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Ashley Young To Become Greatest Striker Of All Time

Ashley Young quickly went from highly rated young player at Watford, to overpriced young player at Aston Villa, to correctly priced young player at Aston Villa following a bright start to his career under Martin O’Neill,

“I’ve always tried to stay calm and laidback about things,” he told the Daily Star. “I scored on my debut at Newcastle and set up the winner for John Carew against West Ham.

“I set myself high standards and I want to keep that up.”

So far it seems like he’s on his way to a long and fruitful Premiership career, and as with any ambitious youngster he knows to aim for the best which, in case case, means emulating his Arsenal heroes,

“I watch a lot of players and study their strengths.

“Wrighty was my favourite player and I modelled myself on him, but these days obviously I’m a big fan of Henry.

“It would be nice to think I could combine the best qualities of those two.”

Why yes, that would be nice.

It’s Not Luck, United Deserve To Be Top

New CaughtOffside contributor Ryan has a few reasons why he can’t see past the boys in red as this year’s champions.

9 points clear going into March, “squeaky bum time” as Sir Alex calls it, and the great underachievers of recent domestic years are looking Premiership Champions in all but name. Saturday’s win over a dogged Fulham side left Chelsea, their closest and only genuine rivals for the title playing catch up once more. Mourinho’s platitudes of being “very much in the race” are looking more and more redundant by the week and he’s resorted to his tried-and-tested backup plan - bitter rantings. Injuries, European precedence over the Premier League, and a run of tricky fixtures to come see’s Chelsea as big 2nd favourites. If Mourinho were to drag United back from here, he could genuinely lay claim to being *the* Special One.

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Abramovich Throws Strop, Storm Clouds Loom

Bit of interesting from the reliable folks at The Sun, as the Abramovich-versus-everyone row picks up steam.

Up till now, Mourinho has been making sure his arse is covered in the event of any public spat while Abramovich maintained a rather suspicious silence when it came to the future of the popular Chelsea boss. But after the club’s League Cup win over Arsenal, apparently Abramovich didn’t even bother to congratulate the players let alone turn up for any post-match festivities.

An excerpt from the article,

SunSport revealed yesterday he missed the dressing room celebrations in Cardiff and then the victory party on Sunday at a London nightclub.

San Lorenzo reservations were made for 90 people. Everyone from Abramovich to Mourinho, the players, their wives, the backroom staff and those in charge of washing the team kit was invited.

Yet Abramovich, who flew back to London from Cardiff on Sunday evening, opted to head for Moscow on Monday afternoon — a decision that left Mourinho and his squad increasingly bemused by his decision to abandon them.

Club sources believe owner Abramovich wants to avoid a confrontation with Mourinho over the manager’s future.

Could be plenty of reasons that Abramovich buggered off as maybe he, unlike most of the country, did not find a rekindled appreciation for the League Cup after Sunday’s thriller. But, if the story is true, we could be in for a spectacular summer given that John Terry and the Chelsea players are already firmly in Mourinho’s stable.

Would be rather fitting for the man who kicked off the Premiership’s megarich-owner era to be the first to pack it in as well.

Latest Transfer Rumours: Deco, Fowler, Samuel, Montella, Alumnia and Kamara

The world of Premiership transfer rumours is full of nonsense, but some nonsense is more interesting that the other nonsense. Here’s our opinion on some of that more interesting nonsense… and if you have any thoughts, pop em in the comments.

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Earn Prizes By Drinking Beer. Seriously.

Have you ever sat in a pub, staring at the dozen odd empty pint glasses on table and thought - “If only my near-alcoholism levels of beer consumption also earned me money to buy great prizes”?

Shockingly, someone out there has decided to fulfill that wish.

Drinking Budweiser is about to become even more rewarding with the launch of Bud Bucks, a virtual currency that gives UK consumers the opportunity to bid, buy or instantly win a massive range of unique prizes ranging from computer games, electrical products and Barclays Premiership football tickets to once-in-a-lifetime experiences, such as ski holidays in the US or a trip to Las Vegas to catch some NHRA drag racing.

400 million bottles and cans of Budweiser will carry a unique code displayed on the packaging which consumers text or email in to claim their Bud Bucks. Every Budweiser has a Bud Bucks value which is totally random, ranging from $5 to $100.

Earning Bud Bucks is easy (drink beer), and spending it is even easier. Just pop over to BudBucks.co.uk and create your own profile. You’ll be able to access your online account by visiting BudBucks.co.uk or via your WAP enabled mobiles to see how many Bud Bucks you’ve built up from those ‘quick pint’ trips to the pub.

And thanks to our friends at Budweiser, CaughtOffside readers get a little head start. Simply enter the secret code ‘TEST123′ and you’ll unlock some free Bud Bucks.

Drinking Budweiser = Bud Bucks = Prizes.

Visit BudBucks.co.uk for more details.

Latest Transfer Rumours: Eto’o, Robinho, Sidwell, Zenden and Juan

The world of Premiership transfer rumours is full of nonsense, but some nonsense is more interesting that the other nonsense. Here’s our opinion on some of that more interesting nonsense… and if you have any thoughts, pop em in the comments.

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Three Things You Learned This Weekend? (Part 27)

Everyone saw the Premiership matches they cared about, and it’s a rather lengthy process trudging through the match reports of every club that matters little to you - especially if you’re still carrying the stench of defeat.

So instead, after every round of matches here’s the chance for everyone to share the three things they learned from the weekend’s Premiership action. A sort of cheatsheet, only with more profanity. To see what folks learned last time, click here.

Here are the weekend’s results as a refresher:

Blackburn 3-0 Portsmouth
Tottenham 4-1 Bolton
Wigan 1-0 Newcastle
Charlton 4-0 West Ham
Fulham 1-2 Man Utd
Liverpool 4-0 Sheff Utd
Middlesbrough 2-1 Reading
Watford 0-3 Everton

Dear Alan Pardew…

Dear Alan,

You have said that you have appreciated the letters and messages that you have had from West Ham fans and so I thought that you might not mind another after our humiliation at your hands on Saturday. I would guess that writing this letter down the black-hole of the internet is less likely to have the zero impact on its intended recipient than the endless encouragement that I and my fellow fans have directed at West Ham players this season has had. The more we sing to them, the more annoyed it seems they all get, especially when Mervyn Day starts pushing them to come over and show some appreciation before scurrying of the pitch to their mutual excuse pact. I still like to think though that you care rather more about our impending relegation than the players wearing the shirt.

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Why Weren’t Fabregas And Lampard Sent Off? (Photos)

Seems like a bit more than a bookable offense and certainly seemed like the two were as involved, if not more involved, than anyone from either Arsenal or Chelsea that was actually red-carded…although there was at least one common theme amongst those that were sent off (Toure, Adebayor, Obi Mikel) and those that weren’t (Fabregas, Lampard), that’s a slightly ginormous can of worms.

And did we mention how great the Carling Cup was?

Three Things The Cup Final Taught You?

After one of the most entertaining Cup finals in ages, with sickening injuries, dramatic goals, brawls and red cards, there’s a little too much to try and evaluate. But kudos goes to Arsenal’s kids and Chelsea’s champions for putting on one hell of a show to put a dying competition back in the limelight.

So to keep things simple, we want to hear the three things you learned from the Carling Cup final.

Here’s ours:

1) Cesc Fabregas is that kid from school who somehow never got cracked despite always escalating volatile situations.

2) Tottenham’s Hossam Ghaly was the only man watching John Terry’s injury who didn’t think it was a big deal.

3) Disappointingly, being sent off after an insane outburst is apparently not enough reason for Henry and Adebayor to do their little dance.

4) (Bonus) Not content with embarrassing himself after a tussle with Wayne Rooney, Emmanuel “My own boss says I dive” Eboue again taking the time to have a go at an opposition player for diving to the point of being booked for it.

Latest Transfer Rumours: Alonso, Messi, Adriano, Suazo and Big Spending Bolton

The world of Premiership transfer rumours is full of nonsense, but some nonsense is more interesting that the other nonsense. Here’s our opinion on some of that more interesting nonsense… and if you have any thoughts, pop em in the comments.

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Is Baptista Worth Keeping?

After playing a massive part in Arsenal’s run to Sunday’s Carling Cup final, putting away six goals in two matches, Julio Baptista will be hoping he can put his talents on show again and secure a permanent move to the Emirates at the end of the season,

“I think I’ve shown what I’m capable of and now it’s the decision of the club,” he said.

“It’s all quite complicated and I’m not trying to get involved at all but my agent is coming here in the next month and will begin all the negotiations.”

He added: “This is the competition I’m having most opportunity, it’s the one in which Arsene Wenger is really giving me a chance, the only one where I’ve been able to show how I am able to play.

“It has been very important, as much as anything for my own self-confidence, for showing that I can really do it and that when I’m needed I can do the business.

And unlike his exchange-student counterpart Jose Reyes, who moaned incessantly about his club, country and league, and is still moaning his bloody bollocks off in Spain, the Brazilian actually likes London. So Baptista is probably worth keeping for team harmony alone. But he has certainly shown, albeit inconsistently, the sort of play that merited his “Beast” moniker and the directness in his play that Arsenal sometimes lack. His Premiership form has been a bit pants, but as the armchair experts like to say “it takes a year to settle”.

So has Baptista done enough, on and off the pitch, to warrant a permanent contract?

Old Firm Doing Scottish Football Proud

Craig continues our Scottish Premiership coverage with a bit of applause for the Old Firm on their European tour.

Rangers and Celtic were both in European action this week – and both were successful in different ways.

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Latest Transfer Rumours: Bramble, Smith, Trezeguet, Downing, Toure and Fowler

The world of Premiership transfer rumours is full of nonsense, but some nonsense is more interesting that the other nonsense. Here’s our opinion on some of that more interesting nonsense… and if you have any thoughts, pop em in the comments.

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Benitez’ Job Continues To Survive Off European Success

From The Terraces publishes UNEDITED submissions we receive from you, the readers. It’s your chance to show us how this football blogging is done right, or to embarrass yourself and your ancestors.

Simply write to: editor[at]caughtoffside[dot]com.

This time, COS reader Ryan details Liverpool’s critic/media/pundit/comedian silencing win over Barcelona.

A truly monumental result that won’t just stand the test of time, augur encouragingly for the rest of once-ridiculed season, but is now certain to extend Rafa Benitez’s helm as manager. 4 months ago the talk was of how long the success of Istanbul ’05 had granted him, tonight’s result endows another year onto his stay regardless of where and how we finish the 07/08 season. Whether Benitez truly can take us to the ‘next level’ in domestic competition is still very much in the lap of the Gods, what can’t be argued though is his indefatigability in European competition. Make no mistake, tonight’s result was massive. It furthered exemplified his ‘comfortability’ on the European stage, that he can negate Barcelona’s myriad of talent on the pitch, completely outwit Rijkaard, his Barcelona compatriot off it, all doing so 10 days after being baffled by Glenn fucking Roeder at St James Park.

Rubbish and inferior at home, yet masterful and all-conquering every year in Europe, this Liverpool team is Ireland at the Eurovision Song Contest. Tellingly though, it takes a flight out of England, for us to turn into a ‘team’. The complete over-reliance on our better players to pull us out of holes in the Premier League, is met by a solid, unified, team ethic when faced with adversity in the Champions League. It wasn’t individuals, defending, or Steven Gerrard that beat Barcelona tonight, but a disciplined, well-set-out unit that frustrated the current European Champions and left us all wondering why it couldn’t be like this so often. And baffled as to how such team bonding can stem from the previous week’s disruptions on the Algarve.

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