Archive | April, 2009
Serie A to break away, Manchester United fans petition for Tevez signing, Soccerlens interviews American keeper Hope Solo, and more
Those of you who frequent the Soccerlens forums are no doubt familiar with Ivor Irwin, a.k.a bobotonto on the forums. Ivor has contributed to SL, and he also has his own blog, where you can find an excellent interview with English Brazilian football expert Jon Cotterill. What else should you be checking out [...]
Continue reading...Manchester United v Liverpool – Penalties and Red Cards
30. April 2009
The following article is re-posted with permission from the Manchester United forum, Republik of Mancunia: The following is an analysis of all premiership premiership and champions league champions league games played by Manchester United and Liverpool this season. Liverpool are sure that United are top the table by manipulating the referees. Lets see if the facts [...]
Continue reading...Interview with Hope Solo, USWNT and St Louis Athletica Goalkeeper
30. April 2009
Hope Solo is the goalkeeper for the US national team, a 2008 Beijing Olympic Gold medalist, and now the undaunted keeper for St. Louis Athletica, a WPS team currently at the bottom of the table. Noted for her outspoken comments about her coach’s decisions during the World Cup, she is just as genuine and forthright [...]
Continue reading...Weekend of drama looms in the Football League
30. April 2009
Nine months of dreams, disappointment, hope and joy will draw to a close this weekend with the end of the regular season in the Football League.* Each team has played 4,050 minutes of football over 45 games - and for many all their hard work, endeavour, desire and commitment boils down to one gut-wrenching afternoon. In short, what will unfold this weekend is the drama of the final day of the season. Or, as a mate of mine put it, we are about to go split-screen. Over the course of this season I have visited grounds that ought to host Premier League football and others that felt more like a homely social club. For me, this is a central part of the beauty of the Football League, the fact that its 72 clubs take us across a rich and varied footballing spectrum. Rich and poor often exist cheek by jowl (they certainly will in League One next season) and, refreshingly, the wealthy don't always end up drinking the end-of-season champagne. What I have discovered over the last nine months is that all are united by their incredible work ethic and an unwavering desire to succeed - but some will end the weekend nursing a disappointment of staggering proportions. Starting at the top, Sunday is the final day of the Championship season and a three-way tussle for the Promised Land. Birmingham, Sheffield United and Reading all harbour hopes of snatching the second automatic promotion spot. It would already belong to Blues had they not surrendered a one-goal lead to Preston last weekend. Instead they now face a tricky trip to Reading, who are three points behind Alex McLeish's side but have a vastly superior goal difference. I'll be there on Sunday, trying to capture the emotions of the victorious and the vanquished. The Royals must win to have any chance, while a draw might be enough for Blues. The joker in the pack is Sheffield United. The Blades are one point behind Birmingham and two above Reading. If Kevin Blackwell's team win and Birmingham don't it will be up, up and away for the Yorkshire club who are still hurting about the role Carlos Tevez played in their downfall the last time they were in the Premier League. And who are they playing? Crystal Palace, wedged in the comforting if slightly underwhelming safety of mid-table and managed by lifelong Blades fan Neil Warnock, who was in charge at Bramall Lane during their fateful Premier League season two years ago. Palace chairman Simon Jordan, to be frank, cannot stand the board at Birmingham, while Blades boss Kevin Blackwell used to be assistant to Warnock at Bramall Lane. Warnock's claim this week that if Sheffield United play to their potential they will win has only added fuel to the fire of those who love a good conspiracy theory. Equally intriguing is the three-way tussle for the last two play-off places. Cardiff are in the box seat - a point for them at Sheffield Wednesday will do it - and a win for Burnley at home to Bristol City will guarantee that all the excellent work done by Owen Coyle and his team does not end this weekend. Preston are hoping one of the other two will slip up. North End are an excellent point in case as to why you should never give up. After losing to Blackpool on 11 April, the home fans trudged out of Deepdale groggy from the knockout blow their deadliest rivals had seemingly delivered to their play-off hopes. Three straight wins later and they are poised to pounce on any last-day slip, providing of course they overcome the shambles that currently goes by the name of QPR. Incidentally, if Cardiff lose and Preston win, North End will pip them on goal difference - a direct result of their 6-0 thrashing of the Bluebirds two weeks ago. Unbelievable - where did that one come from? The relegation worries belong to Norwich and Barnsley. Any sort of positive result for the Tykes at Plymouth will condemn the Canaries to the third tier of English football for the first time since 1960. Jeremy Goss scoring against Bayern Munich seems a long time ago but, then again, this has been a season of unremitting misery for supporters of some of the Championship's supposed big-hitters. <Charlton and Southampton have already gone, proof if ever it was needed that the footballing landscape is always changing and that the good times must be embraced. How many Saints fans watching the 2003 FA Cup final saw this coming? Saturday is the final day of both the League One and League Two seasons - and each division features a straight shoot out for the final play-off place. Scunthorpe host Tranmere, who need a win to snatch sixth place from the Iron. Likewise, Shrewsbury travel to Dagenham & Redbridge knowing victory will see them move above their opponents. Sometimes the fixture calendar is a wonderful thing. There are no other promotion issues in League One but there is trouble at the bottom. Realistically one of Northampton, Brighton and Carlisle will go down. Carlisle need to defeat Millwall at Brunton Park to have any chance of survival and hope one of the other two slips up. Two automatic promotion spots remain up for grabs in League Two, with Wycombe, Exeter and Bury in the mix. Wycombe have wobbled at times this season but a draw will do for them, while Exeter in third are a point clear of Bury. I'm going to watch Exeter at Rotherham on Saturday to see whether they can clinch back-to-back promotions. It won't be easy for them against a Rotherham side, who would be considerably higher up the table were it not for the fact they started the season on minus 17 points. If the Grecians do seal promotion it would be a wonderful achievement for a club that has experienced its fair share of relegation and financial problems over recent years. Mind you, the same could be said of Bury, who play Accrington Stanley. Shakers manager Alan Knill must be applauded for the brilliant job he has done at Gigg Lane. Spare a thought for Luton and, barring a miracle, Chester on Saturday. They will be waving goodbye to the Football League. I spoke to Luton chairman Nick Owen a few weeks ago. Clearly the bitterness they feel at the hands of their treatment by the football authorities, who docked them 30 points before the season started, has not faded over the last nine months. Following the fortunes of the clubs in the Football League this season has been both fascinating and insightful. I have been amazed by the dedication of virtually all of the people that I have spoken to, all determined to acquire that little edge that might make all the difference. And in a world when the top flight can at times seem to be populated almost exclusively by automatons I like to think that there are plenty of characters left in the Football League. And next season you'll be able to see a lot more of the Football League on this website. Every goal will be available to UK users to replay again and again (over the seven days after each match anyway), with plenty of divisional packages as well to take you through all the action. I always think that a season feels like a very long time. It takes a long time for the table to take shape and there are long stretches when results don't seem to matter that much, after all there is always next week. Not any more. * Unless your team makes the play-offs. ** If you want to predict the final weekend's results and see what difference your predictions would make to the final table, why not use our predictor - which is available for the Championship, League One and League Two.
Continue reading...Life in the fast lane
30. April 2009
Hi, hope you are all well. If a fairy godmother came down to me and said: "Gavin, I can give you one attribute to aide your (ailing) footballing career," I would not have to think very hard about what I would want the most. It would be pace.....and lots of it! I have lost track of the number of conversations I have had with fellow professionals about the advantages of having this string to your bow. There is no doubt that life as a footballer is so much easier if pace is among your primary attributes. Usually, the conversations on this subject drifts on to the various players we have come across during our careers who would have made it at the very top level if they had been gifted with that extra yard of pace.One of the best examples I can give is my former Hartlepool United team-mate Adam Boyd, now at Leyton Orient. He is a very talented striker and some of the things I have seen him do in training have defied belief. However, although he has had a decent career in the lower leagues, his lack of pace has restricted him from breaking into the upper echelons of the game. As I have said before, the pace and tempo at which modern-day top-flight football is played is faster than ever before and the emphasis on clubs to nurture or purchase players who have pace has become greater. When you have one of these jet-heeled players in your team, the opposition tend to drop back to nullify the threat of the ball being played into the space behind their defence. By defending deeper, they give you more space to exploit in the middle of the pitch. You also have more ammunition to hit teams on the counter-attack, which the top teams do very well. From a midfielder's perspective, one of the great things about playing with fast wingers and strikers is that you can occasionally afford not to be inch-perfect with your passes to them. Sometimes, a simple pass into a big open space will do. I have to make the point that a number of these ultra-quick players are, for some reason, noticeably slower when it comes to tracking back and defending! Still, because of what they bring to a team they tend to be easily forgiven for it! From time-to-time you hear about clubs employing sprint coaches. It is not something that I have come across in my career, which is a shame because it would be interesting to see the methods they employ and, ultimately, whether or not they make a difference. Rightly or wrongly, they seem to be viewed as something of a "luxury" type of coach within the football fraternity. If you are not blessed with pace, then in order to be classed as a world-class player you have to be an absolute master at other aspects of the game. Take David Beckham or Xabi Alonso, who have compensated for their lack of pace with amazing passing ability. These are two of my favourite players - I can't help but marvel at the way they effortlessly ping balls about the pitch. A lot of fans cannot begin to imagine how difficult their passing skills can be and the amount of practice these players have invested in it. If at any point during this article you sense that my views of players with great pace are tinged with a bit of jealousy, you will be right (tongue in cheek, I might add). The fact is that footballers blessed in this way have an instant advantage. In my experience, players who have pace can forge relatively successful careers without always being particularly proficient in the other aspects of the game. A name that always springs to mind in this respect is another former Hartlepool United team-mate of mine, Marcus Richardson. I am sure this much-travelled centre-forward, now with Farnborough in the Southern League Premier Division, will be the first to agree that the technical side of the game - control, passing etc - was not his forte but he was able to carve out a career in the lower leagues solely through his pace and strength. It got to the point that, if he came short wanting the ball played in to his feet, people would ignore that option and give him a ball to chase in behind the opposing defence. This is where he has been at his most effective. The fact that Marcus has played for some 16 clubs at League and non-League level highlights the belief that when you have pace and strength you will always be in demand. League Two has had its fair share of flying machines this season. Among the most notable are Omar Daley at Bradford City, Jonathan Forte (who joined Notts County on loan from Scunthorpe United but has recently returned to his parent club) and Lincoln City's Dany N'Guessan. However, the two players in this mould who have caught my eye the most this season are Myles Weston (Notts County) and Sam Saunders of Dagenham & Redbridge. Both were in action in last Saturday's fixture between the two sides at Meadow Lane. I had heard a lot about Saunders and after witnessing at first hand what he can do and also having him whiz past me a few times, I can testify that the praise he has received has not been misplaced. The goal he scored - the first in a 3-0 Dagenham win - was an absolute stunner. As for Weston, I have to admit that the task of defending against him in the one v one drills that form part of our training work is something I try to avoid. Whenever these drills take place we split into groups of defenders and attackers. If I am in the group defending, I always look at the line of possible "opponents" opposite me and try to work out which player I will come up against. If it looks like it will be Myles I am not ashamed to admit that a strategic bit of queue jumping takes place! Myles is well aware that he is not quite the finished article. He knows his control and other technical aspects of his game need improving. However, what he has in his favour is the fact that he is willing to learn and put in the work required to polish up those rough edges. On the subject of flying wingers, Ryan Giggs (who it is probably fair to say can now be classed as a former flying winger), was crowned PFA Player of the Year. It is not surprising that there has been some controversy over some of the awards. It does seem hard to believe that Chelsea's Frank Lampard was not among the nominees and there have certainly been plenty of raised eyebrows over some of the players selected - or not selected - for the divisional teams of the year. I think it is important to bear in mind that the ballots take place in February and human nature dictates that you vote for people who are in good form at that time. It is worth pointing out that February was the month when Giggs scored that fantastic goal against West Ham United and Manchester United were in particularly good form. For what it's worth, I voted for Wayne Rooney as the PFA Player of the Year and Ashley Young as Young Player of the Year. Thinking of players who had the strongest claims for such distinction was not difficult, given the amount of Premier League football we see on television. As I pointed out in my previous blog regarding the awards, it is a different matter when you are trying to assess the best players in Leagues One and Two, which helps explain why no Brentford players were included in the League Two team of the year nor any from Dagenham & Redbridge - one of the surprise teams of the season.
Continue reading...Man Utd give Wenger hope
30. April 2009
Arsene Wenger is not renowned for his ability to smile through the pain of defeat - especially not against Manchester United and definitely not in a Champions League semi-final. And yet here he was in Old Trafford's media suite, not exactly wise-cracking but certainly jaunty, exuding optimism from every pore, despite seeing Arsenal taken to the cleaners in everything but scoreline by Manchester United. Arsenal's fans recite a mantra to Wenger as a sign of their cast-iron faith in his wisdom and ability. "Arsene Knows" is how it goes. And he certainly seemed to know something the rest of us had missed as he dissected a semi-final first leg in which Arsenal were outclassed for long periods, then confidently forecast a victorious outcome after next Tuesday's return at the Emirates. Wenger was stating the most unconvincing of cases, based on the evidence available at Old Trafford, with utter conviction - even openly inviting one non-believer to what he clearly expects to be a triumphant post-match press conference after the second leg.And while some of Wenger's logic was hardly backed by a lengthy list of sound arguments - "football is like that" is not one of his more professorial pieces of reasoning - it was easy to see why Arsenal's manager was in unusually buoyant mood. Relief. Nothing more nothing less. Good old-fashioned relief. It was relief that Manchester United had somehow failed to transform total supremacy into nothing more than a single-goal lead given to them by John O'Shea at the height of a stunning opening barrage on the Arsenal goal. Sir Alex Ferguson's side produced football from the heavens in the opening 45 minutes, and yet a lack of killer instinct that has surfaced this season means that while the lead they take to London is satisfactory, it is in no way decisive. True they crucially prevented Arsenal getting an away goal, but Ferguson's slightly agitated, albeit satisfied, demeanour betrayed his own belief that this particular semi-final should already be done and dusted. Wenger said: "I am convinced you will see a different Arsenal team next week." They will need to be because if this Arsenal team turns up and performs like they did at Old Trafford, one thing Arsene will know with absolute stone-cold certainty is that his dream of winning the Champions League will have disappeared for another year. Only Arsenal keeper Manuel Almunia stood between Arsenal and total wipe-out in the first half, saving brilliantly from Wayne Rooney, Carlos Tevez and Cristiano Ronaldo - who also struck the bar in the second half. And yet Wenger will feel a 1-0 defeat is a fair exchange in return for the obvious gulf between the two sides at Old Trafford. United's narrow victory margin leaves the door ajar for Arsenal, with Wenger hoping the inspiration of the Emirates and the undoubted natural gifts contained in his side will push it wide open and set up a Champions League final in Rome. It was not just Arsenal's under-performing players who got away with it on a thunderous Old Trafford night when Manchester United's fans gave the lie to the oft-stated criticism that they sit and admire rather than back their team with noise. Wenger himself had a lucky escape because he appeared to make rare tactical misjudgements in crucial areas. The deployment of Samir Nasri in a defensive midfield role was doomed to failure from the start, while Cesc Fabregas was neither here nor there in what appeared to be a supporting role to the jaded Emmanuel Adebayor. Ferguson, in contrast, got it spot on. He went for energy and industry all over the pitch to complement the world-class talents of Rooney and Ronaldo. They worked superbly in tandem with Tevez in what was effectively a return to the format that helped to win the Premier League and Champions League last season. Anderson and Darren Fletcher were outstanding in midfield. The recent heavy-legged look had gone from United as they played at the high-tempo that suits them best. Of course, Wenger has every right to have faith in the ability of players such as that talented trio - and Theo Walcott will surely improve on an anonymous display that saw him removed in the second half. He will also hope Robin van Persie recovers from injury to provide the rapier thrusts missing because of Andrey Arshavin's ineligibility. And most of all, Wenger will cling to the belief that United had their chances here and missed them. United and their fans may have departed Old Trafford in celebratory mood - but at the back of their mind will be that nagging doubt that it should have been more than just the one goal. Arsenal will take heart from that, but for all Wenger's bold talk, it will take a vast rise in the standard of their performance if they are to pull off the recovery job their manager believes they can. United were superior in every department and the smart money will be on them getting a goal at the Emirates that will leave Arsenal needing three. It is a long way back from there. But if Arsene genuinely knows, and he gave every indication of appearing to as he talked up his team's chances of over-turning United's lead, then Arsenal's fans may need to invent new superlatives for their spiritual leader.
Continue reading...O’Shea gives Manchester United advantage over Arsenal, Chelsea and Barcelona share the spoils at the Nou Camp, will Barry stay at Aston Villa?, and more
29. April 2009
April showers apparently brings May flowers, and the end of this month brings the very, very real possibility of a rematch in the UEFA Champions League final. How did we get to that point? Catch up on what you missed from the first legs of the CL semis and more below. UEFA Champions [...]
Continue reading...Annan’s final push for play-offs
29. April 2009
Well it has just about come to the stage of win or bust for our little club at Annan. Five points dropped in our last two fixtures have seen us slip out of the final play-off place as we approach our most vital game since our entry into the SFL. Although a draw would still leave us in with a chance going into the final game, we would prefer to have our destiny in our own hands. It's for this reason we head to Stenhousemuir looking for three points and nothing less. Our three previous matches have ended all square and we know it will be difficult on Saturday but I suppose it's a good thing knowing what we have to do. Stenny seem to have picked up again, just at the right time to sneak by us and I'm sure they will be determined to all but clinch their place in the top four this weekend. Stenhousemuir have a couple of players familiar to me in Iain Thomson and Kevin Motion. Both players spent a few seasons at our old rivals, Spartans, before making the step up to senior football. We had a good few battles through the years and hopefully we are all involved in this important match at the weekend. Kevin has recently been nominated for the Third Division player of the year award and congratulations to him for that. However, we are quite disappointed that our own, Mike Jack has somehow missed out. I found it difficult choosing my nominations as, to be honest, when you're out there playing you don't tend to take much notice of how good the opposition are. Without giving my nomination away I looked at the teams towards the top of the division and goal scoring charts. Jacko has been the top goal scorer for the majority of the season and is still currently leading the way so we all thought it was almost a given that he would be up for the award. Jacko is an extremely modest man and has been playing it down as always. Secretly, I hope he is disappointed and goes out to prove a point in these two big games coming up. Before we think about Saturday's match, the club is involved in the Challenge Cup Final at Galabank on Wednesday night. We are up against our local rivals from Dalbeattie Star and it is a game I am sure I will be involved in after once again warming the bench against Berwick. Dalbeattie have been having a good season and are still in with a shout of winning the East of Scotland League. This has the potential to be a really good game and fingers crossed I'm the one that gets my hands on the trophy at the end of the match. After the match on Saturday I'll be heading on up to Aberdeen for a few days to stay with my partner. I hope Laura isn't reading this but I'm glad she has to work on Sunday as it's looking like a total football bonanza on the TV. It's the final day in the Championship and it's sure to be filled with all kinds of drama. Three teams fighting it out for automatic promotion and another three for the final play-off spot. Maybe there is a league that's more exciting than SFL3 after all! I'm keeping my fingers crossed that everything goes the way of Preston North End. My good friend, Barry Nicholson is down there, and it would be fantastic to see him get his chance in the Premiership. Barry is out with broken ribs just now but is confident he will be fit to help Preston, should they nick that sixth place. I've got the coach hire on speed dial, I just hope he has plenty tickets!
Continue reading...Guardiola’s Gauntlet: Should Barca go for the win at the Bernabéu?
29. April 2009
Guus Hiddink probably boarded his teams’ private jet back to London feeling pretty satisfied with his players and with himself. The last team to walk away from the Camp Nou with a 0-0 result was Manchester United, under the same Champions League semi-final circumstances, just over a year ago. His team face Fulham in the [...]
Continue reading...FA Cup Final ticket allocation leaves loyal fans out in the cold
29. April 2009
It’s an argument that springs up every year around this time but even so, something needs to be done about the scandalously low ticket allocations given out to the two FA Cup finalists. Lets look at the maths. Wembley has a capacity of 90,000 yet both clubs have only received an allocation of 25,000. This means 40,000 [...]
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30. April 2009
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