In a summer bereft of football, the release of fixture lists this week provide some form of respite for fans starved of action. Away trips are plotted, long weekends at some of the more far-flung fixtures are planned, and best mates are pleaded with not to hold their wedding on a certain date as it clashes with “the big one”.

But among all this, select fans from League One teams will also be studying the Conference fixture list, specifically AFC Wimbledon’s home games. This isn’t to do with loyalty to the London team, per se, but there are plenty of supporters who will object to visiting the MK Dons and will choose to visit Kingsmeadow when their team is away at the Stadium M:K.

Even though it’s now been seven years since the FA gave permission for Wimbledon FC to be moved to Milton Keynes, many fans still remain angry at the so-called franchising of the Dons and have never accepted the Pete Winkleman-owned vehicle.

But to observers from countries such as USA and Austrlia, where franchising is the norm, the fuss over one team (and not even a large team at that) relocating must seem somewhat confusing.

Not the first, maybe not the last

The MK Dons aren’t the first team to have upped sticks and moved in search of more money. The majority of teams who do this are often at non-league level, usually merging two teams to create an artificial club, as opposed to moving the club elsewhere. Rushden and Diamonds, Hayes and Yeading, and Dagenham and Redbridge (who themselves came from Redbridge Forest, another merged side) have all done this in the past.

But the actual uprooting of a club from one part of the country to another is still rare and, before the Dons, the most high profile move came back in 1913. Woolwich Arsenal from Plumstead were moved from south east London up north to Highbury, right by the tube station, and simply renamed The Arsenal.

At the heart of all this was, even back then, money. The club’s chairman, Henry Norris, also owned Fulham and had originally attempted to merge the two clubs. When that failed, Norris identified prime space in the capital in which to establish a football club and, despite protests from fans at the time, Arsenal moved north. The rest, as they say, is history.

Given that Arsenal were so successful in their relocation, it is fair enough to ask why more clubs didn’t simply move to a more profitable and accepting area if they were struggling for money.

The importance of community

First of all, it’s worth noting that Arsenal’s success didn’t just come about because of the relocation, although this did play a large part in their subsequent growth. Arguably, Norris’ feat of talking Arsenal into the First Division in 1915 had as much to do with fast-tracking them on the way to where they are today.

That year, Arsenal had finished 5th but, for no good reason and with more than a suggestion of dodgy dealing, were promoted at the expense of Wolves and Barnsley, both of whom finished above the Gunners. Norris, somehow, talked Arsenal into the top division.

But the idea that teams can be traded between cities, like players move between clubs, is one completely alien to the English game. Franchising just doesn’t enter the English mentality of football.

Many teams were started as works teams. Woolwich Arsenal was formed by workers at the munitions factory. Newton Heath (later to become Manchester United) was formed by workers on Lancashire and Yorkshire Railways. It doesn’t take a genius to guess at the origin of Horwich Railway Mechanics Institute, another team who relocated (to Leigh) in the belief it would help the club.

If it wasn’t workers looking for a kickabout, then often the church played a large part in forming teams. Aston Villa, Everton, Manchester City and Bolton, among others, were all formed around or by local churches. You wonder what the founders would have made of what the clubs have become today.

The majority of the clubs, then, were so rooted in their communities that it seemed inexpedient to move them to elsewhere. Even with some of the smaller league (and indeed non-league clubs) football was inextricably linked with the community. When the team was doing well, it often coincided with an upturn in the fortunes of the rest of the area.

Even in a short time the history and identity of the football club became interwoven with the history of the area. Rivalries were established, and football teams became badges of regionalistic pride. Liverpool v Manchester United, Swansea v Cardiff, Newcastle v Sunderland, even Exeter v Plymouth were all caught up in something that went beyond football. Franchising these teams and taking away the cultural identity would be unthinkable.

MK Dons mark 2

This may be a slightly simplistic way of explaining why franchising is so contrary to the principles of English football. The length of history and community roots means it would be seen as an abomination if somebody tried to uproot, say, Southampton to a place without a league club such as Cornwall.

It’s also why the football community reacted so strong to Wimbledon’s relocation. The Dons may not have been pulling in the same sort of crowds as other London Premier League clubs, but they had plenty of history, including their rise from non-league to FA Cup winners.

Moving the club to Milton Keynes left 3,000 displaced fans and, ever since the formation of AFC Wimbledon, both teams have argued that they have the rightful claim to the old Wimbledon’s history and trophies (although both, strictly speaking, are new teams).

There’s also a feeling that teams who are ‘franchised’ and take over a team’s league position are interlopers who haven’t earned the right to play at such a level.

It’s why the spectre of Methyr Tydfil moving to Bridgend was met with horror from both Methyr’s fans and the wider footballing community.

Owner Wyn Holloway, who’d taken the club to the brink of liquidation, raised the spectre of the club moving from the valleys to the Welsh town as he looked to offload the club. It wasn’t just the club that was for sale – it was the Martyrs entire place in the football pyramid.

Although Bridgend were in the League of Wales, Methyr, in the Southern Premier, would have been an interesting and attractive proposition for any side looking to break into the Conference or the League. Thankfully, the scheme came to nothing and the authorities appeared lukewarm at best to the idea.

Holloway and Bridgend are unlikely to be the last to try and relocate a club away from its spiritual home, as owners or ambitious businessmen look to do a quick one. Thankfully, the footballing authorities seem reluctant to view the Wimbledon situation as anything other than a one-off at this current point in time, although that’s no guarantee it won’t happen again.

Made in America

This all may come across as a criticism of the current American model of football. It isn’t meant to be. Indeed, if the MLS had tried to replicate the way English football was born, it would have probably died an unlamanted death a long time ago.

If you’re looking to establish a major football league in a country that hasn’t previously been known for its love of the game the franchise method is, at the moment, quite possibly the best way to go about it, as both the States and Australia’s A League are currently showing. It also makes more sense to implement a system that’s closer to what the public are used to with other sports.

And as the game grows and the clubs develop their own history, rivalries and even places in the community then that attachment to an area grows – just look at the current situation with DC United.

The MLS side are having issues over their stadium, raising the spectre that one of the MLS’ best-known teams could be forced to move, or franchised to another city. DC United fans, along with bloggers, are campaigning to keep the club in the capital.

There’s nothing wrong with franchising done in the right time and place. But that time and place isn’t the English game. Moving a club from its roots still feels wrong, and no matter how many years pass, AFC Wimbledon will no doubt continue to get “away” fans partaking in their own small ongoing personal protest against the creation of the MK Dons.

“Football “Franchises” – Right or Wrong?” was originally published at footballlens.com – football news.

They echo throughout fields all over the UK during the football season, and on many occasions have been known to give players a lift. I’m talking about football chants.  From Fernando Torres’ “Liverpool’s Number Nine” to “Glory Glory Man United,” songs and chants are a massive part of what makes football such a unique sport.

Some of the best chants out there rarely get the credit they deserve. And for those rare few who can come up with a proper chant, it’s time you stepped into the spotlight. In other words: it’s time to give credit where credit is due for those who come up with unique chants about their favourite club or player.

Directgov’s ‘Get On’ program decided to take matters into their own hands this year with the introduction of a ‘Chant Challenge’ that allowed supporters from all over the country to try their luck at coming up with the most unique chant possible.

Football legend, John Barnes, along with Barnsley FC’s resident poet, Ian McMillan, took on the task of going through over 300 entries to find nine finalists. The finalists, who represented such clubs as Tottenham Hotspur and Sunderland AFC, will be going to London in August prior to the beginning on the season to face-off for the chance to be crowned the chant-off champion.

“Chants are a great way of getting behind your team and can make a real difference to players on the pitch. I was really impressed by the level of skill and imagination that came through in the entries,” Barnes said.

The competition has been a huge success in its inaugural year, and has even garnered support from Liverpool’s Fernando Torres (Liverpool supporters sent in the highest number of entries), and Manchester United’s Ryan Giggs.

Here are just a couple of the chants that were entered into the competition this year:

Don’t wave at us David Jamo
Just try to catch this corner
All through your mishaps
And crazy haircuts
We still support you
Just hoof your clearance

[to the tune of ‘Don’t cry for me Argentina’]
Entered by Richie Turrell, Portsmouth supporter

I believe in a man of steel
His name is Lucas Neill
If you think he can score a goal
He’ll put you in hospital
I believe in a man of steeeee-eee-eeel
Our boy, Lucas Neill!

[to the tune of ‘I believe in a thing called love’ by The Darkness]
Entered by Jordi Greig, West Ham supporter

FA Cup Opposition Taunt

Oh when we get to Wembley in May
We’ll think of teams we thrashed along the way
And you’ll be watching when we win the cup
You’ll be so gutted when we lift it up
We’re going through to the next round baby
You know whose winning and it isn’t you
We’ll think of you in the next round baby
All of your hopes and dreams are blown away
What a magic day.

[to the tune of ‘Warwick Avenue’ by Duffy]
Entered by Lee Dooley, Manchester United supporter

So there you go! If you think you’ve got a chant better than some of the above, then I’d suggest you throw your hat into the ring next season to see if you’re good enough to be one of the nine finalists.  Make sure you take a look at Get On’s chant competition page in August to see who wins the right to record their chant in the studio with John Barnes.

“Football chant challenge gives fans something to sing about” was originally published at footballlens.com – football news.

Carlos Tevez is out, Dimitar Berbatov is out, Park Ji-Sung and Ryan Giggs are in. The paper claims it’s a real ”insult” to Tevez to be left out, but we’re not sure why as no-one has expected him to play from the start with all the focus on his future.

John O’Shea keeps his place at right-back and Cristiano Ronaldo continues his not-going-to-give-the-ball-away-as-much effort as a lone striker. So it’s pretty much exactly the same team as against Arsenal in the semi. Except Darren Fletcher of course.

Transfer gossip now, and there are some pretty interesting deals going on if you believe the media. Chelsea, for some reason, are being linked with a new right-back. We all thought Jose Bosingwa had done rather well this season, but the Blues are apparently tracking Inter Milan’s Brazilian defender Maicon for £22m.

The Daily Star reckon that when Carlo Ancelotti takes over in the summer, he’d just love to take him along for the ride. Probably wouldn’t please Jose much, but he has given his backing to the Italian for the Stamford Bridge post.

Arsene Wenger, meanwhile, is looking to Fulham for his defensive stability next season. Brede Hangeland has done a good job at the heart of the Cottagers defence, and his extra height and power has caught the eye of the Frenchman, according to the Sun. But would he really spend £15m on him?

The Sun also have the news that ‘Arry Redknapp is keen to raid his old club once again for full-back Glen Johnson. Liverpool are believed to be in the prime position to sign the England defender as they need a player to shout back at Jamie Carragher when he gets in a mood; but Tottenham may swoop for their fourth right-back in the past year.

Once an England player, Dean Ashton gets the treatment (and he’s used to that) in the Daily Mirror. The paper thinks he’d be offloaded to Newcastle or Aston Villa in the summer, but someone would have to take a big chance to take the injury-prone striker anywhere.

However, Newcastle won’t be signing anyone decent if they go down and Sebastian Bassong could be the first to leave, says the Times.

Another team struggling for top flight status, Sunderland, could turn to Hamburg manager Martin Jol next season, according to the Daily Star. Quite why the Dutchman would want to trade a chance at the Bundesliga title and possible qualification for Europe for the drudgery of another relegation battle is beyond understanding. So he’ll probably just stay put.

And finally, Chelsea have cancelled their plans for an FA Cup parade. Not because they haven’t won it yet. Not because it’s a mere consolation prize given they really wanted to claim the Champions League. But because of the CREDIT CRUNCH! We know Roman Abramovich has been cutting costs, but if one of the world’s richest men can’t even get a open bus tour together, we know it’s bad.

It’s somewhat rare these days to see an Englishman trying his luck in Europe’s top leagues, especially in the tactical cauldron that is Serie A. In fairness, for many, life seemingly begins and ends with the Premier League where visions of a move abroad are often distorted by what many perceive as the ‘greatest league in the world’.

Although of the very few over the years that have exchanged Blackpool tower for the leaning tower there have been significantly contrasting results. So without further ado I present to you a rundown of ten very good and shockingly bad moves that English players have made to the land of Calcio.

Five successful Englishmen in Italy

David Beckham

To say he raised a few eyebrows when he made the switch to AC Milan would be an understatement. Desperate to revive his international career, Beckham has not only firmly edged his way into Fabio Capello’s plans but he’s also proved an asset to the Serie A giants too.

Since joining the club on loan in January, Golden Balls has established himself as a vital cog in the Milan machine that has attempted to keep abreast with rivals Inter in the race for the Scudetto.

At 34-years-old it would have been easy to hide away in the shadow of the likes of Kaka, Ronaldinho, Pato and Seedorf but with two goals and five assists in 16 Serie A outings, Beckham has certainly adapted well to life in Italy’s top flight.

Paul Ince

Ince’s performances in a Manchester United shirt indisputably earned him many plaudits at Old Trafford and after Sir Alex Ferguson had had enough of his ‘big-time Charlie’, Inter Milan were quick to snap him up for £7 million.

The Guv’nor went on to make over 50 league appearances for Inter where San Siro fans warmed to his combative style akin to an Esteban Cambiasso of today.

Although he never won a trophy in Italy, Ince undoubtedly made a decent impression on Serie A before he returned back to England in 1997.

David Platt

As one of the only Englishman to have won anything in Italy, Platt can safely say he enjoyed a fruitful period in the land of pizza and pasta.

In a terrific first season with Serie A club Bari in 1991/92, the Lancashire born goal-scoring midfielder managed an eye catching tally of eleven goals which consequently alerted the attention of Juventus.

Despite not firing on all cylinders for the Old Lady, mainly due to being played out of position, Platt still went on to win the UEFA cup with the club in 1993.

The England man, capped 62 times for his country during his career, then moved onto Sampdoria where he won the Coppa Italia and finished second top goal scorer in Serie A during his second season with the club.

Gerry Hitchens

Our younger readers may not know too much about Gerry Hitchens but he’s certainly worthy of a place in this top five list and arguably at the peak of it too.

Hitchens made his name in England with Aston Villa during the late 1950’s although a brace for his country in a 3-1 victory over Italy in Rome persuaded Inter Milan to part with £85,000 (how the transfer system has changed since then eh) to secure his signature.

At a time when Serie A was experiencing an influx of players moving over from England, Hitchens embraced Italy’s top flight scoring goals aplenty along the way (including 16 in his first season with the Nerazzuri).

The former Cardiff centre forward went on to spend the best part of a decade on the Italian peninsula representing Torino, Atalanta and then Cagliari during a nine-year spell that asserted him as one of the greatest ever Englishman to have played in Italy.

Trevor Francis

Fabio Capello labelled him the best English player to have ever played in Serie A. And to be fair it’s hard to argue with that assessment.

As England’s first £1 million player Francis invariably had to live up to expectations when he joined Sampdoria in 1982.

In his three years spent with the Blucerchiati he scored 17 goals in 68 appearances, helping  the Genoa club win their first ever Coppa Italia in 1985.

Even after having enjoyed varying levels of success with Sampdoria, Francis was hungry for more and he would go on to play for Atalanta for another two seasons before joining Rangers in 1987.

Five unsuccessful Englishmen in Italy

Paul Gascoigne

Undoubtedly one of the most technically gifted players of his generation, Gazza looked as though he was set to conquer the world when he agreed terms with Lazio in an £8.5 million deal from Tottenham in 1991.

Unfortunately Gascoigne sustained a serious knee injury in the final of the FA Cup when he lunged in knee-high on Gary Charles in the early moments of the showpiece Wembley tie. That challenge plus a further accident at a night club would keep him out of the entire 1992/93 season and would delay his move to Italy, knocking £3 million off the eventual price-tag too.

A spate of injuries and a failure to settle in Rome ultimately took its toll on Gazza and after only 41 appearances for Lazio he was on his way back to the UK and Rangers.

Yet wedged in between three years of inconsistency and injury heartache were some rousing moments too, including a fantastic run and finish against Pescara.

Joe Baker

Baker may have found life easy in England and Scotland but a press infused Italian lifestyle certainly proved a different kettle of fish for the Merseyside-born England international.

Despite a relatively impressive scoring record of seven goals in nineteen matches (including one against Juventus) during the one sole year he spent with Torino, Baker was lucky to escape back home to England with his body still intact.

In February 1962 Baker and teammate Denis Law were involved in a serious car crash that left the former needing seven operations that would inevitably cut short his Italian adventure.

Luther Blissett

A legend at Watford and football AM may have named a stand after him but he certainly didn’t receive too many standing ovations in an AC Milan shirt.

Whatever possessed Milan to shell out £1 million in 1983 on this bustling English centre-forward is beyond me and the Italian club soon realised their mistake.

After 30 appearances in his first season yielded just five goals, Milan had shipped Blissett back to the Hornets for nearly half the original fee!

Des Walker

You’ll never beat Des Walker…apparently. Although during his time with Sampdoria you would have certainly fancied your chances.

These days you can find this former England international hanging inside closets and perhaps that’s exactly where he should have stayed when making the decision to join Sven Goran Eriksson’s team back in 1992 for £1.5 million.

On his debut against Lazio, Sampdoria conceded three goals with Walker at the heart of the defence and the Italian job soon became the Italian sob when it became arrivederci for Desmond after just one season in Serie A.

Ray Wilkins

It’s a tad harsh to comprehensively claim that Butch was a failure in Italy so I’ll let the statistics do most of the talking instead.

During three years with one of Europe’s biggest clubs, AC Milan, Wilkins only managed to pick up a runners up medal in the Coppa Italia final of 1985.

In fact Wilkins time with the Rossenari coincided with a barren trophy spell for the club as a whole and in a total of 73 Serie A appearances, the current Chelsea assistant manager notched up a somewhat uninspiring two goals.

“Walker to Wilkins, Beckham to Baker – Five of the best and worst Englishmen in Italy” was originally published at footballlens.com – football news.

Shakhtar Donetsk v. Werder Bremen
Stadium: Sukru Saracoglu Stadium, Istanbul, Turkey
Competition: UEFA Cup Final
Date: 20 May 2009
Kickoff: 18:45 GMT, 14:45 EST

Shakhtar Donetsk and Werder Bremen will fight for the right to lift the UEFA Cup! footballlens will be bringing you the action live! Log on to the site 15 minutes before kickoff for the live-blog! In the meantime, feel free to leave comments or make predictions below!

Match Preview:

It’s the final year of the UEFA Cup, and the two squads that will compete for the prestigious and tradition-laden trophy have never lifted it before. Shakhtar Donetsk and Werder Bremen both want to win this trophy and would love nothing better than to close out this competition in style.

Werder Bremen have the bigger names and, according to the oddsmakers, are slight favorites. They have German internationals like Torsten Frings, Per Mertesacker, and Clemens Fritz. They have a dynamic play-making midfielder in Diego. They have former Chelsea hitman Claudio Pizarro and Portuguese international Hugo Almeida scoring the goals up front. However, Werder have been wildly inconsistent this season. They’re languishing in tenth place in the Bundesliga, where they’ve won 12 matches and lost 12 (pending next weekend’s final league match against leaders Wolfsburg). Despite their mediocre league form, they could win a Cup Double as they’re also in the finals of the DFB Pokal. Football really is a funny sport sometimes.

In the semifinals, Werder prevailed over their domestic rivals, Hamburg SV, with the help of one of the most fortuitous occurrences in recent football history. After losing the first leg by a score of 1-0 at home, Werder were leading the second leg by a score of 2-1 when a Hamburg backpass took a bad bounce off a plastic cup and went out for a corner. Frank Baumann then converted the gift corner for the crucial third away goal which propelled Werder to the Final. They’ll hope that they didn’t use up all their luck in the Semis, especially since they won’t have the aforementioned Diego. The Juventus-bound midfielder who compared himself to Zinedine Zidane is suspended for the match. Almeida is also out due to yellow card accumulation, while Claudio Pizarro and Markus Rosenberg missed Saturday’s 3-1 loss to last-place Karlsruhe with injuries. Mertesacker is likely gone for the rest of the season after having ankle surgery following the Semifinal victory over Hamburg.

As for Shakhtar, they might not have the big names, but they’ve excelled by playing excellent defense while getting timely scoring up front from their Brazilian contingent. They may not be as celebrated as some of their countrymen, but Fernandinho, Jadson, Ilsinho, and Luiz Adriano have been getting the job done as Shakhtar have knocked off several of Europe’s best and most famous clubs en route to the Finals. Tottenham Hotspur, CSKA Moscow, Olympique Marseille, and domestic rivals Dynamo Kyiv have all fallen victim to Shakhtar’s brand of efficient football. Since entering the UEFA Cup from the Champions League, Shakhtar have only conceded four goals and have scored twelve.

Shakhtar will also come into this match in better domestic form as they’ve won their last six league matches in a row. They won’t have as many injury or suspension issues as Werder, as only midfielder Tomas Huebschman is suspended. If they defend they way that they’ve been doing, then it’s extremely likely that they’ll become the first Ukrainian team to hoist the UEFA Cup, and the final team ever to do so.

Who will go down in history as the final UEFA Cup Champions? Tune in and find out!

“Shakhtar Donetsk v. Werder Bremen – Live Blog – UEFA Cup Final – 20 May 2009” was originally published at footballlens.com – football news.

My Grandad always used to say “The Runners Up in anything are just the first losers”. It is a notion that is unlikely to endear himself to the man who he refers to consistently as “Bennertez”, as Rafa Benitez wakes up today contemplating being the “first loser” of this season’s Premier League.

But, clichés and mispronunciations aside, there is more to second place than meets the eye this season. Debates have rumbled long and hard on whether this current crop of players really is Sir Alex Ferguson’s (or indeed Manchester United’s) best ever, whilst defensive records have tumbled, and finally Liverpool’s long-held record as the most successful league side in the country has been equalled. It is a sobering fact. Liverpool have fans have long basked in their “18+5” boast. Theoretically, it is just one year away from being rendered superfluous.

Nevertheless, there is still room for bullish optimism on Merseyside, and not simply because being “first loser” is an honour they have only enjoyed on three occasions in the past twenty years. Yesterday’s hard-fought 2-0 win over West Brom at The Hawthorns meant that Benitez’s current charges have recorded Liverpool’s best ever points tally for a Premier League season, and a victory over Spurs at Anfield next Sunday will ensure they will break another record, the highest points tally for a runner-up in Premier League history.

Scant consolation no doubt, Benitez’s side were seven points clear at one point of course, before a run of five draws in eight games gave United an impetus they would not relinquish, even in the face of a chastening 4-1 reverse when the sides met at Old Trafford in March. Yet still the positives to be taken from a Liverpool perspective are hard to avoid.

Benitez has been under fire from certain quarters for his perceived lack of ambition at times, yet Liverpool’s status as the league’s top goalscorers would fly in the face of such criticism. Equally, the defensive solidity which the Spaniard is famed for has not been abandoned- only a criminally under-rated Chelsea and a record breaking United have conceded fewer goals in the league. And despite the common consensus being that dropped points at home have cost Benitez’s side in the end, the Reds remain the only side in the division with an unbeaten home record, and possess comfortably the best record on their travels.

The omens are good. Benitez has signed a new contract, removing one more distraction from the Anfield table, and the imminent appointment of a new Chief Executive to replace the outgoing Rick Parry (a distraction too far in Benitez’s eyes) should yield the transfer-policy power that the Spaniard has long hankered after. This summer, it is widely agreed, is pivotal for the club.

And if Benitez desires a blueprint for how not to go about making the leap from first loser to first winner, he need look no further than the last time Liverpool occupied the former position. In 2001-2002 Gerard Houllier & Phil Thompson led the Reds to second place, seven points behind a double-winning Arsenal.

Tellingly, it is the only time Liverpool have finished above Manchester United in Premier League history. That they achieved it having been deprived of their manager for five months of the season after a heart attack in October is something for which not enough credit if offered. Houllier had always spoken of a “5 year plan” to win the league at Liverpool. In summer 2002 they were entering the fifth year.

The omens, like now, were good. In his four seasons in charge Houllier had presided over finishes of seventh, fourth, third and finally second. The natural progression could be clearly seen. The Frenchman himself had proudly boasted upon his return to the dugout in spring 2002 that his side were potentially “ten games from greatness”. Unfortunately by the end of his transfer splurge that summer, his squad were potentially ten signings away from greatness.

Hindsight is a wonderful thing of course, a place where mistakes are never made (or at least rectified immediately). Yet looking to Liverpool’s squad at the end of the 2001-2002 season, and the one which began the following campaign, it is impossible to wonder exactly what Houllier was thinking.

To refresh, this was a squad that featured England internationals in Jamie Carragher, Danny Murphy, Steven Gerrard, Michael Owen, Emile Heskey & Nick Barmby. Didi Hamann spent the summer of 2002 anchoring the Germany midfield as they reached the World Cup final, Sami Hyypia & Stephane Henchoz had established themselves as one of the best defensive pairings around, whilst in Jerzy Dudek & Chris Kirkland they had two of the best keepers in the Premier League. The rest of the squad was filled with the talented yet inconsistent- John Arne Riise, Patrik Berger, Igor Biscan, Vladimir Smicer, Milan Baros (who was yet to make his debut for the club) – and the dispensable older players- Gary McAllister & Jari Litmanen.

In short, it is easy to see where the need for strengthening lay. Owen & Heskey had forged a partnership good enough to see off fans favourite Robbie Fowler (sold to Leeds for £11m in one of Thompson’s first acts in caretaker charge), whilst in Gerrard & Hamann they possessed a midfield duo capable of starring for the club for years to come (as proven). Henchoz & Hyypia, with Carragher as cover, meant that centre half signings were unnecessary, and the same applied with the goalkeeping situation, with Kirkland seen by many as a future England keeper, and Dudek shining in his debut season.

The problems, patently, lay in the wide areas. Barmby would depart for Leeds that summer amid a string of injuries and loss of form, Berger was struggling with something similar, whilst Smicer had never reached any level of consistency since his move to Anfield in 1999. Houllier had been forced to address a problem with lack of quality from the flanks by using Murphy, Gerrard or, most sickeningly, Heskey in a wide position. It was clear that wide players were (or should have been) top of Liverpool’s shopping list.

Instead, Houllier spent a combined £20m on a defensive midfielder (Salif Diao), a physically-weak attacking central midfielder (Bruno Cheyrou), and a goal-shy centre-forward-cum-wide-midfielder with an attitude problem (El-Hadji Diouf). By the end of the year, none of them were first-choice. By the time Benitez arrived at the club he was struggling to give them away.

Diouf was, it is considered, signed at the expense of Nicolas Anelka, who had spent five months on loan at Anfield in 2002. At a cost of £10m from Lens, he had big expectations. His performances for an impressive Senegal side at the World Cup had given Reds hope that the man nicknamed “The Serial Killer” in France could be the man to add the pace and creativity that Houllier’s solid but at times prosaic side could often lack.

Two goals on his Anfield debut hinted at good times to come, but by the end of the season he had added just three more, and had sickened Liverpool fans with his spitting antics in a UEFA Cup clash with Celtic at Parkhead. The mistake made by Houllier was highlighted further by the antics of Anelka, who notched 15 league goals to fire newly-promoted Manchester City to a respectable 9th placed finish.

But if Diouf was a gamble which backfired, his international colleague Diao was simply a shocking signing. Houllier is known to have long coveted a dominant midfield force in the mould of Patrick Vieira at Arsenal, yet Diao from his first appearance at Anfield possessed neither the physical force, nor the footballing ability of his contemporary. At £4.2m, he swiftly became tagged as a liability.

Speaking of tags, Cheyrou arrived from Lille wrapped in one which read “The next Zinedine Zidane”, a danger sign at the best of times. A left footed attacking midfielder, six foot plus and with a neat touch; the Frenchman would make three appearances for his country during his spell on Merseyside, but would be exposed as criminally out of his depth when asked to feature in a Premier League midfield. Too weak for the centre of a four-man midfield, too slow for the left flank, and too inconsistent for a place in attack, he flitted around the squad for two seasons with only fleeting glimpses of his ability. It would be a further two years before Benitez could offload him for free to Rennes.

The lesson is clear, Houllier rightly believed that his side were a couple of signings away from competing for the title, yet failed to acknowledge the key weaknesses of his squad. Liverpool are known to have haggled over the price of Damien Duff- then of Blackburn and rated around the £12m bracket- during that summer, and the Irish winger would eventually move to Chelsea a season later for £17m. Ring any bells?

Duff would certainly have added plenty of purpose and quality to Liverpool’s left flank, yet Houllier opted to mould an unfit player into the role. It proved costly, Liverpool would end 2002-2003 in 5th place, outside of the Champions League places and nineteen points behind Champions Manchester United.

Benitez faces a similar situation this summer. His squad is in need of minor alterations as opposed to all-out surgery. In Fernando Torres & Steven Gerrard they possess a partnership of enough class to lead them to glory, whilst Javier Mascherano & Xabi Alonso offer a midfield duo matched by few in Europe. Pepe Reina is one of the top keepers around, whilst Jamie Carragher, Martin Skrtel & Daniel Agger possess the know-how and youth to keep Liverpool’s defence solid for plenty more seasons. And in Yossi Benayoun, Dirk Kuyt, Albert Riera & Ryan Babel, they have sufficient options in depth to ensure that their bench is always populated with a couple of game-changers.

Benitez is expected to resume his voyeuristic pursuit of Gareth Barry this summer, which again leads to question marks over the future of Xabi Alonso- wanted by Arsenal, Real Madrid & Manchester City if the red tops are to be believed. Without meaning to undermine Benitez, it is difficult to see the thinking behind such a move.

Alonso has been one of Liverpool’s key men in their most successful league campaign for nineteen years, and his passing scope far surpasses that of Barry. Listening to any of Liverpool’s current squad, it is easy to see that they rate the Spaniard as one of the game’s best. Barry may be a good player, Mr Consistent in an impressively consistent Aston Villa side, yet it is unlikely that he would prove an upgrade on Alonso.

More exciting from a Liverpool fan’s perspective are the names Diego Forlan & David Silva, both of whom have been linked in recent weeks. Forlan may well have some making up to do to the Kop following his exploits in a Manchester United shirt at Anfield, but his 27 goals for Atletico Madrid this season- the latest in a string of impressive totals since swapping the Premier League for La Liga- make him one of the hottest strikers around, and his propensity for the unexpected would add a fresh dimension to Liverpool’s squad.

Silva meanwhile is almost certain to jump ship from a club in crisis at Valencia, and can operate anywhere across the top end of the field with distinction. At 23, his best years are undoubtedly to come, and in Benitez he may well find a coach who can turn his mercurial talent into one which lights up the European stage.

At this point, such talk is purely speculation of course. Benitez is known to keep his cards close to his chest with regards to transfers- Barry aside- and there have been few words coming from the horse’s mouth in recent months with regards to specific targets. One thing is for sure though, there won’t be any Dioufs or Diaos rolling up at Melwood this summer. One hopes.

“Learning from history: How Benitez must avoid the mistakes made by Houllier” was originally published at footballlens.com – football news.

There haven’t been too many Italians that have made that considerably bold step leap of moving from the proverbial comfort zone of Serie A to the Premier League. Although if young Federico Macheda needs any advice on how he may be able to forge a long and fruitful career at Old Trafford then he may be best served having a quick glance at my run down of five of the best (and worst) Italians to have plied their trade in England’s top flight.

Some of the names on this list are remembered with fond memories of success and silverware. These Italians made a difference when they stepped on the pitch. Some of the other names, however, make some supporters cringe to this day. One look at a couple of these names will have some people throwing their hands up in disgust.

It’s time to take a look at the best and worst Italy had to offer the Premier League. Ladies and gentleman, welcome to the Italian invasion!

Five successful Italians in England

Gianfranco Zola

If you had to compile a list of the foreign players that have changed the face of the Premier League I’m pretty sure this ‘clever little so-and-so’ would rank towards the top of nearly all of your selections.

Zola was Chelsea’s creative spark during the late nineties helping guide the West London club to their first FA Cup triumph in some 27 years.

The diminutive, pocket-rocket playmaker would go on to win another FA Cup in 2000 as well as a UEFA Cup Winners Cup in 1998 (Chelsea’s first European trophy since 1971 would you believe) amongst many other personal and team accolades.

Paolo Di Canio

The king of controversy, whether you loved him or despised him, Di Canio certainly made a significant impression in English football.

He may well be most remembered for that now rather infamous push but there was certainly more to Di Canio than petulant behaviour and goaded reactions.

Despite failing to claim any silverware during his time in British football, Di Canio’s goals and bad boy attitude made him an instant hero with West Ham fans and who can forget one of the greatest goals ever scored in the Premier League.

Gianluca Vialli

It’s hard to categorically state that Gianluca Vialli was an overriding success during his playing career in England because at the end of the day, he wasn’t.

This was mainly due to the fact that he rarely saw eye to eye with his then manager Ruud Gullit which was a shame as Vialli definitely possessed the ability to warrant more playing time in Chelsea blue.

Although I am going to tepidly place him in this category purely because when he was selected, he rarely failed to disappoint. As well as winning the FA Cup in his first season with the Blues (including two goals in the 4-2 comeback victory over Liverpool), Vialli scored 40 goals for Chelsea and went on to do a pretty decent job as manager of the club too.

Fabrizio Ravanelli

Don’t tell me you’ve never done it? You know, the Ravanelli! Park football was never to be the same again after this ‘white feather’ revolutionised signature celebrations with his shirt over head routine.

Ravanelli announced himself in England with a hat-trick on his debut for Middlesbrough against Liverpool in 1996 and despite enduring an ultimately disappointing season of relegation, the silver haired hit man notched up an impressive tally of 31 goals.

The Perugia born striker would go on to join Derby County later in his career and although he managed nine league goals in his first season with the Rams, he couldn’t prevent the club from sliding into the First Division.

Roberto Di Matteo

Another one of Chelsea’s Italian trio who adapted superbly well to his new English surroundings and was one of the main catalysts behind the clubs 1997 and 2000 FA Cup successes.

Di Matteo was the master of the pass and he wasn’t half bad at finding the back of the net from range either. During six years with Chelsea, Di Matteo made 175 appearances for the club, scoring 26 goals and winning six trophies along the way.

The Swiss born midfielder was sadly forced to retire from football in 2002 after failing to recover from a serious triple leg fracture but he’s since shown that he’s something of a dab hand when it comes to the tactics board too!

Five unsuccessful Italians in England

Massimo Taibi

Manchester United fans look away now! Massimo Taibi, the somewhat calamitous Italian goalkeeper will be rather regrettably remembered for his disastrous one year spell with the English giants.

Sir Alex Ferguson splashed out £4 million to bring the Venezia stopper to Old Trafford and despite playing a blinder in his debut against Liverpool, the signs thereafter were pretty ominous.

It would be against Southampton in only his third game in England that Taibi would make his most glaring blunder. A gem for every conceivable football gaffe DVD released ever since as he allowed Matt Le Tissier’s tame 35-yard effort to spill under his body and into the empty net.

Taibi would play only one further game in a Manchester United goalkeeper jersey. A 5-0 defeat to Chelsea which ended United’s 29 game unbeaten run. Need I say anymore?!

Rolando Bianchi

It all looked rather good for Bianchi when he first joined Manchester City. A goal on his debut against West Ham was followed up with a 20-yard strike against Bristol City in the Carling Cup a few games later but his Eastlands career effectively failed to come to life thereafter.

With Sven Goran Eriksson shelling out nearly £9 million to land a player who the season before had been one of the top scorers in Serie A with lowly Reggina, you perhaps would have expected a better return than five goals in 24 games.

Bianchi will blame injuries and a lack of playing time for his failure to adapt, although I’m sorry Rolando but I just don’t think you were quite ready for the hustle and bustle of the Premier League.

Marco Materazzi

You never hear too much about Materazzi’s time on Merseyside. A controversial World Cup winner who went on to become a mainstay in the Inter back four but not before an ill-fated spell with Everton.

Yes back in 1998 a fresh faced Materazzi joined the Toffees for £2.8 million and manager Walter Smith was confident that the Italian had all the credentials to ‘handle the Premiership, no problem.’

32 games and four red cards later and Marco was on a plane back to Italy, never to be seen at Goodison Park again.

Pierluigi Casiraghi

It’s difficult to label Casiraghi as an undisputed flop and failure of English football as, to be fair, he suffered a serious knee ligament injury that ultimately brought an end to his playing career.

One goal in 15 games didn’t exactly represent a prolific goalscoring record for Chelsea and Casiraghi’s luck seemingly ran out in November 1998 when he collided with West Ham goalkeeper Shaka Hislop that would prove to end his days a player.

The now Italy under 21’s gaffer didn’t help his cause at Stamford Bridge when he lashed out at the club for not offering him sufficient support. Although after ten operations, you can’t help but understand his frustrations.

Bernardo Corradi

Although not quite as bad as a Jonathan Woodgate debut, Corradi hardly left City fans with any real room for optimism when in his first competitive match for the Manchester based club he was sent off after 63 minutes.

It would take 13 games before Corradi would find the net for City, a brace against Fulham in fact, but only one further goal would come for the Siena born striker during a pretty horrendous spell with the Eastlands club.

To compel the misery of Manchester City fans, Corradi received his marching orders once again, this time for diving in the derby against Manchester United. Not the best thing to do when you have Stuart Pearce as a boss.

“Italian invasion: Five of the best and worst Italians to ever play in England” was originally published at footballlens.com – football news.

Manchester United 0-0 Arsenal
Stadium: Old Trafford, England
Competition: English Premier League
Date: 16 May 2009
Kickoff: 11:45 GMT, 7:45 EST

Manchester United clinched their third-consecutive Premiership title, and 18th league title overall, by securing a 0-0 draw against Arsenal! footballlens brought you the action live! Click below for the live-blog and feel free to leave comments below!

Match Preview:

With their come-from-behind victory against Wigan on Wednesday, Manchester United have one firm hand on their third-consecutive League title (and 18th overall). All they need is a draw against arch-rivals Arsenal, and it will be enough to ensure that the trophy will stay at Old Trafford for at least another year. Manchester United would love nothing more than to win the trophy before the home fans, especially since they’re on the road next weekend. Additionally, wrapping up the title early means that they can give some of their stars a rest going into the Champions League Final on May 27th.

And, of course, there’s always the added treat of making Arsene Wenger and his young Gunners watch the Red Devils celebrate. Arsenal fans still chant about how they won the 2002 title at Old Trafford, and United want to silence those taunts once and for all. Plus, for all the talk about the detente between the two gaffers, you get the feeling that Sir Alex would love nothing more than to rub Arsene Wenger’s nose in it one more time. He’s already done it earlier this month, what with those two thumpings that Manchester United gave Arsenal in the Champions League. Now, with Arsenal reeling after a heavy loss to Chelsea, which ended their unbeaten streak in the Premiership, they need a strong result against Manchester United in order to rebuild their shattered confidence.

They’ve already beaten Manchester United once during the season, and they’ll get a boost as Andrei Arshavin should be available after missing last weekend’s match against Chelsea with the flu. However, Manuel Almunia remains a doubt after hurting his ankle while Eduardo, Gael Clichy, and William Gallas are sidelined with long-term injuries. Tomas Rosicky has returned to training, but he won’t feature in this match. That’s probably a good thing, since he hasn’t played football since January – of 2008.

As for Manchester United, this will be their last match at Old Trafford this season, which means that it could be the final time the home fans see Cristiano Ronaldo, Carlos Tevez, and possibly Nemanja Vidic in United kits. As such, a title-clinching performance could be exactly what the team needs to forget about its recent distractions (Ronaldo-gate, the Tevez Saga, Ferdinand’s injury, to name a few), especially with a trip to Rome on the horizon.

Will Manchester United make it Title #18? Or will Arsenal spoil the party? Tune in and find out!

Lineups:

Manchester United: Van der Sar, O’Shea, Vidic, Evans, Evra, Ronaldo, Fletcher, Carrick, Giggs (c), Rooney, Tevez.
Subs: Kuszczak, Neville, Anderson, Berbatov, Park, Scholes, Rafael Da Silva.

Three changes from the side that defeated Wigan on Wednesday. Giggs comes in for Scholes, Fletcher will replace Anderson, and Tevez will get one last (?) start in front of the Old Trafford faithful in place of Berbatov. That will, no doubt, make the fans happy. Giggs will wear the armband, which means that he’ll lift the trophy if they clinch today.

Arsenal: Fabianski, Sagna, Toure, Song Billong, Gibbs, Nasri, Denilson, Diaby, Fabregas (c), Arshavin, van Persie
Subs: Mannone, Vela, Walcott, Ramsey, Silvestre, Bendtner, Eboue.

Arsenal will make 3 changes from the side that got shellacked by Chelsea last weekend. Song will replace ex-Man Utd. man Silvestre at center-back, Denilson will replace Diaby in midfield, and Arshavin will come in for Walcott.

Minute-by-Minute:

No medal for Macheda, and that’s too bad. No medal for Wes Brown or Ben Foster either. You’d think that they would deserve it more than Nani (who has a medal). This is where I think Major League Baseball has it right. The players decide who gets championship rings, not the Commissioner’s office. Why shouldn’t Manchester United get to decide who should get winner’s medals? Then again, maybe they’ll get special dispensation later. Anyway, we get a brief rendition of “Championes, championes, ole ole ole!” and that’s it. Setanta decides to go with Newcastle/Fulham. I’m canceling my Setanta account, by the way.

The players all have their medals and they’re popping the champagne corks now. Great coverage from Setanta, as they missed the entire medal ceremony. I guess they wanted to satisfy their French audience there.

Now, they cut to an Arsene Wenger interview, and he’s speaking in French. I have no idea what he’s saying, but based on his face, he actually seems to be in good spirits. His team played hard today, and he can’t really complain about the outcome. He’s got some work to do in the offseason, though.

The players are introduced one-by-one and they get the usual salute from the crowd. Guess who gets the loudest ovation. Here’s a hint: he’s answers to the name “Carlito.”

Trophy Presentation: Screw it! I’m staying on-line to cover the trophy presentation. I wonder who’s going to get special dispensation for a winner’s medal. I’d imagine Foster would get one. Maybe Kuszczak. I think Macheda should get one too. After all, he may have scored the single-biggest goal of the season for United.

90′ + 4 This just in: Rafa Benitez still thinks that Liverpool were a better team.

90′ + 3 United have to hold on for the next minute and they’ll get to lift the trophy. There’s the whistle and we’re done! Manchester United are your 2008-2009 Premier League Champions! Congrats to the Red Devils on a fine season! Thanks to everyone who followed along! Join me for the UEFA Cup Final next week. See you then!

90′ + 2 It’s a dangerous kick from Van Persie, but it’s deflected out for a corner kick. Van Persie sends it in and Rooney heads it away. Arsenal get it back, but they get called for a foul. United will waste some time and they bring off Rooney for Anderson.

90′ + 1 Rooney gives away a needless foul on the right edge of the box to Sagna. Not a smart move. He could have kicked it away instead but hit Sagna on the boot to concede the free kick.

90′ There will be three minutes of added time, which doesn’t make Wenger very happy.

89′ Rooney sends it to Ronaldo, and he skips past Toure. Ronaldo has to give it up to Giggs and he sends it back to Rooney. He tries to make the run into the box, but he loses it and Fabianski is there to take it.

88′ Ronaldo tries to play it through to Giggs in the middle of the box, but he doesn’t have the legs to get to it and Fabianski is there to cut it out.

87′ Arsenal win a free kick from about 45 yards out. It’s probably too far for Fabregas to go for goal, so he tries to curl it into the box. United clear it away but Arsenal knock it around and Van Persie gets it on the right edge of the box. He fires a tame effort on goal and Van der Sar has it easily.

86′ Fletcher grabs Song’s shirt and throws him down. He probably should have been booked for that, but I guess the ref took pity on him.

85′ Ronaldo heads the corner away and United avert danger.

84′ Good work from Song as he gets past a couple of defenders and he sends it to Fabregas, who is unmarked down the right edge of the box. He fires a shot and Van der Sar just gets a finger on it. Or does he? Van der Sar denies it and on the replay, it looks like the ball got past him and nicked the post. No matter, though, as it’s a corner for Arsenal.

82′ Sagna looks fine and should be good to go. Ronaldo tries to get around Toure down the left, but Toure does well to hold his ground. Toure tries to taunt Ronaldo a bit with some stepovers.

81′ Giggs tries to thread it through to Ronaldo down the middle. He’s through on goal if he can get it. Luckily for Arsenal, Song is there to knock it away. Back the other way and Rooney collides with Sagna and the defender hits the wall hard. I bet Wenger saw that one with 20/20 vision.

79′ Ronaldo curls it in and he just misses the top corner. That was close.

78′ Poor giveaway from Denilson and Ronaldo is off to the races. He has Evra open down the middle, but Song throws an elbow and fouls Ronaldo on the left edge of the box. Smart foul there, although Song will get a booking for that. That’s five yellows for Arsenal now. One more, and they’ll have to make a donation to the F.A. Hopefully, that won’t affect their spending this summer.

77′ Gibbs will come off and it’s time for everyone’s favorite Gunner, Eboue. That’s Arsenal’s final substitution.

76′ Van Persie gets it inside the box, but he has his back to the box. Vidic is all over him and the Serb eventually knocks it out for an Arsenal throw. Those two have been going at it today, haven’t they?

74′ Fabregas sends it long to Walcott and O’Shea looks like he could be exposed here. Van der Sar comes out for it, though, and he corrals it before Arsenal can do anything with it.

72′ Park combines with Ronaldo and Park finds the back of the net, but it’s waved off as Ronaldo was offside. Fletcher was also an option down the right (and was on-side), and Park probably should have passed it to him instead.

70′ Rooney (who’s spent more time at left-back than at left-wing in this half), tracks back and does a great job to close off Sagna from Walcott’s pass. It’s out for a goal-kick.

69′ Van Persie goes down in the box after taking a slight touch from Vidic. Once again, the ref is not moved. Meanwhile, Tevez is still waving goodbye and blowing kisses to the fans. Man, that would be embarrassing for him if he were to come back after all that, wouldn’t it? Arsenal will make two changes as Arshavin and Nasri will come off and Bendtner and Walcott will come on. Those aren’t the two that I would have removed, but I’m not managing Arsenal…

68′ Nasri with a cross from the left, but Evans clears it away in front of goal.

66′ Park is coming on and it looks like Tevez will be sacrificed. The crowd does not appreciate it and Tevez waves to the fans. It looks like he’s waving goodbye and I think that tells you all you need to know about what he’s thinking. “Manchester City here I come!”

65′ Park looks like he’s coming on. We’ll see who gets the early shower today.

63′ Gibbs is deep down the left and Ronaldo (!) is there to defend him. Gibbs wins a corner and we’ll see what they can do here. Arshavin sends it into the six yard box, but Van der Sar is there.

62′ Van Persie sends a hard shot into the box and Carrick takes it right on the noggin. He looks like he’s a little dazed, but he gets an appreciative hand from the crowd.

61′ Evra is called for a handball on the edge of the box. He’s lucky he wasn’t a few feet over to his right. Van Persie will take it right on the edge of the box.

60′ Fletcher with a nice ball into the box from the right wing and Tevez takes it away from the sliding Fabianski. The keeper is stranded in no man’s land, but Tevez can’t quite control it. Ronaldo then rushes his shot from distance, and it’s well over the crossbar. Nice bit of defending from Arsenal when it looked like they were going to concede.

59′ Sagna with a cross from the right edge of the box and Arshavin gets it on the left edge. He passes up the shot, much to the relief of the United fans and Gibbs ends up hitting the side netting with his shot. You can hear a loud gasp from the crowd every time Arshavin looks like he’s going to shoot.

58′ Fabregas gets his signals crossed with Sagna as his through-ball goes right to Evra. His clearance is poor though, and he nearly gives it back to Fabregas on the edge of the box. Vidic is there to deal with it, though.

57′ Ronaldo gets it past the wall, but Song blocks it before it can test Fabianski.

56′ Giggs is tripped by Fabregas, and the Arsenal skipper better be careful. No booking, though, and Fabregas won’t have to make the long walk to the dressing room. United will have a chance from about 40 yards out, and it’s about the same distance from where Ronaldo scored against Almunia in the Champions League.

55′ Ronaldo gets it and makes a run across the edge of the box. He loses it but Giggs gets it. He holds it, as if he isn’t sure what to do, and Denilson is able to take it away. Not the best showing from Giggs today.

53′ Poor pass from Arshavin after he gets it on the short corner. Tevez has it and he leads the counter-attack. He tries to cross it into the box from the right to Rooney, but Fabianski is out to intercept it. It’s raining heavily now, which could slow things down a bit.

52′ They’re deep down the right wing, which means Van Persie will send it in with his left foot. He curls it into the box, but United knock it away. Fabregas comes back and he wins a corner off Evans.

51′ Tevez runs Nasri over and Arsenal will have a good chance here.

50′ Free kick goes into the box and Tevez gets it with his back to goal. He tries to lay it back to Fletcher, but he can’t handle it. Ronaldo gets it down the right edge of the box, but he loses it for a goal-kick.

49′ Nasri gets a yellow for a tackle on Evra and it certainly looks like they’re targeting the Frenchman. That’s four yellows for Arsenal now (and I bet Wenger didn’t see any of them).

48′ Evra glares at Fabregas as he makes his way off the pitch for treatment. Evra’s back on the pitch and Van Persie catches him with an elbow. That draws a crowd of United players and Dean warns both Van Persie and Fabregas to cool it. I guess Arsenal really were angry about that “babies” comment from Evra a couple of weeks ago.

46′ Arsenal kick off and we’re underway. Quick start from Arsenal as Van Persie plays it through to Fabregas and Evra comes out to clear it. Fabregas catches him on the knee and Evra collapses in pain. Fabregas will be booked and Evra is getting medical treatment here.

46′ As much as it pains me to say, I think today’s game illustrates why Tevez will probably be moving on in the offseason. He’s a good player and he never takes a play off. However, against good teams, he can disappear and it has nothing to do with effort. He just doesn’t have the physical tools that someone like Berbatov does, so I understand why Ferguson favors the Bulgarian. Tevez is probably perfect for the supersub role that Ole was so good at. In other words, he’s great if he costs less than 20 million pounds. Not so much if he costs more than 30.

It’s like a completely different Arsenal squad as they’ve taken it to the defending champions and are unlucky not to be in the lead. United haven’t been at their best, and will need to tidy up their passing if they want to get on the scoresheet. Then again, a 0-0 result will suit them fine, even if it would leave a bad taste in their mouths. We’ll see what the gaffers have in store for the second half.

45′ + 2 Carrick is down on the pitch after a hard tackle from Arshavin and the Russian’s booked. Rooney wins a free kick after a handball on Nasri and Ronaldo will have a chance from about 35 yards out. Ronaldo gets it past the wall, but it goes well wide of the post. There’s the whistle and we’re at halftime!

45′ + 1 Two minutes will be added on and United just want to get to halftime with this scoreline intact. It’s been all Arsenal so far.

45′ Van Persie sends it into the 6-yard box and Van der Sar looks to have it covered. Vidic, however, knocks it out for a corner. Great chance on the corner as they play it short and Arshavin sends a dangerous cross from deep down the left that Nasri gets. He fires a shot and Van Persie gets a dangerous deflection on it that, luckily for United, doesn’t end up in the back of the net.

44′ Rooney clashes with Sagna down the right and Rooney is called for the foul. Arsenal will have a great free kick chance from deep down the right wing.

43′ Fabregas curls it into the box, but United clear it away. Rooney looks to have a golden chance on the counterattack, but Denilson does well to cut out his pass. Diaby gets it deep down the left flank and tries to cross it to Van Persie, but it’s over his head.

42′ O’Shea with a late tackle on Arshavin and they’ll have a free kick from about 35 yards out on the left side of midfield.

41′ Rooney gets it and makes a run towards the box. He lays it off to Giggs, who makes the run down the middle. The ball takes a slight bounce and Giggs can’t get his shot on target, as a result.

40′ Van Persie gets another header, but he’s marked this time and he can’t get much power on it. In the end, Van der Sar handles it easily. Gibbs gets past Vidic and Fletcher deals with it nicely. I thought Gibbs won a corner, but no dice.

39′ One thing that doesn’t show up on the scoresheet, Rooney had to go back and defend as a result of Giggs giving it away. As such, he wasn’t in position to help Giggs when he made the run into the box just now.

38′ Another poor pass from Giggs and it looks like one of those days for the United skipper. Of course, then Giggs comes back and makes a great move into the box. He tries a cross, but ends up winning a corner off Toure instead.

37′ Van Persie gets it on the right edge of the box, but Evans makes a nice tackle on him to take it away. Van Persie comes back and gets it on the left edge, but this time Vidic takes it.

36′ United have been very sloppy in possession as of late and can’t seem to string together more than three passes at a time. It’s like a mirror universe version of the Champions League meeting.

35′ Free kick for Arsenal and Van Persie will take it from about 40 yards out. It’s a poor effort from him as he hits the wall. Fabregas tries a shot from long-range, but it’s out for a goal-kick.

34′ Fletcher does a great job and jumps in front of Diaby’s pass. Giggs spoils it, though, and gives it away cheaply.

33′ Van Persie gets booked for a late tackle on Ronaldo near the center line.

32′ Great defense from Evans as he closes off Fabregas from the pass and lets it go out for a goal-kick. Fabregas actually shows some sportsmanship and gives Evans a pat on the chest.

31′ Nasri tries a shot from the edge of the box and it takes a slight deflection. It doesn’t trouble Van der Sar, though, and he takes it easily.

30′ Van Persie and Vidic exchange some words and Van Persie tries to make nice afterwards. I would too.

29′ Vidic sends a little message with Arshavin and puts him on the ground. This ain’t Russia anymore. Evra with a great cross from the left into the center of the box that Tevez nearly gets on the end of. Rooney then tries a shot from the edge of the box, but it’s easily blocked.

27′ Poor clearance from O’Shea and Fabregas has it on the left edge of the box. He tries to set up Nasri, but his pass is too long for Nasri to do anything with it.

26′ Arshavin tries a shot from the edge of the box and United seem to be concerned with where he is at all times. Vidic, Evans, and O’Shea watching him and Vidic gets the block on his shot before it trickles harmlessly to Van der Sar.

25′ Giggs takes it and he’s well over the crossbar. Not his best effort there.

24′ Poor clearance by Song and Ronaldo has it. Song comes back and fouls Ronaldo on the edge of the box, and this one will be dangerous for Arsenal.

23′ Fletcher is a like a man possessed as he gets the better of Gibbs down the right. He tries to find Tevez in front of goal, but Song takes it. Fletcher tries to get it back, but he’s called for a foul on Song, and he takes his time getting up off the pitch.

22′ Good bit of sustained pressure from Arsenal as they pass it around their attacking half. Long pass into the box for Van Persie, but he takes a tumble after Vidic gives him a slight touch. Mike Dean isn’t in the mood, though, and waves it off.

21′ Van Persie with the cross from deep down the right to Diaby in front of goal, but Evans knocks it away.

18′ Carrick with a long pass from the right side of midfield to the far post where Rooney gets in ahead of Sagna. His header is just wide of the post, though, and that was a golden chance for United. United come back as Ronaldo whips in a cross from deep down the right flank, but Fabianski is out to collect it.

16′ Arshavin takes the corner, but it’s easily cleared by the United defense. I think it’s safe to say that Arsenal could have used Arshavin in that Champions League tie…

15′ Arshavin takes on three defenders and nearly gets through. He’s about to shoot on a helpless Van der Sar when Evans just gets a foot on it to concede the corner.

14′ Ronaldo does the stepovers as he takes on Toure from the left wing. Toure has reinforcements, though as Sagna and Song both close him down. Arsenal then counterattack and Arshavin picks out an unmarked Van Persie who is all alone in front of goal. Even he can’t seem to believe it and he sends his header over the bar. That should have been a goal right there.

13′ Giggs sends in the corner, but Fabianski is out to collect it. Ronaldo is still limping a bit from the challenge with Fabregas, so that bears watching.

12′ Gibbs makes a move on the left edge of the box, but Vidic makes a great tackle on him to knock it away. Gibbs comes back with a dangerous cross from the left, but it’s cleared from danger. Ronaldo takes it on the counterattack and he gets past Song. He centers it to Rooney and his shot is deflected out for a corner.

11′ Smart play by Carrick as he’s called for a foul near the center-line but kicks it away so that Arsenal can’t take it quickly. Actually, isn’t that supposed to be a booking?

10′ Nasri with a strong move into the box and he gives it to Diaby. He plays it through to Van Persie and Evra is able to tackle him before he can shoot. Nasri tries to pounce on it, but he handles it and is called for the infraction.

9′ Fabregas gives it away cheaply to Ronaldo, and he then goes down after drawing taking a slight knock to his ankle. He should be fine, though.

8′ Tevez with a nice move to shield Sagna from the ball as Carrick and Giggs fail to execute the give-and-go. Tevez’s called offside, though, and that’s that.

7′ Fletcher gets tangled up with Fabregas but this time, it’s Fabregas that gets called for it. No card, though, and frankly, it was barely even a foul.

6′ Arshavin tries to play it through to Van Persie, but they get their signals crossed and Arshavin’s pass trickles out harmlessly for a goal-kick.

3′ Tevez makes a nice move to get past Toure, and that draws a nice hand from the crowd. You get the feeling that Tevez can do no wrong with the Old Trafford faithful at this point. Rooney gets past Sagna down the left, but his cross is cut out by Toure.

2′ Arsenal attack and Van Persie nearly gets a chance on the left edge of the box, but he can’t quite control it and has to pass up the shot. Fabregas then tries a long-range shot and it’s well over the crossbar. Torrid start so far.

1′ United will kick off and we’re underway! United will be defending the Stretford End, which is their preference when they’re at home. Mike Dean is our ref. Early charge from United as Fletcher plays it through to Ronaldo and he’s into the box. Ronaldo doesn’t shoot, though, and he tries to cross it to Carrick. That allows the Arsenal defense to recover and knock it away.

0′ Adebayor has a “strained hamstring” today. So that’s what they’re calling it now? If so, then all credit to Ronaldo and Tevez for playing through their strained hammies.

0′ The United players line up and they pass by Nani, who doesn’t even make the bench for today’s match. What a difference a year makes.

0′ Shame about Martin Laursen’s retirement due to a knee injury. Aston Villa were never the same once he went down.

0′ Interesting that Adebayor won’t be available. I didn’t hear about any injury. Maybe he’s on his way out the door?

0′ As for Arsenal, they’ve been hemorrhaging goals as of late, as they really have to solve their defensive woes in the offseason. Losing Gallas and Clichy hasn’t helped, but let’s face it. They weren’t that good with those two in the lineup. I would think that Brede Hangeland would be perfect for the squad, but it looks like he’s staying at Fulham.

0′ Losing to Middlebrough doesn’t help, either.

0′ Rafa Benitez could very well be right in saying that Liverpool probably would have won the title if Gerrard and Torres had stayed fit all year. Then again, it shows the risk of relying on two players the way that Liverpool does. Manchester United have been relatively lucky with injuries this season, but they missed Ronaldo for the first month of the season and Rooney has been in and out of the lineup. The difference is that United have enough depth to weather the storm while Liverpool don’t.

0′ Should be a great match today, as Arsenal must win in order to delay Manchester United’s title celebration. While Manchester United thoroughly outplayed Arsenal in the Champions League, we know that past results mean nothing when these two hook up. Plus, Arsenal will be getting a pretty big weapon back today in Arshavin. If he bags 4 against United the way he did against Liverpool, then United could be looking at next weekend’s match at Hull as their title-clincher.

0′ Hello everyone and welcome to footballlens’ live coverage of the English Premier League! Manchester United will look to clinch their 3rd consecutive title and 18th overall as they host Arsenal at Old Trafford! I’m Victor and I’ll be your liveblogger today! I’m watching this match on Setanta Broadband. For information on how to access that service, feel free to consult this article about how to watch football online. Click here for free streaming options. I think I know which link will get more clicks, but I’ll reserve judgment. These are tough times, after all.

Match Review:

It wasn’t the best performance by United, and they showed that a slick passing team that takes care of the ball can give them plenty of problems (are you listening Barcelona?). Still, they defended well and did what they had to in order to secure the title. It was a nervy performance, and they were on the verge of blowing it, but they came through in the end. Now, they’ll focus on the real prize of the season, their second consecutive Champions League title.

As for Arsenal, they certainly acquitted themselves well and did a lot to get the bitter taste of their previous encounter with United out of their mouths. They outplayed the champions for the balance of the match and deserved to win. They have a lot of questions to answer in the offseason, but for now, they can hold their heads high.

Man of the Match:

Wayne Rooney

While Ronaldo gets the headlines for his flashy goals (and his sometimes childish behavior), it’s Rooney that is the heartbeat of this team. His unselfishness is such that he’s willing to play out of position on the left side of midfield and even spend time as a makeshift left-back. Once again, he sublimated his ego and did what was asked of him, creating chances for his teammates, nearly scoring on a header in the first half, and tracking back to preserve the draw. As for Arsenal, Arshavin was looking like their most dangerous player, which made it all the more puzzling that he would be sacrificed for someone like Bendtner. Every time he geared up to shoot, you could feel everyone in the stadium hold his or her breath. This guy is going to be a dominant player in the league and I shudder to think what might happen if Arsenal actually spend some money in the offseason.

“Manchester United 0-0 Arsenal – Live Blog – English Premier League – 16 May 2009” was originally published at footballlens.com – football news.

The Fulham striker tells Gary Andrews how Roy Hodgson’s organisation has the Cottagers flying high, and why he’s unconcerned by his lack of goals.

When Fulham head to Newcastle this weekend, casual observers could be forgiven for expressing surprise that the two clubs’ respective positions aren’t reversed. After all, Newcastle were meant to be ushering in a new era under Sam Allardyce at the start of this season, while Fulham had only just escape relegation by the skin of their teeth.

Instead it’s Roy Hodgson’s men who have Europe within their sights after a season that has seen, among other things, the Cottagers outplay Manchester United in the league. It’s a state of affairs that’s surprised their striker Bobby Zamora as much as it has the neutrals.

“At the start of the season, if you’d said to any of us that where we’ll be come the end, I’d have said you were crazy or would have snapped your hand off at the opportunity,” grins the 6ft 1″ striker, clearly relishing being part of this current Fulham side. “But saying that, it’s just the fruits of hard work and organisation.”

Read the footballlens interview with Bobby Zamora, after the jump.

Working his way up through the leagues

That answer sums both Zamora the person and Zamora the player up nicely. Even when put in the spotlight, he’s quick to praise others and modestly talk of the hard work that those around him put it. This may, in part, be down to his experiences in his early years of his career.

As a youngster, Zamora played for the famous East London Senrab boys along with John Terry, Ledley King, Paul Konchesky and Jlloyd Samuel. While his friends went onto establish themselves in Premier League teams, Zamora was released from West Ham, the team he’d supported all his life, and was forced to drop down the divisions, ending up at Bristol Rovers, where he also struggled to establish himself.

A loan spell at non-league Bath City, where he scored eight goals in six games, was followed by another loan spell, this time at Brighton and Hove Albion, then in the fourth tier of English football. Brighton liked the young striker so much the signed him permanently, and he repayed them by scoring 62 goals in 90 appearances to fire the Seagulls to successive promotions.

“It’s been an experience, you know,” he says, when asked if it’s shaped his attitude to the game. “I’ve had to sample every division. I don’t think anybody else in the Premiership has really done that.

“It’s a humbling yet enjoyable route to where I am now, but it truly has been brilliant. I wouldn’t have changed anything.”

Games and goals

It’s this attitude, you suspect, that helps him get through the lean spells in his striking career. When Glenn Hoddle took Zamora to Spurs, he failed to find the net in 16 Premier League appearances. At his beloved West Ham, where he scored the goal that took them to the Championship, but only scored 30 league goals.

This season, Zamora has scored just four times, the last of which was against Swansea in the FA Cup in February. But, typically, the striker, who Brighton manager Micky Adams once said was better than Alan Shearer, takes it in his stride.

“The goals haven’t been coming but, I mean, it’s sort of a different role I have to play really – it’s not all-out attack. When I haven’t got the ball, I’m sitting on the holding centre-midfielder and defending.

“I’m not making excuses but every other part of my game has been good, you know: holding the ball up, bringing people into play, and I think somebody said a stat to me the other day that I was up there in terms of creating chances for other people. If I’m not scoring, I’m setting someone else up or setting someone up for a shot.

“That’s good enough for me and as long as we win, I couldn’t care if it’s one-nil and [Mark] Schwarzer scores from a goal kick. I really couldn’t care. As long as we win and stay in this division, that’s my main goal.”

Zamora, you feel, does has a point. Certainly Roy Hodgson has seen his worth, giving him 32 starts in the Premier League this season, where he’s complemented Andy Johnson nicely. And while a striker’s ultimately judged by the number of goals he’s scored, a good support striker helps the whole team tick and that’s what you suspect Zamora is referring to. After all, Emile Heskey is hardly prolific yet has constantly been in demand, and Zamora acknowledges as much:

“For myself, as a striker, you’re thought to be scoring goals and doing all of that and attacking but I find the way the gaffer wants it, we’re also doing a hell of a lot of defending and working hard and I think that shows in our team performances.”

Hodgson’s choice

The gaffer Zamora is referring to is, of course, Roy Hodgson, who has turned the Cottagers from relegation strugglers to European contenders in a little over twelve months, becoming a hard team to beat in the process. The difference under Hodgson, says Zamora, is the discipline and organisation the former Blackburn and Inter Milan manager has installed in the squad.

“He did a magnificent job at the end of last season, signed a few players but, to be honest, it’s just organisation. I keep saying it and that’s purely what we’ve done.

“We go in to work and pretty much every day is pretty similar, but it shows on the pitch because everybody knows exactly where we’re supposed to be.”

Zamora, of course, has played under many different managers including Ian Holloway, Peter Taylor, Glenn Hoddle, Alans Curbishley and Pardew, and the newly unemployed Steve Coppell, who he describes as quite similar to Hodgson, although asking to compare his current boss to previous managers draws a furrowed brow.

“He’s quite hard to sum up actually. He’s quite quiet, doesn’t really need to shout, because you know exactly where you stand with him, which is good.

“The thing at Fulham is we’re all dedicated, we all want to do well, so in terms of shouting and getting us going, it’s not needed. We all want to do well.”

Europe: The final countdown

The team spirit at Craven Cottage is something Zamora emphasises time and again, and it’s understandable. It’s the same team spirit that has carried Fulham to within touching distance of a Europa League spot and their highest ever finish in the Premier League.

But with Spurs, Manchester City and, of course, West Ham all competing for the 7th place that Fulham currently occupy, Zamora refuses to get carried away from the subject of Europe is mentioned.

“We’ve got two tough games first, you know,” he insists. “We’ve got Newcastle who are fighting for their lives up there and they’ve got sixty-five, seventy thousand people screaming for them – it’s not going to be easy.

Then we’ve got Everton. They’ve have been one of the surprise packages this season, so it’s not going to be easy at all. If we do it, it’ll be lovely, but in all honesty, we’re not looking at that a the minute.”

But Zamora has got a habit of popping up at the right time with important goals and you sense the six million pound striker is in the mood to finish the season on a high. Come 5pm on Saturday, just be surprised if he continues his habit of proving people wrong and getting on the scoresheet.

Bobby Zamora was speaking at the launch of the new Under Armour boots range. He wears he UA Dominate Pro FG leather boot, which, along with the UA Create Pro FG synthetic boot will be available in Autumn / Winter 2009. The boots are designed to provide power and control along with protection and comfort.

“Fulham’s Bobby Zamora sits down for a chat with footballlens” was originally published at footballlens.com – football news.