Kurz nach der Jahrtausendwende, als Mehmet Scholls Haar bereits deutlich lichter wurde, stellte der FC Bayern mit Blick auf die Teenage Fans seinem Juwel Roque Santa Cruz die Herren Hargreaves und Feulner an die Seite, die von Zuschauern und Kommentatoren ob ihrer Lockenpracht das eine oder andere Mal verwechselt wurden. Die Gelegenheiten dazu waren aber insofern sehr begrenzt, als Feulner zunächst kaum mehr als ein gelegentlicher Nachrücker aus der Amateurmannschaft war, während sich Hargreaves rasch etablierte und bereits im Halbfinale und Finale der Champions League 2000/01 in der Startelf stand. In den Folgejahren war er ob seiner Vielseitigkeit, seiner Aggressivität und natürlich seiner fußballerischen Klasse eine verlässliche Größe beim FC Bayern, ehe er nach langem Hin und her im Sommer 2007 zu Manchester United wechselte. Nach einer erfolgreichen ersten Saison verletzte er sich zu Beginn der Spielzeit 2008/09 und hat seit dem 21. September 2008 kein Pflichtspiel mehr bestritten.

Vor wenigen Wochen ist Hargreaves nach mehreren Operationen und langwieriger Rehabilitation wieder zur Mannschaft gestoßen und soll nach jüngsten Aussagen in den nächsten Wochen sein Comeback feiern – wenn es nach der britischen Presse geht, am besten gleich bei einem Treffen auf höchstem Niveau. Ich würde mich über seine baldige Rückkehr auf den Platz freuen, zumal ich seine Spielweise, wie auch sein Auftreten außerhalb des Platzes, in der Regel sehr geschätzt habe. Die Ausnahme von der Regel war ein Spiel am 11. Dezember 2004, in dem Hargreaves seine taktische Aufgabe, Aliaksandr Hleb vom Platz zu treten, mit Bravour erfüllte.

An eben dieses Spiel dachte ich beim gestrigen Aufeinandertreffen des VfB und des FC Bayern nach einer guten Viertelstunde, als Hleb zum vierten Mal rustikal vom Ball getrennt worden war, und kam zu dem Schluss, dass Mark van Bommel die Hargreaves-Rolle nicht allein zugedacht war, sondern dass Schweinsteiger und Tymoshchuk ihn unterstützen würden. Tatsächlich nahm das Spiel jedoch einen anderen Verlauf. Der VfB hatte erst einmal keinen Mut mehr, Hleb seinen Schneid verkauft, die Bayern sortierten ihr Spiel besser, und Mark van Bommel erinnerte sich seiner fußballerischen Fähigkeiten, die gelegentlich ob seines Rauhbein-Images zu wenig gewürdigt werden.

Die Bayern kontrollierten das Spiel, doch in Strafraumnähe kamen sie nur, wenn Philipp Lahm im Spiel war und von Boka weder an Halbfeldflanken noch an Versuchen, den Ball seinen Stürmern im 16er in den Fuß zu spielen, gehindert wurde – glücklicherweise war die Innenverteidigung aufmerksam. Im Gegenzug ließ Lahm sein Gegenüber auch immer wieder aus dem Halbfeld flanken, was ähnlich gefährlich war. Selbst Hilberts Kopfball diente letztlich eher dazu, Hans-Jörg Butt die Gelegenheit zu einer attraktiven Parade zu geben, nachdem er bereits bei Julian Schiebers Schuss von der Strafraumecke die Flugshow eröffnet hatte.

Letztlich ist mir außer Tonis Abseitstor keine ernst zu nehmende Torchance der Bayern im Gedächtnis haften geblieben, beim VfB waren es nur unwesentlich mehr, sodass man wohl von einem angemessen Ergebnis sprechen kann. Die Interpretation eines Stadtbahn-Mitreisenden, wonach die Bayern nicht mehr wollten und der VfB nicht mehr konnte, kann ich natürlich nicht unwidersprochen hinnehmen – vielmehr ließ auch die VfB-Defensive letztlich einfach nicht mehr zu, auch wenn gerade Schweinsteiger, van Bommel und Tymoshchuk durchaus gewollt hätten. Mario Gomez gewann zwar in der ersten Halbzeit fast jeden Zweikampf gegen Matthieu Delpierre; Torgefahr wäre jedoch nur in einer Szene entstanden, wenn Schiedsrichter Kempter, der wieder einmal mit theatralischen Gesten auffiel, ihn nicht wegen eines diskussionswürdigen Foulspiels zurückgepfiffen hätte. In der zweiten Halbzeit tauchte Gomez völlig unter.

Für Gesprächsstoff sorgte natürlich die Verbrüderungsgeste von Mannschaft und Fans, als die Spieler, angeführt von Kapitän Hitzlsperger, nach dem Aufwärmen in die Cannstatter Kurve rannten und sich gemeinsam mit den Anhängern auf das Spiel einschworen (herrlich zu beobachten, wie die Medienvertreter völlig auf dem falschen Fuß erwischt wurden und hektisch in Richtung der Kurve rannten, nachdem sie die Spieler bereits auf dem Weg in die Kabine gewähnt hatten). Eine gelungene Aktion, die ziemlich gut zur allgemeinen Stimmung passte und das Zusammenrücken von Mannschaft, Fans und eben auch Trainer Babbel (der in der Kurve von Assistent Rainer Widmayer vertreten wurde) gut illustrierte. Dennoch würde ich nicht so weit gehen wie mein Nebenmann, der von Hitzlspergers bester Szene der gesamten Saison sprach.

Eine große Szene hatte schließlich noch Manager Horst Heldt, der im heutigen DSF-Doppelpass den Vorwurf, der VfB hätte die Gomez-Nachfolge viel früher regeln müssen, in aller gebotenen Subtilität als “gequirlte Scheiße” abtat. Sehr dezent auch sein Hinweis, dass er Guido Buchwalds Kritik einzuordnen wisse – er könne leider auch nichts dafür, dass Buchwald derzeit keinen Trainerjob finde… Ich weiß, im Grunde darf sich ein offizieller Vertreter des Vereins nicht so über den VfB-Ehrenspielführer äußern. Mir hat er aber aus dem Herzen gesprochen.

Robinho, Manchester City’s Brazilian star has again fuelled speculation that he is to leave Eastlands by saying moving to Barcelona would help his quest to become the best player in the world.

The 25-year-old told a Brazilian radio station that although he was happy with the rumours linking him with the Catalan giants, he was in no way trying to engineer a move away from City.

However, if Robinho does leave England next summer, or even in the January transfer window, for pastures new, how much will he really be missed by a team whose profile has risen considerably since he joined in the summer of 2008?

When the player, who was ominously dubbed as Pele’s heir apparent by the legend himself, first came to Manchester, he was regarded as the coup which proved the Eastland’s club now had the financial clout to worry the big four.

A year later and City have significantly increased their number of world-renowned players. Emmanuel Adebayor, Carlos Tevez, Roque Santa Cruz and Gareth Barry were all bought in the last transfer window to considerably boost the squad’s strength.

This has not only taken the limelight off the Brazilian, who was the undoubted star of the team last season, but has also meant that his absence for most of this season through injury has gone unnoticed.

City have so far amassed 18 points from 9 matches, and with a game in hand look like one of the teams that could potentially profit on the increasing error-prone big four so far.

While Robinho was an immediate succcess for the first half of last season, he faded somewhat after Christmas, and was often anonymous when playing away from home.

And if Robinho does move on, considering the limitless funds available to City, there won’t be too many Blues fans who will be fearing the lack of a replacement coming along.

Especially considering, despite the highest praise in his Santos days, Robinho has shown greatness only sporadically in his career so far. Half a good season last season and a handful of memorablr performances for Real Madrid have reinforced the view that he is too hit and miss.

While he is only 25, City may feel they have already got the best out of him, and if he is already talking of a move to Barcelona, it may be good business to cash in on him and move on.

Robinho is a very good player when he wants to be, but with the type of money City have available, they could replace him quite easily without feeling they’ve let the star of their team go.

Em 20 de outubro de 1983 o Brasil enfrentou o Paraguai pelo segundo jogo da semifinal da Copa América e com o empate sem gols, o time brasileiro conseguiu a vaga para a decisão somente no sorteio. O que chama atenção na partida, porém, é o fato de a rede não ter balançado. Fato raro no histórico dos confrontos.

Isso porque em 74 jogos entre as seleções a média de gols é de 3,05 por jogo e apenas em cinco oportunidades não aconteceram gols. O Brasil, é claro, leva ampla vantagem, já que fez 165 gols e tomou apenas 61. Um saldo respeitoso de 104 gols. O artilheiro? Adivinhe…

Pelé! Maior artilheiro da história do futebol mundial, Pelé é também o maior artilheiro da história dos confrontos entre os países. Foram dez gols marcados e a pulverização do recorde anterior que era de Baltazar, o ‘Cabecinha de Ouro’. Até então, o corintiano era o grande artilheiro do confronto, com cinco gols.

Na década de 60, outro santista, Coutinho, quase se igualou ao ‘cabecinha’, mas marcou apenas quatro vezes. Somente na década de 80 alguém ultrapassaria Baltazar. Zico conseguiu a façanha ao marcar sete gols. Mais tarde, na década de 90, Bebeto entrou para a história ao marcar cinco gols.

Em uma única partida, o máximo que alguém conseguiu foi marcar três gols. O primeiro a fazê-lo foi Ademir Menezes. No segundo jogo em que marcou Pelé também conseguiu o hat trick. Assim como Paulo Pernambucano, que defendeu a seleção de seu estado, quando essa representou a nacional. Muitos anos depois, Zico repetiu a façanha. O paraguaio H. Gonzáles também marcou três vezes em uma mesma partida.

Entre os paraguaios, o mesmo que marcou pela primeira vez, é quem tem mais gols contra a seleção brasileira. Rivas fez no primeiro empate da história, em 1922 e em outras três oportunidades, e, portanto, com quatro gols, é o recordista. Neste século, quatro jogadores dividem a artilharia com dois gols: os paraguaios Roque Santa Cruz e Salvador Cabañas e os brasileiros Ronaldinho Gaúcho e Robinho.

E se o Brasil leva ampla vantagem nos gols, não poderia ser diferente no número de vitórias. Desde o primeiro jogo disputado, em 1921, foram 74 partidas e o time brasileiro saiu vencedor em 46 vezes e derrotado em 11. Dezessete partidas terminaram empatadas.

Neste período o Brasil conseguiu emplacar três enormes tabus. O primeiro entre março de 1954 até o mesmo mês de 1963. Foram 18 jogos sem perder, com 14 vitórias e quatro empates. Em seguida, entre agosto de 1969 e maio de 79, foram 11 jogos sem derrotas, com oito vitórias. Por fim, o maior tabu no que se refere ao tempo: entre outubro de 1979, e junho de 1997, ou seja, 18 anos sem derrota. Foram realizados neste período 15 jogos, e o Brasil venceu dez.

Os paraguaios também tiveram seus tabus, porém bem mais curtos. O primeiro aconteceu entre maio de 1950 e abril de 1953. Com a disputa de três jogos, houve duas vitórias paraguaias e um empate. Mais recentemente, entre agosto de 2002 e julho de 2004, o Paraguai conseguiu a sequência de três jogos sem perder, com mais duas vitórias e um empate.

Por Raoni David
—————————————————————-
When Brazil face Paraguay you can expect a lot of goals, of Brazil!

On a 20th of October back in 1983 Brazil faced Paraguay for the second leg of the Copa America semifinal, with the goaless tie Brazil got the spot in the final only in the draw. However the weird thing about this game is the lack of goals.

In 74 matches among the two teams the goal average is 3.05 per game, and only five matches finished without scoring. Brazil scored 165 goals and suffered only 61. Pelé is the top scorer in the history of the head-to-head confrontation with 10 goals. The Corinthians legend Baltazar had five against the Paraguayans. In the 60’s Coutinho scored 4 goals, only in the 80’s someone passed Baltazar’s numbers, Zico made 7 goals and Bebeto joined with 5 goals in the 90’s.

The record for most goals in a single game is three. Ademir Menezes was the first to do it, Pelé had a hat-trick in his second game, Paulo Pernambucano and Zico also got three in a game. H. Gonzáles scored three times as well.

Rivas is the top Paraguayan scorer, with four goals back in the 1920’s. Roque Santa Cruz and Salvador Cabañas in the Paraguay side as well as Ronaldinho Gaúcho and Robinho scored two times each at this decade.

Brazil has the most wins in the head-to-head confrontation with 46 victories and only 11 defeats, seventeen games finished in a tie. Between 1654 and 1963 Brazil managed to stay 18 matches without losing to the neighbors, but the biggest Paraguayan drougth was between 1979 and 1997, 18 years without a win over Brazil. The higher number of matches Paraguay got without a defeat against Brazil was three, in the 50’s and between 2002 and 2004, always with two wins and a tie.

Tradução de Fabricio Presilli

What you missed while discovering that “Master Baiters” isn’t a good name for your women’s netball team…

• Fernando Torres will likely play in Spain’s next World Cup qualifier; this is notwithstanding the fact that Spain has already qualified and in spite of the fact that he’s suffered a groin injury in training. But, hey, yeah…go Spain!
• Remember how Alberto Aquilani was compaining about Roma’s medical staff yesterday? Yeah, that was “mistranslated”.
• Final Liverpool note: George Gillett has booked a trip to Saudi Arabia to discuss selling his 50% stake in the club to F6 chairman Prince Faisal bin Fahd bin Abdullah al-Saud.
• Arsenal are interested in signing…Carles Puyol?
• Glenn Hoddle claims that the English bench was the target of a bomb threat during the 1998 World Cup.
• Former Manchester United chairman Martin Edwards is concerned about the club’s debt level.
• Kanu, Kolo Toure, Roque Santa Cruz, and Gianfranco Zola are all backing England’s World Cup bid.
• FIFA has authorized Paul Pogba’s contested transfer to Manchester United.
• Czech striker Vaclav Sverkos has pulled out of the Czech national side with a knee injury.

What you missed while stealing Fruit Roll-Ups…

• Saudi sports investment firm F6 is in private talks with Liverpool owner George Gillett about purchasing some or all of his 50% stake in the club.
• The Highbury Flats are finally starting to pay off for Arsenal.
• Carlo Ancelotti “doesn’t know” why Chelsea lost to Wigan on Saturday.
• Ajax is only a point behind PSV Eindhoven and FC Twente in the Eredivisie.
• The Columbus Crew extended their home winning streak while San Jose snapped their 20-game road losing streak.
• Royston Drenthe is really sorry about breaking Tenerife defender Marc Bertran’s leg this weekend.
• Sampdoria beat Inter Milan 1-0 and are now sitting on top of the Serie A table.
• Marc Hughes claims that Roque Santa Cruz will be ready to play today against West Ham; Santa Cruz, sidelined with a knee injury, last played in March.
• Bafetimbi Gomis scored in the 72′ to lift Lyon to the top of the Ligue 1 table.
• Finally, meet Anna Ferris: a 109 year old woman who’s scored in every match she’s ever played in. Maybe Portsmouth should sign her?

Mark Hughes says Roque is finally ready to roll.

The Manchester City boss ended a year-long pursuit when he signed his ex-Blackburn striker Roque Santa Cruz, 28, for £17million in the summer.

But tendinitis problems mean Santa Cruz has not kicked a ball in anger for City since then – yet he is set to make his debut against West Ham tonight.

Hughes said: “We had a game behind closed doors against Wrexham and he was in good fettle.

“He did great for me at Blackburn and if he can replicate even half of that he will be good value.”

The Sun

The big game this weekend is the Manchester derby.  Manchester United sits second in the table, while potential top four threat Manchester City is currently third.  However, Manchester City will be without the services of striker Emmanuel Adebayor since he earned himself a three-game ban after stomping on Arsenal’s Robin van Persie in last weekend’s match.  City will also be missing Robinho, Roque Santa Cruz and possibly former United man Carlos Tevez to injury, so goal scoring could be an issue for them.

The derby isn’t the only good matchup of the weekend though, as league leader Chelsea plays host to Tottenham.  United handed Spurts their first loss last weekend, so a win at Chelsea would go a long way towards validating their solid start to the season.

Liverpool is finally getting production from players other than Fernando Torres and Steven Gerrard, namely Dirk Kuyt and Yossi Benayoun.    It shouldn’t be an issue, but Rafa Benitez needs to find a place in the lineup for Benayoun.  The Reds also get a boost with Javier Mascherano returning after missing out on last week’s action due to injury.   The defense needs to continue to improve and that aspect of the game should be helped with Daniel Agger’s return to training (although it will probably be a while before he is game ready).  The Reds need to continue to put together whole team efforts to get a crucial win on the road at West Ham.

Portsmouth is still looking for its first point of the 2009/10 campaign.  They will need to put on a good performance if they want that point to come against a streaking Aston Villa on Saturday.

Saturday’s Games
Burnley vs. Sunderland – 7:30 a.m. ET/ESPN2 (Live)
Arsenal vs. Wigan – 9:30 a.m. ET/Setanta (Live)
Aston Villa vs. Portsmouth – 10 a.m. ET/Fox Soccer (Live)
Bolton vs. Stoke City – 5:30 p.m. ET/Fox Soccer (Delayed)
Hull vs. Birmingham – 6:45 p.m. ET/Setanta (Delayed)
West Ham vs. Liverpool – 12:30 p.m. ET/Fox Soccer (Live)

Sunday’s Games
Manchester United vs. Manchester City – 8:25 a.m. ET/Setanta (Live)
Wolves vs. Fulham – 1 p.m. ET/Setanta (Delayed)
Everton vs. Blackburn – 7 p.m. ET/Fox Soccer (Delayed)
Chelsea vs. Tottenham – 11 a.m. ET/Fox Soccer (Live)

Eu quero ser amigo dele.... Florentino Perez, o cara que gasta!!

Como era de se esperar o Real Madrid foi o clube que mais investiu nesta temporada, os números são de assustar, chegam na casa de aproximadamente R$ 700 milhões, totalmente monstruoso. Na sequência da lista vem o Manchester City comandada pelo misterioso Abu Dhabi Group que é responsável por todo o investimento do clube.

O curioso nessa lista é ver clubes como o Chelsea, considerado um “gastão” no futebol aparecer na “modesta” 18ª posição.

Segue a lista dos 20 clubes que mais gastaram na última janela
01. Real Madrid / Espanha – € 257,4 milhões
02. Manchester City / Inglaterra – € 139,3 milhões
03. Barcelona / Espanha – € 113,5 milhões
04. Internazionale / Itália – € 90,5 milhões
05. Bayern de Munique / Alemanha – € 74,7 milhões
06. Lyon / França – € 72,5 milhões
07. Genoa / Itália – € 69,3 milhões
08. Juventus / Itália – € 55,3 milhões
09. Napoli / Itália – € 49,7 milhões
10. Aston Villa / Inglaterra – € 46,9 milhões
11. Liverpool / Inglaterra – € 43,5 milhões
12. Sunderland / Inglaterra – € 42,3 milhões
13. Olympique de Marselha / França – € 40,9 milhões
14. Manchester United / Inglaterra – € 36,9 milhões
15. Tottenham / Inglaterra – € 34,4 milhões
16. Bordeaux / França – € 30 milhões
17. Hamburgo / Alemanha – € 28,9 milhões
18. Chelsea / Inglaterra – € 28.5 milhões
19. Fenerbahçe – Turquia – € 28 milhões
20. Sevilla / Espanha – € 27 milhões

Eles valem tudo isso?

Apenas para complementar segue como alguns clubes gastaram esse dinheiro, perceba que dos 20 jogadores mais caros, entre os cinco primeiros existem 4 do Real.
Segue a lista com as 20 contrações mais caras do mercado europeu
01. Cristiano Ronaldo (Real Madrid / Espanha) – 94 milhões
02. Ibrahimovic (Barcelona / Espanha) – 68 milhões
03. Ricado Kaká (Real Madrid / Espanha) – 65 milhões
04. Xabi Alonso (Real Madrid / Espanha) – 35,4 milhões
05. Benzema (Real Madrid / Espanha) – 35 milhões
06. Mario Gomez (Bayern de Munique / Alemanha) – 30 milhões
07. Tévez (Manchester City / Inglaterra) – 29 milhões
08. Adebayor (Manchester City / Inglaterra) – 29 milhões
09. Lescott (Manchester City / Inglaterra) – 27,5 milhões
10. Diego Milito (Internazionale / Itália) – 25 milhões
11. Felipe Mello (Juventus / Itália ) – 25 milhões
12. Chigrinskiy (FC Barcelona / Espanha) – 25 milhões
13. Diego (Juventus / Itália) – 24 milhões
14. Robben (Bayern Munique / Alemanha) – 24 milhões
15. Lisandro López (Olympique Lyon / França) – 24 milhões
16. Roque Santa Cruz (Manchester City / Inglaterra) – 21,2 milhões
17. Zhirkov (Chelsea / Inglaterra) – 21milhões
18. Glen Johnson (Liverpool / Inglaterra) –20,5 milhões
19. Eto´o (Internazionale / Itália) – 20 milhões
20. Aquilani (Liverpool / Inglaterra) – 20 milhões

Eu só espero que no final ninguém tenha saído no prejuízo, se você tivesse um clube com 700 milhões, investiria nessas peças?

Anul acesta, desi criza mondiala isi face simtita prezenta in toate domeniile,  s-a batut recordul in materie de transferuri, nu numai ca suma individuala platita pe un jucator, ci si ca suma totala “aruncata” pe jucatori (aprox. 2 miliarde euro).

Top 20 transferuri 2009:

1. Cristiano Ronaldo (Real Madrid) – € 94,000,000
2. Zlatan Ibrahimovic (FC Barcelona) – € 68,000,000
3. Ricado Kaka (Real Madrid) – € 65,000,000
4. Xabi Alonso (Real Madrid) – € 35,400,000
5. Karim Benzema (Real Madrid) – € 35,000,000
6. Mario Gomez (Bayern Munich) – € 30.000.000
   
7. Carlos Tevez (Manchester City) – € 29,000,000
8. Emmanuel Adebayor (Manchester City) – € 29,000,000
9. Joleon Lescott (Manchester City) – € 27,500,000
10. Diego Milito (Inter) – € 25.000.000
    
11. Felipe Melo (Juventus) – € 25.000.000
    
12. Dmytro Chigrinskiy (FC Barcelona) – € 25.000.000
    
13. Diego (Juventus) – € 24,500,000
14. Arjen Robben (Bayern Munich) – € 24,000,000
15. Lisandro López (Lyon) – € 24,000,000
16. Roque Santa Cruz (Manchester City) – € 21,200,000
17. Yuri Zhirkov (Chelsea) – € 21,000,000
18. Glen Johnson (Liverpool) – € 20,500,000
    
19. Samuel Eto’o (Inter) – € 20,000,000
    
20. Alberto Aquilani (Liverpool) – € 20,000,000
    

Brezilya hafiften ünlenmiş, isim yapmış futbolcuların fidye için kaçırılması, soyulması, bıçaklanmasıyla ünlenmişti. Hatta bu haklı ün, ülkede parlayan tüm oyuncuların yurtdışına kaçmasına sebep olmuştu. Genç yaşta ülkesini terkeden birçok Brezilyalı oyuncu kendini gösteremeden yok oluyordu. En son hatırladığım Robinho bu tip bir olaya maruz kalmış ve ülkesini erkenden terketmişti.

Şimdi benzeri olaylar İngiltere‘de çok büyük bir moda haline geldi. Henüz adam kaçırma olayları başlamadı ama gidişat bu yönde. Özellikle ekonomik krizden sonra yine özellikle ülkenin kuzeyinde yaşanan olaylar korkutucu boyutlara ulaştı. Liverpool kaptanı Gerrard‘ın evine üstelik de karısı evdeyken giren hırsızlar, Reina‘yi, Crouch‘u, Pennant‘ı, Arbeloa‘yı maç sırasında soyan çeteler derken Blackburn ve Manchester bölgesinde de futbolcuya yönelik suç oranı artmaya başladı. Santa Cruz ve Fletcher‘ın ardından dün de Blackburn‘un Avustralyalı oyuncusu Vince Grella‘nın evi soyulmuş. Londra‘da geçen hafta yaşanan Davenport‘un bıçaklanma olayı gibi bir yaralama durumu sözkonusu değil ama Grella‘nın evine giren 4 maskeli hırsız daha sonra terkedilmiş bir şekilde bulunan X5‘in anahtarı, mücevherler ve paraları alarak kaçmışlar. Olaydan sonra, karısı ve kızlarının evde olmadığı için şükrettiğini söyleyen Grella, korkudan titrer bir vaziyette bulunmuş.

Saadece bu tip olaylara bakarak bile İngiltere‘de krizin ne boyutlarda olduğunu görmek mümkün. Güvenlik önlemleri alınmazsa bu hırsızlık olayları adam yaralama, öldürme, kaçırma boyutlarına ulaşabilir. Kimbilir belki de İngiliz oyuncular da Brezilyalı meslektaşları gibi ülkelerini terketmeye başlarlar.

Manchester City: Lad millionerne rulle…

Stiftet: 1880 (som St. Mark’s )

Stadion: City of Manchester Stadium (Kapacitet: 47.726)

Kælenavn: Citizens, Blues, City

Seneste tre ligaplaceringer: (07/08/09): 14/9/10

Første fem kampe: 15/8 Blackburn (U), 19/8 Everton (H) (udsat), 22/8 Wolverhampton (H), 29/8 Portsmouth (U), 12/9 Arsenal (H)

Manager: Mark Hughes (Siden juni 2008)

De sidste lidt over 15 år i Manchester Citys historie har været nogen af de mere dramatiske. I 1996 rykkede klubben – som blandt andet har to mesterskaber og 4 FA-cups i trofæskabet – ud af Premier League. To år senere gik det helt galt, og klubben måtte tage den tunge, ydmygende tur ned i den trejdebedste engelske fodboldrække. Klubben hev sig imidlertid op med hårrødderne og formåede via to på hinanden følgende oprykninger, at være tilbage i den bedste række i år 2000. Det viste sig dog at være en postgang for tidligt for traditionsklubben som efter en enkelt sæson igen måtte sige farvel til det fine selskab.

Kevin Keagan blev ansat som træner og klubben formåede at sikre sig oprykning igen i første forsøg – oven i købet med et rekordhøjt pointantal og et rekordhøjt antal scorede mål. Holdet stabiliserede sig i den bedste række igen, flyttede fra klubbens traditionelle hjem på Maine Road til det nybyggede City of Manchester Stadium og måtte sige farvel til Keagan der ville være landstræner i 2005. I stedet ansatte man Stuart Pearce, som viste sig at være både sympatisk og arbejdsom, men ikke fuldstændig klar til den store opgave. Holdet satte ny rekord for færrest scorede mål på hjemmebane nogensinde i den bedste række, da de kun lavede 10 mål på det nye stadion i 06-07 sæsonen. Sommeren 2007 bød på yderligere forviklinger, da klubben blev købt af Thailands tidligere præsident Thaksin Shinawatra. Sven Göran Eriksson blev ansat, der blev investeret heftigt i spillertruppen og holdet spillede noget glimrende fodbold. Efter et formdyk i anden halvdel af sæsonen gik der imidlertid rygter med to kampe tilbage om at Eriksson allerede var fortid. Fansene protesterede, holdet tabte fuldstændig bizart 8-1 til Middlesbrough i sæsonens sidste kamp, og kort tid efter var Eriksson fyret og erstattet med Mark Hughes. Shinawatra solgte senere på sommeren klubben igen, og ind trådte det Abu Dhabi konsortium, som akkurat nåede at købe Robinho for næsten af Chelsea inden transfervinduet smækkede i. I januar blev der købt yderligere ind, men det var ikke nok til sikre Manchester City en placering i toppen af ligaen og holdet sluttede sæsonen trofæløst og på en 10. plads i ligaen.

Truppen generelt: Stærkt på alle pladser

Shay Given blev købt i januar fra Newcastle til at tage sig af pladsen mellem stængerne. Klubben råder endvidere over U-21 landsholdsmålmand Joe Hart. Venstrebacken Wayne Bridge blev ligeledes hentet i januar efter at have varmet bænken på bekostning af Ashley Cole i Chelsea de senere år. På højrebacken havde 21-årige Micah Richards en lidt skuffende sæson efter at være brast ind på førsteholdet og i landsholdstruppen som teenager. Han bruges i øvrigt også lejlighedsvis i centerforsvaret, som dog oftest består af anfører Richard Dunne og unge, stærke Nedson Onouha, som også kan bruges på backpladserne. Ligeledes kan israelske Tal Ben Haim kan fylde op overalt i backkæden, alt imens Javier Garrido fik en del kampe på venstrebacken i sidste sæson, men nok må regnes som reserve efter Bridges tilkomst.

Argentinske Pablo Zabaleta kan bruges som højreback, men blev i sidste sæson oftere brugt på den centrale midtbane, hvor han var en rigtig god bølgebryder. Belgiske Vincent Kompany kan også spille centerforsvar, men bruges ligeledes hovedsagligt som central midtbanespiller, hvor manden med det gigantiske hoved er en fysisk maskine. I januar blev Nigel De Jong hentet i Kompanys tidligere klub HSV, og giver City endnu en på midtbanen. Af mere offensivt mindede midtbanespillere råder holdet over den ofte fuldstændig fremragende bulgarske venstrekant Martin Petrov som kan give undertegnede helt våde bukser, ligesom det egenavlede kraftcenter Stephen Ireland er en af Premier Leagues allerbedste spillere. Ja sgu! Shaun Wright-Phillips har ligeledes fundet fodboldlykken efter hjemkomsten til Manchester City fra sit bænkevarmerliv i Chelsea, og bidrager med kantspil af høj klasse i højresiden. Endvidere vil talentet fra egne rækker, Michael Johnson, forsøge at presse sig på, hvis ikke han ender med at skifte til en klub med mere spilletid. Den ligeledes egenavlede Kelvin Etuhu må nok indstille sig på meget begrænset spilletid, ligesom den unge slovak Vladimir Weiss må væbne sig med tålmodighed.

På toppen råder City udover allerede nævnte Robinho over navne som Vladimir Bojinov, Felipe Caicedo, Benjani Mwaruwari, Craig Bellamy og Jo. Robinho og Bellamy bruges dog ofte på kanterne i noget der minder om en 4-3-3 eller 4-5-1 alt efter hvordan man vender og drejer det.

Væsentlige transfere: Hvor mange angribere skal der til at skifte en elpære?

Intet mindre end fire af de nævnte angribere er dog allerede udlejet, mens tre andre er kommet til. Felipe Caicedo er i Sporting Lisabon, Bojinov skal et smut til Parma alt imens Jo er tilbage i Everton, hvor han også tilbragte sidste halvsæson på lån. Til gengæld er angrebet styrket med intet mindre end tre stjernenavne: Carlos Tevez fra Manchester United, Emmanuel Adebayor fra Arsenal og Roque Santa Cruz fra Blackburn. De to sidstnævnte vil oplagt skulle bruges som forreste angriber, alt imens Tevez sandsynligvis vil blive anvendt i en mere tilbagetrukken rolle eller på kanten.

Der er i det hele taget sket rigtig meget på transfermarkedet for Manchester City, og mange af de ovennævnte spillere  fra sidste sæson må kigge sig nervøst over skulderen i den nye sæson. Stuart Taylor er blevet hentet til en tjans som reservemålmand fra Aston Villa. Dette har meget belejliget givet mulighed for at udleje Joe Hart til Birmingham, hvor planen må være at han skal have rutine og spilletid med henblik på at blive fremtidens mand på City of Manchester Stadium. Kolo Toure er blevet hentet fra Arsenal til at styrke centerforsvaret, og i det lange løb kan Richard Dunne meget vel blive den helt store taber i kampen om de pladser. Aston Villas landsholdsspiller Gareth Barry er komme til og giver endnu et alternativt til en tilbagetrukken midtbanespiller. Og meget tyder på at City ikke er færdige med at købe ind. Navnlig er der vedholdende rygter og Joleon Lescott fra Everton.

Til gengæld har man også fået ryddet ud i staldfyldet hos City. Danny Mills, Dietmar Hamann, Michael Ball, Kasper Schmeichel, Ched Evans, Gelson Fernandez og Darius Vassel er nogle af de navne som har forladt klubben, mens brassilianeren Elano Blumer og angrebstalentet Daniel Sturridge måske er de to mest overraskende afgange fra klubben. De er taget til henholdsvis Galatasaray og Chelsea.

Forventninger: Rom blev ikke bygget på to transfervinduer…

Manchester City har fået skrabet sig en pissegod gruppe spillere sammen – og ikke mindst en god bred trup. Klubben nyder endvidere godt af ikke at skulle koncentrere sig om andet end Premier League, og af at de direkte har svækket Arsenal med købet af Toure og Adebayor - altså har de umiddelbart fået de seneste års svageste medlem af big four yderligere ned på jorden. På papiret i hvert fald. Nu spilles fodbold imidlertid på banen og ikke på papiret. Og heldigvis for det. For selvom City har en hel flok fremragende spillere, så har de endnu ikke et godt hold. Det var det Mark Hughes kæmpede med sidste år, og det lykkedes ganske enkelt aldrig for ham at finde et velafbalanceret hold, hvor spillerne for alvor så ud til at føle sig hjemme. Navnlig på udebane var den gal. Der var lyspunkter; kampe hvor spillet kørte, og kampe hvor det lykkedes at få Robinho til at påtage sig noget der mindede om defensive pligter, men der er stadig lang vej i forhold til topholdenes velsmurte kollektiver. 

Flere af de spillere som nu findes i truppen virker ikke som typerne, som umiddelbart bidrager positivt til et harmonisk og afbalanceret hold på banen - eller i omklædningsrummet. Særligt Adebayor virker ikke som en spiller i Mark Hughes’ ånd. Som spiller var Hughes selv benhård, hårdtarbejdende og meget ærlig. I Adebayor finder han næsten sin diametrale modsætning, og det står stærkt tvivlsomt om Hughes som manager kan – eller vil – tøjle de egoer som følger med den type spiller der efterhånden er samlet nogle stykker af i City. Og problemer kan næsten ikke undgåes når der er flere gode spillere end der er pladser på banen. Hughes har tidligere tvetydigt ytret at han vist ikke selv stod for alle spillerindkøb. En sådan politik kan vise sig overordentlig problematisk, hvis træner og ejere bliver uenige om hvem der skal spille.

Blandt andet derfor fremstår det særdeles interessant om Abu Dhabi-gruppen overhovedet ser Hughes som den langsigtede løsning på trænerbænken, eller om de ligesom Abramovich da han havde givet Ranieri en enkelt sæson i det nye Chelsea vil udskifte træneren med et større navn og “garanterede” trofæer.

Alle disse ubekendte risikerer at eksplodere hos folkets klub i Manchester. Og derfor – og fordi ting tager tid, Rom ikke blev bygget på en dag, og bolden er rund, og alt kan ske osv. osv. osv kommer Manchester City ikke helt op i toppen i år. Det skal givetvis nok komme – spillermaterialet er der - men det skal først sættes sammen på den rigtige måde – og måske af en helt anden mand end ham der sidder med opgaven i dag.

Tip: Forventet placering: Nummer 6 Supersæson: Ambitionerne er næsten lige så høje som summen på bankbogen hos citys ejere. Derfor vil en placering som nummer 4 med den tilhørende CL-deltagelse nok være succeskriteriet.

Blackburn Rovers: Overgiv jer eller vi tackler!

Stiftet: 1875

Stadion: Ewood Park (Kapacitet: 31.367)

Kælenavn: Rovers, Blue and whites, Riversiders

Seneste tre ligaplaceringer (07/08/09): 10/7/15

Første fem kampe: 15/8 Man City (H), 18/8 Fulham (U), 22/8 Sunderland (U), 29/8 West Ham (H), 12/9 Wolverhampton (H)

Manager: Sam Allardyce (Siden december 2008)

Kun 4 hold har vundet den fornemmeste engelske fodboldrække siden den i 1992 ændrede format og navn til det vi i dag kender som Premier League. Det drejer sig naturligvis om Manchester United, Arsenal, Chelsea – og Blackburn Rovers. Sidstnævnte snuppede et enkelt mesterskab i 1995. Det var der Blackburn slog Liverpool ude på sidste spilledag, og the Kop brød ud i “Always look on the bright side of life” da nyheden tikkede ind om at Blackburn blev mestre idet Manchester United kun havde formået at få 1-1 hos West Ham. Det var også dengang Kenny Dalglish var træner på Ewood Park, og frem for alt dengang Blackburn havde stålmillionæren Jack Walkers penge til at signere stjernespillere som Graeme Le-Saux, Alan Shearer, David Batty, Tim Flowers og Chris Sutton. (Det var virkelig en anden tid dengang…)

Siden er der løbet meget vand under broen i Blackburn. Mesterskabssæsonen blev ikke fulgt succesfuldt op, og blot fire år efter – i 1999 – var holdet nede i den næstbedste række efter en Ray Hartford og Roy Hodgson ikke havde formået at løfte arven efter Dalglish. Mens holdet rodede rundt i den næstbedste række døde Jack Walker ydermere, men alligevel fik Graeme Souness holdet tilbage i den bedste række i 2001. Siden fulgte endnu en indkøbstur, en ligacup triumf og et par ligaplaceringer på det jævne, inden Mark Hughes tog over fra Souness som ville til Newcastle.

I sine fire år på Ewood Park formåede Hughes at skabe et stærkt Blackburn-mandskab, som hurtigt blev et af de hold som alle hadede at møde på grund af deres fysiske og pågående spillestil. Endvidere fik holdet under Hughes såvel en sjette som en syvendeplads, og formåede i vidt omfang at etablere sig i Premier League. I maj 2008 ville Hughes dog hellere til Manchester City, og trænerkarusselen foresatte og smed Paul Ince af hos Blackburn efter et succesfuldt ophold hos Milton Keynes Dons. Ince viste sig imidlertid ikke at kunne klare presset, og han blev fyret efter en serie af elleve kampe uden sejre i november. 

Ind trådte i stedet Sam Allardyce, som var blevet fyret i Newcastle, og som hurtigt fik genfundet de gamle dyder fra Hughes – og som han selv blev berømt og berygtet for i Bolton; fysisk, effektiv fodbold, hvor modstanderens teknikere virkelig får lov til at mærke, at de er i live. Blackburn tabte ikke i Allardyces første syv kampe som træner, og sluttede sæsonen på en – alt taget i betragtning – respektabel 15. plads.

Truppen generelt: Av for satan!

Paul Robinson, som gik gruelig meget igennem omkring Englands kiksede kvalifikation til EM 2008. Robinson droppede flere fælt på landsholdet, og på klubholdet, Tottenham, lignede det tidligere Leeds-talent mere og mere en slagen mand. Robinson blev Inces første indkøb i Blackburn, og har fået gang i karrieren igen.

I forsvaret er Ryan Nelsen fra New Zeeland styrmand, og er blevet en vigtigere og vigtigere mand for holdet de senere år. Han gøres selskab af kæmpestore Christopher Samba, som dominerer luftrummet, men til gengæld kan virke temmelig tung mod teknisk stærke spillere. Ikke desto mindre fuldender det tidligere Liverpool-talent Stephen Warnock et stærkt forsvar på venstrebacken. Georgiske Zurab Khizanishvili agerer backup for centerforsvarne med albuer, film og generel pisseirriterende optræden.

På midtbanen var Blackburn hårdt ramt af skader, og følgelig endte Keith Andrews, som Ince tog med fra MK Dons, lidt pudsigt med at være et næsten fast indslag på den defensive midtbane. Han får konkurrence af australske Vince Grella, mens en anden australier, Brett Emerton, står for et mere offensivt islæt. Ellers er norske Morten Gamst Pedersen den store stjerne på kanten. Ikke blot bidrager nordmanden med indkast som er i Rory-Delap-klassen længdemæssigt; han kan også både drible, udfordre og score mål. Han gør det bare umanerlig sjældent, og har det med at forsvinde i store dele af sæsonen. På kanten kan også El Hadji Diouf – som Allardyce hentede til Bolton i sin tid, og igen hentede til Blackburn i januar – spille, ligesom han  kan bruges helt på toppen. Her huserer også Benedict Mccarthy og Jason Roberts, som begge er angribere lige efter Big Sams hjerte, med fysisk styrke og målnæse.

Væsentlige transfere: Ungt og spændende

Forsvaret er blevet styrket af sidste sæsons lejesvend Gaël Givet, som er kommet til på en permanent kontrakt. Han kan spille både centralt og på venstrebacken. Lars Jakobsen er kommet til højrebacken transferfrit fra Everton, og kan oplagt ses som en direkte erstatning for de seneste års faste mand på pladsen i Blackburn, hollandske Andre Oijer som er taget hjem. Den populære midtbanetyrker Tugay har indstillet karrieren, mens Aaron Mokoena er taget på fri transfer til Portsmouth. Midtbanen er til gengæld blevet styrket af den tidligere FCK’er Elrio Van Heerden, og det 20-årige franske talent Steven N’Zonzi som startede sæsonens første kamp på den defensive midtbane.

Klubbens store stjerne de seneste år, angriberen Roque Santa Cruz, blev efter en længere transfersaga hentet til Manchester City af Mark Hughes som i første omgang lokkede ham fra Bayern Munchen til Blackburn med stor succes. Alt imens er evighedstalentet Matt Derbyshire blevet solgt til græske Olympiakos. Ny i angrebet er til gengæld det 21-årige kroatiske stortalent Nikola Kalinic, som spås en stor fremtid i hjemlandet efter nogle succesfulde år i Hajduk Split. Man venter i øjeblikket ængsteligt på at de sidste papirer falder på plads, så Blackburns nye nummer 22 kan komme på banen. Han menes at have kostet i omegnen af £ 6 millioner. Ligeledes er den argentinske angriber Franco Di Santo blevet lånt i Chelsea.

Forventninger: En ubehagelig overraskelse

Sam Allardyce er en modbydeligt dygtig træner. Han råder i Blackburn over en stor del spillere, som fungerer rigtig godt med den type modbydelige fodbold som den tidligere Bolton-boss gerne vil spille. Derfor bliver møderne med Blackburn et rigtig ubehageligt bekendtskab for alle hold i denne sæson.

Siden jeg oprindeligt nørklede med mit udkast til de endelige placeringer har en række hold forstærket sig, og derfor virker det nu lidt voldsomt at have Blackburn i top-10. Ok, indrømmet: Det virker voldsomt ligegyldig hvad. Ikke desto mindre vil holdet kunne opnå ganske meget, og det tror jeg også de gør; de er fint besat på alle pladser, og især Ryan Nelsen holder højt niveau defensiven. Hvis Mccarthy ydermere forløser sit naturlige talent for at lave mål med alle kropsdele, og han eventuelt kan udvikle et godt makkerskab med den nye unge Kalinic, så er sky’s the limit for Blackburn Rovers. Eller i virkeligheden er 8. pladsen the limit. Men det ville også være udtryk for en hamrende god sæson for Blackburn efter sidste sæsons flirt med nedrykningspladserne.

Tip: Forventet placering: Nummer 9 Supersæson: Nummer 8.

Manchester City striker Roque Santa Cruz is aiming to overhaul Manchester United and become the prominent force in English football.

“It won’t be easy to catch them, but that’s our aim,” Santa Cruz told The Guardian.

“You have the history of Manchester United and the fact they have been very successful, so they will always be a big club. But it is just a matter of time.”

Santa Cruz also said that he believes Sir Alex Ferguson’s criticisms are not genuinely motivated.

“There’s no doubt Alex Ferguson has been great for Manchester United and that, usually, his word is very worthy,” the 27-year-old added.

“But on this occasion, I think there might be a bit of jealousy when he sees how much we have spent.

“Every coach wants the best players and I think it is him feeling a bit of pressure because, deep down, he knows what City can mean to all these big clubs.”

The Paraguayan then lamented how his relationship with Blackburn Rovers fans deteriorated.

“It is disappointing, because I had a fantastic relationship with the fans in the past. In the end, no matter what I tried to do, it just went from bad to worse.

“The club were fighting relegation, changing managers, and there were strange things coming out in the press from interviews I was supposed to have given in Paraguay,” continued Santa Cruz.

“I did some interviews saying I would like to play for a bigger club but the translations were not right and it looked as though I was criticising Blackburn.

“The local paper didn’t help me at all and, of course, the fans read what was in the press and believed it. It was very hard to control and it didn’t seem to stop for months.

“I had talked about being ambitious and wanting to play for a bigger club and sometimes that can really hurt the supporters of the club you are playing for. But those were my feelings.”

Goal

]]> http://thedribzleroo.wordpress.com/2009/08/12/city-of-gold/ Wed, 12 Aug 2009 05:59:00 +0000 The Dribzleroo http://thedribzleroo.wordpress.com/2009/08/12/city-of-gold/

It’s not often that another team in England, let alone in Manchester, hogs the headlines more than Manchester United. But it’s not often that a British team gets bought over by an Abu Dhabi investment group, although football clubs are starting to replace private islands and super-yachts as the new playthings for the filthy rich. Never has the balance of the game shifted so much in favour of those with the Yankee dollar (or British pound). Of course, there have been rich clubs in the past, but there was always an air of financial prudence in transfer dealings. But spiralling wages in recent years has in turn led to exorbitant transfer fees, and the market this summer takes the cake for that.

Manchester City’s spending alone has surpassed £100 million in the space of a few months. City fans (who have suddenly sprouted up all over) will argue that they got several players for roughly the price of one Cristiano Ronaldo. But taking a closer look at City’s signings, one can’t help having a feeling that they paid inflated values. Then again, to the Middle Eastern owners, they’d pay more to get the players they want now (or at least the players that wanted to join them) rather than wait and face the opportunity cost of not strengthening their team (note to Sir Alex Ferguson: stop complaining about the inflated market and get David Silva). They have brought in an England international defensive midfielder who Liverpool so desperately wanted, an Arsenal defender and striker with vast Champions League experience between them, a Paraguayan forward who banged in the goals for Blackburn Rovers (which is no mean feat) and an Argentine cry-baby (I’m a United fan after all).

But almost everyone still thinks City won’t break into the top four this season. However, looking at their team on paper, I ask myself, why not? They certainly can make a fight out of it. Gareth Barry and Nigel de Jong sitting in midfield will provide plenty of protection to a defence marshalled by the experienced Kolo Toure and the likely addition of Matthew Upson. Let’s not forget Shay Given in goal, one of the best shot-stoppers in the league. What may prove to be their downfall though are too many cooks spoiling the broth (although in the case of Richard Dunne, he could do with eating that broth and losing some weight). With Stephen Ireland, Shaun Wright-Phillips and Robinho looking to dictate play, things usually fall apart in the final third, which was their story of last season.

With these three attacking midfielders, manager Mark Hughes still has to find a way to fit Carlos Tevez, Roque Santa Cruz, Craig Bellamy and Emmanuel Adebayor into the side. There’s no doubt that City are a top-heavy side (even with Richard Dunne in defence) with a wealth of attacking talent, but to get players to gel and work well as a cohesive unit, they need to be playing together regularly. Since City are not involved in any European competition this season, Hughes does not have to rotate this players due to fatigue or a packed fixture list, which may work for teams like small squad teams like Everton and Aston Villa but may lead to mutiny on a bench with Bellamy and friends.

His handling of unhappy players will be key to City’s all-out push for a Champions League place. As we’ve seen many times before, maintaining form after the New Year is how the big four clubs break away from the rest of the pack. Hughes has to thread a fine line between keeping a settled line-up and ensuring team spirit and unity remains in the squad. I still expect an Adebayor-Bellamy fight sometime around Christmas, and my money is on the Welshman winning with a well-placed knee jab.

There’s no doubt Hughes is under immense pressure this season, and anything less than a Europa League spot (even that may not be enough) will probably lead to a certain Portuguese ‘Special One’ making his return to the Premier League. Hughes really needs his big-money signings to deliver. And they need to prove that the party line about being at City for the long-term project and not for the money is somewhat plausible with performances where it matters most – on the pitch.

Adebayor has done enough talking to last a lifetime; now he needs to get them at least 20 goals. With Robinho’s wizardry and the workhorse Carlos Tevez in support, that target is achievable. Ireland and Wright-Phillips are capable of contributing goals from the midfield as well. In Wayne Bridge and Pablo Zabaleta, they also have marauding full-backs who can put decent crosses into the box. De Jong and Barry in the middle will be the glue that holds this team together. Their protection in front of the back four will be especially vital against the big teams, who may find it difficult to break them down.

Hughes does not have to give a motivational speech to his players. If he shows them Ferguson’s quotes about the club being small with an equally miniscule mentality and its apparent obsessiveness with all things United, that should motivate them to do well. Then again, one questions whether the players’ enthusiasm at signing fat contracts will be matched by equally fervent performances on the pitch. Because nothing less than that will get City what they and their Abu Dhabi owners really want – entry to the cash cow that is the UEFA Champions League. Oh yes, I almost forgot – and their first trophy in 33 years!

The match itself was a bruising affair typical of the playing days of both managers. Ince and Keane were both known throughout their careers for their aggressive style and offensive tongue – and these traits showed throughout.

Super sub Roque Santa Cruz headed Blackburn’s opener, and desperately unlucky Sunderland defender Phil Bardsley was left with his head in his hands after scoring Blackburn’s second for them.

Surprise of the night Kenwyne Jones had offered the 18,000 home fans a glimmer of hope when he pulled one back for Sunderland, but the push for an equaliser proved too little, far too late as Blackburn advanced to the Quarter Finals of the Carling Cup.

Despite the aggressive nature of the match, the only booking came three minutes from time when Sunderland substitute Grant Leadbitter was shown a yellow for a silly trip.

There were, however, two stars who shone through the dust of battle and implied bright futures lie ahead for both clubs.

Blackburn boss Paul Ince handed a senior debut to Andy Hawarth – a 19 year old midfielder who possesses as much promise and potential as he possesses natural talent – and that is saying something.

His trickery, combined with his physical presence on the pitch, proved a constant thorn in the side of the home team, and did much to stake his claim for more regular first team football at Ewood Park.

For the Wearsiders, their shining light came from local lad Jordan Henderson – making only his second senior appearance for the club, the first coming in the Black Cats’ visit to Chelsea.

Like his Blackburn counterpart, Henderson greatly impressed the home crowd and his manager, and received a standing ovation when being replaced by Grant Leadbitter in the second half.

Referee Rob Styles had ruled out a Kenwyne Jones effort on the grounds of offside against Cisse – a decision which earned him copious abuse from the home stands.

However, Rovers were able to hang on to claim the first round in this war – and in the process piled the pressure on the manager’s old friend Roy Keane, who has now witnessed his side lose four consecutive matches.

Despite playing this evening, Kenwyne Jones’ fitness will likely be re-assessed before a decision is made on whether to include him in Sunderland’s trip to Ewood Park on Saturday.

The task of fulfilling Sunderland’s early season promise now seems to have moved on from a mole hill into a mountain, with the Black Cats now out of what was arguably their best shot at silverware this season.

The General goes up against the Guv’nor Wednesday night, as former partners in crime Roy Keane and Paul Ince look to oust one another and advance to the Quarter Finals of the Carling Cup.

The pair were bruise brothers in arms back in the early nineties, helping Manchester United win their first ever double in 1994.

Indeed, United won the Premiership in both seasons that these two men were midfield partners until Ince’s departure for Inter Milan in the summer of 1995.

Sunderland boss Keane surprisingly never won the Carling Cup as a player in England, though he did take the Scottish equivalent while with Celtic in 2006.

Paul Ince did win this competition once – helping his United side to victory in the 1992 League Cup Final over Nottingham Forest. In the Forest team that day was a certain Mr. Keane, albeit a young and relatively inexperienced player at the time.

They remain good friends to this day, but there will be no quarter given – nor asked – as both have something to prove to his own team’s fans.

Roy Keane’s Sunderland have been on a rotten run as of late, losing their last three consecutive matches –their latest triumph coming in a 2-1 victory over Newcastle United.

This run has seen them slip dangerously down the table, and what was once a promising season is slowly darkening, with the imminent threat of another relegation scrap looming ominously on the horizon.

Paul Ince, meanwhile, has not seen his side win for six matches – ironically, their previous victory also being a 2-1 win over Newcastle back in September.

This is the first leg of a two-tiered battle between the old stalwarts, as the two teams meet in the Premier League at Ewood Park on Saturday – and so each manager hopes to get one up on their old pal tonight.

Bragging rights are at stake, but more importantly a victory this evening will surely give the winners a real psychological boost in the reverse fixture in three days’ time.

The hosts have been hit with the news that Kenwyne Jones is unavailable after aggravating the same knee injury which kept him out for four months earlier in the season.

George McCartney is another likely absentee, joining goalkeeper Craig Gordon and youngster Martin Waghorn on the physio table.

Paul Ince looks set to hand a debut to 19 year old Andy Hawarth, who was only assigned a squad number earlier in the week, while Roque Santa Cruz looks likely to be rested to preserve him for the return match on Saturday.

Carlos Villanueva is also likely to be given a place on the bench following the Chilean’s recall to the international side earlier this week, with Robbie Fowler set to start up front.

Toure - Heading North

After passing a medical late this afternoon Kolo Toure joined Man City from Arsenal for £15m on a four year-contract. Although it was almost certain Toure would join City as our story said yesterday, today it was made official on the clubs website.

The 28 year-old has yet to finalise the paperwork but that is a formality. Toure spent seven years at Arsenal and joins former team-mate Adebayor, Carlos Tevez, Gareth Barry, Roque Santa Cruz, and Stuart Taylor as the other signings made by City this summer.

City boss Mark Hughes said, “I am delighted to welcome Kolo to Manchester City. It is no secret that we have been looking to strengthen our defence, and in Kolo I feel we have recruited a world class player. He brings a wealth of Premier League experience from his seven seasons with Arsenal.

Hughes was full of praise for the defender and added, “Kolo has been a central figure in a very strong Arsenal team for many years, and I have been an admirer of him for a long time. He is strong, quick, reads the game well and will be an influential figure in the dressing room.”

It is not yet known if City have finished buying yet as Mark Hughes is being coy about a number of other big name players who have been rumoured to be joining the club, but one player who is staying at the club is 22 year-old defender Nedum Onuoha who has agreed a new five year-contract

Hughes - The pressure is on

Manchester City boss Mark Hughes faces two of the biggest tests of his managerial career when the season starts in a little under 4 weeks time.

Having signed Carlos Tevez and Emmanuel Adebayor, two strikers who have caused their previous managers, Alex Ferguson and Arsene Wenger respectively plenty of problems over attitude and dressing room morale, Hughes will have his work cut out controlling these two alone.

Add in his other two high profile signings, Roque Santa Cruz and Gareth Barry to keep in check and that gives you a picture of what Mark Hughes faces.  Can he deal with it?  Many would say his inexperience in dealing with what is close to £80m of footballing talent is going to be questioned if something kicks off with either one of them.  That is Hughes first problem.

His second problem is one of delivery.  With so much cash flowing out of Eastlands this summer, despite what City owners have said in that they are prepared to be patient to get results, we think Hughes is under enormous pressure to deliver the results(a top 4 finish next season we think is what the owners will be looking for) and if City are not poised by Christmas to challenge for a top four spot come the end of the season, he could be out.

We wish Mark Hughes all the luck in the world, he is a nice guy but somehow we think he is going to need every bit of luck to achieve the goal.

THE world’s most unlikely sport’s story has been confirmed as true.

Sven-Goran Eriksson is going to be Notts County’s new director of football.

How odd.

Eriksson spoke repeatedly at his press conference about the challenge of coming to the world’s oldest football club.

“It is the biggest football challenge of my life to take Notts County to the Premier League,” he said.

“I could have gone elsewhere and earned more but I’m here for the challenge.”

Despite his protests, there is no doubt “challenge” will be interpreted, as “big piles of cash”.

This summer’s big-money movers Emmanuel Adebayor, Carlos Tevez and Gareth Barry all spoke of the “challenge” and the “project” when they joined Manchester City.

Breaking the Big Four’s monopoly on the Champions League positions, with an under-achieving mid-table club is undoubtedly a considerable challenge.

But it is also without question that hefty pay increases were crucial, if not deciding factors, in their moves to City.

If Adebayor, Tevez and Barry are that motivated by the challenge, then why not sign for a club in the Championship, League One or League Two?

Tevez spoke of wanting to play for a club where he was wanted.

Where is he going to be more wanted:

At Manchester City who have Adebayor, Robinho, Roque Santa Cruz and Craig Bellamy in reserve?

Or at a lower-league club where the entire success of the team revolves around him?

Eriksson’s case is not helped by no-one really knowing what a director of football does, however it is not his fault that Dennis Wise has forever tarnished his new job title.

And I do not doubt that Eriksson will be handsomely remunerated by Notts County.

But he should at least be praised for going to a club where the challenge is a very real concept.

Rodrigo Marciel es la cabeza del gran grupo de periodistas que componen el blog Brit Corner, referencia para todo amante del fútbol inglés y, más en concreto, de la Premier. Desde su autorizada opinión, os dejo éste artículo acerca de las posibilidades reales del Manchester City de ganar la, en mi opinión, mejor liga del mundo.

El City acaba de fichar a Emmanuel Adebayor lo que significa que su candidatura a lo más alto debe ser ya una realidad. El equipo del City of Manchester todavía piensa en John Terry como última pieza clave para terminar de engrasar una máquina que asusta y mucho. Ya tienen un portero de primer nivel (Given), un medio centro de garantías (Barry), un brasileño con clase en la banda (Robinho) y una delantera que no tiene nada que envidiar a nadie (Tévez, Adebayor y Santa Cruz). Si consiguen reforzar la defensa no habría excusas para no luchar por el campeonato con Liverpool, United, Chelsea y Arsenal. La situación de los gunners es a partir de hoy más delicada si cabe. La afición reclamaba alguna incorporación y después de lo de Adebayor urge que en el Emirates muevan ficha cuanto antes si no quieren pasar un año difícil.

El City puede ser el nuevo Chelsea. Un equipo construido a base de talonario que no llena sus vitrinas desde hace décadas y que espera romper con la dictadura de los cuatro dominadores del fútbol inglés en las dos últimas décadas. Para ello los jeques han invertido con fuerza justo en un momento delicado para equipos como el Liverpool o el Arsenal que no pueden hacer fuertes inversiones. La paciencia debe ser ahora la llave que haga trabajar con tranquilidad a Mark Hughes. El galés está ante el reto de su vida en los banquillos y debe saber que es el técnico más afortunado de la Premier. No es una locura pensar en el City como campeón pero de momento ya se les puede exigir entrar en la Champions.