4342: Prediction Panel 2006/7: Prem

by : Antony Melvin

The big game of this round is at the bottom of the table where Charlton (18) host Wigan (16) and a home win would push Alan Pardew's new team to the brink of safety. Liverpool (4) play Arsenal (3) in a match that sounds like it should decide something - but a third place decider was not what either team anticipated to be fighting for at this stage of the season. The league leaders, Manchester United (1) host Blackburn (10) whose manager is now favourite to take over at Old Trafford next time the job comes up for grabs. Chelsea (2) will be expecting to win at Watford (20). And West Ham (19) will be hoping that Middlesbrough (12) remain generous after last week's furore over Manchester City (15).

Saturday, 31 March 2007

Bolton Wanderers (5) vs Sheffield United (17), KO 15:00

Bolton's recent form has seen them drift so far away from the top four that a sixth place finish would now be accepted with some haste. But with Bolton now just three points clear of eighth placed Reading they need to start winning their home games. The Blades have a decent away record managing to glean ten points despite scoring only seven goals - but Neil Warnock's recent comments betray a tension in his team. Bolton will start as overwhelming favourites.

PREDICTIONS
Paul Grech: 2-1
Magic Hat: Home
Colin Illingworth: 2-1
Kieran McHugh: 3-0
Antony Melvin: 1-0
Bill Urban: Home

Charlton Athletic (18) vs Wigan Athletic (16), KO 15:00

This is a relegation six-pointer that will define the season for several teams. If Charlton win then they could be a point awat from safety - and certainly no more than three because they will have moved that close to Wigan. Wigan are a good away team and have been finding form as their players have recovered - this is not as easy as some Charlton fans might hope.

PREDICTIONS
Magic Hat: Home
Colin Illingworth: 2-1
Kieran McHugh: 1-0
Antony Melvin: 1-1
Bill Urban: Home

Fulham (14) vs Portsmouth (9), KO 15:00

If results go against them Fulham could end this weekend just four points off the drop - which is no reward for Chris Coleman, who pound-for-transfer-pound really should have a shot for manager of the season. Portsmouth are on the drift and a UEFA Cup place is now starting to look unlikely. Fulham couldn't ask for a more likely home win.

PREDICTIONS
Paul Grech: 1-0
Magic Hat: Home
Colin Illingworth: 1-1
Kieran McHugh: 2-1
Antony Melvin: 3-1
Bill Urban: Draw

Liverpool (4) vs Arsenal (3), KO 12:45

Third versus fourth should be more exciting than this but with Manchester United 20/21 points distant this weekend could see even a mathematical interest in the title taken from Liverpool - and Arsenal are hardly much better placed. An Arsenal win - and they have done well against Liverpool this season and they will have plenty of breathing space to finish third; whereas a Liverpool win would make it a 50/50 affair. The probability is that this will be a tactical battle with few chances.

PREDICTIONS
Paul Grech: 0-1
Magic Hat: Draw
Colin Illingworth: 1-2
Kieran McHugh: 1-1
Antony Melvin: 0-0
Bill Urban: Away

Manchester United (1) vs Blackburn Rovers (10), KO 15:00

Manchester United are six wins shy of being crowned champions - but Blackburn usually do well against United and with injuries affecting every area of the pitch this is hardly an easy fixture. United have played so well this season that games like this have often been ended as contests in the first half. But with Hughes starting to think about taking over at Old Trafford this could be a day he makes a play.

Manchester United vs Blackburn Rovers: spread betting - can McCarthy spring another surprise?

HEAD-TO-HEAD
Manchester United have won four of the last ten meetings and scored fourteen goals; Blackburn have won three scoring twelve times; there have been three draws.

FORM
Manchester United Last 10; W8, D2, L0, F18, A7
Blackburn Rovers Last 10; W5, D2, L3, F13, A8

PREDICTIONS
Paul Grech: 3-0
Magic Hat: Home
Colin Illingworth: 2-1
Kieran McHugh: 3-1
Antony Melvin: 2-1
Bill Urban: Home

4343: March 2007 Player of the Month

by : Kieran McHugh

Newcastle United (11) vs Manchester City (15), KO 15:00

Newcastle are on 37 points to City's 33 and feel significantly safer as a result - but cannot really relax as none of the teams below them have given up yet. The relegation high-water mark is unlikely to rise as high as 40 points so City may hope to find a team as lacklustre as Middlebrough were. Another win for City would push them to the brink of safety and exactly what have Newcastle left to play for?

PREDICTIONS
Magic Hat: Draw
Colin Illingworth: 2-1
Kieran McHugh: 2-0
Antony Melvin: 0-1
Bill Urban: Home

Watford (20) vs Chelsea (2), KO 17:15

Watford didn't stay off the bottom of the division very long and still maintain an interest in survival but probably need to win five or six games from eight. No-one is expecting that one of those games is this one with Chelsea the shortest odds team available today - despite Manchester United being at home to mid-table opposition. By-the-numbers an obvious away win.

PREDICTIONS
Paul Grech: 1-1
Magic Hat: Away
Colin Illingworth: 0-3
Kieran McHugh: 0-2
Antony Melvin: 0-2
Bill Urban: Away

West Ham United (19) vs Middlesbrough (12), KO 15:00

West Ham must be hoping that Middlesbrough are as generous to them as they were to Manchester City last time out. Of course Middlesbrough's generosity was based on an FA Cup replay two days later - and their loss there may could have knocked the stuffing out of a brittle side with nothing to play for. Middlesbrough aren't quite safe and if West Ham can't win this one, then in all robability, they will be relegated.

PREDICTIONS
Paul Grech: 0-4
Magic Hat: Away
Colin Illingworth: 2-1
Kieran McHugh: 1-0
Antony Melvin: 2-0
Bill Urban: Draw

Sunday, 01 April 2007

Tottenham Hotspur (7) vs Reading (8), KO 16:00

If the FA Cup final is a Manchester United versus Chelsea affair then fifth sixth and seventh places will get UEFA Cup football. Of course Spurs could yet win the trophy making calculations meaningless. But three from Everton, Bolton and these two seem likely to bag the three places and this fixture could knock one team back significantly. Reading have a decent away record and this could be touch and go.

PREDICTIONS
Paul Grech: 2-1
Magic Hat: Home
Colin Illingworth: 3-2
Kieran McHugh: 1-1
Antony Melvin: 2-0
Bill Urban: Draw

Monday, 02 April 2007

Aston Villa (13) vs Everton (6), KO 20:00

Villa have now drifted to just one point above Man City and Wigan - and can no longer be considered safe from relegation (if they ever were). John Carew is Squarefootball's player of the month for Villa and he needs to find three or four goals from the remaining games to get Villa clear - but will he score here? It will be tough; Everton have been excellent recently and will travel expecting to win.

PREDICTIONS
Paul Grech: 0-1
Magic Hat: Home
Colin Illingworth: 1-1
Kieran McHugh: 0-0
Antony Melvin: 0-1
Bill Urban: Draw
Villa’s 3 games in March, all in the Premiership, saw them pick up 2 points and score just a single goal. The O’Neill era hasn’t had the start most Villa fans would have hoped or expected. Randy Lerner might have to dig deep in the summer to bring in the sort of players O’Neill has targeted.

One player O’Neill has brought in has had an immediate impact though. John Carew, the 6ft 3in striker, has scored twice in 6 games, (including that solitary goal in March), since moving from Lyon in a deal that saw the swift but lightweight Milan Baros go the other way. The occasionally wasteful Baros is not much missed.

Villa’s preferred 4-3-3 formation under O’Neill pivots around the presence of Carew up front with Aghbonlahor and Ashley Young providing the width and the pace to augment the attack. During March all Carew’s experience of the Champions League with Lyon and Valencia, as well as Rosenborg has been in evidence.

A revelation up front he not only brings the wide men into play, but chases, and often wins, lost causes. His sturdy frame and willingness to provide an outlet means opposition defenders rarely get a moments peace with him up top. All this has seen him build an instant rapport with the Holte End most of whom will be happy to see reports linking him with a long term stay at Villa Park after a series of moves in recent seasons.

As good a judge as Rafa Benitez, who managed Carew at Valencia was moved to say before the 0-0 draw in March, “Carew was a very good signing for them [Villa]. He has pace and is a good player for the English game.”

Carew opened the scoring for Villa at Craven Cottage in the 1-1 draw on 3rd March thanks in no small part to the referee Lee Mason who blocked off Fulham’s Alexei Smertin. However having been fed in by Gareth Barry, Carew then drew Niemi out before a cool finish. Against Arsenal at Villa Park his best moment came when denied what looked a clear goalscoring opportunity on the edge of the box, by a challenge from Johann Djourou. The Swiss international got away with a yellow and Villa’s chances of a point vanished.

A sound start for Carew at Villa Park he’s talking up Villa’s chances next season. He’ll hope for a few more goals and some additions to a thin squad. He’s a deserved player of the month for March, although maybe he didn’t face a lot of competition.

4353: Serie A: Lazio Dreaming

by : Paul Grech

Never has Italian football been in such desperate need for heroes. The World Cup victory is but a distant memory after the corruptions scandals and the fans’ rioting that have marked the past eight months as among the worst in calcio’s history.

The most obvious candidate as the finest example of Italian football’s new order should be Inter. Yet their dominance killed off interest in the league from virtually the third month apart from the fact that they are seen as one of the instigators of the corruption investigations.

Serie A thus has to look elsewhere for it salvation. The early form of Roma and Palermo had initially provided the enthusiasm. But, perhaps demoralised by Inter’s crushing series of victories, both have fallen back failing to win games they were winning with ease earlier in the seson.

Their place in the collective imagery as well as third place in the league is being filled by Lazio. Six wins on the run are the heart of their surge up the table in a league campgaign that started with an uphill struggle having been implicated in the corruptions scandal which cost them a place in Europe.

This took the wind out of their sails. Players who had earlier been looking forward to playing in Europe suddenly found the themselves involved in a relegation struggle,

The reason behind their success is manager Delio Rossi. He has managed to bring to the fore players’ talents that others weren’t aware they existed, That’s not always the case. Inter certainly got rid of Macedonian striker Goran Pandew who is the creative force of Lazio’s attack whereas striker Rocchi has show the ability has been putting away any half chance that get inhis way.

But Rossi’s biggest achievement has been that of coaxing out the talent of midfielder Manfredini who definitely looked lost after he left Chievo Verona.

With 49 points they have overtaken Palermo in third place and despite lacking Sergio Cragnotti’s millions they can still hope of fighting it out with the big boys.

4341: England - David Nugent emulate

by : Alex Wolstenholme

David Nugent was the surprise name in the England squad for the recent qualifiers against Israel and Andorra, receiving a late call-up after an injury to Darren Bent. The 22-year-old duly made his debut against Andorra and, much to Jermain Defoe's chagrin, claimed England's third goal by helping the Tottenham man's shot over the line.

In doing so Nugent became the first Preston North End player to score for England since the great Sir Tom Finney and the 84-year-old was quick to praise his achievement.

Nugent also follows in the footsteps of Steve Bull, the Wolves legend who also made his mark on the international scene from the lower divisions back in 1989.

Having scored more than 50 goals in all competitions in 1987/88 season to help the Old Gold out of Division 4, Bull followed up it up with another half-century a year later to take Wolves back into what was then the 2nd division.

At the end of that campaign, Bobby Robson handed Bull a call-up to the England side that was set to face Scotland in the Rous Cup at Hampden Park while he was technically still a third division player.

On as a substitute, Bull netted a trademark goal to make the score 2-0 and seal England's victory.

"I wish I had been a spectator to watch that debut against Scotland," he told the Wolverhampton Express & Star in 2005.

"I would love to have been up among the fans that day celebrating that one.

"Of all the things that I have done in my career, that goal gets me the most stick. "I can be up in Scotland, even now, and they will still slaughter me for scoring against them."

The step up to the second tier of the English game held no fears for Bull who again netted regularly in the 1989/90 season, keeping him firmly in Robson's thoughts.

He scored twice against Czechoslovakia in a friendly just months before the World Cup in a game that booked both his and Paul Gasgoigne's place in the squad for Italia'90.

That was to be his last goal in an England shirt despite four appearances at the World Cup itself. Graham Taylor was never convinced by the player and discarded him just months into his reign.

Perhaps playing in the top-flight would have led to more caps but despite plenty of interest the local lad stayed true to his roots and ended up with over 300 Wolves' goals to his name.

It's hard to imagine such a story happening now. Nugent's inclusion in the England squad was perhaps more to do with a lack of options up front and the fact that he was already part of the under-21 set-up, something that the Championship's top goalscorer Michael Chopra commented on when the news was announced.

Bull's career certainly didn't follow the same smooth upward curve in it's early days. Discarded by West Brom, he dropped into the bottom division with Wolves, who played at a Molineux ground open on only two sides. Just a matter of days after he signed, Wolves were dumped out of the FA Cup by Chorley.

Sheer weight of goals not only forced Bull into the England picture (at a time when the top-flight was not quite as all-consuming as it is today) it did much to rescue a football club from the depths.

David Nugent is likely to move into the Premiership next season whether with Preston or not and seems set for a long, successful and lucrative career.

Legendary status such as that afforded to Sir Tom Finney and Steve Bull however may be a little harder to come by.

4340: United In The Path of Totti’s

by : Hugh Larkin

When Manchester United step out in the Stadio Olympico to begin their Champions League quarter-final they will be facing a Roma team dominated by the personality of one man- World Cup winner Francesco Totti.

Like Alessandro Del Piero at Juventus, Totti has remained a constant with his club through all the relentless and bewildering squad changes that characterise Serie A football- like the Juve man, he’s had his detractors at international level but by staying with the ‘giallorossi’ through thick and thin, he’s acquired legend status in one half of the capital.

Totti occupies a position that is very common in Italian soccer but less so in the English game. Almost everything goes through him and when the occasion takes him he flits between midfield and more advanced roles- ‘a 9 and a half’ or ‘trequartista’ as it is sometimes called.

Whatever the position is called the upshot is that Totti can be difficult to mark and has the ability to adapt his role to where he can hurt the other team most. As the team’s talisman he also has first dabs on any dead ball situations and is the man they turn to for inspiration.

He gets this status only partly for being the club’s leading goalscorer of all time and its most capped player. Despite being a club of the capital Roma have played second fiddle over the years to the giants of Milan and Turin- Totti could have gone to any number of bigger sides but chose to remain in Rome.

For this he has received adulation and indulgence for his occasional wilder antics. Though he has performed brilliantly for the Azzuri at times, he’s also given them some difficulties with his sending off at World Cup 2002 and his infamous spitting incident at Euro 2004.

The Roma fans recognise one of their own in him though. He fell out with Fabio Capello after the coach left the club following their title win in 2001 (only the club’s 3rd scudetto)- Totti called him a ‘traitor’. He’s on awkward terms with former team mate Antonio Cassano for a similar reason.

Having reached 30, Totti’s career in on the upsurge again. He came back from serious injury to play a key role on the 2006 World Cup triumph with a more withdrawn, disciplined role. Now he’s in the last eight of the Champions League with Roma.

Roma’s arrival in the quarter-finals counts as a surprise because their recent form in Europe had been abysmal before this campaign. The worry for United is that Totti is a man on a mission to capture the European crown for his only club and that the squad and supporters would love to deliver a winner’s medal for their top man.

After a moderate performance in their group stage Roma hit real form to eliminate the dangerous Lyon side in the last 16- Totti inevitably was on the scoresheet. The playmaker is rarely out of the action. Thus far this year, he is the Champions League’s most fouled player and the one caught offside the most times- a player always on the edge, always trying things. Not everything comes off, occasionally he infuriates but the end result is never boring.

Roma are far from a one man outfit. Totti has Azzuri colleagues Simone Perrotta and Daniele De Rossi for company in the midfield and bunch of talented defenders. The outcome of the tie though is likely to come down to how well Manchester United can subdue Roma’s talisman.

This is probably his best opportunity to win the Champions League in his time at the club. Already the top scorer and most capped player, Totti would love to end his career as the only Giallorossi skipper to lift the European Cup; it’s a powerful dream which Sir Alex Ferguson’s team have to counter.

4339: Mexico clausura weekly review

by : Cody Strunk

Pachuca lead the way in the Mexican Clausura following a 4:2 win at home to Atlas, with striker Christian Gimenez bagging a first-half hat-trick, including two goals in a minute. The visitors had actually been 2:1 ahead after scoring twice in three-minutes just after the midway point of what was a hectic opening period.

Cruz Azul went above Pachuca earlier in the week after a 3:0 win over UANL Tigres, with a goal from defender Joel Huiqui on 25-minutes being added to late on with strikes from teenage midfielder Cesar Villaluz and Argentinean winger Cesar Delgado. Tigres were down to 10-men for the last 20-minutes or so after international striker Francisco Fonseca was dismissed.

Another team who are looking good for the end of season play-offs is Guadalajara, who beat Morelia 2:1. All three goals came within four-minutes at the start of the second–half, with Mexican international strikers Adolfo Bautista and Omar Bravo scoring for Chivas. Like Guadalajara, America also kept their hordes of fans happy with a 2:1 win. Their victory was away to Necaxa, with Argentinean striker Daniel Bilos scoring what turned out to be the winning goal mid-way through the second-half.

The recent improvement at Toluca was brought to something of a halt when they were held to a goalless draw at home to Jaguares Chiapas, while Atlante required a last-minute goal from striker Adalberto Robles to secure a point at home to UNAM Pumas. The visitors were a man down for the final 15-minutes following the dismissal of Argentinean striker Oscar Gonzalez.

At the foot of the table Monterrey climbed off the bottom of the regular table with a 3:2 win at home to San Luis, although they did contrive to throw away a two-goal advantage prior to defender Walter Erviti’s winning goal 20-minutes from time. They will be looking to build upon that victory this weekend when they travel to face fierce city rivals UANL Tigres.

In the battle to avoid the drop into Primera A, Santos maintained their recent good form with a 1:0 win over Veracruz, with a goal from Argentinean centre-back Fernando Ortiz proving decisive. The win gives them a little breathing space above Queretaro, who could only draw 2:2 at home to UAG Tecos. It would have been worse but for Mauro Gerk’s last-minute penalty equaliser although, having been 1:0 up at half-time, they will still regard it as points dropped at this stage of the campaign.

Cody Strunk
27 March 2007

4338: Is This Finally Schalke’s Time

by : Hugh Larkin

German soccer may be about to witness a rare event. In Europe’s big Leagues there aren’t many times that a new name goes on a League trophy but Schalke 04 are homing in on the Bundesliga crown.

The Bundesliga has only been in existence since 1963 and the club from Gelsenkirchen (Schalke is a district in that city) did get their hands on the competition that preceded the Bundesliga. The last time they could call themselves top dog in Germany was 1958. In the 1930s they were the undisputed kingpins.

The club have been there or thereabouts in the past decade-they have twice been what German fans term the Vice-Champions, (that’s 2nd to you and me) in 2001 and 2005. A UEFA Cup was bagged in 1997 and they lifted the German Cup in 2001 and 2002.

Schalke however, are one of those clubs that strange things happen to. Their second place in 2001 was only confirmed when Bayern Munich struck a goal in the 4th minute of injury time at Hamburg to snatch the pennant.

In the 1970s Schalke had several players in the German national squad but many at the club were caught up in the Bundesliga’s match fixing scandal and what could have been a dominant team faded away.

When Schalke managed to land the UEFA Cup they were upstaged by their bitter rivals in the Ruhr area, Borussia Dortmund, who popped up to take the Champions League in the same season.

Die Knappen (The Miners, also called the Royal Blues) are one of the best supported clubs in Germany, being part of a modern sports club that has 60,000 members across its various sports. They kept a big following despite many fallow years since the 1960s that included relegation in the 80s.

Now the club have a 3 point lead at the top of the table going into the business end of the campaign and they are doing it with a team that doesn’t have the obvious star names of some of their close rivals.

Their most recognisable forward is national striker Kevin Kuranyi and he has a respectable 11 League goals this season but after him the next highest scorer is former Rangers wingman Peter Lovenkrands with just 6. Schalke have nowhere near the goal power of closest pursuers Werder Bremen who have notched 19 more this campaign.

At the back though, Schalke have some rock solid performers. The Serb Mladen Krstajic and Brazilian Marcelo Bordon are key men and they have two South American full backs of class, Rafhina (Brazil) and Dario Rodriguez (Uruguay).

What Schalke do have is the ability to force a result from unpromising situations. The last game before the international break was a critical test of their credentials because they went in on a run of five games without a win.

When it mattered, the players were able to see off third placed Stuttgart by a single goal. Fortunately for the club, Bremen have not been pulling up any trees either so the five game blip hasn’t cost them the leadership.

Schalke have eight games left and four of those are against the bottom four in the table (one of which is Dortmund, to the satisfaction of the fans). Apart from this weekend’s away game at Bayern Munich the run-in is friendly, so avoiding defeat to ‘FC Hollywood’ will be the key.

There’s a chance to settle a few old scores. A good result in Munich will end Bayern’s faint title hopes and then if results go well, Schalke could lift the title in Dortmund’s stadium in their penultimate fixture, while possibly consigning their bitter rivals to the drop. The Ruhr is getting ready for a Royal Blue party.

Hugh Larkin
19 March 2007

4337: Squarefootball Diary - McClare

by : Stephen Orford

Squarefootball Diary - Wednesday March 28 2007

The pressure remains on England coach Steve McClaren despite a 3-0 victory over Andorra in Barcelona.

The fans express their disgust at another timid performance, with the team booed off at half-time when the game is still goalless. To cap another bad day at the office for McClaren, England drop to fourth in the Group E table after Israel thrash Estonia 4-0.

It takes 52 minutes for England to break the Andorran rearguard, at which point Steven Gerrard rifles in a precise volley to audible gasps of relief. The Liverpool skipper plays a neat one-two with Jermaine Defoe to add his second on 76 minutes, before Defoe’s goal-bound effort is poached by debutant David Nugent in the dying moments of the game;

“Gentlemen, if you want to write whatever you want to write, you can write it because that is all I am going to say. Thank you.” Huffs McClaren at a press conference lasting all of two minutes;

“Nothing concerns me about what people write or say. What matters is what is on the inside.” He goes on, as one newspaper journalist scribbles the words ‘McClaren is a turnip’ on a nearby wall.

Scotland lose their unofficial world title to, well, to the world champions actually. Alex McLeish’s side go down 2-0 in Bari as a double from Luca Toni takes Italy to within two points of the Group B leadership;

“I felt we could get something before the game and there is a lot to be positive about. Scott Brown played well and Shaun Maloney looked bright.” Suggests McLeish, flailing his arms at a nearby straw.

The Scots drop to second in the group behind Ukraine, although three teams have 12 points following the latter’s 1-0 home win over Lithuania.

Northern Ireland do what England have consistently failed to over the last 35 years, that is beat Sweden in a competitive international. Lawrie Sanchez’s side win 2-1 at Windsor Park, with David Healy scoring twice to respond to Johan Elmander’s opener. The result leaves Northern Ireland top of Group F, a point clear of the Swedes;

“After six games to have 13 points is phenomenal but we'll probably need as many points if not more over the next six games.” Warns Sanchez, spoiling the mood just a little.

Spain now sit three points behind the Irish on nine points after their 1-0 home win over Iceland. Leichtenstein beat Latvia by the same score to record a rare competitive win.

The Republic of Ireland will feel that they are back in contention for qualification, that after their narrow 1-0 win over Slovakia at Croke Park in Group D. Kevin Doyle’s goal takes Steve Staunton’s side into a three-way tie for the leadership alongside Germany and Czech Republic, who beat Cyprus 1-0;

“To give ourselves a chance in the group, we had to win the two games (against Wales and Slovakia).” Offers a satisfied Staunton.

Staying with Group D, Wales get back to winning ways with a 3-0 success over San Marino. Goals from Ryan Giggs, Gareth Bale and Jason Koumas seal the points for John Toshack’s side, who move ahead of the Cypriots into fifth place in the table;

“At least we were back to the game we are trying to develop.” Reflects Toshack, adding grumpily;

“We're happy with the result but it still doesn't make up for the result on Saturday.”

Poland have a five-point lead at the top of Group A, beating Armenia 1-0 thanks to Maciej Zurawski’s first-half effort. Finland’s shock 1-0 loss to Azerbaijan and Portugal’s 1-1 draw with Serbia see both lose crucial ground.

Turkey’s Group C lead is cut to one point as they are held 2-2 by Norway behind closed doors in Frankfurt, chief beneficiaries being Greece who edge out Malta by the only goal. Hungary’s win over Moldova keeps them barely in contention.

Holland top Group G after Gianni van Bronckhorst’s late goal gives them victory over Slovenia. Romania are the nearest challengers, three points behind after a 3-0 win over lowly Luxembourg. Bulgaria’s 0-0 draw at home to Albania is a major set-back to their hopes, leaving them five points adrift of the Dutch in third place.

By Stephen Orford

29 March 2007

4335: Argentina Clausura weekly revi

by : Cody Strunk

San Lorenzo edged out Independiente by the odd goal in seven to retain top spot in the Argentinean league this weekend, with young defender Jonathan Botinelli grabbing the winner with 14-minutes remaining. Earlier two goals from Nestor Silvera and one from fellow striker Gaston Fernandez (his fifth in four games) had been cancelled out by two goals from Lucas Pusineri (a former San Lorenzo player) and one from German Denis for the visitors.

The win left San Lorenzo three points clear at the top, as River Plate slipped to a surprise 1:0 loss at home to Gimnasia Jujuy, for whom striker Mario Turdo scored his first goal since moving from Quilmes almost a year ago. The loss of their big city rivals enabled Boca Juniors to move into second spot, courtesy of a 1:0 victory at Godoy Cruz. A back-heeled goal eight minutes from time from substitute Mauro Boselli finally decided the game in favour of the visitors.

Defending champions Estudiantes are also among the chasing pack, with a 3:0 victory at home to Rosario Central taking them into fourth position. Two late goals from Pablo Luguercio made sure of the points following 17-year old midfielder Pablo Piatti’s third goal in six appearances just before the break. A red card for Rosario defender Ariel Garce before the hour-mark made the visitors’ task all the more difficult.

Early season leaders Arsenal secured their first point in three matches when Lucas Valdemarin scored with five-minutes remaining to earn a 2:2 draw away to Racing Club, for whom former national team striker Claudio Lopez scored twice, once from the spot. Valdermarin had been at Racing Club on loan last year, while the home also had midfielder Martin Romagnoli sent-off just prior to the equalising goal.

Elsewhere Banfield climbed off the foot of the regular table with a 1:0 victory at Gimnasia La Plata thanks to an early penalty from striker Josemir Lujambio. Both teams went down to 10-men before the break, with the home team’s Andres Alderete and Banfield’s Jose Chatruc both being given an early invite to sample the bath water. With 10-minutes remaining Gimnasia La Plata were down to nine men after substitute striker Antonio Pierguidi was ordered off.

In other games, Velez Sarsfield dropped a couple of points after a last-minute equaliser from Colon’s Claudio Enria cancelled out an 18th minute goal from Gustavo Balvorin. Lanus moved level with visitors’ Argentinos Juniors on 12-points after a 2:1 victory, centre-back Walter Ribonetto scoring what proved to be the decisive goal early in the second-half. Nueva Chicago boosted their hopes of avoiding the end of term relegation play-offs with a 2:0 win at home to fellow strugglers Belgrano, with goals a few minutes before the end of each half from midfielders Ariel Nahuelpan and Mariano Donda. Quilmes remain rooted to the foot of the percentage table after a 2:2 draw away to Newell’s Old Boys, despite having led 2:0 with just 17-minutes remaining. An Adrian Peralta goal with five-minutes remaining claimed the point for Newell’s and ensured that Quilmes stay deep in trouble.

4334: There’s still life in Charlton

by : Colin Illingworth

Charlton and West Ham United were given huge lifts over a week ago with two priceless victories in their fight against the drop. It appeared as though the Irons needed a miracle to stay in the Premiership and Howard Webb and his assistant Jim Devine’s inability to tell if a ball has crossed the line or not has given the Hammers hope of pulling off the Great Escape. Meanwhile, down at the Valley, Alan Pardew’s Charlton are on a roll following seven points out of a possible nine. Just four points separate The Addicks from Sheffield United and they are in pole position to beat the drop but, don’t call me crazy, I wouldn’t discount West Ham just yet.

Alan Curbishley’s men have been on the receiving end of so many poor decisions that they will take three points anyway they can. And that result against Blackburn could be the turning point for the club, much in the same way as Pedro Mendes’s last-minute winner against Manchester City was for Portsmouth last year.

There’s no denying that West Ham have not been at the races this season. Defeats at home to Wigan and a humiliating 6-0 drubbing at Reading are up there in the club’s hall of shame. But even when they have put in a good showing they have been outdone by debatable decisions or last-minute goals. Against Newcastle they went 2-0 up but were the victims of a wrong offside decision, Fulham snatched a point right at the death and the less said about that Spurs game the better.

West Ham weren’t sparkling against Blackburn Rovers but they got the job done and secured three crucial points. Alan Curbishley will be fully aware that the team can play a lot better than they did at Ewood Park but the one shining light at the moment is Carlos Tevez. The Argentinean is the only who is putting in a full shift for the club and it was great to see his reaction when he finally broke his duck against Tottenham. With two goals under his belt and the full backing of the fans, Tevez is doing all he can to save the Londoners. If Curbs could get even three more players putting in the same sort of commitment as Tevez they could beat the drop.

They face Middlesbrough at Upton Park on Saturday and they will be despondent after their FA Cup exit at the hands of Manchester United. This is an ideal opportunity to get another three points on the board, get the fans right behind them for the crucial run-in and close the gap at the foot of the table.

However, Charlton Athletic are in the driving seat. They are a completely reformed side from the one Les Reed was in charge of and are looking good to climb out of the bottom three. They thrashed West Ham 4-0 and fought back from two down to draw with Watford, although they could have, and probably should have, stole it at the death. The turnaround at The Valley has been astonishing. Players who couldn’t pass water before Christmas are now pinging the ball about with confidence and collectively they are fighting for every ball.

On Saturday they play Wigan Athletic, who are still in the thick of things, and all three points would cut the difference between the two sides to just three points. And if Sheffield United lose to Bolton Wanderers the Addicks could just be one point off the drop zone by the end of the weekend.

A number of West Ham fans have been resigned to relegation since Christmas but a victory against Middlesbrough will really get the fans believing that they could pull it off. If the Hammers and Charlton can both secure three points it will really put the cat amongst the pigeons and pull Wigan and Sheffield United right into the mire.

West Brom and Portsmouth have shown in recent years that it’s not impossible to put a run together at this stage of the season and sneak out of the bottom three. But West Ham have it all to do. They still have to face three of the big four, along with Wigan and Sheffield United, so it’s a big ask, but Bobby Zamora’s disputed goal has given them a chance.

Alan Pardew will be fully aware of how important it will be not to lose to Wigan at the weekend but if they could put all three points in the bank at the end of the 90 minutes, you’d have to fear for Neil Warnock and Paul Jewell.

Colin Illingworth
27 March 2007

4332: Manchester City: England Might

by : Paul Grech

England’s mind numbing draw against Israel might be one that anyone with the three lions at heart will be eager to forget – which realistically shouldn’t be too hard to do – but for Manchester City fans it could be a game they end up ruefully recalling.

Micah Richard’s third appearance in an England shirt seventeen minutes from the end signalled the latest step in his rapid progression. A debut against Holland made him the youngest defender ever to pull on an England shirt was followed by another appearance against Spain but friendlies don’t really count these days, do they?

Against Israel, however, it was different. It was a game England had to win and Richards was put on at a critical stage. Lack of experience counted against him when Steve McLaren was deciding on the eleven to start the game but that might not be the case next time round. As a player, Richards is ready for international football.

Which might be bad news for City. At best they can offer him a season of relative mid-table comfort, at worst another fight against relegation. And that is what this season was turning out to be before their latest win against Middlesbrough. With Richard Dunne criticising the club’s foreign players and Bernardo Corradi labelling Stuart Pearce “a typical English manager” who fails to properly prepare his team for games, the future is hardly the most promising.

That Richards continues to shine despite this mediocrity bears testament to his talent. He is the sort of player City might want to build their team around but that depends on how much he hangs around.

Already the vultures are circling. The usual suspects – Chelsea, Liverpool and even, most worryingly of all, Manchester United – are apparently interested in the young right back with a big future. And well should they be given his talent to play anywhere across the back four as well has his impressive ability with the ball at his feet that defies his position’s truisms.

City will hope that he recognises that progress at bigger clubs with more competition for regular football will be slower. They do have Shaun Wright Phillips’ example to put in front of Richards, where the talented midfielder has hardly played since leaving for Chelsea, often intimating that moving had been a big mistake.

But the possibility of earning more money and be in a better chance of winning honours can be pretty enticing arguments and exactly the sort that City can never offer him.

Playing for England will give Richards a taste of what it feels like to face Europe’s best and to test himself at that level. If he decides that it is an experience he would rather repeat, then City would better be preparing themselves for an inevitable goodbye.

4333: Northern Ireland: How to quali

by : Hugh Larkin

An absolutely stunning victory for Northern Ireland over Sweden at Windsor Park has left Lawrie Sanchez and his team top of Group F and dreaming of their first ever European Championship qualification. There are 6 games left to pull it off.

22nd August 2007; Liechtenstein at Windsor Park

All their rivals are playing games in the summer while the Irish are recharging the batteries. A brilliant bit of scheduling means that Northern Ireland take on one of the minnows as the summer comes to a close. Demark and Sweden play each other, and a draw might suit Sanchez. Spain may well take 9 points while the Irish sit out, as they are playing each of the three also-ran nations.

Even a rusty bunch in green should be able to see off the team from the Grand Duchy, although they pulled off a shock win over Latvia while the Irish were seeing off Sweden. It’s a great chance to put another 3 points on the board and keep up the pressure.

Verdict- a 3 point banker.

8th September 2007; Latvia away

Northern Ireland’s fate will depend on the Autumn results. After Liechtenstein they play the other two lesser sides in the group over 4 days. A 7 point return is the least that they must come away with before they end the group against the big boys.

Latvia are miles away from the team that reached Euro 2004. Confidence is low and this is a chance to bang in another away win.

Verdict- a narrow win.

12 September 2007; Iceland away

Iceland are one of those sides who never qualify for tournaments but almost always turn in some excellent results. They usually upset the plans of some team, as the Irish know to their cost. The exercise here is to get away with a point and hope the Icelanders go on to damage their fellow Scandinavians.

Verdict- a tough draw

17th October 2007; Sweden away

The games come thick and fast now and surely the Swedes can’t be as insipid in front of goal as they were in Belfast. The Irish might be able to force a draw but they rode their luck in the Parken Stadium against Denmark; this time the Swedes will probably have to win to stay alive. The chances are that they will get what they require.

Verdict- a narrow defeat

17th November 2007; Denmark at Windsor Park

A game Northern Ireland might have to win to ensure qualification- hopefully. Denmark’s world ranking has dropped considerably and it could be that their qualification hopes will have gone by the time they arrive in Belfast.

A full house giving their terrific support can inspire the team on and the stage is made for David Healy to bag more goals. When push comes to shove, the Danes could wilt.

Verdict- the Irish do enough to win

21st November 2007; Spain away

Shades of 1982 again? Lawrie Sanchez would much rather have qualification in the bag then risk a ‘backs to the wall’ effort against a Spanish side who are always so hard to beat on home soil.

Beating Spain in Belfast was magnificent but unlikely to be a feat that even this stalwart group can manage twice. Let’s hope it doesn’t come down to this game

Verdict- Spain win but hopefully it’s irrelevant.

Conclusion

That’s 10 more points coming to the Irish from 6 matches. That would make 23 points and it could be enough if Spain show what they are capable of and take points from the main challengers- Sweden and Denmark.

The key is to hoover up the points against the lesser sides. Northern Ireland have put themselves in a position where they can certainly afford one defeat and possibly even two as long as they hammer home their superiority against smaller fry.

Hugh Larkin
28 March 2007

4336: International Friendly: US/Gua

by : Bill Urban

How often does one see this sort of thing in international football, a good win against a decent side results in the next opponent packing it in? Fresh from their impressive victory in Tampa over Ecuador, the US came out looking to impose themselves on much more modest opposition. By contrast, and perhaps as a result of the flowing US attacks last Sunday, Guatemala’s tactics were utterly defensive, and the Central Americans did a good job at controlling the flow of play with eight or nine players in two lines, leaving Carlos Ruiz to plow a lone and lonely furrow as the lone striker. The US did not do enough to get the ball wide and behind packed Guatemalan rearguard. An excess of possession resulted in slow ball circulation and too many attempts to force the ball down the centre of the park, playing into Guatemala’s match-killing hands.

International football is a ruthless ecosystem, and the US should expect more teams to pack the centre of the park in the 2007 Gold Cup and the CONCACAF qualifiers for South Africa 2010.

Kasey Keller-6

: Little to do, a save or two, and a mostly full bottle of water.

Jonathan Spector- 5

: Pushed forward confidently in the first half, but looked uncomfortable playing on the left side in the back.

Jimmy Conrad- 5

: Looked less assured than against Ecuador, due more to Carlos Ruiz than to his new partner DeMerit.

Jay DeMerit- 6

: Tidy in his initial Nats appearance, solid in the air and did not mess about with the ball.

Frank Simek- 7

: Top marks for his first cap, aggressive on and off the ball, ever-willing to get forward into the attack and quick and nippy in the tackle when necessary.

Clint Dempsey- 5

: Still struggling for sharpness, the switch to target player at match end did not really come off.

Benny Feilhaber- 5

: With Guatemala clogging the centre of the park, Feilhaber had less time on the ball than in his previous showing against Ecuador. Kept the ball moving, and looks useful in tandem with Bradley.

Michael Bradley- 6

: Another smooth, confident performance in the centre of the pitch, young Bradley has a future at the heart of the US midifield.

Justin Mapp- 5

: Brave and willing to run at the Guatemala defenders, played with a tendency to hold onto the ball too long, slowing down the US attack.

Eddie Johnson- 4

: Johnson is not really a target man, but did a reasonable approximation of the target man role against Guatemala, laying off several nice balls and taking up good positions. Desperately needs a goal, confidence is clearly lacking.

Landon Donovan- 5

: A marked man after the Ecuador hat-trick, Donovan was simply given no space to play. Unable to impose himself on the match.

Kenny Cooper- 5

: Made his presence felt, but also showed his inexperience, tried several times to do the attractive instead of simple thing.

Brian Mullan- 6

: Linked up well with Simek in the second half, and served some productive balls in to the feet of Dempsey, Donovan, and Cooper.

Wade Barrett- 5

: Did not see much of the ball, but did link up well with Mapp.

4331: Road To Euro 2008; Israel v E

by : Stephen Orford

Insipid England served up another 90 minutes of drudgery during their goalless draw with Israel in Tel Aviv on Saturday (March 24).

It’s a result which leaves England third in the Group E table, leaving qualification for the Euro 2008 finals in Austria and Switzerland far from a formality. The press reaction to a third straight game in which Steve McClaren’s side failed to trouble the scorers was scathing in its nature, but this was another England showing which was deserved of some fierce criticism.

McClaren’s assertion that England created 17 chances borders on the delusional. Clearly he has been having a word with his Pro-Zone experts and statisticians, for whom any ball kicked remotely in the direction of the opponent’s goal qualifies as a goalscoring opportunity. In reality, real moments of promise were few and far between for England. Only Frank Lampard’s smothered first-half effort, together with his glancing second-half header and a Jermaine Defoe shot saved from point blank range can truly be classed as genuine goalscoring opportunities.

The reasons for this shot-shy, penetration deficient showing are all too familiar. For years under Sven Goran Eriksson England toiled away to surprisingly little effect, but always seemed to manage to grind out a result in qualification matches. Eriksson was pilloried for the team’s subsequent failure to progress beyond the quarter-finals of a major tournament, not least of all because of the style in which his side failed. Fans and media will tolerate failure if it is of the glorious, Kevin Keegan-inspired gung-ho variety, but not if it is borne out of fear and a stubborn unwillingness to open up as an attacking force.

A team boasting the talents of Lampard, along with Steven Gerrard, Wayne Rooney, Aaron Lennon and company has somehow managed to achieve less now than it did under the hapless Swede. That Eriksson’s results in qualifiers were mostly excellent says more about McClaren’s troubled start in the role than it does about the managerial qualities of the former Roma, Lazio and Sampdoria boss. McClaren’s England are currently clueless, unable to impose themselves on the opposition.

Players who perform with great distinction in the Premiership and Champions League suddenly become pub footballers when asked to come together and unite for the good of the country. Whether a clash of egos or a general mistrust of the manager’s methods is at the root of the problem it is clear that something must be done if England are to improve on the performance in Israel.

England face Andorra in Barcelona on Wednesday night (March 28) with McClaren knowing that only a comfortable win will earn him a reprieve. Anything less than a win would almost certainly bring about his departure, and rank among the worst results in the history of the English national team. Forget about the USA in Brazil in 1950, or the home draw with Poland which cost us our place at the 1974 World Cup finals in Germany. A draw or an unthinkable defeat to the team ranked 163rd in the world would trump the lot.

Lampard has been ruled out of the Andorra clash with a fractured wrist, though conspiracy theorists are hard at work explaining that the Chelsea man was on the verge of losing his place at any rate. As it is, his ‘injury’ looks set to earn Owen Hargreaves a stay of execution, though many have suggested that a defensive holding midfielder is expendable against such lowly opposition. Countering that argument is the theory that McClaren should simply select his best eleven regardless of the opposition, and let them worry about how to negate England’s progress. There seems little point in unleashing an array of attacking players on Andorra, only to revert to type when faced with the more sturdy opposition of Russia, Israel and Croatia later in the campaign.

Several other personnel changes were mooted and are expected for the Andorra tie, with Micah Richards tipped to come in for Philip Neville and Ashley Cole to return from suspension in place of Jamie Carragher at left-back. Theoretically this should give England more attacking options with Richards and Cole more inclined to join in attacks. Carragher in particular seemed not to cross the half way line in Tel Aviv despite the apparent lack of a threat from the home side throughout.

In all probability England will win in Barcelona, and do so comfortably. Even McClaren’s toothless England dispatched the Andorrans 5-0 at Old Trafford in September, and there is a huge gulf in class between the two sides. Yet it is the manner of the England performance which is likely to receive the most attention in the aftermath of this one, with an entire nation desperate to see a more fluid, adventurous style of play.

Seventeen instances of the ball travelling in the general direction of the Andorra goal just isn’t going to cut it.

By Stephen Orford

28 March 2007

4330: Squarefootball Diary; Mad Mac

by : Stephen Orford

Squarefootball Diary - Saturday March 24 2006

Dreadful England turn in another lukewarm performance, drawing 0-0 with Israel in Tel Aviv.

The result leaves England third in the Euro 2008 Group E table after Russia and Croatia secure wins over Estonia and Macedonia respectively;

“To dominate the game and have the chances we did and not score was disappointing and not good enough.” Offers delusional England boss Steve McClaren;

“We need to regroup and make sure we collect three points on Wednesday but there are still plenty of games to go.” He adds hopefully.

In Group D the Republic of Ireland climb to third with a 1-0 win over Wales in the first match to be played at Croke Park. Manchester City’s aptly named Stephen Ireland nets the only goal on 39 minutes. Manager Steve Staunton remains unimpressed;

“We failed to keep the ball when we got it in the second half which made it difficult for ourselves.” He admits;

“But all we could do was win the game. We've done that and we'll now prepare for Wednesday (against Slovakia).”

Wales boss John Toshack makes Staunton sound optimistic;

“At times I could not believe what I was seeing.” He blasts

“The Republic were far the better side and thoroughly deserved their goal, there were no complaints.”

Germany still lead the section after goals from Bastien Schweinsteiger and Kevin Kuranyi help them to a 2-1 win in the Czech Republic. Slovakia’s 3-1 win in Cyprus just about keeps them in touch.

Scotland’s good form continues, but they leave it late in Alex McLeish’s first game in charge. Georgia look to have done enough to earn a point at Hampden Park after Shota Arveladze cancels out Kris Boyd’s opener, but substitute Craig Beattie nets the winner in the last minute;

“I've just learnt the spirit of this team is alive and kicking.” Says McLeish.

Scotland are joined on 12 points at the top of Group B by France, for whom Nicolas Anelka nets the only goal in Lithuania. Ukraine win 2-0 in the Faroe Islands to jump above Italy into third.

Dogged persistence is the key to Northern Ireland’s 4-1 win in Liechtenstein in Group F. It takes 52 minutes to break the minnows’ resolve, at which point David Healy nets the first of his three goals. The home side pull one back through Franz Burgmeier but it is Lawrie Sanchez’s side who have the last word as Grant McCann heads home late on;

“We tried to find our range in the first half when we had a few half chances but David (Healy) was lethal in front of goal in the second half and Grant McCann did well too.” Explains Sanchez.

The win leaves the Northern Irish second in the table, two points behind Sweden who are inactive on the night. Spain’s 2-1 win over Denmark is provided courtesy of goals from Valencia pair Fernando Morientes and David Villa, and takes them to within a point of the third-placed Danes.

Poland remain top of Group A after thrashing Azerbaijan 5-0, while Portugal make ground on second-placed Finland with a 4-0 thumping of Belgium. Serbia are fourth despite a shock 2-1 reverse in Kazakhstan.

Turkey lead Group C after a 4-1 win at defending champions Greece, while Bosnia-Herzegovina jump above Norway into third after beating the Norwegians 2-1. Moldova’s 1-1 home draw with Malta leaves them propping up the table.

And so to Group G where Holland still lead despite being held to a goalless draw by Romania. Belarus lie fourth after beating Luxembourg 2-1, while Slovenia and Albania play out a goalless draw which helps neither.

By Stephen Orford

28 March 2007

4304: Prediction Panel 2006/7: Euro

by : Antony Melvin

Plenty of drama and goals expected tonight as England travel to Barcelona to play a poor Andorra side - and anything less than a big win could see Steve McClaren hounded out of office. The big game of the night is between Italy and Scotland with massive pressure on the inexperienced Italian gaffer - if Scotland win or draw then there is a real prospect of qualification. Northern Ireland will play Sweden with hope of qualification still alive - which is an improvement; whilst south of the border Ireland will look to build on their victory at the weekend against Wales during the visit of the high scoring Solvakian team. Wales have a dead-rubber against San Marino.

Wednesday, 28 March 2007

Andorra (163) vs England (6), KO 20:00

A mismatch in Barcelona for the beleaguered English coach - and anything other than a resounding win will cause such a press reaction that McClaren may not come home. In all honesty they are a dreadful side, with no cutting edge up front, little cohesive play through the middle and an awful recent record. Fortunately Andorra are worse. Shades of the must-win against San Marino when a Stuart Pearce blunder put England one behind and destroyed a million correct score punts.

FORM
Andorra Last 10; W0, D2, L8, F1, A31
England Last 10; W4, D4, L2, F12, A4

PREDICTIONS
Paul Grech: 1-4
Hugh Larkin; 0-3
Kieran McHugh: 0-3
Antony Melvin: 0-4
Stephen Orford: 0-3

Italy (2) vs Scotland (16), KO 19:50

This is suddenly a must-win game for Italy - no pressure on Scotland who arrive with low expectations despite their lofty standing in the group. The Italian coach has called for the Italian media to get behind the team - like the Scottish media (he clearly didn't read the press during Berti Vogts time). If Scotland get a draw or win then there is a real prospect of qualification - but I think it is likely that if Scotland do get something they will compund it by losing to the Faroe Islands and Lithuania before being eliminated on goal difference. Seriously, a little piece of history is on offer here.

FORM
Italy Last 10; W5, D3, L2, F15, A9
Scotland Last 10; W6, D2, L2, F21, A9

PREDICTIONS
Paul Grech: 3-0
Hugh Larkin; 0-0
Kieran McHugh: 2-0
Antony Melvin: 0-0
Stephen Orford: 1-0

Malta (111) vs Greece (13), KO 18:30

Malta would ordinarily be given no hope against the reigning European champions. But Malta are starting to pick up form and are rarely beaten easily at home. Greece have been poor since their joyous victory in the summer of 2004 - when everything seemed to go for them. Saying all that Greece should ease through with a narrow win.

FORM
Malta Last 10; W1, D3, L6, F8, A21
Greece Last 10; W5, D0, L5, F10, A11

PREDICTIONS
Paul Grech: 0-4
Hugh Larkin; 1-3
Kieran McHugh: 0-0
Antony Melvin: 0-1
Stephen Orford: 0-3

Northern Ireland (47) vs Sweden (15), KO 19:45

Northern Ireland will again look to David Healy to continue his impressive goalscoring form. Until very late in Saturday's game Healy was the only Irish goalscorer is a hard working team with no stars. Sweden do have a star in Zlatan Ibrahimovic - but his motivation is always questionable which is a pity given his immense talent. A draw would be a good result for Lawrie Sanchez's men - but a win could presage qualification.

FORM
Northern Ireland Last 10; W5, D2, L3, F11, A10
Sweden Last 10; W4, D1, L5, F10, A13

PREDICTIONS
Paul Grech: 0-3
Hugh Larkin; 1-1
Kieran McHugh: 0-2
Antony Melvin: 1-1
Stephen Orford: 1-2

Rep of Ireland (51) vs Slovakia (37), KO 19:30

Steve Staunton is under as much pressure as his English equivalent but the win over Wales has relieved some of the pressure. Ireland may well be in a slightly false position in the group having played San Marino twice as well as Cyprus and Wales - all games that Germany and the Czech Republic will expect to win - so Ireland need to exert pressure by beating a Slovakia team in good form having won three and drawn one of the last four. Slovakia are a very free-scoring side - but cough up a lot of goals; this could go either way.

FORM
Ireland Last 10; W4, D2, L4, F14, A13
Slovakia Last 10; W6, D2, L2, F26, A15

PREDICTIONS
Paul Grech: 2-1
Hugh Larkin; 1-0
Kieran McHugh: 1-1
Antony Melvin: 2-2
Stephen Orford: 1-1

Wales (77) vs San Marino (196), KO 20:00

Even Andorra's recent form is better than San Marinos. San Marino had conceded 25 in three games prior to nearly nicking a point against an abject Ireland side - but still 52 goals conceded in their last ten games looks like a team at the bottom of Sheffield and Rotherham Imperial Sunday League Division Three - rather than a team qualifying for a major tournament. Wales can't realistically qualify - but they should win this one.

FORM
Wales Last 10; W3, D3, L4, F11, A12
San Marino Last 10; W0, D0, L10, F3, A52

PREDICTIONS
Paul Grech: 3-0
Hugh Larkin; 5-0
Kieran McHugh: 3-0
Antony Melvin: 2-0
Stephen Orford: 4-0

USA (30) vs Guatemala (90), KO ??:??

After a morale boosting win over Ecuador the US team has a fixture against Guatemala - with expectations of a big win. The last time Guatemala travelled to the States they received a 4-0 thumping and with one win in their last ten international fixtures will be expecting little from this fixture. USA has won their three fixtures since the World Cup and on form should win easily.

FORM
USA Last 10; W5, D2, L3, F14, A10
Guatemala Last 10; W1, D2, L7, F12, A22

PREDICTIONS
Paul Grech: 5-2
Hugh Larkin; 2-0
Kieran McHugh: 4-1
Antony Melvin: 4-1
Stephen Orford: 3-0

(figures in brackets are current FIFA rankings)

4326: David Healy: The Superstar Fro

by : Hugh Larkin

What’s a good scoring record for an international striker? How about 27 goals in 55 caps? That’s a stunning tally and you would expect that player to be in one of Europe’s premier Leagues but David Healy operates for Leeds United in the Championship.

Everything about the man born in Downpatrick is a bit of a conundrum. On Saturday he became the only Northern Irish player to bag two hat-tricks for the men in green, which puts him ahead of some pretty famous players over the years.

Not only does Healy’s record stand comparison with most of the top strikers in Europe, he’s done it in a side that have been very lowly ranked for much of his time in the national side. Not so long ago, Northern Ireland were so toothless that they racked up 1,298 minutes without a goal- no prizes for guessing who ended that drought.

Statistics don’t tell you everything about a player but in this case some numbers are worth counting. For example, Alan Shearer is considered the best striker to hit the British Isles in the past 20 years and his overall scoring tally for England is 30 in 63 caps- Healy matches that strike rate.

If the Leeds man is just about level pegging with Shearer, he’s far surpassing the contribution of Michael Owen. The currently injured Newcastle man has produced a very creditable 36 strikes for his country but from 80 appearances- excellent stuff, but not in the same league as Northern Ireland’s goal machine.

A goal every other game is the sort of figure either notched by only the cream of the game’s predators or the sort of numbers from a time when defences were far less vigilant.

There are those who would argue that Healy has some advantages as he’s so obviously his side’s number one forward but then again, he often has to plough a lone furrow. Owen and his ilk might play against top defences more often by getting to major tournament finals but Healy has often been forced to play his hand in a team being beaten or pushed on to the back foot.

Lest anyone might point to goals against Caribbean sides on a summer tour, his supporters can point to his strike against England and a brilliant hat-trick to see off Spain as evidence that this man can terrorise the best defenders.

Whichever way you cut it, David Healy is clearly one of that select band of players who can up their game when the stakes are highest - which only makes it all the more surprising that he isn’t a Premiership performer.

It certainly seemed that his career would go that way when he started out as a Manchester United trainee. Healy was a smooth contributor for United reserve sides and began banging in goals for the Irish under-21’s too, yet he only made a single substitute appearance at Old Trafford.

A move to Preston brought him notice and after a loan spell at Norwich he moved to Leeds in 2004. The quirky fact about his efforts for these clubs is that his rate of scoring is lower than his efforts for Northern Ireland by a considerable margin.

While he bangs them in at nearly one every other game in the national shirt, he’s below 1 in every 3 over his whole Football League career; in fact closer to 1 in every 4. It’s a perfectly respectable effort but perhaps indicates why Premiership sides haven’t taken a punt on him.

At 27, he may still have the chance to play at the top level and if Leeds plunge into League One it would be hard to see them hanging on to him. The Premiership may come knocking on his door but for the moment he’s continuing his quest to take the national side to Euro 2008.

Northern Ireland’s World Cup qualifications in the 1980s had become a distant memory before they unearthed their non-Premiership superstar. Now Sweden are next at Windsor Park and if David Healy keeps on scoring, anything is possible.

Hugh Larkin
25 March 2007

4327: Arsenal: Decline,not transitio

by : Sam Cullen

For the last few seasons, it has been the accepted convention to describe Arsenal FC as a side in transition. This period can roughly be defined as beginning with their sudden loss of form coinciding with the end of their record breaking 49 game unbeaten streak. Much as this seems like it was only yesterday, it is now almost 2 and a half years ago.

Could it be, whisper this, that transition is the wrong word and decline should be associated with the North London side.

Before every Arsenal fan from here to Gdansk engages in that playful term of abuse “son of a whore”, let’s consider some evidence.

After the excellent 2003-04 Premiership triumph, the Gunners have collected only one trophy. Anyone who saw their “victory” in the 2005 FA Cup final will know it was an honour they scarcely deserved, as they spent the majority of the game under constant Manchester United pressure.

Last season saw a series of disappointments including a limp FA Cup exit to Bolton and the indifferent domestic form that only saw Champions League football secured on the last day of the season. Of course the relative lack of success elsewhere was underwritten by the progress to the Champions League final but arguably, another opportunity was squandered that day.

Consider this season as further evidence. Firstly, there seems to have been no improvement from last seasons league form as once again, many points have been dropped on the road to the stragglers, such as Fulham and West Ham. These are mistakes that have been made in both previous seasons.

The one mild professor also seems to be exhibiting a decline of such, witness his impudent behaviour at Upton Park in October and accusing the referee of lying in the Carling Cup final in February. Examining his previous “flawless” transfer record, it does also seem if he is losing his touch somewhat on the transfer market. Jose Reyes was the most expensive and obvious example of this, but his swap replacement, Mr Bapista has hardly added a finished product.

The explanation that Arsenal are being “muscled out” of certain tough away contests should also hold little sway. There may have been champagne football ad nausem in the last two league triumphs, but nostalgia shouldn’t obscure the fact that when they needed to be, Arsenal could be as ugly as Oleg Luzhny.

There is no denying Arsenal have a crop of promising youngsters, but to paraphrase Mr Hansen, “you don’t win anything with kids”. While that quote may have been used against the Scotsman, it must be remembered that at the time United had key experience in Schmeichel, Bruce, Irwin and of course Cantona. The side needs more experience to push themselves forward, otherwise they will get into scenarios such as the one at the Millennium Stadium, where it was obvious they needed experienced heads to calm them down.

Wenger needs to bring in someone for now, not for the future, for now. Because Arsenal need solutions now, not in three years time. He also needs to keep a watch on his temper, or else he will start to draw comparisons with Neil Warnock and that’s never good!

Sam Cullen
27 March 2007

4328: World Rankings- Scotland Climb

by : Hugh Larkin

The FIFA /Coca Cola world rankings are a curious set of statistics. Alex McCleish drew attention to this when Scotland moved to 16tth in the world last month without playing a game. He drolly observed that the Scots could go even higher if they could avoid going on to the park.

Sometimes the rankings are just plainly dotty but at other times they can show exactly what is happening to a side in the world game. For instance, the plight of Wales is perfectly reflected in a plummeting ranking that has them down in 77th spot. Among the teams above them are Oman, Guinea, Venezuela and Lithuania. Not so long ago the Welsh were beating Italy.

Northern Ireland, like Scotland, are a nation going the other way. Lawrie Sanchez’s squad have long since motored away from Wales and they have outstripped the Republic of Ireland too- which hasn’t occurred since the 1980s. Steve Staunton’s side are at 51st position, losing 5 places in one month in February.

The David Healy inspired team are now up to 47th in the world; still quite low on the European radar but with sides like Belgium, Austria and Hungary in their wake, Not bad for a team that couldn’t buy a goal as recently as 2004.

It will come as a surprise - and no comfort- to England fans that the toothless team that took on Israel and failed to register against Macedonia still lie 6th in the list, benefiting from Sven-Goran Eriksson’s talent for at least getting England to Finals, if not threatening to win them.

Steve McClaren’s team should be able to protect that position in upcoming matches with Andorra (163 in the world and dropping) and Estonia (102) but there are tougher challenges ahead with two matches against Guus Hiddink’s Russia (23 and on the move).

Andorra don’t actually rank as the worst national side in Europe. In fact the Principality outranks three other countries. Luxembourg, the Faroes and San Marino are all considered less formidable than the Andorrans. Amazing to think that it is just a couple of years since Scotland were rudely embarrassed by the Faroes.

There are nine FIFA affiliated national teams that have never managed to register a single ranking point and so they share joint 199th place in the table. They will all hope to emulate Bhutan who rocketed to 192nd after defeating Montserrat in a game between the two bottom ranked nations on the globe.

Big Movers

Finland up 15 places in February to 33rd and Panama up 20 places to 54th

On the Slide

Denmark down 4 places to 22nd and Senegal down 7 to 45th.

Fallen a Long Way

El Salvador are the lowest ranked of all the teams that have ever qualified for a World Cup Finals. Then again they are also the team on the receiving end of the biggest hammering in a World Cup Finals (10-1) game, so perhaps 138th position is no surprise

Top Nations For Each Continent

Argentina (1), Italy (2), Cameroon (18), Mexico (21), Iran (34) and New Zealand (129)

Top 10

Argentina Italy Brazil France Germany England Holland Portugal Czech Republic Spain

Hugh Larkin
26 March 2007

4325: Stockport County: Feast or Fam

by : Kieran McHugh

Stockport County are not a club that is well acquainted with the headlines. In the past couple of months though County fans have seen their side climb into the play off spots in League two on the back of some fine performances and 9 league wins in succession, all accompanied by a clean sheet.

However, as is often the case in lower league football, inconsistency can undo any amount of good work and County have now gone 4 games without a win. Whilst the play offs are still very much within their grasp, Stockport now face danger from an entirely unexpected source. In their last 4 games, 15 goals have been conceded, including 7 at home to mid table Rochdale last time out.

Notwithstanding the recent run of clean sheets and the fact that Stockport have the 2nd best home record in the division, this latest result might not have been so much of a shock. Rochdale boast a decent away record and have scored 5 twice this season and notched 4 three times. However, after 17 minutes on Saturday, even they would have been stunned to find themselves 4 goals up.

Not half as much as keeper Wayne Hennessey currently on loan from Wolves and in goal for each of the 9 games that now form the Football League record for clean sheets. Even more worrying for County fans is the prospect of losing the Wales under-21 international after the Easter break, as his loan deal expires.

At the business end of the season, and with confidence hit by a heavy defeat, the last thing a promotion campaign needs is a change in such a pivotal position. However, County have also had to contend with the loss of versatile midfielder Dominic Blizzard, now playing for promotion rivals Milton Keynes Dons after a 7 match loan spell from Watford.

However the form of Antony Elding, brought in from Boston United, has greatly affected Stockport’s chances of finishing the season on a high. A strong, powerful player with no little skill, Elding has been a big hit in a relatively short space of time. With 9 goals in 12 games Elding will continue to pose a considerable goal threat for County.

Manager Jim Gannon is not about to let any setbacks derail an unlikely push for promotion though. With a quarter of the season gone, County were down amongst the dead men. Halfway through, the campaign looked unlikely to be anything other than mediocre.

Now, after that run of 9 wins and the current 4 without a win, County’s more realistic fans will not bemoan the loss of an automatic promotion place. They, along with Gannon, will see the final 7 games as a chance for 2006/07 to be marked with a highly improbable promotion.

4324: Whatever Happened To Steve Ant

by : Paul Grech

Sex scandals involving footballers are nothing new and certainly not at all uncommon in the modern era where the news hungry media have become more ruthless than ever before.

But the one involving former footballer Steve Anthrobus (naturally labelled as former star by anyone who picked up the story) deserves particular attention.

For, earlier this month Anthrobus was fined £500 for having sex in a public place. More specifically, he was seen having sex on a picnic blanket in Brownhills, Staffordshire. Not once, not twice but on three seperate occasions.

Such performances (snigger) should serve as the perfect reply to those who doubted Anthrobus' ability to score during his career. A former Millwall and Wimbledon striker spent two years with Shrewsbury Town where he made such an impression that he came second in a BBC Football Focus poll of Shrewbury Town's cult heroes in 2004.

Anthrobus subsequently played for Hednesford Town, even winning the FA Trophy with them in as well as taking over as manager. He was sacked last year after the club was relegated from the Conference North.

4323: England: McClaren Position Alr

by : Kieran McHugh

Steve McClaren’s brief and thus far ill starred reign as England boss hit another low point with the dire goalless draw in Israel on Saturday night. That result combined with the 2-0 defeat at the hands of Croatia and the scoreless draw against Macedonia leaves England perilously close to crisis point in their bid to qualify for Euro 2008.

On the face of it a straight decision is required regarding McClaren’s ability to turn the campaign round and guide England to at least second place in the group. Scratch the surface though and McClaren should be fairly safe for a time yet.

For all those pundits and punters prepared to pillory Sven Goran Eriksson for managing England to three consecutive quarter finals appearances, his qualification campaigns were fairly straightforward. England would perform somewhere between reasonably well and just about adequate, but would come away, for the most part, with a result.

We are often told that football is a results business. Those foolish enough to confuse this when the Swede was in charge should now be prepared to admit they were wrong to ridicule Eriksson and wrong again to laud the current England crop as a “Golden Generation”.

Both the view that Eriksson was some kind of chancer and the notion that England had been blessed with an unprecedented crop of World Class players have, thanks to McClaren, been shown to be nonsensical. However, the current England boss has a big reason to thank his predecessor.

Such was the panic in the FA to rid themselves of Sven that a preposterous scheme was dreamed up where the FA would continue to pay Sven for a period after he had ceased to be England manager. If England are in dire straits under McClaren, the money for nothing that Sven is currently being paid might well save him from the sack. To pay two England managers off and appoint another would be disastrous for the FA in general and for Chief Executive Brian Barwick in particular.

The bungled attempt to secure the services of Luis Felipe Scolari, and the FA’s reluctance to appoint Bolton boss Sam Allardyce left the FA with Hobson’s choice. Boro’s run to the UEFA Cup final, which ended in defeat, seemed to indicate McClaren could be trusted as a safe pair of hands. His work as coach of Derby County and then Manchester United had invested him with a reputation as an innovative and successful coach.

However, Barwick’s reign as FA Chief Executive is now inextricably linked with McClaren as England manager. This is the one major decision that he has overseen and he can be expected to back his man for some time yet, or face the accusation of acting in haste and appointing the wrong man. The difficulty this presents for Barwick is one of precedent. If he can appoint the wrong man once, why should he be trusted to appoint the right man next time?

There is also, for McClaren, the question of timing. He has been in the job for 5 competitive matches. This is, clearly, not long enough for a judgement to be made with any degree of certainty. The lack of a compelling alternative is also in McClaren’s favour.

Allardyce appears to have been convicted of an unspecified crime without trial. The few days when Stuart Pearce was seen as a credible candidate have long since disappeared and Alan Curbishley has seen his stock deteriorate in recent months. After Eriksson, the clamour for an English manager has lead the national team down a cul de sac.

On Wednesday night England take on Andorra. Currently ranked 163rd in the world anything but a win would make McClaren’s position untenable and he would be sacked. A win by 2 or more goals should, temporarily, lift England into 2nd place in Group E and grant a stay of execution for the beleaguered England boss.

The crunch fixtures for McClaren are likely to be those against Russia, home and away, at the beginning of next season and the home game with Croatia that concludes the campaign. The Russians have also to face Croatia away from home. McClaren has stated that he believes qualification will go down to the last game. Between now and that Wembley match, England face a number of “must win” games. Seven to be precise, with the possibility that a draw in Russia might turn out to be acceptable.

If McClaren is to stretch his tenure as England boss further than this Euro 2008 campaign, there can be no further slip ups. The last time England were in this situation, in qualification for the 2002 World Cup, they called in a foreign coach with vast experience and the path to Japan and South Korea was secured with the last kick of the last match. The current campaign is so precarious, that the managers’ chances of reaching the last kick are now seriously in question.

4318: Manchester United: Foster Dese

by : Paul Grech

Jay Bothroyd

Bothroyd is an extremely talented forward who, unfortunately, has never really settled at any club largely due to his inconsistency. Currently at Wolves, he had one bitter-sweet spell with Perugia and a disappointing period at Coventry.

Jerome Thomas

Frustrated by the lack of first team opportunities at Arsenal, Thomas moved across London to join Charlton Athletic where his is now a regular.

Craig Holloway

Took over from Stack between the posts for the second season, Holloway was eventually released by Arsenal. He moved to Farnborough but subsequently went on to play for Gravesend. Unfortunately for him, he’s missed the current season due to injuries.

Alex Bailey

Joined Chesterfield immediately after being freed by Arsenal in 2004 and has stayed there ever since.

Sebastian Svard

Danish defender Svard was something of a prodigy when he signed for Arsenal from FC Copenhagen in 2000 having starred for all the Danish teams at youth level. However, he never maintained that early promise. After spells on loan back home with FC Copenhagen, Brondby and Stoke, he was released by Arsenal in 2005 immediately moving to Portuguese side SC Vitoria. His stay in the Iberian country lasted one year as he moved to Borussia Moenchengaldbach soon afterwards.

Ryan Garry

Still at Arsenal but that is probably due to a series of injuries that have kept him out for the past three seasons.

Nicky Nicolau

A loan spell at Southend was made permanent at the end of the 2004 season but his stay there didn’t last long eventually moving to Swindon. From there he moved on to Barnet where he has remained as an important player.

Moritz Volz

Strong and determined, Volz has quietly gone about building a reputation at Fulham as one of the best right backs in the Premiership.

Jermaine Pennant

Perhaps the most successful players of those two sides even if not with Arsenal. Pennant looked as if he had lost his way but a spell at Birmingham seems to do him an awful lot of good and earned him a move to Liverpool for over 7 million

Jeremie Aliadire

Signed by Arsenal as a 16 year old, this is his eighth year at Arsenal and hasn’t yet made the expected break-through. Has had spells on loan at Celtic, West Ham and Wolves without showing that he was anything special. However, he was one of the star players as Arsenal swept their way to the Carling Cup final this season.

Jutin Hoyte

Perhaps the only player of those two cup winning sides to really make it at the club, the England U21 international has proved to be an able deputy for Gael Clichy at left back although Hoyte is more at home on the right.

Carlin Itonga

Left Arsenal and dropped down into non-league fooball. Itonga currently plays for Kettering Town.

Manchester United: Foster Deserves United Chance

For a goalkeeper, there is nothing more embarrassing then being beaten by the opposite number one. It is the sort of incident that can mark one’s career: whatever he does in the future, people will still recall that moment and that goal.

Seeing how Ben Foster will respond after conceding from Paul Robinson’s hopeful ninety metre punt up field should therefore be interesting. Watford manager Aidy Boothroyd will be doing his best to ensure that Foster doesn’t dwell on that incident and the enforced break due to international commitments will ensure that Foster is kept out f the spotlight. By the time Premiership football returns, there will be other arguments pressing on the media’s minds thereby easing the pressure off Foster.

Yet, given his elevation to England’s number two keeper, there will still be plenty paying special interest to determine just how mentally strong Foster is. The best keepers aren’t necessarily those who make the best saves but also the ones who can focus entirely on the game at hand. Being able to make keep concentration after conceding a goal, for instance, is vital as is the ability to concentrate in games where your team is dominating. It is keepers with those qualities that will interest the big clubs.

And it is what Sir Alex Ferguson will be looking out for. Ferguson bought Foster almost by chance: he had dropped in to see his son Darren playing at Wrexham when he saw this confident young keeper play. It was Foster, who had been loaned there by Stoke City. United promptly paid £1 million for him.

Now they’ll be looking for a return, either playing wise or else financially.

Moving to United is, however, easier said than done. Edwin Van Der Sar still has a minimum of one season at the top in him meaning, as Tomascz Kuszcak has found out this season, plenty of games sitting it out on the substitutes bench.

Having played virtually regularly for the past two seasons, a year spent watching Manchester United from the sidelines will be of no benefit whatsoever to him. Neither will be staying with Watford, however, especially if they go down. Indeed, Foster’s biggest achievement to date has been that every time he’s had to raise his game, he has done so.

Given an opportunity to do so at United, Foster will surely show that there are English keepers capable of playing at the highest level.

4322: Mexico Clausura weekly review

by : Cody Strunk

America won the big game of the weekend (and arguably of the season) in beating Guadalajara 1:0 at the Estadio Azteca courtesy of a single goal from veteran former national team midfielder German Villa on 24-minutes. The win enabled America to regain leadership of Group 3, although their place in the play-offs is still far from assured given that it is by far the tightest of the three groups.

Table-topping Cruz Azul went down to a 2:0 defeat at San Luis, with late goals from the Brazilian duo of Irenio Soares and Sebastiao Pereira securing maximum points for the home side and giving their survival hopes a major boost into the bargain.

The bottom two continued their recent habit of matching results, with both picking up a point with 3:3 draws. Santos were twice ahead away to Atlas (both times through own goals), but were eventually reliant on a Juan Pablo Rodriguez penalty seven minutes from time for their point. Queretaro remain at the foot of the percentage table after their draw away to UNAM Pumas. It was a point that they would have gratefully accepted before the game, but having led 2:0 and 3:1, they will regard it as a couple of points dropped. Young Argentinean striker Ignacio Scocco was the hero for Pumas with a hat-trick.

Monterrey stay rooted to the foot of the regular table for the current season after going down 1:0 at Morelia. Nothing terribly surprising there you might think, but Morelia’s winner came with just three-minutes remaining through defender Hector Altamirano, who had actually come on for striker Nicolas Pavlovich 20-minutes earlier with Morelia down to nine-men following the dismissals of Hugo Sanchez and Omar Trujillo. Four minutes prior to the winning goal Morelia were actually down to eight men as Fernando Arce was sent to join his two colleagues for the increasingly popular early bath.

Elsewhere Toluca continued their recent upturn in fortunes with a 1:0 win at Veracruz, thanks to a Sergio Ponce goal midway through the second period. Jaguares Chiapas battled back from a goal down to beat Atlante 2:1. Uruguayan striker Gustavo Biscayzacu gave the visitors an early lead with his seventh goal of the campaign, but Argentina’s Javier Campora bagged a brace for Jaguares to take his own tally for the season to nine, the winner coming just four minutes from time. UAG Tecos were also 2:1 victors, their winner against Necaxa coming two-minutes into injury-time from a Hugo Droguett penalty.

Cody Strunk
24 March 2007

4315: Championship: 20 Years of the

by : Hugh Larkin

For fans of a certain age it comes as a shock to find that the play off system to determine promotion places is now two decades old. A generation of fans have grown up for whom this method of deciding ups and downs is a normal part of the calendar.

Of the teams involved in the most exciting finals it is Charlton Athletic fans who have the most reasons to be pleased; beating Leeds in a replay in 1987 and prevailing on penalties after a Clive Mendonca hat-trick had kept them in an eight-goal thriller in 1998 against Sunderland. Preston have least to shout about, buying three tickets to this lottery – with no winners.

Though there are still those who decry that obvious injustice that a team can leapfrog one that has gathered many more points in a campaign, there’s no doubt that the system has achieved the aim of maintaining interest for many more clubs during the season- plus it has created some classic encounters full of heart-stopping tension.

1986/87 - Charlton Athletic v. Leeds United

In the first three seasons the format was that the team lying just above the automatic relegation berths would play off against 3 teams in the division below. In this case it was Charlton 17th in Division One (then the top flight) against Leeds (4th in Division 2).

There was no one off Final either. Charlton had seen off Ipswich over two legs and Leeds came through against Oldham. The two finalists could not be separated, each winning their home leg 1-0.

Back in 1987 no one foresaw deciding promotion on the back of a penalty shootout after a whole season of graft, so the two replayed. This time Charlton broke Leeds hearts by winning 2-1, Astonishingly Charlton got there in extra time with two goals from central defender Peter Shirtliff after John Sheridan had put Leeds ahead on 99 minutes. A tradition of drama, heartache and sheer tension had been established from the off.

1995/96 -Leicester City v Crystal Palace

The Play off finals have given many journeymen their chance to shine on a big stage- for many players it’s been the biggest day of their lives. In this game much-travelled striker Steve Claridge hit the jackpot.

In the final minute of extra time and with the scores at 1-1, Martin O’Neill had signalled that his thoughts were on penalties by replacing keeper Kevin Poole with his giant Aussie understudy 6 foot 7 inch Zeljko Kalac.

The theory was that the big man would fill the goal and induce nerves in the Palace players but it turned out that O’Neill’s gambit was never tested. One last ball into the box and Claridge shinned a winner for Leicester. Palace had the consolation of winning the same game a year later.

1997-98 Charlton v Sunderland

One of the most pulsating matches ever seen at the old Wembley Stadium It ended 4-4 at the end of extra time with Sunderland-born Clive Mendonca bagging a hat-trick for the Addicks. The striker had levelled again after Sunderland took a 4-3 lead in overtime.

Then came a drawn out penalty shootout that Charlton eventually won 7-6 after Michael Gray finally had a spot kick saved by Sasa Ilic. Sunderland responded to the disappointment by making sure they wouldn’t have to endure it again- they cut a swathe through the Championship in 1998-99 to get promotion with a record points haul.

2004/05 West Ham United v Preston North End

Some teams have good fortune in the end of season lottery but Preston aren’t one of them. Bolton ended their hopes in the final at the Millennium Stadium in 2001 but at least that was a clear 3-0 loss. In 2005 the game with West Ham proved to be much tighter and only a single Bobby Zamora goal denied the Lilywhites.

The Lancashire side were denied for a third time by Leeds last year, not even reaching Cardiff on this occasion. North End supporters still await top flight football after 46 years away.

Hugh Larkin
22 March 2007

4317: Whatever Happened to Arsenal’s

by : Paul Grech

Just over 38,000 watched Arsenal take on (and beat 1-0) Manchester United in the first leg of the FA Youth Cup semi-final. A fantastic figure boosted no doubt by many eager to make the most out of the low ticket prices and take in a trip to the Emirates Stadium.

Should Arsenal make it to the final they will meet a Liverpool side eager to retain the trophy they won twelve months ago and become the first side to defend the trophy since Arsenal themselves did so seven years back.

The players who featured in those Arsenal sides should now be nearing their peak. Yet whilst there are plenty who can be found playing in the Premiership, none have managed to establish themselves at the club. So what has become of the club's first golden generation?

Graham Stack

Goalkeeper Stack became notorious first for an incident whilst on loan at Beveren where he punched a hooligan looking to attack him and then for allegations, of which he was subsequently cleared, of raping a 22 year-old student.

Made a number of appearances for Arsenal in the League Cup before moving on to Millwall on loan and then permanently to Reading. He is currently on loan at Leeds.

David Noble

Arsenal’s star player during the first final, Noble got his break at Watford under Gianluca Vialli but, as with the rest of the side struggled, he failed to find his feet. Subsequently moved to West Ham before joining Boston because of the limited opportunities. His career now seems to be back on track as he joined the ambitious Bristol City last year and scored against Middlesbrough in this year’s FA Cup 4th Round Replay.

John Halls

A series of loan moves ultimately saw him move permanently to Stoke. There he impressed Steve Coppell who signed him for Reading with whom he won promotion to the Premiership.

Niccolo Galli

The son of former Italian international goalkeeper Giovanni Galli, Niccolo had been loaned back to Bologna after the first cup win in order to continue his studies. He managed to force himself into the first team before being tragically killed in a road accident.

Steve Sidwell

Considered the best player outside the top flight before Reading’s promotion to the Premiership, it is telling that not even a player of Sidwell’s calibre can make it at Arsenal. Loan spells at Brentford and Brighton preceded his move to Reading where he has become one of their key players.

Rohan Ricketts

Crossed the great divide when he joined Tottenham after his contract at Arsenal came to an end. Briefly gained a regular starting slot there but once manager Glenn Hoddle left so too did his chances. Ricketts rejoind Hoddle when he took over at Wolves but has failed to establish himself under Mick McCarthy. Currently on loan at QPR.

Graham Barrett

A UEFA Under-16 Championship winner in 1998, Barrett seems to have settled in Falkirk where he has done enough to win international caps for Ireland.

4314: Reading; The Run-In - Seventh

by : Stephen Orford

A lazy half-wit hack would dub Reading ‘The New Wigan’ for their achievements this season.

Steve Coppell’s side have emulated that of Paul Jewell a season ago, spending most of their Premiership debut in the top half of the table. When all around were predicting a lengthy and agonising battle against relegation, The New West Ham (no half-wit, lazy hacks here) have instead mounted a serious challenge for European qualification. With eight games remaining, the Royals are just two points and two places away from Everton, holders of the coveted sixth spot which guarantees UEFA Cup football next term.

Coppell might spend most of his time looking as if he doesn’t care either way, but there should be a great deal of excitement building among Reading fans as they enter the final furlong of the season. It’s already been a triumph, but let’s take a look at the remaining fixtures and wonder wildly whether the Berkshire club will get the opportunity to make a better fist of European football than Blackburn Rovers ever will.

Tottenham – Away. Draw. Spurs were on fire until they were doused out by their FA Cup exit at home to Chelsea in midweek. Even goalkeeper Paul Robinson was getting among the goals as they rattled up cricket scores (well, Scottish ones) against all and indeed sundry. Whoever they are. Yet this eccentric author has already predicted that this April Fool’s Day match-up is where it will all go wrong for tactical jester Martin Jol. Albeit in subtle fashion to begin with.

Liverpool – Home. Win. No further elaboration is needed on Liverpool’s away form this year. They have travelled about as well as a 500lb double amputee who lives in a top floor flat and has recently had his wheelchair stolen. The Reds’ last outing at Villa was the very definition of tedium, but there have been rare bright spots with both Wigan and Charlton Athletic spanked in December. Still, it probably means more to Reading this time so they get the dubious decision.

Charlton Athletic – Away. Loss. Nobody wants to play any of the bottom three at this time of year, at least not those who are improving rapidly and have a realistic shot at redemption. Former Reading boss Alan Pardew is sure to receive another nice welcome, and a police escort on departure should his side grind out the win.

Fulham – Home. Win. The neat, attractive style of Reading is the antidote to the kick and rush, athlete obsessed bile being churned out down at Craven Cottage. For no other reason than a desire to see good triumph over evil, let’s hope that Coppell teaches Coleman how football should be played.

Bolton Wanderers – Away. Loss. Why are every team with something left to play for forced to go to The Reebok Stadium? Is it some sort of perverse test of character to ensure that they are truly worthy of achieving their goals? It’s actually not quite the stern examination that it should be in recent times, and Reading will travel in hope. Which as we know is always better than to arrive.

Newcastle United – Home. Win. What a treat. Still counting the years since their last meaningful achievement (guess what? the signings of Michael Owen and Alan Shearer don’t count as official club honours), Newcastle are a team more than ready to call it quits for another term. On a good day they have the players to hand anybody a spanking, but why should they bother themselves having a good day? It just seems like so much effort.

Watford – Home. Win. It’s getting better and better for The New West Ham. Despite the assertions of some history-obsessed individuals about results between the two sides in the Chamionship last term, Reading are two or three levels above Watford this time around. The Hornets should already be down by the time of this May 5 clash so what is to stop the Royals picking up three more points?

Blackburn Rovers – Away. Loss. Oh look, the team that the Readings of this world are trying very hard not to match when it comes to European success. Newcastle boss Glenn Roeder recently complained that his defence blow up spectacularly just when you think they have learned and are improving. He might have been talking about Blackburn Rovers, but on the balance of probabilities they might be due another home win here.

Factoring in a very generous verdict on the visit of Liverpool on April 7, Reading would be set to add another 13 points to their current tally of 44. This would leave them on 57, conveniently (or not) the same amount forecast for Everton elsewhere on these pages. Yet the Goodison Park club have a much better goal difference and would edge out Coppell’s men for UEFA Cup qualification on that basis.

Still, even a seventh placed finish would be a remarkable achievement for a club in its first Premiership campaign. So long as it is not followed by as second season in which previously outstanding players become also-rans, or are picked off by the great, good and indifferent of the Premiership forcing the club to rely on Emile Heskey for goal power.

By Stephen Orford

24 March 2007

4321: US/Ecuador International Frien

by : Bill Urban

A friendly between US and Ecuador provided interim US manager Bob Bradley with further chance to cement his claims to a permanent position. In what became The Landon Donovan Show, Ecuador perhaps had the better of the first half, although there was an element of good fortune about their goal. As the match progressed, the US came more into the play, and the initial kinks in an uncertain back four were smoothed out. An intriguing second-half Euro-club midfield pairing of Feilhaber and Bradley might have given a glimpse of the future of the US midfield. An effective, efficient, and exciting performance that should serve well as a preview of the sort of football to expect this summer during the Copa America in Venezuela. Three goals of the highest quality from Donovan, coupled with a performance that became more effective and dominant as the match progressed, the 3-1 victory over Ecuador in Tampa should be a sign of good things to come for the US.

Surreal ESPN programming notes include the sponsoring of the match by the United States Marine Corps, a half-time report by Dick’s Sporting Goods, and yet another inane broadcast performance by Dave O’Brien, the Man Who Makes Motson Tolerable. A graphic comparing Oguchi Onyewu to Michael Clayton of the Tampa Bay Buccaneers, coupled with occasional Bruce Springsteen comments and references to the New York Yankees clearly illustrate O’Brien’s utter inability intelligently to comment about a football match. The insipid entertainment and popular cultural references highlight the fear that a football match by itself is not entertaining enough for the broadcast public.

A US supporter might beg to differ…

Tim Howard- 7

: Howard made a fine first-half save from an Ecuador breakaway, and made was unlucky on Ecuador’s goal. Confident and comfortable, Howard is staking a claim to the US keeper kit.

Steve Cherundolo- 6

: Lack of communication with Onyewu hurt early, but Cherundolo played his usual effective role, keeping things tight at the back and getting forward to serve dangerous balls into the box.

Oguchi Onyewu- 5

: Beaten both on the dribble and for pace, Onyewu struggled against the quick and powerful Ecuadoran strikers. Better in the second half than the first, but still too prone to error and misjudgement.

Jimmy Conrad- 7

: Grows in confidence with every performance, and should be Bradley’s first name in his back four. Intelligent covering and strong tackling were characteristics of Conrad’s display.

Carlos Bocanegra- 5

: Never looks very comfortable playing on the left side in the back, and was beaten by Ecuador’s right side several times in the first half. Settled down and got his head to several re-starts in the second half.

Benny Feilhaber- 6

: An impressive debut by the Hamburg midfielder. Grew into the role of shielding the back four, and became more effective with a player played alongside him in the second half, rather than standing alone in the centre of the park as he was asked to do in the first. Distribution was sometimes suspect, but Feilhaber’s vision of the field of play was educated and impressive.

Clint Dempsey- 5

: An eagerness to chase back and provide cover for Cherundolo clearly illustrates a benefit from Dempsey’s move to Fulham. Missed an absolute sitter, and looked hesitant off the dribble, a lack of sharpness held Dempsey back…

Landon Donovan- 9.5

: A performance very much of World Cup 2002 rather than 2006 vintage, Donovan was far and away the best, brightest and most dangerous player on the pitch. Inventive in his passing, explosive with the ball at his feet, and lethal when finishing, perhaps returning the captaincy to the player was a wise move by Bob Bradley. Quite simply, this electrifying sort of performance is why so much is expected of the player by the US support; stunning…

DaMarcus Beasley- 7

: Struggled to defend with Bocanegra in the first half, but became a very dangerous weapon for the US in the second half. The move to City looks to have given Beasley his legs back, and the subtle ball to Donovan, perfectly placed for him to lash past the sprawling Aragon, was a fine capper to an effective Beasley display.

Brian Ching- 7

: An indifferent start for Ching, but as the match progressed, he weathered a horrible kick to the face to provide the focal point for the US attack. A useful target player, Ching’s combinations with Donovan were lethal.

Eddie Johnson- 5

: Subbed at the interval, Johnson’s performance was inconsistent. However, Johnson’s off-ball movement, an area of criticism during Johnson’s past performances, was quite good. Too unselfish on the ball…

Michael Bradley- 6

: The Heerenvenn midfield man did a fine job alongside Feilhaber, closing down the centre of the park and getting forward on occasion. Bradley (Dad) favours two shielding midfielders, a situation which might result in further future playing time for Bradley (Son).

Taylor Twellman- 5

: Came on late for Ching, and did little. Should be given more of a chance to impress on Wednesday against Guatemala, but the suspicion lingers, particularly on match evidence, that Ching makes a better strike partner/target man to combine with Donovan.

Brian Mullan- NR

Jonathan Spector- NR

Justin Mapp- NR

Brian Carroll- NR

4320: Scotland are Unofficial World

by : Hugh Larkin

Alex McLeish is now managing the current World Champions. No, it isn’t a shock call from the Italians after discovering his hidden Azzuri ancestry- when Scotland beat Georgia at Hampden yesterday they became world champions. There is a bit of a catch though. The Scots only become ‘Unofficial’ World Champions. This concept has been in the game ever since international football began and there are people who prefer it as a guide to the top dog status in soccer.

The basic idea is similar to boxing- a team takes the title after a meeting with the current holders. Forget tournaments, qualifiers, FIFA rankings, it’s a straight one on one (or 11 v 11) encounter that settles matters.

Georgia happen to be the current holders under this system. They got there by a tough examination too, taking the crown off Uruguay and defending it against Turkey. The line of winners is traced back to the very first international fixture between Scotland and England and then other sides had the chance to challenge as international football expanded.

There’s something appropriate about the Scots putting in a bid as they were the champions under this concept for many years in the early days and have held this prize longer than any other nation. There’s also a more modern pedigree to it.

After England had won the World Cup in 1966, England’s first defeat as the new kings of the game came against Scotland at Wembley in 1967. That match at Wembley is always remembered as Jim Baxter’s game when he inspired a tremendous 3-2 win.

Many Scots at the time took to taunting England that they should now be considered world champions after beating the holders of the Jules Rimet on their home turf. Many of them didn’t realise at the time that they were arguing for an old tradition.

There is something pleasing about the random nature of the Unofficial World Championship. Because the matches are one offs it has led to some unusual names bearing the crown.

As well as Georgia, Angola had a decent spell on top of the pile back in 2004. It always helps if you can get it and then play a lot of mediocre opposition -Botswana, Rwanda and Mozambique were some of Angola’s unsuccessful challengers. The baton had passed to Africa when the Republic of Ireland lost to Nigeria.

The title holders are often one of the heavyweights of the game but there are periods when the title shifts to some of the minnows. The Scots will fancy their chances against Georgia as this is the first time they have defended away from home.

Of course, the Euro 2008 points are what really matters next week but now Scotland are the UWC title holders they then take on the ‘real’ World Champions in a contest that could unite the two versions.

The boxing reference is deliberate because there are actually several versions of the unofficial World Champions- some afficionados refuse to recognise defeats in extra time or penalty shootouts etc.

The UWC is a bit of fun for fans to banter with each other. All Scots will be desperate for those Europe 2008 points and in terms of status, Scotland’s rise to 16th place in the FIFA rankings is a better guide to their progress in the past few years. Titles are always nice though.

Hugh Larkin
15 March 2007

4319: Argentina Clausura weekly revi

by : Cody Strunk

It was a good weekend for the big clubs in Argentina, with Boca Juniors, River Plate, defending champions Estudiantes and table-topping San Lorenzo all winning.

The most notable aspect of Boca Juniors 5:1 demolition of Gimnasia La Plata was the four-goal haul of veteran striker Martin Palermo, coming on the back of his hat-trick last week. Boca were 4:0 up after just 14-minutes, with Palermo adding his final goal on 72-minutes. River Plate were made to work far harder for their win at Quilmes, with Ariel Ortega scoring a disputed goal deep into injury-time.

Estudiantes got back to form with a 2:0 win at Banfield, with goals in either half from Colombian defender Josimar Mosquera and striker Hugo Pavone. The result left Banfield at the foot of the regular table for the season. A long-range effort from Gaston Fernandez early in the second-half was enough to keep San Lorenzo top of the pile thanks to a 1:0 victory at Rosario Central, with their cause having been aided by the red card for Rosario midfielder Leonel Rios just a few minutes earlier.

Arsenal’s early season form seems to be ebbing away, with a 3:2 reverse at home to Newell’s Home Boys despite twice being in front. The dismissal of goalkeeper Mario Cuenca on 38-minutes was a major blow and Newell’s took advantage to secure maximum points thanks to a couple of goals from Paraguayan Oscar Cardozo and one from strike-partner Mauro Cejas.

Ricardo La Volpe’s troubles appear to be easing at Velez Sarsfield, with his team recording their third straight win in all competitions in coming away from Gimnasia Jujuy with a 1:0 victory. The splendidly named central defender, Mariano Uglessich netted the winner midway through the second-half, although the home team were already down to 10-men by then following the dismissal of defender Gabriel Ramon and that late red card to striker Hector Silva ended any hopes of a comeback.

Elsewhere Independiente’s Colombian striker Jose Moreno grabbed the only goal of the game on 30-minutes to see off Lanus, but was then sent off just before the break. Despite coming under some intense pressure in the second period, Independiente defended valiantly and there were few clear chances for the visitors.

A goal 15-minutes from time from Leonel Nunez was enough for improving Argentinos Juniors to see off Racing Club, while Belgrano helped their battle against the drop by edging out Godoy Cruz in a five-goal game in which both players had a man sent-off. Nueva Chicago secured a potentially crucial 2:1 win, their first victory of the campaign, away at fellow strugglers Colon. The visitors did see their two-goal half-time lead cut and the late red card for midfielder Omar Zarif could have proved costly.

4316: Israel v England: Match Reacti

by : Sam Cullen

Whoever thought we’d be nostalgic for the reign of Sven Goran Eriksson?

Last night again saw England again squander an opportunity to revitalise their qualification campaign for Euro 2008 with a weak draw in Israel. The game itself seemed to epitomise many of our recent efforts, some huff, some puff, but the rice certainly lacked any spice.

The statistics certainly make worrying reading. The side have gone five matches without a win, and during that period have scored only a solitary goal. The lack of firepower that had begun to seem apparent in the run up to the World Cup is getting close to becoming a critical issue.

When the England players spoke of accepting a draw in Israel, it arguably showed the roots of a lack of ambition. Of course we can still qualify after this result, but every point we drop makes our job harder. Also, should there be any Macedonia slip ups in our home games, we could find qualification a steep task.

When it comes to Andorra, the game should be ignored. A victory is a foregone conclusion but nothing should be drawn from it, after all, the last victory over them hardly set us on a run to the top of the group did it?

Where is it all going wrong? Without wishing to be judgement, it is hard to hold back from pointing the finger at Mr McLaren. This time last season, his lacklustre Middlesbrough side were losing 4-0 at home to dirge such as David O’Leary’s Aston Villa. His side finished the season in 14th despite the significant funds he had been given to invest in players during his tenure.

Many people thought anything would be an improvement on the dull, passionless reign of Sven. While it is true it was hardly champagne football during his spell, despite poor performances we still seemed to leave matches with a result. Victory followed victory despite a sizeable viewing majority feeling they had just wasted 90 minutes of their life on that dross, Azerbaijan in October 2004 springs to mind.

Will we qualify for Euro 2008? If we play as we did last night, the potential for dropping points to both Russia and Croatia seems highly likely.

Oh well, there is always a silver lining to every situation. Think of our young players, being coached by that Premiership success story Stuart Pearce.

Oh dear.

Sam Cullen
24 March 2007

4313: Everton; The Run-In - Interto

by : Stephen Orford

A typically committed and industrious performance at home to Arsenal last weekend was capped by Andy Johnson’s late winner for Everton.

It was a victory which lifted the Toffeemen back above Tottenham Hotspur in the table and into sixth place. With a UEFA Cup slot now within reach, the Goodison Park club have eight games to cement their position and withdraw that embarrassing Intertoto Cup application.

Can they do it? With effort like that put in against Arsene Wenger’s admittedly fed up, drifting outfit there is no doubt that they can. Yet ‘can’ and ‘will’ have never been identical twins, and a fair amount of permutations, ramifications and other words ending in ‘ations’ are still possible. Once again we take a look at the run-in to decide whether or not David Moyes’ men will be back in Europe next term.

Aston Villa – Away. Draw. On current form Villa look set to draw just about every game they play between now and the middle of May. Martin O’Neill’s side still have slight relegation worries, but are currently too stubborn to lose heavily and too uninspiring to press for the couple of wins they need.

Fulham – Home. Win. Similarly to Villa, Fulham are going nowhere at Richard Hammond-like speed. The meeting between these two at Craven Cottage earlier in the season was a contender for any ‘Worst Game Of The Season’ gongs on offer, but the home crowd should lift Everton sufficiently in this return clash.

Bolton Wanderers – Away. Loss. Who knows what is going to happen with Bolton these days? Fearful floggings by Manchester United, Middlesbrough and Tottenham in recent times have derailed Big Sam’s push for a Champions League place, although Arsenal and Liverpool are doing their best to keep the Trotters in the hunt. If they are still in touch by the time of this Easter Monday clash (April 9) then expect a Bolton win.

Charlton Athletic – Home. Win. Should be a home banker given Charlton’s meagre points haul this season. Yet the Addicks are a different proposition under the guidance of Alan Pardew. The former West Ham United manager appears to have regained his optimism of a year ago, a time when he felt that every game played by his team was winnable. Tricky, but the Merseysiders start favourites.

West Ham United – Away. Draw. One of the gentler away assignments around in the Premiership this season. The Pardew-less Hammers have lurched from one disaster to another after reaching the FA Cup final last season and finishing in the top half of the Premiership. A decidedly fortunate win at Blackburn stopped the bleeding for now, but the Upton Park club may have had their spirit broken when Everton come to town on April 21. So we’ll sit on the fence.

Manchester United – Home. Loss. Everton’s win over Arsenal last weekend was an illustration of how they can shake the top four from time to time. Yet in this one they will face a highly motivated United side which, in all probability, will still need the points to keep Chelsea at bay in the title race. Could a Phil Neville own goal seal the title for his old club, and give his brother another medal for the media to crow over?

Portsmouth – Home. Win. Currently three places and four points adrift of Everton in the table, Portsmouth are still in contention for a European place despite falling off the pace in the second half of the season. The goals have dried up for prolific left-back Matthew Taylor (what? No England call-up?), which is slightly more worrying than the prospect of Andy Cole finishing the season with Birmingham City. Harry’s team don’t seem to have the stomach at present, but could find extra motivation if they remain in touching distance of the top six. After much hedging of bets, the Toffees get the nod.

Chelsea – Away. Loss. You’re joking, right? Everton should have beaten Jose Mourinho’s men at home in December, but blew it in the kind of spectacular manner which would make them the envy of Martin Jol and Spurs. Moyes’ boys are unlikely to get a second chance, particularly if the title race is still open going into the final day of the season.

Everton currently have 46 points from their 30 Premiership outings, and this forecast has them adding another 11 to give a final tally of 57. Seventh placed Spurs have a vastly inferior goal difference and would effectively need to gain 13 points to finish above the Goodison club. We have already seen just why that won’t happen. Reading also have goal difference issues and would need 14 points from their eight games, while Portsmouth might have to take 16 points from a possible 24 to book a continental jaunt at Everton’s expense.

None of this seems plausible, so all that remains is for Everton to do exactly as this forecast instructs them. After that, sit back and wait for the exhilarating 80-club UEFA Cup draw in August.

By Stephen Orford

24 March 2007

4312: Liverpool: Right Idea, Wrong E

by : Paul Grech

Eighteen games in nine months – roughly a game every two weeks – is what England’s most promising players are being allowed to play. That is what reserve team football has been reduced to following the changes brought into effect by the Premier Reserve League this season.

What was once the venue to catch a brief glimpse of the star player coming back from injury has been turned into a part-time competition with no real sense of purpose. With managers increasingly less inclined to allow senior players play there, it has become a half-way house for kids too old to play in the academy leagues but too young – or simply not good enough – to be given a chance in the first team.

Viewed in this context, Rafael Benitez’s complaints about the validity of this league make perfect sense. Can the likes of Jack Hobbs, Craig Lindfield and Paul Anderson really learn that much from playing such a limited number of games against players they had routinely come across just months earlier when they were still in the academy?

Benitez clearly thinks not. His belief is that the only way for them to improve is to come across more experienced, possibly better players.

That view is clearly borne out by the experiences of the two Liverpool players who have been unconditional success whilst out on loan. A couple of months away at Sheffield Wednesday had been enough to win Scott Carson a place on the England squad for the World Cup but it is at Charlton that he has really proved that he has the temperament to be an excellent top flight keeper.

It is something that the Carson himself has admitted. “When I go back to Liverpool at the end of the season, which I think will happen, they will see a different person and a different player,” he said. “I've now got the mental strength to play for a big club. I would like to think I would give Rafa Benitez a headache next season.”

The same applies to Adam Hammill who has been a revelation for Dunfermline. “At Liverpool I was seen as a maverick player,” he explained. “I would do something good, then something bad. But since coming up here I have worked on my effort for the team, rather than just myself. I have become a team player. I am not surprised, because I knew I had that in me. But at Liverpool you were perhaps aware of having to do that bit extra just to get noticed.” And that something extra can hardly happen if you’re playing every other week, he might have added.

Where Benitez is wrong is in believing that the Spanish model could or should be transplanted to England. Most Spanish clubs below the Segunda Liga are semi-professional at best and have limited expectations of progressing beyond that level. With most Conference clubs now having full time players, it is a completely different situation in England where clubs hold on to the hope that they could fight their way to the Premier League.
Forcing reserve sides into the equation would not only skewer the promotion mechanism (such clubs cannot play in the same division as their seniors) but also kill off interest in these divisions as the recent experiences of German regional leagues has shown.

Benitez’s idea is not as revolutionary as some might believe: back in the 70s the then Rochdale manager Brian Green argued in favour of lower league teams acting as feeder clubs to the big boys. And there have been plenty of his current counterparts who are, indirectly, voicing their agreement: Tranmere manager Ronnie Moore has already said that he would gladly take on some of Liverpool’s young players.

There are still problems. Benitez has already said that he sees anything lower than the Championship as being good enough for his players whilst the club to which they are loaned must share, at least roughly, the same footballing principles. Moore, with his reputed enchantment with playing direct football, might not be the most attractive proposition.

That view, however, doesn’t extend to Accrington Stanley to whom Liverpool have just loaned two players. Defender Godwin Antwi marked his debut with a man of the match performances whilst keeper David Martin kept their first clean sheet in months during that same game.

And that might be the future for Liverpool. With an already sizeable Scouse contingent, Stanley might be the ideal club to whom to loan five or six players each season, help build up their facilities and see move up through the divisions. Reserve team football might have the place to watch tomorrow’s start in the past, but it is increasingly likely Accrington that they’ll be playing in the future.

4303: Prediction Panel 2006/7: Euro

by : Antony Melvin

With the Euro 2008 qualifiers around the halfway mark there are a lot of nervous teams. England travel to Israel knowing that another away defeat could ultimately eliminate them because qualification will be taken out of their hands. Ireland versus Wales will offer plenty of local interest - not in Sunderland though. Scotland will be expecting to beat Georgia at home and maintain their challenge - but how they cope under new management will be interesting. And finally Northern Ireland could complete a UK clean sweep at Liechtenstein.

Saturday, 24 March 2007

Israel (38) vs England (6), KO 18:30

With England in third place in their group there is no time for complacency - this is a tough away game and a draw would not be a bad result. If England lose here then tabloid headlines like those which exhorted Bobby Robson to quit most days of the week - or made root vegetables about of some of his successors will pale by comparison. Defeat here and Steve McClaren will be hounded from office - expect a tight match; at the end of which we will see if McClaren is still smiling.

FORM
Israel Last 10; W4, D4, L2, F16, A12
England Last 10; W4, D4, L2, F14, A6

PREDICTIONS
Colin Illingworth: 0-2
Hugh Larkin; 1-1
Kieran McHugh: 0-2
Antony Melvin: 0-1
Stephen Orford: 1-2

Liechtenstein (162) vs Northern Ireland (47), KO 19:15

With Liechtenstein's recent form reading so badly it is no surprise that Northern Ireland are favourites with the bookies to win. Ten straight defeats for the home side means that the last time they avoided defeat was in a home draw with Slovakia in August 2005. For Northern Ireland four wins in the last ten against Latvia, Spain, Finland and Estonia - with England just before then means that they are an international side of decent pedigree. Three wins and one defeat in Northern Ireland's last six suggests that they should carve out another away win here.

FORM
Liechtenstein Last 10; W0, D0, L10, F5, A28
Northern Ireland Last 10; W4, D3, L3, F8, A10

PREDICTIONS
Colin Illingworth: 0-2
Hugh Larkin; 1-3
Kieran McHugh: 1-2
Antony Melvin: 0-1
Stephen Orford: 0-3

Moldova (94) vs Malta (111), KO 17:00

Moldova rarely score internationally, so much so that they have scored in two fixtures since 2005. Malta may never qualify for a major tournament - but their form is improving and they are no longer automatically considered cannon-fodder. Their trip to Moldova gives Malta a chance to build on recent good results like beating Hungary and drawing with with Croatia, Bulgaria and last time out, Austria. Malta are in marginally better form but home advantage evens things up. As both teams can win this game they may play a more attacking game than normal and a few goals would be no surprise.

FORM
Moldova Last 10; W1, D2, L7, F7, A19
Malta Last 10; W1, D3, L6, F8, A21

PREDICTIONS
Colin Illingworth: 2-0
Hugh Larkin; 2-1
Kieran McHugh: 2-0
Antony Melvin: 0-0
Stephen Orford: 2-0

Rep of Ireland (51) vs Wales (77), KO 15:00

Since conceding five in Cyprus last October Ireland have turned a corner; a battling draw against the Czech Republic was followed by two wins over San Marino - even if one was heart-stoppingly close. But those wins over San Marino are the only ones for a bleak year since Sweden were hammered 3-0. Wales have also had things bad recently - a 5-1 home defeat against Slovakia was dreadful and since then wins against Cyprus and Liechtenstein, plus a draw against Northern Ireland have been an improvement. The winner of this could be whoever plays least badly.

FORM
Ireland Last 10; W4, D2, L4, F14, A13
Wales Last 10; W3, D3, L4, F11, A12

PREDICTIONS
Colin Illingworth: 3-2
Hugh Larkin; 1-1
Kieran McHugh: 2-2
Antony Melvin: 0-1
Stephen Orford: 2-2

Scotland (16) vs Georgia (85), KO 15:00

Even with a new management team in place Scotland have a good enough team to see off a Georgian outfit that is ranked by UEFA as somewhere between Kuwait and Ethiopia; with Haiti results threatening to push past the eastern European country. Georgia is named after the patron saint of England (amongst other places) - which could be motivation enough. Now if only I can work in some contrived nonsense about dragons - or should I save it for the midweek game against Italy?

FORM
Scotland Last 10; W5, D2, L3, F19, A9
Georgia Last 10; W4, D0, L6, F15, A15

PREDICTIONS
Colin Illingworth: 2-0
Hugh Larkin; 2-0
Kieran McHugh: 1-1
Antony Melvin: 1-0
Stephen Orford: 1-0

USA (30) vs Ecuador (24), KO 17:00

With so many US players now playing in England - usually in the top flight - there should be no underestimating them. David Beckham's move Stateside will improve the profile of the game there but right now there is enough talent in the US side to see off an average Ecuador outfit. Ecuador's FIFA ranking is almost entirely derived from home form as they have won just one away game since 2005; the altitude of Ecuador is a help. The US have seen off Denmark 3-1 and Mexico 2-0 in 2007; and drew with eventual winners Italy at the World Cup - and look ready to become a significant international team.

FORM
USA Last 10; W4, D2, L4, F12, A13
Ecuador Last 10; W3, D3, L4, F12, A12

PREDICTIONS
Hugh Larkin; 1-0
Antony Melvin: 2-0
Stephen Orford: 2-1

(figures in brackets are the FIFA country rankings)

4307: Squarefootball Zeitgeist: Top

by : Antony Melvin

Following on from the player zeitgeist we look at which are the most popular club pages on Squarefootball. There was a time when Spurs stuff was the most popular on Squarefootball; but Tottenham have slipped to fourth place - with Liverpool now the firm favourite. Arsenal and Manchester United moved past Spurs; with Chelsea static in fifth. Elsewhere West Brom make a surprise move into the top ten and Barcelona oust Celtic as the top non-English club.

1. (1) Liverpool

Liverpool remained our biggest hitter in February; the takeover gathered pace, there were discussions about the new stadium and plenty of speculation as to Rafa Benitez's future. A busy month at Anfield.

Liverpool

2. (3) Arsenal

Arsenal moved up a place as their bid for all four available trophies gathered pace. Towards the end of February this bid was collapsing with Carling, Champions' League and FA Cup defeats meaning a miserable end to the month.

Arsenal

3. (4) Manchester United

United also edged past Spurs as they benefited in popularity from the ABC (anyone but Chelsea) effect. A series of player of the month and manager of the month awards hasn't won the Red Devils anything yet.

Manchester United

4. (2) Tottenham Hotspur

The former darlings of Squarefootball Towers, Spurs, continued to drift in popularity despite strong performances in the domestic and UEFA cups. Spurs are scoring goals for fun at the moment so perhaps the fans are on YouTube; but more likely the very strong Spurs fan site options are to blame.

Tottenham Hotspur

5. (5) Chelsea

Chelsea are a stable member of our big five - but starting to threaten to break into the top four. The longer that Chelsea maintain their place at the top table in league terms the more fans Chelsea pick up. Chelsea are going strong in four competitions and February saw a lot of games for Chelsea.

Chelsea

6. (9) West Ham United

West Ham's relegation scrap is less funny than Dead Ringers' impression of Russell Brand - which now I write it I realise could be taken in any number of ways. But the Hammers continue to attract a lot of press coverage - not all connected to Jo Brand's not-really-but-it-would-be-funny-if-he-was love-child.

West Ham United

7. (7) Aston Villa

The Lerner/O'Neill era at Villa started well, suffered in the middle and started to recover as the snowdrops came out. Villa is one of the few clubs that is capable of using its infrastructure to support a title challenge - if Chelsea can win the title so can Villa; so Villa will always be a popular club.

Aston Villa

8. (6) Newcastle United

Newcastle are drifting as all the promise of January started to fade in February. Another lost season for the Geordie masses and Glenn Roeder needs to start making some significant headway - otherwise he may not see in Christmas at Newcastle.

Newcastle United

9. (8) Everton

Everton have been impressive this season - even if the fans are starting to worry about how far David Moyes can take the team - and remain a very popular draw for Squarefootball. Obviously Everton have some of the best researched fans in the country - which is why writing anything about the club is always a leap of faith!

Everton

10. (15) West Bromwich Albion

Top Championship team The big shock of the top ten is the advance of West Brom from fifteenth into tenth place. Whether The Baggies will get through the cut-throat Championship title race is another question.

West Bromwich Albion

11. (-) Barcelona (top non-English team, top Spanish team)
12. (17) Celtic (top Scottish team)
13. (12) Manchester City
14. (10) Blackburn Rovers
15. (14) Bolton Wanderers
16. (18) Sheffield United
17. (13) Charlton Athletic
18. (20) Wigan Athletic
19. (-) Motherwell
20. (-) AC Milan (top Italian team)

Selected others

23. (-) PSV Einhoven (top Dutch team)
33. (-) Bayern Munich (top German team)

Antony Melvin
15 March 2007

4311: Premiership: Challengers Diari

by : Kieran McHugh

One possible shining light comes in the form of Emile Mpenza, a recent acquisition on the basis he was a free agent. The Belgian international has started two Premiership games and already has a goal to his name, which is the sort of record which makes him look like a world beater when compared to Samaras and co. It’s little surprise that Pearce decided to sign him after the briefest of trials, yet one must wonder why a trial was needed when you consider his current alternatives.

So all things considered, it's somewhat ironic, then, that City continue to struggle for goals when the one player who would doubtlessly of gained much first team football this term is one player who was sold at the end of last season. Equally ironic, is the fact that the same player left Eastlands in search of regular first team football yet has had very little since venturing south.

Whether Andy Cole was a hit or not for City is very much open to debate. Being so pivotal in the Manchester United side that won an unprecedented Treble in 1999, he had his work cut out to win over the doubters right from the word go. Yet his record of 10 goals in 21 starts in his one and only campaign for the Blues is a better ratio than the current crop at Pearce's disposal: Samaras (31 starts, 11 goals), Corradi (23/3), Dickov (second spell - 9/0), and perhaps worst value of all, Vassell (63/13).

On leaving City, Cole, 35, has endured a torrid time at Portsmouth. Featuring 22 times during the course of this season, with the vast majority of these as a substitute, he found the net just 4 times (still a better record that Corradi and Samaras, incidentally). Eager to find regular first team football as he enters the end of his fascinating career, he has now been loaned out to Birmingham City for the rest of the season.

You could say Cole has had the unlikely last laugh. He could have remained at Portsmouth and finished the season kicking his heels on the bench. He could have stayed in the North West and scored the goals to keep City in The Premiership; yet instead, he could now be scoring the goals that will get Birmingham into the top-flight. And for a player who has often been underrated throughout his career (it is often told how Cole has a better goals-per-game ratio than Alan Shearer if you take away penalties; yet it is a little known fact that only Ryan Giggs and Dennis Bergkamp have more assists from open play in Premiership history), you wouldn't bet against him.

Paul Meadows
23/03/2007
So, with Manchester United and Chelsea both safely through to the FA Cup semi finals, the league match between the two at Stamford Bridge has been switched to May 9th. Sky TV has a couple of months yet to crank up the pressure and dream up a suitably grandiose title for the showdown.

The swings and arrows of outrageous fortune will be much in evidence before any of the trophies are handed out, but concentrating solely on the destination of the Premiership, how will the teams go into the Battle of Stamford Bridge?

After the international break the two challengers return to league action on 31st March. United have the luxury of a 3:00 kick off on Saturday at home to Blackburn Rovers in a potential FA Cup Final. At 5:15 later the same day, Chelsea travel to Watford in a potential…, well you get the gist.

No one outside of Blackburn or Watford is giving much serious thought to anything other than a United versus Chelsea FA Cup Final and it would be a major surprise if either slipped up in the league. After the next round of fixtures, United should still hold a 6 point lead.

The following Saturday sees the roles somewhat reversed. Chelsea kick off at 12:45 at home to Spurs, knocked out of the FA Cup by Chelsea not so long ago. Kicking off slightly later, United are away to Portsmouth, a side that they knocked out of the Cup earlier in the campaign. Although on paper Chelsea’s fixture may seem tougher, they have a home tie in the Champions League in midweek, whereas United will have travelled to Rome.

Whilst Spurs fans might hope that their team can derail Chelsea’s title challenge, the Thursday night trip to Seville could reduce their capacity to provide a shock at Stamford Bridge. United will have noted that Pompey are on a run of one win in 10 which suggests they will go into the fixture confident of a win. With 6 games to go, I am equally confident that United will retain their 6 point advantage.

United’s next 2 league games are at Old Trafford, with both of Chelsea’s away from Stamford Bridge. These two games could be pivotal in the final analysis. Any slip ups here from the West Londoners could see them effectively hand the title to United.

The Red Devils take on Sheffield United on Tuesday 17 April with Chelsea at West Ham the following evening. United are then at home to Boro the next Saturday with Chelsea away to Newcastle on the Sunday.

United should in all probability win both their home fixtures and whilst it’s difficult to predict exactly how Chelsea might slip up, the trips to Upton Park and St James’ Park could see them relinquish their grip on the title. Should United win their next 4 games, 3 of which are at Old Trafford, there’s a fair chance of them entering the final 4 games of the season with something like an 8 point lead over their nearest rivals.

An additional point to note is that in 3 of the next 4 games United play before their title rivals, which could prove to be a significant advantage. As with the penalty shoot out, this advantage only becomes apparent once there is a positive outcome. If United win these 4 games, the pressure will mount on the Chelsea team who could find themselves going into 3 of the next 4 matches 9 points adrift and with no room for manoeuvre.

This is always the way at the top, of course, and not something that is new to Mourinho. He has been under pressure to win matches from the minute he walked into the job at Chelsea. However, this is the first time that any team has managed to exert any sustained pressure since he took over. Chelsea are also in the midst of a heavy schedule which could ultimately prove their downfall in the league.

Should Chelsea drop points in either of their 2 away games, and United go into the last 4 matches 8 points ahead, the portents are not good for Mourinho’s bid to win 3 successive titles.

Even as little as a point from their next two matches, away to Everton and City, would mean that United could travel to Chelsea able to celebrate the draw. With goal difference likely to be in their favour, United would most likely be in charge even if they were to lose the showdown at the Bridge and Chelsea were to pick up maximum points from a home game with Bolton and a trip to the Emirates.

The obvious fact to emerge from any kind of analysis of the run in is that if United keep winning, Chelsea cannot do anything to stop them from regaining the title. The May 9th showdown may come too late for Chelsea. Had the game gone ahead as scheduled, a Chelsea win might have breathed fresh life in to the title race.

As it is, my guess is that the Sky TV executives will be a touch disappointed come May 9th as United will have secured the title prior to kick off. Maybe the decision to move the game will go down as a footnote in the history of United’s Premiership triumph, but if Chelsea do finish this season as runners up, Mourinho for one will not forget the sizeable advantages that United have been handed in this season’s run in.

4306: Wigan Athletic; The Run-In -

by : Stephen Orford

Saturday’s brain-draining 0-0 draw between Wigan Athletic and Fulham (March 17) had the air of a game between two sides who couldn’t really be bothered.

With so many incompetent sides floundering around behind them, perhaps Paul Jewell and Chris Coleman believe that their sides have done enough to ensure Premiership football for next season already. A glance at the table suggests otherwise, as Fulham sit 14th on 34 points, seven clear of the relegation zone, with Wigan two places and one point worse off.

Jewell might be in the news for his lengthening list of FA charges at the moment, but he needs a few more results before he can guarantee a third straight season in the big league for the JJB Stadium club. Six points clear of an improving Charlton, another eight or nine points from the remaining eight fixtures should be enough for Wigan, so let’s have a look at where they might come from.

Charlton Athletic – Away. Draw. Squarefootball has already predicted a Charlton win in this one, owing to their improved form and the fact that they will be playing in front of their home fans. However, these forecasts are best case scenarios for the teams in focus and so Jewell’s men will see this as winnable. A point looks more realistic.

Bolton Wanderers – Home. Win. The last thing Jewell needs right now is a potentially explosive Lancashire (Greater Manchester?) derby. He can’t afford to get into any lengthy debates with the likes of El Hadji Diouf over whether or not the Senegalese striker dived for that last minute penalty or blinded Chris Kirkland with flying spittle. Bolton are long overdue a win or two, but Latics get the benefit of the doubt.

Aston Villa – Away. Draw. Villa are only a point better off than Wigan at present, and should that remain the case by Easter Monday then don’t expect a Bank Holiday cracker. We have already seen that a truce can often be called at times like these following Saturday’s non-entity with Fulham. Nailed on goalless draw. Nip down to Stan James right now.

Tottenham Hotspur – Home. Win. Spurs aren’t travelling too well in the league and all of their energies will surely be on their UEFA Cup bid. That said, they have the players to hurt Wigan if they decide that it is their day. Again, on the best case scenario rule we have to plump for the pie men.

Liverpool – Away. Loss. While stalking the touchline in search of an assistant referee or fourth official to berate, Jewell might actually come closer to the Anfield playing surface than he did for most of his playing career on Merseyside. Yet no amount of histrionics will influence the officials enough to spare Latics a spanking at the Reds’ fortress. Which probably means Emile Heskey will score the only goal of the game for Wigan.

West Ham United – Home. Win. The Hammers could very well be down by the time of this April 28 clash. Still, Egg-head Magnusson will no doubt put himself through another 90 minutes of pure misery in an effort to show his unstinting commitment to his new business venture. Simply a must-win for Wigan if their situation has not improved in the meantime, and a game they are well capable of winning.

Middlesbrough – Home. Win. Mark Viduka will be on the beach by kick-off time, while Aiyegbeni Yakubu will be releasing statements through his agent about his intended career path. Last season Boro gave several young local boys a run-out in late season fixtures, and should they do so again then Wigan should cash in.

Sheffield United – Away. Draw. It is hard to see Wigan winning at what could still be a quite morbidly desperate Sheffield United, but in truth there is little to choose between the sides. All of which inspires more fence-straddling.

Something appears to have gone wrong with the formula, which now expects Wigan to gain another 15 points before the end of the season. This would take them to an overall tally of 48, which is easily enough to beat the drop and which would cement a second consecutive mid-table position for Latics.

Though this forecast seems a little kind, it illustrates that Jewell’s side have arguably the gentlest run-in of all the relegation-threatened clubs. They will survive comfortably.

By Stephen Orford

22 March 2007

4310: Goal-shy Manchester City carel

by : Paul Meadows

Every now and then, football throws up the odd funny quirk.

When Barcelona lost out on David Beckham to Real Madrid in the summer of 2003, they had to settle for Ronaldinho instead. As for Manchester United, this meant they missed out on the Brazilian and took a chance on 18-year-old rookie Cristiano Ronaldo. And don't forget about Arsenal, who compensated with the £23million loss of Nicolas Anelka by replacing him with a bloke called Thierry Henry who cost less than half that amount.

It doesn't always work out this way, though. Back at the Bernabeu, Real have been crying out for a holding midfielder since ill-advisedly deciding to let Claude Makelele join Chelsea. And the Blues were left reeling this season when they thought their mega-talented squad could cope without the services of defenders William Gallas and Robert Huth. And what about Newcastle United - why take a chance on Bosman free signing Jean-Alain Boumsong when you can take him for £8million six months later?

History is full of managers and chairmen asking themselves 'why didn't I sign him?', or 'why did I let him go?' and this is one theme which will continue for as long as a transfer system exists, and the latter is something which may just be being asked by Stuart Pearce as he calculates how many more points his Manchester City side need before relegation becomes a mathematic impossibility.

Their recent 2-0 win over a weakened Middlesbrough side may have given Pearce breathing space by lifting his side to fifteenth in the league table, six points ahead of third-bottom Charlton Athletic, yet if the Addicks win when the two teams meet at Eastlands on April 6, then City are well and truly back in trouble. And their other games represent the most difficult run-in of all the teams struggling for survival, including trips to Arsenal, Newcastle United and Tottenham Hotspur and home games with Liverpool and Manchester United.

The fact that the crunch game of City's season is that visit of Charlton tells a story of its own. Back in August, ambitions were high in the blue half of Manchester, with talk of a Uefa Cup spot being commonplace amongst fans still waiting for their first piece of silverware since 1976. Ask one of these fans now where their problem has been this season, and they probably wouldn’t dignify your question with an answer.

The 34 goals they have conceded in the Premiership is the best record of any in the bottom half of the table, and seventh best in the entire division. With Nicky Weaver and Andreas Isaksson battling it for the number one jersey behind a central pairing of Sylvain Distin and the much underrated Richard Dunne, it is difficult to pick holes in their rearguard.

Yet all their woes stem from the other end of the field.

Apart from rock-bottom Watford, City's total of 22 league goals is the worst in The Premiership. To underline just how dire the performance of their strikers has been this season, their leading scorer, with a total of 6 goals, is midfielder Joey Barton. Next comes strike duo Georgios Samaras and Bernardo Corradi, with their combined total of 7 goals in the favour of the Greek (4-3) perhaps adding substance to Dunne's claim that the foreign players at the club are letting the team down.

Darius Vassell then wades in with a contribution of 2 strikes, which is the same amount as winger DaMarcus Beasley and defender Sylvain Distin. Then comes young midfielder Stephen Ireland and defender Hatem Trabelsi with a goal apiece, which is one more than summer signing Paul Dickov has managed this term. Yes, the former Scottish international has been injured for much of the season - but he has still started nine Premiership games.

4309: McClaren’s future under threat

by : David Hulott

Taking aside Israel’s 4:3 defeat at home to Croatia in November, the omens don’t look terribly encouraging for England’s trip to Tel Aviv on Saturday, with Steve McClaren’s position as national team coach already looking to be in some doubt following recent poor results and performances.

That loss to the Croats was the first in a competitive match for Israel for over three years, stretching over 13 games and including an unbeaten qualifying campaign for World Cup 2006, when they were up against the likes of France, Switzerland and Ireland.

The Israeli coach for the majority of those games was Avraham Grant, who resigned last summer to take up the post of Technical Director at Portsmouth. His successor, Dror Kashtan, was strongly in the running for the job when Grant was appointed in 2002, but could not agree personal terms. At 62-years-old, Kashtan is probably not regarded as a long-term appointment, although having won six Israeli league titles with four different clubs, in addition to five domestic cups, he certainly seems to have a stronger CV than that of the man in the opposition dug-out on Saturday.

There are key players missing from Kashtan’s squad, with Bolton Wanderers midfielder Idan Tal and Argentina-born Maccabi Haifa striker Roberto Colautti both suspended while Yaniv Katan, the West Ham United striker currently on loan at Maccabi Haifa, is injured. Although absent for the England game, Tal is one of four English-based players in Kashtan’s squad, the others being Bolton team mate Tal Ben Haim, captain Yossi Benayoun from West Ham and 17-year-old Chelsea striker Ben Sahar.

Other names worth looking for include 19-year-old Nigerian-born striker Toto Tamuz. Tamuz, who has already bagged 10-goals for table-topping Beitar Jerusalem this term, still does not have full Israeli citizenship, despite having come to the country at the age of three. However, his eligibility was recently confirmed when his case was taken to the Supeme Court and the formal naturalisation process was started, enabling him to be named in the squad for the games against England and Estonia. Goalkeeper Dudu Aouate is current first-choice at Deportivo La Coruna and some will remember veteran midfielder Walid Badir from his brief stint at Wimbledon back in 1999-2000.

Israel were unbeaten in Tel Aviv for seven years prior to the Croatia loss, so it would seem unlikely that England will prevail unless McClaren can bring about a marked improvement on recent efforts. Failure to do so could prove to be a fatal blow to England’s Euro 2008 aspirations. McClaren’s own future at the helm could look particularly bleak were he to return from Israel without at least a point.

David Hulott
22 March 2007

4308: Championship finds of the seas

by : Alex Wolstenholme

No stone is left unturned in the search for new players these days and Championship clubs have found some gems in unlikely places, from Grays to Zalaegerszeg via Accrington, Dartford and Dublin.

Michael Kightly (Wolves) - The undoubted 'find' of the Championship season, Michael Kightly started the campaign playing for Grays in the Conference and could end it as a Premiership star, either for Wolves, or if reports are to be believed for any number of interested top-flight clubs.

Mick McCarthy has never been afraid to take a gamble on players from the lower divisions and for the nominal fee paid by Wolves, Kightly was a 'no-lose' signing.

"When you sign players from that level or below, of course you want them to do well and you hope they will," McCarthy said.

"From day one, I knew he could play. But I could never have expected him to be as good as he has been.

"Kightly has been a revelation. To see someone performing like that is refreshing. 'Kights' was rejected by Tottenham and Southend, but he has proved that dropping out of the league is not always the worst thing."

The 21-year-old winger has netted six times to date and together with fellow wideman Michael McIndoe and new strike partnership Andy Keogh and Stephen Ward (all of whom have made the step up to the Championship under McCarthy) forms an effective front four.

Istvan Ferenczi (Barnsley) - 30-year-old Hungarian striker Istvan Ferenczi was signed by Barnsley along with fellow countryman Peter Rajczi in the final week of the transfer window and if the Tykes stay in the Championshi this season will have more than played his part having netted six times in eight appearances at the time of writing.

Ferenczi brought an impressive scoring ratio to the table from his previous clubs in his homeland and has provided the cutting edge lacking in Barnsley's play all season.

"Sometimes when you bring players in from different countries you are not sure about their work-rate but the first goal typified that's not the case," said Barnsley number two Ryan Kidd after the two Hungarians demolished Hull City in a crucial relegation battle..

"Peter did not let us down with the second goal either - he's a very good, technical player.

"Hopefully they will get stronger while they are with us longer - they've both got a great rapport with their team-mates."

Colin Hawkins (Coventry City) - The financial troubles afflicting Irish champions Shelbourne led to a number of their top players leaving in January, and for 29-year-old Colin Hawkins presented him with a surprise second chance to make it in English football.

Having been on Coventry's books as a youngster, the centre-half returned to the West Midlands for a trial and was handed a contract by caretaker manager Adrian Heath.

Injuries and suspensions forced Heath's hand to some extent and gave Hawkins a chance that he has taken well. Tough, uncompromising and strong in the air, new boss Iain Dowie has seen no reason to drop him.

"To come from where he has at such a late stage, he should be applauded," said Dowie.

"He is 29 years old and come from Irish football and, although he has been here before, it is a big step.

"I think Colin is his harshest critic and he should be a bit easier on himself at times because he has done very well."

Dave Martin (Crystal Palace) - Crystal Palace manager Peter Taylor believes he may have unearthed a gem at his former club after snapping up 21-year-old Dartford winger Dave Martin in January.

The pacy left-footer has moved up six divisions in football's pecking order after starting the campaign in the Ryman League South and although he has been restricted so far to just a handful of substitute's appearances, has shown enough to suggest he could make a real impact on the Championship next season.

"David Martin showed he is very quick and did exceptionally well," said assistant boss Kit Symons after the recent game against Luton Town.

"He's a player we will hear more about in the future. He has got pace, which we haven't got in abundance and it was good to see."

Gary Roberts (Ipswich Town) - A key member of the Accrington Stanley side that won promotion to the Football League last season, Gary Roberts has been a regular in the Championship for most of the current campaign after joining Ipswich on loan in October followed by a permanent move in the New Year.

The 23-year-old winger suffered an inevitable dip in form around the turn of the year but a heart-to-heart with manager Jim Magilton has seen him return to his dangerous best, with his set-piece delivery a key weapon in Ipswich's attacking armoury.

“I had a couple of meetings with the gaffer before Saturday's game and he has been brilliant," said Roberts after the recent game against QPR.

"He showed me clips of what I was doing before and that really lifted me.

“The gaffer has shown a lot of faith in me and kept on playing me and that helped lift my confidence.

“I have thought I might be dropped but he has never done that and my showing me those clips it helped me even more.”

4305: Watford; The Run-In - There's

by : Stephen Orford

Well before Santa rode his sleigh into town, the football fraternity were predicting nothing but Premiership doom for Watford.

An inevitable return to the Championship has looked on the cards for the entire season, and with eight games remaining the Hornets still find themselves 11 points shy of the safety mark.

They have won only two of their last eight league matches, sneaking past a beleaguered West Ham United at Upton Park after a surprise win at home to Blackburn Rovers at the back end of January. With only 20 points next to their name from 30 fixtures, the Vicarage Road club face an almost impossible task to avoid the drop.

The FA Cup has offered some respite from the disappointments in the league, as victories over Stockport County, West Ham United (again), Ipswich Town and Plymouth Argyle have taken Aidy Boothroyd’s side all the way to a Villa Park semi-final clash with Manchester United in mid-April.

More encouraging recent performances in the league earned points at home to Athletics Charlton and Wigan in recent times, and the cup run has been more of a confidence booster than a distraction. Yet it is unlikely to be enough, as Squarefootball takes a look at the Watford run-in and fears the worst.

Chelsea – Home. Loss. My, what a start. Even home advantage won’t be enough to get Boothroyd’s boys over the line against the Premiership champions. The Blues are still desperate for the points in their bid to claim a hat-trick of titles, and it is difficult to see a slip-up by Jose Mourinho’s men in this one.

Middlesbrough – Home. Draw. This is more like it. Given Gareth Southgate’s team selection issues last weekend, perhaps Watford are taking on Boro a few weeks too late. Yet with the Riverside club having little to play for following their FA Cup exit to Manchester United, perhaps this is one to be filed under ‘winnable’. Not so fast. Boro are strong at home and a defeat to Watford seems unlikely.

Portsmouth – Home. Win. Does anyone know what has happened to Portsmouth’s form over the last few weeks? They are the new Charlton, after challenging for a European or even a Champions League place for the majority of the season before falling away as the campaign has worn on. They remain only four points off sixth-placed Everton at the time of writing (March 22) but seem to have shut up shop.

Blackburn Rovers – Away. Draw. Every time you think Mark Hughes’ men have got their season back on track, they come up with another comedy defeat like the one against West Ham United last weekend. Consistency has been a problem throughout and with little but pride to play for this is another road trip which the manically upbeat Boothroyd will fancy. Another point at best.

Manchester City – Home. Win. If Watford cannot win this one then it really is time to enter the debate on penalty shoot-outs to decide Football League matches. City have been desperate this term, and despite a vital win at Middlesbrough at the weekend this must rank as a ‘must-win’ on the Hornets fixture list.

Sheffield United – Away. Loss. Both teams are in the kind of trouble normally reserved for a recently captured Jack Bauer, but United will feel that their current tally of 31 points gives them a real chance of preserving their status. Home advantage and the likelihood that they will have a more visible incentive gets them the verdict.

Reading – Away. Loss. Forgive the pun (wasn’t there one?’) but Reading are had to read at the moment. They may come up just short of a European qualification slot but are in no danger of losing their place at the top table. This will either free them up to give Watford a footballing lesson, or it will convince them that they needn’t bother getting involved with an overly physical, technically inferior side. We’ll plump for the former.

Newcastle United – Home. Win. Another three points within reach for Watford. Toon boss Glenn Roeder is busy blaming all and sundry (with the notable exception of Glenn Roeder) for another trophy-less season of mid-table drudgery, and there seems a lack of confidence flowing through the side at the moment. Yet on any given day the likes of Obafemi Martins, Kieron Dyer et all will tear Watford apart. Let’s just say they won’t this time, for argument’s sake.

Remembering that these forecasts are all best case scenarios for the club in focus, this collection of predictions brings Watford another 11 points between now and season’s end. That haul would take their final total to 31, a figure which has been surpassed by all but four teams already, and which would relegate Watford if Sheffield United were to earn just one more point. Given that the forecast includes a Blades win over the Hornets in their April 28 fixture, one can only conclude that Boothroyd’s men are unquestionably, unequivocally, most assuredly, down.

There’s always the FA Cup.

By Stephen Orford

22 March 2007

4302: Benitez is right about reserve

by : Antony Melvin

Reserve teams have long been the ugly sister of professional football. Disinterested senior players and desperate kids make a heady mix. So it is no surprise that Rafa Benitez has repeated his assertion that Liverpool’s reserve team should play in the Championship or League One. As a former coach of what is now called Real Madrid Castilla (formerly Real Madrid B and Castilla CF), Benitez has experience of how proper competition for reserve teams both benefits the players and gives budding coaches real hands on work.

As a complete side issue, Benitez’s championing of this idea suggests that his mindset is very clearly on Liverpool’s future – why start this process if he is half-expecting to be back in Madrid in a few weeks?

But, so the argument goes, the English lower leagues are packed with history and without adding a fifth professional division how could Liverpool’s reserves (and no doubt the other major teams) be slotted in to The Championship or League One? Benitez is right that reserve team football needs to be improved to help youth player development – but how?

Without bothering with any expansion in the size of the football league here are three ideas for getting reserve teams out of the reserve team rut.

Number one, make reserve team football an under-21 tournament. Allow a couple of over-age players so that it supports injury returnees to the first team but other than that the mature players are in the first team or nothing. This may have the added benefit of stopping the hoarding of too many senior players – a hording policy that is stopping younger players coming through.

I would also allow senior players not getting picked for more than, say, five league games in a season to be allowed to get a free transfer – but that’s another argument.

Secondly how about shadowing the Champions League and UEFA Cup with an under-21 team tournament in much the same way that the international under-21 tournaments work. Start the tournament at the group stage so this season the Liverpool under-21 team would have faced the Galatasaray, PSV and Bordeaux equivalents. After which the tournaments would diverge.

The interest in youth football – as the recent 38,000 crowd for a Youth Cup game between Arsenal and Manchester United demonstrated – is huge; and watching the stars of tomorrow in a truly competitive European tournament would attract TV investment and would therefore be self-sustaining. The competition would be fierce and interesting to the neutral.

A proper under-21 structure would also allow budding professional coaches more potential jobs – which would allow more footballers to stay in the industry.

Finally, even if making reserve team football an under-21 preserve and creating a proper competitive structure is unacceptable, Benitez’s idea of Liverpool reserves playing in the lower leagues is still possible without laying waste to a century or so of a strong English football league.

Why not apply to the Spanish FA to put a Liverpool reserve team in the Segunda Divisin A, the same division as Benitez’s old charges, Real Madrid Castilla? If the Spanish lower leagues are already happy with the idea of B teams then there is no real cultural issue. Also the added interest that a Liverpool B Team would bring would raise attendances and probably attract a TV deal – meaning more revenue for everyone involved. If Liverpool B is too dull then what about Liverpool Paisley (to help the Sir Bob campaign) or Liverpool Kop.

And the probability that a Liverpool B team would probably contain more Spaniards than many Spanish clubs would mean that there would be plenty of local interest.

Antony Melvin
21 March 2007

4301: Kanu: Should he stay or should

by : Colin Illingworth

You have to hand it to Harry Redknapp. How he manages to turn so many underachievers into world-beaters is astonishing. The latest in a long line of such players is Nigerian striker Kanu.

The former Arsenal forward had two years at West Bromwich Albion where his strike rate was nothing short of abysmal for a frontman, just nine in 58 appearances. The Baggies dropped through the Premiership trap door and Kanu decided to move on. But with hardly any manager willing to touch the former Ajax and Inter Milan man Harry Redknapp offered him the opportunity to prove that he could still cut it at the top. And boy has Kanu repaid Redknapp’s faith in him. 12 goals in 30 appearances, more than he has managed in the previous three seasons combined, Kanu is among the Premiership’s top goalscorers. However, instead of repaying that faith, the Nigerian is stalling on a new one-year contract and has warned that he is “almost certain to leave Fratton Park” in the summer, with Ajax his seemingly preferred destination, unless they give him an improved deal.

Kanu has been quoted as saying: “I have shown 100 per cent commitment since I arrived at the club but this offer doesn’t show their gratitude. If another club comes in, I am almost certain to leave Fratton Park. They say they have made me a generous offer. But I have been in this game long enough to know what is a good deal and what isn’t – this is not generous or good.”

Daniel Taylor, secretary of the London Portsmouth supporters club, has been mightily impressed by Kanu’s contribution at the club since his arrival, but recent speculation regarding his future has tainted his view on the striker.

“On the one hand I can fully appreciate why a player in his 30s would try and do what he could to win as lengthy a contract as possible by stirring up interest from another club (we only signed him for a year). But on the other hand we signed him when no one else would and I don’t think it’s unreasonable to expect players to honour their contracts and not be looking to leave half way through. Admittedly Ajax is a far, far bigger club, but why shouldn’t I demand that my club be treated with a bit more respect by one of its own?”

Not that Daniel was exactly jumping through hoops when he heard Redknapp had signed Kanu in the summer.

“I have to admit to being a little disappointed when he signed, as so many big names had been touted around. Despite my ever-increasing cynicism when it comes to Premiership football the various papers saying we’d sign a big name striker for more than 10 million raised my level of expectation. So when we effectively signed West Brom’s cast off I was naturally a bit disappointed. However, having spoken to a few Arsenal fans I was given some cause to be optimistic; they seemed to think he would come good, and that he was one of the best technical players around. I’m not quite sure that’s strictly true but he has certainly exceeded my expectations.”

Two goals on his debut in a 3-0 victory over Blackburn Rovers, which included a late penalty miss, got the fans on side and they were fully paid up members of the Kanu appreciation club when he grabbed another brace against Middlesborough at the Riverside. Kanu has continued to get amongst the goals and the big man’s skills have won Daniel over.

“It’s hard not to be impressed, given the number of goals he has scored compared to when he was at West Brom, and when you consider no-one else was seemingly willing to sign him. He looks ungainly, lazy and at times as though he simply isn’t bothered, but he has that habit of popping up in the right place at the right time. He’s certainly no workhorse but when he gets the ball you know it’s going to stick to his feet and he rarely gives it away. He’s bought a touch of composure to our forward line.”

But despite everything he has achieved at the club in the short time that he has been there, Daniel believes that it might be the right time for the Nigerian international to move on.

“For me Kanu has served his purpose and unless he wants to commit whole-heartedly to the club without demanding stupid money then I think we should let him go. That might sound stupid given the fact that he is our top scorer but no matter how good a season he is having he was never what we were originally looking for. How can he be when we signed him a matter of days before the season started? What we need to find is a young goal poacher, with a bit of pace. We’ve got players, who when they choose to turn it on, can breeze past defenders; all we’re really lacking is a natural finisher and it’s something we’ve been lacking since we sold Yakubu. Yes, Yakubu was accused of being lazy, much like Kanu really, but he has consistently scored goals since leaving us and has a long footballing future ahead of him. At least the Yak was honest when he said he wanted to use Pompey as a stepping stone.”

It looks as though Kanu will be on his way out of Fratton Park come the end of the season, but with Redknapp’s knack of picking up rough gems and turning out diamonds, Daniel isn’t too worried about losing their top scorer. He’s far more worried about what Harry will do with the extra TV money.

“Redknapp found the Yak, or rather one of his mates did (not to mention a recommendation from Sir Alex Ferguson) and has managed to unearth some good talent for relatively small amounts of cash e.g. Richard Hughes and Matt Taylor. I don’t doubt he is capable of finding us the next big name, but what will he do with all this extra TV money, Titi Camara anyone?”

* What do you think of Kanu’s contract row? Do you think he deserves a new two-year contract or should he show some loyalty to the club for salvaging his career? We’d love to hear from you.

Colin Illingworth
21 March 2007

4300: Sheffield United; The Run-In -

by : Stephen Orford

After a season mostly devoid of any serious dramas, Sheffield United suddenly find themselves in a bit of a tight spot.

Saturday’s 3-0 defeat by Chelsea (March 17) was hardly unexpected, but added to wins by Manchester City and Charlton over the course of the weekend it left the Blades with just a four-point buffer to the relegation zone.

Incandescent with rage as ever, manager Neil Warnock ignored his side’s drubbing by the champions and instead concentrated on directing his ire elsewhere. He branded Gareth Southgate’s team selection for Middlesbrough’s home defeat to City a ‘disgrace’, and remained unimpressed by Boro’s mitigating circumstance of an FA Cup quarter-final replay just two days later.

That Warnock is looking to blame others suggests he is feeling the pinch somewhat. His side have won just twice in the league since beating Arsenal at Bramall Lane just before New Year. With eight games remaining, Warnock and his charges now need to find another wind if they are to maintain their top-flight status for next season. Once more, Squarefootball takes a look at the run-in and decides just how many points might, could or probably won’t be added to the Blades current tally of 31.

Bolton Wanderers – Away. Loss. Bolton have been having a torrid time of late. Hammerings by Manchester United, Tottenham and Middlesbrough have been added to by a derby defeat by Blackburn Rovers at The Reebok in recent times. They remain in the top five somehow, and are certain to wake from their slumber sooner rather than later.

Newcastle United – Home. Win. What’s left for Glenn Roeder’s men to play for following their UEFA Cup exit to AZ Alkmaar? Not much judging by the meek second half showing during Sunday’s defeat at Charlton Athletic (March 18), and so the Blades could just sneak the win and complete the league double over the Magpies.

West Ham United – Home. Win. The fixture list continues to be kind to Warnock, though God knows he doesn’t deserve it. Despite a controversial come-from-behind win at Blackburn at the weekend, there has to be some doubt as to whether the Hammers can string two wins together. Factor in home advantage, and you have a winnable assignment for the Sheffield club.

Manchester United – Away. Loss. If Sheffield United’s plight deepens following this routine defeat then expect Warnock to have something to say about somebody else’s business. After all, there’s very little he can do about his own team on April 17, what with Cristiano Ronaldo, Wayne Rooney et al running at Chris Morgan.

Charlton Athletic – Away. Loss. This one is sure to be a real relegation scrap, and who would back against Warnock sticking on one Alan Pardew should things go against him at The Valley. Charlton are the in-form side of all the relegation candidates, which is a bit like being the best minnow at the Cricket World Cup. Eh Ireland?

Watford – Home. Win. Hallelujah. Or something. I don’t think Neil Warnock goes to church, and if he does he probably spends an awful lot of time confessing about profanities. Regardless, the Almighty has smiled upon Warnock again by offering a home fixture against one of the few Premiership teams currently as hapless as his Blades. Warnock’s, that is, not God’s. God’s an FC Utrecht fan.

Aston Villa – Away. Draw. Villa are not out of the woods yet, but probably will be by the time of this May 5 engagement. Regardless, they seem incapable and even unwilling to inflict pain upon anyone these days, but perfectly adept at carving out tedious draws which edge them closer to their prized goal of mediocrity.

Wigan Athletic – Home. Draw. Another tough one to call given the possibility or otherwise that Paul Jewell’s men could be involved in the relegation shake-up. All things considered, and plucking a large splinter from it’s backside, Squarefootball predicts a draw.

Staggeringly, and much to the dismay (or delight depending on how you look at it) of Charlton Athletic fans, Squarefootball predicts another 11 points to be added to the Sheffield United tally before the end of the season. This will give them 42 overall, which is more than has been forecast for either Manchester City or Charlton Athletic under this admittedly haphazard system. With Watford and West Ham United as good as down already, it seems we can look forward to another season of sniping, complaining and smugness from Warnock in 2007/08.

Bummer.

By Stephen Orford

21 March 2007

4295: The championship scrap for sur

by : Cody Strunk

There is still work to be done if they are to avoid the drop back into League One at the first attempt, but Wednesday’s 4:2 victory away to Plymouth Argyle was a massive boost to Barnsley’s survival hopes, taking them four points clear of the bottom three.

There has been a major overhaul of the Barnsley squad since Simon Davey was appointed as successor to Andy Ritchie in late November, with the Hungarian pair of Istvan Ferenczi (Zalaegerszeg) and Peter Rajczi (loan deal from Ujpest) looking to be particularly good acquisitions.

A distinct lack of consistency is a problem though and it might help their cause were they able to scrap for a draw or two on occasion, while the defence is still too easily breached. On the plus side the remaining games look to provide ample opportunity to pick up points against mid-table teams who are unlikely to unduly exert themselves.

The last three games of the season could prove to be Barnsley’s salvation, with Crystal Palace and Leicester City unlikely to have much to play by the time they visit Oakwell and a last day trip to the Hawthorns in which they will be hoping that West Bromwich Albion will already know their fate in terms of automatic promotion. They certainly wouldn’t want to be relying on the charity of others though.

Key Player: Istvan Ferenczi – six league goals from six starts already for the Hungarian international striker already represents good value. With the defence always looking likely to concede, he will probably need to maintain a high strike-rate if the Tykes are to avoid being dragged back into the bottom three.

18 Burnley  37 6 5 6  22 19 4 6 10 14 22 - 5 41 
19 Hull     39 7 2 10 26 27 4 6 10 15 31 -17 41 
20 Barnsley 39 7 4 8  23 26 5 1 14 22 43 -24 41 
21 QPR      38 6 5 7  24 24 4 5 11 21 35 -14 40 
22 Southend 39 6 6 8  27 29 3 6 10 13 30 -19 39 
23 Luton    39 7 5 8  32 31 2 4 13 15 36 -20 36 
24 Leeds    39 7 3 9  21 27 3 3 14 18 37 -25 36 

Remaining Fixtures:

Barnsley v Derby County (31 March)
Ipswich Town v Barnsley (07 April)
Barnsley v Birmingham City (09 April)
Southend United v Barnsley (14 April)
Barnsley v Crystal Palace (21 April)
Barnsley v Leicester City (28 April)
West Bromwich Albion v Barnsley (06 May)

Cody Strunk
16 March 2007

The championship scrap for survival: Burnley
The championship scrap for survival: Hull City
The championship scrap for survival: QPR
The championship scrap for survival: Barnsley
The championship scrap for survival: Southend United
The championship scrap for survival: Luton Town
The championship scrap for survival: Leeds United

4299: Premiership; Charlton Athleti

by : Stephen Orford

Following Sunday’s 2-0 win over Newcastle United at The Valley (March 18) Charlton Athletic have closed to within four points of Premiership safety.

Despite Manchester City’s hopelessly out of character win at Middlesbrough a day previously, it is now Sheffield United’s miserable plight which offers the best hope that the Addicks can perform what would be the greatest escape of all.

In their formative Premiership years the south London club dodged relegation more adroitly than Tony Blair dodges the announcement of the date of his official departure from office. Alan Curbishley was lauded for his ability to repeatedly keep the club in the big time, before developing the club into one of the Premiership’s most stable and secure members. When he left to firstly take time out and then stick his finger in the West Ham dyke, things had already started to take a turn for the worse.

Iain Dowie’s pre-Christmas reign was nothing short of catastrophic, and it was with little hope of salvation that the board appointed Pardew. That he had recently been sacked for guiding West Ham United into a state of Dowie-esque desperation further served to inspire the fans in the way that Blair inspires the voters.

Three months later, and the Addicks are breathing heavily (although with totally respectable motives) down the necks of Neil Warnock’s faltering Blades. Here, Squarefootball takes a look at the Charlton run-in and attempts to gauge or indeed guess whether they will cement their place in the top flight for next season.

Wigan – Home. Win. The press probably won’t dub this the Battle Of The Latics, so we will. Paul Jewell’s men are fairly desperate for points also, and so the smart money could be on the draw. Yet home advantage and the new found zest of Charlton under Pardew leads to the nagging feeling that Charlton will win.

Manchester City – Away. Win. Stuart Pearce reduced a little of the pressure when his side pulled off a 2-0 victory at Middlesbrough last weekend. However, beating Gareth Southgate’s band of big-time Charlies two days before they enter an FA Cup quarter-final replay at Old Trafford, and beating a Charlton side possessed of Gordon Brown-like desperation are two different things.

Reading – Home. Draw. Steve Coppell’s side are still pushing for a European qualification place in their first season in the Premiership. And boy, isn’t he under-whelmed about it most of the time? Exponents of the kind of neat, passing, attacking football which would make the likes of Rafa Benitez and Jose Mourinho turn puce with rage, the Royals may be good enough to go to Charlton and earn a point.

Everton – Away. Loss. Another test against a side which still has designs on that last UEFA Cup place, and on using it as an excuse for next season’s relegation battle. Everton plugged away before finally bullying Arsenal into submission at the weekend, but will find that task a little more difficult against an equally physical Charlton outfit. After all that, the Toffeemen will still probably nick it 1-0.

Sheffield United – Home. Win. If this game was this weekend it would be a relegation 230-pointer. Who knows if it will mean anything by the time of its April 21 kick-off. Besides, most Sheffield folk will probably be at The Crucible for the start of the Snooker World Championship that day. Win or lose, Warnock will say something nasty about one or more of his opponents before finally blaming his side’s relegation on the financial gap between Chelsea and St.Helens Town.

Blackburn Rovers – Away. Loss. This looks to be one of the trickier assignments on the Charlton agenda. Rovers have come into a bit of form of late, and were robbed at gun-point by West Ham United on Saturday evening (March 17). At least Dick Turpin wore a mask, which is more than can be said for referee Howard Webb that day. A better refereeing performances should see Mark Hughes’s men earn the win.

Tottenham Hotspur – Home. Win. Spurs are doing a fair impression of Forrest Gump’s mum’s box of chocolates at the moment. You never know what you are going to get but you can usually rely on a soft centre. The UEFA Cup has to be Martin Jol’s priority now, and Charlton will be the hungrier at The Valley on May 5.

Liverpool – Away. Loss. Pardew had better hope that the survival job is done before the last day, otherwise he might want to get out the guides to Plymouth and Stoke. Liverpool have only been beaten once at home in the league since October 2005, and despite their tedious method of achieving that record, they should have little trouble in brushing aside Charlton on the last day.

And so, another 13 points are forecast to be added to Charlton’s current tally of 27 by season’s end. The final projected tally of 40 is one less than this writer predicted for Manchester City just over a week ago. Yet it is usually enough to stay up, and so much will depend on how Sheffield United fare over the coming weeks.

By Stephen Orford

21 March 2007

4298: Is This Jamie Carragher’s Mome

by : Hugh Larkin

With full backs going down like ninepins, Steve McClaren will be comforted by the presence in his squad of Liverpool stalwart Jamie Carragher. He may not be a regular starter but he provides priceless cover right across the back line.

The fact that the Liverpool centre back is a squad player says a lot about England’s depth in his current position for Liverpool. He stands in a queue behind Rio Ferdinand, John Terry, Jonathan Woodgate and possibly a fit Ledley King but Carragher would be a fixture in a lot of international sides.

The man from Bootle now has 32 caps but only 14 of those were as a starter and it has taken him from 1999 to rack up that total. After his introduction against Hungary in 1999, his appearances were sporadic- there were only single caps in both 2002 and 2003 for example.

This coincided with a period when he spent a lot of his time occupying the full back slots at Anfield, which is ironic because it is one of those positions that he seems likely to get into the first XI against Israel.

Only in 2004 at the Euro Finals did he really force his way in to become a fixture in England squads. Rio Ferdinand’s absence let him in, although he didn’t actually get on the field in Portugal.

After that tournament he played a solid part in England’s qualification campaign and the preparation for the 2006 main event, including a run of six starting roles in seven games, deputising for absent colleagues. This time he was rewarded with appearances in England matches in Germany ( and an unfortunate penalty miss in the Portugal shootout).

Under Steve McClaren he has reverted to his squad role, playing in three of five matches, once from the outset. If he is frustrated at his position behind the Terry/ Ferdinand partnership he hasn’t shown it and now against Israel he’ll surely get his opportunity.

All those games spent in the full back slots under Gerard Houllier are going to pay off. Carragher has the ability to cover both wide positions and his manager may have to decide which role to place him in.

It will be yet another variation for him. He played as part of the unsuccessful three at the back against Croatia and when England caved in at Denmark he came on at half time and tried to bring order when the side failed to get pressure on the ball in midfield.

Both left backs – Ashley Cole and Wayne Bridge- are missing due to suspension and injury, plus Gary Neville the first choice right sider is also crocked. His deputy, Micah Richards, is reportedly under treatment for a thigh strain.

McClaren has called Gareth Barry into the squad who could play left back but even if Richards is fit, it would be a gamble of massive proportions to enter a match of this importance with two full backs who have 11 caps between them.

Phil Neville is also in the party and like Carragher, he too can in theory cover both full back slots. He has played in three of the games since the World Cup after Sven-Goran Eriksson ignored him for Germany.

The Everton man has 55 caps but is associated forever with his error at Euro 2000 that put England out. Unlike Carragher he has not been playing in the Champions League, or as regularly for England, so though Neville plays the position more regularly, Carragher appears the better bet for this encounter. Neville at right back and Carragher on the left is also a permutation.

No one argues that full back is Carragher’s best position- he has limitations coming forward- but as a defender his reliability is excellent and he can provide extra insurance at set pieces when required. The game plan against Israel is unlikely to call for a full back to go charging forward too often.

If Richards does recover and gets the nod in the No 2 shirt, all the more reason to play Carragher at left back because it would mean one full back bombing forward regularly. The key to this match is not to give anything away because England simply cannot afford a defeat, so defensive ballast to balance youthful exuberance would be required.

Whatever happens English fans have come to be reassured by the sight of Liverpool’s defensive kingpin in the shirt. His pace at the highest level may be slightly questioned but in this game England need a cool head, discipline, organisation and commitment. Call for Jamie Carragher.

Hugh Larkin
19 March 2007

4297: Sheffield United: Warnock’s Wo

by : Kieran McHugh

There are some managers whose media savvy lends them an extra dimension in the final weeks and months of the season. Everyone knows that the few barbs thrown by Jose Mourinho and Alex Ferguson thus far will, at some unspecified time, explode into all out verbal warfare through the red tops. In fact some can’t wait for it all to kick off.

Others though can derail their own sides efforts through their lack of nous when it comes to the psychological warfare that is so much an element of today’s game. There aren’t many examples more spectacular than the infamous Kevin Keegan “I would love it” rant as Newcastle were confirming their ability to snatch defeat from the jaws of glory in the 1995/96 run in. There might just be another to add to the list as the denouement to the relegation battle unfolds.

Neil Warnock has chosen the international break to launch an astonishing attack on, of all people, Gareth Southgate. The ex-England man has incurred Warnock’s wrath for dropping Julio Arca, Mark Viduka and Jonathon Woodgate for the match against Manchester City. City, for the record, ended their run of 7 games without a win by beating Boro 2-0 at the Riverside.

Warnock’s rant is astounding for its naivety and lack of wit on many different fronts. Firstly the Blades’ manager has, on the face of it, chosen Southgate as his target. In doing so Warnock has carefully overlooked the fact that Boro had, for them, a far more important FA Cup quarter final replay just 2 days after the league game against City.

By choosing to make a point of this, Warnock has insulted Boro and derided their hopes of reaching the FA Cup semi final. It turns out that Boro were overcome by a combination of Ronaldo and a compliant ref, so perhaps Warnock had a point. Perhaps Boro were on a hiding to nothing. Even so, Warnock is paid to manage Sheffield United not Middlesborough and what their priorities are is not in his remit.

However, there are a few others that could be deemed collateral in Warnock’s diatribe, not least Stuart Pearce. The claim that Southgate chose to leave out his three most effective performers as a favour to his former England teammate will have enraged the man known as “Psycho”.

Reading between the lines, the assertion is that Pearce required help to rouse his troops and get a result that could have saved his managerial bacon. My guess is that it would take someone particularly brave or peculiarly stupid to say this to Pearce directly. For one of a select band of players to rise from the ranks of non league to represent England to be accused of calling in favours from old mates is, at best, curious.

Even more curious was Warnock’s decision to continue his rant and bring West Ham’s Alan Curbishley into the row. Suggesting that Southgate would probably field another weakened side against West Ham was perhaps Warnock’s way of ensuring that Boro were forced to name a full strength squad. With Boro’s season all but over thanks to the FA Cup quarter final defeat, the Hammers surely have a chance whatever side is put out by Southgate.

However, by far the most damaging potential side effect of Warnock’s tirade could be to his own sides chances of avoiding the drop. Confidence is a fragile thing in football. Once broken it can be difficult to fix and once fixed it appears that it was never broken.

What will the Sheffield United squad have made of all this? It is not beyond the realms of possibility that one or two members might be wondering why their manager sounds so worried. They might wonder where their goals are going to come from since the injury to leading scorer Rob Hulse? They might look at their own form, especially away from home, which has nosedived since a few weeks ago when the Blades looked home and hosed.

There is a possibility that a few of them might look back on those times when relegation seemed a word for other teams to worry about and remember their manager happily laughing and joking with various members of the Sky TV team as though he hadn’t a care in the world.

Now, Warnock’s lack of composure in front of the media is betraying his worst fears. Sheffield United have been dragged back into the relegation mire. Warnock should concentrate on extricating them from that and worry no more about who Gareth Southgate decides to rest.

4296: The championship scrap for sur

by : Cody Strunk

Consecutive wins at home to Preston North End and away to relegation rivals Luton Town have enabled Hull City to pull away from the drop-zone over the past week and with their remaining games at the Kingston Communications stadium all looking winnable, their survival is very much in their own hands.

Manager Phil Brown pulled off a great piece of business in January, selling striker Craig Fagan to Derby County for £750,000, then replacing him with the loan signing of veteran forward Dean Windass from Bradford City. Despite being nearly 38-years-old, the Hull-born striker has already proved his worth with four goals from seven starts to date.

The signing of Ray Parlour (Middlesbrough) adds further experience to the squad, while the recent addition of young Portuguese striker Ricardo Vaz Te from Bolton Wanderers looks to be another real coup for a club in Hull’s current predicament.

One other factor that could work in Hull’s favour is that in the likes of Windass, Vaz Te, Nicky Barmby, Stuart Elliott, Nick Forster and Michael Bridges, Brown’s squad probably has more potential match-winners than any of the other teams down towards the foot of the table.

After a slow start to the season, Hull look to be timing their late run of form to perfection and with a relatively benign run-in, it would be something of a surprise were they now to go down.

Key Player: Dean Windass – has scored goals on a regular basis throughout his career and, provided he is able to keep his discipline under control, he looks the most likely source of Hull’s goals over the remainder of the season.

18 Burnley  37 6 5 6  22 19 4 6 10 14 22 - 5 41 
19 Hull     39 7 2 10 26 27 4 6 10 15 31 -17 41 
20 Barnsley 39 7 4 8  23 26 5 1 14 22 43 -24 41 
21 QPR      38 6 5 7  24 24 4 5 11 21 35 -14 40 
22 Southend 39 6 6 8  27 29 3 6 10 13 30 -19 39 
23 Luton    39 7 5 8  32 31 2 4 13 15 36 -20 36 
24 Leeds    39 7 3 9  21 27 3 3 14 18 37 -25 36 

Remaining Fixtures:

Sunderland v Hull City (17 March)
Hull City v Southend United (31 March)
Hull City v Norwich City (06 April)
Wolverhampton Wanderers v Hull City (09 April)
Hull City v Colchester United (14 April)
Stoke City v Hull City (21 April)
Cardiff City v Hull City (28 April)
Hull City v Plymouth Argyle (06 May)

Cody Strunk
16 March 2007

The championship scrap for survival: Burnley
The championship scrap for survival: Hull City
The championship scrap for survival: QPR
The championship scrap for survival: Barnsley
The championship scrap for survival: Southend United
The championship scrap for survival: Luton Town
The championship scrap for survival: Leeds United

4294: Mexico Clausura weekly review

by : Cody Strunk

In a shortened round of matches partly due to the Copa Libertadores commitments of some clubs, Cruz Azul took advantage to move to the top of the regular league table for the season with a 3:2 win at home to Morelia.

Isaac Mizrahi’s team were made to work for their victory, during which they conceded their first goals in what is now a six-match unbeaten run. Indeed, having taken the lead they eventually had to battle back from 2:1 down before claiming maximum points through Argentinean substitute Gabriel Pereyra two-minutes from time.

Cruz Azul’s big Mexico City rivals, America, continue to struggle, going down 1:0 away to rock-bottom Monterrey. America coach Luis Fernando Tena didn’t go with his strongest starting XI, but Colombian substitute Hugo Rodallega’s second-half strike means that it is now just a point from three games for America, during which they themselves have failed to hit the back of the net. This weekend they play host to Guadalajara in what is widely regarded as the game of the season in Mexico. Another defeat in this one and the alarm bells will really be ringing.

In other games, Jaguares Chiapas went down to a 2:0 defeat at home to Veracruz in a match between two poorly performing teams who are unlikely to be in the end of season play-offs. The visitors secured victory through a first-half goal from Colombian striker Malher Tressor Moreno and another 15-minutes from time from Sebastian “Chamagol” Gonzalez.

What would have been a Mexico City derby between Necaxa and UNAM Pumas until the former’s move to Aguascalientes a few years back finished as a 1:1 draw. Mexican international defender Israel Castro gave the visitors an early lead, but Necaxa’s own Mexican defender, Joaquin Beltran, headed the equaliser five minutes before the interval. Necaxa’s play-off hopes look slim at best, but the result keeps Pumas in touch with the leaders in Group 3.

The two main contenders for relegation at the end of the season both failed to build on good wins at the weekend, with Santos going down 1:0 at home to UANL Tigres, with an early goal from Colombian midfielder Javier Restrepo proving enough for the visitors to establish a clear lead at the top of qualifying Group 3.

Queretaro failed to take advantage though, going down 3:1 at Atlante. They did miss a potential opportunity to claw their way back into the game, when substitute striker Juan “Magico” Samudio had his penalty saved by Federico Vilar with 13-minutes remaining. The defeat leaves Queretaro at the foot of the percentage table, although there are likely to be further twists and turns to come.

Cody Strunk
16 March 2007