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Match Prediction: Liverpool at Anfield
2008-01-18 06:01:00 We might be on the same points as Liverpool but that doesn't mean we're as good as Liverpool. They have, in Steven Gerrard, one of the best central midfielders in the World who can, quite literally, win games for them. It's not just what he does or the goals he scores - it's how he gets everyone else up for the game. His attitude on the pitch acts as a catalyst and to some extent can determine how Liverpool play. More About: Aston Villa , Match , Anfield
New Boys Reports
2008-01-18 05:08:00 Apologies of the absence. Indeed this wretched night work is giving me a good and regular kicking whilehis two henchman, No Time and Tonnes Of Shit On My Plate, hold me down to make it easy. Like a private detective from a film noir, I head back to the Bakery, survey the mess that is, ... More About: Tottenham Hotspur , Boys
Diarra?s interview shows exactly why we don?t need him
2008-01-17 17:22:00 After four months of complaints, Diarra has moved to his third club of the season, joining Portsmouth for a fee believed to be between 5m and 5.5m. Harry Redknapp is understandably delighted to have him, especially as they're so short of players during the African Nations Cup, but Diarra's interview with L'Equipe makes his attitude perfectly clear, the kind of attitude that has me glad to see the back of him. "My choice could shock and surprise people, I am conscious of that. It isn't Arsenal , it isn't Chelsea. But I know the Portsmouth manager, I know he is going to play me." Reading between the lines, he is abandoning playing for a big club in order to be guaranteed regular starts. He isn't willing to fight for his place, which isn't a great distance off (he was Flamini's understudy, after all), and would rather be given the nod without having to earn it. Big fish, small pond, and all that. Demonstrating the point even more, he continues: "I read that the club... More About: Interview
WEBFLASH AH AH: Gary Cahill allowed to talk to Birmingham City
2008-01-17 10:43:00 It's not that we seem to learn all the news from other outlets before we learn it from the club that annoys me, but the lack of respect that the act demonstrates. Why do people at the club tell other sources before telling their fans? This time, we find out that Gary Cahill is allowed to talk to Birmingham City . I'm not sure on the general feeling on this matter so we've started a poll to the right. More About: Aston Villa , Talk , Birmingham City
WE53 HAM Numberplate For Sale
2008-01-17 10:34:00 You may remember that the numberplate WE57 HAM sold for 57,000 recently. The owner of a similar numberplate has contacted me to ask if I might help him sell WE53 HAM. He is not expecting 57,000 but he is expecting to make a five figure sale. If anyone is interested please email me (iain ... More About: For Sale , Sale , West Ham , Number
diarra?s left, wenger?s right, keegan?s back, and fulham?s next
2008-01-17 09:47:00 A few websites are reporting that they believe that a deal has been struck between Arsenal and Portsmouth for the transfer of Lasanna Diarra, less than six months after the Frenchman joined the North Londoners from Chelsea. The young player held a lot of promise that he really never fulfilled - and this wasn't down to a lack of being selected in the first team. I have touched on the Diarra situation in the past, and to save you having to go off and search for it, I include the excerpts here. If Diarra leaves, it would be a pity indeed. Were he more patient, I could see him at the age of 24, seizing his opportunity off the back of another players injury, and commanding a first team place from then onwards. Contrary to what he thinks of himself, he will not... More About: Back , Left , Fulham , Wenger
Juventus in for Mellberg this month but the right back position isn?t a maj
2008-01-17 09:43:00 Reports on SkySpors (http://www.skysports.com/story/0,19528,1 1677_3055384,00.html) suggest that Juventus will be making a bid to secure the services of Olof Mellberg this month and not just look at agreeing a pre-contract deal as first thought. This will be a worry for Martin O'Neill who just earlier today (http://www.expressandstar.com/2008/01/17 /villa-to-continue-without-right-back/) has praised Mellberg and Craig Gardner for standing in while the club didn't have a recognised right back. If he were to leave surely alarm bells would start ringing somewhere? More About: Aston Villa , Back , Month , Position
Will We Ever Beat Man City?
2008-01-17 09:15:00 There was a time when I used to look forward to playing Manchester City because we’d invariably beat them. We should have beaten them last night but contrived not to take our chances. It was not a good game. Indeed, it was tedious that I took refuge in my laptop for large parts of it. ... More About: West Ham , Beat
No big deal as Diarra heads to Portsmouth
2008-01-17 08:40:00 While it’s not official just yet, reports are that Lassana Diarra has signed a three-and-a-half year deal with Portsmouth . The French international midfielder has reportedly been sold by Arsenal for 5 million, 3 million more than the club paid for himfrom Chelsea justover four months ago. TheDiarra situation is one that I spoke about in adetail ... More About: Deal , Heads
what?s marcus bents celebration all about?
2008-01-17 06:09:00 I harbour little or no interest in the goal celebrations of non-Arsenal players, and so this will be old news to some of you - but I couldn't help wondering what Marcus Bents goal celebration is all about? At first, without paying much attention, I assumed it was a crude attempt at the letter 'M', the first letter in his first name. Upon closer inspection after repeatedly seeing him do it, it looked like an 'A'. Intriguing. Well, wonder no more. Just in case you don't already know, it turns out the 'A' in his celebration stands for 'A' Star, a scheme aimed at encouraging... More About: Celebration
Transfer news the only news in a rare midweek off
2008-01-16 22:54:00 Sometimes a week without a match is welcome for tired legs to recuperate. Sometimes the break allows players to refocus, especially after a busy Christmas break. But sometimes it just gets in the way of a reaction. With so many players rested for the Birmingham draw since New Year's Day, all these players want to do is get back out on the field and prove the doubters wrong, so it's frustrating to be waiting a few more days. On the other hand, perhaps it's my eternal optimism, but you get the impression that after a run of poor form, someone is going to get an absolute pasting at the hands of this Arsenal side, and with a leaky defence and an inability to hang on to decent starts, Fulham are ripe for the taking. Fabregas and Hleb especially are due goals, but it'd be churlish to criticise either given their early season form. Adebayor still leaves some fans unconvinced despite his excellent goal return, I suppose that's the curse of following Henry as the main man up front, part... More About: News , Transfer , Rare
Keegan Saves The Day!
2008-01-16 21:49:00 Possibly the worst appointment ever but it suits us! Keegan’s appointment at Newcastle means Sparky will stay with us until Ferguson retires/croaks. In other news Rovers attempts to sign Amdy Faye look to have gone tits up. The Senegalese midfielder has played for Charlton and Rangers already, and according to some ridiculous rule he can’t play for a third. Is it me or is this rule absolutely pointless? WHO CARES?! More About: Saves the Day
A Few Quick Bits of Man Yoo Stuff for the Week So Far
2008-01-16 18:39:00 *Darren Fletcher reveals he’s quite happy getting the occasional start… *While the club are content to not sell “contract rebel” Wes Brown… *The FA are suddenly on the defensive regarding their Munich disaster acknowledgement… *Now that we know our next FA Cup opponents — expect a tough match… *Cristiano Ronaldo’s midfield strike-rate is the subject of debate… *Let’s just hope ... More About: Manchester United , Stuff , Quick , Week , Bits
Faubert to Start?
2008-01-16 14:24:00 The Sun says Alan Curbishley will hand Julien Faubert his full debut tonight. It would be a brave move for a player who has only had 50 minutes of football after a serious injury. I imagine there will be a few other changes too - perhaps a well earned rest for George McCartney. ... More About: Start , West Ham
Too much Reality, Not Enough Fanciful Transfers In This Headline…
2008-01-16 11:52:00 Anyone notice the string of websites (I name no names…) that try to engineer more hits by listing the Dimitriev’s, Dimitrov’s and Detinho’s in their headlines? Anyone notice the monotony of Newsnow’s top stories? Anyone care to tell me how many of these fanciful rumours will actually materialise into signings? Is it that time of ... More About: Reality , Transfers
And The All Time Best Goalkeeper In The World For 2007 Is…
2008-01-16 11:15:00 Soccerlens started this whole thing... I blame Ahmed's boys for picking up on the IFFHS's rankings for the best clubs and players from around the world. Over the past week, I've been finding myself going back religiously to see if the updated rankings for the All-Time World Goalkeeper Rankings have been published, and they were...here are the results: I'm so excited it feels like I'm watching a Eurovision song contest. (I'm not going to list all of them by the way, and only those whom are currently still playing):1st: Gianluigi Buffon, Italy, 69 Points.3rd: Oliver Khan, Germany, 62 Points. 6th: Iker Casillas, Spain, 53 Points. 7th: Edwin van der Saar, Netherlands, 45 Points.11th: Peter Cech, Czech Republic, 37 Points.13th: Dida, Brazil, 35 Points.20th: Francesco Toldo, Italy, 21 Points.27th: Rogerio Ceni, Brazil, 13 Points.28th: Jerzy Dudek, (Poland), Oscar Eduardo Cordoba, (Colombia), Roberto Carlos Abbondanzieri, (Argentina), 12 Points.32n... More About: The World
Arsenal’s Diarra not wrong, just lacking ambition
2008-01-16 07:50:00 The slow news week for Arsenal continues to roll on with team and transfer news more difficult to find than my TV remote control. I’ve been pretty unwell of late and spent all of yesterday in bed and most of today on the couch bored out of my brain so both are equally irritating. With the lack of interesting Arsenal news going around I’m thankful the Australia v India test match began today. Normally test match cricket can be a bit hit-and-miss, especially when Australia are playing (they tend to destroy most other nations), but as I speak to you the Indians are putting in quite a decent effort thus far. Anyway, enough about that for now. More and more little tidbits are coming from Arsene Wenger’s interview yesterday during the launch of Arsenal TV and the latest comments made by the Arsenal manager are about assessing potential signings. Wenger *shock, horror* revealed that he felt the best way to assess a potential player for his squad was to watch them play ... More About: Wrong , Ambition
All quiet on the Aston Villa speculation front
2008-01-16 04:42:00 It's not often you go a few days without having anything to say about the club but it is January and we seem to be not that interested in the transfer window. This comes as no surprise but we should really be used to it now. I have no doubt that there is work going on somewhere. Martin O'Neill knows he needs players but we'll get nothing from him until the deal is done and we know what we'll get from him and the new player, as in pretty much exactly what they'll say. More About: Aston Villa , Front , Quiet , Villa , Aston
Diarra leaving must mean Flamini is staying
2008-01-15 23:54:00 With only FA Cup replays taking place this week, football itself takes a backseat to the January tradition of wild speculation over potential transfers. While most are well wide of the mark, one move that is getting closer by the hour is that of Lassana Diarra, poised to make the switch to Portsmouth. With Diarra only arriving at the club a little over four months ago, and spending most of his time complaining about a perceived lack of first team action, not many fans will be sad to see him go, especially as it appears we'll make a tidy profit on the 2m he cost from Chelsea. The concern for many is not the gap that Diarra leaves behind, but the potential hole that Flamini carves in the midfield if he decides not to sign a new contract and moves on in the summer. With Diarra his obvious replacement, it would transform a position of strength into one looking dangerously short of options. But Diarra just wants first team football (apparently without earning it). If Wenger thought... More About: Leaving
Cristiano Ronaldo Just Wants to Play More
2008-01-15 20:21:00 Considering his current run of form, I think this is a great idea. Whatever he wears on his feet is fine by me too. More About: Ronaldo , Cristiano Ronaldo , Play , Crist
Ivanovic transfer nears completion
2008-01-15 18:34:00 According to Chelsea’s official website, Lokomotiv Moscow’s versatile defender, Branislav Ivanovic, has nearly completed his move to Stamford Bridge. Chelsea Football Club can confirm it has agreed terms with Lokomotiv Moscow for the transfer of Branislav Ivanovic. A work permit application has also been successful for the player. The transfer is now subject to the agreement of personal terms and passing of the medical Ivanovic statement Wikipedia reports the deal being worth around £8.9 million. It also says he’ll be earning around 100k per week — riiiiight. I’ve never seen Ivanovic play, but from what I’ve heard, he has a similar style to Rio Ferdinand. If that’s the case, this should prove a good bit of business. Either way, welcome to London young sir. More About: Transfer
French U-19 Defender Signed
2008-01-15 18:19:00 Roy Keane has signed a player who is neither Irish nor a former Manchester United player. PSG and France U-19 defender Jean-Yves Mvoto has joined Sunderland for an undisclosed fee. With the reunion of Jonny Evans and Nyron Nosworthy in the middle of the backline, Sunderland notched only their third clean sheet of the season last weekend, and looked good doing it. The 6′4″ Mvoto (pictured — he’s the one not getting pwned) will hopefully help continue to shore up what has been a very shoddy defense. In other transfer news, Keane is looking at Reading’s Leroy Lita; and Sunderland appear to be very likely to sign Blackburn striker Jason Roberts. More About: French , Signed , Defender
The $64,000 Flamini Question
2008-01-15 11:28:00 A slow news day in the week between two dropped points and a short trip to Fulham. An unlucky streak of bad health for yours truly means we’ll keep today’s entry short but sweet, giving more time to Senor Lie-Down and a bit of site maintenance. More About: Question
Complacent Arsenal need to switch on again
2008-01-15 10:55:00 It’s been a quiet week so far for Arsenal as they prepare for the weekend Premiership clash with Fulham. There’s no midweek game to worry about for Arsene Wenger and his side and for that reason a lot of the comments coming from the club are still focused on the weekend draw with Birmingham. The manager has been quite candid about his side’s performance and backed that up with a very interesting point yesterday. “We were caught in the feeling, during the game, that it would be easy and that’s a good lesson for us. In 22 games this season we have played well in 21 of them. Now we want to come back to what we really are.” I guess the thing that’s most interesting about that statement is that Arsenal have not played well in every other game apart from the Birmingham one. From a footballing perspective Arsenal were dreadful in the loss to Middlesbrough and there have been other poor performances, against Portsmouth and Newcastle among others. The m... More About: Switch , Witch
Around The Web
2008-01-15 06:39:00 What the Net had to say at this hour regarding Chelsea… Terry optimistic he can return within a month Drogba relishing Anelka partnership Grant’s new Chelsea not yet revered but a little less reviled JT: Difficult to get in Chelsea team Chelsea planning move for Miguel Drogba: Restaurant connoisseur Long Balls — Good or Bad?
Downing a bitter pill
2008-01-15 06:25:00 Oh no! It’s looking truer by the minute. It’s 2.30am at the moment and word’s filtering through that Steve Gibson & Co. are holding out for £10m for the overpriced, over-rated left foot loser and there’s a chance we might use Robbo as a sweetner. Why are we doing this? Is the new world market in football the North-East? Are we hoping to boost shirt sales by signing Downing? I get it. The final disillusionment for the Toon army is being predicted for a few month’s time when Keegan/Shearer/whichever other poor sucker gets the boot from St. James’s and the Geordie faithful give up all hope of their club ever getting out of the hole which they’ve so carefully dug for themselves. They will then be searching for football teams to support and any team with a North-East born and bred player is a likely target for their added cash and naked white blubber on each and every match day. Apparently the market’s worth over £100m per year. The o... More About: Bitter
Report: Keane secures Sidwell loan deal
2008-01-15 04:40:00 Various reports suggest that Chelsea have agreed a deal with Sunderland that would send midfielder Steve Sidwell to the Stadium of Light on a six-month loan deal. Sidwell’s move will not take place until the end of the month, to ensure we have enough cover during the African Cup of Nations. The Blacks supposedly will have an option to buy at the end of the loan. But why not buy now? Oh, I know why. Because Sidwell’s value has plummeted so much that no Premiership team will actually meet Chelsea’s evaluation of him at the moment. To say Sidwell, who only just moved this summer from Reading, has failed to impress since moving to London is an understatement. Sure, the expectations were not that high to begin with. And it was always going to be hard to get match time. But when you’re only contribution lately is as a time-waster, you know it’s time to reevaluate your situation. I, for one, thought Sid might prove a shrew signing — evidence by the... More About: Loan , Report , Keane , Deal
arsene wenger as you’ve never heard him before
2008-01-15 02:33:00 I just managed to catch the last 45 minutes of a repeat the specially commissioned "Arsenal Question Time - Launch Night Special" hosted by Des Lynam, with guests Arsene Wenger , Martin Keown, Matt Lucas and Ray Parlour and I must say, it was an excellent programme, providing many insights into the club along with a few interesting anecdotes...
Arsenal frustrated but it isn’t the end of the world
More articles from this author:2008-01-14 20:45:00 Arsenal 1 (Adebayor pen X) Birmingham 1 (O'Connor X) Fate has been smiling kindly in recent weeks, but sooner or later a poor performance was going to be punished with the dropping of points, and so it proved on Saturday, when a surprisingly below par Arsenal were frustrated at the Emirates. With Clichy, Hleb, Fabregas, Adebayor, Almunia, and Flamini back after a two game rest, it stood to reason that the team would be refreshed and focused, but the clinical edge wasn't there, that extra 10% you need against most opposition. You can't just roll teams over without full application in this league. It started fairly well - a wonderful left wing cross from Hleb was somehow headed straight at the keeper by Eduardo, who puts those sort of chances away in his sleep, before the lead was gained via a slightly fortunate penalty. The tackle on Eduardo clearly won the ball, but with the defender tackling between the legs rather than around them, the decision must've been given for a ta... More About: Arsenal , World , The World , Frustrated , End Of The World 1, 2, 3, 4, 5, 6, 7 |
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