 goals for the club before moving to Real Madrid in 2004.

His legendary status at Anfield therefore remained preserved despite his return to England with Newcastle United, only after a season at the Santiago Bernabeu.

"Club Loyalty" hasn't exactly been at its prime since Paolo Maldini and Francesso Totti became role models at AC Milan and AS Roma respectively.

Manchester United fans might have similar chants for Carlos Tevez once he completes his move to either Manchester City or Chelsea.

Obviously, there can't be a clear verdict so I'm leaving an open debate—is Michael Owen a traitor for joining Manchester United?

Manchester United's Dilemma: How to Replace Carlos Tevez?

Salaar Shamsi — Thu, 02 Jul 2009 16:19:20 -0400

Earlier, I wrote an article titled 'Manchester United's Dilemma: How To Replace Cristiano Ronaldo?'

Well, that "dilemma" of sorts came to an end as the Red Devils completed the £16 million signing of Wigan's Ecuadorian winger, Luis Antonio Valencia.

However, Ronaldo's departure was followed by Carlos Tevez's decision to leave Old Trafford.

The Argentine forward became increasingly frustrated by the lack of opportunities he received at United towards the end of last season and openly expressed his desire to move to club which would offer him, "a regular place in the starting lineup."

Tevez is likely to sign for either Manchester City or Chelsea.

Despite Karim Benzema's shocking move to Real Madrid, various players have been speculated as a possible replacement for Carlos Tevez.

Manchester United are looking to add their depleted attack which currently features Wayne Rooney, Dimitar Berbatov, Danny Welbeck, Federico Macheda, and Alberto Manucho, with Frazier Campbell looking set for a move to Hull City.

Here's a look at a host of possible replacements.

Alexis Sanchez (Udinese)

Sir Alex Ferguson has reportedly become a keen admirer of the 20-year-old Chilean forward who currently plies his trade for Serie A club, Udinese.

Sanchez, who was earlier loaned out to River Plate is a pacy forward who can also play as a winger, his remarkable work ethic has had him compared with the likes of Tevez himself.

Alexis Sanchez's expected transfer cost is believed to be around £7 million.

Nilmar Da Silva (Internacional)

Nilmar played alongside Carlos Tevez at Corinthians.

The Brazilian forward failed to make a major impression with Lyon, yet his skill, speed and deceptive dribbling have attracted interest from many European powerhouses including Manchester United.

Manchester United's representatives have reportedly asked Internacional about the "availability of the player," who was a part of Brazil's Confederations Cup winning squad.

Nilmar's expected transfer cost is believed to be around £11 million.

Klaas Jan Huntelaar (Real Madrid)

Huntelaar joined Real Madrid from Ajax last season, United were speculated to be interested in signing the Dutch striker.

However, Madrid have since added Kaka, Cristiano Ronaldo and Karim Benzema to their cavalry which already boasts of Raul, Ruud Van Nistelrooy and Gonzalo Higuain. The Bernabeau club could offload Huntelaar, and he could prove to be a vital signing for United.

Huntelaar's expected transfer cost is believed to be around £28 million.

Micheal Owen (Newcastle United)

Sir Alex Ferguson has been an admirer of Micheal Owen ever since his Liverpool days.

Owen has since moved to Real Madrid and eventually to Newcastle United, who were relegated to the Championship last season.

Owen will be a free agent as his contract with the Magpies has come to an end. United might sign the aging striker, who is keen to confirm a place for himself in England's World Cup squad, which he believes, "will be easier at a reputable club."

David Villa (Valencia CF)

David Villa's chances of moving away from Valencia aren't looking too good, and even if he does move, he is unlikely to come to the Premier League with FC Barcelona also trying to sign him.

In England, he has stated, he would only like to play alongside Fernando Torres at Liverpool. With a staggering bid worth up to £45 million you never know, Villa might become a Red Devil.

Luis Fabiano (Sevilla)

The leading goal scorer at the Confederations Cup, Brazilian striker, Luis Fabiano has always been on Sir Alex Ferguson's radar.

His high-quality finishing could make him a huge hit with Manchester United.

Fabiano's expected transfer cost is believed to be around £21 million.

Obafemi Martins, Marouanne Chamakh, David Trezguet, Tuncay Sanli, Amr Zaki, Mohamad Zidan, Rafael Sobis, Miroslav Klose, Sergio Aguero, and Edin Dzeko are some of the other players linked with a move to Manchester United.

Who do you think is the best choice to replace Carlos Tevez?

The Gaffer's Ambition: Sir Alex Ferguson Keeps His Feet on the Ground

Salaar Shamsi — Wed, 24 Jun 2009 08:18:58 -0400

Manchester United's star-studded squad has been dealt two 'massive' blows in recent weeks with Cristiano Ronaldo's £80 million move to Real Madrid and Carlos Tevez's decision to leave Old Trafford.

Sir Alex Ferguson described Cristiano Ronaldo's move to the Santiago Bernabeau as 'inevitable'. A couple of seasons ago, Ferguson flew to Portugal to convince the Portuguese sensation to stay with the Red Devils. Ronaldo agreed and played a prominent part in United's Champions League winning team, scoring a staggering 42 goals in all competitions.

Carlos Tevez is set to join either Manchester City or Chelsea both of whom are considered as bitter rivals of Manchester United, a case of rubbing salt in the wounds of the United faithful.

Two major 'crowd-pullers' have left and United are yet to make their first official signing.

Franck Ribery, Karim Benzema, David Silva, David Villa, Luis Antonio Valencia, Douglas Costa, Arjen Robben, Ashley Young and Sergio Aguero are amongst a host of players who are being linked with a move to Old Trafford but there is no official word from United's management.

Sir Alex Ferguson, though, is unmoved over United's lack of signings in the initial part of the transfer season.

After being United's manager for over two decades, The Scot is not concerned by United's lack of transfer activity. The Gaffer is keen to take his time and study possible replacements to the sudden vacancies that have been created in his team.

While Real Madrid continue a rather intimidating spending spree snapping up the likes of Cristiano Ronaldo and Kaka and watching the likes of Chelsea and Manchester City competing in trying to lure 'big' names to their respective squads, Sir Alex Ferguson appears to be content with his squad.

The Scot is happy to take a much deserved break which will include a return to his native Scotland and spending some much needed time with his family.

Sources from United's setup believe Ferguson and his deputy, Mike Phelan are constantly in contact with David Gill. The trio have drawn up a list of players who United will consider bidding for, before and after United's tour to Asia which commences in mid-July with a clash against the Malaysian National Football Team.

Brace yourselves, United supporters, you might have to wait until deadline day once again for United to land the player that you want them to sign.

Manchester United's representatives, meanwhile have had a £22 million bid for Valencia's David Silva rejected after which, reports suggest, United are preparing a bid for Silva's Valencia teammate, Mata.

Wigan Athletic's Luis Antonio Valencia, who earlier seemed set to sign for the Red Devils will now have to wait after United failed to meet Wigan's asking price for the Ecuadorian winger.

United are prepared to offer an amount around £12 million while the Latics expect an amount in excess of £19 million for the ex-Villarreal player.

In another turn of events, Atletico Madrid insist sought-after forward Sergio Aguero is not for sale this summer.

Sir Alex Ferguson is happy to keep his thoughts away from the media.

Ferguson, though, clearly expects Dimitar Berbatov to have a much improved season and to show why United signed him in the first place.

Park Ji Sung, Tomas Kusczak and Frazier Campbell are also set to be off-loaded while Nani could be traded in a loan deal, in exchange for Sporting Lisbon's Joao Moutinho.

Do Manchester United really need to make a number of high-profile signings to retain their Premier League crown or regain European supremacy?

Manchester United's Dilemma: How To Replace Cristiano Ronaldo?

Salaar Shamsi — Wed, 17 Jun 2009 07:41:39 -0400

Cristiano Ronaldo's move to Real Madrid has undoubtedly dealt a massive blow to Manchester United's hopes of retaining the Premier League for the fourth consecutive season, besides regaining 'their' European crown which currently belongs to FC Barcelona.

Real Madrid are set to complete Ronaldo's signing which would make him their second high-profile signing of the summer after Kaka's arrival from AC Milan.

Sir Alex Ferguson described Ronaldo's move to the Santiago Bernabeau as 'inevitable'.

Real Madrid's re-elected president Florentino Perez has revived the Galacticos era which once saw the likes of Zinedine Zidane, David Beckham, Luis Figo, Ronaldo, Roberto Carlos, and Raul playing together.

The Red Devils, however, did not let the Portuguese sensation leave on the cheap. On the contrary, the World Player of the Year has joined Madrid for a staggering fee believed to be worth up to £80 million.

From United's point of view, indeed, Ronaldo was a huge asset who played pivotal role in United's pursuit of the Premier League and the Champions League but they can't afford to moan over this loss, The Red Devils need to look for a replacement.

Various players have been speculated as a possible replacement for Ronaldo who scored a sensational 42 goals, two season ago, helping United to domestic glory and continental supremacy.

Here's a look at a host of possible replacements.

Luis Antonio Valencia (Wigan Athletic)

Sir Alex Ferguson has reportedly become a keen admirer of Valencia over the last couple of seasons.

The Ecuadorian winger is 23 years old and is being linked to a host of top European clubs besides United including Real Madrid and Bayern Munich.

Valencia's expected transfer cost is believed to be around £16 million.

Ashley Young (Aston Villa)

Rumours around Villa Park suggest the Red Devils have joined Tottenham Hotspur and Chelsea in the race to land Ashley Young.

The former England U-21 star is one the Premier League's 'hottest properties'. Young has the pace to fuel United's attack on the flanks, he's a decent finisher and can take free-kicks, in short, his services are quite similar to Ronaldo himself.

Young's expected transfer cost is believed to be around £24 million in addition to Park Ji Sung also heading the other way.

Franc Ribery (Bayern Munich)

Ribery is likely to be United's first-choice as a replacement for Ronaldo but with financial powerhouses like Chelsea and Real Madrid also looking to land the French winger, it is highly unlikely, that United will come out on top.

Ribery's expected transfer cost is expected to be £68 million.

Ricardo Quaresma (Inter Milan)

He was a flop at Inter and failed to make an impression with his loan stint at Chelsea which would make signing Quaresma a real gamble but the former FC Porto winger is top quality player and his playing style is quite similar to his compatriot, Cristiano Ronaldo.

Quaresma's expected transfer cost is expected to be £19 million.

Arjen Robben (Real Madrid)

Adding the likes of Kaka, Ronaldo and possibly even Ribery, Madrid can now afford to part with the likes of Robben.

The Dutch winger will struggle to find playing time and could be off-loaded by Madrid, on the cheap, for as low as £14 million.

United might be ready to pounce on the ex-Chelsea star.

David Bentley, James Milner, Aaron Lennon, David Silva, Hatem Ben Arfa, Santi Cazorla and Maxi Rodriguez are the others being linked with a move to Old Trafford.

Who do you think is the best choice to replace Ronaldo or is he irreplaceable?

The Real Deal: Why Kaka Leaving Is a Blow for Both Milan and Serie A

Salaar Shamsi — Tue, 09 Jun 2009 02:48:41 -0400

It's a done deal.

AC Milan's Kaka has sealed his move to European heavyweights, Real Madrid for a world record fee worth up to £59m, eclipsing the £48m Real paid Juventus for Zinedine Zidane in the summer of 2001.

Kaka has reportedly signed a six year contract, which will keep him at the Santiago Bernabeau until 2014.

It's the beginning of another Galacticos era and after Real concluded their first major piece of business this summer, president Florentino Perez is expected to turn his attentions to an ambitious bid to prise Cristiano Ronaldo away from Manchester United.

FA Cup Champions, Chelsea fell well short of Milan's asking price for the Brazilian midfielder. Their highest bid was reportedly worth up to £43m and hence Kaka moves to Spain instead of England.

Kaka is delighted at securing a move to Madrid only days after stressing his love for Milan and how he wished to end his career with the Rossoneri.

He was truly the heart of AC Milan's attack, and his departure could well be a massive blow to Milan's hopes of regaining Serie A and the UEFA Champions League.

Kaka's move means his Brazilian compatriot, Ronaldinho, who secured his move to Italy last season from FC Barcelona, will need to step up to the plate.

AC Milan has hired a new manager in Leornado to replace Carlo Ancelotti, who left to the San Siro to join Chelsea.

However, Kaka's move could also be a massive blow to football enthusiasts in Italy.

What's really happening now is that the Serie A is beginning to lose out on its star power.

There are rumours also linking Zlatan Ibrahimovic to Barcelona from Inter Milan. This could result in a decline in the popularity of football in Italy and its worldwide viewership, or maybe not.

What do you think?