Wigan v Manchester United, Chelsea v Bolton, Birmingham v Blackburn - which game will you be watching?
May 6, 2008
It’s possible that Sky may have missed a trick by not showing Portsmouth v Fulham on Sunday, especially as the Cottagers’ chances of survival (along with Birmingham and Reading’s) rest in their own hands. However, the Sky Sports website reveals that they’ll be televising the matches from the JJB Stadium, Stamford Bridge and St Andrews instead - which game will you be watching?
Sunday’s title showdown is in danger of being a complete anti-climax, especially if Manchester United tear into Wigan from the off as they did against West Ham last Saturday. The ITV website reports that Michael Ballack expects the Latics to put up a decent fight, although it was only a fortnight ago that Steve Bruce was reporting a smooth operator that goes by the name of Sir Alex Ferguson had been calling him up.
“The pressure is on and I hope Wigan are proud enough to give everything in the last game and we have to beat Bolton.
“United have everything in their hands, but we are relaxed now. We did our job. We will give everything to beat Bolton at home and we will see what they do.”
Goodness me, the German captain is really getting into this fighting talk malarkey. One minute he was out of favour with Mourinho, now he’s leading the calls for United’s opposition to give it their best shot! Let’s also hope that the Wanderers play with pride at the Bridge after essentially guaranteeing their Premier League safety against Sunderland.
The match being televised at St Andrews could also be pretty dull, although the Sky cameras are likely to have some gratuitous shots of football fans in tears, with Birmingham extremely likely to be relegated after their 2-0 defeat at Fulham. Watch out for small children sobbing their hearts out - and a few grown men too!
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Liverpool after FIVE brits for £65m: Rafa finds two good homegrown talents worth bidding for!
April 30, 2008
Rafa Benitez has been linked with a raft of British talents, from current internationals to up and coming hot prospects.
Gareth Barry (Aston Villa) £15 rated - The Mirror says there is increasing optimism at Anfield that the chance of playing Champions League football next season will be the key to luring Barry to Merseyside from Aston Villa in the summer.
Aaron Ramsey (Cardiff City) £4m rated - Ramsey is lighting up the Bluebirds side and has already been linked with big money moves to Liverpool, Chelsea and Manchester United. (various)
David Bentley (Blackburn Rovers) £20 rated - According to reports in the The Express, Liverpool want to sign Blackburn Rovers midfielder David Bentley.
Aaron Lennon (Tottenham) £12 rated - The Daily Mail reports today that Liverpool will compete with Newcastle for the signing of Aaron Lennon.
Michael Johnson (Manchester City) £14 rated - Liverpool are a step closer to landing Manchester City midfielder Michael Johnson.
The Sun says Johnson is considering his future at Eastlands over the way manager Sven Goran Eriksson has been treated.
Of these five I think that realistically Rafa would only really be interested in Michael Johnson, a great prospect, and Gareth Barry, at his peak. The others are either not needed because Liverpool has plenty of talent in their given position or is just not really worth considering as a potential Liverpool player. Who out of these five would Anfield fans really like to see in a Liverpool shirt?
Spurs strong favourites to land £20m midfielder: Ramos is far to clever to make this mistake!
April 30, 2008
Reports have emerged suggesting that Tottenham are now the club most likely to procure David Bentley from Blackburn…I think not!
Spurs boss Juande Ramos is determined to win the race to sign England’s emerging star David Bentley, who is ready to quit Blackburn in the summer, and the north London side are apparently favourites to beat Liverpool to sign the England international.
Although manager Mark Hughes has said recently that he expects Bentley to stay at Rovers it is thought that the lure of a return to London could prove too much for the young midfielder. (Express)
Given Juande’s recent intelligent capture of Luka Modric for a club record fee I find it very hard to believe that the Spaniard would spend a huge wad of Daniel Levy’s money on a player who could prove more hassle than he’s worth.
Liverpool want £12m Premier League striker: Would work very well with Torres!
April 30, 2008
Rafa Benitez has been linked with just about everyone and it was only a matter of time before this hot shot was going to appear the radar
Manchester United and Liverpool are set to do battle for Blackburn Rovers striker Roque Santa Cruz come the opening of the summer transfer window. (various)
It is believed both will make bids in the region of £12 million.
Santa Cruz has been one of the buys of the season and even though he has apparently committed himself to the Ewood Park outfit could he really turn down a move to a Champions League side? Surely a better buy than David Bentley! Would Liverpool fans welcome such a bid? Is there anything to this rumour or do you think it’s mere paper talk?
Liverpool after £30m midfield pair: One GREAT buy, One BAD buy!
April 29, 2008
It does seem from comments from Rafa and the incessant speculation in the press that Benitez is keen to bring in British talent to Anfield. Some say this is mainly due to the potential rule changes that could stipulate the need for a certain amount of homegrown players who knows, either way it
There is also increasing optimism at Anfield that the chance of playing Champions League football next season will be the key to luring Gareth Barry to Anfield (The Mirror)
The burgeoning rivalry between Chelsea and Liverpool could spill over into the transfer market this summer with the London club preparing to move for David Bentley (The Times)
In case you’re wondering, I consider Gareth Barry to be potentially a great buy and Bentley to be a potentially very bad one. Both players values seem to fluctuate but are around £15m each and to be honest I think forking out that much for the Blackburn man would be an error of judgment I wouldn’t think Rafa would make. However talk of Barry’s potential move to Anfield seems more realistic. I really can’t see the England midfielder, who is having his best season yet, moving to Chelsea where many a English midfielder has failed (Sidwell and Parker being two obvious examples). Who do Liverpool fans feel would be the better investment?
Do you agree with PFA Team of the Season?
April 28, 2008
Especially the decision to not include a single Chelsea player in the line-up? After all, this is a team which could still quite feasibly win the Premier League title, while they are favourites to beat Liverpool and make it to the Champions League final.
Team: James (Portsmouth); Sagna (Arsenal), Ferdinand, Vidic (Man U), Clichy (Arsenal); Ronaldo (Man U), Gerrard (Liverpool), Fabregas (Arsenal), Young (Villa); Adebayor (Arsenal), Torres (Liverpool).
Are there any glaring omissions from the XI selected? Naturally, these things are always subjective, although it’s difficult to argue that any of the above haven’t stood out for their teams this season. Chelsea’s Frank Lampard and John Terry might have had more of a look-in if they hadn’t been injured for chunks of the season, while the likes of Joleon Lescott, Gareth Barry and Glen Johnson have all performed extremely well for their respective clubs.
Who would feature in your team of the season?
Spurs plan £10m raid for wonder winger!
April 27, 2008
Tottenham’s season is beginning to stutter to a conclusion, one win in eight, and Juande Ramos already planning a big shake up in the summer apparently, and here is the latest target on his shopping list!
£10m valued Celtic winger Aiden McGeady is on the shopping list of Tottenham boss Juande Ramos.
McGeady is one of Ramos’ many summer transfer targets. (The Mirror)
The 22 year old Glaswegian is a top class player who appears to be angling for a move to the Premier League but the Bhoys will not be keen to sell their hottest prospect but will they be able to prevent the Scottish international from leaving? Do Celtic fans think they will keep the PFA player of the year and do Spurs fans like the idea of such a signing?
Liverpool continue to chase £20m man - but why?
April 27, 2008
It seems that Rafa Benitez is still supposedly keen on Blackburn midfield maestro David Bentley - but it appears that Mark Hughes isn’t too keen on letting him go.
Blackburn boss Mark Hughes would rather let David Bentley rot in the reserves than sell him to Liverpool in the summer. (News of the World)
You can hardly blame Sparky, the way the former Arsenal man has carried himself has been pretty poor. He is engineering an exit from Ewood Park by dropping hints about wanting to play as a ‘higher’ level and ‘fulfil’ his potential, which is code for “I want more money and think I am bigger than this club”.
Rovers fans should be very annoyed by the situation but it does seem more than likely Bentley will not be a Blackburn player for much longer. But is he really worth £20m?
Liverpool and Spurs move nearer to £20m star who should be avoided!
April 24, 2008
It’s not that I don’t rate the 23 year old former Arsenal man I just see the price tag associated with the Blackburn man to be hugely inflated but nonetheless once again the England man is being chased!
The race for David Bentley is hotting up and the £20m rated Blackburn midfielder looks certain to spark a bidding war between Tottenham and Liverpool (Express)
He has had a good season for sure but I simply don’t see what all the fuss is about. There are countless other midfielders who are more worthy of such a price tag and then of course there have been questions about his attitude. Do Spurs and Liverpool fans think he is worth taking the risk on?
Are Manchester United legends deserving of fan criticism?
April 22, 2008
It’s clear that Paul Scholes and Ryan Giggs are coming to the end of their illustrious careers at Manchester United. Between them, they’ve won a veritable stack of silverware and will rightly go down as legends at Old Trafford. Both still have a part to play this season, although some Red Devils fans have been critical of their recent performances, especially Giggs according to The Sun. It seems as though a minority are singling him out, despite the champions’ recent impressive form.
Giggs, 34, said: “Getting criticism is part of being a Manchester United player. It doesn’t bother me.
“I don’t know why I’m singled out. Maybe it’s because I’ve been around so long.
“But the one person I have to impress is the manager — and while he is picking me, I know I am good enough.”
Sir Alex Ferguson has also been criticised for letting sentimentality get in the way of team selection. Many argue that the likes of Nani and Anderson are far more effective than Scholes and Giggs these days, although you can’t question the latter pair’s experience at this stage of the season, while Scholes also played an influential role in helping the team secure a point at Blackburn on Saturday.
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Manchester United manager wrong to tag Arsenal match as ‘best of the year’
April 14, 2008
At Old Trafford on Sunday, one team played some outstanding football and the other team won the match. Once again, Arsenal passed the ball sublimely, hounded Manchester United when they didn’t have the ball and were generally superior to their opponents. However, it’s goals that win matches and the Gunners’ inability to put the game out of sight always meant the Red Devils would have an opportunity to force themselves back into it.
The Guardian reports that Sir Alex Ferguson is after two more wins, which he thinks will be enough to retain their Premier League crown. Nevertheless, his statement that Sunday’s match was the ‘best of the year’ is a plain-faced lie, unless he means it was the best performance by a visiting team at Old Trafford this season. The Guardian reports the following.
“You couldn’t ask for more from a team than Arsenal produced. They have given their biggest effort and we have still managed to win it. I watched the Liverpool versus Arsenal game on Tuesday and it was absolutely fantastic but the quality of this game was even more outstanding. There will not be a better game this year.”
It must have been a quiet journey home for striker Emmanuel Adebayor who, despite scoring the opener, missed a series of chances which would surely have kept Arsenal’s title dreams alive for at least a little longer. Quite simply, Manchester United rode their luck on Sunday and were clinical when it mattered. However, did they realy look like the best team in the land yesterday, especially with a distinct inability to score from open play.
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Who is your PFA player and young player of the year?
April 14, 2008
It’s likely that Cristiano Ronaldo will win both awards this season, but who else do you think deserves recognition for their outstanding performances? Surely David James is currently playing the best football of his career at Fratton Park and is a central reason why they stand on the verge of winning the FA Cup and a top six finish in the Premier League?
What about Fernando Torres? He’s been pretty pretty good throughout his first season in English football, ever since he turned Tal Ben Haim for Liverpool’s opener against Chelsea in August. The Guardian reveal the nominees for both awards:
Gordon Taylor, the PFA chief executive, yesterday paid tribute to each nominee in his association’s two categories. Of Ronaldo he said: “The debate about whether he’s as good as George Best will go on and on but for him to have broken George’s goalscoring record from a wide position is phenomenal.”
Taylor also had unstinting praise for Torres: “There have been many great Liverpool No9s down the years and he has carried on the tradition this season, responding brilliantly to what was a massive challenge. All of which speaks volumes about his strength of character as well as his ability.”
On the subject of James, Taylor said: “It is a tribute to David that goalkeepers are rarely nominated but he fully deserves to join the elite list because he continues to be a top-class keeper - the most consistent in the Premier League this season - and an excellent role model.”
Player of the year
Cristiano Ronaldo Man Utd
Fernando Torres Liverpool
Steven Gerrard Liverpool
Emmanual Adebayor Arsenal
Cesc Fábregas Arsenal
David James Portsmouth
Young player
Ronaldo
Torres
Adebayor
Gabriel Agbonlahor Aston Villa
Ashley Young Aston Villa
Micah Richards Manchester City
Are there any glaring ommissions from the list? Micah Richards aside, there’s a distinct lack of defenders in the list. Richard Dunne has played out of his skin for Manchester City this season, while Nemanja Vidic has also been excellent for United. What do you think?
Blackburn and ex-Arsenal winger reveals gambling habit
April 10, 2008
David Bentley likes to talk. Whether it’s to snub the England Under-21’s, talk up the chances of him leaving Blackburn or telling Theo Walcott to leave Arsenal, the boy will speak his mind. The Daily Mail are today reporting that the England winger has been sounding off again, this time about a nasty gambling problem he had while at Arsenal.
“I was betting on anything. It starts off with pounds, then it’s a hundred, then it’s thousands. You start off wanting to win £100 and then it’s £100,000.”
He said: “I was 14 when I first went into a betting shop. I used to go with a few of my mates at first and with our dads as well. It was when I started earning more that I started to get really heavily into it. I was addicted to everything — horses, dogs, online poker and the American sports.
“I would wake up in the morning and the first thing I would think about would be to have a bet rather than play football. All I wanted was to have a bet.”
This is not the first instance of footballers getting hooked on gambling. Indeed, with so much spare time on their hands, it’s little wonder that so many develop addictions to booze, drugs and betting. What’s the odds on Mr Bentley leaving Ewood Park in the summer for pastures new? If rumours are to be believed, it’s looking like an odds-on chance right now.
It’s Liverpool or Spurs, as £12m midfield maestro weighs up his options
April 7, 2008
The race is on for Blackburn’s assist making, cross curling, free kick hitting former Arsenal man David Bentley. It seems a certainty that his Ewood Park days are on the wane and now apparently it’s a two horse race to clinch the England international.
Tottenham boss Juande Ramos wants to bring Blackburn Rovers winger David Bentley but faces stiff competition from Liverpool who are keen to add more creativity to their midfield.
Spurs football chief Damien Comolli is determined to win the race for Bentley. (The Express)
It’s almost as though Bentley is beginning to slowly burn his bridges at Blackburn, a series of quotes, either taken out of context or not, seem to suggest that the ambitious (possibly too ambitious, if there is such a thing) talent really will be on his way in the summer in search of what he might perceive as a ‘bigger’ club. The general consensus from message boards and fans I have met suggests that Rovers fans have had enough of Bentley are more than happy to wisely invest the fee they receive for the 23 year old.
Could Spurs be interested in £30m Blackburn Rovers trio? or is it just paper talk!
April 6, 2008
Spurs took a point at Blackburn yesterday but could that point end up costing Mark Hughes a lot more? Apparently European football, or the lack of it, could lead three of Rovers top stars to consider their future and by taking points off their Lancashire opponents they could have also laid the way for a possible signing or three!
David Bentley, the England midfield player, Benni McCarthy, the South Africa striker, and Morten Gamst Pedersen, the Norway winger, are in talks over new contracts, but it remains to be seen whether they can be persuaded to stay in the longer term if there is no European football on offer next season. (The Times) and this has led to a number of clubs monitoring the situation at Ewood Park with a view to poaching any potential unhappy squad members, these include Newcastle, Spurs and Middlesbrough.
Talking of David Bentley, clearly he has a fan in Tottenham midfielder Tom Huddlestone.
“I played a few games with him at Under-21 level, he’s a quality player, technically gifted with both feet and he works hard as well, so that’s the ideal combination, Technically he’s one of the best players in the league, he’s showed in the last few seasons that his delivery is one of the best as well and this season he’s chipping in with a few more goals and that can only help his international prospects.” (Spurs official website)
Whilst it’s true that all three might be an unlikely swoop, two of these stars have been said to be in the sights of Tottenham for some time. David Bentley and Morten Gamst Pedersen have been on the radar, according to the tabloids, for some time. And Benni McCarthy has also been linked with White Hart Lane in the past. Who of these three would Spurs fans welcome and who of these three would Blackburn absolutely hate to lose? I guess with the resurgence of ‘buy of the season’ Roque Santa Cruz, they could afford to let Benni go, but what about the two assist machines?
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