I have a friend who has lived up in Manchester for quite a few years and yesterday we spoke about the up and coming match (well kind of)

He told me that Burnley is probably one of the biggest shitholes in England and even the Manc’s think they are inbreds. No one goes out round that area for a good time unless bottling is your idea of a fun packed night.

I like their football though and this has the makings of a great match WHICH WE HAVE TO WIN!

No write up last week but i got 6 results and no perfect scores, There are some tough games to predict this week but here goes anyway, Just predictions this week, more of a write up next week.

Saturday

Blackburn Rovers V Stoke City

Mystic Jarv predicts a 1-1 draw

Fulham V Bolton Wanderers

Mystic Jarv predicts a 1-0 win for Fulham

Manchester City V Hull City

Mystic Jarv predicts a 2-0 win for Man City

Portsmouth V Manchester United

Mystic Jarv predicts a 0-2 win for United

West Ham United V Burnley

Mystic Jarv predicts a 1-0 win for West ham

Wigan Athletic V Sunderland

Mystic Jarv predicts a 1-2 win for Sunderland

Aston Villa V Tottenham Hotspur

Mystic Jarv predicts a 1-2 win for Villa

Sunday

Wolverhampton Wanderers V Birmingham City

Mystic Jarv predicts a 0-1 win for Brum

Everton V Liverpool

Mystic Jarv predicts a 1-0 win for Everton

Arsenal V Chelsea

Mystic Jarv predicts a 1-1 draw

Written by Jarv

As Always for all your premier league discussion and Match discussion please visit Away Goals Rule Football Forum

London, Kero Pos – Bertandang ke markas Chelsea di Stamford Bridge, London, penyerang belia tanah air Syamsul Bahri kembali menjadi buah bibir dengan mengantarkan klub barunya West Ham United membukukan kemenangan pertama mereka untuk musim 2010-11. Gol semata wayang Bahri pada menit 52′ sekaligus menghentikan winning streak the Blues pada dua laga pembuka liga Premier sebelumnya.

Partai pekan ketiga liga Inggris tersebut merupakan pertandingan pertama Bahri diturunkan sebagai starter, setelah dilaporkan mengalami kesulitan dengan gaya permainan the Hammers, yang berbeda cukup drastis dengan klubnya sebelum ini, Paris Saint-Germain. “Permainan West Ham tidak bertumpu pada terobosan sayap seperti yang saya praktekkan bersama PSG musim lalu,” akunya seperti dilansir Kero Pos.

Laga yang dihelat pada Minggu waktu setempat ini berlangsung imbang antara kedua kubu, namun kemelut yang terjadi di depan gawang tuan rumah mampu dimaksimalkan Bahri untuk melesakkan bola dan mencetak gol pada babak kedua. Gol ini akhirnya menjadi satu-satunya gol, yang bertahan hingga peluit panjang ditiupkan wasit.

Kontroversi

Kedatangan Bahri ke Upton Park sendiri memunculkan banyak tanda tanya pada transfer window pra-musim edisi 2010. Pasalnya, penyerang usia 19 tahun ini baru saja mencuri perhatian dengan mengantarkan Paris Saint-Germain merengkuh gelar treble winners yang prestisius dengan memenangi Ligue 1, piala liga Perancis, dan Liga Champions sekaligus.

Sebelumnya naik daun dengan peran bagusnya menyukseskan Genoa — klub profesional pertamanya — menjuarai piala UEFA edisi terakhir, Bahri direkrut PSG pada window off-season 2009 untuk melapis duet Péguy Luyindula dan Guillaume Hoarau. Bahri justru sukses mendemosi senior-seniornya tersebut menjadi pelapisnya setelah sepertiga musim berjalan, dan berjasa mengangkat PSG dengan mencetak 40 gol dari total 39 pertandingan, berikut 27 penghargaan Man of the Match. Bahri juga dengan impresif berperan dalam semua gol yang diciptakan PSG dalam tiga partai krusial mereka di akhir musim — final piala liga, fixture penentu Ligue 1, dan final Liga Champions — baik melalui gol maupun assist. Di akhir musim Bahri meraih golden boot di semua kompetisi, kecuali Liga Champions di mana ia kalah satu gol dari bomber Chelsea Didier Drogba.

Bahri dalam interview FourFourTwo Oktober 2010.

Di tengah sukses besar yang diraihnya ketika belum kepala dua tersebut, Bahri secara mengejutkan mengumumkan kepindahannya ke West Ham pada awal musim ini. Padahal, klub London tersebut hanya menghuni papan tengah dan tidak mendapat tiket ke kompetisi Eropa manapun tahun ini.

“Saya menyukai tantangan dan sesuatu yang baru,” menurut Bahri. “Lebih menarik mencoba merintis dengan klub yang baru, ketimbang membantu satu klub kaya memenangkan hal yang sama tahun demi tahun.”

Kepindahan Bahri memicu kontroversi di Paris.

Debut dan Masa Depan

Bahri pertama kali diturunkan sebagai pemain pengganti kala West Ham dijamu West Bromwich Albion pada pekan kedua. Turun di babak kedua dan ketinggalan 0-3, Bahri sukses membukukan hat-trick pertamanya untuk menyelamatkan the Hammers dari kekalahan telak, dengan dua gol terakhir yang dicetak melalui injury time. Pasca laga piala liga melawan Wigan, Bahri langsung mengambil alih posisi lone striker inti dari Dean Ashton.

“Saya sangat bersemangat untuk mengantarkan West Ham menembus dominasi big four,” katanya. Pernyataan ini diprediksi akan semakin menaikkan namanya di komunitas pendukung West Ham, apalagi ia begitu dielu-elukan ketika dengan heroik menyelamatkan klub dari West Brom. Namun barangkali tidak bijak terlalu bergantung dengan Bahri, sebab ketika ditanya apakah akan loyal dengan klub barunya, ia mengaku tidak bisa berjanji.

Dengan kemenangan ini West Ham naik ke posisi enam klasemen sementara dengan lima poin dari tiga laga. Ini adalah kali keempat Bahri menundukkan the Blues, setelah bentrok tiga kali di Liga Champions edisi musim lalu. Pemain yang identik dengan nomor punggung 28 ini menargetkan bersaing mengalahkan rivalnya Drogba pada perebutan sepatu emas.

Sabtu esok tim asuhan Gianfranco Zola ini akan menjamu Hull City di Boleyn Ground.

It’s tradition that when a new manager takes the helm the team starts to pick up points and builds confidence.

Considering they are below us should we begin to worry? Hull are doing the business (for now) Portsmouth will no doubt start stringing some results together as well with the added bonus of cash to spend mid season (or Grant would never take the job on)

I’m really getting worried now. I’m trying to see the light but this thick fog bank just wont clear in front of me, if we drop further down the table I honestly cant see us getting out of the mess. It comes to a point that a club has to win 3-4 games on the trot to get out of a mess if they keep falling.

It will happen to us if we don’t start winning simple!

West Ham United eye Bundesliga striker

Chelsea to outbid West Ham for Livorno star Candreva

linked with Bologna striker Pablo Daniel Osvaldo

Excellent drivel in this link.

sights high

The Premier League club’s former manager, who walked out in September last year claiming players were sold without his consent, is eventually expected to receive about £1 million, a year’s basic salary, but will have his legal costs met. Even sources close to Curbishley don’t expect him to receive the full £3 million.

A hearing is set for January to finalise the exact level of compensation, but the scale of Curbishley’s legal bills is not unexpected considering the high-profile nature of the case.

are under severe financial strain but have budgeted for the costs of settling with Curbishley whose relationship with the club deteriorated throughout the summer before he departed. There were discussions as to whether he should be replaced before he walked out.

Curbishley is keen for a return to management in the Premier League but has set his sights high and would only, it’s believed, consider a club in the top ten of the division or one with the resources or aspirations to achieve that.

He was considered for the Sunderland job before Steve Bruce was appointed while, for example, it’s understood that he would not be interested in Hull City, who West Ham play on Saturday, should Phil Brown be sacked.

West Ham have not made any public statements about the case but are privately furious at the way the club has been portrayed.

They argue that the players sold — Anton Ferdinand and George McCartney both, ironically, to Sunderland — wanted to leave and that good prices were achieved at a time when the club was facing the financial meltdown of its then owner Bjorgolfur Gudmundsson.

However Curbishley’s contract appeared to state he had the final say on transfers.

Yeah we know about the compensation and legal costs but the bit that tickled me was the paragraph highlighted and how it takes me back to George Graham STILL waiting for that big job.

OH and ‘one with resources’? Jesus I pity the next club!!

Valon Behrami.

Londono “West Ham United” direktorius Gianluca Nani paneigė pasirodžiusius gandus, kad ekipos 24 metų šveicaras Valonas Behrami sausio mėnesį persikels į Turino “Juventus”.

“Nenorime parduoti savo geriausių žaidėjų. Būtent tokiai grupei priklauso šis saugas, todėl jis lieka mūsų komandoje”, – sakė G.Nani.

I thought I’d go back in time to one of our worst ever days in football history.

Man U 7 – WHU – 1

OH it started so well and then went a little pear shaped….One off I hear you say? But If I recall we were given a 7-1 dishing out by Blackburn season before? Plus a 6-0 thrashing by Reading season before that?

Same old West Ham taking the piss….

West Ham forge closer links with American youth football

We are skint but not that skint when it comes to Nigel Q. Can we knock this off Curb’s compensation claim?

WHU to pay uglies wages.

Cash-strapped West Ham United will continue to pay £20,000-a-week in wages to unwanted midfielder Nigel Quashie when he joins MK Dons on loan this week.

Quashie will join Paul Ince’s League One club after the Hammers agreed to carry on paying all but a small percentage of his £21,000-a-week salary.

The arrangement will stun West Ham fans whose club have been in dire financial straits since their Icelandic owners were badly hit by the international banking collapse.

Former manager Alan Curbishley walked out after the club sold Anton Ferdinand and George McCartney behind his back a year ago while current manager Gianfranco Zola has also seen players like Craig Bellamy leave to help balance the books.

Quashie, 31, has been capped by Scotland but has not played for West Ham this season and is not part of Zola’s plans.

He has made only seven Premier League starts since signing from West Bromwich in a £1.5million deal in January 2007.

West Ham are £85m in debt and there are fears key men like Matthew Upson may be sold.

Quashie is ‘the man in the middle’

The Mailonline story

Liga Premier

Manchester United goleo 3-0 al Everton

Sunderland 1-0 Arsenal

Chelsea le puso una goliza al Wolverhampton 4 goles a cero.

Liverpool empata a dos goles contra el Manchester City

Hull City 3-3 West Ham United

Tottenham Hotspur MASACRA al Wigan Atlhetic 9 goles a 1

Birmingham City 1-0 Fullham

Fed-up Gianfranco Zola

Fed-up Gianfranco Zola admits continued transfer speculation linking his top name stars with a move away from Upton Park has caused havoc on West Ham’s poor start to the season ahead of their crucial trip to fellow Premier League strugglers Hull City.

With just two wins from 12 this term the Hammers occupy 18th place, one point behind the Tigers who host Zola’s side at a sell-out KC Stadium on Saturday.

But with talk rife that England trio Carlton Cole, Matthew Upson and Robert Green are chief among those leading the cash-strapped club’s mooted January firesale, the Italian bemoaned the negative impact it has had on his relegation threatened squad

So the ‘turning point’ never happened and  now he is blaming the press for the players bad performances?

Ipswich Town weigh up move for West Ham\’s Kieron Dyer

Ipswich Town are considering making a shock move for Kieron Dyer. The 30-year-old former England international has endured a miserable time through injury at West Ham United since his £6 million transfer from Newcastle United two years ago.

OH please please please…..

pressure of us and on WHU

Phil Brown claims the pressure has eased on Hull ahead of their relegation showdown with West Ham.

Brown says his Tigers are on a high after their last-gasp win over Stoke kept him in a job and saw them climb out of the bottom three above the Hammers.

He hopes that huge result will be a turning point in Hull’s season and pointed to their 2-2 friendly draw against Atalanta in Italy last week as further evidence of a new belief at the KC Stadium.

Just one point separates 17th-placed Hull and 18th-placed West Ham, and Brown wants his players to increase that gap to four by Saturday evening.

Not sure whether they will be feeling less pressure simply because they know a loss sends them back down again but their confidence is definetly higher then ours that’s for sure.

WHU tracking the mercurial Argentine playmaker Diego Buonanotte

A number of Premier League clubs are reportedly tracking the mercurial Argentine playmaker Diego Buonanotte in regards to a January move but may face competition from around Europe for the diminutive starlet. At just 5 ft 2, the South American star may be small in stature but he is regarded as a very big talent.

Buonanotte currently plies his trade for River Plate in his homeland and alongside former team-mate Radamel Falcao (now at Porto) was expected to move to Europe last summer. The player is nicknamed ‘El Enano’ which translates at ‘the Dwarf’ which is unsurprising given his size but despite his physique, the attacking player’s talent has shone through including at last summer’s Toulon Tournament.

The 21-year-old can play as an attacking midfielder, on either wing or up front and has shown an eye for goal. Buonanotte finished top scorer in Toulon after scoring 4 goals as Argentina finished 3rd. He scored against Eqypt, France and a goal in each of his games against Holland. He was also named Player of the Tournament which will only drew more attention to his talents.

The offensive star was born in Teodelina in the Santa Fe Province and came through the River Plate ranks making his debut as a 17-year-old as a replacement for current Real Madrid star Gonzalo Higuain. He scored his first senior goal in his following appearance but it was the 2007/08 season when Buonanotte established himself a real star. That season he scored an impressive 11 goals in 25 league appearances (21 starts). Under the guidance of River Plate’s Technical Director and legendary figure Daniel Passarella he was given the confidence he needed to believe in his quality. He soon became a fan’s favourite after a dazzling display against hated rivals Boca Juniors as well as two goals against Olimpio that secured the 2008 Clausura (closing) Championship.

Ok we like rumours but lets be realistic. We didn’t have a pot to piss in during the summer when most deals are made so I expect nothing different come Jan UNLESS we have new owners that is….

Benitez is reportedly weighing up a double raid for West Ham\’s defensive duo Matthew Upson and Herita Ilunga

Meg: Busy casting a spell on Thierry Henry

Poor old Ireland eh? Thierry Henry’s left hand on Wednesday night put an end to the Green Army’s dream of following their national team to the World Cup, and condemned them to yet another summer of drinking bottles of cider in picturesque countryside taverns that border acres of beautiful apple orchards. Or so Magners would have us believe…

Oh well, at least they can turn their attentions back to the Premier League this weekend, where their most cherished top flight English team will continue their fine unbeaten ru… oh… right… that’s Liverpool isn’t it? Never mind then.

I’m not really doing a very good job at cheering the Irish up, so I’ll get on with my predictions. Same form as usual. Beat me and you win a tenner*.

Birmingham vs Fulham

I was happy to see that I predicted yet another correct outcome involving Liverpool in the last round of Premier League fixtures. I haven’t got anything against Liverpool, but I saw Birmingham going to Anfield, defending for their lives (as they have done all season), and getting something. However, my prediction was probably more based on Liverpool not having a clue this season, and the fact that they still have Lucas in their midfield.

What I didn’t see coming though was The Blues scoring two goals, and Alicia Keys lookalike Cameron Jerome pinging one in from 30 yards. However, I can live with that because Jose Reina didn’t see it coming either, and I guess it was more important for him to be ready for Jerome’s strike than me.

Apart from their dancing badger, there’s not much you can say about Fulham. Whilst I was waiting for my breakfast last Sunday I was given a complimentary paper to read (presumably whilst the pub’s manager attempted to get the Gap year student to stop going for fag breaks and actually cook the full English I had ordered – he failed), and I stumbled across a quote from Roy Hodgson saying that he hoped Fulham fans realise that there is a ceiling on what the club can achieve.

Whilst he is 100% correct about that, it sort of highlights the problem with reviewing them. Yes, they’ll have a game every week. Yes, I’ll have to think of something to say. However with no ambition, there’s no real excitement. Just a freak season once in a while where they’ll either have a relegation dog fight, or they’ll break into the top seven and get a place in a competition that noone cares about, (even if it earns them a few extra quid, offers their fans a few European city breaks).

This season they’ll finish comfortably in mid-table again, which means that their recent success needs to be balanced up with a defeat this weekend. So that’s what I’ve gone for.

Verdict: 2-1

Burnley vs Aston Villa

Burnley are a Championship side punching above their weight in the Premier League. Them’s the fact ladies and gents. If they didn’t have the support of all those blokey-looking women in the home crowd scaring the opposition’s wide players, they’d be relegated already and wiping the tears away with their bingo-wings.

Anyway, they DO have that support, and their home form is why they are still afloat (although if Turf Moor was flooded, the players be able to stay afloat just by grabbing one of the massive buoyancy aids sitting in the stands).

This game therefore should be made all the more interesting by that fact. However, in spite of Villa’s pretty indifferent form of late, I think they’ll win this one easily. The wingers are the reason, and they have two of them in Ashley Young and James Milner who are bang on form right now. If they can avoid the Medusan-like effect of looking directly at the female Burnley fans whilst hugging their touchlines, then I fully expect them to tear The Clarets apart.

Verdict: 1-3

Chelsea vs Wolves

If there was ever a home-win to put your house on, this is it**.

The only way Wolves can win is if they, as previously mooted on Eddies Football Blog, put out a team of real wolves that end up killing and feasting on the entire Chelsea team. However, even if they did that they’d be more than likely to still only get a draw, as I don’t think packs of wolves care much for scoring goals.

Verdict: 3-0

Hull vs West Ham

Last week I must have sent good karma out to Phil Brown with my emotional appeal to keep him in his job at Hull. Not only did they win their game against Stoke, but the man who popped up with the winner may well have inadvertently boosted the Geordie crooner’s transfer budget for the January window.

That’s right; sales of replica shirts with Jan Vennegoor Of Hesselink printed on the back have soared following his injury time strike and, at £1 per letter, that’ll be a nice tidy sum come the end of 2009. Enough to buy Jan-Ingwer Callsen-Bracker from Borussia Monchengladbach perhaps.

It’s a novel approach, but then so is having your half-time team-talk in the middle of the pitch. He’s a pioneer, that Brownie.

By contrast, West Ham ‘ave gone and found themselves a spot of bovva. Tree-trunk legged striker Dean Ashton is expected to retire from football imminently, which is a real shame for the club, the player, and English football in general. The person who will benefit from Ashton’s retirement is World Cup hopeful Carlton Cole, but he must be getting tired of having to do it all on his own.

As a result, The Hammers will have to get Cole to form a partnership with their suggestible Italian Allessandro Diamanti, and will therefore be hoping that the Hull fans don’t all learn the Italian for ‘miss!’ by tomorrow afternoon. Expect an entertaining dogfight though, but obviously without any real dogs (unless a plucky Hammer manages to smuggle his Staffy into the ground, and it ends up getting into a scuffle with Stephen Hunt).

Verdict: 2-2

Liverpool vs Man City

What did I say when I started this whole Premier League predictions thing? Well, I gave you all certain rules to abide by, didn’t I? Certain criteria for aiding you in your conquest, if you will. However, I also said that if you are Mark Lawrenson you must, at all costs, write an indescribably biased prediction in favour of Liverpool.

The Reds go into this weekend with the following form in the last 9 games (in all competitions) – LLLLWLLDD. Despite Gerrard’s return, they are without key striker Fernando Torres, and play a Man City side who have only lost one game in all competitions all season (against Man Utd), and sitting nicely above them in the league. This is why i find the following from ‘Lawro’ the most hilarious piece of biased piffle I have seen in a long time…

“The good news for Liverpool is that it looks like Steven Gerrard has got himself fit, although I’m not sure that Fernando Torres will make this one. Manchester City had four players starting for England last week so it’s not as if they’ve had a rest and that could be a factor.

I think Manchester City now have players capable of taking the game to Liverpool and that might suit the home side as a lot of teams go to Anfield and shut up shop. But this could be an open game and Liverpool will like that. “

So, not only has he turned the potent threat of Man City’s attacking options into an advantage for Liverpool (when, in reality, they will have haunted Jamie Carragher’s dreams this week), but he is also claiming that City’s top-class athletes will need more rest after a game they played 7 bloody days earlier!

This, my friends, is exactly what I was on about. It’s safe to say that I don’t agree with him in the slightest.

Verdict: 1-2

Man Utd vs Everton

This is traditionally a big game, and a game in which Everton I’m sure would want to give a good account of themselves. However, with 11 of their first team players either with knocks or long term injuries, it has turned into a fixture in which David Moyes’ men will just defend in numbers and hope for a point.

With captain Phil Neville absent, a player all too used to winning games at Old Trafford, Everton’s midfield will be outclassed and I can see a United getting three points. Not an easy three points. Or a pretty three points. But three points nonetheless. As Ian Holloway once put it, in gentlemen’s terms, it’ll be like going out and pulling a bird who isn’t the prettiest but, sod it, you’ll still take her home.

Verdict: 2-0

Sunderland vs Arsenal

A really interesting match-up.

Sunderland got mugged last time out against Spurs. Plain and simple. They should have won that game, but for the first time this season they showed their wastefulness in front of goal. They also missed the battering-ram presence of Kenwyne Jones.

If you were to fault Arsenal this season, you could justifiably point a finger at their inability to deal with aerial balls into the box, so they will be relieved to hear that the somersaulting powerhouse is still serving a suspension. However, it is still a weakness that Bruce will target.

That said, Cesc ‘Harry Potter’ Fabregas is in the form of his life, and he will have been rubbing his hands in anticipation after viewing the amount of space that Tom Huddlestone was allowed at White Hart Lane by Sunderland’s midfield. Expect Mackems captain Lorik Cana to return with typical hatchet-man style to remedy that, and make things difficult for the Spaniard (unless, of course, he’s still drunk, and staggering around in his pants somewhere in Algeria).

With Van Persie out for Arsenal, this one is very nicely balanced. I’ll go for a high-scoring draw.

Verdict: 2-2

* N.B. You won’t actually win a tenner. I lied in order to get you involved. I’m sorry. Here’s a tenner to compensat… Balls. I’m at it again. I better stop now before I offer you the keys to my house.

** N.B. If Chelsea don’t win, and you did end up taking my off the cuff remark as actual advice, then you’re an idiot. However, if you need to crash on my sofa for a couple of days whilst you find somewhere new to live, then fine. Just don’t try to sue me. Or drink the beer in my fridge.

Check back tomorrow for my predictions for Sunday’s games (including the weekly 0-0, if you were wondering where it was!)

Reuben works for a car company in Southampton these days

But who, really, is this man? Many people may have seen him playing football on a Saturday afternoon in the late 80’s and early 90’s, but what is he truly like?

I sit alone in a quiet corner of the pub, pondering these very questions, as a guy at the opposite end of the room asks his wife if she wants one more for the road.

Other than that I am kept company solely by my own thoughts.

My nerves are on edge, as I keep replaying a question that was asked of me earlier in the afternoon – “what on earth are you going to say?”

I know that, in this tranquil room, and in just a few moments time, one of my own defensive idols as a child is about to walk through the door, and still that question haunts my thoughts – what on earth are you going to say?

Then it happens – the man himself walks in, strides straight over to my table and with a big smile and friendly eyes shakes my hand, and humbly introduces himself.

As if Reuben Agboola really needs to introduce himself! He played over 250 first-class games in his career, is a cult hero at both Southampton and Sunderland, and while at the former helped his side to the runners-up spot in the 1983-84 Division 1 – Saints’ highest ever final league position.

He also featured nine times for Nigeria, including seven appearances in the 1992 African Cup of Nations, where his country finished 3rd.

But his native country almost remained Agboola-less permanently following some trouble getting into the country before his first cap.

“I didn’t even have a Visa, because things were rushed so much,” recalls the 47-year-old.

“We were at the check-in queue at Heathrow, and they wouldn’t even give me a boarding card because I didn’t have a visa.

“I was with a friend from the Nigerian FA – he was about 7ft, and dripping in Armani!

“He basically asked for the names of the staff at the check-in, because he wouldn’t take the rap if one of the president’s Super Eagles players wasn’t allowed into the country.

“We managed to get our boarding cards in the end!”

However, this wasn’t quite the end of the fun and games for the soon-to-be International footballer.

Having made it out of England, Agboola was met with another obstacle in Nigeria.

“At the Nigerian airport they were all looking through my English passport to try and find my visa!”

The rest, as they say, is history, and Agboola made it to the squad in good time – almost.

“I didn’t realise until later the rest of the guys had been waiting for my arrival so we could go and play a practice match.”

That “practice” match was against the local Lagos team at the national stadium, just two days before a competitive first team international.

“We were told we wouldn’t be needing shin pads. I got a massive gash down the front of my leg when one of their players came in with a tackle from the top.

“Their captain got sent off, and we lost 1-0. I remember thinking, wow, I can’t wait for Saturday!

“As it turns out though, the locals were better than the team we ended up playing that weekend – we won that one 5-0!”

Agboola, who did some coaching throughout his later career, retired from professional football following a brief spell with Swansea in 1992, though he did later turn out for Woking.

He became landlord of the “Sporting View” bar at the Southampton Sports Center, before relocating to Majorca, running a bar for a year.

He later returned to the south coast, where he currently works for a car company in Southampton.

“I evaluate whatever turns up, and get to rip it to bits. The log books are the worst part – we can’t sell the cars without them!

“Everything is computerized these days, which is meant to be idiot-proof, but it is really not – my boss manages to get it wrong all the time.

“It’s OK though, because it means I can get away with blaming him for just about anything!”

When he is not at work, Reuben is a keen golfer – as evidenced by the clubs present behind his desk in his office.

“I never go too far without my clubs, just in case I need to make a quick getaway!” he laughs.

Photography and article by James McLean.

Incidentally, the image on the top right, along with 2 of my other images taken on the same day, were published in the Sunderland match day programme against West Ham United at the Stadium of Light on 31st October 2009.

Let’s pretend for a minute that you’re a West Ham fan. It’s been a rough year for you; you’re like three days away from administration, everyone and their brother is coming after you for money, and you’re only three points away from being in last place. What could make that better?

Club themed lingerie, that’s what.

Enter Santa Barbara native Katy Perry, who happens to be dating comedian and noted West Ham fan Russell Brand. She teamed up with designer Siobhan Dillon to create the above outfit out of old replica shirts for the MTV Awards. Since her appearance on the awards show, the London club has been besieged by requests for the outfit.

Not one to pass up a good marketing opportunity when they see one, West Ham has decided to offer the lingerie up for their fanbase. For the small, one-time cost of £300 (that’s not a typo), you too can preorder the outfit for that special Hammers fan in your life.

Personally, if I were a club so close to relegation, I wouldn’t voluntarily associate myself with a singer who frequently sings “You’re up then you’re down”, but I understand that your mileage may vary on that.

West Ham United club shop to sell limited-edition Katy Perry lingerie [The Guardian]
Dressed for Success [West Ham United's Official Website]

Alessandro Diamanti Finding It Tough Adjusting To English Football – Livorno President Aldo Spinelli

It’s slowly coming together: First he is dropped and now the news breaks he is finding it hard.

Another loss on a homesick player who will no doubt piss off this season.

Martyn tells Green to quit

I know none of us like it but fact is Upson, Green and Behrami must all be looking to leave at some point during January or in the summer.

I’m just trying to imagine what sort of club we will be without them. Yeah we can pretty much cash in on them but I think we all know where that money will be going.

Next season without them three is a horrible prospect I’d rather forget about until the next season arrives…

Robert Hall added to his reputation with a two-goal haul

Just 16, Hall struck once in either half for Tony Carr’s side before the visitors pulled one back. Conor Okus made the game safe with a third for the hosts in the 80th minute.

Carr told whufc.com: “His goal was an opportunist’s goal – he doesn’t need many chances and he normally takes them when they come his way. He’s thrown a marker down to the other strikers in the squad.

“He had two chances and took them and it was a fantastic performance from him when you consider he is a schoolboy of course.”

Schoolboy or not get him in the first team pronto.

Valon Behrami has declared his intention to quit West Ham for a “bigger club.”

The Swiss midfielder, a £5million buy from Lazio in 2008, returned to action last month after being out since March with a knee injury.

Behrami, 24, has been ever-present in Gianfranco Zola’s side since then.

But the Kosovo-born player, who is under contract at Upton Park until 2013, now hopes his fitness holds out long enough for him to earn a big-money move.

Got to admit this sort of thing would wind me up usually but fact is he is far too good for us just like Tevez was and like it or not players like him are never going to stay unless we can offer them European football.

As it stands the only thing we can offer him is relegation battles and maybe Championship football. Good luck where ever you go (except lillyshites) Valon.

When the champions are celebrating in the league, there is a section in which dark clouds loom large over some clubs placed 15th to 20th, being more precise the bottom three in the premier league. As everyone can’t be a winner and someone has to come last because this is all competition and it is the survival of the fittest. Coming to the current situation in the English premier league, the bottom three clubs after match week 12 are West Ham United, Wolverhampton Wanderers and Portsmouthwith 10,10 and 7 points respectively. It is interesting to see that the 3 teams promoted to the premier league included Burnley, Birmingham City and Wolves in which Burnley is comfortable at 10th position and is unlikely to be relegated back again for the next season. Birmingham City is at 15th position and has to win their upcoming matches so that the relegation lines are erased for them.

Wolverhampton Wanderers (or Wolves as popularly known as) are way down and need as A.S.A.P thinking on their strategies to avoid the demotion. Currently first from the bottom, Portsmouth is most likely on way to the first division losing 9 of the total 12 matches played so far and drawing one. A lot of work is left for the club and care taker come full time manager Paul Hart needs to gel in quickly.

The trouble for the port city club started when Harry Redknapp left the club in Oct’08 to become the manager ofTottenham Hotspurs and guiding the club 4th place currently. Tony Adams joined after than but was sacked after only 2 wins in 15 games. As the rich Al-Faraj family of Saudi Arabia, who are the owner of the club, must be looking at the January ’10 transfer window for a high return investment so that the club remains in the top league and aim higher the season thereafter. Last… and hopefully not the least the Hammers needs to start their work otherwise they will be crushed.

Zola needs to prove that he is a saviour when it comes to managing a team which he was like a player.