2349: Tottenham Hotspur: Things can

by : Sean OMeara

This well used footballing phrase always seems to paint a bleak picture, but one must always take stock of a team’s predicament, when considering it’s meaning.

In Spurs’ case, fourth in the table with seven Premiership games played and facing an away day at The Valley this weekend, which could take Martin Jol’s men second in the table, you might wonder how things could get a lot better.

Time for another well known soccer phrase then.

The table doesn’t lie.

While technically speaking this is of course the case, it has been known for the table to bend the truth a little.

In the same way fourth in the table at the end of last season flattered Everton; fourth, or indeed a potential second, presently flatters the North Londoners.

They have defended well and they battle and chase harder than any Spurs side this writer has ever seen, but there is something distinctly lacking in the current set up.

Wins at Fratton Park on the opening day and at home to Middlesbrough may have set the Spurs well on their way, but both were unconvincing performances and games they could easily have lost.

Jol rested key players for a visit to Ewood Park and got the point he looked like he wanted and at best deserved.

Entertaining the Champions, his men looked on the verge of an upset until Mido got himself sent off, extinguishing all hopes of overcoming their rivals.

A nil-nil at home to Liverpool and a one all draw with Villa, courtesy of a Robbie Keane late equaliser, after immense Villa pressure; and Spurs went into a home game against Fulham feeling lucky to still have only one defeat to their name.

The same old ‘lacking creativity and attacking ideas’ story against Grimsby saw the Lily Whites crash out of the Carling Cup.

Jermain Defoe stole in for the early winner, but again Spurs failed to build on the lead, creating next to nothing in front of goal and were eventually glad to hear the final whistle against Fulham.

The problem Spurs have just isn’t going away. Last season saw the same problem on the road. The inability to score goals somewhat put to waste the ability to keep clean sheets on the road.

Spurs may have added to their young, quality midfield stock and have added Edgar Davids, but still they create little in the final third and contribute absolutely no goals whatsoever.

If the big jolly Dutchman can find the key to this puzzle and get Spurs scoring goals, particularly on the road, then they really will be a force to be reckoned with – and starting this weekend would be as good a time as any. Ladies and Gentlemen, I give you Aaron Lennon.

With one of the largest squads in the Premiership, no European distraction and only one domestic Cup left to go for, fixture congestion will not be a problem.

Expect to see Spurs pushing all the way, when others such as Charlton, Bolton and Man City start to fall away.

If Spurs can unconvincingly reach second, imagine how hard they’ll be to catch when they get going.

Someone once said the sign of a good side is to play badly and win and Spurs haven’t played anywhere near their best yet this season.

Someone is due a battering.

This Spurs side is a bubble crying out for inflation, and a Charlton side sitting second with only one goal at home this season is a bubble ready to burst.

Sean O’Meara
29 September 2005

2350: Liverpool: Has Benitez got the

by : Simon Cole

Before Chelsea met Liverpool in the Champions’ League semi-final last season, the Blues had won all three contests between the two sides since Jose Mourinho had taken over at Stamford Bridge. Since then, Chelsea haven’t beaten Liverpool in three games, and more importantly haven’t looked like beating them.

This weekend they meet again for the second time in under a week, and this will surely show us whether or not Rafa Benitez is coming out on top in his battles with Mourinho. At present, things are looking fare more favourable towards the Spaniard.

Even in Chelsea’s three domestic wins over Liverpool last season, there was an element of luck involved. In the first league meeting, Joe Cole scored the only goal in a game that really could have gone either way. But in fairness to Chelsea, that is the hallmark of champions. But in the return fixture, Liverpool felt anything but fairness as once again Cole struck the only goal. His strike however, wasn’t before a clear handball by Tiago was waved away by referee Mike Riley, despite him putting the whistle to his mouth as if to blow for the offence.

These games were perhaps trivial in the end, as Liverpool offered no threat to Chelsea in the Premiership. But when Chelsea won a third successive contest it really hurt Liverpool, particularly as they hadn’t been outplayed in any of the matches. It took an unfortunate Steven Gerrard own goal to turn the tie in Chelsea’s favour. But when the two sides were paired together in the Champions’ League semis, Benitez used these contests as inspiration, knowing that on every occasion the only difference between the sides was that bit of luck that always favours the champions.

The most important thing for Liverpool was that they could have won all three games, and were unlucky not to do so. But it was in these European contests when Benitez really outdid his opposite number. Despite Liverpool setting out their stall not to lose at Stamford Bridge, they came closest to winning the tie, with only a spectacular save from Petr Cech denying Milan Baros a headed goal. But Benitez had sent his men out not to lose and that is what they did. Mourinho on the other hand, did not have an answer to Liverpool’s resistance.

To this day Mourinho claims Liverpool had the rub of the green in the second leg, still insisting Luis Garcia’s winner didn’t cross the line, ignoring the fact that had it not been given it would have been a clear-cut penalty and a certain red card for Cech. But for the second consecutive game, Benitez did exactly what he had hoped, this time getting an early goal, then frustrating Chelsea. And for the second time running, Mourinho didn’t have a tactical answer. If teams don’t over-attack Chelsea, they can’t sit back and catch them on the break.

But Mourinho’s inability to tactically change a game has happened more than once. On so many occasions when up against it, he brings on millions of pounds worth of talent, and against most teams that is enough to clinch the game. But not against a solid defence. When it comes to a tactical ability to change a game, Benitez has continually outshone Mourinho. The Spaniard’s game-changing decision to bring on Didi Hamann in the Champions’ League Final is an example of this.

Yet in the Champions’ League group game on Tuesday night, with things not going his way, Mourinho brought on over £40million worth of talent to try and change things. This was to no avail as substitutes Hernan Crespo and Shaun Wright-Phillips barely got a kick. There is no denying that Mourinho is both one of the best coaches and one of the best motivators in the world. But when it comes to in game changes, he tends to throw on expensive players, rather than changing the shape of his team and the game.

And he can be considered extremely luck to have come away with a point, as William Gallas clearly handled Jamie Carragher’s header in the area right in front of the eyes of Spanish referee Massimo De Santis. Why this wasn’t given, only De Santis knows. They were also lucky to escape an early rash challenge from Didier Drogba on Sami Hyypia, which could also have resulted in a spot kick. While the game was tight and a draw was arguably a fair result, if anyone was going to win, it was going to be Liverpool, who dominated the second half with Steven Gerrard dominating England team mate Frank Lampard, and Xabi Alonso outshining £24-million-man Michael Essien.

But this weekend its back to domestics as Chelsea visit Anfield in the Premiership bearing confidence from three successive domestic victories over Liverpool. And with Mourinho’s men winning seven from seven in the league, few teams will be confident against them.

However, in six contests which Liverpool could easily have won each one, the sides have proved to be extremely evenly matched. With one win and two draws, few people can doubt that Liverpool have had the better of these matches, despite them being European games. He would never admit it, but surely Mourinho must be worried by how Liverpool – a team without the stars of Chelsea and Man United – are looking on a par with them over 90 minutes. They may not have the consistency that Chelsea have over the course of the season, but when those players come out onto the Anfield pitch, Chelsea may well realise they have met their match.

The players and financial status of the two clubs might not compare, but the managers certainly do and Benitez now has the opportunity to prove that he has mastered the tactical outfoxing of Chelsea.

Simon Cole
29 September 2005

2348: Wolves beat the Autumn blues

by : Hugh Larkin

Autumn is always a melancholy time for Wolves fans. It’s around this time of year that once again the supporters realise another long hard slog is on the way, dashing hopes of a serene procession to promotion. This time last year it became clear that Dave Jones squad wouldn’t make it back to the Premiership; the year before fans realised staying in the Premiership would be beyond them. Nearly every year in the past 15 has been the same.

Wolves stuttering performances in September had brought the usual insecurities back to Molineux. After a more than reasonable start to the season, defeats to Watford and Millwall (albeit one in the Carling Cup) and a four match League run without a win had severely dented the early season optimism. The sight of Sheffield United steaming clear at the top only added to the misgivings.

Glenn Hoddle’s side faced a crucial six day period with three games against the sort of opponents Wolves have to beat if they are to be in the promotion shake-up. Stoke, Crewe and Burnley are all teams that aren’t expected to be figuring in the play off picture, although the Potters have made a flying start to the campaign.

Two matches into the three game series and Wolves have firmly banished the sense of gloom by hammering in two excellent away victories. The 3-1 win at Stoke has been followed by a short hop to Crewe and an even more emphatic 4-0 scoreline. Kenny Miller netted three times in the two games and Carl Cort is showing the sort of form that many felt he’d left behind in his Wimbledon days. The buy from Newcastle has 9 League goals already this term.

Now the club are looking at Friday’s home fixture with real optimism and could well come out of the week with a stunning 9 point haul. The points gap to Reading, sitting in the second automatic promotion place has been dragged back to 4 points and at least Neil Warnock’s Blades have been kept in sight.

This week has been a critical test for Glenn Hoddle’s ambitions. So many times during Wolves endless existence in the second tier, the club have had an excellent squad but the relentless pressure to lift the club back to the top flight has forced many players to wilt under the strain, especially in front of the restless home crowd.

By responding positively to their September blip, this set of players have shown that the steel to grasp the opportunity on offer in the division is there. Crucially, Wolves should have the firepower to keep the goals coming. Backing Miller and Cort are South Korean Seol Ki-Hyeon, George Ndah and Rumanian Ioan Ganea, which should be enough to keep defences occupied all winter, even if injuries bite.

As with most Hoddle sides Wolves are tactically astute and in players like Joleon Lescott, Jackie McNamara and Colin Cameron, the team are not short of experience in key positions. However, this week has been less about style and skills and more about showing desire and character.

A poor return from this week and Wolves would have been facing another desperate effort to scramble into the play offs. The manner of their two victories was pleasing in the quality of football played but Molineux fans will have been equally, if not more happy, with the evidence that the team has the grit to see them through the winter and challenge for an automatic promotion berth.

Hugh Larkin
28 September 2005

2347: Michael Owen: The master is ba

by : Simon Cole

When Michael Owen’s stint at Real Madrid was cut short, former Liverpool team-mate Jamie Carragher suggested that he was not wanted at the Bernebeau because he couldn’t do any fancy tricks. This may well have been the case in the eyes of the Madrid hierarchy, but in reality Owen has the best trick of all: goalscoring.

His Newcastle career may only be three games old, but he is already showing signs that a season in-and-out of the Real Madrid side hasn’t in any way deteriorated the class Owen was born with. The early signs are that those who write off his time abroad as a ‘failure’ will be eating their words, as already he looks to have returned an even more complete player.

Not since Alan Shearer’s £15million arrival from Blackburn have we seen Newcastle fans so excited about the arrival of a player. But not only is it a welcome arrival at St James’ Park, but it is a welcome return to England. Among all of Sven Goran Eriksson’s gaffes and attempts to destroy an international team full of class, if your team scores goals, you have a chance of winning. And when it comes to hitting the back of the net, there is nobody England would want more than Michael Owen.

Already in his first three games at Newcastle, he has hit the back of the net twice despite having very little first team football under his belt. In their 1-0 victory over Man City at the weekend, Owen showed no signs of rustiness. He caused havoc in the City defence all afternoon and a fully match-fit Michael Owen could easily have had a hat-trick. The City defence didn’t get a moments rest, and both Owen and the St James’ Park faithful were ecstatic when 18 minutes in, he scored his first goal at his new home ground, with a typical predatory finish.

After the game, Owen said it was a relief to get off the mark at home. A relief perhaps, but a surprise? Certainly not. This is a man who has scored goals at every level for every team he has played for. At Real Madrid he comfortably outscored the ‘King of the Bernebeau’ Raul, and had a far superior goal ratio to Brazil’s Ronaldo. But somehow the powers at Real Madrid preferred the step-overs of Ronaldo’s counterparts Robinho and Julio Baptista to the guarantee of goals.

Look how Liverpool have struggled in front of goal since Owen’s departure. This man consistently scored twenty goals a season for the Reds, and left fans bitterly disappointed when he opted to go to Spain. The first season with out Owen saw Liverpool’s top scorer – Milan Baros – notch up a mere 13 goals in all competitions, despite the club playing the maximum number of games in both the Carling Cup and Champions League. And the lack of a goal threat from Rafa Benitez’ men has again been prominent this year, justifying the Spaniards attempts to bring Owen back to Anfield, despite him jumping ship just weeks into Benitez’ Anfield reign.

People may question Owen’s performance in England’s recent World Cup Qualifying defeat to Northern Ireland, but the fact is the lone strikers role isn’t for a predator like Owen, but for a work-horse like Didier Drogba or Emile Heskey. Put Owen up front with a battler, and the goals will flow. Shearer’s age and slight loss of pace mean that he is more than happy to throw his weight around, and now Newcastle have the best in the business at picking up his scraps.

Owen still delivered the goods for England throughout last season, despite his lack of regular first team football, and not having the opportunity to get full fluency and sharpness into his game. In a World Cup year, Owen has made a welcome return to English football and if he can get to full sharpness, England can still be a major threat. If he carries on the way he is going, Sir Bobby Charlton will be looking over his shoulder as Owen bears down on his England goalscoring record.

On signing for the Toon Army, Owen insisted he would score goals. Arrogance? Don’t believe it. An arrogant man would have turned his back on a team in the bottom half of the table, believing he was ‘too good’ for them. But Owen is a model professional and was happy to admit that emotional ties meant Liverpool was his favoured destination. However, Newcastle will reap the benefits of this professionalism, as Owen has already shown there is no lack of commitment from him. “I’m confident I will score goals,” the England star told an adoring 20,000 fans when paraded at St James’ Park. Only a fool would argue otherwise.

Simon Cole
27 September 2005

2346: Everton hit their rock bottom

by : Stephen Orford

Everton’s presence at the bottom of the Premiership pile is almost as surprising as their presence in top four at the end of last season.

While few expected a repeat of their achievements from last season which saw them qualify for the preliminary stages of the Champions League, fewer still marked them down as potential relegation candidates heading into 2005/06. Like an alcoholic yet to admit there’s a problem, Everton have hit their rock bottom, both metaphorically and literally. Despite Sunderland’s best efforts to be the worst team in the top flight, it was David Moyes’ men who hit the foot of the ladder following a home defeat by Wigan Athletic on Saturday (September 24).

The Toffeemen have managed just one win from their first six league outings, and that by virtue of a slightly fortuitous smash and grab raid at the Reebok against Bolton in August. Defeat at home to Manchester United on the opening day was not an unexpected or particularly alarming development, but the latest Goodison reverse at the hands of scouser Paul Jewell’s newly-promoted side has fingers hovering nervously on panic buttons in the blue half of Merseyside.

In between times, Everton have lost at home to Portsmouth, aswell as on the road at Arsenal and Fulham. They have also been knocked out of the Champions League by Villarreal, and face the almost impossible task of over-turning a 5-1 deficit in the second leg of their first round UEFA Cup tie against Dinamo Bucuresti this Thursday (September 29).

All of which has led to the appearance of some fairly disconcerted fans, and to extensive criticism of Everton manager David Moyes. The most popular complaint appears to be that the former Preston manager has failed to build on the successes achieved by last year’s squad, by bringing in the right players to take them on to the next level. Most notably, Moyes has been unable to add to the Blues’ strike force, as attempts to recruit Craig Bellamy and Michael Owen among others ended in failure.

With only one goal scored in the league this season, and with January signing James Beattie having failed to find his fitness during his time at Goodison, it is clear that Everton are crying out for a proven goalscorer. Duncan Ferguson’s presence in the squad now seems only to lead to some undignified hit and hope football, while Marcus Bent has failed to reproduce the form that impressed many in 2004/05. The goals from midfield of Australian international Tim Cahill have suddenly dried up, leaving many to question Moyes’ inability to sign a top-line goal-getter in the summer.

Still, is this entirely Moyes’ fault? Despite the sudden rise in expectations among the fans, many professionals within the game still do not see Everton as an attractive draw. Bellamy’s decision to join Blackburn Rovers seems to support this, as does Owen’s curious decision to replace the Welshman at the comedy pantomime that is Newcastle United under Graeme Souness. Bellamy does have a link with Rovers boss Mark Hughes, having played under him in the Welsh national team, but is this in itself enough to turn down a move to a club which, at the end of last season, looked destined to regain its place among the game’s elite?

Everton are one of the best supported, most famous clubs in England. They have the tradition and history that would make any Premiership player proud to pull on the blue jersey, and they have a progressive young manager who last season was being compared to the great Sir Alex Ferguson of Manchester United. They have always had all the right elements in place for success and looked finally to be fulfilling that potential by the end of last season.

And yet somehow they are being ignored by many of the great and the good among front men, despite Moyes’ best efforts. It is not as if the former Celtic player has not been able to attract good players to the club in other areas of the squad. Goodison Park is a place fit to showcase the footballing talents of Champions League winners such as Phil Neville and Nuno Valente, and has the ability to secure the talents of Andy Van Der Meyde, Mikel Arteta and Simon Davies. However, when it comes to front-line strikers, they have all the pulling power of FA Chief Executive David Davies in a lift.

Back to the plot, and Everton are stuck with what they have until at least January. That means that they have to lift themselves away from the bottom of the table the hard way, and their forthcoming fixtures are not particularly conducive to achieving that aim. After the UEFA Cup salvage job they face trips to Manchester City and Tottenham, both of whom are enjoying the kind of resurgences that Everton should be experiencing. The visit from Chelsea which follows on October 23 would be a write-off if were being played tomorrow, while Liverpool proved recently that the trip to Birmingham which awaits their local rivals on October 29 will be far from easy.

They say the first step to recovery is to admit you have a problem. So come on David, say it with me……….. “My name is David and I can’t buy a striker……..”.

By Stephen Orford
27 September 2005

2345: Six clubs that have started th

by : Hugh Larkin

The season is well underway now and it’s possible to pick out those sides that have underperformed and/or are giving their fans serious worries.

Everton

Everton have had a nightmare start, although results were tailing off at the end of 2004/5. All the effort to get into the Champions League was a poisoned chalice as the defeats to Villarreal- who are a very good side- destabilised the club from the start. Viewing the squad, no one expects Everton to stay in the bottom three but already the season is looking decidedly downbeat.

Arsenal

Everything in life is relative; the Gunners are sitting in 8th spot and haven’t dropped a point at home. Good enough for most sides but not the elite of the Premiership. Arsenal have lost two games which is already more than the title winners lost in the past two seasons combined. Such is the standard set at the peak that Arsene Wenger may be thinking he has to go the whole season unbeaten now to have any title hopes.

With Vieira gone, injuries to Henry and Pires, plus young players to bring on, the Gunners will probably have to concentrate on keeping alive their Champions League ambitions for the moment.

Rangers

Losing three times in the League before the end of September is a nasty shock to Gers fans. The Ibrox squad just doesn’t look as formidable as it has in seasons gone by- full of good players but none that scare the opposition into defeat before they even get on the field, which happened in the past.

Quirkily, Rangers have started really well in Europe but Alex McCleish’s side can afford no more slip-ups if they are to stay in touch with the pace at the top of the SPL.

Sheffield Wednesday

Wednesday weren’t expecting to make an assault on promotion after scrambling back to the Championship but being bottom after 9 matches wasn’t in the script either. Having to watch city rivals United surge away at the top only makes the pain worse. However, the side haven’t been getting hammered and a bit of a tightening at the back and more vigour up front should push them up the table. A 2-2 draw at Luton was a morale-boosting result.

Bristol City

The Robins have finished in the top 10 in League One for each of the past 6 campaigns, including two agonising 3rd place finishes in succession. Despite his long service at the club Brian Tinnion has had to go after only one win is 9 League games and a terrible 7-1 caning at Swansea. The board have turned to former Yeovil boss Gary Johnson to drag them out of the mire and as is usual, the players responded by winning at Brentford in his first match.

Lincoln City

After three successive visits to the play offs, it’s something of a surprise to see the Imps sitting in 17th place after 10 games. Mitigating circumstances though in the loss of key players such as Simon Yeo and there is only a 6 point gap to the promotion places, so Keith Alexander has time to turn matters around.

Hugh Larkin
27 September 2005

2344: Liverpool vs Chelsea: Scores t

by : Stephen Orford

Liverpool’s meeting with Chelsea on Wednesday (September 28) should be the most eagerly awaited tie of the Champions League group stage this season.

Rarely do two sides from the same country meet at such an early stage of European competition. Not only is is there a sense of national pride at stake, but the game also pits the European champions against the Premiership champions. Add last year’s semi-final between the two into the mix and you might have a tasty prospect in store.

That said, neither team is likely to go all out to bury the other with a display of scintillating attacking football. Apart from anything else, it is just not their style. Both have been criticised this year by the press for being boring, and both are seen as major players in the perceived ‘dulling down’ of the English big league this term. However, both can lay claim to having been effective during the opening exchanges of 2005/06.

Both made winning starts to Champions League Group G a fortnight ago, as Liverpool pulled off an impressive 2-1 win in Seville against Real Betis. Chelsea held off the challenge of Belgian outfit Anderlecht to win 1-0 thanks to Frank Lampard’s goal at Stamford Bridge.

Neither team has been beaten so far in the domestic competition, and both conceded their first goals of the Premiership season this past weekend. Chelsea have zoomed away to a Premiership record start with seven straight league wins, prompting bookmakers everywhere to price them out of the market for the title. Liverpool have been operating at a slightly more pedestrian pace, but will be encouraged by the fact that they have managed to avoid defeat at Birmingham, Middlesbrough and Tottenham, and at home to Manchester United.

The west London club are boosted by news that Spanish left-back Asier Del Horno may return to the side after a thigh injury, but have a doubt over Dutch winger Arjen Robben. The former PSV Eindhoven man limped out of their 2-1 victory over Aston Villa on Saturday (September 24), which could open the door for Joe Cole to start the game. Robben’s absence was perhaps a crucial factor in Chelsea’s failure to go all the way in Europe last season, and few at Anfield will shed tears if his name is not on the team sheet come Wednesday night.

The tactical battle between Liverpool boss Rafa Benitez and Chelsea counterpart Jose Mourinho will be one of the more fascinating features of the clash. After all, these are the two men who masterminded the most unlikely Champions League victories over the last two seasons, and the two men who did so only a season after collecting UEFA Cup honours.

Benitez is likely to persist with a lone front-man, despite the fact that his side are playing at home. The man in possession is Peter Crouch, and he is likely to be supported only by attacking midfielders. Luis Garcia was only good enough for a place on the bench at Birmingham on Saturday, but probably produced a good enough performance to earn a start against Chelsea. It was his controversial goal at Anfield which put paid to Mourinho’s Champions League hopes in April of this year, and the Portuguese will no doubt be dreaming up ways of nullifying that threat.

A change of assistant referee might help, but having conceded only one goal this season Chelsea’s defence looks almost impenetrable. The form of Petr Cech, John Terry, William Gallas and company never seems to dip, and with Liverpool’s relaxed approach to goalscoring don’t expect too many heart-stopping goalmouth incidents in this one.

For their part, Chelsea must avoid falling into the trap of playing too many straight balls to Ivory Coast international striker Didier Drogba or Argentine ace Hernan Crespo. Given that the Premiership champions also play with a single striker, too many long balls will make it easy for the Liverpool defence to cope, as it did when the teams last met in the competition. The Liverpool rearguard is not quite as impressive as that of Chelsea, but is not to be underestimated either. Just as Terry and Gallas have bolted the Chelsea back door, the likes of Jamie Carragher and Sami Hyypia have given Liverpool a formidable defensive record also, even if the defending does look a little more desperate at times.

Interestingly, this will be the first of two clashes between the two in the space of four days, as they meet again in the Premiership this coming Sunday (October 2). It’s going too far to call the European battle a dress rehearsal for the league encounter, but you can’t help but get the feeling that a loss for either side on Wednesday would not be felt half as harshly as one on Sunday.

In all probability, neither team will suffer even that minor indignity, as a draw looks favourite and suitable for both in the bigger picture of Champions League Group G qualification.

Verdict: Liverpool 1 Chelsea 1.

Stephen Orford
27 September 2005

2343: More on how to beat Chelsea

by : Peter Lee

Seven matches into the new season, the Blues are still undefeated. They have conceded only one goal, and have showed the world that they are, for real. What, then, must the rest of the EPL do? Must they stare at the Champs with their mouth wide open, gawking at their mightiness?

Shut down Arjen Robben and Damien Duff

Robben and Duff are extremely fast. They are arguably, the most dangerous wingers in the entire Premiership. Their blinding pace down the flanks and clever dribbling moves pose nightmares for the opposition wing backs.

In order to shut these two wingers down, the defending team must never cease to pressure them. Pressuring reduces Robben and Duff’s spaces and thus, makes it a bit more difficult for them to provide passes and crosses into the penalty box. Quick footed players such as Ashley Cole must be employed to tightly man mark these players. In addition, mid-fielders should join in the pressuring as well, helping out the wing backs on the flanks and running back to the center when the need arises.

Have a Physical Presence in Defence

Chelsea’s Didier Drogba is a deadly target man. His predatory instincts in the penalty box, and his ability to score goals with numerous parts of this body combined with his physical power provides an ideal match for the two quick wingers operating around the flanks. Powerful defenders, however, like Rio Ferdinand, can match Drogba. Matching Drogba physically is tough. Nevertheless, when one succeeds in doing so, the job is already half done.

Do Not Let Makelele Do His Job

Chelsea’s back four is perfectly complimented by Claude Makelele, the best defensive mid-fielder in the whole league. The Frenchman’s ability to protect the back four from opposition counter-attacks is the Blues’ secret to their impenetrable defensive organization. Makelele, however, is not a big man, nor does he boast flashy techniques with the ball. Thus, an aggressive yet effective mid-fielder should be able to provide Makelele with a tricky match-up to deal with. Despite the presence of Michael Essien and Frank Lampard alongside the Frenchman, successfully going past Makelele represents the unlocking of the Blues’ tightly guarded main gate to their goal. Even sided mid-fielders such as Freddie Ljungberg – who is both physical and technically sound – have gotten past Makelele on numerous occasions. Again, the key point to remember against Makelele is to have a physical edge over the experienced mid-fielder.

4. Get Lucky

Once Drogba, Duff and Robben are neutralized and Makelele disposed of, the best defensive line in England awaits. The backline of Paulo Ferreira, John Terry, William Gallas (Ricardo Carvalho) and Asier Del Horno is simply, flawless. What’s more? Behind stands Petr Cech, the very man who broke Ray Clemence’s great clean sheet streak record in his first season with the club. Therefore, in order to grab a goal against such bond of players, one must get lucky. Very lucky. Whether it is hoping for an unfortunate own goal, a mis-kicked clearance or even, a horrible blunder by Petr Cech (which he has yet failed to produce), Lady Luck must be on the side of the attacking side if a goal is to be scored against the Premiership Champions. Thus, Luke Moore is a very fortunate individual, no doubt.

Even though all of these requirements are fulfilled, when the Chelsea players are enjoying their top forms and running off with a aighty undefeated streak like the one they are on currently, it is horrendously challenging to slip them up. However, one day, a team will proudly rise up and present the Blues with their first loss of the season. Unfortunately, given the look of things, there are more chances of Shaun Wright-Philips winning a header against Peter Crouch this Wednesday and Sunday than of Chelsea suffering an unexpected defeat.

Peter Lee
27 September 2005

2342: The six teams that have pleasa

by : Hugh Larkin

The season has been running since 2nd August so there’s been enough games to pick out those sides that have been playing above themselves or surprising the pundits in 2005/6.

Charlton Athletic

This should have happened a year ago when Rommedahl, Murphy and Jeffers were signed to push the club on from mid-table security. It didn’t happen then but now Murphy and Rommedahl are firing and Darren Bent is making a late outside run for the England World Cup squad.

Jerome Thomas has been a tremendous asset and defensively the team look solid. 2nd place might be beyond them but if injuries are kind, that elusive European berth should finally come their way-perhaps even in the Champions League.

Wigan Athletic

It’s a good time for Athletics in the Premiership. Paul Jewell has recruited wisely to bring in old heads Henchoz and De Zeeuw at the back and pace up front in Henri Camara. Damian Francis has begun to show the eye for goal in midfield, David Connolly has plenty of knowhow and stalwarts McCulloch, Roberts and Bullard have shown what they can do at this level.

Heart of Midlothian

Their performance isn’t really a shock given the money they’ve spent but any team taking on the Glasgow domination causes a bit of a stir. George Burley’s side were expected to give it a bit of a lash but eight straight victories is beyond anyone’s wildest dreams.Beating Rangers was a big test of confidence and if injuries do bite into the squad, expect Vladimir Romanov to flash the cheque book in January.

Swansea City

Straight out of League Two and the Swans are making the pace in League One. Lee Trundle is the kind of player that lifts supporters off their seats and the goals have been flooding in. Kenny Jackett’s side performed a promotion and Cup double last campaign but have kicked on this season.

18,000 watched the visit of Forest to the new stadium and with many of the pre-season favourites slow out of the blocks the Swans have their sights firmly on two promotions in succession.

Sheffield United

There are several teams producing the unexpected in the Championship but the Blades take the prize. Last year was an anti-climax after the cup runs and promotion near-misses under Neil Warnock. Some thought the manager had run out of steam but he’s revived the team with some key signings (Danny Webber, Paul Ifill) and hung on to Michael Tonge and Phil Jagielka.

Never a side associated with free-flowing football, this season the Blades are putting teams to the sword and already have a nine-point cushion over third place.

Rochdale

English football’s bottom tier has seen a few name changes in the past 15 years but Division Four, Division Three or League Two, Rochdale have been there. Mud and Shawaddywaddy were top of the charts the last time Spotland hosted anything other than lowest division fare. After two near demotions to the Conference, 9th place was achieved last season and now Steve Parkin’s side are pushing on, lifted to 3rd spot by striker Grant Holt’s goals.

Hugh Larkin
26 September 2005

2341: Manchester United vs Benfica:

by : Stephen Orford

Manchester United look to build on their opening day draw in Villarreal when they entertain Benfica in Champions League Group D at Old Trafford on Tuesday night (September 27).

The Red Devils will be without leading mischief-maker Wayne Rooney, who begins his two-game suspension following his red card against the Spaniards last time out. However, it is at the back where the problems really mount up for Sir Alex Ferguson.

Gary Neville is still some way off a return while Argentine left-back Gabriel Heinze could miss most if not all of the remainder of the season. Wes Brown is still missing, as is South African international Quinton Fortune, further reducing Ferguson’s defensive options. In addition, John O’Shea limped out of United’s disappointing 2-1 home defeat by Blackburn Rovers on Saturday (September 24). If the Irish international does not make the starting line-up, Sir Alex could be forced to call upon youngsters such as Phil Bardsley or Gerard Pique for what is a crucial game.

Adding to Ferguson’s woes is the absence of club captain Roy Keane, whose broken foot seems likely to keep him out of action for two months. This places extra responsibility on a seemingly out of sorts Paul Scholes in midfield, with Alan Smith still settling into the role and Darren Fletcher flitting in and out of the side recently.

Rooney’s absence will probably mean a start for either South Korean midfielder Park Ji-Sung, or the return to the first eleven of Ryan Giggs. Giggs has been out of favour for much of this season, but United’s recent jitters could see Ferguson turn to his experienced winger on a night when a morale boosting win is something approaching a must.

Curiously, scoring goals in Europe is becoming a problem for Manchester United. The goalless draw in Villarreal was the fourth consecutive occasion that they had failed to hit the net in the Champions League. The law of averages suggests that, Rooney or no Rooney, this run cannot continue for too much longer. Expect the Glazer-owned club to find the net in this one, with Ruud Van Nistelrooy in particular always likely to add to his impressive Champions League record. The former PSV Eindhoven striker has hit a remarkable 42 goals from 49 Champions League matches, and will certainly come up against tougher defences than that of Benfica in this year’s tournament.

For the visitors, the danger man will be Nuno Gomes. The Portuguese international has netted five times in six Champions League outings so far this season and could prove to be a boil on the backside of United’s makeshift defence. In midfield, look out for an industrious performance from Giorgios Karagounis, who helped Greece to Euro 2004 glory, ironically on Portuguese soil.

Historically, Manchester United have a definite edge over their Portuguese opponents, having beaten them three times out of three in European competition. The most famous of these came in 1968 when United held off Benfica and Eusebio in the European Cup Final at Wembley. A George Best-inspired United grabbed a 4-1 extra time victory, and a place in English football history as the first team from this country to win the competition.

Benfica, who opened their Champions League Group D campaign with a 1-0 win over Lille thanks to a last-minute winner from Miccoli, have a poor record against English clubs in European competition. The Portuguese champions’ only victory on English soil came in 1991 when they beat Arsenal 3-1 at Highbury in the European Cup. They have lost 10 out of 15 fixtures against English clubs overall, and won only three.

While Manchester United’s recent problems in the Premiership are a cause for concern, Benfica have not had things all their own way domestically either this term. Their 3-1 win against FC Penafiel on Friday (September 23) left them fifth in the Portuguese league, trailing leaders FC Porto by six points after just five games.

With this in mind, expect United to record their first win of this season’s Champions League comfortably enough. While they are busily going about that task, an interesting sub-plot could be the response from the fans. It is rumoured that the attendance may suffer as a result of both the display against Blackburn, and increasing concern over the Malcolm Glazer take-over.

Verdict: Manchester United 2 Benfica 0

Stephen Orford
26 September 2005

2338: Jonathan Woodgate: Will his lu

by : Chris Sherrard

There are some people who deserve a bit of good fortune.

People for who everything seems to go wrong and unravel before it has even got off the ground.

Jonathan Woodgate is one such man.

I know that he is a multi-millionaire and all that. He is a lucky person in so far as his job is something millions of us would sacrifice a limb to do.

But even the coldest of hearts must admit that things haven’t always gone right for him.

And enough is enough. He deserves a break and for the football gods to smile on him again.

Woodgate is an undoubted superb talent. As a central defender he is blessed with excellent ability.

He is composed in possession and a wonderful distributor of the ball. He can tackle and head with the best of them and even pops up in the right place on occasion to score the odd crucial goal.

But his career has been in limbo for well over a year now. He has been going nowhere and trying to adapt to a foreign country into the bargain.

His injury jinx which started at Leeds and followed to Newcastle has come along once again and swept the carpet from under his feet in Madrid.

No genuine football fan would wish that on him.

Of course Woodgate had his brush with the law during his younger days. He held his hands up and accepted his punishments at the time.

Glenn Hoddle could argue that he will be paying for that mistake for many years to come.

But I sincerely hope he is able to put the tortuous injuries behind him at the Bernebau this season.

The signs are not good that his luck is going to change.

When he did finally get to pull on that famous white shirt this week, Woodgate scored an own goal before being sent off.

That’s not exactly what you’d call a dream debut.

But it didn’t surprise me. He doesn’t seem to get the rub of the green that often.

But there are many football fans, far beyond the sun-kissed Madrid streets, who are praying that he can stay clear of injury now that his fitness has finally returned.

It will be through spread fingers and grimaces that Woodgate will be watched this season.

Many of us are hoping but not fully expecting that he will steer clear of injury.

England are lucky in that they are blessed with a number of talented central defenders now.

In days gone by Woodgate’s absence would have been felt a lot more keenly.

But how great it would be if he was able to play the whole of this season in Spain, come through it without any injuries and make it into the England squad in time for the World Cup in Germany at the end of the season.

That would be a great way of welcoming back Jonathan Woodgate to the world of football.

It’s about time something good happened for him.

Chris Sherrard
23 September 2005

2340: Ajax vs Arsenal: Arsenal will

by : Stephen Orford

Arsenal look to continue their winning start to Champions League Group B when they take on Ajax in the Amsterdam ArenA on Tuesday night (September 27).

The Gunners had to rely on a last-gasp Dennis Bergkamp winner against Swiss minnows FC Thun in their opening game, and go to Holland with a lengthy list of potential absentees.

Bergkamp is among those set to miss out through injury, while Thierry Henry’s absence due to a groin problem continues. Midfielder Gilberto Silva is the latest injury worry, as the Brazilian picked up an ankle injury during Saturday’s 0-0 draw with West Ham at Upton Park (September 24).

All of which could leave youngsters Cesc Fabregas and Matthieu Flamini to run things in the centre of Arsenal’s midfield. It will be a big ask for the pair, particularly the less experienced Flamini, as the Gunners continue to struggle to fill the void left by the departed Patrick Vieira. On the plus side, Robert Pires has a good chance of being fit to take his place in the starting line-up after hobbling off during Monday’s 2-0 home win over Everton (September 19)

Defender Philippe Senderos is also doubtful, but the recent return to the side of Sol Campbell should off-set this loss.

Manuel Almunia, who was beaten by Ferreira’s freakish lobbed cross at Highbury against FC Thun, continues in goal with first-choice Jens Lehmann still suspended in Europe. Robin Van Persie’s red card against the Swiss means he too misses out, with Quincy Owusu-Abeyie in line to figure up front alongside Jose Antonio Reyes.

Arsene Wenger’s men have come up against Ajax in the group stages of the Champions League before, with both games in the 2002/03 competition ending in draws. A similar result here would not be disastrous, nor is it particularly unlikely. Ajax have lost only once at home to English clubs in European competition, when Tottenham Hotspur recorded a 3-1 win in 1981.

Arsenal’s record against Dutch opposition in Europe shows only three wins from ten outings, but it has been 33 years since they last lost to a team from the Netherlands. You guessed it, it was Ajax who turned the Gunners over in that affair, a 1972 European Champions Cup encounter at Highbury which the Dutchmen won 1-0.

Neither Arsenal nor Ajax have displayed the kind of league form with which they are accustomed so far this season. Arsenal’s goalless draw at West Ham left them seventh in the Premiership table, fully 11 points behind runaway leaders and current champions Chelsea. For their part, Ajax currently lie a disappointing fifth in the Dutch Eredivisie, but are coming off the back of a 4-1 win over Roda JC at the weekend.

Though they have been crowned European champions four times, this Ajax side is a pale shadow of the last great team which won the Champions League in 1995. Then, a prolific youth system produced the likes of Edgar Davids, Patrick Kluivert, Clarence Seedorf and former Gunner Marc Overmars to light up that year’s competition. By contrast, it is well documented how little success the north London club have had in Europe’s elite competition, a trend that Wenger becomes more desperate to reverse with each passing season.

Names like Steven Pienaar, Tomas Galasek and Nigel De Jong from the current crop at Ajax hardly compare to that Ajax class of ‘95. Regardless, the Dutch club will still provide tough opposition for an injury-hit Arsenal squad which is arguably in transition in any case. It is again unlikely to be their year in the Champions League, but it would be disappointing if they did not return from Amsterdam with at least a point.

Verdict: Ajax 1 Arsenal 1

Stephen Orford
26 September 2005

2337: Tottenham Hotspur: Play Keane

by : Chris Sherrard

It was a pretty Grim week for Spurs, all in all.

A significant and realistic channel into Europe next season was blocked embarrassingly by a team they should expect to sweep aside.

One of the arguments to come out of the tie, though, has been a suggestion that Robbie Keane and Jermain Defoe can not play together.

What a load of rubbish.

Robbie Keane is his country’s all-time record goalscorer who has played in Serie A and the Premiership for a number of seasons now.

Jermain Defoe is one of the most lethal natural finishers to emerge in the English game in the last ten years.

There is no reason whatsoever that they can not play together in a forward line.

Suggesting as such is ludicrous and a device aimed more at papering over what was an admittedly poor display.

I personally think a Defoe and Keane partnership has the potential to be great for Spurs.

But the only way it will is if they are given an extended run alongside each other in the first team.

There is a fair point to made about rotating players to keep them fresh.

But later in the season, after Christmas when all those games are beginning to sit in the legs of players.

We are still only in September, for crying out loud. Any professional who is tired at this stage is not a professional.

For Spurs to get the best out of their two ace strikers then they need to keep them in the team for a long run together.

There can be no doubt as to the merits of both players. Each have skill and talent and I feel compliment the other perfectly.

Mido should only get a sniff of the team at this stage of the season if either of the first choice players are injured, suspended or on a day trip to the moon.

Ruud van Nistelrooy plays every game for Manchester United when he is fit. Ditto Thierry Henry across north London.

Play to your strengths. And Tottenham’s strikers count as one of their biggest strengths.

Paul Robinson would also count as a major strong point in the club’s armoury. No chance he’d ever be rested or rotated.

And just because he is a ‘keeper doesn’t mean that excuses operating that policy instead for strikers.

Ask Robbie Keane does he ever want to sit on the bench and watch a game. Ask Defoe the same.

Individually they are crucial to Tottenham’s chances of getting back among the elite of English football.

Together it would improve those chances no end.

Chris Sherrard
23 September 2005

2336: Australia: A-League for the fu

by : Paul Watson

For years now Australia has regarded football as an unnecessary import. In a country with no shortage of sport to watch, those trying to promote England’s greatest passion have had little success in weakening the iron grip of Aussie Rules, rugby and cricket over the Australian market. Professional football arrived in Australia with very little ceremony and has done little since to improve its image. As yet the game has failed to capture the imagination of the Australian public but finally things may be about to change.

The birth of the Hyundai A-League in August provided Australian football with a much-needed shot in the arm. The hope is that this 8-team competition with sides from Sydney, Perth, Melbourne, Adelaide, Queensland, Central Coast, Newcastle (NSW) and New Zealand will stimulate more widespread interest in the game at club level. Although football is largely seen as a game for women and school children, surprisingly it is the nation’s leading participation sport. This is a promising foundation that the Football Federation of Australia believes can support the move from recreational activity to spectator sport.

Early signs have been encouraging. Four weeks into this maiden season Sydney FC have set 25,000 as their target average gate while Melbourne Victory sold out their opening home clash with Perth Glory. All 7 Australian clubs have managed to generate crowds to match any club in England’s League One and only in New Zealand, home of the Knights, does the sight of a ball being kicked rather than handled seem to repulse the locals. It remains to be seen whether once the novelty has worn off a genuine fan base can be created.

As for the quality of the football, claims from Australian writers that their league is the equal of Scotland’s SPL and Belgium’s Jupiler League, seem a little ambitious. While some squads are laden with young talent, others read like a who’s who of Australians that grafted a career in England - the likes of Steve Corica, Carl Veart and Kevin Muscat. There is also a contingent of English players such as Neil Emblen and Darren Bazeley who, faced with dropping into the lower leagues chose to change hemisphere. It is hard to question their choice. After all, a trip to sunny Perth is a little more appetising than a Wednesday night in Crewe.

Undoubtedly the biggest name in the A-League is that of Dwight Yorke. His choice to move to Sydney FC rather than an English side evoked cynicism, but with a goal in each of the three games he has started, and hero status assured, it seems that the A-League is agreeing with the man who plays with a smile on his face.

However, despite Yorke’s influence Sydney FC find themselves fifth following defeats against Newcastle and Central Coast. Instead, the early pace setters are Adelaide United. A team of predominantly local players under manager John Kosmina, they owe their early success largely to a remarkably solid defence. Unlike Sydney FC whose master plan revolves around Dwight Yorke, Adelaide pride themselves not on having big-name ‘marquee’ players, but a strong collective spirit.

Adelaide’s form is certainly encouraging for those hoping that the A-League will act as the MLS has in America and catalyse the development of a new breed of Socceroos. Developing youth structures will prove vital. If clubs can find home grown talent they may not have to resort to luring aging stars and Australian football may flourish. The worrying alternative is that the A-League could become a retirement home for players with dwindling ability and an astute agent.

Paul Watson
21 September 2005

2339: Manchester United: How much mo

by : Antony Melvin

A home defeat to anyone but Chelsea, Liverpool and Arsenal is not acceptable to a team with pretensions to be champions. That the fans booed Manchester United off the pitch at both half-time and full-time was indicative of a frustrating afternoon when Manchester United created more chances – but astonishingly Blackburn created the more clear-cut opportunities. Edwin van der Sar made four point blank saves – whereas Brad Friedel was rarely directly troubled.

The speculation as to who was being booed was interesting. Some people saw it as an attack against the manager who is persisting with an unsuccessful 4-5-1 (or call it 4-3-3 if you want to be kind) system that is having a dire impact on goal scoring and entertainment. More Manchester United fans ‘blame’ the system on his assistant, Carlos Queiroz, who is believed to have masterminded the system. Of course the players could be at fault – with captain Paul Scholes more culpable than most – and they would be a reasonable target. And finally the new owners, the Glazers, could be the target for failing to provide any transfer budget in the summer (the purchases of Park and van der Sar were neatly balanced by the sales of Kleberson and Neville).

So who was the target? Right now the team, closely followed by the management are in the firing line. But how soon will the target shift?

With the closure of the transfer window there is little that can be done with the playing staff. United are in the midst of an injury backlog (I fail to see how it is a crisis) which has deprived the team of seven first teamers.

Now the most obvious misses are Keane, Heinze and Neville – but the lack of options on the bench when a goal is needed is blindingly obvious. Manchester United have based their success over the past 15 years on having 2 goalscorers on the bench in case the two on the pitch were off colour. And if Solskjaer and Saha had been available they would have represented good options for a final flourish.

Time was when Manchester United would have withdrawn their full-backs and thrown men forward in a desperate last throw of the dice – and how many times was it a formula that worked? Plenty.

But this Manchester United seems to be caught obsessively trying to keep things tight on the basis that this way the better team should win, but without the verve and panache of the traditional Manchester United performance it is only a matter of time before attendances start to trail off.

For the Premiership matches the attendance is pretty solid. Almost 45,000 season ticket holders plus about 5,000 away fans mean that the pressure to sell the remaining 17,500 tickets usually succeeds. But the attendances in the cup matches will be more interesting. Most tickets have to be sold, despite a large block of around 25,000 fans who agree to buy every home cup ticket automatically.

Benfica are in Manchester on Tuesday and according to the Manchester United website “Single seats are now available in all areas of the ground and adjacent seats are available in North Stand Tier 3”. Which suggests that ticket sales will struggle to top 60,000 for the first time for a European match of this magnitude for a decade.

Fans will be pacified by results. The Glazers’ may be hoping for a steady season to satisfy their bankers and demonstrate that it doesn’t need huge investment in players to stay competitive. For them the nightmare scenario would be to be forced into making decisions that they are ill-prepared for. A couple more defeats coupled with declining matchday revenues would certainly worry the Glazers’ backers – and this may give the first insight into just how much slack there is in the takeover package.

Sir Alex Ferguson is far from unsackable – and with the finances as they are just how much more dull football and how many more lacklustre games can anyone afford? Fans, management and owners all require success – and if it isn’t forthcoming Ferguson could be spending Christmas with his family – and the Glazers’ may again be riding in the back of a police van to avoid angry fans.

This is the very edge now, a few big wins and the discontents will be quietened, a slump and like the Kaiser Chiefs - I predict a riot.

Antony Melvin
25 September 2005

2334: Squarefootball diary: August H

by : Stephen Orford

SQUAREFOOTBALL DIARY - BEST OF AUGUST

You know it is a slow news day when the notion that Manchester United can afford to buy Michael Owen if they so desire makes the headlines. Despite the absence of any expression of interest in the deal from either United boss Sir Alex Ferguson or from Owen himself, the August 1 tabloids go to town on the idea that the former Liverpool striker will soon pitch up at Old Trafford.

The speculation is mostly due to the mumblings of United chief executive David Gill who says;

“The money is there for Alex. If he identifies a talent that he thinks will improve the squad - and that is the crucial thing - the funds are available.”

Michael Essien might also be on his way to Old Trafford according to the hacks, as Lyon president Jean-Michel Aulas reveals their apparent interest;

“Essien is a bit mixed-up. Manchester United are after the player as well.” he suggests, possibly trying to give Chelsea a polite hurry-up following their recent interest.

“This Essien story does not weary me.” he insists, his voice an increasingly lone one.

Milan Baros’ move to Schalke hits the buffers, as the Germans pull out of a proposed move for the Czech star. Preferring a loan deal, Schalke are dismayed to find that the Reds are only interested in a permanent transaction to the tune of around £7million;

“We could only justify it if we were guaranteed Champions League football for the next three seasons. There is no guarantee of that.” says Schalke general manager Rudi Assauer, closing his wallet in disgust.

“Clubs are interested but we have never said we are unhappy with him or that we want to sell him.” claims Liverpool boss Rafa Benitez, who has never said that he is happy with Baros or that he wants to keep him.

Veteran midfielder Paul Ince announces his intention to retire from football at the end of the season. The Wolverhampton Wanderers man, who enjoyed a trophy-laden six years at Manchester United and won 53 England caps, sees this year’s assault on the Championship as his last hurrah;

“I'll be 38 in October and it'll be a good time to call it a day at the end of the season.” says Ince, who also played for West Ham United, Inter Milan, Liverpool and Middlesbrough during his illustrious career.

Celtic gloriously fail to overturn their 5-0 first leg deficit against Artmedia Bratislava in the Champions League second qualifying round on August 2, winning 4-0 at Parkhead. Goals from Alan Thompson, John Hartson, Stephen McManus and Craig Beattie take the Bhoys to the brink of the greatest ever European comeback, but the task proves beyond them;

“I have told them that it could possibly have been the best night of their careers if they had pulled it off.” says manager Gordon Strachan, who must have missed Celtic’s run to the UEFA Cup final in 2003, where they eventually lost to a Jose Mourinho-inspired Porto.

“In terms of heart and commitment, I cannot fault them. I am proud of them.” he adds, before going into blind optimism mode with;

“We've scored eight goals in two games and that's not bad going.”

None of which softens the blow of going out of all European competition for the SPL outfit, who stand to lose as much as £15million as a result of their exit. Strachan however, refuses to admit that it is about the money;

“Not seeing this kind of excitement of the crowd until next season is the major disappointment.” he claims, possibly not with the full backing of his board.

No such dramas for Liverpool, who breeze into the third qualifying round after a 2-0 victory over Kaunas at Anfield. Late goals from Steven Gerrard, his seventh in the competition in just four outings, and Djibril Cisse illuminate a lacklustre Reds performance;

“We had more space in the second half and more pace with the introduction of (Djibril) Cisse. In the end 2-0 is a good result. We have a better squad this season.” boasts manager Rafa Benitez, who seemingly becomes more bullish about his team’s prospects by the day.

Meanwhile Liverpool striker Milan Baros, after being linked with a whole host of clubs, is thought now to be a transfer target of Everton;

“We are looking at a number of options and we are currently reviewing them all. Baros is one of the names on the list.” admits Toffees’ chief executive Keith Wyness, keeping the rest of that list under his hat for now.

Another of the Anfield strike force, Anthony Le Tallec, is allowed to join Sunderland on-loan for the forthcoming season;

“At Liverpool it is very difficult to play every week, the coach Rafael Benitez told me that.” says Le Tallec. Well Anthony, he would know.

Sunderland also capture the signature of former Everton defender Alan Stubbs, who agrees a one-year deal after being released by the Goodison club recently.

Despite handing in a transfer request in a bid to boost his international prospects, Crystal Palace striker Andy Johnson pens a new five-year deal with the Championship side;

“It's been a difficult couple of months and I have committed my future to Crystal Palace. Now I want to let my football do the talking and fire Palace back to the Premiership, which I know we can do.” says Johnson, the cold metal of Simon Jordan’s shotgun pressed against his temples.

2335: Birmingham City vs Liverpool:

by : Stephen Orford

Newcastle United follow Celtic out of Europe on August 3, after losing 2-1 at home to Deportivo La Coruna in the second leg of their Intertoto Cup semi-final.

The Toon go out 4-2 on aggregate, after going ahead on the night through James Milner. Jorge Andrade’s second goal against the Magpies in a week puts Deportivo back in control on the stroke of half-time, before a catastrophic back-pass from Robbie Elliot gifts Pedro Munitis the opportunity to make the tie safe for the Spaniards;

“Playing against top-class opposition, we didn't have the door openers.” says Newcastle manager Graeme Souness afterwards.

“But we've got to remember they (Deportivo) are a team that are used to playing Champions League football.” he adds swiftly.

Nicky Butt’s time at Newcastle looks up, as he is loaned out to Birmingham earlier in the day. The 30 year-old former Manchester United midfielder goes to St.Andrews on a year-long loan, with a view to a permanent £2million transfer;

The British teams involved in the third round of qualifying for the Champions League all learn the identity of their opponents after the second round ties are concluded this evening. Defending champions Liverpool have the expected tie with Bulgarian outfit CSKA Sofia after they overcome Dinamo Tirana of Albania 4-0 on aggregate following a 2-0 win. Manchester United face Debrenec of Hungary who see off Hadjuk Split 5-0 on the night, progressing by a whopping 8-0 on aggregate. Also, Rangers will meet Famagusta of Cyprus who recorded a second 3-1 victory over Trabzonspor to go through 6-2 overall.

Irish League outfit Shelbourne bow out, going down 4-1 to Romania’s Steaua Bucharest after last week’s creditable goalless draw.

Michael Owen admits to making contact with as many as four Premiership clubs over a possible transfer, following speculation that he will be allowed to leave Real Madrid. The Spanish side have added Julio Baptista and Robinho to their squad recently, possibly pushing the former Liverpool striker further away from a regular first team place. With Arsenal, Chelsea and Liverpool having already denied any interest, the guessing games about who is in for Owen begin as he confesses;

“With Real's knowledge there's been brief dialogue although no formal negotiations have taken place.”

Ever the diplomat, the England striker adds;

“I am off to Austria with the rest of the squad to undertake an important 14-day pre-season fitness
Manchester United, busy hammering Royal Antwerp 6-1 in Belgium, remain silent on the matter.
One man definitely on the move is Edgar Davids, who finally puts pen to paper on a deal with
Tottenham after the longest medical in football history. However, the Dutch star is quick to dispel any fears about his fitness;

“I feel great, there's nothing wrong with my fitness. I'm hoping to play as much as possible.” he insists, wheezing quietly.

“We have a terrific young squad but we lack a winning mentality which you can only get through experience. He (Davids) has all the experience and the mentality to help us make a big step.” beams Spurs manager Martin Jol, contemplating the deployment of a revolutionary eight-man midfield.

Meanwhile, two more players in the autumn of their careers reverse their decisions to quit international football. French pair Zinedine Zidane of Real Madrid and Chelsea’s Claude Makalele both make themselves available for the World Cup qualifiers with the Republic of Ireland and the Faroe Islands in September. Before then, both could also feature in the friendly with Ivory Coast on August 17. The French are currently fourth in World Cup Qualifying Group Four, three points adrift of the table-topping Irish. Only the top two stand any chance of reaching Germany;

“I have gone back on my decision, one year after I said it was categorical.” says Zidane, categorically.

Everton pull of the transfer coup of the day on August 4, capturing the signature of utility man Phil Neville from Manchester United. The England international signs a five-year deal at Goodison Park, with the fee believed to be in the region of £3million.

“We have staved off a great deal of competition to get him.” says Toffees’ boss David Moyes, as if to highlight just how well the club have done to get their man;

“Several clubs were interested in signing him, but I must say from the first minute I spoke to him he only wanted to come to Everton.” says Moyes, and Neville is not denying it;
“I am excited about joining Everton and relishing my next challenge in football.” claims the 28 year-old, who could go straight into the Blues squad for the Champions League third round qualifier with Villarreall on Tuesday night (August 9).

Neville describes the move as ‘the most difficult decision I have ever had to make’, while United boss Sir Alex Ferguson adds;

“This was not a decision we wanted to make, but every time I picked the team and Phil's name was not on the teamsheet, it was very difficult for me. You couldn't meet a better professional and he leaves with the gratitude of everyone at the the club for his service to United.”
Mexican striker Jared Borgetti is so overwhelmed by his arrival at Bolton that he has to take an immediate holiday;

“I can't wait to get started - I will take three weeks off to rest and be ready to make an impact on the Premiership.” he crows, packing a large suitcase.

Borgetti signs a two-year deal for a fee of around £1million and adds;

“This is a great honour for me to play for Bolton in the strongest league in the world.”
Borgetti will be the first Mexican to play in the Premiership, after Alan Pardew fails in a late bid to pair Ugo Sanchez with Teddy Sheringham in the West Ham attack;

“His pedigree is excellent but the Premiership is still unknown to him and he will have to be at his best to make the impact we are looking for.” says Wanderers boss Sam Allardyce, displaying the kind of faith that David O’Leary has in Doug Ellis.

Julien Rodriguez joins SPL champions Rangers on a £1million four-year deal from Monaco;

“It has been a very worthwhile few days...........” says chief executive Martin Bain. Surely he cannot be referring to Celtic’s exit from European competition?

“…………of positive negotiatons with Monaco and the player and we are looking forward to Julien achieving his ambitions with us.” he continues swiftly. Ahhh, now we’re with you.

The deal looks set to work out well for all parties then, provided Rodriguez’s ambitions do not extend beyond tedious two-pronged battle for the title and a dismal exit from the group stages of the Champions League.

On the day when cricket becomes the new football (possibly), Didier Drogba’s double strike which wins the Community Shield for Chelsea over Arsenal on August 7 just about sneaks into the tabloid writers’ agenda. The Ivory Coast international puts the Blues into a 2-0 lead before Cesc Fabregas gives Arsenal hope in the second half of a strangely entertaining Premiership curtain-raiser;

“It was a good game, especially for this moment, and the quality of the game will make everyone think we can have a good Premiership.” offers an unusually subdued Jose Mourinho.

“We can never forget what happened, but we can forgive if the attitude and behaviour changes.” says Arsenal manager Arsene Wenger, totally ignoring the football and possibly looking for some Italian cuisine to fling at Peter Kenyon.

Squarefootball won’t bother reminding you that you read this here first, as it will probably change by the time you read it, but Lyon claim to have killed the sale of Michael Essien to the Premiership champions stone dead. After much to-ing and fro-ing, and no small amount of pointless negotiating, Lyon President Jean-Michel Aulas insists;

“We have rejected their last offer and we are closing the door.”

As his his wont, Lyon manager Gerard Houllier muddies a perfectly simple situation even further adding;

“If Michael must go, we will lose a great player, let me make that clear.”
Does anybody else get the feeling that the two parties are not pulling in the same direction?

In the Championship Leeds United start their campaign with a 2-1 win over Millwall at Elland Road. David Healy does a Drogba, grabbing a brace either side of Don Hutchison’s reply for the Lions;

“We are Leeds United and everyone wants to knock us off our perch, and we knew Millwall would give us a game.” says Leeds manager Kevin Blackwell, wildly over-estimating his club’s current standing in the game.

“I felt before the game we would be okay today.” says football’s worst tipster, and Millwall manager Colin Lee.

In Scotland, Hearts destroy Hibernian 4-0 in the Edinburgh derby. Goals from Rudi Skacel, a Paul Hartley penalty, Stephen Simmons and Saul Mikoliunas seal the points for George Burley‘s men and the former Derby boss reflects;

“Once the penalty went in, there was no doubt who was going to win.”
Hibs boss Tony Mowbray is sent from the touchline by referee Stuart Dougal, but refuses to go quietly;
“I didn't use any bad language, it was just a conversation, so maybe the ref should explain his decision. The referee took umbrage at something I might have said, but I thought he did better after the conversation we had.” he suggests, applying for a job as a referee’s assessor.
The Old Trafford boo-boys will have to find someone else on whom to vent their collective spleens as Rio Ferdinand agrees a new four-year deal with Manchester United on August 8. Ferdinand had been the subject of abuse from some sections of the United support, as he dallied over a new agreement with the club;
“I said all along that I wanted to stay at the club and this has now put that issue to bed.” says Ferdinand, now presumably certain to earn more money than he could possibly spend. The terms of the deal are a secret at the time of writing, but boss Sir Alex Ferguson is pleased enough;
“The reality of negotiations today is that they take time. But these have always been conducted in a good spirit and we are very pleased with the outcome. We can now look forward to the future.” he says, possibly adding;
“It’s not my bloody money, anyway. Talk to Malc. Oh, hang on, it is not his money either.”
Meanwhile the club are apparently not interested in bringing in Michael Owen from Real Madrid. A statement from United communications director Phil Townsend denies an approach to the Spanish club for Owen, but Sir Alex remains tight lipped;
“I've seen what you have written. I'm not giving you any help on that.” he told journalists brave enough to ask the question.
The news keeps pouring out of Old Trafford, as Brazilian midfielder Kleberson is shipped out to Turkish outfit Besiktas. The player made only 28 appearances in a distinctly inglorious Manchester United career, but is excited about his latest challenge;
“I have never been welcomed so magnificently.” he says on his arrival in Istanbul. Give them time.
The resolution of protracted contract negotiations is a theme running through Monday’s diary, as Everton midfielder Tim Cahill also pens a new deal. The Australian international agrees terms to stay at Goodison Park until at least 2010, or until a top three club come calling, whichever happens first;
“It is done now and I am happy and all I can say is it is another dream come true, another five years at the club I love and the one that gave me my chance.” he says, kissing the club badge. Once a blue, always a blue. Or something.
Bonkers Lyon President Jean-Michel Aulas AGAIN states that the deal to sell Michael Essien to Chelsea is off. The on-off-on-off-on-off-on-off saga may or may not be coming to a conclusion after Aulas insists that the player will not be heading to London;
“The Essien case is closed and he will remain at Lyon. England have won the Olympics but Chelsea will not get Michael Essien.” is his Earth-shattering verdict.
“They thought we were just country bumpkins with our berets and a baguette in the pocket. That's not the way it works at Lyon.” adds the stripey jumper-clad, bicycle-riding Aulas, chewing on a foot-long cheese and ham.
In the night’s on-field action, Derby County take a point from Preston North End at Deepdale. David Nugent opens the scoring on 15 minutes, only for Inigo Idiakez’s penalty two minutes before half-time to level the scores.
It’s action all the way on August 9, as first of all Manchester United successfully negotiate the tricky hurdle that could have been Debrenec with a 3-0 win. The Hungarians are well beaten in the Champions League third round qualifying first leg tie at Old Trafford.
Goals from Wayne Rooney, Ruud Van Nistelrooy and Cristiano Ronaldo should ensure a safe passage to the group stages for the Red Devils, with much of the attention on the night switching to the Glazer debate once again. Several hundred United fans protest outside the Theatre Of Dreams, which for once contains empty seats on match night;
“The fact they had only sold 40,000 tickets by Monday and are having to sell them on the gate is a significant blow.” gloats Shareholders United spokesman Oliver Houston.
“The majority of fans, quite rightly, are only interested in the team being successful and challenging for honours.” retorts United chief executive David Gill.
The problems for Everton remain strictly on the field, as they lose 2-1 at home to Villareal in the first leg of their qualifier. Birmingham reject Luciano Figueroa’s cool finish puts the Spaniards in front, before a rare James Beattie strike rallies the Toffees. Josico’s header just before half-time leaves a lot of hard work for Everton in a fortnight’s time;
“They scored two here so we've got to believe we can score two in Spain. It's not beyond us.” says Blues’ boss David Moyes, acknowledging the difficulty of the task ahead;
“It will need a big effort, though. Maybe we will get the rub of the green and the ball will bounce kindly for us.” he adds, rather too much in hope than expectation.
SPL champions Rangers are firmly in the box seat after the first leg of their tie with Anorthosis Famagusta. Nacho Novo and Fernando Ricksen are on target in Cyprus, before Nicolaus Frousos replies for the home side to make it 2-1 on the night.
Elsewhere in the third qualifying round there are 1-0 home wins for Real Betis over Monaco and Valerenga over Brugge, while Wisla Krakow secure a 3-1 win over Panathinaikos in Poland.
The Coca Cola Championship is now in full swing as a further 11 fixtures take place this evening. Big winners on the night include Wolverhampton Wanderers, who hand Crystal Palace a second consecutive 2-1 reverse, QPR who defeat Ipswich Town by the same score, and Palace’s weekend conquerors Luton Town who stun Southampton 3-2.
There are home wins for Cardiff City who beat Leeds United 2-1, and Leicester City who triumph 4-2 against Stoke City. Away winners are Reading, 2-0 at Brighton, and Sheffield United 2-1 at Burnley. Completing the programme, Millwall draw 0-0 with Coventry City, Norwich City are held 1-1 by Crewe Alexandra, Sheffield Wednesday by the same score at home to Hull City, and there’s a 3-3 thriller at Plymouth where Watford are the visitors.
In League One, Oldham’s 3-2 win at Swindon stands out, but there are also away wins for newly promoted Southend and Swansea at Bradford and Colchester respectively. Huddersfield Town beat Bristol City 1-0 at the Galpharm Stadium, while Walsall heap misery on Nottingham Forest 3-2 at the Bescot Stadium.
Nothing much separated Bournemouth and Hartlepool in the table last term, and that is reflected in their 1-1 draw at Dean Court. Also refusing steadfastly to be separated on the scoreboard tonight are Doncaster Rovers and MK Dons, Port Vale and Gillingham, Tranmere Rovers and Blackpool, and Yeovil Town and Rotherham United.
League Two saw Barnet overcome Northampton 2-1 away from home, while there were also successes on their travels for Grimsby Town, Rushden and Diamonds and Leyton Orient over Bristol Rovers, Mansfield Town and Bury respectively. Anything newly promoted Barnet can do, fellow League Two newbies Carlisle can do, as they see off Peterborough 1-0 at home. Darlington beat Stockport 2-0, while Notts County grab the only goal against Wrexham.
The only two draws in this division see Macclesfield Town locked 2-2 with Cheltenham Town, and the same result at Chester were Lincoln City roll into town.
Liverpool take a large step towards the group phase of the Champions League on August 10, securing a comfortable win in Bulgaria against CSKA Sofia. The Reds come through the first leg 3-1, with goals from Djibril Cisse, and two from Fernando Morientes either side of Velimir Dimitrov’s header for the home side;
“They (CSKA) ran a lot and played good football but we have done a good job.” says Rafa Benitez, before offering a word of encouragement to his strikers;
“It is important to score and if the strikers score more it will give them confidence.” he states, rather too obviously.
In the file marked ‘any other business‘ at Anfield, Sami Hyypia signs a new three-year deal;
“I've won every single medal at the club apart from the Premiership and it would be very nice if I could win that within the next three years.” says the Finn, opening his 10,000th Wonka Bar in search of the final golden ticket.
Elsewhere in the third round qualifiers Inter Milan pull off an impressive 2-0 win in Ukraine over Shakhtar Dontesk, with Obafeme Martins and Adriano on target. Another Serie A outfit, Udinese, score a vital 1-0 win in Lisbon against Sporting, but Swedish side Malmo suffer a shock 1-0 home defeat to the Swiss outfit Thun. German side Werder Bremen lose 2-1 in Switzerland against Basle, but Anderlecht win by the same score at home to Slavia Prague.
Brondby and Ajax share four goals in Denmark, while Celtic’s second round conquerors Artmedia Bratislava can only draw 0-0 in Slovakia against Partizan Belgrade. There are also 1-1 draws between Steaua Bucharest and Rosenborg, and Rapid Vienna and Lokomotiv Moscow.
There’s more domestic action, with Brentford winning 3-1 at Chesterfield in League One. League Two sees a 1-0 home win for Oxford against Torquay United, and a 1-1 draw between Boston United and Shrewsbury Town.
The Brass Neck Award for Wednesday goes to cheeky Chelsea manager Jose Mourinho, and his famous dinner companion, Arsenal full-back Ashley Cole. The pair appeal against the decision to find them guilty over the now infamous and tedious ‘tapping up’ affair, and both see their financial punishments significantly reduced. Mourinho’s fine shrinks from £200,000 to just £75,000, while Cole must shell out the same amount having been originally fined £100,000 on June 1;
“We are pleased that the Appeals Committee has publicly recognised that Jose's culpability was less than Ashley Cole's.” says a Chelsea statement, although the Premier League still insist that the appeals of both were rejected.
Andy Gray (no, not that one) enlists for Sunderland’s forthcoming Premiership effort, joining on a three-year deal from Sheffield United for £1.1million;
“He'll compliment our existing strikers and at 27 he's in his prime. His style of play gives us another option.” says Black Cats boss Mick McCarthy. Always nice to have something to fall back on when hoofing the ball from box to box fails.
Finally, the row between Wales manager John Toshack and Blackburn midfielder Robbie Savage possibly reaches ‘feud’ status, as the blonde boy in midfield is left out of another international squad. Despite announcing his intention to return to the international scene after a brief retirement, Savage is not selected for the friendly with Slovenia in Swansea on August 17.
Neither party is prepared to comment at this time, but it looks increasingly likely that Charlotte Church has more chance of turning out for Wales in their World Cup Qualifiers against England and Poland in September.
At last August 13 rolls around, signalling the start of another Premiership campaign. Manchester United are off to a winning start, cruising past Everton 2-0 at Goodison. Ruud Van Nistelrooy and Wayne Rooney are on target for the Red Devils, with the lifelong blue showing yet more signs of amnesia with a particularly vigorous knee-sliding celebration.
Tottenham are supposed to be the real deal this year, and their 2-0 win over Portsmouth offers more possibilities for the development of hysteria. Edgar Davids and Michael Carrick display an impressive ability to get in each other’s way in Spurs’ new-look 10-man midfield.
Liverpool can only draw 0-0 at Middlesbrough, at one point threatening to cross the half way line. Ugo Ehiogu is sent off for the home side. All four goals in Aston Villa’s home draw with Bolton come in the opening ten minutes, while newly promoted West Ham spank dirty Blackburn 3-1 at Upton Park. Darren Bent gets two as Charlton beat Sunderland by the same score, while Steve Bruce gargles his way through a deathly dull 0-0 draw between his Birmingham City and Fulham. Former England colleagues Stuart Pearce and Bryan Robson are similarly bored by their sides at Manchester City and West Brom fail to bother the scorers at Eastlands.
A day later, and Chelsea and Arsenal enter the fray. The former leave it until injury time to see off plucky Wigan at the JJB Stadium. Hernan Crespo’s scorcher is a goal of undeniable class, but robs Paul Jewell’s side of what would have been a deserved point.
Jermaine Jenas is ridiculously sent off for Newcastle United as they fall apart at the seams at Highbury. A Thierry Henry penalty finally breaks the Magpies resolve late in the second half, before Robin Van Persie rubs it in making it 2-0 before the end.
At long last, the dullest transfer saga in living memory comes to something approaching a conclusion on August 15. Lyon and Chelsea agree a fee for midfielder Michael Essien of around £26million, some way short of the French outfit‘s original valuation;
“Financialy it is an extraordinary operation. It is one third of our budget and it represents the entire budget of some Ligue 1 clubs.” says Lyon official Bernard Lacombe, perhaps under-estimating the size of Roman’s wallet.
Having failed to persuade the Premiership champions to part with £32million and Portuguese midfielder Tiago, even the previously stubborn Lyon President Jean-Michel Aulas accepts the inevitable;
“It is with great regret that Michael will leave Lyon. We wanted to keep him but we cannot make him stay.” he states, finally admitting what we have all known since the end of May.
Steven Gerrard makes another boardroom decision at Liverpool, revealing his desire to bring Michael Owen back to Anfield;
“It goes without saying I would love Michael back here and I think everyone at the club would love him back.” he says, as Rick Parry hurriedly scribbles notes while performing an amusing jig in the throne room.
“Could you imagine him coming back to Anfield and scoring against us for another Premiership club? It would be a nightmare.” adds King Steven, waking up screaming to find that he has missed the last bus to Chelsea.
Making room for Owen’s arrival could be Milan Baros, as the Czech striker suggests he is close to a move to Aston Villa;
“Villa increased their offer and we've come to an agreement on the financial front. Villa are a quality club, and I don't consider this a backward step at all. My situation will be better there.” says Baros, Gerrard’s size nine firmly inserted in his backside.
Newcastle midfielder Jermaine Jenas’s red card against Arsenal yesterday (August 14) is downgraded to a yellow by match referee Steve Bennett;
“Fair play to the referee for having another look at the incident and making this decision. We have to be happy that he has made it. I said after the game that it was never a sending-off offence. There was no doubt in my mind that the tackle from JJ didn't deserve a red card.” comments Magpies boss Graeme Souness, revelling in the opportunity to be right for once.
Charlton’s Darren Bent is officially the new Andy Johnson. The Premiership’s leading goalscorer with two goals, Bent has this to say about his inclusion in the England squad for the forthcoming friendly with Denmark in Copenhagen;
“Getting on the pitch would be a massive bonus - I would play anywhere.” he enthuses, preparing for a stint on the right wing.
On the pitch, Port Vale halt Brentford’s winning start to the season with a 1-0 home victory. Michael Cummins bags the winner on 53 minutes for Vale, who maintain their own unbeaten start to the season.
Shaun Wright-Phillips appears to be the only absentee from the England squad as they arrive in Denmark on August 16 ahead of a friendly in Copenhagen. The Chelsea man has an ankle injury, possibly sustained carrying home his Stamford Bridge signing-on fee.
With Michael Owen suspended for the World Cup Qualifier with Wales in September, coach Sven Goran Eriksson announces his intention to start the Danish game with a front pairing of Jermaine Defoe and Wayne Rooney;
“I am going to play the best team which can play against Wales so that means Michael Owen won't start.” explains Eriksson, doing a passable impression of Wanderlei Luxemburgo;
“Defoe is looking very fit and very sharp and there is no doubt at all that Wayne Rooney and Defoe can play together.” he adds.
Meanwhile the Welsh squad suffers a series of withdrawals ahead of their friendly with Slovenia, as Ryan Giggs, Craig Bellamy, Simon Davies and Ben Thatcher are all ruled out. All of which leaves John Hartson in line to captain the side, which is surely football‘s equivalent of placing Vin Diesel in charge of the children. Hey, sounds like a great idea for a movie……..oh.
It’s almost a quote a day from Newcastle United manager Graeme Souness as he heads the list of dissenters ahead of this week’s international friendly programme;
“Part of me is angry about the timing of these games. They are Mickey Mouse games.” he says, as his Magpies prepare to take on Donald Duck and Goofy at the weekend;
“I've got six or seven players away. What can we do in terms of preparation without six or seven players who will be involved at the weekend?” he asks, incredulous.
Sam Allardyce finally makes a signing, albeit another loan one, as Japan star Hidetoshi Nakata arrives from Italian side Fiorentina. Predictably, the former Roma star will spend the 2005/06 season at the Reebok, in keeping with Allardyce‘s low budget, short-term fix policies;
“We will have something like 14 nationalities in the dressing room with Nakata and five different religions. There will be a fantastic menu in the canteen!” boasts Allardyce, ordering fish and chips and mushy peas just the same.
Forty-five minutes for Ipswich Town is quite enough for former South Africa captain and Charlton defender Mark Fish. The 31 year-old retires from football due to a knee injury, after appearing in the first half of the Tractor Boys’ 2-1 defeat at QPR on August 9;
“I can no longer play to the standards I have set myself and therefore I feel it is time to move on.” he admits.
In the on-field squabbles of the night, the England under-21 squad need a last minute Darren Ambrose winner to see off Denmark 1-0, while the Scots record a 3-1 win over Austria at the same level. The all-Ireland encounter ends in a 2-2 draw;
“That was the perfect friendly.” says England under-21 boss Peter Taylor, much to the probable disgust of Graeme Souness;
“It was played in a competitive manner and we are better prepared for the matches next month.” he claims.
As it turns out England are thoroughly humiliated in Copenhagen on August 17, suffering their worst defeat for 25 years as they are walloped 4-1 by Denmark.
A steady but greatly unspectacular first half ends goalless, before a quite shambolic defensive effort sees Sven Goran Eriksson’s men concede three goals inside seven mad second half minutes
Yet another classic David James moment of lunacy allows Dennis Rommedahl to put the Danes in front, before Jon Dahl Tommasson doubles their advantage minutes later. Debutant Michael Gravgaard heads the third, with England’s only response coming from Wayne Rooney three minutes from time. Even that does not spare their blushes, as Soren Larsen makes it four for the home side in injury time;
“I'm angry about the second-half.” says Eriksson, trying to limit the damage by glossing over the uninspiring first half performance. Returning to the real world for a moment he states;
“It was a disaster how we played football. I told the players that if we play football like that we can forget about the World Cup.”
The words of James in the aftermath of the defeat are both refreshingly honest and incredibly alarming;
“Personally I have had a look at myself and the way I prepared for the game. It wasn't done right and I blame myself because I relaxed being the substitute goalkeeper.” he confesses, possibly at the expense of further opportunities to prepare properly.
England’s next opponents will be Wales in the World Cup Qualifier in Cardiff on September 3, and John Toshack’s side warm up for that with a 0-0 draw against Slovenia at Swansea.
Scotland boss Walter Smith does his Sven impression after his side suffer a slightly smaller second half collapse in Austria. Leading 2-0 at half-time through Kenny Miller and Garry O’Connor, they are pegged back to draw 2-2 as Andreas Ibertsberger and Joachim Standfest hit back;
“We were excellent in the first half and played some good football.” says Smith, with perhaps slightly more justification than his England counterpart.
The Republic of Ireland suffer a 2-1 defeat to Italy in Dublin, Andrea Pirlo and Alberto Gilardino putting the visitors two up before Andy Reid’s reply. A late strike by Birmingham City forgotten man Clinton Morrisson is disallowed for handball as Brian Kerr experiences his first home loss in charge of the national team;
“I thought we deserved something. I'm disappointed we lost but it wasn't a bad team we lost to.” claims Kerr, following tonight’s trend of looking on the bright side of failure.
Maik Taylor saves a last-minute penalty to earn Northern Ireland a 1-1 draw at lowly Malta. Earlier, David Healy’s opener is cancelled out by Ivan Woods, who is then sent off along with Northern Ireland’s Keith Gillespie;
Boss Lawrie Sanchez is another who insists it is not all bad, but does at least accept culpability for the bits that are;
“I take full responsibility for our poor display in the first half. If we had lost the match I would have been bitterly disappointed.” he offers.
Domestically, Tottenham off-load one of their strikers, flogging Fredi Kanoute to Sevilla for £4.4million;
“He's tall, good in the air, skilful and strong.” reckons Sevilla sporting director Ramon Rodriguez, as the former West Ham forward signs a four-year deal.
On all things West Ham, Alan Pardew snaps up David Bellion from Manchester United on loan for a year;
“He can break a deadlock with his pace as he is without question one of the quickest players in the Premiership.” says Pardew;
“With my recent signings I've looked for people who play the stylish brand of football West Ham fans demand.” he adds, presumably having failed to find any.
August 20 sees another round of Premiership fun, with Manchester United continuing their winning start with a 1-0 victory over Aston Villa. Liverpool win by the same score at home to Sunderland thanks to a Xabi Alonso free-kick, but Tottenham won’t go away either after they record their second consecutive 2-0 win, this time at home to Middlesbrough. The win includes a Jermain Defoe special (i.e a thunderous rocket into the corner of the net with a colleague markedly better placed).
West Ham are fast earning respect, following up last week’s win over Blackburn with a creditable 0-0 draw at Newcastle, that despite having Paul Konchesky sent off for winning the ball in the tackle. Tut tut.
Manchester City win 2-1 away at Birmingham, Andy Cole on target for his new club aswell as panto villain Joey Barton. West Brom hand Portsmouth their second straight defeat, with Geoff Horsfield grabbing both goals in a 2-1 triumph.
Stunning volleys from Morten Gamst Pedersen and Tugay help Blackburn to a 2-1 win over Chris Coleman’s Fulham. Darren Bent scores again as Charton beat Wigan Athletic 1-0 at The Valley.
Didier Drogba is the scourge of Arsenal again, accidentally scoring the only goal as Premiership champions Chelsea overcome Arsene’s men 1-0 at Stamford Bridge the following day. It is Chelsea’s first league victory over Arsenal for ten years, as the Ivory Cost international mis-controls Frank Lampard’s pass into the Gunners’ net;
“It is important because we have beaten them twice in 15 days and that is psychologically important for us.” claims Jose Mourinho, before admitting;
“It is one more game and three more points, so it's nothing extraordinary.”
Arsene Wenger sums up his team’s performance nicely, confessing;
“There were lots of positives but we have to acknowledge we gave a stupid goal away and didn't score.” as another 10-man, 35-pass Arsenal move ends with a throw-in deep inside their own half of the field.
Everton ram-raid Bolton at the Reebok, Marcus Bent scoring the only goal to give the Toffees their first win of the season. Bolton dominate for large parts, before a brilliantly mis-timed leap from Duncan Ferguson allows Tim Cahill to put Bent’s goal on the proverbial plate;
“We battered Everton from start to finish and dominated the game but a lack of quality let us down.” wails a beleaguered Sam Allardyce;
“We were good enough to keep Bolton out and we got the goal that counted.” retorts David Moyes, before running away with a pair of tights on his head.
Glenn Hoddle’s guilty secret is out. The Wolves manager wants to sign Darren Anderton from Birmingham City;
“We are a bit disappointed that this got out but I won't deny we are interested in him.” says the former England manager. However, he hasn‘t gone completely barmy, insisting that no money will change hands if a deal is to be done;
“We've spoken to his representatives and Birmingham about a free transfer. We hope it will go through in the next couple of days.” he adds, displaying a refreshing new approach to the disabled.
David James wants another crack at keeping goal for England, despite his insane antics in Copenhagen last week. The Manchester City goalkeeper conceded four goals in 45 minutes of football on Wednesday evening (August 17) but insists;
“I just want to be able to have the chance to put it straight.” he pleads.
Aye, and I want to moonwalk, son, but life’s a sh***er.
Milan Baros could finally be on his way out of Liverpool, after the club agree a fee thought to be around £6.5million with Aston Villa on August 22. Rumours immediately circulate that Villa’s Peruvian midfielder Nolberto Solano could be heading in the other direction, and David O’Leary is hardly fighting tooth and nail to keep his man;
“I will never keep someone, at any club I am at, who wants to leave.” says the Villa boss;
“Nobby has seen the headlines and he has asked about it. I told him no-one from Liverpool has made contact with me about it and Nobby was fine.” he adds, loud banging and muffled screams coming from his office.
Other deals today include those serial loan-sharks Chelsea sending Czech international Jiri Jarosik to Birmingham City for the season, while Portsmouth sign Danish international defender Brian Priske and Sunderland land former West Ham United midfielder Christian Bassila;
“He (Jarosik) is a powerful midfielder who is very strong in the air. It is his versatility that really appeals.” says Blues boss Steve Bruce. And the fact that no cash has changed hands.
Pompey chief executive Peter Storrie has seen enough of Priske to convince him;
“I think he showed people his capabilities in the win over England.” he says, unveiling an exciting new policy of buying players on the strength of one performance in a game highly scrutinised by the English media. Well, if it works for Chelsea with Asier Del Horno…………?
Meanwhile, Sunderland boss Mick McCarthy is delighted with his new addition;
“He's big and tall and very powerful.” he enthuses, explaining in one short sentence everything that is wrong with modern football. Thankfully, we were spared the ‘good engine’ cliches by McCarthy, so you‘ll be spared them here, too.
Putting aside tabloid rumours of managerial unrest (again - yawn) Southampton sweep aside the challenge of Southend United in the first round of the Carling Cup. The Saints win 3-0 with Dexter Blackstock, Nathan Dyer and Brett Ormerod on target.
Liverpool will be in the group stage of the Champions League despite suffering an embarrassing 1-0 loss at home to CSKA Sofia on August 23. Valentin Iliev’s early strike is enough to beat the Reds on the night, leaving Rafa Benitez to grasp at omens from last season;
“Last season we lost like this but went on to win the trophy. Maybe we can do it again, why not?” he asks;
“I felt we created enough chances to have won the game, all that we lacked was luck.” he adds, sounding eerily like Gerard Houllier.
Earlier in the day, Milan Baros is sold to Aston Villa for £6.5million. The 23 year-old Czech star signs a four-year deal;
“It is not easy to leave Liverpool, but Villa are also a big club, so I'm happy to come here. It was a big decision for me, but if the manager wants you it is easier.” he comments, perhaps suggesting that he felt a tad unwanted by Benitez.
As Baros puts pen to paper his new club play out a 1-1 draw at Fratton Park, with Portsmouth midfielder Richard Hughes experiencing an eventful 60 seconds early on. First he is elbowed by Nolberto Solano who is immediately dismissed, before his day gets worse when he scores an own goal to put Villa in front. Lomana Lua Lua rescues a point for Pompey;
“I thought the sending off was a joke. Nolberto Solano sent off for violent conduct? Do me a favour.” squeals Villa boss David O’Leary, inviting a fine.
It is Middlesbrough who record the result of the night in the Premiership, rolling into St.Andrews and leaving with a 3-0 win over Birmingham City. A double from Mark Viduka added to a Franck Queudrue header seals Boro’s first win of the season;
“When Mark Viduka's fit there is no-one better in the Premiership at what he does.” claims Middlesbrough boss Steve McLaren, while his opposite number Steve Bruce is less than impressed with his team‘s efforts;
“It was a horror show and I'll take responsibility. There was some very poor stuff.” he admits.
Manchester City win at Sunderland, stretching Mick McCarthy’s losing Premiership run to 4,395 games. Darius Vassell scores his first goal for his new club, before Trevor Sinclair doubles the advantage. Loanee Anthony Le Tallec pulls one back for the Black Cats, but to no avail;
“We are doing alright in terms of playing but what we need to do is win a game.” says McCarthy, identifying the problem superbly;
“I thought that as a team we gave value for money.” he adds, showing a touching sense of duty to the paying public.
In the Carling Cup, promotion-dodgers Ipswich Town are the biggest casualties of the night’s first round ties, going down 2-0 at Yeovil Town. Nottingham Forest also bow out as they are beaten 3-2 at home to Macclesfield Town. Lincoln City stun Crewe Alexandra to the tune of a 5-1 drubbing, while QPR manager Ian Holloway will be struggling to find the words to describe his side’s 3-0 loss to Northampton Town.
In other shocks, Barnsley overcome Preston North End in a penalty shoot-out after a 2-2 draw at Deepdale, Stoke City crash out on spot-kicks to Mansfield Town, Brighton and Hove Albion go down 3-2 at Shrewsbury, and Tranmere Rovers are ousted 2-1 by Scunthorpe United.
Finally, amid rumours of training ground tears and all manner of over-emotional jiggery-pokery, Portuguese midfielder Tiago looks set to leave Chelsea to join Lyon. With Michael Essien having recently moved in the opposite direction, it’s hankies at the ready as Tiago is deemed surplus to requirements at Stamford Bridge. The normally ultra-cool Jose Mourinho fills up a little;
“He provoked a lot of tears when he left on Monday because he's a wonderful boy. He wants to go and we couldn't break the legs of a boy like this to stop him.” says Mourinho, denying suggestions that club henchman Peter Kenyon tried anyway.
Everton bow out of the Champions League on August 24, but not before a controversial decision by Pierluigi Collina robs them of the opportunity to force extra time against Villarreal.
The Italian referee disallows what appears to be a perfectly good Duncan Ferguson goal with the aggregate score at 3-2, before David Moyes‘ men are hit on the break with Diego Forlan‘s late strike;
“We are disappointed to be out of the Champions League, but we must not forget what an achievement it was to get there in the first place. We now have a go at the Uefa Cup, and we would have settled for that at the start of last season.” says Moyes, concentrating on the positives.
Earlier, Juan Pablo Sorin’s deflected effort has Everton in trouble, before Mikel Arteta’s expert free-kick sets up the rousing, but ultimately disappointing finish.
Manchester United ease through to the group phase, but at a price. The Old Trafford club win 3-0 in Hungary against Debrecen, advancing 6-0 on aggregate, but defender Gary Neville is stretchered off with a torn groin muscle. He is expected to be out for up to five weeks, meaning he will miss England’s World Cup qualifiers against Wales and Northern Ireland in September. Glen Johnson, anyone?
On an eventful night for United’s full-backs Gabriel Heinze nets twice before Kieran Richardson completes the formalities. United finish the game with ten men, as Richardson is also withdrawn before the end with a knee problem;
“It was a surprise Gabriel Heinze scored twice but I don't care where the goals come from.” reflects Sir Alex Ferguson.
Rangers will also be in Thursday’s draw (August 25) after they see off Cypriots Anorthosis Famagusta 4-1 on aggregate. Leading 2-1 from the first leg, the SPL champions complete a 2-0 win on the night with goals from Thomas Buffel and Dado Prso;
“It's fantastic and exciting to be through.” says Gers boss Alex McLeish, sticking his tongue out at Gordon Strachan.
Back to domestic matters and Chelsea make an ominously early appearance at the top of the Premiership table after beating West Bromwich Albion 4-0 at Stamford Bridge. A brace from Frank Lampard sets the champions on their way, with Joe Cole and Didier Drogba also on target;
“For me we gifted Chelsea the game.” laments Baggies boss Bryan Robson;
“We gifted them two goals and if Real Madrid came here and gave two goals away they would not come back into the game.” he adds, speculating a little.
Arsenal recover from their weekend defeat to Chelsea by smashing four past Fulham. If Gabriel Heinze’s brace for Manchester United is unexpected, Pascal Cygan’s for the Gunners is nothing short of flabbergasting. Thierry Henry edges closer to Ian Wright’s goalscoring record with a couple of his own, and all this after Claus Jensen had put Fulham ahead and Lauren had missed a penalty for Arsenal;
“I'm delighted with the performance.” offers an obviously delirious Fulham boss Chris Coleman.
Bolton plunge Graeme Souness into further trouble, winning 2-0 against Newcastle at the Reebok. It seems that only Michael Owen can save the Scotsman’s job now, as El Hadji Diouf and Stelios Giannakopoulos pile on the misery for the Toon;
“We've played three games and tonight is the worst we've played so far. To get a result here you need to scrap.” says Souness, again failing to resist the temptation to snipe at Bolton’s style of football.
Blackburn and Tottenham play out a largely uninspiring 0-0 draw at Ewood Park, with Martin Jol taking the interesting decision to name Edgar Davids, Michael Carrick and Jermain Defoe among his substitutes.
Though he wasn’t around long, Davids still found time to be scandalously scythed down by Lucas Neill, earning the Blackburn man a red card for his troubles.
A Gary Jones goal provides the upset of the night in the Carling Cup, as Grimsby Town edge out Derby County 1-0. Elsewhere, it is a night for away winners as Huddersfield win 4-2 at Chesterfield, Cardiff City emerge from Colchester with a 2-0 win, Coventry beat Rushden and Diamonds 3-0 and Bournemouth come through a penalty shoot-out with Torquay United after a goalless draw.
The August 25 draw for the group stages of the Champions League pairs holders Liverpool with Premiership champions Chelsea. After failing to qualify through their league position last season, Liverpool are stripped of what UEFA refer to as ‘country protection’, meaning that Chelsea effectively suffer the same fate. Real Betis and Anderlecht join the English duo in Group G.
Manchester United face Everton’s conquerors Villarreal, along with their 1968 final opponents Benfica and French side Lille. Rangers will attempt to do what Celtic couldn’t and get past Artmedia Bratislava in a group which also includes Inter Milan and Porto.
Arsenal are lumped in with Ajax, Sparta Prague and the practically unheard of FC Thun of Switzerland. Other interesting arrangements see Juventus and Bayern Munich plunged into Group A together with Club Brugge and Rapid Vienna, while Barcelona will take on the always dangerous Germans Werder Bremen and Italian outfit Udinese.
AC Milan must go back to Turkey, scene of their famous Champions League final capitulation to Liverpool to face Fenerbahce. They also can look forward to a re-match with their semi-final opponents from last season PSV Eindhoven, and German opposition in the shape of Schalke ‘04.
Real Madrid and Lyon are pitched in together, and will be favourites to progress ahead of Rosenborg and Olympiakos.
Amid persistent rumours of a return to Anfield for Michael Owen, under pressure Djibril Cisse responds with two goals in the European Super Cup final in Monaco. The Reds see off CSKA Moscow 3-1 after falling a goal behind, but Rafa Benitez refuses to guarantee Cisse’s Anfield future when questioned on all things Owen at the final whistle.
More Premiership action on August 27, and Spurs feel-good factor is halted by the immovable object that is Chelsea. Martin Jol’s men go down 2-0 at White Hart Lane after having Mido sent off in the first half. Manchester City keep winning, this time 2-1 over Portsmouth, with Andy Cole again on the scoresheet.
Milan Baros scores on his Aston Villa debut, a goal good enough to give David O’Leary’s side all three points against Blackburn Rovers. In a potential basement battle, Wigan steal an early march on Sunderland winning 1-0 thanks to a penalty given after only 12 seconds.
Former Everton striker Brian McBride comes back to haunt his old colleague, scoring the only goal in Fulham’s surprise win at Goodison. Geoff Horsfield scores twice in a fiercely competitive Midlands derby, but his West Brom outfit are on the wrong end of a 3-2 scoreline against his former club Birmingham City.
Kevin Nolan and Ivan Campo score the goals that help Bolton Wanderers beat West Ham United 2-1 at Upton Park.
August 28 sees another Sunday double in the Premiership, with most of the headlines being made by Newcastle’s continued inability to score a goal. Graeme Souness’ men remain scoreless for the season, after being beaten 2-0 at home by Manchester United. Once again, it is Ruud and Roo doing the damage for the Red Devils.
Middlesbrough’s schizophrenic start to the season continues, as they are unceremoniously hammered 3-0 by Charlton, for whom Darren Bent scores his fourth goal of the season.
Everton sign Nuno Valente, a Champions League and UEFA Cup winner under Jose Mourinho at Porto.
On August 30, Wilfred Bouma sets off a whole chain of transfer activity at both PSV Eindhoven and Aston Villa by leaving the Dutch outfit for the Villa Park club.
August 31 is transfer deadline day, with the major move being that of Michael Owen to the so far goalless Newcastle United. With Liverpool unmoved on their refusal to stump up the £17million that Newcastle eventually paid for the England striker, it seems that Souness has got his man by default.
Jermaine Jenas leaves St.James’ Park to join Tottenham’s Midfield Army, while Erik Edman leaves White Hart Lane for Rennes in France, and Reto Zeigler also leaves for Hamburg in a loan deal. Eirik Bakke teams up with old boss David O’Leary at Aston Villa who also gain James Milner on loan from Newcastle, but at the expense of Nolberto Solano who returns to the north east permanently.
Rangers’ Michael Ball makes the strange move from Glasgow to Eindhoven to join PSV, while Alex McLeish’s decision to pick up Francis Jeffers on loan from Charlton is perhaps even more perplexing. PSV also acquire the services of Middlesbrough full-back Michael Reiziger, but lose Lee Young-Pyo to Tottenham. Wigan finally pick up a striker, signing David Connolly from Leicester City.
Dutch midfielder Andy Van Der Meyde joins Everton from Inter Milan, and immediately joins those on the treatment table at Goodison Park.
By Stephen Orford
Those who believe that the Premiership is currently stuck in Dullsville will not be relishing the prospect of the Saturday lunch-time kick-off (September 24) between Birmingham City and Liverpool at St.Andrews.

Though they remain unbeaten and have yet to concede a goal, Liverpool’s inability to score goals in the Premiership this year has seen them drop vital points at Middlesbrough, Tottenham and at home to Manchester United. Draws against all three might not ordinarily be considered disasters, but that point of view ignores the blistering start to the season made by champions Chelsea.

The Reds’ only goal in four league outings came at home to Sunderland, and that from a set-piece through Xabi Alonso’s perfectly executed free-kick. Rafa Benitez’s insistence on playing with just one up front is stifling creativity, as he adopts a definite policy of not losing as opposed to one of aiming for a win.

The good news for Benitez and his men is that Birmingham City’s home record this season is quite abysmal. The Blues have not won any of their first three home encounters, suffering defeat to both Manchester City and Charlton Athletic, aswell as a good old fashioned 3-0 spanking against Middlesbrough.

It only gets marginally better for Steve Bruce’s side on their travels, with just one win so far this term. That one success came in the Midlands derby clash with another struggling outfit, West Bromwich Albion. On the plus side they remain unbeaten away from St.Andrews, a factor which is unlikely to assist them as they prepare to entertain Liverpool in front of a packed, expectant house. Besides, draws at Portsmouth and Fulham represent solid enough achievements, but hardly the sort of record to instil fear into Merseyside hearts.

And yet it would surprise nobody to see them turn Liverpool over in this one. Last term Birmingham scored a rare double over the Reds, winning 2-0 at St.Andrews and 1-0 at Anfield in two of the most uninspiring encounters of the season. Don’t expect a shift to all-action, pulsating, end-to-end football here, as both look certain to stick doggedly to their rigid styles.

Birmingham striker Emile Heskey will be anxious to do well against his former club, and if selected from the outset will make his 300th league start in career that started at Leicester City. The England international has registered on the scoreboard before in this fixture, but did so wearing the Liverpool red, including one in his last game for the Anfield club. Bruce must find a midfield replacement for the suspended Nicky Butt, sent off at Portsmouth last week, while David Dunn is still some way off a first team appearance after a lengthy injury.

Benitez is unlikely to deviate from what is effectively a 4-5-1 formation, with Luis Garcia playing just off a lone front man. Peter Crouch is the man in possession of the shirt at the moment, with Djibril Cisse seemingly out of favour indefinitely, and Fernando Morientes hampered by injuries. Florent Sinama Pongolle, who has made a successful comeback from injury, is another potential striking option but has recently been deployed as a right-sided midfielder.

The Reds will (hopefully) look to get men forward from midfield, with any two from Steven Gerrard, Xabi Alonso, Mohamed Sissoko and Dietmar Hamann forming the central pairing. One would think that Gerrard and Alonso pick themselves, but Benitez has shown before that he is not averse to shuffling the pack from time to time. Whether this aids the team in terms of continuity is questionable, but the Spaniard is a firm believer in using the full breadth of his squad.

Head to head Liverpool have an expected edge overall, winning 46 games to Birmingham’s 28. There have been 18 draws in that time, and the Midlands outfit have a much-improved record in the fixture during the Premiership era. They have won three times to Liverpool’s two since that 1992 watershed, with one match drawn.

Two of those wins came at St.Andrews, and in total the Blues have recorded 21 home league wins against Liverpool, losing just 15 times on home turf.

Expect another close but hardly thrilling encounter, with either side capable of nicking it by the odd goal. A draw could be favourite, but in the interests of avoiding any fence-straddling, I’m plumping for the home side to finally improve their home record with a narrow win.

Verdict; Birmingham City 1 Liverpool 0.

Stephen Orford
23 September 2005

2333: Hearts: Will the bubble burst

by : Sean Graham

So far this season in the SPL the main focus and attention has not been on Glasgow but
has switched to a team from the capital. The team in question is not last season’s surprise package, Hibernian, but their city rivals Hearts.

The Jambos have taken the SPL by storm so far this season, winning all their matches so far. The only blemish on their record is a 1-0 defeat by Livingston in the CIS Cup. But now on Saturday they face their biggest test of their credentials when Rangers visit Tynecastle in Scotland’s match of the day.

Alex McLeish’s side have already won their first Champions League match defeating Porto in a thrilling 3-2 win at Ibrox but have struggled to beat a Clyde side managed by former Ibrox hero – Graham Roberts. Winning the match 5-2 after extra time.

George Burley will be hoping that his team can recover their league form in time for Saturday’s match. Hearts fans have been looking forward to this test as the season progresses and their team continue their good run.

Hearts fans from near and far have been jumping on the Burley bandwagon and have been putting the money their favourite’s to be this season’s SPL Champions, and they have had the bookmakers running scared ! The odds, some as high as 500/1 have come crashing down to 9/2, as the Jambo’s lump heap’s of cash on their favourite’s, and the media argue among themselves as to how far this side can actually go.

Why have Hearts gone 5 points clear at the top of the SPL this early in the season?

Are they that good ? or are the Old Firm really bad ?

Well if I am being honest with you,I would have to say,it is a wee bit of both actually!

Yes,Hearts are playing good football, and they are bringing the crowd’s back to Tynecastle and football ground’s in Scotland at a time when attendances are at a low in some Premiership matches down south,so they must be applauded for that.

They have a new fresh approach this season brought to them by Lithuanian businessman, Vladimir Romanov, who is the major shareholder and has brought in a new Manager, George Burley, and has invested in bringing exciting new players to the club.

Romanov has also brought renewed optimism to this Tynecastle,saying the he wants Hearts to win the SPL and be playing in the Premiership within the next four years. People may laugh, but he has brought in some really exciting players to Hearts in his short stay so far. None more so than Rudi Skacel, on loan from Marseille and has scored seven goals in SPL matches so far.

Adding players of this talent and also having the backbone of the Scottish national side has helped Hearts this season. Players like, Craig Gordon,now Scotland’s number one keeper, and being able to hold on to Pressley,Webster and Hartley has helped this side grow into a team that is on everyones’ lips in Scotland.

But can this Hearts side go on and win the Championship or will their bubble burst just as it did in 1986, when they lost 2-0 to two Albert Kidd goals at Dundee, and Celtic took the Championship by beating St.Mirren 5-0 at Love Street ?

The Old Firm are not as strong as they once where, and Hearts will know that on their day, they can be beaten. Like when they defeated Rangers 2-1 in the 1998 Scottish Cup final at Celtic Park.

This team have answered all questions that have been asked of them so far this season, but the question’s that remain un-answered until this Saturday are, how would Hearts react to their first defeat? – it has happened against Livingston, and how would they fair against the Old Firm?

Well I would imagine all eyes will be on Tynecastle on Saturday to find out exactly that, remembering that both clubs have had very different results mid-week and also, will Rangers have on eye on their Champions League match in the empty San Siro v Inter On Wednesday night ?

One thing is for sure fans of not only Hearts and Rangers will be watching this match, the eyes of the footballing world will be watching to see if this Hearts challenge is genuine or is it all just a media frenzy in the hope that someone else wins the title ?

We will find out on Saturday!

Sean Graham
22 September 2005

2332: West Ham United: All hail the

by : Paul Meadows

Has The Premiership ever been under more scrutiny than it currently is? Largely regarded around Europe as one of the more entertaining leagues, this season has seen a lack of goals and attacking football, poor attendances and negative tactics, all resulting in some serious questions being asked about the state of the beautiful game in this country.

Many pundits have even suggested the title race is already over, that Chelsea (played six, won six, conceded zero) have the title wrapped up before the summer is over. Although the Londoners are clear favourites to retain their crown, the notion they have already done so is of course ridiculous – by the same logic, it would then stand to reason that Charlton Athletic are certainties to be playing Champions League football next season whilst Sunderland are unlikely to ever win another top-flight game again.

The fact Chelsea have started so well is of little surprise. They were formidable enough last term; the arrivals of Shaun Wright-Phillips, Asier del Horno and the excellent Michael Essien has made them more so. No wonder they already have double the points of Arsenal, whilst Manchester United are in only a slightly better place seven points adrift.

Yet whilst Jose Mourinho’s men barge past all before them on their way to another impressive season, it is another London club who have perhaps captured the nations’ attention in these opening weeks of the new season. And no, I am not referring to the lacklustre Gunners or high-flying Addicks, but the supposed whipping boys from the East End, West Ham United.

I say ‘supposed whipping boys’ because Alan Pardew’s men have proved anything but. In The Premiership virtue of a Play-Off final win over Preston North End after a sixth-placed finish in the second-tier last season, many pundits believed the Hammers would make an instant return to whence they came; that Pardew himself was amongst the favourites to be first to pick up his P45 perhaps tells the story.

Indeed, a lot of West Ham fans would not have been too perturbed had Pardew packed it in even after their May success in Cardiff; they felt he had struggled to make a real impression at Upton Park, that he got lucky and the club didn’t really deserve to be taking up their place amongst the elite. The fact five teams finished ahead of them last season would back up their argument.

But Pardew was given the nod to continue (and why not? He had, after all, initially predicted it would take him two years to get the club back in The Premiership and he delivered on his promise), and he made some shrewd purchases in the summer.

Roy Carroll was, lest we forget, last season deemed good enough by many to keep goal for Manchester United. Only his hesitation at agreeing a contract on the basis he would not necessarily be first choice prevented him from staying at Old Trafford and competing to play Champions League football. Pardew offered him the regular football he craved, and an established top-flight shot-stopper was signed on a Bosman free transfer.

Another established Premiership performer, Paul Konchesky, was signed from Charlton Athletic for a modest fee of around £1.5million – not bad for a 24-year-old with over 100 league appearances to his name and an England cap to show for his talent. And whilst a host of managers scour the European market for bargains – admittedly, something West Ham partake in – Pardew took advantage of the hesitation of his peers by snapping up the highly-rated Daniel Gabbidon from Cardiff City for £1.7million.

Gabbidon, you will remember, had been linked with a number of clubs over the past couple of years. A regular performer – and an impressive one at that – for Wales, here is a player with a big talent who had been readily available for some time at a reasonable price. Why nobody took the risk on him remains something of a mystery to many, and a blessing to Pardew.

Another player who always seemed on the brink of a move to England was Yossi Benayoun of Racing Santander. Liverpool and Tottenham Hotspur were known admirers of the midfielder, yet they failed to cement their interest with a bid and he was snapped up for £2.5million by a grateful Pardew. The manager had found a true creative talent; the fans had found a new hero – everyone was happy, with the exception of those who missed out, of course.

Only a last minute hitch prevented Benni McCarthy arriving from Porto. At the time Pardew admitted his frustration at the Portuguese club for going back on their word on deadline day, and vowed to return for the player in the New Year. Well, perhaps he should save his cash. Jeremie Aliadiere, the talented French youngster from Arsenal, and Manchester United’s David Bellion have arrived on loan; both hungry to prove they can cut it at the highest of levels. And of the five strikers in the first team squad, four have already found the back of the net this season.

All Pardew’s dealings in the transfer market, coupled with the squad from last season which includes the talents of Anton Ferdinand, Matthew Etherington and Nigel Reo-Coker, makes for optimism amongst the clubs’ fans. Most refreshingly, and importantly, there is little chance of the manager sacrificing his commitment to attacking football in order to muster survival points – because there is no need.

The Hammers have won three of their opening five league games playing true sweeping, attacking football, and their tally of ten goals is second only to the Champions. Their recent 2-1 win at Fulham was perhaps the best game of the campaign so far, whilst their 4-0 demolition of Aston Villa one of the most impressive performances.

It is little wonder, then, that all this talk of a lack of entertainment in The Premiership is greeted with some bemusement amongst West Ham fans.

Paul Meadows
22 September 2005

2331: Tottenham Hotspur: Spurs short

by : Daniel Kelly

Derek Watson though, secretary of the Heart of Midlothian Supporters Trust, isn’t getting too carried away by the Jambos fantastic start just yet.

“The start has been excellent and there is hope that we can sustain this but there is a long way to go. If we qualify for Europe the initial objective will have been achieved but I believe our supporters are now looking for more than this.

“George Burley has said the main aim for the season is to qualify for Europe but I believe that it may be possible for Hearts to split them this season if we have a bit of luck with injuries and suspensions. Celtic are a team in transition as Martin O’Neil had stuck with the same squad over the last few years and I feel Gordon Strachan may take time to build a new side. Rangers on the other hand will have one eye on the Champions League and have already lost to Aberdeen and Hibs following their final qualifying round ties. If both clubs have difficulties it may be possible for someone else to win the SPL. However if there is still a serious challenge to the Old Firm at the end of the year I could see them making significant signings in the January transfer window despite their aim to control finances.”

Aberdeen were the last non-Old Firm side to challenge for the title in 1991 when they went to Ibrox only needing a draw to claim the title but a Mark Hateley double ensured Rangers continued their nine-in-a-row dream.

In 1986 Hearts were well and truly broken as they lost 2-0 to Dundee at Dens Park as Celtic hammered St Mirren 5-0 to snatch the title. Jambo supporters have tried to erase that excruciating pain ever since and league success this season would do the business.

Last season supporters began to notice a change in the make-up of Scottish football. For years Rangers and Celtic generally tore the opposition apart and many teams would go to Glasgow on a damage limitation exercise but suddenly teams have become prepared to have a go at the big two. Aberdeen, Hibernian and Hearts all left Parkhead with impressive victories and even Dundee United beat Rangers at Ibrox. This form has continued into this campaign with Aberdeen beating Rangers at Pittodrie and Hibernian thrashing the Gers at Ibrox 3-0. Gordon Strachan could not have made a worse start to his Celtic career with a 5-0 thrashing against Artmedia Bratislava and subsequently making a premature exit from European competition. And on the opening day they let a 3-1 half-time lead slip and youngster Craig Beattie was left to salvage a point in an incredible 4-4 draw against Motherwell.

So is it a case of the chasing pack improving or the Old Firm letting their standards slip? Hearts fan Derek Watson, who hopes that they can sustain their challenge and win one of the cups, believes that it is a mixture of the two.

”Rangers and Celtic both realise that they cannot afford to continue spending the high amounts they have been on transfer fees and players wages. This is why Celtic could not sign Craig Bellamy. We will therefore have a situation where the Old Firm will not be able to attract the standard of European or English players they have in the past. The clubs below them must also watch their budgets but by having scouting networks throughout Europe they can attract quality players at affordable rates. They have also been more active in bringing through their own younger players and hopefully this will pay off for them.”

This sentiment is echoed by Hibernian fan Stuart Frew, a member of the Northern Ireland Hibernian Supporters Club.

“The calibre of players being signed by the old firm has dropped hugely - especially when judged on their ability to perform well in Europe where mostly they are an abject failure. With those clubs being tens of millions in debt these days they tend to cast their net within the SPL for bargain buys which will only buy them (relative) success within Scotland.”

“Speaking of my own club Hibs I'd say the most valid reason for this change of attitude is within the players themselves rather any outside influence. Hibernian have a very talented group of young lads who have come through the ranks together and don't appear to show any fear, nor least more respect than is due to the Glasgow pair (or anyone indeed).”

However Ian Will, an Aberdeen fan and member of the Red Ultras, believes that it all boils down to the Old Firm tightening their belts and a severe dose of complacency.

“They are slowly coming back to the pack, their cash cows have gone to the slaughter house and their respective boards have started to reign in the lavish spending as us mere mortals know you can't spend spend, spend forever.... you have to pay it back one day. I do think their standards have slipped it's called complacency. You only have to look at their fans to see that, coupled with a poorer standard of player and the attitude that they just have to turn up to win means that the OF will have to start working to earn their corn.”

Rangers fan James Prentice is starting to sense that the invincibility the Ibrox support once possessed in abundance is starting to slip.

“There has been a different spirit about Rangers after the Walter Smith era and the end of the 10-in-a-row dream – something has changed and I don't think that the club and supporters believe so much that they are 'Simply the Best', as the Ibrox anthem goes.

It is harder to define Celtic's position in all of this, but I think that in terms of both clubs the Scottish media has played a large part. Not only are they generally over hyped, journalists have lambasted non-Old Firm clubs for so long that they have recovered from their inferiority complex and no longer see a reason to fear the Old Firm. Also, there have been a sprinkling of young managers such as Terry Butcher, Jimmy Calderwood and Tony Mowbray who have breathed new life into their clubs and have brought on some prodigious talents.”

Despite that there is still a huge gap between the Glasgow giants and the chasing pack. For all of Aberdeen and Hibernian’s impressive performances last season they still finished a whopping 31 points behind the champions Rangers. And it’s that statistic that convinces Ian Will that the Old Firm will still march to an untouchable lead.

“To suggest that a non-Old Firm team will be up there at the death is purely paper talk, no team will be within 25 points of the Old Firm come the end of the season... no matter how much spin the papers try to suck people in.”

Scottish football has long suffered from the media’s inability to see beyond the Old Firm and continually running down the standard of the game north of the border. However with the English Premiership appearing to be a one-horse race with Chelsea seemingly unstoppable Scottish fans can breathe a sigh of relief as Hearts ensure that the destination of the SPL title has not already been decided.

Fans have waited a long time to see a force capable of challenging the Old Firm on a regular basis and this Hearts side look like they may have the credentials to satisfy the games needs. Derek Watson, like the rest of the SPL fans, would be delighted to see the Old Firm’s dominance ended.

”It is vital for the game the Old Firm are challenged, there is little point in continuing if all the other teams think the best they can do is third place. I would be delighted to see the dominance of the Old Firm ended by any team in Scotland but of course I hope it is Hearts. However it is important that a sustained challenge is made and that any team that are capable of making a challenge are not seen as one-season wonders.”

However, Ian Will, from The Red Ultras, believes that the gap between the top two and the chasing pack is still vast and it will take 10 years for a genuine contender to challenge the Old Firm.

“To see one of the other teams do the business and get in there would be a great boost, one that we all need... the Old Firm included. It's not going to happen for at least another 10 years in my opinion. No one has the finances required to get the quality of players needed for a season long challenge.”

George Burley has set his stall out for the season and if the Jambos can see off Rangers on Saturday before travelling to Parkhead in October and continue this rich vein of form, it won’t just be Hearts supporters celebrating come May.

Colin Illingworth
21 September 2005
It seems incredible to even countenance it, but Spurs are missing a midfielder or three. With in excess of ten midfielders at the club it seems almost careless to have neglected to cover the midfield adequately, yet Tottenham Hotspur are undoubtedly short of options in midfield, or to be more precise, short of attacking options in midfield.

Last season a grand total of three goals were contributed to the goals for column from the Spurs midfield, and this failure to support the strikers cost Tottenham a European spot, and possibly even Champions League qualification. Already this season looks like following a similar vein.

Despite having a plethora of midfielders to choose from, Jol’s midfield attacking options are severely limited. Carrick’s class only shows from deep, and his compatriots in centre midfield offer little going forward. Davids, Davis and Tainio run hard and cover the pitch but lack composure or creativity in front of goal. Michael Brown left his shooting boots at Bramall Lane. Mendes can play a pass but he too likes to play from deep like Carrick and looks set to leave the club as soon as possible. Only Jenas offers any creative skills going forward with his ability to run with the ball and pick a pass, yet these skills have appeared only sporadically thus far in his time at White Hart Lane. The side lacks a genuinely attacking central midfielder capable of chipping in with vital goals. To illustrate the importance of such a player, we need only to look to Goodison Park. Last season the goal scoring form of Cahill in this position was the difference between Everton’s 17th two seasons ago and their 4th place last term.

Moving on to the wings the problems are even more obvious. The lack of a creative central midfielder can be countered by having wide attacking players, each chipping in with goals and assists. The likes of Pires, Ronaldo, Wright-Phillips and even Morten Gamst Pederson have shown the immense value of having player with pace, dribbling ability and an eye for goal, able to turn a game in an instant.

Spurs invested in the not inconsiderable talents of Wayne Routledge in the summer, and his preseason form promised the goals and assists return not seen at the lane since Ginola left. However his injury has left only the raw Aaron Lennon as cover at right midfield, and in his place Jol has preferred to play one of his multitude of central midfielders such as Tainio, Brown and Jenas, leaving Spurs short of width on the right side of the pitch. Against Aston Villa the right side of the pitch was frequently utterly deserted, compressing the play into one congested side of the park and making it immeasurably easier to defend against.

On the left wing only Andy Reid offers genuine width, yet has performed only fitfully in his time at the Lane. He frequently fails to go past a man and open up space, and his crossing has generally been poor. His solitary goal for the club also belies his undoubted shooting ability and far better goal record at both Nottingham Forest and for Ireland. Unfortunately Spurs have no-one at the club to replace an underperforming Reid or give him the competition to improve him. Again Jol has looked to replace Reid with a central midfielder such as Davids or Tainio, relying on the full back Young-Pyo to provide the necessary width instead. This at least has worked far more successfully than on the right, where Staltieri’s has steadfastly refused to play attacking football from right full-back, who-ever is placed in front of him.

To conclude Spurs lack the attacking threat in midfield to maximise the pace and skill of Defoe and Keane, either through playing creative through-balls and reverse passes or taking advantage of the space they create with their movement to score themselves. On the wings Spurs lack the type of quality crossing necessary to fully exploit Mido and Rasiak’s undoubted heading ability. No-one at the club looks likely to chip in with the ten goals from midfield or double figures in assists necessary to propel Spurs into the upper echelons of the table.

With the transfer window shut Jol will have to look to the current squad for solutions.
Routledge’s return from injury or a run in the team for the promising Lennon may solve the right side dilemma, and Jenas has the potential at least to offer a threat from central midfield. Stephen Kelly’s attacking ability from full-back may also allieviate some of the problems. On the left Reid must show his best form consistently to justify his position or be replaced in the January transfer window. When it does re-open expect Spurs to invest once more in midfield.

Dan Kelly
21 September 2005

2330: Hearts: Breaking Old Firm Hear

by : Colin Illingworth

Runaway SPL leaders Hearts have blown away the opposition so far this season but they face their toughest test to date as they entertain the champions Rangers.

George Burley’s men have won seven out of seven, sit five points clear of their nearest challengers Celtic, eight points clear of Rangers, and seemingly do not know the meaning of the word defeat.

It’s been 10 years since one half of the Old Firm finished outside the top two spots and 20 years since Aberdeen became the last team outside of Glasgow to win the title.

So with Hearts making an awesome start and Rangers and Celtic struggling to reach their recent high standards the burning question is, are Hearts the side to finally break the duopoly of Scottish football?

James Prentice, a Rangers fan and Squarefootball writer, is full of praise for the shock SPL leaders but believes that eventually the Tynecastle club will fall by the wayside.

“Hearts deserve great credit for a solid start to the season and their fans will quite rightly be doing backflips around Gorgie as we speak. They have an intelligent manager and a chairman who is putting vast sums of money up for they quality of players that only the Old Firm could afford, not to mention some of Scotland's best young talent such as Craig Gordon and Paul Hartley, who could quite conceivably develop into world-class players.

“Despite their excellent start, Hearts do not have strength or depth to their squad that the Old Firm do and similarly do not have the solid base that Rangers and Celtic do – If Romanov left Tynecastle suddenly the whole new regime could crash down on Hearts. It will be interesting to see how Hearts fare against the Old Firm and how they will cope with the injuries and suspensions that will inevitably come their way.

“My own view is that Hearts will crack eventually but will almost certainly finish in at least third place in the SPL. I believe that as the season winds on they will drop points and will no be as consistent as Rangers or Celtic.”

And it’s not often that Old Firm fans agree but even a Celtic fan from the Bothwell Bhoys Celtic Supporters Club thinks that Hearts will slip up eventually.

“Fantastic start by Hearts, but given a few injuries and suspensions, they'll soon drop back a few places, although it'd be good to see them maintain a challenge until the end of the season (so long as they finish behind us!) As a Celtic fan, it would be great to think that if we don't win a trophy it isn’t automatically going to the other side of Glasgow, and that perhaps someone else could do something in Scottish football.”

At the start of the season George Burley’s main objective at Tynecastle was to get Hearts back into Europe. Seven games in though and the expectation from the fans has soared and why not. Normally at this point in the season it’s either Rangers or Celtic topping the table with a huge gap already over the rest. The Jambos have come out of the blocks firing on all cylinders, crushing everything in sight. They stated their intentions early on with a 4-0 thrashing of Edinburgh rivals Hibernian and a 2-0 home win over Aberdeen, who were the two most promising sides of last season.

Lithuanian owner Vladimir Romanov has injected money into the club and Burley has spent wisely and some of his loan deals have been inspirational. Rudi Skacel has come in from Marseille and been a breath of fresh air. Seven goals in seven games for the Lithuanian midfielder is a record that most strikers would be envious of. However, despite the huge amount of foreigners at the club Burley’s side is built on a solid base of homegrown talent. Craig Gordon is only 23 but already the talented goalkeeper has 10 international caps to his name. Steven Pressley and Andy Webster have forged one of the games best defensive partnerships and in Paul Hartley they have the combative machine who is no stranger to where the goals are either.

2329: Aston Villa: Fans have a right

by : Hugh Larkin

David O’Leary emerged from Aston Villa’s flattering 8-3 victory at Wycombe Wanderers to have a dig at some of Villa’s travelling support who booed the players off at half-time, when the team trailed 3-1 to the home side. When a Premiership manager is sensitive about some abuse when his side is two goals down to a team sitting in 6th place in League Two, it begs the question of exactly when the manager thinks the fans have a right to be critical?

O’Leary himself indicated that in the time-honoured way ‘a few things were said’ in the dressing room, so why should his supporters be any different? Or does the manager want us to believe that he entered into a calm, purely rational discussion and told his team that they were unlucky to be behind at the break?

The manager took the chance to accuse some of his supporters of being ‘a fickle mob’. Putting aside the issue that some fans are never particularly satisfied, his comments are indicative of some of the attitudes prevalent in football that are contributing to the downturn in attendances.

He might have wanted to focus on the fact that his ‘fickle mob’ were prepared to shell out to travel down to the Home Counties on a Tuesday night for a fixture which wasn’t especially attractive for Premiership fans. The cost involved would have been in addition to the money they will have forked out on Saturday to watch the game against Spurs. Criticising people prepared to watch the team twice in a week is hardly good public relations.

The fans had travelled to watch a very well paid set of players take on a team lying fully 61 places below Villa in the pyramid. It would surely take bit of a saint to sit quietly during the break and just accept that David and the boys will turn it round in the second half.

I’d argue that Villa would have received a bit of stick from their fans in this situation in whatever era the game was being played in; there never was an era where supporters merely stood on the terraces content to politely clap and accept that the better side won on the night.

How much more so though in the current era, where fans are having to part with an ever-increasing percentage of their weekly income, a good proportion of which goes to pay massive wages to the professionals. I use the word ‘professional’ deliberately here because at the wages that the Villa squad receive, losing 3-1 at the break to Wycombe can in no sense be considered a ‘professional’ performance.

The hard fact is that if you are going to receive a fortune for playing football the fans aren’t going to give you the leeway that they might once have. If Pavarotti sings badly the punters in the world’s opera houses let him know about it because they have paid a lot of money to see the best. Premiership football teams are effectively claiming to be the best by the sums they charge and the wages paid- likewise the fans demand a performance to match.

Instead of griping, David O’Leary could try winning a Birmingham Derby game and then the ‘fickle’ supporters he criticises wouldn’t have to suffer the stick they take from their Bluenose workmates in the city. He may have been ‘proud’ of his players for their second half at Wycombe but he should have been apologising for the first.

Hugh Larkin
21 September 2005

2328: Tottenham Hotspur: The hard wo

by : Stephen Orford

It’s far too early to be using words like ‘crisis’, but Tottenham Hostpur’s lame Carling Cup exit to Grimsby Town on Tuesday night (September 21) was perhaps the wake-up call that Martin Jol’s men needed.

The loss of an opportunity to pick up some much sought after silverware may be a slightly harsh kick in the pants for the north London outfit, but it may serve them well in their bid to push for a European qualification spot via the Premiership.

Before the season started all the talk was of how Spurs were about to kick-on from a reasonable season last time out, with many of the country’s top talent identified and captured by former sporting director Frank Arnesen. In addition, the arrival of Edgar Davids had many a Spurs fan all of a lather about their team’s chances. With Everton’s heroic achievements from last term in mind, the phrase ‘Champions League qualification’ was perhaps being whispered very quietly around White Hart Lane.

That aim is still achievable, but for the first time Jol finds himself, and his methods, under some scrutiny from fans and media alike. One of the more noticeable aspects of Tottenham’s Blundell Park reverse was the lack of width offered in midfield. Despite the acquisition of an unreasonable number of midfield players Jol is still finding it difficult to find players who can provide genuine options out wide. Andy Reid, a player of whom much was expected after his arrival from Nottingham Forest, flattered to deceive out on the left against Grimsby, and it was not until the introduction of 18 year-old Aaron Lennon on the opposite flank that Spurs really got behind their League Two opponents on a regular basis.

Centrally, the Spurs midfield lost Michael Carrick with what could be a worrying injury in the second half, but Jermaine Jenas’ performance improved markedly when he was moved inside from his initial starting role out wide. The engine room clearly missed the influence of Davids, out again with the groin injury which forced him to miss the visit to Aston Villa on Saturday (September 17). However, over-reliance on the veteran Dutchman is something of a paradox for a squad so packed with youthful promise. When fit again, Davids will start most games but Jol needs to decide what to do with the enigmatic Jenas after his £7million arrival from Newcastle United, bearing in mind that a fully-fit Carrick all but picks himself.

Missing the suspended Egyptian striker Mido and the cup-tied Grzegorz Raziak, Jol had little choice but to go with a diminutive front pairing of Jermaine Defoe and Robbie Keane. The Dutchman is known to be reluctant to pair the two together as, despite their plentiful individual abilities, they lack the physical presence required to give Spurs variety and options in attack. Raziak, recently arrived from Derby, could be an answer to this problem when the side return to Premiership action on Monday night against Fulham (September 26), but the decision to allow Fredi Kanoute to head for Seville is looking more and more questionable.

The lack of goal-power currently on display is a worry. Keane’s goal which rescued a point at Aston Villa was Tottenham’s first in four Premiership games after blanks against Blackburn, Liverpool and Chelsea, a clear indication that all is not well with the attacking options at Jol’s disposal. It doesn’t get much easier for the former West Brom midfielder’s charges. After Monday’s home tussle with Fulham comes another London derby at high-flying Charlton Athletic. Should the side fail to apply themselves better than in recent weeks, Tottenham could be well off the pace in the Premiership by the time the next international break comes around in early October.

Adding to all of this is the news that Antony Gardner has picked up a thigh injury likely to rule him out for two months. The imposing defender had started every Premiership game until he was withdrawn at Villa, and could be missed. His absence could be offset by the recent return of Ledley King who missed the early part of the season, but with Michael Dawson also injured, Jol is likely to rely on the experience of Moroccan international Nouredine Naybet for the foreseeable future.

There’s little doubt that Spurs have the most youthful, talented and potential-stacked squad that they have had in the Premiership era. However, Jol is now charged with the task of finding the right balance to the side in order for them to fulfil that potential. With Arnesen having left for his pot of gold at Chelsea, the emphasis at White Hart Lane must now switch from the recruitment drive of the last 12 months to the shaping of the consistency and success that a squad of this calibre should achieve.

European football could still arrive for Tottenham next season, but there could be some hairy moments along the way, starting with the visit of Fulham this Monday night.

Stephen Orford
21 September 2005

2327: Everton: The trouble with opti

by : Hugh Larkin

There’s no doubt that Everton have had a deflating start to the season but clearly a team that finished 4th last campaign doesn’t suddenly become a bad side overnight. Maybe they did finish a little bit higher than their squad should have but at the moment they are suffering the teething troubles that come from trying to conduct a makeover on the hoof.

The Premiership has become a competition in which there is very little to choose between about 14 of the sides taking part. A couple come adrift at the bottom and the elite stride clear but the rest can beat any of the others on any given day. Inside this competition within a competition, a lot can be achieved by good organisation, high work rate, maximising resources and allowing talented players the right stage to play. Everton managed this brilliantly in 2004/5.

The Premiership exists in a state of permanent revolution however, so David Moyes didn’t have the option of standing still and as an ambitious club Everton wanted rightly to consolidate their new (or regained) position. This meant buying fresh players for the squad but integrating them has been another issue.

In the early part of the 2004/5 season Everton deployed a 4-5-1 formation to excellent effect. Marcus Bent demonstrated the right attributes for this system as a striker with pace prepared to pull into wide positions and stretch the opposition defence. Far from purely a negative system, Everton’s style gave Tim Cahill full licence to get forward to good effect and allowed them to use an inventive player like Leon Osman without burdening him with too much defensive responsibility.

Once James Beattie came from Southampton however, the decisions became difficult. Playing two up front weakened the shield in midfield and left Cahill and /or Osman with less freedom to play. Using Beattie alone wasn’t a success because the ex-England man is less mobile and pacy than Bent.

Looking at the midfield, Everton have acquired Mikael Arteta, undoubtedly a more talented footballer than say Lee Carsley and a less combative one than the departed Thomas Gravesen. As his goal against Villarreal showed, Arteta can provide that extra quality to take the team to the next level but the balance in the centre of midfield is affected.

In central defence Everton got great service out of David Weir and Alan Stubbs but as a pair the two veterans looked to be a little short of pace. Hence, Stubbs has departed but while his replacements may have speed and youth they are unlikely to replace his leadership, commitment and sheer nous. However, with less of a shield in front, Moyes probably thought it essential to alter his central pairing.

12 of Everton’s 18 League wins were earned before the January Transfer Window opened last season, when Gravesen left and Beattie and Arteta arrived. 6 of the last 10 League games ended in defeat and added to this season’s start that is 13 losses in the last 18 competitive fixtures.

Other new arrivals like Phil Neville and Simon Davies are talented players but the demands of the Champions League qualifiers left Everton forced to introduce their new signings into some of the toughest games possible. Ironic that Liverpool were able to bed in their own new recruits through some gentle encounters with modest opposition.

The manager sent out a 4-5-1 formation against Arsenal and though the team were beaten again, two Sol Campbell set piece goals are a rare occurrence. For the time being the best plan would seem to be to reassemble the 4-5-1 system and to choose those players who are most capable of, or most committed to playing it, irrespective of their price tags and pedigree.

Hugh Larkin
20 September 2005

2326: Sunderland: Future can still b

by : Alex Wolstenholme

Most clubs outside the top five or six consider relegation a very real possibility, and will also do whatever it takes to avoid defeat. Piling men behind the ball, the Premiership’s mediocre element have become more difficult to break down for a side with even the most cavalier attacking style. In addition, the attention paid to set-piece opportunities and efficient counter-attacking methods by most teams makes the possibility of them nicking a goal and stealing the points more likely. Wenger’s men have found this to their cost, picking up two defeats in the league already this season, with many starting to rule them out of the title race before it has truly begun.

It is not just the heavyweights from Manchester United and Arsenal who are suffering. Witness Bolton Wanderers’ mugging of Manchester City on Sunday if you want evidence of how smash and grab is on the rise in the Premiership. City battered Bolton for much of the afternoon, rattling the woodwork on five occasions before losing out to a last-gasp penalty. Even Bolton manager Sam Allardyce had to admit that his team had not deserved a share of the spoils, though he stopped short of apologising.

Nor should he. The bottom line, as stomach-churning as it may be, is that he is employed to do whatever it takes to keep Bolton Wanderers in the lifestyle to which they have become accustomed. For Bolton that probably means a top ten finish and three points in Manchester, however they come, is merely another step towards that objective. Allardyce, and other Premiership managers including the ultra-successful Mourinho, are not obliged to provide entertainment for the fans. It seems that fans will continue to roll up to pay their hard earned money in support of their team so long as they see the desired results.

The Premiership is now so saturated with cash and media attention that to drop out is cataclysmic for some. As, relatively speaking, is failure to qualify for Europe or failure to depose Chelsea as Premiership champions for others. It is not about what you deserve to achieve, but what you actually achieve out there on the field.

Stephen Orford
19 September 2005Sunderland's poor start to the Premiership season has seen plenty of talk about long losing streaks and when they will get their first win of the campaign.

The Premiership thrives on instant glory or instant death of course and long-term analysis of where a club is heading rarely features on Match of the Day or the back pages of the Mirror.

Even if Sunderland do go down though, their prospects for the future look massively brighter than last time they were relegated from the top-flight.

Of the 14 players used in Saturday's game with West Brom, 9 were aged 26 or under and 11 were British or Irish (one of the foreigners, Julio Arca is now probably an honourary Mackem after over five years with the club).

Six of their players were also signed from lower division clubs and Mick McCarthy deserves massive credit for giving players like Liam Lawrence and Dean Whitehead (who were with Mansfield and Oxford respectively in 2003/04) and Stephen Elliott (well down the pecking order at Manchester City a couple of years ago) their chance in the Premiership.

Most of these players came through a tough season in the Championship and, if Sunderland are relegated will be well placed to have them mounting a promotion campaign again next season.

A number of other youngsters, both home-grown and signed from other clubs are also waiting in the wings for their chance.

What a contrast with the team McCarthy inherited from Peter Reid via Howard Wilkinson when millions and millions of pounds had been wasted on overpaid players whose wages and transfer fees were dragging the club towards administration.

Those millions included plenty thrown away on a succession of foreign flops, with over £12million spent on strikers Tore Andre Flo, Lilian Laslandes and Nicolas Medina. Those three players played less than 50 times for the club and were all released on free transfers.

Another overseas signing, Honduran striker Milton Nunez was later, according to Private Eye no less, discovered to be the wrong player. Sunderland had wanted to sign his more illustrious namesake and fellow countryman (there's only two Milton Nunez's perhaps).

So although the current angle on Sunderland is about 'poor old Mick McCarthy' after West Brom's late equaliser, the Black Cats have a young squad who are learning all about Premiership football and are likely to stick around next season, regardless of how the current campaign goes.

Whether they get relegated or not, Sunderland should be back in two or three years time, stronger and ready to surprise a few people as they did initially under Peter Reid.

The difference this time is that the club is looking towards the long-term more and would be capable of then sustaining what Sunderland fans would argue is their rightful place in English football's top-flight.

Alex Wolstenholme
19 September 2005

2325: Is the Premiership boring?

by : Stephen Orford

Michael Owen has played at the highest level for club and country and has an amazing amount of experience behind him for a 25-year-old. He burst on the world scene at the France 98 with that wonder goal against Argentina and he is well on his way to becoming England’s all time top goalscorer. Ian insists that Owen’s vast understanding of the game and the big situations will benefit everyone on Newcastle but only if the team plays to his strengths.

“I think he will be a success, but only if he is given quality service to allow him to play to his strengths. One man doesn't, and will never, make a team so everyone will have to play their parts, and play to their strengths as well. He does have the ability to score goals from nothing which will always help the team. We fans like our strikers up here, and I think he will realise this as well, which is always a boost.”

Newcastle United have made an awful start to the season. They kicked off the campaign with an unfortunate 2-0 defeat by Arsenal when Jenas was sent off, a draw against a stubborn ten-man West Ham side at home infuriated the fans and defeats against Bolton Wanderers and Manchester United left the Toon near the foot of the table. They also suffered the heartbreak of an early European exit. The transfer day signings of Owen and Solano though lifted their spirits somewhat.

Michael Owen made his debut at St James's Park last weekend and the side, which have been plagued by injuries, were only rescued from another defeat by a stunning free-kick by teenage substitute Charles N’Zogbia. Two points from a possible 15 (before the Blackburn result) is not acceptable for a club like Newcastle and after another disjointed display Ian, who watched the new Geordie hero make his debut, feared Owen might have been having second thoughts.

“I was at the Fulham game, and I have to say I felt sorry for him. The expectations were so high, there was a real anti-climax after the game. He didn't get any service, and didn't get the chances to do what he does best. The thought that stuck with me was that he would be regretting signing, as it was a bad performance all round.

“The strange thing is, I think we have the squad to do well. The only thing stopping us is the unbelievable injury situation that we once again find ourselves in. People criticise Souness (unfairly) for using the injuries as an excuse, but I think this is grossly unfair. It's a fact. Any other team would struggle with the likes of Dyer, Emre and Luque missing, so what other excuse can you make? So, I think all he has to do is put his best team out and through circumstances beyond his control, he isn't getting the chance to do that.”

“I think top six is realistic, and about the best we can hope for, bearing in mind the start we have made. This squad is definitely capable of winning a cup, when they are all fit.”

Owen was instrumental in sealing Newcastle’s first three points of the season at Ewood Park though and began repaying some of that huge transfer fee with his first goal. This result may also prove to be the turning point for Graeme Souness who was reported to be only two games away from the sack going into the Blackburn game. Talk which seems a bit bizarre considering the chairman has given him more than £36m to spend on players over the summer alone and broke the bank for Owen’s signature. Despite what the rest of the media wants you to believe Gavin claims that the majority of the Toon Army are right behind the gaffer.

“Unfortunately for Graeme Souness, despite the great job he has done behind the scenes, he has also had poor fortune pitch side. Whilst by the law of averages that can’t continue forever, he clearly doesn’t have forever unless the media lay off sometime soon. Twenty fans shouting a complaint is hardly massive fans unrest, but they just keep on stoking it up. I think he has been warmly received and is still well regarded when it really boils down to it. His signings have been good and he has the dressing room bonding quite well, according to sources in the city. His name has been chanted quite often, it just usually doesn’t get reported.”

Ian, who is fed up of the national media’s agenda to drag the club through the dirt, echoes this sentiment. He said: “We have too many doom and gloomers here who jumped on the Keegan bandwagon, and weren't interested in anything before Keegan was manager. These people, who I hold in utter contempt, will never be happy with Souness as they don't like him and because he hasn't brought instant success. Luckily, most of the fans are sensible, and realise that last season he inherited someone else’s team, and should be given a chance to show what he can do with his team, if they are ever all fit. I think if we lose to Sunderland he will be under pressure, despite what most people want or think. The chairman is a passionate NUFC fan, and I guess it depends when he gets to the stage where he feels he has to act.”

There is never a dull moment on Tyneside and Michael Owen’s transfer will ensure the club will be remain under the media spotlight. Newcastle United are off the mark following their first win of the season and the Toon Army and Alan Shearer will be hoping that Michael Owen will be able to secure some long-awaited silverware at Newcastle.

Colin Illingworth
19 September 2005
It could just be a simple case of everyone becoming slightly hysterical, but there is a genuine feeling of gloom surrounding the early exchanges of this year’s Premiership.

If the doomsayers are to be believed, ‘boring boring Chelsea’ already have the title sewn up after winning their opening six games without conceding a goal, while Sunderland’s impending relegation is the biggest racing certainty in football since England’s last quarter-final exit at a major tournament.

Isn’t it a little early for all of this? With fully 32 games to play for most teams and one or two more for some, isn’t their still every chance that Chelsea’s well-oiled machine will falter along the way? Is it not possible that Sunderland will stage a West Brom-like rise from the ashes, and save their Premiership bacon?

Maybe. Maybe not. The propensity of the press, and therefore the fans who swallow their daily tabloid diet of propaganda, to react with a swift jerking of the knee to early season trends is a long standing British tradition. This time last season the same sources had gifted the Premiership title to ‘Invincible Arsenal’, while West Bromwich Albion were most definitely what Australians would refer to as ‘cactus’. The potential for change throughout a long, gruelling season remains, which is thankfully what keeps the game alive as an alluring attraction.

What is really disappointing about the start to the Premiership season is the brand of football now being implemented by the vast majority of teams. A cautious 4-5-1 formation, which often masquerades as a 4-3-3, is in vogue at the moment as more and more clubs seek to take the risk out of everything they do.

Sunday’s goalless draw at Anfield (September 18) between Liverpool and Manchester United was a shining example of how attitudes to the game have changed, even amongst those who still consider themselves major players. It is well known that this Liverpool side, European title or not, are a pale shadow of the fluent, attacking machines built by the likes of Bill Shankly and Bob Paisley in years gone by. Rafa Benitez ensures that they defend well first, and clearly considers the scoring of any goals as something of an unexpected bonus. They often do this to great effect, and did so again in this hard-fought but unspectacular stalemate. However, what is less expected and possibly therefore less palatable, is the shift in approach shown from Manchester United on the day.

Throughout Sir Alex Ferguson’s glittering tenure United have lit up the football scene with their swashbuckling approach to winning games. They used their greater pace and skill to marvellous effect against most of their opponents, with names like Eric Cantona, Andrei Kanchelskis, Lee Sharpe and Mark Hughes hugely responsible for creating the Premiership’s reputation as the most exciting league in the world over the last dozen years. Pre-Chelsea, heroes such as Andy Cole, Roy Keane, David Beckham, Paul Scholes and Dwight Yorke took up the mantle as United conquered not only England but Europe also.

Sadly, Fergie’s class of 2005/06 came to Merseyside with the objective of avoiding defeat, with victory nothing more than an afterthought. Clearly, they out-passed their hosts, weaving pretty patterns across the Anfield turf for most of the day. However, rarely did they threaten the Liverpool goal despite the presence of star names like Wayne Rooney, Cristiano Ronaldo, Paul Scholes, Alan Smith and Ruud Van Nistelrooy in their side. Benitez organised the Liverpool defensive effort with ruthless efficiency, but United’s fear of losing a goal on the break was palpable throughout.

So what has caused this terrified approach to the possibility of defeat? Put simply, Chelsea and before them Arsenal have raised the bar so far in the Premiership that championship hopefuls such as United cannot now afford to lose games. Where once they could risk the odd reverse in the knowledge that they would turn several draws into wins further down the track, they now know that any more than two losses during a season is likely to cost them a chance of the title.

Over the last two seasons Chelsea and Arsenal have won the Premiership once each, losing only one game between them during that time. Arsenal have fallen away since their glorious unbeaten season of 2003/04, but Chelsea have merely stepped in to the breach and upped the stakes even further. Not only do the Stamford Bridge outfit look unlikely to lose, they seem destined never to concede a goal at the moment. For as long as this is the case, and for as long as Jose Mourinho’s men keep grinding out results like Saturday’s 2-0 win at Charlton (September 17), the Manchester United’s of this world need to ensure that they leave every game with nothing worse than one point.

In many ways, Arsene Wenger’s dogged determination to continue with his side’s open, attractive style of play has cost his Arsenal side. His complaints that the rest of the Premiership should open up before the fans get bored and go home ring slightly hollow given the advantage his side would gain were that to happen. Fans won’t get bored as long as their teams achieve their relative aims, and so a shift in tactics at this stage seems unlikely.

2323: SPL: Hearts break the boredom

by : Hugh Larkin

The best thing about the new football season-for a neutral- has to be the sight of Heart of Midlothian sat on top of the Scottish Premier League. With Chelsea set to turn the already elitist Premiership into a one-horse race, those of us looking for a competitive edge have to thank George Burley’s side for keeping the Glasgow giants away from the top spot.

It might not last of course; in fact, it almost certainly won’t but just for a change some uncertainty and unpredictability has been injected into British football. The Scottish title hasn’t ventured out of Glasgow since Aberdeen’s last triumph in 1985 and in England the situation is hardly much better- only 4 teams have won the Premiership and Blackburn are hardly likely to repeat the feat.

If the argument goes that elite clubs have always dominated the League title, the state of the FA Cups shows the truth of the uncompetitive game we now have to watch. The cabal of Man United, Arsenal, Chelsea and Liverpool have bagged 15 of the last 17 English stagings and no one else has broken in since Everton in 1995.North of the border the Glasgow pair have annexed the last seven Scottish FA Cups.

The much- maligned Carling Cup exists as a sop to the ambitions of the many English clubs desperate to justify their huge outlays of cash and the massive hype that accompanies Premiership football. In Scotland the Old Firm have even hoovered up 8 of the last 9 CIS Cups.

It remains to be seen how long the current level of interest in the game can be sustained without meaningful competition and renewal. At the moment though, the Edinburgh revival is the most entertaining show on offer.

At first Hibernian appeared to be the coming challengers to Glasgow. Last season Tony Mowbray guided his rich crop of young players and excellent buys to 3rd spot and European soccer, His team overcame the disappointment of the 2004 League Cup Final defeat to Livingston that came after eliminating both Rangers and Celtic on the way to the Final.

However, Hearts have benefited from the largesse of their Lithuanian owner Vladimir Romanov, who is well versed in pushing teams to League domination having taken FB Kaunas to perennial title status in his home country. George Burley has finally found himself in a position to spend money after performing excellently on modest funds at Ipswich and then juggling expertly with hardly any cash at Derby County.

A cautionary note is that the fixture list hasn’t paired Hearts with either of the Glasgow giants for their unbeaten seven game start. In the next couple of weeks Burley’s side must play both of them and after that we can say whether the team will be able to mix it effectively. However, the manner in which Hearts have swatted aside the smaller fry bodes well, as SPL titles are often decided by the efficiency with which the big boys gather the expected points from the rest, rather than the showdown meetings between the contenders.

Romanov is clearly thinking big; he has altered his view that Hearts will soon challenge the Old Firm to predicting that the title can be won this season. For once, the Glasgow clubs could be outgunned in the transfer window and if Hearts are still around the top in January expect the Lithuanian to release more funds.

For the moment neutrals can at least enjoy an unfamiliar name at the summit and Scots can point out that the SPL should enjoy a far more interesting title race than England this season.

Hugh Larkin
19 September 2005

2324: Newcastle United: Michael Owen

by : Colin Illingworth

Alan Shearer is a god on Tyneside and Ian Moore, a season ticket holder at St James’s Park since 1983, believes that it was his god-like status and influence that persuaded his former England strike partner Michael Owen to join Newcastle United. And like the 15,000 passionate fans who turned out to greet the former Real Madrid marksman Ian thinks that the £17m record-breaking signing will be the man to shoot Newcastle up the Premiership.

“I'm convinced it was Shearer who convinced him to come here. I think Souness would have been a factor, but I think Shearer did the persuading. I think he may have been influenced by his new status at Real Madrid as well. I was over the moon at his arrival and there were many people who felt the same. I think his signing will be important for the morale of the team, but the main thing is the pace he will eject into the front line that has been missing since Bellamy left. Shearer will put the ball in the net for you, but he needs someone to give him the ball in the right areas, and Owen knows the right areas.”

Michael Owen opened his account for the Geordies on Sunday with a header in a 3-0 win over Blackburn Rovers. However, he stunned the football world in August by publicly stating his desire to leave Real Madrid to rejoin boyhood club Liverpool, and that he would only join Newcastle United on a season-long loan. But with Rafa Benitez reluctant to meet the £17m price tag put on the player who walked out of Anfield for just £8m 12 months ago, and Graeme Souness desperate to bring in a world-class striker to play alongside Shearer, Owen was forced to decide between regular football in the world cup year or rot on the bench at Real Madrid. The England hotshot decided he wanted to be playing and signed a four-year deal at St James’s Park, and Ian is still shocked at the news.

“I got the obvious distinction that we were second choice. However, I did think that a year long deal would be better than nothing, as we were woefully short of strikers when he said that. I didn't think for a minute that we would sign him on anything else other than such a deal, and I am still surprised that we did.”

Fellow Newcastle fan Gavin Nattrass, who is a member of the Newcastle United Supporters Club from Manila in the Philippines, though insists that all Souness and Freddie Shepard had to do to secure Owen’s services was to get him to set foot in the north east.

“I said to a close friend of mine who is a Liverpool fan, that all we had to do was get him into Newcastle to talk and then we would have a serious chance of signing him. I think Michael was convinced to sign because passionate men believed in him and he was surprised by the new cultural Newcastle City district. Michael Owen talks and walks football, he simply felt wanted and comfortable. Indeed desperately wanted. He was seduced by the Toon you might say.”

Owen’s arrival has certainly lifted some of the doom and gloom off the team but there is still a nagging doubt concerning the details of his contract and whether he does in fact have a much-publicised get-out clause. Gavin for one hopes that he does.

“He may or may not have a clause; I prefer to think that he has. In that case it’s up to the people of Newcastle to make sure he doesn’t need to use it. I honestly believe he will stay for the four years. My slight doubt is mainly due to the media hysteria mentality these days and how easily influenced by this the Newcastle board and some fans are.”

Ian though, who has been ecstatic by the resigning of former Geordie favourite Nolberto Solano (the best right-winger in the Premiership he adds), believes that Owen is committed to the cause but the club will have to improve to keep him.

“I have to admit, my first thought was that there would be some kind of escape clause, based on the statement Owen originally made. After a statement from the club, and interviews with Owen, I thought these thoughts may well be unfounded though. From what he has said, he seems to be committed to the cause. I think a lot will depend on the club’s form this season. He knows he could easily find another club, so it's up to everyone involved with NUFC to convince him to stay. I think the four years depends on the clubs form alone. If we continue to under-achieve, he may think again at the end of this season after Shearer retires. I hope I'm wrong though, but nothing's ever simple with this club, so I guess we'll wait and see.”

2317: Middlesbrough: There should be

by : Alex Wolstenholme

Middlesbrough's crowd of 14,191 for their UEFA Cup game against FC Xanthi prompted manager Steve McClaren to declare himself 'disappointed' with the turn-out.

"The chairman has worked very hard and I am disappointed for him because he wanted to bring European football to this club, said the Riverside boss.

"It is an honour for him and it is disappointing that the team has not been backed by the fans."

McClaren's reaction is that of a man who knows about football and nothing else.

It is very unwise for a man like him, on a very decent salary and responsible for signing players on even more decent salaries to criticise fans (especially when McClaren, successful though he has been at 'Boro is responsible for a brand of football that is less than exhilarating and when he rested some of his bigger name players for an apparently more important Premiership game at the weekend).

The only surprise about the attendance at the Middlesbrough game was that there was any surprise about it at all.

Middlesbrough's gates this season have dipped from last year, due to the cost of tickets and the fact that all of their home games so far have been on televsion.

The club actually has a high percentage of season-ticket holders in comparison to the number of people who live in the town but Middlesbrough is not a wealthy place and those people with season tickets would have had to find extra money for the Xanthi game.

Those supporters without season tickets and having to pick and choose their games would surely have chosen to spend their money on the weekend clash with Arsenal than a first round UEFA Cup tie against a Greek side bereft of any big-name stars.

European football, at its best can be glamorous and exciting. Middlesbrough's debut in the competition last season drew a full house and superb atmosphere to the Riverside as did subsequent games against big names like Lazio and Sporting Lisbon.

The Xanthi game however was the eqiuvalent of a Carling Cup 2nd Round tie for 'Boro.

With their team expected to win, who can blame fans for saving their money for the bigger ties that hopefully lay ahead?

Instead of blaming supporters, Middlesbrough should have included this game in the price of a season ticket and slashed prices for tickets on the night.

There was a contrasting reaction from Jose Mourinho to the low attendance that his side drew for a European game last week.

Chelsea's gate of 29,575 for the Champions League game with Anderlecht drew this comment from Mourinho: "We have had two consecutive home matches and our supporters are not that rich.

"The opera, the theatre, the football are all expensive, but our crowd were fantastic all night."

A better understanding of reality it seems from the Portuguese than his English counterpart but the signs of a problem are there, not just for Chelsea and Middlesbrough but for all clubs.

Premiership gates have reached the high water-mark and increasingly, extra games in cup competitions are being by-passed by fans who have no more money to spend.

Season-ticket sales too at a number of clubs this season were down on last season and once people are out of the habit of going to the game, it is harder to entice them back.

Alex Wolstenholme
16 September 2005

2321: Edgar Davids, Roy Keane, Alan

by : Ciaran Maguire

I was originally going to write this article in tandem with a nutritionist in a bid to examine the grey area of performance enhancing dietary stimulants in football, the use of nandrolone and growth hormones, and the potentially fine consumptive line between gold, silver and disqualification.

But the nutritionist didn't turn up. She didn't turn up, so I've had to change tact. Which is a shame really, as having inexplicably ballooned to 35 stone recently on a simple diet of water and acorns, I also had some pressing personal questions. Like why on earth am I covered in leaves?

I've consequently been forced to concentrate on that intangible dietary need that's key to achievement at all levels: the thirst for success.

In the 18th century, the portentous Thomas Jefferson may have had the Beautiful Game in mind when he mused, 'Nothing on Earth can stop the man with the right mental attitude from achieving his goal; nothing on Earth can help the man with the wrong mental attitude.' Although given it was a time when the Goal of the Season was probably a deranged peasant punting a dead cat into the English Channel, it was a statement that must’ve confused a lot of people.

But the message, in a literal sense, still rings true today.

The most valued players in any squad are those that ally a natural aptitude for the game with a tremendous hunger to win.

It will never be all players. It will never even be a majority of players. You are in fact lucky if you have more than two or three members of your squad that can blend the quality, which most players have, with that rarer of attributes, a winning attitude. Because if you drill down from the tactics and organisation a manager brings, the key to continued footballing success isn't inspiration, an inherently fleeting phenomenon, technique, the ability to execute it, or even perspiration, the natural end to the work ethic.

The key to continued footballing success, on an individual level, is genuine, hard-nosed desire. An acceptance that sometimes you have go that little bit further than the next man. It is a degree of psychosis that, without which, leaves you with the likes of Simon Davies, a decent, hard-working professional, absolutely, but a world-class player? I’m afraid not, ever.

And although we all have ephemeral moments of get-up-and-go, for most of us it's not long before it's got-up-and-gone. I’d guess that everyone has watched Rocky at some stage and resolved to adopt a romanticised lifestyle of waking up at dawn to gulp down a bit of protein before heading off for a run along the railway tracks but unfortunately, the gritty reality is all too different. Because no one actually chooses to wake up before 10am, raw eggs are disgusting, and those rails, they’re probably electrified. And although it probably means most of us will not last eleven seconds with Apollo, what the hell, it just means more sleep. 'Make it quick, moustachio. You stupid, ugly mothe-...'

Some footballers do have that determination though and will see Apollo through to the bitter end. Roy Keane, Alan Shearer and our very own Edgar Davids all possess a ferocious will to win that lift them above the hoi polloi. Allied to their natural aptitude for the game, it is this willingness to graft with purpose and, frankly, no little menace that has elevated them above peers with, arguably, more talent. You sense that, in the pursuit of success, each will work until they earn every penny of their inflated salaries. And on an average of £70,000 a week, that's no mean feat.

These players are rare breeds and it is not straightforward to isolate the primary factor underpinning that burning hunger. It is an intrinsic trait that cannot be instilled, and needs no further development if it is.

It is clear however that once you reach a certain level within the game, all you need to make the big step up is unmitigated, undiluted, pure, angry, filthy desire. Now, pass me those damn eggs, or to hell with you.

I want to make an omelette.

Ciaran Maguire.
8 September 2005

2320: Sunderland: Crying out for som

by : Chris Sherrard

It merely goes to show that a bunch of famous stars too good to play professionally anywhere but in England, Spain, Germany, France or Italy, do not necessarily a good team make. It also goes to show that a small squad of talented, hardworking and relatively unknown players can play in a fledgling unranked league and make a comparatively wonderful team that can clearly compete on the world stage with the big boys. It isn’t much different, is it, than Mr. Armstrong winning this year’s ‘Le Tour de Lance’ for the seventh successive time in a country where many consider a foreign winner a national insult?

Maybe it is only a couple of handful of players of US birth who can compete in top flight international football, but the point is that teamwork is teamwork and sides comprised of players pulling for one another will often outshine teams whose individuals selfishly compete for star studded headlines or those that feel that they have a birthright to success. It is attitude that makes the difference.

Team USA has self-belief. That does not equate with arrogance. The former is helpful, the latter a detriment to success. Interestingly, the Brazilians, many of whose top players compete in European leagues, have both. This proves particularly irritating when they are relatively average for the three years following or preceding the World Cup (due to arrogance?), yet they nearly always seem pull the stops out for the big event (self belief). Again, I’m not sure what that means other than it highlights the lack of competitiveness elsewhere, and underscores--no pun intended-- the impressive gains made by Team USA in such a short period of time. They, at least, are consistent.

If England, France, Germany, Italy and Spain are to again reflect their respective countries’ professional league standings on the international stage (i.e. in the World Cup finals), they must leave their egos and arrogance behind and simply play football as they can and should. The intensity of their professional leagues’ competition is indeed a huge test of endurance, and the long season’s ending just before the international games begin doesn’t help much either, but these factors cannot sufficiently explain away their poor performances of the last 10-12 years (excluding France’s between 1996 and 2002). It demands that they inwardly reflect and improve their attitude, American style.

Jeremy Goodwin
September 16, 2005
It was so near and yet so far for Mick McCarthy’s Sunderland at the weekend.

Will their agonising run without a Premiership win ever end?

Well it will one day, there can be no doubt.

But for now they don’t so much have a monkey on their back but a tribe of gorillas.

Saturday’s draw with West Bromwich Albion will feel like another defeat.

It’s the oldest of cliches but the Black Cats really do look as though they have forgotten how to win a Premiership game.

The problem is clearly one of confidence. The worst thing they could have done in that game against the Baggies was to take the lead so early in the game.

It meant 70-plus minutes of nervous nail-biting in the stands and that rubs off on the players.

They had their chances to stretch that advantage but when they went begging you got a feeling it would come back and bite them.

And unfortunately for the North-East supporters, it did with Gera’s last-ditch strike to steal a point.

So where will Sunderland be able to taste success in the top flight after such a long time without one?

A glance at their upcoming fixtures will not breed a great deal of hope within the Stadium of Light.

Next up in the league is a short trip to near rivals Middlesbrough, followed by a home game with impressive West Ham.

Those are two games a club like Sunderland would once have targeted six points from. But on present form it will be tough.

But they need to get something, particularly from the Hammers tie, because thereafter lies a game with Manchester United followed by the derby with Newcastle and Arsene Wenger’s Arsenal in close succession.

But the thing about football is winning breeds confidence and confidence is the most important commodity in football. Well, maybe behind skill and talent.

If Sunderland manage to get that elusive win in the Boro game or against West Ham – a team they a capable of beating – then you never know when it comes to that big derby.

Sunderland supporters have been starved of their most explosive and passionate fixture for a couple of seasons now. They will be desperate to beat the old enemy at the first time of meeting.

And you wouldn’t rule it out such is the unconvincing nature of Newcastle’s start to the season and the notoriously lottery environment of a derby game.

The one thing that is most clear is Sunderland do not lack heart and fight.

They are without an edge of quality and that is being shown up at this level. But Mick McCarthy is nothing if not resilient and up for a challenge.

He will see the club’s current predicament as a personal fight he must win. He doesn’t know what it is like to win a Premiership match. That seems extraordinary but it is true.

And it is something that must change soon if they are to have any hope of remaining a Premiership club for more than one season.

At present, though, the team is of Championship quality while the club is worthy of the top flight.

Some of that Black Cat luck must come through soon. Goodness knows they need it.

Chris Sherrard
18 September 2005

2322: Lincoln City: Impressive Imps,

by : James Prentice

Wednesday wasn’t really the best night to play at home to one of the season’s pacesetters. Not only did Wrexham bring just 86 supporters from north Wales, the Champions’ League was on the television, and for some the lure of Real Betis v Liverpool or Chelsea v Anderlecht meant even a fleeting thought was never given to Lincoln City v Wrexham.

Approaching kick-off, there was a myriad of bottomless red seats at Sincil Bank, and not just in the away section. (One could only wonder how the bank balance of the local non-league side from across town, Lincoln United – who were hosting Guiseley in the Northern Premier League, would have suffered if their more illustrious neighbours could only muster 3,000 fans for a League 2 match.) But there was reason for optimism and solace to be found. City’s most recent midweek game had been against Crewe Alexandra in the Carling Cup and, despite attracting similarly low attendance to the Wrexham game, City barnstormed their way to a 5-1 win over the Championship side.

Lincoln would not last five minutes on the pitch against the likes of Liverpool or Chelsea (or even Anderlecht, for that matter), but watching football at their level is often like putting on a comfortable, if a little worn, pair of bedsocks. There are no big stars on astronomical salaries; there is more of a sense of community; and despite the cost of following any club, supporters’ wallets are unlikely to be raped and pillaged to Premiership proportions.

The Imps look to be on the up, and you’d better believe us. Prior to the Wrexham game they occupied the uneasy quarters of sixteenth position but sat in the more compromised tenth slot after a solid 2-0 victory. An even first half was banished when City threatened to hit fifth gear after the break. They were rewarded with a scrappy finish from Nat Brown but the same could not be said of the piece de resistance from Dean Keates, the gifted midfielder measuring little higher than a milk bottle, who swept home firebrand Franny Green’s cross after a lightening-quick breakaway.

After so many changes over the summer, the side is starting to take shape and roles are quickly being established. Not only is the defence beginning to resemble the old iron curtain, the manager, Keith Alexander, seems set to keep the 4-4-2 (though sometimes deviating to 4-3-3) formation that has seen the midfield improve no-end. While it is palpable that he has not yet decided on his best attacking pair (or trio), certainty cannot be far away.

While in recent seasons there have been runaway winners of League 2, it seems that things may well be different this year. In 2003/04, Doncaster and Hull were more than worthy of their promotions and last year Yeovil, Scunthorpe and Swansea (and even play-off winners Southend) stood out as being markedly better than the average League 2 side. The sun is nowhere near setting on 2005/06, but from analysing the first few weeks of action there do not seem to be any sides that stand out from the rest. Wrexham were strongly tipped as promotion candidates but have not looked overly impressive despite being close to the summit, while Notts County and Grimsby have invested precious little in their squads but are already being talked about lasting the pace. Northampton, many a bookie’s favourites for taking the League 2 crown, are languishing in the doldrums despite spending megabucks on their squad (unless their fortunes improve and fast, the copious expectation at Sixfields stipulates that manager Colin Calderwood’s head could be one of the first that rolls).

The attendance against Wrexham was akin to those in the bad old pre-administration days when, if the stadium’s Saturday afternoon occupation rose above 3,000, it was generally viewed as a success. Nowadays, they are expected to be close to 5,000, not just because the club has structured its seasonal budget around receiving the gate receipts that such attendances would bring.

Doubtless, though, the fickle stay-away Champions’-League-comes-first fans will be back for Saturday’s eagerly-anticipated derby with Peterborough United, the first for six years. Peterborough, until this season, have been on a higher plane to City, and surely those supporters will come back in their droves on Saturday. Upon kick-off, we could sing ‘where were you on Tuesday night?’, but will we care about such trivial matters if the Imps have another three points by 5pm? Will we hell.

James Prentice
16 September 2005

2319: USA: Is Team USA now better th

by : Jeremy Goodwin

According to FIFA, and unnoticed by America at large, the USA’s international football team is currently ranked number 7 in the world and England’s team, only 11th. Is that possible? Has FIFA gone raving mad? Not quite. The ranking system is complex, generally poorly understood, and appears blatantly ridiculous at times. But currently it reveals an important and deceptively simple point: football is a team sport.

In general, I have become less interested in international football now that the quality of the game played by the top professional clubs in the world’s most competitive leagues has risen to such a high standard. These teams are usually multinational and play hard, fast and creatively for such long and intensely competitive seasons that the players are truly exhausted at the end; often too tired to play well at the international level. This is what happened in the last World Cup tournament that began within weeks of the season’s end. And so the big guns faltered, allowing others such as Japan, Korea, Turkey and the USA to shine, even if Brazil ultimately won it.

I’m not the only one whose view of the value of the international game has changed. It has actually become an interference to club soccer. Now Europe’s 18 most powerful clubs, for historic reasons called the G14, are suing FIFA for the right to financial reimbursement from countries that draft their players. Forget the honour of serving one’s country. Football is business. And they have a point. Players selected by their country must participate if fit (unless they want to retire from international football), but in doing so they risk injury that could affect their career and negatively impact their club’s performance. The more tired they are, the more likely they are to get hurt. This could cost their employers millions of dollars.

Is fatigue and injury then the justification for the paradoxical FIFA rankings? After all, the best teams in America’s MLS division generally play only at the level of decent second tier football in England and Europe. But to adopt fatigue of the players and teams as the major explanation for unexpectedly low rankings would be to diminish the ambition and exemplary teamwork displayed by ‘lesser’ international teams of late, a quality best exemplified by the USA.

It is interesting though that England, with so much star power and represented by players competing in three of the most competitive leagues in the world, has fallen behind Team USA. Number 11 out of nearly 200 countries is nothing to sneeze at, but the USA at number 7? That makes one stop and wonder since only a handful of their footballers are good enough to play abroad in the top flight. Furthermore, as if to justify this paradox, England, then ranked 7th, were walloped 4-1 a few weeks ago by Denmark, at that time ranked 18th, currently number 14. It was their biggest defeat in decades. They subsequently lost to a real small fry on the world stage, the Northern Irish, then ranked 116th, now 101st, for their first defeat in Belfast in 78 years. Meanwhile, the USA easily qualified for the 2006 world cup finals, solidly beating Mexico, a team then and now ranked 5th. Mexico has failed to beat the USA in their last 7 attempts. What is going on? Is America’s success due to luck or self-belief?

It’s not only the English, Germans (15th) and Italians (13th) that have raised or crossed their eyebrows recently. The French are perplexed too. The latter, World and European champions in recent years and currently ranked 6th by FIFA, were recently lucky to beat the Republic of Ireland by a single wonder goal out of the blue from Thierry Henry, something for which he afterwards apologized because he felt that France were not the better team. True, the Republic of Ireland’s national team is composed mostly of Premiership players. They were then ranked a respectable 14th (now 21st), but as an international team they are not considered to be in the same class as the French. Spain (currently ranked 8th), Germany and Italy are similarly underperforming. Again, what does this mean?

2318: Ipswich Town V Norwich City -

by : Colin Illingworth

While the rest of the country is focusing on Manchester United’s grudge match against Liverpool this weekend, for Norwich City and Ipswich Town fans there is only one game that concerns them.

The East Anglian derby may not be as high profile as others but as those who have attended previous fixtures can justify there is certainly no love lost between them. There will be no inch given as the Tractor Boys and The Canaries renew acquaintances. And following poor starts by both club’s glowing standards, Ian Russell, secretary of the Capital Canaries, is predicting this fixture will be one that lives in the memory for a long time.

“The East Anglian people can be as fierce, noisy and partizan as anyone else,” says Ian. “In my experience, derby matches can generally often be huge anti-climaxes, but with both clubs having made an indifferent start to the season, I sense this one may live up to expectation.”

Norwich City travel to Portman Road with a 100 per cent record. Unfortunately for the Canaries it is an unwanted one as they have failed to pick up a single point on their travels so far in the Championship. In fact the bookies favourites for an immediate return to the Premiership have made an awful start in general and sit just two points off the bottom of the table. Nigel Worthington’s men shock start has surprised everybody, least of all Ian who remains hopeful that they can turn it round.

“I didn't forecast such a poor start. I saw most of the pre-seasons, and although they were mostly disappointing, I convinced myself that you can't read too much into them. The team is not playing particularly well and appear to be lacking in confidence. The core of the team is still good and so I feel that a turnaround of fortunes is still possible.”

Ipswich Town have been one of the most dominant forces in the Championship in recent years but this season their own high standards have slipped somewhat. Three wins and three defeats has the Portman Road club sitting in mid-table but after seeing four of Town’s best players leave in the summer Mark Geeves, a season ticket holder at Portman Road, believes that the club should put their promotion hopes on the backburner for now and just focus on gelling as a team and getting results.

“Any thoughts of a promotion bid should be dismissed given the squad we have left. To have arguably our best four players leave in the summer was very hard to take. And to have two of them go on a free transfer was ridiculous. Davis and Bent went for cut prices fees which was something the board said wouldn’t happen. We are definitely missing Kuqi's work rate up front and Bents pace. As we are used to defending from the front which is something we can’t do with Sam Parkin at the minute. A top half finish would be a good achievement.

“With the team we have left after the summer exodus, I don’t think we have started too badly at all. However the new signings we have made, with the exception of Luis Castro Sito, have started poorly. Sam Parkin needs to do a lot more to justify the dosh we paid for him.”

Norwich City recorded their first win of the campaign last Saturday as they beat Plymouth Argyle 2-0 but any hopes that the club had turned the corner were dealt a severe blow in midweek when they were stung by the Hornets 2-1 at Vicarage Road. However, the Canaries will go into the game with high hopes as they have only lost to the neighbours once in the last eight meetings, which was a 2-0 defeat at Carrow Road in March 2003. Leon McKenzie was the hero in December 2003 when his brace secured the points and in March 2000 Iwan Roberts was the hero with a double himself.

Ipswich fans though still remember the 5-0 annihilation of Norwich in 1998 as if it was yesterday and they would love to compound the misery on to their Norfolk neighbours with a similar result. But if they want to take all three points they will have to put all of their efforts in stopping Dean Ashton. The former Crewe Alexandra striker has already scored four times this season and is one of the games shining lights.

A victory for either side on Sunday could be the catalyst for a real promotion push though and 24-year-old Mark claims that all three points would mean the world to him and the Tractor Boys.

“It would mean everything to get one over those Canaries. Most Town fans will agree that as long as we beat Norwich twice in a season then that’s all that matters. Personally I hope Parkin scores as he chose Ipswich over Norwich.”

Ian is under no illusions how important this fixture is for The Canaries and he is hoping that history will repeat itself.

“It’s only one game, but a result for either side could mean a great boost. We managed the double over Ipswich in our Championship winning season and a repeat of that would be something.”

There hasn’t been a goalless draw in this fixture at Portman Road since 1967 and with the shaky defences and the goal threat of Ashton, Huckerby and Sam Parkin on show, goals are more or less guaranteed. However neither Ian or Mark think that the game will be awash with goals.

“Both defences have struggled so far this season and neither side will want to lose, so I can see a tight and anxiety-filled 1-1 draw,” says Ian.

Mark though doesn’t really care what the score will be. “As long as we win we don’t care,” he says. “The game will most probably be a battle of attrition. I’m predicting a low score.”

Bragging rights and the pride of East Anglia is at stake and a packed Portman Road crowd will be praying that this will be the game that proves that there is life outside the Premiership.

Colin Illingworth
16 September 2005

2315: Aston Villa vs Tottenham Hotsp

by : Stephen Orford

After last week's World Cup qualifying defeat to France, Ireland face the very real possibility of finishing outside of the top two of a qualifying group for the second successive time. Worse still, the ignominy of finishing fourth in the group, behind Israel, is probable should Ireland fail to beat Switzerland at Landsdowne Road in October.

Consider the fact that pre-Kerr, Ireland hadn't finished outside of the top two in any qualifying group in eight campaigns (since Eoin Hand's side finished fourth in the 1986) and the scale of Kerr's under-achievement becomes even more apparent. The most damning indictment of the Dubliner's reign is his absolutely abysmal competitive record against decent teams. Kerr's side have locked horns with countries inside FIFA's top fifty on seven occasions and taken an embarrassingly meagre 5 points from 21 (and are yet to win a game). We aren't talking top quality opposition either; with only France ranked inside FIFA's top 10 (the other sides have been Russia, Switzerland and Israel). Quite simply that is not good enough.

Kerr has few excuses for his poor record. It's not as if, like McCarthy, he has had to rebuild the side. 12 of the 13 players used on Wednesday were capped under McCarthy, while 9 of them have been to the World Cup finals. Furthermore only Roy Keane is over thirty years of age. Kerr inherited a relatively youthful side with experience on the game's biggest stage and yet they are consistently failing to fulfil their potential under the former lab technician. A team containing the likes of Given, Carr, O'Shea, Roy Keane, Andy Reid, Robbie Keane and Duff shouldn't be struggling to finish ahead of the likes of Israel and Switzerland.

If Ireland fail to secure even a play off place in the current campaign then the FAI must hand Kerr his P45. Nothing should be allowed to mask the fact that in this eventuality he will have been an utter failure at international level. Not the fact that he is a nice guy, not his thick Dublin accent and certainly not the sentimental claptrap that masqueraded as reasons for his appointment in the first place.

Fred Tarow
12 September 2005Two teams with differing expectations if not completely differing fortunes so far this season meet in the Premiership this Saturday (September 17), when Tottenham Hostpur visit Aston Villa.

Tottenham, we are led to believe, are the real deal this term. Boosted by an aggressive recruitment policy which has seen them sign some of the best young talents in this country and beyond, Spurs are thought to be on the cusp of the big time. Using Everton’s class of 2004/05 as an example of what can be achieved, Champions League qualification beckons for Martin Jol’s men, and they have made a solid start to their league campaign.

Opening with successive wins over Portsmouth and Middlesbrough, the north London side then put on the tin hats and battled for a 0-0 draw at Blackburn, before running into the impenetrable Chelsea and coming away with a 2-0 defeat. Another 0-0 at home to Liverpool left them in sixth place on eight points, but with a rather worrying run of three games without a goal.

Aston Villa, on the other hand, are coming off the back of a hammering, no pun intended (yeah, right). Monday’s 4-0 drubbing at West Ham (September 12) was an embarrassment, and their only win so far this season came when a Milan Baros goal saw off the challenge of Blackburn at Villa Park on August 27. Despite this, the snakes and ladders nature of the early season table means that a win for Villa here would see them join Tottenham on eight points, after David O’Leary’s men picked up draws at Portsmouth and at home to Bolton Wanderers.

To claim the points Villa may have to do so without pivotal midfield man Gavin McCann, who is struggling with the double whammy of a knee problem and a dead leg. This brings Lee Hendrie and Eric Djemba-Djemba into contention for a start in the engine room, especially now that Nolberto Solano has returned to Newcastle. This prospect may not inspire Villa fans, especially when they glance at the midfield options of their opponents, more on which later.

If Villa are looking for something to shake them from their present slumber, then perhaps O'Leary's recent summer shopping could be just the thing. Taking time out from banging on about how his club cannot compete financially and will do well not to be flogged to death week on week, O'Leary has been his usual shrewd self in the transfer market. There could be a considerable smattering of debutants in the Villa side, with new signings Wilfred Bouma, James Milner and Eirik Bakke all named in the squad.

Tottenham must do without Egyptian striker Mido who is suspended after his red card against Chelsea, while Edgar Davids faces a late fitness test after a groin injury. The defence also has absentees, with Noe Pamarot and Michael Dawson out with knee and hamstring injuries respectively.

Whether it is a plus or not is debatable, but winger Wayne Routledge could return to full fitness to give Jol yet more selection headaches in midfield. Aswell as doubtful Dutchman Davids, Aaron Lennon, Jermaine Jenas, Michael Carrick, Michael Brown and Andy Reid are all vying with Routledge for selection. Someone is going to be disappointed, not for the first or last time this season.

With Mido out, Robbie Keane has a reasonable chance of making his 100th start for Tottenham, but Jol still has Grzegorz Rasiak and Jermaine Defoe at his disposal in that department also.

Head to head at Villa Park the home side have won the last two encounters 1-0. Indeed, Tottenham’s only Premiership victory at the home of the Villains came in 2003 when Teddy Sheringham notched the only goal.

Overall, Tottenham just have the edge in this fixture with 50 wins to Villa’s 47. There have been 27 draws in that time, and it has been just as close since the advent of the Premiership in 1993. Since then Tottenham have won 11 times and Villa 9, with 6 matches being drawn.

Aston Villa are well in the ascendancy in meetings at Villa Park, with 28 wins to Spurs’ 18, and 16 draws. The Villa tally includes 8 wins in the Premiership to Spurs solitary success in 2003, with 4 of those games drawn.

This time around it is going to be mightily difficult for O’Leary to steer his troops back in the right direction after their poor display at West Ham. The introduction of the new signings may help, but it looks certain that Tottenham will rediscover their goalscoring touch sooner rather than later against a defence clearly lacking in confidence and cohesion.

Verdict: Aston Villa 1 Tottenham 3

Stephen Orford
16 September 2005

2316: Charlton Athletic vs Chelsea:

by : Stephen Orford

Something has to give at The Valley as two teams with 100% records in the Premiership go head to head this Saturday (September 17) when Charlton Athletic host Chelsea.

That Chelsea are one of those involved surprises nobody, but the fact that Charlton Athletic have so far matched their illustrious London rivals stride for stride this season raises a few eyebrows. The Addicks record of four wins out of four is only bettered by that of Chelsea, who have played a game more and sit top of the table going into this one with a perfect 15 points out of 15.

Though two of Charlton’s victims have been newly promoted sides in the shape of Sunderland and Wigan Athletic, wins over Birmingham City and a 3-0 drubbing of Middlesbrough at The Riverside have shown that Alan Curbishley’s men are a capable outfit.

There may not be many goals in this one, as Charlton have yet to concede a goal at home in the Premiership this season, while Chelsea are finding it increasingly difficult to find it in their hearts to let anyone anywhere near their goal. They looked less than convincing in the 1-0 opening day win at Wigan, but since then the Premiership champions have become water-tight at the back, shutting out all of Arsenal, Tottenham, West Bromwich Albion and Sunderland.

Ever the killjoys, Jose Mourinho’s men have decided not to allow Charlton’s in-form midfielder Alexei Smertin to take part in this fixture. The Russian joined Charlton on loan from Chelsea in the summer, and the terms of that deal state that he is ineligible. In many ways, this distorts the competition and is perhaps something that the FA or Premier League should look into.

Surely Chelsea gain an unfair advantage by being able to hoover up the best players from around the world and then farm them out to Premiership rivals on the proviso that they don’t come back to haunt their employers? So, while Smertin is busy getting in everyone else’s way this season, Chelsea’s exhalted midfield will have free reign to do as they please against an opposition that is therefore weakened. Smertin has been pivotal to the Charlton effort so far, forming an effective midfield trio with Danny Murphy and Radostin Kishishev, and his absence could be sorely felt.

Some may argue that this is merely one of the many perks of the Abramovich fortune, and that clubs know exactly what they are getting into when they agree to loan players from the over-loaded, mega-rich Stamford Bridge club. Whatever, the task placed in front of the likes of Frank Lampard, Claude Makalele et al becomes significantly easier, as if they needed any extra help.

With Smertin out of the equation, former Ipswich Town man Matt Holland may return to the starting line-up after a rib injury, and the injury worries elsewhere in Curbishley's squad have so far proven reasonably harmless to the team.

Goalkeeper Dean Kiely is still out with a broken finger, but understudy Stephan Andersen has done a remarkable job so far this term. Up front, Jason Euell continues to miss out with his shoulder injury, but the searing form of Darren Bent has seen to it that Euell has not been unduly missed.

The England newcomer leads the way in Premiership scoring this season with 5 from 4 games, mirroring the achievements of Crystal Palace’s Andy Johnson last season. Bent faces his stiffest test yet when he comes up against the might of England defender John Terry, and one of William Gallas or Ricardo Carvalho. If he finds any space among that lot, he then has the imposing Petr Cech to deal with in the Chelsea goal.

The continuation of Bent’s run is perhaps key to Charlton’s chances in this game, as you would expect a side containing fire-power of the calibre of Damien Duff, Arjen Robben, Hernan Crespo, Didier Drogba, and Shaun Wright-Phillips to get goals eventually. Joe Cole has been the subject of tabloid speculation linking him with a January exit from the Bridge, but if he makes Jose's 16 he also will provide numerous defensive problems for the home side.

Chelsea have not been putting on much of a show so far this term, getting by on dogged determination and organisation, but a team with that much attacking talent will burst into action sooner rather than later. That Mourinho’s men sit top of the table with five wins out of five without really setting the world alight offensively is more frightening than encouraging if you are an Addicks fan.

Though the defensive records of both teams point to a goalless game, history suggests something else. Both teams have won three times head to head in the Premiership era, but the pair have never drawn during that time. Indeed, the points have only ever been shared between these two 15 times. Nine of those have come at The Valley, and this could be about the best result that the Smertin-less Charlton can hope for against the increasingly robotic, spoiled-sport Chelsea.

In all probability, Jose's boys will find a way to win once more, and in so doing perhaps keep a record sixth consecutive Premiership clean sheet.

Verdict: Charlton 0 Chelsea 2

Stephen Orford
16 September 2005

2314: Ireland: Is it time for Brian

by : Fred Tarow

When Brian Kerr was appointed manager of the Ireland in January 2003 few people outside of the country would have been familiar with the affable Dubliner. The reason for his international anonymity was quite straightforward; his accomplishments were extremely modest i.e. limited success with Irish league outfit Saint Patrick's Athletic and some impressive exploits with the country's underage teams. So why then did a man, so hideously underqualified for the position of international manager find himself as the FAI's preferred candidate to succeed the by then media savaged lame-duck Mick McCarthy?

Brian Kerr was championed by the media (most notably the usually excellent Tom Humphries of The Irish Times) and public alike as the ideal man for the job, not for his expertise on all things football, but because he represented something romantic that has long been absent from the forefront of Irish football. He is a pure product of Ireland and Irish football, a man unsullied by the English game. After successive managers that spoke with distinctly English accents and after suffering several jibes at the hands of the footballing community for fielding players that were essentially not Irish, appointing a manager that was "one of us" captured the imagination of the Irish public.

His familiarity with players like John O'Shea, Robbie Keane and Damien Duff (having managed them at under-age level) was touted as one of Kerr's many credentials for the job. What seemed to slip under the radar was the fact that managing a teenage wannabe is one thing, managing a Premiership superstar is quite another, even if they go by the same name. It is debatable whether Kerr can truly command the respect of players playing at the top level of the game when the pinnacle of his own playing career was lining out for Bluebell United while management had scarcely taken him much higher on the footballing ladder.

However the former St Pats manager was in the right place at the right time. It mattered not a jot that he was the wrong man because a smokescreen of sentiment and dubious logic had been allowed to obscure the facts. By January 2003 the FAI had been driven to its knees by the Roy Keane fiasco and the subsequent damning Genesis report. They needed some good publicity and Kerr was their ticket to it.

From the off he was out of his depth as his handling of the Roy Keane situation clearly demonstrated. Keane, a man who had walked out on Ireland at the 2002 World Cup and who is resented by many of the Irish squad and public for doing so, was offered an invitation by Kerr to come back to the international fold prior to the Dubliner's first game in charge against Scotland. Keane eventually declined, citing medical advice as his reason for turning down the chance to resurrect his international career. Instead of drawing a line under the soap opera that had dogged Irish football and made the country a laughing stock for the best part of a year, Kerr refused to close the door on Keane and the Corkman eventually strolled back into the international set-up in April 2004. What sort of message did Kerr's shameless pandering to the Manchester United midfielder send to young hopefuls like Colin Healy, Liam Miller and Clive Clarke?

When he took the reigns, Kerr had the luxury of managing a team in the midst of a qualifying campaign that had been largely written off after two opening defeats to their main rivals. This allowed him to find his feet with minimum pressure. He got Ireland back in with a chance of qualification for Euro 2004 by taking 10 points from a possible 12 against group minnows Georgia and Albania (results that surely wouldn't have been beyond even the beleaguered McCarthy). The last two games of the group, a limp draw at home to Russia and a scurrilously spineless capitulation to Switzerland, highlighted further Kerr's glaring deficiencies at international level. Yet Kerr was exempted from blame because he was credited with reviving an already dead campaign.

2312: England: Why Eriksson should b

by : Daniel Kelly

Sven Goran Eriksson is not a popular man at present, with the media vultures gathering and ex-players and pundits alike raining criticism down on him. England’s recent performances were appalling and some form of reckoning was undoubtedly necessary, yet at least a part of the criticism and vitriol directed at the manager is at best misguided, and at worst plain malicious.

First of all, Eriksson is not English. As difficult as this appears to be to come to terms with Eriksson has always been Swedish and always will. This is not a major handicap to managing a national side, as the German coach of Greece (European Champions) will testify. Looking to the Premiership the top English sides have French, Spanish, Scottish and Portuguese managers and seem to manage to win trophies. This xenophobic criticism has no basis in the realities of management where results, not nationality, are the criteria for judgment. Nobody complained when Eriksson masterminded a 5-1 victory over Germany in Munich and should he bring the World Cup home his nationality will once more be forgotten.

Secondly, the criticism aiming at England’s tactical line up is mostly unfounded and even hypocritical. Playing Wayne Rooney in an advanced left role appears to be a crime for England, yet his stellar performances there for Manchester United last season demonstrate his patent ability to play there. Likewise Gerrard and Lampard play regularly for their clubs as advanced members of a midfield three without wandering around the pitch aimlessly. Wright-Phillips plays right side of a three for Chelsea and has impressed, yet failed to make an impact on the game for England. None of these players were played out of position despite the media fury to the contrary and many papers were suggesting a switch to a 4-3-3 formation with the same personnel in the lead-up to the recent games. Only Beckham played a slightly different role from usual and he even had the temerity to play quite well in comparison to his team-mates. Yet only Beckham and not his far more anonymous team mates have come in for criticism.

It is here where much of the blame for the insipid performances of late lie – at the feet of the players. Eriksson picked a team of individuals in roles they were familiar with and maintained his faith in the players who had let him down so publicly in the last two games. Their response to this backing was to play like bored strangers, shuffling around the pitch, wandering out of position and playing with a complete lack of pride, conviction or even ability. They had no excuse for not knowing their role, no excuse for not being motivated given their recent results and no excuse for not imposing their not inconsiderable talents upon the meagre opposition. Instead the players looked lazy, lethargic and utterly devoid of imagination, assuming that they could stroll through the game to win without breaking sweat. When it was demonstrated to them that this was not the case, rather than fight their way back into the game they gave up.
Wayne Rooney looked more interested in kicking people than having the ball, and Gerrard and Lampard may as well have been asleep for the effort they put in. Shaun Wright-Phillips, for all his promise and all the hype, looked out of his depth and incapable of retaining the ball. England’s “world class” players failed even to make the most simple passes on occasion.

2313: England: Why Eriksson has to g

by : Chris Sherrard

Eriksson is responsible for team selection and motivation. His selection, perhaps current form withstanding, was sound and hardly controversial, yet backfired to due his players letting him down. Eriksson did make mistakes later in the game as the side completely lost its shape, notably with the introduction of hopelessly inept Owen Hargreaves, but given his options on the bench and the shocking standards on show from the first XI it was not perhaps at first the foolish idea it turned out to be. At the very least Hargreaves added some energy and direction to the game, even though his control and composure made his impact negative in the end. Eriksson’s motivational skills can be called into question, given the listless performance, yet this should not have been an issue given their recent poor results and the very fact they represent their country. Some were even playing for their futures. It is this lack, however, that cost England the game and has the most serious implications.

Sven may well have lost the respect of the players and with it the ability to motivate and instruct them. It seems as though he picks the side and the side does as it pleases. This failure may well cost Sven his job if the players continue to let him down. His hope for salvation, however, may lie in the fact that next time the players really will try since it now matters, and that should they get to the World Cup they may even bother to listen to the coach. Less likely, but ultimately to be hoped for is that Sven reads the riot act to his team, picks those who have the pride to play and to play according to his direction. The key decision Eriksson may need to make is which of Gerrard and Lampard he should drop, since they have repeatedly demonstrated their inability to play together in midfield. This act would not only act as a wake-up call to the senior squad members but would enable the side to play with the genuine holding midfielder that all world cup winning sides have possessed.

To conclude Sven may well be a lame duck coach, but his players have created this image. And arguing that he does not deserve the criticism fired his way because he cannot control his players is hardly an exoneration for the beleaguered Swede’s management skills. Sven may have to go if he cannot regain this control and his departure may allow a successor to start afresh without the egotistical nightmare of the dressing room and current player politics handicapping him. However, the blame for this must be levelled at both players and coach, and the influence of the players needs to be dramatically culled.

Dan Kelly
15 September 2005

See also:

England: Why Eriksson should go nowEnough is enough, Sven. It’s time to pack up your Ikea furniture and little black book and sling your hook.

If you don’t go now England will not win the World Cup in Germany in July. In fact they will go the same way the last World Cup campaign did. And the Euro 2004 effort as well.

Eriksson’s shortcomings were exposed long ago. He is fine when things are going well and everything is rosy in the garden. But throw him a football dilemma to solve, a cul-de-sac to get out of and he is stumped.

And that’s what you get for £4.5million pounds these days is it?

Wednesday’s humbling in Belfast at the hands of a team ranked well outside the top 100 in the world, however much an anomaly those ratings are, is merely the icing on a very fragile and vulnerable cake.

Eriksson’s England show no heart or enthusiasm or idea of what they are doing. Much like their Swedish boss.

He has in his hands the finest generation of English footballers since Moore, Charlton and Greaves in the mid-60s.

And look what was achieved then. But the difference is that side had a manager who knew how to get the best out of them.

Eriksson doesn’t know how to maximise the brilliance of Steven Gerrard. Or get the most out of Player of the Year Frank Lampard.

And he is stifling the development of players like Michael Carrick and Jermaine Defoe by giving them little encouragement that their club displays will be rewarded.

A half-decent coach would get a team containing Michael Owen, Wayne Rooney, Lampard, Gerrard, Ferdinand, Terry, Cole, Beckham and Robinson to win virtually every game comfortably.

It is not rocket science. Let them all know what their role is in this star-studded team and let them get on with it. They are world class players for a reason.

For whatever reason, though, Eriksson is not capable of turning those superstars into a top notch team. And that says a lot about him and his managerial ability.

He is a good coach but not one good enough to guide a World Cup-chasing international team like England. His limitations shine through like a searing beam of light.

Does he even do anything for his money, though? Steve McClaren does all the shouting and encouraging from the sidelines during games.

So is Eriksson paid all that money so he can have an unlimited pass into Premiership grounds all season and for little more on top?

Think how much of a difference in inspiration and guidance somebody like Stuart Pearce would be.

His England team wouldn’t be rolled over by Northern Ireland and give up without a fight.

His England team wouldn’t allow itself to lie down and play dead in the middle of a World Cup or European Championship like Sven’s did against Brazil and Portugal in recent years.

The time is up for Eriksson. It was up a couple of years ago, in truth. The sad fact is the FA can’t afford to sack him and he is far too comfy to give up his contract.

So for the time being England are stuck with their manager. And it will cost them the World Cup this summer.

Chris Sherrard
9 September 2005

See also:

England: Why Eriksson should be given more time

2309: Football is the new cricket

by : Simon Cole

There is little doubt that the excitement of England regaining the Ashes in the Cricket has been the main priority for sports fans over recent weeks, and that football has somewhat taken a backseat. But with victory now sealed and the Ashes all over, will football come to the front of our thinking once again?

Every year, when August approaches, there is a buzz of excitement surrounding the start of the English football season. This year however, the early season frenzy has been somewhat muted. Even the usually-fixating London derby clash between Arsenal and Chelsea has failed to get football lovers in the state of excitement that we usually see at the start of the season.

And this hasn’t been helped by the fact that while one of our national teams has taken part in and – against the odds – won one of the most exciting sporting contests of recent years, another has been bringing embarrassment to the country. When excitement is needed to bring the attention back to football from another sport, Sven Moron Eriksson is hardly the man you want at the forefront of things. The great results of our national team at cricket have given us an excuse to ignore the failure of the England side at our supposed number one sport.

Even the return of Champions’ League football has crept upon us, with many fans not even seeing the adverts of Sky or ITV, as they haven’t been able to take their eyes off the Channel Four tests. Perhaps the fact that Chelsea can seemingly buy success has also taken a lot of the shine off football. Perhaps seeing sportsman give every drip of sweat for the cause for a fraction of the money footballers get has made people realise that the whinging, over-paid footballers are worth far less of our time (and money) than we originally thought.

You do that the feeling that the euphoria following the cricket success won’t just be a flash in the pan – unlike the winning of the Rugby World Cup in 2004. In so many sports in recent years, the English fans have been let down as teams have failed to live up to their hype. Tim Henman has continually failed to win Wimbledon, although that expectation is more down to media-hype than actual probability. But arguably the most gifted England football team since the triumphant ’66 side is helping draw supporters towards cricket.

Since the beginning of the Premiership, football has never had to take a backseat to another sport in this country. But now, cricket seems to have become – temporarily at least – the number one sport.

Fortunately, there is just something in the English mentality that requires us to shout at a screen, get wound up about the movements of a spherical object and to generally take out our frustrations through abuse at professional sportsmen. And soon enough - whether it will be a dreadful refereeing decision that costs your team a vital three points, or the worse-case scenario of England not qualifying for the World Cup, or just the incompetence of your clubs gaffer – something will get the adrenalin pumping around the body of football supporters and that desire for the game will be back, almost as if it never went away.

Simon Cole
13 September 2005

2311: Manchester United: Why Ferguso

by : Antony Melvin

At first glance the latest display of petulance from the mercurial Wayne Rooney hurt Manchester United. The team were in the ascendancy, pushing opponents Villarreal back with some ease; and although few chances were being created it looked like there would be only one winner.

Then Rooney did a passable impression of a terrier chasing a piece of paper, snapped this way and that for a few seconds and ended up booked. His subsequent actions may have been influenced by Alan Smith’s earlier booking. Smith was penalized for a foul when in Premiership play he would probably have been applauded for winning the ball and responded by swearing at the referee, Kim Milton Nielsen, who then booked him.

So when Rooney went into the book, instead of swearing, he displayed his dissent by clapping a little too close to the referee. The response of Kim Milton Nielsen was, fairly unsurprisingly, to issue a second yellow.

The United manager was, for once, in no mood to defend his player.

Ferguson said:

“I don't think [Rooney] gave himself a chance. You can't applaud the referee like that.”

“The referee may have picked his prey giving Wayne a yellow card, but I think he had no choice with the red.”

As Rooney left the pitch his manager pointedly ignored the teenager and may have been putting the finishing touches to the dressing down he has been rehearsing for weeks. A red for Rooney has been coming for a while now and there is little doubt that Ferguson will have been expecting it and preparing for it.

This is an interesting part of Wayne Rooney’s career and for many reasons he is similar to David Beckham in 1998.

In ’98 Beckham was also a star for Manchester United and England – although at 23 he was a little older than Rooney now is – but was similarly immature. He recklessly swung a leg against Argentina and the referee, Kim Milton Nielsen, was coincidentally on hand to send him off. His temperament was repeatedly questioned and he was considered a red card waiting to happen. He was vilified in the press throughout the football playing world; The Mirror in England produced a ‘David Beckham dartboard’; on German TV they lampooned him in a cartoon sequence that had him blundering about before stepping into an animal trap; and so on.

Fame had clearly trapped him and the only way was down. But after the summer of 1998 Ferguson sat Beckham down and persuaded him to listen to his advice on how to live his life and how it would help his football. Beckham was quickly a settled father and although his celebrity remained his temperament was completely altered. He went on to become the best right-sided midfielder in Europe, the England captain, and after a decade in the Manchester United first team moved to join the star studded Real Madrid experience.

The change to Beckham over the last seven years is so marked that he even tried to give an on-field dressing down to Rooney in Belfast – which failed – before alluding to Sir Alex Ferguson in his post-match comments.

Reading between the lines, Beckham remembers 1998 and believes Rooney has a manager that will support him and, crucially, sort out his temperament.

Before Beckham Ferguson tamed the wildest of players in Eric Cantona, and through all this Roy Keane has been handled – often on the edge of his inner rage.

Sir Alex Ferguson will now look to do the same to Rooney. If he succeeds you can expect to see Rooney married and starting a family over the next couple of years. If the transformation is completed he may even be the young England captain installed for England’s 2010 World Cup campaign.

Maybe Kim Milton Nielsen has done Manchester United another favour, and if the Rooney progresses in a similar way to Beckham he will have a real reason to applaud Nielsen.

Antony Melvin
15 September 2005

2310: England: Would Sven have playe

by : Sean OMeara

With England’s latest forlorn performance has come widespread condemnation of the England boss, Swede, Sven Goran Eriksson.

Is all of this criticism justified, or should the manager be left to his own devices? Should the nation take more note of his England career competitive results record, or should they be duly bothered by the performances turned in?

It cannot be denied that the recent 1-0 loss to Northern Ireland was both a poor result and a very poor performance.

The performance against Wales the weekend prior was not the greatest, won in the end by a deflected Joe Cole goal.

This was of course preceded by a dismal friendly performance against Denmark.

It should though be remembered that Eriksson is not known for taking his friendlies seriously and that he made multiple changes at the break against the Danes. The eleven that played out the first forty five minutes had played reasonably well and had not conceded.

The most worrying aspect of all of this, for England’s supporters, players and FA alike, is his persistence to field players out of position.

The former Gothenburg, Benfica, Roma, Fiorentina, Sampdoria and Lazio manager has at his disposal a marvellous array of talent and yet does not seem to be able to get any of them to play to their best as a part of his England side.

His determination to pick particular players, when there is no place for them in the eleven is frustrating to the limit.

David Beckham’s time as a first choice in the England side is surely up. He has been a great captain, but how can anyone justify not playing the young Shaun Wright-Phillips on England’s right-hand side?

Eriksson would seem to agree, recently fielding the Chelsea winger more and more. Trouble is, the Swede also persists in retaining the services of Beckham.

There is no place in the England side for both Wright-Phillips and Beckham if Steven Gerrard and Frank Lampard are both played in central midfield.

The latest farcical selection saw a position of quarter-back created for the Real Madrid midfielder. This selection saw three central midfielders played, which is hardly unheard of as formations go, but Eriksson insisted on also fielding his two first choice strikers; Owen and Rooney, along with a traditional back four.

This selection saw Rooney occupying the vacant ‘troublesome’ left side midfield position. This was of course laughable.

The upshot then, of all of this, is Beckham shoe-horned into a plentifully stocked central area and the finest attacking player in the Premiership pushed out wide left to balance up the mid section, and the vertically and horizontally challenged Owen foraging for scraps alone up front.

This is craziness fielded on a football pitch.
Everyone in the country knows the best eleven for England at present (injury permitting), but Sven has a best twelve in his head that he just can’t seem to overcome.

Robinson, Cole, Ferdinand, Terry and Neville are a clear first choice back line. Owen and Rooney are an equally clear first choice front two.

In the middle, Lampard, Gerrard, and Wright-Phillips should be accompanied by one of Downing, Bridge or Barry in the ‘troublesome’ left side position.

It is wrong to select your best eleven English players and then attempt to fudge them into some kind of a recognisable formation. The best left sided English player should be played on the left side. End of story.

You are never ever going to get the best out of any player if he is not played in his favoured position.

Would Pele have gone onto to be recognised as the best player in the world ever, if he had been played between the sticks?

But there is a second area of concern.

It is the lack of passion instilled by the current England manager.

The catatonic Swede, rests unmoved at what he sees. His is unmoved by poor play as he is unmoved by good.

Now this would not matter if it did not spill over onto the pitch. But it does.

The lack of understanding in the England eleven is apparent. This, when coupled with a muted disapproval of the tactical approach the manager is asking his players to employ and little or no gusto when it comes to England and what they hope to achieve, is critically damaging to the England set up.

Eriksson’s tactical nous is allegedly held in high regard in club footballing circles and no doubt the systems he attempts to employ would work, were suitable players employed in them.

However, in club football, there is one distinct difference. Money permitting, a manager can bring into the club the appropriate playing personnel to allow the manifestation of his best laid plans.

As an England manager, he has what he has; the best English players.

The England manager should pick a system for which he has the players available and stick to it. If this means no place for his captain, then so be it – but do not build a team and a system around a player that the England set-up no longer needs.

In Gerrard, Lampard, Neville and Terry, Eriksson has four potential captains at his disposal, should he choose to drop his present one.

Of course, the FA cannot afford to sack their man and he will not quit, so England’s progress to Germany 2006 is likely to be fairly unimpressive and their eventual exit from the competition at the hands of the first decent side they meet, equally so.

Sean O’Meara
13 September 2005

2303: Serie A’s Young Hopes: Five To

by : Paul Grech

Following a summer of turmoil, the Serie A finally got underway. Everyone knows that the likes of Patrick Vieira, Kaka and Adriano will be the main attractions yet which young players will emerge over the next months to make a name for themselves? Paul Grech takes a look at five promising youngsters who could make their mark.

Alberto Aquilani (Roma)

When Alberto Aquilani was sent on a season long loan to Triestina two years ago, the then 19 year-old was expected to gain some experience in the Serie B, perhaps playing in a handful of games. No one expected such a young player to become a regular.

Yet, by the end of the season he had figured in 41 of Triestina’s matches, having imposed himself in the side quickly becoming the heartbeat of the team.

His vision and penchant for playing off the main striker inevitably led to comparisons with fan idol Francesco Totti. And, whilst it is too early for such judgments, Aquilani certainly has the talent to match the Roma captain.

When Bruno Conti - the man who has worked tirelessly to improve Roma’s youth set-up and who has already overseen the rapid progress of Daniele De Rossi – was appointed caretaker boss last season he gave Aquilani an extended run in the side. Conti has since gone back to the youth set-up but Aquilani should go on to establish himself as a regular for many years to come and perhaps the real reason why Roma don’t seem to be too bothered about losing Antonio Cassano.

Paolo Barreto (Udinese)

Udinese have a knack for discovering talented young players. Over the years they have put the likes of Abel Balbo, Marcio Amoroso and Oliver Bierhoff on the road to stardom. Last year’s historic qualification to the Champions League was also built on a similar strategy with practically the whole team being made up of players developed by the club.

Having signed in the summer, Paolo Barreto already looks set to become another success story. The 20 year-old was with Treviso in the Serie B last season where he scored 12 goals and was a primary reason behind their rise up the league.

By the time the Italian federation decided to promote Treviso to the Serie A instead of Torino and Genoa in mid-August, Barreto had already packed his bags for Udine.

Originally, the idea was for him to be the backup striker to the Iaguinta – Di Michele partnership. An injury to the latter, however, meant a change in plans. Barreto played in the first leg of their Champions League qualifier against Sporting Lisbon and earned the penalty from which Iaquinta scored the only goal of the game. Barreto then went on to score the third goal in the 3-2 2nd leg victory, his first for Udinese but undoubtedly not his last.

Gianluca Curci (Roma)

The recent injury to Gianluigi Buffon and the subsequent decision by national team boss Marcello Lippi to use Monaco’s Flavio Roma for the international friendly with Ireland alarmed many. Not only are Italians unused to the idea of anyone playing outside the Serie A being good enough for the Azzurri but Lippi’s decision also revealed the apparent dearth of quality Italian keepers.

Yet they need not worry as Roma seem to have unearthed a talent to match that of the Juventus number one. Gianluca Curci was thrown into the spotlight by his former mentor in the youth teams Bruno Conti and showed an impressive ability to cope under pressure. With the team playing badly and the defence giving him very little protection (suffice to say that they even turned to former Liverpool ‘defender’ Abel Xavier), Curci ended up getting beaten sixteen times in eleven games.

Yet a good keeper is judged by the goals that he saves and not those he concedes. In this respect, Curci showed his real class so much that Roma sent out former number one Ivan Pelizzoli on a season long loan with Reggina thereby virtually guaranteeing 20 year-old Curci his place in the side.

2308: England: Home International re

by : Alex Wolstenholme

Northern Ireland's win over England in Belfast last week has re-ignited calls for the Home International championships to be brought back after an absence of some twenty years.

Such a move would have a number of positive effects. Firstly, as Jim Boyce of the Irish FA has said, it would send a clear message to FIFA that the four home nations were keen on preserving their own identities.

Certain people within the game's governing body are always keen on reducing the influence of the home nations and the fact that England have not considered Scotland, and especially Wales and Northern Ireland as worthy opponents over the years has given them fuel for their argument.

From the point of view of the England manager, whoever it may be, playing Scotland, Wales and Northern Ireland would provide friendly games that require them to be much sharper and much more focused than they currently need to be.

The intensity of the game that the other home nations would provide would surely tell the manager much more than games against the likes of Denmark.

The arguments for playing other teams in friendlies, namely that they provide a different way of playing for England to adjust to, has been lost in the lack of interest that Sven-Goran Eriksson has shown in them with constant substitutions making them meaningless.

Of course there would still be room for showpiece games against the likes of Brazil and Germany and there is no need for the whole series to be played at the end of the season as it used to be.

It could be spread out across the campaign and played on the designated international dates.

Such a move could also win approval from the players and their club managers given that it would cut down travelling times for those involved significantly for all of those involved.

Security issues would undoubtedly be brought up but last week's games in Cardiff and Belfast passed off without incident as did the Euro 2000 play-off between England and Scotland.

Lastly, but no less significantly are the financial benefits that would accrue, especially for the Welsh and Irish FA's where they are most needed.

Ultimately those financial benefits can be passed down to clubs in those countries which will assist them in producing young players for the future.

The most obvious destinations for players from clubs in Wales and Northern Ireland remains England so there would be long-term benefits for all involved.

Unfortunately, the English FA does not seem able to see past the short-term and the commercial interests that now surround the English team.

Alex Wolstenholme
12 September 2005

2305: Champions League Preview: Manc

by : Chris Sherrard

When drawing up a list of who might win the Champions League, Manchester United’s name must always be among those shortlisted.

And this year is no difference.

Although you come to a few clubs before the Old Trafford side this time, the fact remains you rule out United at your peril.

Any side which can boost of having players such as Rooney, Ronaldo, van Nistelrooy, Ferdinand and Keane among their ranks must be considered.

And they are stronger than last season thanks to the assured presence of Edwin van der Sar between the posts and impressive running threat of Park Ji Sung in forward positions.

On top of that, the skipper will be desperate for one last shot at glory if, as is rumoured, this is to be his final season at the very top level as a player.

Keane missed out on the final in Barcelona of 1999 and no matter how much people have tried to convince him that his medal is merited he wants to win it for himself.

Keane in hot pursuit of something can be an intimidating affair. And you can guarantee he will draw on the youthful exuberance of Rooney and Ronaldo to do plenty of the running which will be needed to go all the way.

The groupings could have been kinder to Sir Alex Ferguson’s side. But there again it could have been a considerable sight worse.

The major threat will come from Spanish side Villarreal – last season’s dark horses in La Liga.

Of course much will be made of the presence in their ranks of Diego Forlan but they also have a number of other South Americans who, on their day, can be devastating.

Elsewhere, United haven’t met Benfica in a competitive tie since a certain night in May 1968 when Charlton, Best and Kidd inspired the club to their first ever European Cup success.

This Benfica version doesn’t feature any of the excellence of Eusebio’s side. Nor does it have much chance of winning this season’s Champions League.

Ronald Koeman is now in charge at the Estadio de Luz and much will be expected of former Barcelona winger Simao who turned down Liverpool recently to join Koeman.

The final side in the group are Lille who punched well above their weight last season to clinch second place in the French Ligue 1.

They have got some experience of Champions League football from recent season and united know exactly what they are going to get from these ties.

But, when all is said and done, Manchester United will take their place in the next stage because they are comfortably the best team in their group.

If they are not top of the standings then Fergie will have a certain Irishman banging hard on his door looking for answers. And maybe an American one too.

Two to qualify: Manchester United and Villarreal

One to Fear: Juan Roman Riquelme (Villarreal)

Chris Sherrard
11 September 2005

2307: Villarreal vs Manchester Unite

by : Stephen Orford

Manchester United begin another European Champions League campaign with a testing trip to the Estadio El Madrigal to take on Spanish outfit Villarreal in Group D on Wednesday (September 14).

Having seen Premiership rivals Everton fail to overcome the La Liga outfit in qualifying, United know that they will need to be at their best to make a winning start to the competition. They must do so without the services of talismanic captain Roy Keane, who has been left at home after picking up a hamstring strain. However, the squad is boosted by the possible return to action of Portuguese winger Cristiano Ronaldo, who had been spending time at home with his family after the death of his father.

Equally important to the fact that Keane will miss out could be the possible absence of the home side’s Argentine playmaker, Juan Roman Riquelme. The man who scored 15 goals in La Liga last season sprained his ankle during Sunday’s 1-1 draw with Seville (September 11), and is rated doubtful for the clash. However, he is included in the squad and it is hoped that he can shake off the problem in time to take his place in the line-up. Definitely out for Villarreal is the man whose four goals in qualifying helped fire his club to this stage, Jose Mari, who is suspended.

One man who looks certain to start for the Spaniards is former Manchester United striker Diego Forlan. The Uruguayan spent over two years at Old Trafford, but failed to make a regular impact in the Premiership. Since then his career has exploded, as he topped the goalscoring charts in La Liga in his first full season with Villarreal, and has formed a formidable strike partnership with former Birmingham City misfit Luciano Figueroa. Figueroa was on target in the draw with Sevilla, and should again be a threat to a United back four still missing the dependable Gary Neville through injury.

The draw gave Villarreal their first point of the new La Liga season in what was only their second league game, while United dropped their first points of the season during their 1-1 draw with neighbours Manchester City on Saturday (September 10). United have played four Premiership matches so far this term, which could give them an edge in terms of preparation and fitness. At the very least, they should go into the game with the greater confidence after previously securing league wins over Everton, Aston Villa and Newcastle United.

The teams have never met before in European competition, but Villarreal’s two-legged victory over Everton was not their first experience of facing English opponents in competitive matches. They met Middlesbrough in last season’s UEFA Cup group stage, winning 2-0 against Steve McLaren’s men. They are likely to find United a much stiffer challenge than either Everton or Middlesbrough, but their league form over the past twelve months shows that they have no need to fear any opponent. A third placed finish in Spain last season shows that they can mix it with the best domestically, something they will be out to prove applies on the European stage when they come head to head with the 1999 European champions.

Curiously, United’s record on Spanish soil is a disappointing one. For all their years of European success and adventure, their only win in 15 visits to Spain came in April 2002 when they defeated Deportivo La Coruna 2-0. However, everyone will remember that the Nou Camp stadium in Barcelona was the scene of arguably their greatest ever triumph, when they shocked Bayern Munich with two late goals to snatch that European crown six years ago.

The hero that day was Ole Gunnar Solskjaer, a man still sadly struggling with the long term injuries which threaten to curtail his career. In his place, United now have some frightening striking options in the shape of the prolific Ruud Van Nistelrooy, and sulky genius Wayne Rooney. These two have the potential to fire United all the way to another European title, and will be a goal threat all night long for the Red Devils in this one.

Van Nistelrooy has scored in his last six Premiership matches, the kind of form to strike fear into the hearts of Villarreal defenders and supporters alike. Despite playing away from home, don’t expect United to sit back and happily wait for a draw. Sir Alex’s men seem to know only one way, and will look for all three points in the opening game of a section that also includes Lille of France and Benfica of Portugal.

That objective is achievable, but the size of their task should not be underestimated. Villarreal are a well-drilled, slick outfit who pass the ball well and possess bundles of skill. United, and possibly Van Nistelrooy, should register on the scoreboard, and a share of the spoils in this Group D opener could be the result to look out for.

Verdict: Villarreal 1 Manchester United 1

Stephen Orford
13 September 2005

2304: Champions League preview: Arse

by : Chris Sherrard

Giampaolo Pazzini (Fiorentina)

Amidst all the publicity generated by Fiorentina’s purchase of 19 year-old Bulgarian starlet Valeri Bojinov last January, the fact that the Viola had also signed one of the most promising Italian strikers went largely unnoticed.

Giampaolo Pazzini signed from Atalanta just days after scoring a hat-trick against Juventus in the Coppa Italia. Given the bitter rivalry that exists between Fiorentina and the Italian champions that in itself was enough to convince the fans of his merits.

Still, for Pazzini joining Fiorentina was a step into the unknown. He had come through the ranks at Atalanata, undoubtedly the club with the best youth set-up in Italy, scoring nine times in their promotion season two years back. The Serie A, however, proved to be a different story. Two goals for Atalanta and a similar tally for Fiorentina was a poor return, with poor finishing often doing good work in the build up.

Yet Pazzini has the talent to succeed and already this season he is making more headway. Over the summer, the elegant forward has added more consistency to his game and the end product is getting better. In the latest round of the Coppa Italia at Cesena, Pazzini came off the bench to score the winner.

And he could finally be getting out of Bojinov’s shadow, with new coach Cesare Prandelli hinting that the Italian might even start the season as Luca Toni’s partner up front.

Andrea Mantovani (Chievo Verona)

The fallout from Torino’s financial difficulties has hit the club hard. Not only have they seen the dream of the Serie A being snatched away they’ve also had to face up to losing most of their players.

Andrea Mantovani was one of the most reluctant to go. He had come through the ranks and supported the club to play a prominent role in their promotion season. Yet the 21 year-old central defender realised that he couldn’t afford to stay with Torino in the Serie B, particularly with their future looking increasingly uncertain.

So, when the opportunity to join Chievo Verona came up, he promptly accepted. Last year the Veronese club endured its most difficult season since promotion to the Serie A four years back. But their reputation for giving young talent a chance evidently appealed to Mantovani.

It won’t be his first experience in the top flight. Three years ago he played eight times for Torino in their last appearance in the Serie A. Since then, Mantovani forced himself in the highly successful Italian Under 21 national team that is on course for another European title. With Marcello Lippi willing to give every player a chance, a good season with Verona could even win Mantovani a trip to Germany next summer.

Paul Grech
8 September 2005
The thing about Arsenal and Europe is they don’t seem to mix all that well.

Which is a surprise given the fact their manager is one of the continent’s finest coaches and has been for almost a decade now.

And on top of that his players are all top notch Europeans who have been around the game at the highest level, by and large, in various other leagues around Europe before taking up residence at Highbury.

But for all their efforts and determined, concerted attempts, Arsenal have always come up short in the Champions League.

It arguably drove Patrick Vieira into the arms of someone new (although a suitcase of finest Italiano dough may have also had something to do with it) and it is threatening to undermine Wenger’s fantastic spell as Gunners manager.

Unless he achieves some glory on the European stage, Wenger won’t be fulfilled as Arsenal manager and his critics will have rope to hang him with.

So will this be their season?

Well you’d have to say not. The loss of Vieira has left a gaping hole in the middle of the side and they seem to be lacking leadership.

For all Thierry Henry’s brilliance he isn’t a captain in my eyes. He is one of the finest players in the world, but he won’t rally troops like Keane or Vieira do.

Arsenal look to be still missing that extra something that it takes to go all the way in this competition.

They will have little trouble cruising through this group, though.

Joining them in Group B are Dutch giants Ajax, Czech challengers Sparta Prague and Swiss no-hopers FC Thun.

If Arsenal do not top this group with 15 points or more then there is something seriously wrong.

Ajax are no longer the team which illuminated European football. They aren’t even the team which ran the show in the Netherlands.

Danny Blind is struggling to re-establish the Amsterdam club as a force in their homeland and that will take precedence over any Champions League aspirations.

Sparta Prague qualify as champions of the Czech league but they have been forced to release a number of players over the summer and that is not going to help their cause here.

Thun, meanwhile, were playing in the Swiss equivalent of League One not so long ago and the leap to Champions League is admirable but sure to be one too far.

Arsenal always seem to be able to qualify from these groups without too much trauma and I would expect that to be the same case this season.

But in terms of actually winning the competition, they will need to flex their muscles and utilise the brilliance of Henry well beyond this group.

Two to qualify: Arsenal and Ajax.

One to fear: Wesley Sneijder (Ajax)

Chris Sherrard
11 September 2005

2306: Arsenal vs Thun: Gunners again

by : Stephen Orford

Arsene Wenger and David Dein will be greatly irritated by it, but Arsenal still have to face those pesky minnows in the group stage of the Champions League if they are to finally make their European dream a reality.

This Wednesday (September 14), the Gunners face one of the smallest and most irritating minnows ever to appear in Europe’s big show, when they take on little-known FC Thun of Switzerland at Highbury in Group B.

They will do so without star man Thierry Henry, who will be missing from the Arsenal line-up for up to a month with a groin injury. Henry missed the 2-1 defeat to Middlesbrough on Saturday (September 10) provoking yet more suggestions that Wenger’s men cannot function without the French striker and now club captain. Even so, the likes of Dennis Bergkamp and Jose Antonio Reyes will expect and be expected to provide the goals which will see off the challenge of Thun, who embark on their first ever European campaign this term.

There’s better news for Arsenal at the back, as Sol Campbell is pencilled in for a possible return after a lengthy absence through injury. The former Tottenham man’s presence could, however, be off-set by the fact that German goalkeeper Jens Lehmann is suspended. Lehmann looked to have finally managed to see off the challenge of the hapless Manuel Almunia for the number one shirt, and he will be hopeful that his absence does not spark another goalkeeping controversy.

Should Campbell not make it, Wenger faces a difficult choice between Pacal Cygan and Phillipe Senderos to partner Kolo Toure in the centre of defence. Both have been unconvincing when given their opportunities in the Premiership so far this season, but it might just be that Senderos gets the nod over the much maligned Cygan.

The Swiss side, who have never won their domestic championship and qualified for the Champions League after finishing runners-up last season, have some injury doubts of their own ahead of the clash. Captain Andres Gerber should return from his tendon problem, but defender Armand Deumi has less chance of winning his race for fitness. Their league form is patchy at best at present, as they drew 0-0 in Berne against Young Boys at the weekend. That result leaves them fifth in the Swiss league, three points off the early pace set by FC Basel.

Devoid of any European history, FC Thun will point to their victories over the more lauded Dynamo Kiev and Malmo in qualifying for this stage as examples of the threat they pose. For Champions League experience, they can only point to Gregory Duruz and Nenad Savic, both of whom have turned out for FC Basel in the competition in previous seasons. For their part, Arsenal have a wealth of European experience but have only been paired with Swiss opponents in European competition once before, beating Grasshoppers of Zurich 5-0 over two legs in the 1971/72 European Cup.

All things being equal, which they probably are not given the curious nature of Champions League football over the past two seasons, Arsenal should cruise to a comfortable victory to set them on their way in Group B, which also contains Ajax and Sparta Prague. Henry or not, it would be a massive surprise if Arsene Wenger’s men came away with anything less than three points from this one, especially given the home advantage.

Verdict: Arsenal 3 Thun 0.

Stephen Orford
13 September 2005

2302: Arsenal: 20 Handy Facts About

by : Hugh Larkin

Arsenal’s Swiss opponents are in the Champions League group stages for the first time and are definitely a true ‘minnow’ in this competition.

1. Thun eliminated Dynamo Kiev and Malmo to get to this stage.

2. Thun has only 41,000 inhabitants. They switched the Malmo tie to Berne, partly due to flooding of their own stadium and because work was needed to meet UEFA standards.

3. Thun entered the competition as runners-up in the Swiss League.

4. The club have never been champions or cup winners domestically They have one losing FA Cup Final in the 1950s and have spent nearly all their existence outside the top flight.

5. They finished 10 points adrift of champions Basle in 2004/5.

6. Mauro Lustrinelli hit 20 goals in the 2004/5 campaign and plays for the Swiss national team.

7. The club’s history goes back to 1898.

8. Club colours are all-red and the change strip, all-white.

9. Currently the club have only lost two of 11 matches this season, one being the away leg in Malmo.

10. Nine years ago Thun were amateurs in the 3rd Division struggling to get 100 people through the gates.

11. The club’s whole annual budget is £2.4 million

12. Director of Sport Werner Graber has strong ties with Brazil. He has two adopted Brazilian children and was able to persuade three Brazilian players to join the side this year- Leandro, Adriano (no, not that one unfortunately) and Bernadini.

13. Coach Urs Schoenenberger is known as ‘Longo’ because of his 1.93m height.

14. Most of the rest of the squad are lower division buys or cast-offs from the richer Swiss clubs. Lustrinelli was released by FC Wil and in-form keeper Eldin Jakupovic came from Grasshoppers.

15. Captain and midfield general Andres Gerber, had 3 seasons at both Grasshoppers and Berne before arriving at Thun.

16. Thun also have a Portuguese winger, Nelson Ferriera signed from the Swiss lower tiers.

17. Despite their success, Lustrinelli is the only Thun player in the current Swiss squad.

18. Jakupovic is in the Bosnian international squad which beat Belgium on the 4th September.

19. Thun have adoped a counter-attacking style in their ties so far and will hope that Arsenal come at them.

20. Thun thrashed Malmo, including Jari Litmanen, 4-0 on aggregate winning both legs.

Hugh Larkin
5 September 2005

2301: Champions League Preview: Rang

by : Chris Sherrard

The irony of Rangers’ current poor run in the Scottish Premier League is they have got a great chance of actually progressing in the Champions League if they can shake themselves soon.

The Scottish champions are stuttering against the likes of Falkirk and Aberdeen in domestic matters at the start of this season.

But the draw for the group stage of the Champions League has been kind to them.

If they sort themselves out in enough time, Rangers have got a great chance of going through this season.

The big gun in their group is Inter Milan – a team with a modest at best record in recent Champions League campaigns.

But they should be head and shoulders above the other three in this group – which leaves Rangers with a great chance of claiming the runner-up spot.

Fighting them for that will be FC Porto, champions two season ago of course, and Slovakian side Artmedia Bratislava.

Porto are not even a shadow of that victorious side these days. A succession of managers have come and gone with depressingly scant chance of following in Jose Mourinho’s massive footsteps.

Dutchman Co Adriaanse is the current incumbent of the boss’ hat at the Portugeuese club but he has got little in the way of top notch talent to pick from.

Artmedia are a club who will need no introduction in Glasgow.

It was they who knocked out Celtic in this season’s qualifying round after a 5-0 victory in the opening leg.

But Celtic’s success in the return leg, where they came so close to overturning that deficit, should give Rangers fans and players confidence for success.

Inter Milan should have little difficulty in topping this section. They have got the world’s hottest striker in Brazilian Adriano, as well as new signing Christian Vieri, Nigerian Obafemi Martins in a spakling frontline.

On top of that they have just secured the signing of Real Madrid attacker, and one time world’s most expensive player, Luis Figo.

He may not be the player he once was but he is still a world class player capable of cutting the mustard in Serie A and the Champions League.

Walter Samuel has also been recruited from Madrid, along with Santiago Solari, to provide even more talent to an already impressive and hard to beat squad.

For their own part, Rangers will need Nacho Novo, Dado Prso and Barry Ferguson to be their inspiration if they are to secure second place in the group.

Novo’s goals will be pivotal while Ferguson’s leadership and experience is crucial to their chances.

Croatian international Prso, of course, once helped himself to five goals in a single Champions League game while a Monaco player and his pedigree alone is more than Porto or Artmedia can boost.

It’s all about finding that wayward from at the right time for Alex McLeish.

Two to Qualify: Inter Milan and Rangers.

One to Fear: Adriano (Inter)

Chris Sherrard
11 September 2005