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.

We’re already in the middle of June, and though the signings haven’t been coming hard and fast just yet, that doesn’t mean that there’s a shortage of action thus far in the summer transfer window.

In this morning’s transfer news and rumors roundup, we’ve got tidbits from England, Spain, Italy, Germany, France, and Greece, with many big names and big clubs looking to spend, spend, spend. Some of the rumors are pretty concrete, while there is at least one in the bunch that, like Manchester United being linked with a move for Fernando Torres, are a little head-scratching, to say the least.

There are also a couple of signings to report, and remember, to keep up with all of the latest confirmed signings, check out our summer 2009 transfer lists.

England

Manchester United After Valencia Stars

There has been a great deal of speculation over the last few days about what Manchester United are going to do with the money they get from selling Cristiano Ronaldo to Real Madrid, and it could be that a sizable chunk of those funds go towards signing Valencia stars David Villa and David Silva.

United are reportedly set to make a £45m bid for Villa (The Mirror). The competition could wide open between United, Barcelona (Sky Sports), and Chelsea for Villa, as his potential move to Real Madrid appears to have broken down (Daily Mail).

Meanwhile. Rafa Benitez might not like hearing about United making a concerted effort to land Silva, as the winger has been a target for Benitez for a while now but could be the subject of a £25m bid from United. (The Mirror)

Analysis: £25m looks to certainly be enough to land Silva, but even though they could outbid Real Madrid, Barcelona, and Chelsea for Villa, they could be out of luck if Villa prefers the chance to stay in Spain. Of course, if Barcelona land Villa, that’d all but free up the opportunity for a United move for Samuel Eto’o.

United and Boro In Downing Swap Deal?

Middlesbrough are heavily interested in Manchester United duo Paul Scholes and Gary Neville, and there are reports that they could offer Stewart Downing to United to try to make a deal happen. (The Mirror)

Analysis: Both Scholes and Neville could be reluctant for such a move, but even so, it’d seem like United would come out a lot better in this deal, especially if they didn’t have to spend much of that sizable transfer kitty on purchasing Downing.

Costa On Shortlist To Replace Ronaldo?

Along with the moves mentioned above, United could be set to swoop for Gremio starlet Douglas Costa. (Sky Sports)

Analysis: Brazil’s becoming more and more of a hotspot for United, and signing a prospect of Costa’s ability and potential would be worth the fee United may have to stump up. He’s only 18, so he’s more one for the future and wouldn’t be expected to step in and star right away. But as Ronaldo did when he arrived at United, it wouldn’t be a surprise to see him earn first-team opportunities immediately.

Bolton Lead Race For Veloso?

Bolton are back in for Sporting Lisbon midfielder Miguel Veloso, and after refusing to overbid for Veloso in January, could be in with a £10.2m offer for the 23-year-old, who’s also been linked with Arsenal. (Tribal Football)

Analysis: £10.2m is still a little lower than Sporting might like to get for Veloso, but it could be a sign that Bolton are willing to fork out a little more in order to land him.

Bentley And Huddlestone To Sign For Villa?

It could only be a matter of time before Aston Villa seal the deal on a couple of new signings, as there are reports that they are close on Tottenham pair David Bentley (Goal.com) and Tom Huddlestone (Birmingham Mail).

Analysis: Considering their interest in Bentley, Huddlestone, and Jermaine Jenas, I’m surprised they haven’t been strongly linked with Darren Bent or Roman Pavlyuchenko, considering a forward should also be on their summer wishlist.

Several Sides Interested In Newcastle’s Martins

Arsenal, Aston Villa, and Everton are all interested in Newcastle striker Obafemi Martins (Tribal Football), but they could face competition from a mystery Bundesliga club (Tribal Football).

Analysis: Everton would be a great fit, considering the familiar faces that would await, but wages would likely be a stumbling block, and that could also be the case with Aston Villa. No telling what the situation could be with the Bundesliga club, but Arsenal may well be the best match financially – but that could all hinge on whether or not they sell Emmanuel Adebayor.

Fulham And West Ham Interested In Acquafresca

It’s a London battle for young Italian striker Robert Acquafresca, as Fulham and West Ham are both interested in the 21-year-old. Acquafresca was supposed to go to Genoa as part of the deal that brought Diego Milito and Thiago Motta to Inter, but he could yet move elsewhere, with even Juventus being linked with a move. (Tribal Football)

Analysis: I don’t have any doubts that Acquafresca could succeed in the Premier League, but if Juventus come in for him, that might be an opportunity that’s too hard to pass up.

Sunderland Bid For Cattermole

Sunderland have made a £7m bid for Wigan midfielder Lee Cattermole. (Tribal Football)

Analysis: Well they sure aren’t sitting on their money, are they? That’s certainly a tempting offer for Wigan, considering it’s double what they paid for Cattermole just last summer. I don’t know if Wigan will offload him right now though, unless he’s just that eager to be reunited with Steve Bruce. If someone’s willing to pay 7m for him right now, they could be in line to get a lot more if he continues to develop well over the next season or two. Besides, the sale of Antonio Valencia will net a nice amount of transfer funds for Roberto Martinez.

Wolves Sign Milijas

Wolves have completed the signing of Red Star Belgrade midfielder Nenad Milijas. (The Guardian)

Analysis: For a little while, the deal looked to be in some doubt, but in the end, Wolves fought off some pretty good competition to land the free-scoring midfielder.

Birmingham Bid For Gomez

Birmingham have made a £1.5m offer to Espanyol for midfielder Jordi Gomez, who starred on loan for Swansea last season. (Tribal Football)

Analysis: With Roberto Martinez set to complete his move from Swansea to Wigan anytime now, Birmingham could face some competition from Wigan for Gomez, so it might be in Birmingham’s best interests to try to get him signed, sealed, and delivered as soon as possible.

Spain

Real Madrid Offer Sneijder For Inter’s Maicon

Real Madrid could be set to offer Inter Milan €20m plus attacker Wesley Sneijder in a bid for right back Maicon. (Goal.com)

Analysis: Sounds like a reasonable deal. Sneijder’s someone that has been linked with Inter, and €20m + Sneijder would meet the €40m asking price that Inter have for Maicon.

Italy

AC Milan Sign Cissokho

AC Milan have completed the signing of Porto defender Aly Cissokho for €15m. (Sky Sports)

Analysis: This time last summer, Cissokho had just made the jump from France’s Ligue 2 to Portugal, joining Vitoria du Setubal, and now, he’s signed for AC Milan. Talk about a quick rise!

Inter Closing In On Double Swoop

Jose Mourinho could be close to being reunited with Deco and Ricardo Carvalho, as Inter Milan president Massimo Moratti spoke hopefully about being able to agree a deal with Chelsea for the duo. (Daily Mail)

Analysis: Seems to be only a formality, really.

Juventus To Swap Trezeguet For Rossi?

Juventus are prepared to offer striker David Trezeguet as part of a swap deal for Villarreal star Giuseppe Rossi. (Tribal Football)

Analysis: £15m + Trezeguet would fall a little short of Rossi’s buyout clause of £40m, but it could get Villarreal to bite, or at least think seriously about the offer. Trezeguet might turn down the chance though, considering the interest that he’s had from the likes of Inter, Real Madrid, and others.

Lazio In Talks For Barnetta

Lazio are in talks with Bayer Leverkusen over a move for Swiss midfielder Tranquillo Barnetta. (Tribal Football)

Analysis: Barnetta’s valuation is reportedly €10m, but even though Lazio don’t exactly have the room to break the bank on summer purchases, it shouldn’t be a problem to spend the right amount on a player who’s certainly worth it.

Germany

Wolfsburg Want Berbatov?

In one of the more interesting transfer rumors of the day, Manchester United striker Dimitar Berbatov is being linked with a loan move to VfL Wolfsburg. (Sofia Echo)

Analysis: Though things didn’t exactly go completely swimmingly at United last season, Berbatov’s not going anywhere.

Stuttgart Interested In Tottenham Striker

VfB Stuttgart could be targeting Tottenham striker Roman Pavlyuchenko. According to Stuttgart general manager Horst Heldt, the Russian striker has come up in discussions within the club. (Tribal Football)

Analysis: After selling Mario Gomez to Bayern Munich for €30m, Stuttgart have money to spend and a big void to fill up front. Replicating Gomez’s 33-goal output from this past season might be a little much to ask, but Pavlyuchenko does have the quality to succeed in the Bundesliga, even though his struggles at Tottenham last season might convince some otherwise.

France

Shevchenko Offered To French Trio

Chelsea have offered striker Andriy Shevchenko to Lyon, Marseille, and Monaco. Lyon have turned down the opportunity to sign the Ukrainian, but Marseille and Monaco are still considering the chance to snap him up. (Tribal Football)

Analysis: Safe to say then that Sheva doesn’t have a future at Chelsea, eh?

Coupet To Sign For PSG

Former Lyon goalkeeper Gregory Coupet could be set for a quick return to Ligue 1, as he has agreed personal terms over a move to Paris Saint-Germain. Coupet moved from Lyon to Atletico Madrid last summer, but after seeing little time last season, will be back on familiar soil if a fee can be agreed. (Goal.com)

Analysis: With current #1 Mickael Landreau looking to leave, PSG needed to swoop for a quality replacement, and Coupet, with his long history of success with Lyon, certainly fits the bill.

Greece

Panathinaikos Close On Drenthe?

Panathinaikos are going all out in their efforts to sign Real Madrid’s Royston Drenthe, as they could offer £11m in order to land the versatile Dutchman. (Tribal Football)

Analysis: That’s about the same amount Real spent to sign Drenthe from Feyenoord in the summer of 2007, so I don’t see them turning down an offer of that amount. Drenthe hasn’t exactly blossomed at Real, and he wouldn’t appear to have much of a future there, so the only holdup might be whether or not he wants to move to Greece or to a more elite league.

“Transfer Rumors (15 June 09): Man United after Valencia stars Villa and Silva, Aston Villa close on Tottenham duo, Berbatov and Pavlyuchenko linked with Bundesliga moves, and more” 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.

Today’s tittle-tattle is off to live in a floating duck house – because we deserve to be safe from foxes too

Forget Manchester United v Barcelona, The New Harry Potter Movie v The New Terminator Movie or Peter Andre and Katie Price v The Possibility That Newspapers Might Stop Writing About Them Soon, the real heavyweight clash of the summer is going to be an all-out three-way tussle between Cristiano Ronaldo, Carlos Tevez and Glen Johnson for the title of Interminable Transfer Story of the Year 2009.

Today’s updates in brief, because if we’re not sick of these yarns already we certainly will be soon:

1) Cristiano Ronaldo isn’t going anywhere – “at the moment I’m at United and I don’t care what happens in Madrid”.

2) Nobody could be arsed making up anything new about Carlos Tevez yesterday, except for the not entirely surprising revelation that he’s going to start next week’s Champions League final on the bench.

3) Harry Redknapp and Rafa Benítez are giving Glen Johnson a clear choice between cockerel and liver bird. Either way it looks like he’ll have some kind of avian lifeform on his chest next season.

Now, on with the other stuff.

Firstly, an excuse to point you in the direction of the undisputed goal of the season (alright, you can dispute it if you like, but it’s pretty popular here at the Mill): Swindon goal machine Simon Cox is favouring a £1.2m switch to Celtic over rival offers from West Brom, Bolton and Leicester.

Because a couple of them happen to be quite tall, today’s defensive rumours will be brought to you in order of the players’ height: Birmingham City want 6ft 6in Zat Knight to make the long trudge from Villa Park in order to create a dream defensive partnership with coming-on-a-free veteran Bobo Balde. Arsenal – for whom Emmanuel Adebayor looks to have played his last game – are ready to test Fulham’s resolve with a £15m bid for 6ft 5in Brede Hangeland (for that money, the only thing they’ll be testing is Mohamed Al Fayed’s resolve to agree gracefully, rather than dropping to his knees, drooling and crying “yes, yes, yes” repeatedly).

And Chelsea are lining up a sensational £22m swoop for Internazionale’s 6ft 1in Douglas Maicon, although Real Madrid are also interested. If this is true and the deal indeed goes through at this price, it would take Roman Abramovich’s spending on first-team right-backs alone to £57.5m, following the purchases of Jose Bosingwa (£16.3m), Paulo Ferreira (£13.2m) and our good friend, the Rumour Mill veteran Glen Johnson (£6m).

Back to Birmingham, who are vying with Villa for £8m-rated Argentinian midfield starlet Lucas Biglia, currently wowing Belgians with Anderlecht, and plotting a £6m double raid on Derby County for Kris Commons and Giles Barnes.

While Blues are planning for promotion, Newcastle are making contingency plans for relegation. If they do go down, Sébastien Bassong will be off sharpish. “You have to plan for your career and playing in the second division would be a step backwards,” he says in one paper. “I’m an ambitious boy and playing Championship football never crossed my mind – it would be a step backwards,” he adds in another. It’s all in the translation, you see. They would also be happy to loan Alan Smith for the season if they go down – perfect for any club that needs a £60,000-a-week adornment to their treatment room.

Talking of which, West Ham are open to offers for Dean Ashton – perfect for any club that meeds a £7m adornment to their treatment room.

And Sunderland want Hamburg’s former Tottenham manager Martin Jol to replace Ricky Sbragia. “He wants another chance in the Premier League, where he feels he has unfinished business,” says “a source”.

]]> http://www.latestfootballnews.net/football-transfer-rumours-brede-hangeland-to-arsenal/feed/ 0 http://www.latestfootballnews.net/soccerlens-podcast-survival-sunday-manchester-united%e2%80%99s-banner-season-wenger%e2%80%99s-future-at-arsenal-and-more/ http://www.latestfootballnews.net/soccerlens-podcast-survival-sunday-manchester-united%e2%80%99s-banner-season-wenger%e2%80%99s-future-at-arsenal-and-more/#comments Fri, 22 May 2009 11:00:18 +0000 admin http://www.latestfootballnews.net/football-news/soccerlens-podcast-survival-sunday-manchester-united%e2%80%99s-banner-season-wenger%e2%80%99s-future-at-arsenal-and-more/

On episode twelve of the footballlens Podcast, Stephen Darwin is joined by the founder of EPL Talk, Chris Harris to discuss the final day of the Premier League and of course that intriguing relegation scrap.

The show will be looking specifically at Manchester United and their unprecedented success, Newcastle’s woeful season, the future for Wenger and Arsenal, the remarkable work of Roy Hodgson at Fulham and Chris also offers his tips for the drop.Among the points of discussion raised with Chris Harris were:

• What Benitez must do to catch Ferguson
• Emmanuel Adebayor and his value to Arsenal
• Aston Villa, Everton and the Europa League
• Tottenham’s chances of a ‘big four’ invasion
• The promoted Championship clubs and their chances of survival
• Plus more on top of that!

Show Details
Date: Friday 22nd May 2009
Host: Stephen Darwin
Guest: Chris Harris

You can listen to the show below:
Download link (mp3, 28mb, 30 mins)

Subscribe to the footballlens Podcast

You can subscribe via iTunes or directly to the podcast feed.

Remember to leave your feedback on the show in the comments section underneath this post or alternatively e-mail the show at: podcast@footballlens.com. If you want to make your views heard on the podcast, make sure you email us at the above email address.

“footballlens Podcast – Survival Sunday, Manchester United’s banner season, Wenger’s future at Arsenal and more” was originally published at footballlens.com – football news.

Speculation continues to swirl around Liverpool’s Xabi Alonso – but is Madrid’s interest for Real?

The Legacy of Reprocessing in the United Kingdom by Martin Forwood (A research report of the International Panel on Fissile Materials), seven pages worth of averages from somebody’s village cricket team, a Daily Mail article detailing the drunken debauchery of champagne-guzzling revellers at the Cannes film festival and an email outlining the itinerary of somebody’s stag do in Newcastle.

Some fascinating literature gets printed off and forgotten about in the offices of the Rumour Mill, but nothing so fascinating as the ongoing speculation over the likely wherabouts of the Liverpool midfielder Xabi Alonso when next season gets under way. Florentino Pérez insists that if he’s re-elected president of Real Madrid, he’ll break the bank to bring Alonso and some young buck named Kaka to the Bernabéu. Quite where this would leave Cristiano Ronaldo is anyone’s guess, but then, anything Senor Pérez says should be taken with a pinch of salt, as he wouldn’t be the first man in search of votes to promise the electorate the moon on a stick, only to let them down once the contents of the ballot boxes have been counted.

If Alonso does end up in Madrid, any monies earned by Liverpool would help Rafael Benítez finance moves for long-term targets such as Valencia’s David Silva, Aston Villa’s Gareth Barry, Portsmouth’s Glen Johnson and Kia Joorabchian’s Carlos Tevez. Benítez could have a bit of a skirmish on his hands as he faces competition for the scrawls of both Barry and Johnson by Tottenham’s manager Harry Redknapp, who will have to offer both men considerably higher salaries to make up for the lack of Champions League and booze-quaffing opportunities on offer to players who call White Hart Lane home.

Wigan is the focus of hitherto unprecedented interest from the money men of Manchester United, Bayern Munich and Real Madrid. The £21m-rated Wigan winger Antonio Valencia is the player who’s got their antennae twitching and while his manager Steve Bruce is resigned to losing his best player, he’s not prepared to hazard a guess as to where he’ll end up. “Would he be tempted by Spain? I don’t know. Bayern Munich are also a huge club in Germany,” he said, showing the kind of football savvy that’s made him one of the country’s most highly respected managers.

If Middlesbrough are relegated on Sunday, Robert Huth, Tuncay, Gary O’Neil and David Wheater will all be put up for sale, although the £9m price-tag hung around Wheater’s ear has already scared away Alex McLeish. “Do you want a bargain?” he asked himself. “Yes. But we think they’ll be looking for £8m-£9m, and it would be difficult for us to pay that,” said the Birmingham City manager who, when he’s finished talking to himself, will take soon-to-be free agent Bobo Baldé from Celtic instead.

With Gordon Strachan rumoured to be thinking of leaving Celtic whether or not they win the SPL title this weekend, David Moyes is being touted as his possible successor. But despite beginning his playing career at Parkhead, the Everton manager is believed to be happy where he is at the moment, unlike Joseph Yobo, whose descent down the Goodison Park pecking order wouldn’t necessarily put off Arsène Wenger, a manager in dire need of an experienced centre-half.

Heard any transfer speculation of your own? We’re listening …

]]> http://www.latestfootballnews.net/football-transfer-rumours-glen-johnson-to-liverpool/feed/ 0 http://www.latestfootballnews.net/italian-invasion-five-of-the-best-and-worst-italians-to-ever-play-in-england/ http://www.latestfootballnews.net/italian-invasion-five-of-the-best-and-worst-italians-to-ever-play-in-england/#comments Mon, 18 May 2009 21:15:02 +0000 admin http://www.latestfootballnews.net/football-news/italian-invasion-five-of-the-best-and-worst-italians-to-ever-play-in-england/

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.

The penultimate weekend of the season provoked plenty of Right Result activity at the top and bottom of the table.

Manchester United’s day just about went to plan as they secured their 11th Premier League title with a nil-nil draw against Arsenal. It wasn’t without a few jitters before the end of the game at Old Trafford, but such concerns should have been avoided. United had a second-half goal disallowed for offside, only for replays to show that Cristiano Ronaldo was played on by Bacary Sagna.

Liverpool may have to settle for runners-up spot, but they condemned West Bromwich Albion to relegation with a tricky encounter at The Hawthorns. The Baggies could have conceded a third goal as Albion’s woes seemed to get the better of defender Jonas Olsson. Late in the first-half, the Swede barged Steven Gerrard from behind with such force that it should have been a penalty.

The current Right Result table shows that West Brom are joined in the bottom three by Blackburn Rovers. They ‘conceded’ a significant third goal in the 0-2 defeat at Chelsea when stand-in right-back Keith Andrews pulled at Ashley Coles’ shirt. The resultant penalty means Rovers drop below Andrews’ old club Hull City on goal difference of one goal.

Back in the non-virtual world, Newcastle United are back in the relegation mire after a home defeat to Fulham. The Toon could have taken a vital point though as their second-half ‘goal’ by Mark Viduka was disallowed for an alleged foul by Kevin Nolan. However, the former Bolton Wanderers midfielder appeared to merely stand his ground and, if anything, was pushed by Fulham keeper Mark Schwarzer.

Elsewhere, in the safer waters of mid-table, Stoke City’s 2-0 win against Wigan Athletic should have been reduced to a one-goal margin. In the first-half, the Latics should have been awarded a penalty for Abdoulaye Faye’s foul on Paul Scharner.

See the full Right Result table here and previous Right Result archives here. To learn more about Right Result and to follow it every week, click here.

If you think the officials got a decision wrong on the weekend, something that would have resulted in a goal or prevented one, let us know in the comments below.

“Newcastle deserved a point, Chelsea, Liverpool and Manchester United deserved an extra goal” was originally published at footballlens.com – football news.

The more interesting story concerns Arsenal, with the News of the World claiming that the Gunners are considering cashing in on their niggle-friendly forward. He’s yet to sign a new £70,000-a-week contract at the Emirates and Monsieur Wenger could use that money to strengthen elsewhere – notably at the back!

The Sunday Mirror suggests Belgian defender Thomas Vermaelen is top of the hitlist.

And if you choose to believe the Mail on Sunday, then he’ll need to raise some cash as that paper claims Arsenal’s transfer kitty for the summer is just £13m.

There could be more offloading if you believe the Observer, as plans are afoot to limit Premier League squad sizes to 25.

So, I guess we’d better talk about Carlos Tevez. Well, over at the News of the World the paper is claiming that Manchester United fans are so angry about his apparent exit that they hurled bottles and sprayed beer (what a waste!) at the entrance to Old Trafford.

And the Sunday Express rehashes the predictable story that Rafa Benitez will come in to nab the striker, making him his top summer target. And the News of the World also says the Reds are set for a £350m financing deal.

The Sunday Mirror reveals that six Premier League clubs are chasing Tevez.

More from the Red Devils, and CR7 who is surely only a matter of hours away from “signing for Real Madrid”. He’s told the News of the World that he loves it in rain-filled Manchester.

On a lighter – and quite frankly more interesting – note, Federico Macheda was thrown out of United’s title party at the Living Room nightspot…. not for pulling his trousers down or anything stupid like that but because he’s only 17! And not old enough to be in such a sordid establishment… It’s in the News of the World.

Down the league now and with Ricky Sbragia likely to step down at Sunderland following next season’s finale the News of the World reckons Slaven Bilic will swap Croatia for the north east.

Let’s round up the News of the World’s transfer titbits:
Aston Villa want Stewart Downing
Bolton will pay £2m for Joey Barton
Fulham could pay £6m for Wigan’s Paul Scharner (£6m?!)
Mark Hughes targets two from Benfica
Lucas Neill could move to Olympiakos
Liverpool want Javi Martinez
The race is on to sign Joe Ledley
Sunderland target Stockport goalkeeper
Keane to take Healy to Ipswich

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.