Posted on December 16th, 2009 by David
 Many people and clubs involved in the Premier League are up to arms about Wolverhampton Wanderers team selection when they faced Manchester United at old trafford last night.
The Wolves team that Mick McCarthy sent out to play against the champions was largely second choice players; in contrast to United’s team sheet which was almost all regular first team players.
Predictably Manchester won the game easily and went joint top of the league leaving many other clubs with a bitter taste; seeing points gifted to their competitors.
Personally I can not see what all the fuss is about. McCarthy made a pretty understandable decision. He has two games in one week, one against United in which they would be very unlikely to get any points no matter which team they put out, and another match against Burnley. So he has rested his key players to increases his chances in an already winnable match against Burnley.
This seems to make sense from Wolves point of view, and it just seems so crazy that the Premier League would try to force managers to make strategic decision not based on how it will affect their own team, but how it could affect position battles between other teams in the league…
I do feel for the fans who had traveled to see essentially a reserves team line up, but any true fan it going to want to see their team avoid relegation gather than be “entertained” for the one game they’ve traveled to.
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Posted on October 26th, 2009 by David
 It was a huge match on Sunday when Manchester United came to face Liverpool at Anfield. If Liverpool won they could save their season, if they lost it would end their title challenge very early in the running.
The most noticeable absentee was the injured Steven Gerrard, and it looked like it could be a difficult game for Liverpool without their iconic skipper. But as soon as the first ball was kicked it was clear that Liverpool were well up for the match.
As you are probably well aware Liverpool ended up winning 2-0 and I won’t go into a detailed match report here, but rather pick out a few things that bothered me.
I think it was a big mistake for Ferguson to play Scholes in the midfield. Scholes is a Manchester United legend, and will always have a place in the heart of the fans, but it’s just the nature of live that players get older and lose their edge. For me ever since last season Scholes has been on a down hill slope, at this point he rarely has a good game. Against Liverpool he got caught on the ball many times and just didn’t seem able to keep up with the play. My biggest surprise was that the normally astute Ferguson did not pick up on this and substitute him out for Anderson or Nani at half time.
Another issue which has started to bother me a lot for the last few matches is Berbatov and his increasingly poor attitude. At this point you see him complaining and have a go at other players whenever Berbatov misplaces a pass or doesn’t get the ball he wants; and not in a constructive way, but more of a blame game. I’m shocked Ferguson has let him get away with it, as his performances just don’t warrant any special treatment. I he doesn’t get his head right Ferguson needs to teach him a lesson and let Machada and Wellbeck have a chance at starting matches.
On a plus side the defense looks a lot stronger with Van Der Saar in the net; with Ben Foster playing I’m sure the score could have been 4 or 5.
Liverpool played very well, and I have to take my hat off to them with the likes of Lucas and Carragher really playing brilliantly after being criticized for recent poor performances.
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Posted on October 21st, 2009 by David
 Over the years Alex Ferguson and Rafa Benitez have had some epic battles both off and on the pitch. Sometimes Rafa has won, sometimes Ferguson, but always Ferguson has come away having the last laugh at the of the season.
This weekend could be the biggest match of them all; a gleaming chance for Ferguson to deliver the final death blow, possibly sealing Benitez’ Premier League demise.
Liverpool are coming off the back of 4 consecutive losses, the worst run in 20 years. This season they have truly become a 2 man team, with Gerrard and Torres just having to do way too much. The knives are out for Rafa in the boardroom and now even the terraces are calling for blood.
At the moment top half of the table is looking a good result for Liverpool, let alone top four.
On the other hand Manchester United are top of the table already, despite often starting the season slowly. They have take the loss of Ronaldo in their stride and kept winning. Also having a 100% record in the Champions League, opposed to Liverpool’s 1 win and 2 losses.
Surely if Manchester United go to Anfield and not only deal Liverpool their 5th straight loss, but also give them a right spanking, which they could well do; it might see Rafa being shown the exit.
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Posted on October 7th, 2009 by David
 This week the Liverpool co-owner George Gillett has come out and put all the blame for Liverpool’s poor start to the season on Rafa Benitez. Saying that Liverpool have spent more money than their competitors but due to bad management by Benitez are failing to challenge for trophies.
Rafa has, more professionally, declined to comment on the situation; but is clearly not happy with the way Gillett has public criticized the Spaniard.
It seems like every season since Hicks and Gillett took over the club there has been bickering between the manager and the owners.
I’m not a big fan of Rafa, he has spent poorly on the wrong players, sold the wrong players, his player rotation policy is often at fault, and his tactics are sometimes overly negative. However I have to side with him on this topic; the owners have no business publicly airing their dirty laundry. If they have a problem with Rafa they should call a meet with Rafa, not call a press conference.
It’s clear that the owners have no loyalty to Liverpool FC and are only looking out for their own interests. They are still looking to sell the club and are trying to make it seem to potentially buyers that the club is in good shape; they are just not winning because of the bad manager.
For all Rafa’s failings the failings of the owners are 10 folder. They said they were going to build a new stadium when they came in…where has that gone? They said they’ve given Rafa more money to spend than other clubs, but where is all that “money”? This summer they sold Alonso, Arbaloa for £35m and bought Aquilani and Johnson for £37.5m (plus some other smaller ins and outs). So that’s a £2.5m transfer budget…? That doesn’t exactly seem like Rafa has been given a lot of cash to work with.
The fact is Gillett and Hicks have come in and borrowed way too much against the club and for a while now have been trying to sneak out the back door. Like rats from a sinking ship they are trying to distance themselves from the lack of achievements at Liverpool.
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Posted on September 29th, 2009 by David
I am back from Singapore after having a great time watching the Grand Prix, well done Lewis Hamilton who ran away with it in the end. I have to recommend Singapore to any travelers out there as it is a fantastic city, great people and excellent food.
 Anyways time to get back to football!
Manchester City have revealed their £32.5million striker, Robinho, is expected to take another 3 weeks to recover from injury.
At first this seems to be very bad news, but this might not necessarily be the case. Robinho was not playing exceptionally well prior to the injury, and Manchester City have been done very well without him.
When he does come back from injury Mark Huge will undoubtedly feel the pressure to get him back into the team. This would likely result in Bellamy or Tevez having to ride the bench; although they have both been playing very well and would definitely be disgruntled by such a move .
Huge may have dodge a team selection bullet for now, but at some point he is going to have to start making difficult decisions as to which big ego he is most willing to rub the wrong way.
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Posted on September 13th, 2009 by David
 Spurs could be accused of getting carried away and allowing their feet to float off the ground after winning their first 4 games of the season. Even the down-to-earth Harry Redknapp came out this week saying his squad was good enough to challenge for the title.
The mangers confidence was illustrated in the way he set out his team, with 3 strikers in Keane, Crouch and Defoe. It’s pretty much unheard of for teams to go at United with 3 strikers, but it paid off immediately with Jermaine Defoe scoring a sublime bicycle kick after only 50 seconds.
Sometimes scoring an early goal can have a negative affect on the scoring team, and that is what happened yesterday, with United galvanized and given a sense of urgency they came back strong and played their way back into the game. Giggs leveled the score with a masterful free kick and Anderson put United ahead before half time with a low shot after a poor clearance.
In the second half Manchester United could have been derailed when Paul Scholes saw two yellow cards in quick succession to take an early shower. The second yellow card seemed quite harsh as Scholes appeared to be pulling out of the tackle, but some times his reputation for terrible tackling precedes him. It did seem a bit unfair seeing as Wilson Palacios had put in at least 5 similar challenges in the first half alone, but still remained on the field.
After the sending off United took off Berbatov and brought on Carrick, they regrouped well with a clear objective of playing on the counter attack. They played excellently and it was only a matter of time before Rooney’s boundless energy as the lone striker earned him a chance; which he used to put the game to bed at 3-1.
This game certainly brought Spurs back down to the ground; they were not just beaten but completely out played, they did not look anywhere near as quality as United. Top four contenders maybe, but title contenders…not yet.
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Posted on September 12th, 2009 by David
 Manchester City have officially announced themselves as at least top four contenders, maybe even title contenders, with their 4-2 win over Arsenal. They have continued their 100% winning record with 4 wins out of 4.
There was no love lost when Adebayor left Arsenal in the summer and headed for Manchester City, and in this game he was keen to prove his previous employers had undervalued his services.
He was a valuable member of the city team in this match, and not only for scoring the 3rd goal, but also for his excellent defensive headers from Arsenal set pieces. With Adebayor and Lescott dominating in the air inside the City box the Gunners did not look a goal threat from corners or free kicks.
However in my opinion the man of the match was Craig Bellamy, with pace to burn and the energy to run for the full 90 minutes, he looks like a big asset for Manchester City. His tracking back and tackling may have gone unnoticed by some, but you can be sure his teammates and manager will be giving him a pat on the back in the locker room. Plus it was his goal which put City 2-1 up, when Arsenal looked like they might go on to win. And his pass which setup Wright-Phillips for the fourth goal.
After Arsenal leveled the game at one all it looked like they would run away with the game, but then City used the magic strategy which always seem to send Arsenal into a tail spin. They started putting in some tough tackles and even a few late challenges and the Gunner were easily shaken.
If Arsene Wenger wants Arsenal to finish in the top four this season he is definately going to have to figure out a way to toughen up his team.
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Posted on August 20th, 2009 by David
 The midweek matches provided some very interesting results. As you can see from my woeful score predictions I was not expecting some of these scores.
Manchester United have been given an early wake up call with a 1-0 defeat to newly promoted Burnley. While there’s not much they could do against the stunning volley by Robbie Blake that put Burnley ahead the fact that they were unable to break down the Clarets defense over 90 minutes is much more concerning. Although Rooney has been psyching himself up all summer to score more goals, he has never been a prolific goal scorer. He is a great player and essential to the United team, but there really needs to be a striker who scores a lot of goals. Michael Owen was supposed to be that striker, but he has yet to find his scoring boots.
Manchester United of course cannot be written off yet, and historically have started seasons with poor results, but Sir Alex needs to rally the troops quickly.
Liverpool put their opening day Tottenham defeat behind them by steamrolling over Stoke City 4-0 at Anfield.
At the moment the hottest looking team is Tottenham; who beat Liverpool at the weekend, and then thrashed Hull at the KC stadium 5-1. They are currently sitting at the top of the table on goal difference. I know it’s still early by I think Spurs could be the surprise package this season. Their results have not been lucky, but excellent performances, and their squad quality looks very deep.
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Posted on August 19th, 2009 by David
 You know finances are tight at Anfield when newly promoted side Burnley are able to out spend them in the transfer market. Burnley have confirmed the signing of Andre Bikey from Reading for a reported fee of around £2.8million.
Meanwhile over in Liverpool, where as demonstrated against Tottenham the defensive squad depth is seriously depleted, Rafa has been given a shocking £1.5million transfer limit. Given the fact that Liverpool have sold a number of players it actually equates to them having no transfer budget at all, only being able to spend funds generated from player sales.
Reportedly Liverpool are about to announce the signing of 30 year old Greek defender Sotirios Kyrgiakos from AEK Athens. I had said Rafa was gambling by bring in Aquilani, but now he really seems to be snatching at straws to fill the gaping whole in his defensive squad.
I think Burnley have made a good move for Bikey, he may not be the best defender, but he has premier league experience, he is powerful and will not be pushed around by any team. He also managed to grab a few clutch goals for Reading when they were in the premier league, and is a good offensive asset for set pieces.
As a Manchester United fan I just can’t help grinning at the news that keeps coming out of Anfield.
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Posted on August 11th, 2009 by David
 The upcoming season looks very bleak for Portsmouth, and many are tipping them to get relegated this time around. They seem to have been in decline ever since their FA Cup win a year and a half ago. It’s difficult to say whether the departure of manager Harry Redknapp caused the problems, or if he was just abandoning a sinking ship.
This summer has seen them in financial turmoil and losing a lot of key players such as Peter Crouch, Glen Johnson and, back in the January transfer window, Jermaine Defoe.
They have now been dealt another big blow with Niko Kranjcar, by far their best player, announcing that he will see out his contract until the end of the summer and then move on. One has to assume that Portsmouth will try and sell Kranjcar during the January transfer window in order to collect a transfer fee while he is still under contract.
I think Pompey will really struggle this season, but if the new owners could grab a few new signings before the end of summer they may be able to turn things around.
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