Derby boss fired up after derogatory Reading comments
May 9, 2008
What happens when a team who have won just one home match all season come up against a side who have won one away match in the league this term? All will become clear at Pride Park on Sunday, when Derby host Reading in a match which the visitors need to win if they’re to stay in the Premier League.
The Press Association reports that County boss Paul Jewell is far from happy with some of the comments made by Royals assistant manager Kevin Dillon ahead of the match. The latter has said the following.
“Let’s put it this way, if we can’t beat Derby, it will be hard to take.”
However, the fiery Scouser has not taken these comments lying down and Reading probably could have done without indirectly motivating a team who might otherwise have gone through the motions instead at the weekend.
“Kevin Dillon’s comments lack tact. You would think Reading had been playing Champions League all these seasons instead of down in the Championship and the Second Division where Derby and Wigan also came from.
“At Derby this year we’ve been sneered at, we’ve been laughed at, we’ve been ridiculed and I can accept it after the season we’ve had - but for Reading to say things like that is not right.
“The lads have been speaking about it and if I was Reading, who do you want to come to last game of the season? A side that have won once at home all season - but it’s a dangerous game they’re playing,” Jewell added.
Can Derby go out with a bang and drag Reading into the Championship with them? It doesn’t bode well for Steve Coppell’s men, who have failed to score in their past six matches and will be relegated if Fulham win at Portsmouth anyway. Just what is going to happen at Pride Park on Sunday?
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Portsmouth gaffer makes the right noises against Fulham - but surely his team have an eye on the cup?
May 5, 2008
After all, his team looked pretty pretty shabby against Middlesbrough on Saturday, another team who looked like they needed the points more than Pompey. Sky Sports reports that Harry Redknapp is adamant that his team aren’t going to go through the motions against Fulham, alhough exactly how heartening that is for fans of Birmingham and Reading remains to be seen.
Redknapp told Sky Sports: “I will field a full strength side as I owe that to other people in a relegation battle.
“I wouldn’t do that - it is not fair, I wouldn’t want someone to do that to me so I won’t be doing that.
“It will be a tough game against Fulham. I know some people say you have to look after yourself maybe, and if I get injuries they will say I shouldn’t have done it but next week I will be putting out as good a team as I can field.
“They have had a flyer, they have done what we did two years go - everyone wrote us off and everyone wrote Fulham off and now they are right back in the race and it will be a very difficult game again next week but I will make sure we are up for that game - I will make sure of that.”
In a way, fielding a full-strength team may be to Fulham’s advantage anyway. After all, if Redknapp played a bunch of fringe players, they might be more likely to play their socks off in an attempt to get into the reckoning for the Wembley final against Cardiff. Perhaps the first-teamers will be more likely to shun a few tough challenges and make sure they are fit for one of the biggest games of their footballing career.
Fulham, Birmingham, Bolton and Reading - who are your picks to ‘go down with the Derby’
May 2, 2008
There’s an almighty scrap at the top of the Championship to determine who will be playing Premier League football next season, which teams will the likes of West Brom and Stoke City be replacing? The bookmakers still don’t give Fulham much of a chance, despite their heroic comeback at Manchester City last weekend. A victory against fellow-strugglers Birmingham on Saturday would mean that their top flight safety could potentially be in their own hands!
Surely Reading fans are a touch on the concerned side, considering their team’s inability to score, let alone win a game. OK, so they managed a creditable 0-0 draw at Wigan last weekend, although the decision to bring back Leroy Lita from his loan spell at Charlton smacked of desperation, while the Daily Mirror report tension in the camp ahead of Saturday’s game against Spurs. The Royals record signing won’t play for his ’stupid team’ anymore apparently.
“It is not clever at all to suspend your own players, it is stupid,” said the 24-year-old. “The sanction is heavy - two weeks!
“I cannot understand their attitude. I refused to play with the reserves and they said: ‘Okay let us meet on Thursday’.
“But in the meantime I received a letter saying I am axed.
“They are not courageous enough to tell me things in the eyes, man to man, in five minutes.
“I am an adult, I can recognise when I make mistakes. I can also admit to people when I am wrong. The team needs all their players for the last two games.
“For sure my future is not with Reading.”
Not exactly what you need when you’re teetering on the edge of the drop zone, although perhaps this will galvanise the rest of the Reading squad, who face a last-day trip to Derby after the weekend game against Spurs. Bolton are in action at home to Sunderland and will at least have the comfort of the Black Cats having nothing to play for after their 3-2 win over Middlesbrough last weekend.
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?
Will Fulham pull off great escape at expense of Bolton, Birmingham or Reading?
April 27, 2008
Despite an impressive 3-2 win at Manchester City, the bookmakers still expect Fulham to go ‘down with the Derby’ this season. However, the fact that they still have a chance of survival is pretty amazing when you consider that they were several points adrift of safety a couple of months ago.
A draw at Blackburn on 8th March seemed to provide the required confidence for the team to go on and record victories at home to Everton, away at Reading and now at Eastlands on Saturday. With Birmingham the visitors to Craven Cottage next weekend, retaining their Premier League status is a definite possibility, with the BBC reporting that manager Roy Hodgson now believes.
“It was a splendid victory for us, one we so badly needed.
“It looked bleak at half-time, and we had a mountain to climb - we didn’t deserve to be losing. But we did it.
“At 0-2 I honestly thought we weren’t out of it. I never lost hope, but to win it was extraordinary. We’ve given ourselves a chance now.”
It’s likely that they’ll need to beat the Blues to give themselves any chance of climbing out of the drop zone. They then face a tricky last game of the season at Portsmouth, although they’ll hope that Pompey have one eye on the FA Cup by this stage and perhaps lack motivation or even rest key players.
Fulham v Liverpool: The REAL player ratings!
April 22, 2008
Yes you saw the game, and now it’s your turn to say it as you saw it! Who had a ‘mare’ and who was on the money? You decided with our lovely cut and paste thingy!
See below the line-ups, then simply give your personal rating for each player and cut and paste the whole thing into the comments box. Then see how your fellow fans scored the game.
Fulham
Keller
Stalteri
Hughes
Hangeland
Konchesky
Davies
Bullard
Murphy
(Andreasen)
Dempsey
Healy
(Nevland)
McBride
(Kamara)
Liverpool
Reina
Finnan
Skrtel
Hyypia
(Carragher)
Riise
Pennant
Lucas
Mascherano
(Alonso)
Benayoun
Voronin
(Aurelio)
Crouch
Liverpool manager looking to sue Warnock
April 20, 2008
If you ask most people in football whether they like Neil Warnock, the answer is no. The current Crystal Palace manager seems to find it easier to make enemies rather than friends, which is a shame as he’s actually a very nice bloke when you get to know him. The Guardian reports that Rafael Benitez has consulted his lawyer after the former Sheffield United boss questioned the Liverpool manager’s integrity in a recent newspaper column.
Benítez bristled at a question about Warnock’s comments and said: ‘Somebody told me [about them]. We knew he was bad as a manager and prehistoric, but we didn’t know he was a person like this. I will speak to my lawyer. We don’t need to waste time with him.’
It’s clear that Warnock is still bitter about the Blades’ relegation last season on the final day of the season. One of their relegation rivals was Fulham, who achieved a 1-0 win over a weakened Reds team. However, Benitez was not the first and certainly won’t be the last manager to do this when there are crucial games on the horizon. And anyhow, what exactly constitutes a weakened team when you have two players for every position anyway?
What team will Liverpool field at Fulham?
April 14, 2008
Will the names of F Torres and S Gerrard make it on to the teamsheet for the match at Craven Cottage on Saturday? With Liverpool playing Chelsea in the Champions League only days later, it’s clear that Rafael Benitez will make some alterations to his team, which is likely to include resting the likes of the above for the crunch clash with the Blues.
The Daily Telegraph report that Fulham and their midfielder Danny Murphy are hoping for a few favours from the Reds, something which is always controversial with other managers in charge of struggling teams.
“I will speak to the boys this week and hopefully Stevie Gerrard, Torres and a few of the others will stay at home,” joked Fulham’s former Liverpool midfield player, Danny Murphy, on Saturday.”
You may recall that at this stage last season, Liverpool played a number of second string players and it looks like it could be a case of history repeating. Fulham know that only victory will do if they are to stand any chance of staying in the Premier League this season, with the bookmakers making them strong odds-on to go down with Derby.
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?
Soon to be Ex-Tottenham man pretends he is happy
April 10, 2008
Spurs former player Paul Stalteri wasn’t bad as such but clearly wasn’t adding anything to the side and he was moved on to pastures new, and now he seems to be doing a very half hearted job of pretending that he made the right choice, when in fact he a) had no say in the matter and b) can’t be too happy about the prospect of trips to Blackpool and Carlisle!
Tottenham defender Paul Stalteri has no regrets over his loan switch to Fulham in January.
He said “I came into the Club not knowing too much but I can’t speak highly enough or praise the fans enough for their support both on the road and at Craven Cottage. They’ve been fantastic and right behind us. There’s that many coming to Reading and the finally deserve a win away from home. It would be a big step for us if we can do that.” (fulhamfc.com)
In all seriousness I am sure all White Hart Lane fans wish him well and Fulham may be a good place to sign permanently, as backed with tons of money and probably without Roy Hodgson at the helm, they should bounce straight back to the Premier League.
Liverpool, Everton and Spurs do battle for teenage midfielder who could be a star in the making
April 9, 2008
Having already been sought after for a couple of years now it seems that Dundee’s young star is moving ever nearer to a move down south.
Liverpool, Spurs and Everton are among Premiership clubs following 19 year-old whizkid Kevin McDonald and Dundee manager Alex Rae said of the possibility of a move away from Dens Park: “I don’t think it’s in Kevin’s interests to sit in the reserves somewhere, having already played at a good level. I was nearly 21 when I went to England and there’s no doubt that another year of experience at Falkirk helped me cope with it much better.” (various)
McDonald has already amassed near on 100 appearances in Scotland and has already been capped at under 21 level and it seems it won’ t be long before he is tempted to give it a shot in the Premier League but former Millwall man Rae makes a good point with regards to being left in any of these top sides reserve teams. Maybe signing the player and then loaning him back would make most sense, until Kevin is ready to compete with the large amounts of talent at the three clubs mentioned?
Bolton defender tries to convince himself that shunning Birmingham was a good move
April 8, 2008
Birmingham City thought they had the transfer in the bag. Gary Cahill appeared to be on the verge of making the short journey from Villa Park to St Andrews during the January transfer window, thereby bolstering the Blues defensive line-up for the relegation scrap. However, the centre half instead plumped for Bolton (maybe it was the lure of European football?) and has been part of a Trotters team without a league win in seven matches.
Nevertheless, according to the Manchester Evening News, the player has no regrets about signing for a team who are looking nailed-on to drop into the Championship. He’s even claiming that his transfer was not a bad decision as he’s improved as a player. Clearly not enough to help steer his team away from the drop zone.
“I’d be devastated if we went down because I’m happy and settled here. Everyone wants to play in the Premiership and I’m no exception.
“I’m not looking at it as a bad decision. I’ve improved as a player.
“I needed regular football and as long as I keep doing that I might prove a few people wrong.”
Is this his way of saying that if the team get relegated, he will be on the look-out for a new Premier League club? Surely that’s the central reason why players want to stay in the Premier League, especially if they’re getting a shoeing every match. After all, some fans of Derby and Fulham might even enjoy next season when they’re seeing their team win more matches than lose.
Bolton striker: ‘It’s a good time to be playing Arsenal’
March 27, 2008
Forty-one points seperate Arsenal and Bolton Wanderers in the Premier League table, yet it’s hard to be too confident about Arsenal’s chances of victory at the Reebok on Saturday. While it’s clear that they’ve had a fantastic season, the Gunners have clearly tailed off in recent weeks, with no wins from their last five league games. The Trotters are also scrapping for survival at the foot of the table and Sky Sports reports that striker Kevin Davies has identified the weekend match as one that they can win.
“They have stuttered a little bit and I think it’s a good time to be playing them,” he said.
“Hopefully, we can get a full house and , with the fans behind us, lift our game and get the result we need.
“Arsenal are a team we’ve got results against in the past and this is the one we’re obviously looking forward to now.
“We always seem to raise our game against the big boys.”
Indeed, Bolton have beaten Arsenal three times in the past two seasons and will also be aware that Wenger’s team have an important Champions League date with Liverpool on the horizon. Will they effectively end the North London club’s title dreams on Saturday, leaving the Gunners to focus on Europe? This match is sure to go a long way in deciding who eventually wins the league and which team will be relegated with Fulham and Derby.
King Kev: I am not a clueless git!
March 22, 2008
Kevin Keegan today wildly lashed out at his critics like a Toon King Lear, and you have to be sorry for the man. Since he has taken over he has been bashed left right and centre, and yet he continues on with his ‘plans’ for Newcastle taking more hits than Rocky Balboa.
One of the main pieces of information that the press used to string KK up with was the fact that after he took the Toon hotseat he admitted that he hadn’t seen a live game since 2005 - and after months of press chortling about this KK has hit back:
“I don’t think being out of the game has had an effect. Yet until we win a game, people can fire anything at you.
“You should do a survey among managers who go to live games. Ask Arsene Wenger how many live games he watches. It would be interesting. I don’t know but I watched an awful lot of TV.
“I knew all about the players here obviously, I knew all about the players at Liverpool, Chelsea, Arsenal.
“There are the odd one or two — Wigan and places like that — when you do your homework a little bit more.There is no lack of knowledge and I have tremendous knowledge around me as well so I don’t think it matters.”
With fellow basement scrappers Fulham playing the Toon today, Kev has a great chance to get the press off his back and get his hands on the Holy Grail of three points.
Three points for Newcastle and they’re safe
March 21, 2008
Around this time of the season, there’s usually talk of teams reaching the magic 40 point mark to ensure Premier League safety for another season. However, considering fourth-bottom team Sunderland sit on 27 points with eight matches remaining, the required total is going to be far lower this term.
That will come as a welcome relief to many of the teams down there, including Newcastle United who haven’t won a game for three months but are still four points clear of the drop zone. Victory against Fulham on Saturday and they can essentially start planning for next season’s campaign in the top flight, although Sporting Life reports that Kevin Keegan is still taking nothing for granted.
He said: “You know me, but you have got to understand there are times when you need to be cavalier, and there are times when you cannot afford to be in this division.
“Even last time (he was Newcastle manager), despite what people say, we still went away and got drab 0-0 draws - not many, I think one, but we did get them, and a couple of 1-1s where we shut shop up. We could do that.”
The Toon Army must have been heartened by their team’s 1-1 draw at St Andrews, especially a second-half performance which could have seen them win the match. Can the Magpies rise to the occasion against the Cottagers and put their opponents firmly in the relegation mire?
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