If Mick McCarthy was a holiday he’d be a wet week in a caravan in the Corley services on the M6. And when I say wet I mean it pissing it down. And when I say pissing I mean actual urine. To watch him be interviewed is to be hit repeatedly in the face by a very pessimistic spade.

No man has ever approached the highest stratus of football with such a hardy sense of defeatism. Given the opportunity to build on a fortifying victory at White Hart Lane against a crumbly United team bouncing off defeat themselves, McCarthy threw in a thousand towels. To protect his team for more winnable bouts ahead. Come off it Michael, it’s a football pitch not the killing fields of Ypres. The turf isn’t littered with the tiny shards of your half-empty glass.

I wonder what happened to McCarthy’s pride and hope. Maybe they’re up his bollocks where Roy Keane stuck them.

Mick McCarthy at the post-match press conference

Wigan’s manager is the theme this week following their 9-1 drubbing at Tottenham. Not much you can do when short on time and internet access, hence the basic effort below. Something better next week, promise.

Someone had to make the bumbling Spanish waiter joke. Sorry.

More here.

T.

Archive.

Why do I always type a little blurb here? It never really says anything; I just feel weird diving straight into the match results themselves without any preamble. It’s too… impersonal that way. So hello, hi, here we are, so let’s get down to it:

Calcio:

AS Roma Totti 3-1 Bari – Romanisti always repeat one thing when Er Pupone is sidelined: No Totti, no Party. But sometimes we get so caught up in our own negativity that we forget the flip-side of that equation: Totti = party. Er Capitano made his return today against Bari, back from over a month out after going into knee surgery earlier in the season. And just to remind us why we miss him when he’s gone, he scored a hattrick. In the first half hour. The first came on 7′ – a spot kick after Jean-François Gillet downed Mirko Vucinic in the area. Then, only 7 minutes later, Totti launched a searing free-kick into the back of the net to make it 2-0. On 28′, he scored a world-class – and seemingly impossible – goal, beating Bari’s defense, Gillet and firing an acute-angle shot into the far corner. Beauty. Roma did their usual thing in the second half, sitting comfortably back on their large lead and letting i Galletti tire themselves out. However, the visitors finally pulled one back when youngster Marco Andreolli nodded the ball into his own net on 73′. A bit of a blemish, but a pretty good party nonetheless. To Gillet’s credit, he was outstanding for most of the match (those stretches when Totti was not destroying his self esteem), as was Julio Sergio, who was very solid behind the Roman back four. Mirko Vucinic was phenomenal, back to his old self again, while the only real black spot for Roma was Nicolas Burdisso, who was an absolute horrorshow at right-back. Also, the own goal was unfortunate. But all in all, a very good party with Er Capitano back at the helm. I can’t wait until we get Danielino back – then we can really party.

Inter 3-1  Bologna – The Inter Offside webpage referred to this match as a ‘Mortadella Speedbump’ — that pretty much sums it up for me. The reigning champions probably felt as if they could simply stroll into the Stadio Dall’Ara and come back out with three easy points, and their hosts failed to prove them wrong. There was a bit of tension early in the match; Diego Milito put Inter ahead on 22′ off of a corner from Maicon, only for Marcelo Zalayeta to equalize within 60 seconds, smashing the ball past Julio Cesar and into the top corner. The next 20 minutes saw both teams get really into the game, but Mario Balotelli should have put his side ahead when he beat the Bologna backline and dummied ‘keeper Emiliano Viviano – only to waste enough time that Viviano was able to get up and rob him of his much belated shot. One could see Jose Mourinho rise from his bench, flailing in anger. However, Supermario was able to atone for his sins just before the half; another Maicon corner saw the young striker rise powerfully in the air and head home to make it 2-1 for the Nerazzurri. He picked up a knock in the process, however, and was subbed off for Samuel Eto’o, who made a rare start on the bench. The visitors would make their lead more comfortable midway through the second half, with Esteban Cambiasso, who was in excellent form, burying a left-foot strike on 72′. To be honest, the hosts never looked like they were going to get back into the game, and Inter cruised to a comfortable win over the Emiliani.

AC Milan 4-3 Cagliari – It was a bit of a rollercoaster ride in the San Siro this afternoon, but i Rossoneri came out on top. Clarence Seedorf gave the home side an early lead on 5′, but gli Isolani weren’t interested in falling behind and Alessandro Matri equalized just 3 minutes later. The visitors would take the lead on 30′ when Andrea Lazzari found himself completely unmarked at Milan’s back post and gave his side a 2-1 lead. This time though, it was Milan’s turn to come from behind, as Marco Borriello and Alexandre Pato bagged a pair of goals in quick succession to put their side up 3-2 by the 39th minute. Pato’s goal was particularly nice, a rocket-powered blast into the top shelf which sent the San Siro crowd into an uproar. Milan would further consolidate their lead after the break, with Ronaldinho stepping up to the spot after Borriello had been felled in the area and burying it, sending Federico Marchetti the wrong way. He seems to score all of his goals that way, doesn’t he? More on him later. Cagliari was able to reduce Milan’s lead to a single goal when Nenê beat Dida on 68′, but Milan would hold onto their rather precarious lead and edge their visitors 4-3 in what turned out to be an exciting goalfest. Now, Ronaldinho. He was quite possibly – I’d almost say easily – the man of the match; back to his Barcelona form and full of tricks and flicks. That he only got onto the scoresheet via PK is misleading, as he was the creative force behind Milan’s devastating offense all night. That being said, their defending was quite shoddy, and against a better team (no offense, Cagliari, I like you guys) they might have come away with a rather different result. That being said, an excellent high-scoring match to put il Diavolo into 3rd place. Who says Serie A is boring?

Juventus 1-0 Udinese – Oh that’s right, Juventini say Serie A is boring. Because Juve is boring. I Bianconeri edged, well, i Bianconeri in Turin to keep their Scudetto hopes alive tonight. After the kickoff, it was all Juventus; Diego and Mauro Camoranesi both came close in the first quarter of an hour. After that though, the game went into a bit of a lull, and neither side looked dangerous (or did anything important) before the halftime break – unless you count a Udinese goal rightly disallowed for offside. After the restart, it was once again Juventus who set the pace, and this time it paid off. Summer signing Martin Cácares set up summer signing Fabio Grosso, who beat Samir Handanovic with ease to put the home side up 1-0 on 51′. Udinese fought hard throughout the remainder of the half, and both Handanovic and Gigi Buffon were called upon to make class saves, but ultimately the most exciting thing to happen before the fulltime whistle was Alessandro Del Piero’s appearance as a substitute. Juventino or not, you gotta love that guy.

Football:

A hattrick? No, that was just a warm-up.

Tottenham Hotspur 9-1 Wigan Athletic – Stop the press! What in God’s name do they put in the water in Tottenham? The Spurs recorded the second-biggest Premiership blowout in history at White Hart Lane over a hapless Wigan Athletic, with Jermain Defoe grabbing 5 himself in the second half. Peter Crouch opened the scoring for the home side on 9′, and believe it or not, that was it for the first half. Defoe got started right away after the break though, netting on 51′ and 54′, before Paul Scharner (who may have also pulled a Thierry Henry) pulled one back for the Latics to make it 3-1 on 57′. Defoe wasn’t done yet though, and to complete his hattrick restored the Spurs 3-goal margin just seconds later. Aaron Lennon got in on the action with a goal of his own on 64′, and then Jermain Defoe topped off his hattrick with a brace on 69′ and 87′. Chris Kirkland put the ball into his own net on 88′ to make it 8-1, and then Niko Kranjcar scored in the 4th minute of stoppage time to make the scoreline a whopping 9-1. To put this into perspective, didn’t table-toppers Chelsea lose to Wigan this season? Holy shit, dude.

Chelsea 4-0 Wolverhampton – Speaking of Chelsea, Carlo Ancelotti’s men took part in a rout of their own this weekend, though it seems rather paltry in comparison with their London neighbours’ rather excessive beatdown. The Wolves simply had no chance at Stamford Bridge, and with Florent Malouda opening the scoring with a 25-yard strike on 5′, it seemed a cricket score was imminent. Michael Essien furthered that notion, bagging a brace within a 10 minute span by finding the back of the Wolves’ net on 12′ and 22′. The visitors simply had no response to the dominant Chelsea play, and their ill-advised 2-5-3 formation left plenty of gaps for the Blues to exploit. The teams went into the half with the score 3-0, but not before Sylvain Ebanks-Blake forced a class save from Petr Cech. As the game progressed, Wolverhampton reverted to a more solid 4-4-2, it was not enough to stop Joe Cole from scoring his first Premiership goal in over a year, making the score 4-0. Another quite impressive blowout/shutout from Ancelotti’s men, but until they score 9 goals I think they’ll feel that their crosstown rivals have the upper hand. Then again, they’re leading the league, so who cares about the Spurs?

Liverpool 2-2- Manchester City – Every time a Koppite cries, and angel get its wings. Or so I’ve been led to believe. Either way, both the Reds and the Blues (no, no, other Reds. Other Blues too.) dropped points and further away from the top 4 with a 4-goal draw at Anfield on Saturday. Martin Skrtel gave the home side the lead on 50′, only for Emmanuel Adebayor and Stephen Ireland to respond on 69′ and 76′ respectively to give the Citizens a 2-1 lead. A loss at this stage in the competition would have meant disaster for the Scousers, but luckily Yossi Benayoun cut any Mancunian celebrations short by responding with a goal of his own on 77′ to equalize and make it 2-2. And 2-2 the score would remain. This result is neither a complete disaster for Mark Hughes or Rafa Benitez, but you gotta think that the two of them, and their grossly underperforming squads, have gotta be feeling a little uncomfortable right now.

Manchester Utd 3-0 Everton – As for the other Reds and Blues of Manchester and Liverpool, a draw was not in the cards. The Red Devils trounced the Toffeemakers at Old Trafford to stay within five points of Chelsea in the table. Darren Fletcher opened the scoring for the homeside on 35′ with a beautiful goal that has been compared (somewhat hyperbolically) to the work of Zinedine Zidane. After the half Michael Carrick and Luis Antonio Valencia would add a goal each, while David Moyes’ men could do little but keep the scoreline respectable. I gotta say, the Merseyside derby is going to be downright depressing this year…

Pictured: Arsenal player not fit for today's match.

Sunderland 1-0 Arsenal – Oh, Arsenal. The Gooners had gone over a dozen games without a loss, but as usual Arsene Wenger’s men got a little too close to the sun and their wings simply burned up. Also, they had a lot of injuries. The Londoners put in an unfocused and ramshackle performance against a determined Sunderland side who clearly wanted the result more. And they got it. Sunderland simply rode out wave after wave of potent Arsenal attacking play, though admittedly, it didn’t seem like the Gunners wanted to do much other than controlling the ball in midfield. On 71′, the home side finally got their chance and Darren Bent buried it to make the score 1-0 for the Black Cats. Wenger’s men had simply no will to get back into the game (perhaps their minds were occupied with thoughts of next week’s clash against Chelsea) and ultimately fell to a steely Sunderland side. This is the second time this year that the Black Cats have beaten a top 4 side – and this time it can’t even be blamed on a beach ball.

Futbol:

Real Madrid 1-0 Racing Santander – Well, Los Galacticos are still without their biggest star – Cristiano Ronaldo – and they’re still not playing as ‘Galacticos’ perhaps should, but they’re finally where Galacticos should be: on top. Gonzalo Higuaín provided the difference that Manuel Pellegrini’s men needed to take down mid-table residents Racing Santander, with a strike from close range on 22′. Both sides had second-half goals disallowed for offsides, with both Karim Benzema and Sergio Canales putting the ball into the back of the net only to be notified by the referee that they need not celebrate. As has been the norm this year, Madrid did not completely convince, but their narrow victory was nevertheless enough to see them go top of the table for the first time this season after Barcelona picked up a similarly unconvincing result in Bilbao.

Because Bear Country is more frightening than Basque Country.

Barcelona 1-1 Athletic Bilbao – Treble Champions they may be, but at times this season Barcelona have failed to look the part. They faltered again in their title race during this weekend’s trip to Basque Country. Though many of their starting 11, including Zlatan Ibrahimovic, were out with knocks, one could still expect Barcelona to produce a result against midtable opponents such as Bilbao. Early in the match, Los Leones put pressure on their visitors, peppering them with corners and free kicks, while Barca looked simply content to play on the counter. Soon however, Barca wrested control of possession from their hosts, and began to look like the side to score, though when it came to finishing they came up empty – at least in the first half. However, after the restart the Blaugrana got off on the right foot, with Daniel Alves running on to the end of a perfect throughball from Xavi and finding the back of Bilbao’s net. Athletic immediately responded by bringing Toquero into the game; a move that would prove very effective as the substitute would equalize for the home side within 10 minutes of coming onto the pitch, running onto a long ball and smashing it home. All that was left to do for Bilbao was to park the bus and ride out the waves of Barcelona attacks – which they did – in order to gain a point and drop the reigning champions down to second place. What has happened to Pep Guardiola’s men?

Fußball:

Bayern München 1-1 Bayer Leverkusen – Well, Die Roten haven’t sunk any further into their slump, but they haven’t de-slumped either, achieving a draw against league-leading Bayer Leverkusen at the Allianz-Arena this weekend. Mario Gomez and Stephan Kießling each netted for their respective sides early on in the match; both goals came within the first 15 minutes of play. Bayern started off energetically, with their aggressive attack leading to Mario Gomez’s opener on 8′, which he sidefooted in on an advantage play after Miroslav Klose was fouled. However, their visitors soon caught up to them in pace and were able to exploit the home side’s defensive weaknesses; Kießling easily beat the offside trap and slotted the ball coolly past Hans-Jörg Butt to make it all square on 14′. Each team had spells of pacy and bright looking attack, but neither could capitalize during those stretches; Leverkusen keeper Rene Adler saved his side time and time again with world class saves to prevent Bayern from getting out in front. Even Thomas Müller, who has so often been Bayern’s ace-in-the-hole this season proved ineffectual, and was subbed in the second half for Ivica Olic, returning from a lengthy injury layoff. The chances petered out towards the end of the game, and a 1-1 draw it would remain – a result that sees Bayer reclaim 1st and Bayern languish in 7th.

Werder Bremen 6-0 SC Freiburg – Poor Freiburg. On more than a few occasions this season they have found themselvesin situations where they are simply out of their depth. The home side suffered a humbling defeat to Die Grün-Weißen in their own Badenova-Stadion, falling 6-0 in an all-out slaughter. Hugo Almeida opened the scoring for the visitors on 33′, Marko Marin added a second on 55′, Almeida doubled his money on 57′, Mesut Özil netted on 67′, Naldo on 73′ and substitute Markus Rosenberg made it 6-0 with 8 minutes left to play. Freiburg once again made a case for having the worst defense in the Bundesliga (they have the highest number of goals against; 30) and sit 13th in the league table, while this victory propels Werder Bremen to second, just a point behind leaders Bayer Leverkusen. I guess the English aren’t the only ones who know how to have a good blowout!

By Joe, www.Bettingexpert.com

Spurs are looking to brush Wigan aside to maintain their status at the top of the Premiership

Tottenham wants to break into the Big 4 domination in the Premiership and they are surely on the right track under Harry Redknapp’s helm. Wigan have seen tougher situation than they are dealing with at the moment. Manager Sanchez has done well at Wigan keeping them out of the relegation zone but tougher times are ahead as the season does not end in November. Both teams will have to continue what they set out to but there can be only one winner at the end of the day.

More Premiership review here

The North London team are searching for another three points at home to keep up with both Arsenal and league leader, Chelsea, at the top. It is not a surprise that Manager Harry Redknapp has leaded them to fight for a place amongst the Big 4 this season. They started on a high this season but fell back down to earth after a 3-0 defeat to their neighbors, Arsenal. Then a home win against Sunderland, a fortnight ago, has helped Spurs finding their confidence yet again. The bad news to hit the club is that keeper Cudicini has broken both his wrist and pelvis in a motorbike incident. Redknapp might not have the service of Aaron Lennon, Dos Santos, Bassong and Luka Modric as they are all ruled doubtful. Spurs have signed a teenage Sam Cox on a month long loan while Pavlyuchenko is looking for an exit at White Hart Lane.

Wigan will not be complaining much with their status in the Premiership. They are currently 13^th in the league and 4 points from the relegation zone. They record away from home is somewhat perceived as what a mid table should be, 6 games play, 2 wins and 4 defeats. Their only two wins came against Aston Villa, in the season premiere, and last month 3-1 win against Burnley. Although, Tottenham will be a tougher opposition and Manager Sanchez will need to strengthen his men at the back. Titus Bramble looks bewildered in my situation during the game and Wigan should be worried if he has one of his moments. M. Figueroa will not travel to London as he is rule out with a knee ligament injury.

Spurs have spent more money than the big 4 this season and this really signs out the messages that if you want to be big team, you will need to spend some money, just look at Manchester City. The best result Wigan have got from White Hart Lane is a 2-2 result back in 2006, otherwise Spurs have the advantage. Their recent meeting ended with a 3-1 win with Roman Pavlyuchenko scoring 2 goals and one Luka Modric. Fortunately for Wigan, it is most likely that both players will not feature in the starting lineup but then again Wigan needs to contend with Jenas, Milner, Dafoe, Crouch and Keane. With this firepower on the Spurs team, they are favorites at home to beat mid table Wigan.

Read the report on Bettingexpert.com called  “A betting report for the 2008/2009 season“ and the tipsters might be able to help you decide where you want to bet.

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City made the big time in August 1986 – Roy of the Rovers cover stars, no less…

The cover illustration show’s Tottenham’s Mark Falco stroking the ball home while a grounded Ian Andrews looks on aghast.
Although it looks more like Liberace scoring against Duran Duran we know this to be the case because all is explained inside.
Apparently Dean Hort, from Grays, Essex trousered a £3 prize for nominating Falco’s goal and it was ‘interpreted’ by John Gillat “the man who draws Billy’s Boots.”

If you study both pictures carefully you can see that John has exercised his right to artistic licence and shifted things round a bit, the biggest liberty being the complete invention of a City player to fill the space in the crook of Falco’s arm.
Actually, as invented, generic mid-80s City players go Mr Gillat has captured something there. What do you think he would be called? Tommy Wilson, perhaps? Or Gary Smith?
Anyway, we didn’t need made up players that day at White Hart Lane. City won 3-1 with goals from Alan Smith, Steve Lynex (pen) and Mark Bright, all of which were much better than Falco’s tap in. But they didn’t get on the cover of Roy of the Rovers did they? Oh no.

Crouch crede nella ripresa degli Spurs

Peter Crouch si rifiuta di abbattersi dopo la sconfitta nel derby del Nord di Londra dello scorso fine settimana

L’attaccante ammette che lo 0-3 patito contro i nostri arcirivali è stata una grande delusione ma ha deciso di essere ottimista.

Dopo tutto siamo sempre a tre punti dall’Arsenal e fra le prime cinque di Barclays Premier League, aspettando il Sunderland a White Hart Lane, domenica.

Crouchy adesso pensa che stia ancora una volta a noi dimostrare di meritarci un posto fra i primi.

Ripensando a domenica scorsa, ha detto: “E’ stato un derby cittadino e siamo tutti dispiaciutissimi di aver perso. E’ dipeso tutto da gol che avremmo potuto evitare.”

“Per 42 minuti abbiamo tenuto e i loro tifosi iniziavano a essere impazienti, se avessimo tenuto lo 0-0 fino all’intervallo sarebbe stata un’altra storia. Ma una volta che sono andati avanti per 2-0, è stato difficile rientrare in partita.”

“Adesso dobbiamo tirarci su. Fino a oggi abbiamo fatto una buona stagione quindi non posiamo farci abbattere da quel risultato perché siamo abbastanza bravi da risollevarci, a partire dal Sunderland.”

“E’ solo una sconfitta. Guardate agli altri risultati [dello scorso fine settimana] – il Man City e il Liverpool hanno perso – e non siamo ancora lì davanti, quinti.”

“Ci aspettano partite che sembrano abbordabili e se ci organizziamo e facciamo il nostro dovere possiamo ottenere i tre punti per ributtarci nella mischia.”

Sull’arrivo dei Black Cats a N17 (la zona di Londra dove giocano gli Spurs, NdT) questo fine settimana, Crouchy ha aggiunto: “Sarà dura. Guardo alla loro rosa e vedo che hanno forti giocatori, molta forza, e il manager [Steve Bruce] è un numero uno.”

“Chiederà ai suoi di dare il meglio. Sembra che stiano andando bene quest’anno e per noi sarà un’altra difficilissima partita.”

servizio del sito ufficiale del Tottenham Hotspur

http://www.tottenhamhotspur.com/news/articles/crouchletsmoveon041109.html

Bale, un altro campione per Redknapp

Gareth Bale ha ammesso che le parole di Harry Redknapp subito prima di scendere in campo hanno contribuito ad ispirare i ragazzi per la vittoria sull’Everton in Carling Cup, martedì

Il manager aveva sostenuto che sarebbe stata una grande occasione di mettersi in mostra per i giocatori che non hanno ancora giocato con regolarità durante questa stagione. “ Quando l’occasione arriva, devono approfittarne e poi reclamare un posto da titolare,” aveva spiegato.

E quei giocatori hanno risposto in grande stile, con splendide prestazioni di Gareth, Alan Hutton, David Bentley e Roman Pavlyuchenko in questa vittoria per 2-0.

Tom Huddlestone e Robbie Keane hanno segnato un gol per tempo, garantendo alla squadra una meritata vittoria e un posto nell’urna dei sorteggi per i quarti di finale, che avverranno sabato.

“Quando il manager ci ha parlato in quel modo ci siamo sentiti molto incentivati,” ha detto Gareth, autore di una grande partita nel suo ruolo di centrocampista di sinistra. “Volevamo tutti far bene e vincere.”

“Ci siamo tutti impegnati in allenamento e quando ne abbiamo la possibilità dobbiamo provare a ottenere il meglio.”

“Mi è molto piaciuta la partita. Sapevamo che sarebbe stata dura e che l’Everton avrebbe potuto essere un po’ stanco, avendo giocato parecchio ultimamente, quindi ne abbiamo tenuto conto. Siamo rimasti uniti e ci siamo aiutati.”

“Abbiamo giocato benissimo sia davanti che in difesa. La vittoria è stata meritata.”

La prossima occasione arriverà di qui a poco – un posto fra i titolari del grande derby di sabato contro l’Arsenal, all’Emirates.

“Tutti quelli che hanno giocato vorranno esserci, lavoreremo ancora tutti duramente, in allenamento, e poi vedremo cosa succede,” ha concluso Gareth.

servizio del sito ufficiale del Tottenham Hotspur

http://www.tottenhamhotspur.com/news/articles/wordsintoaction281009.html

With the news this week that Tottenham Hotspur Football Club has submitted a planning application for a new 56,000 seat stadium, I talked to my Dad about this development.  I asked him if I could record the call so that I could present it here, and he agreed.  The background here is that my Dad has been a Spurs season ticket holder for 45 years now and reckons he’s seen thousands of matches in the famous North London venue.

The transcript:

Me:  Dad, I wanted to ask you about the talk finally getting underway about the new White Hart Lane.

Dad:  Well, of course we’ve been hearing rumours that it’s about to start happening.  They’ve been sort of clearing the area up around the stadium lately to show it off, so we began to suspect that something was in the works.

Me:  How do you feel about it?  Is it time for a new stadium?

Dad:  Yeah, it probably is, but honestly, I’m not going to a new stadium.  I’ll turn in my tickets the day it opens.  I’m used to the Lane and anything new just won’t feel proper to me.

Me:  Well, you can see why it would benefit the area and certainly help Spurs out globally.  Also, with England’s attempt to get the World Cup, it would be another potential venue for that as well.

Dad:  I understand all that, and believe me, anything that makes this area a bit nicer is okay by me.  I couldn’t give a toss if the World Cup comes to England, honestly, and I certainly don’t want that in my backyard.  However, yes, in terms of what you said about it helping Spurs, well it may help a bit.  Your lot haven’t benefited from that new palace down the road (NOTE:  He means Arsenal.  They are “my lot”).  The atmosphere is gone, no players are enthralled with playing there, the supporters are too far from the pitch, you know.

Me:  Well, yes.  It’s no Highbury, but it is a beautiful place.

Dad:  Why does a football pitch need to be beautiful?  It’s a football pitch surrounded by stands.  I do like the idea of a single tier of stands, I’ve said that all along.  However, I don’t need aesthetics in my football stadium.  I need a good side to watch, a good crowd to watch it with and a short walk home.  Other than that, I’m not fussed.

Me:  Don’t you think this might be the start of an upswing for Spurs, though?  Clearly Harry has them pointed in the right direction.

Dad:  They are out every night in the pubs, believe me, we hear about it.  Yeah, they’ve won some matches to start the season but last week was rubbish and now they have your lot this Saturday.  It’s a huge match.

Me:  I know, believe me.  I hate this week more than any other.

Dad:  I know.  You DO love Spurs whether or not you want to admit, but go on, cast your lot with that Frenchman’s rubbish beautiful football.  Pathetic.

Me:  Let’s talk about the stadium more, please.

Dad:  Fine.

Me:  You wouldn’t even want to give it a try?  You wouldn’t want to at least be there to see it open?

Dad:  No.  I’ve done my time with Spurs, it’s been coming to an end for quite some time.  Your mum is on my mind all the time during the matches anyway and now we’ve got this telly setup, I can see what I need to see.  I won’t tarnish my memories with a new place.  I love the Lane.  Pure and simple.  I don’t want to go to a new place where my angle is different and there’s no atmosphere.

Me:  I understand, Dad, believe me.  You have to admit though, Levy ultimately has been good for the club.

Dad:  I’ve never said otherwise.  He’s bought, he’s tried to win, he’s fought and fought to get us a good manager, and I think ultimately he’s done well.  This new stadium, though, that’s just business.

Me:  But the club will benefit from it.

Dad:  Maybe so, but without me.

Me:  I understand, Dad.  Can we talk about the match this weekend?

Dad:  No.  I can’t talk about it, and you shouldn’t.  We’ll sort it out next week.

Me:  Okay.  Can I ask you something else?

Dad:  What?

Me:  How would you feel if I was there for when it opens?

Dad:  I don’t know, I’d have to think about that.  We’d have to discuss it.

Me:  Okay, we’ll discuss it.  Smile Dad, it’s almost here.

Dad:  Eh, that lot.  I hope we win 15-0.  I cannot stand them.

Me:  I know Dad, I know.

What you missed while faking a meteorite impact…

• After conceding two goals to pace (one against Craig Bellamy, the other against Fernando Torres), Rio Ferdinand is set to be dropped from the Manchester United first team.
• Tottenham has submitted plans for a 56,250 seat stadium that could replace White Hart Lane as soon as the 2013/14 season.
• Roman Pavlyuchenko has been urged to give Harry Redknapp a selection headache in Tottenham’s Carling Cup match against Everton today.
• Arsenal’s Samir Nasri and Manchester United’s Gabriel Obertan are set for their first starts of the season in the Carling Cup tomorrow.
• Martin O’Neill thinks that Brad Guzan is good enough for the Premier League (although, since he’s the guy who bought him from Chivas USA in the first place, one would hope that was his opinion).
• Real Madrid will offer Rafael van der Vaart to Chelsea in January; considering that Chelsea couldn’t sign him even if they wanted to, I’m going to chalk this one up as a rumor.
• Stephen Appiah – who is presently without a club – would be open to playing for Bologna.
• Steve McClaren has earned a 12-month contract extension from FC Twente.

Sunday 17:00 I’ve just telephoned White Hart Lane and we still haven’t scored! And that just about sums it up. Stoke were good at frustrating and we didn’t fire on all cylinders. As a consequence we ended up playing the long ball game which suited them fine and didn’t help us at all in an effort to find a way through. It could all have been different. Had one of our early chances gone in Stoke could not have sat back and coming out would have provided us with the space needed to take them to the cleaners.

But there were some signs that it could be a disappointing day. The herd of deer we always see at the junction of the A12 and M25 weren’t visible, bandana man was not working on our Burger Van on Park Lane (see other page) and then there was the excellent tribute to Bill Nicholson who died five years ago last Friday on the screen before the game. Whenever Spurs make an effort to do something like this the result is not what we might like.

Their tactics frustrated. Particularly the crowd who got very agitated at the amount of time wasted in throw ins, goal kicks and set pieces; but should we be surprised? After all if we allow teams that are better than us to play we lose so Tony Pulis knew there was only one winner in an open game.

When Beattie went off I was relieved, as I agreed with my neighbour that “this game has 1 nil written all over it – to them” as two defenders threw themselves in to clear from Peter Crouch. But Tuncay, who was a replacement, was extremely lively and stretched us all over the Park.

For us, there was a lack of imagination in midfield at times and Tommy and Kranjcar did not have their best games with passes not coming off as often as they could. But again, credit Stoke for putting two walls of four across the park and stifling any room that might have existed. As a result it called for someone to take off and run at them instead of looking for another pass out to the wing or another switch play in an effort to find some room. It was not particularly forthcoming in the second half and after Tommy had given way to JJ we still fared no better at putting them under real pressure.

Robbie Keane was sacrificed at a time when he was playing his best football in the match and I for one felt this to be a mistake. In Block 53 RK is not too popular with some fans and the call for Pav was strong. You’ll know I’m not really a fan of the Russian and I did not think this game was for him as Stoke are very physical and he needs space and ball at feet to prosper. Carling Cup ties Yes, Premier League strugglers Maybe, Physical Defenders No way. After a couple of decent touches he was anonymous for the remainder playing his normal game, landing as the ball arrives for a header etc. etc. I know it’s frustrating for him and that people wonder how he would do if he had a run in the side but do we have the points spare to find out. I expect to see him on Tuesday night.

I said in my preview that I did not mind who played at Centre back. Was Ledley injured or being saved for our Emirates struggle next week? Driving round the M25 we fancied that Ledley and Bassong would play Stoke, Woodgate and Dawson for Everton and then pick 2 from 4 for Arsenal assuming fitness. Woodgate’s injury – preventing an early Stoke goal was really disappointing and soon after coming on Dawson took studs down the side of his knee and was limping. He ran through it and was excellent at the back. Not only was he brilliant in the air but his long passes out of defence were hitting their man and opening them up down the flanks. I expect to see him and Bassong, who was also solid, on Tuesday.

Charlie had a fair game and linked well with Lennon who was for most of the afternoon our best player. His runs were strong, his crosses much better as they have been for all of this season and his work rate in winning the ball back a revelation on previous seasons. This boy has SA2010 in mind. It was annoying that the goal scorer took him out leaving us down to 10 men having used all the subs.

Assou-Ekotto was ok but we have to maybe go to him less as it can be a bit predictable. Wilson was strong in midfield and worked the ball well with Tommy though he was seen standing for the goal on MoTD.

So how did we lose? You could ask Mr Defoe, for had he not brought his foot down at Portsmouth he would have played and then nearly our strongest side might have started the game. I think that Crouch coming on adds to the side and gives a different option. Starting him can allow us to lack imagination and that might be Harry’s criticism tomorrow morning.

And Stoke? The keeper – in at short notice – made some excellent saves, the remainder of the side were up to do whatever it took to keep the ball out of their net and those throw ins are really frightening. They are big, tough and disciplined but another day we might have thrashed them. We can’t win them all but this was our first real disappointment of the season.

Let’s hope we can learn from Stoke’s discipline with two lines of four next Saturday!

Hasta hace bien poco, la selección española presentaba siempre en las grandes citas, a priori, uno de los mejores equipos pero ,por una u otra razón, y a pesar de dar muy buena impresión ante equipos menores, siempre se iba a casa recibiendo con el rabo entre las piernas y con la oreja mojada en los partido importantes. Es lo que la prensa llamaba “no saber competir”.

J5: El Arsenal y el “saber competir”

• Partido de la jornada: Manchester City 4 – 2 Arsenal

Pues bien, tras el doble partido en Manchester (primero en Old Trafford y después en el City of Manchester), bien se podría decir que el  Arsenal de hoy sufre del mismo mal que la España de entonces. Y lo peor es que nadie conoce el remedio a semejante mal (quizás contratar a Luís Aragonés?). Bromas aparte, creo que sólo el tiempo puede hacer que este equipo aprenda a manejar partidos igualados contra rivales de la más alta entidad. Y este City es uno de esos rivales.

Porque el City ya no es el tapado: va a luchar por ganar la Premier a poco que no se le tuerzan las cosas. Faltaba la confirmación ante uno de los 4 fantásticos (que pasarán a ser cinco esta temporada) y aquí la tenemos. La solidez con la que están ganando partidos y, sobre todo, la contundencia en los últimos metros, incluso sin haberse acoplado aún ni Robinho ni Tévez al nuevo equipo -parece que Adebayor se bastase él solo- dan miedo.

Fue un partido quizás algo soso en la primera mitad. Ambos equipos llegaban al área con pocas ideas, y las defensas no tenían problemas para imponerse. La única forma de romper el marcador parecía de suerte o a balón parado, y el primer gol de los locales fue una conjugación de ambas. Saque de falta que Barry cuelga al área desde 35 metros,  cabecea Micah Richards y Almunia se mete el gol en su propia portería después de no ser lo suficientemente contudente a la hora de despejar el disparo a córner. Manos blanditas de un portero al que le intenté dar un poco de crédito cuando empezó a desbancar a Lehmann, pero cada vez lo está perdiendo más rápido con sus inseguras actuaciones. Aunque la mala suerte también jugó su papel, la culpa de este gol es 99% suya. Ésta vez tocaba ver cómo iba a reaccionar el Arsenal con el marcador en contra. E incluso parecían más cómodos. El City se metió algo atrás y dejó jugar a los londinenses, que, aunque faltos de pegada, acabaron por conseguir el empate, ya en la segunda mitad, con una obra de arte del holandés Robin van Persie. Él solito se recogió un balón en la frontal del área, se dió la vuelta y la colocó rasa y pegadita al palo, imposible para Given.

Pero de nuevo llegó otra “autodestrucción” gunner. A pesar de seguir llevando el peso del partido, como siempre hizo la selección española (incluso en tiempos de Clemente), los rivales se beneficiaron de ello. Sólo diez minutos después del empate, en el 75, Clichy avanza en mediocampo dejando la defensa descubierta, Lescott le roba el balón impecablemente, el City monta un rápida contra que remata Craig Bellamy para poner de nuevo por delante a los Citizens, mostrando que este equipo tiene profundidad de banquillo. Y por si no llegó con una, de nuevo Clichy pierde otro balón, esta vez ante Shaun Wright-Phillips en las inmediaciones del área visitante. Intenta remediarlo cometiendo una clara falta sobre el inglés, que se levanta rapidamente para seguir la jugada, pillando a la defensa gunner en las nubes y poniendo un balón perfecto a Adebayor para cabecear totalmente libre de marca el 3-1, y desatando la locura del togolés que se marcó un sprint de 90 metros digno de Usain Bolt para ir a “celebrarlo” en frente de la aficción del Arsenal (ver foto inicial) que, según él, le despreció en los últimos años. No voy a entrar en la polémica, pero cabe mencionar que Adebayor se encuentra ante una posible sanción de varios partidos por provocar a la afición rival. Y ojo que la próxima semana visitan al eterno rival…

No se habían acabado aún los regalos. Tras un corner a favor del Arsenal, nueva pérdida de balón en las inmediaciones del área de Given. Bellamy se recorre 75 metros aguantando el balón en un 3 contra 3 y, cuando llegan al área rival se la pone en bandeja a Wrigth-Phillips que acabó de destrozar al rival. 3 pérdidas de balón, 3 goles en contra. Totalmente inasumible en un equipo que pretende estar entre los grandes.

Si hay alguna noticia positiva a destacar para el Arsenal, esa sería la vuelta de Rosicky, más de un año después. Con el City ya relajado, el Arsenal intentó maquillar un poco la abultada derrota. Tras un par de lanzamientos al palo de van Persie, el magnífico jugador checo acabó por aprovechar un gran pase de un desaparecido Cesc para poner el definitivo 4-2 en el marcador.

Bautizo de fuego para un City que tiene pinta de ganador de la Premier y que, de ganar el próximo domingo en Old Trafford le dejaría a la altura de un Chelsea que, de momento, sigue siendo el máximo favorito. Eso será en la J6. De momento, os dejo el resumen del que ha sido el mejor partido de la J5:

• Resto de partidos

No ha sido el del City of Manchester el único gran partido de esta quinta jornada. En White Hart Lane, el Tottenham intentaba mantener su racha de victorias ante su bestia negra de los últimos años, el Manchester United. Y de nuevo, volvió a caer ante los campeones. 1-3 ganaron los diablos rojos con un festival de golazos en ambas porterías, el primero marcado por Defoe (ver abajo) a los 50 segundos de partido. Pero parece que el United ya empieza a juntar las piezas que van a componer el puzzle de Ferguson esta temporada, y acabó arrasando a los locales con un Giggs espectacular.

Si mantuvo el pleno de victorias el Chelsea con el gol nuestro de cada día de Drogba y otro de Malouda en el último suspiro para remontar el gol inicial de la, por así llamarlo, revelación de lo que va de temporada, el Stoke City. Llamó la atención la efusividad de la celebración de este último gol por parte de todo el equipo, lo que nos hace creer aún más en la fortaleza de este Chelsea.

En el derbi de Birmingham se impuso el Aston Villa con un gol de Agbonlahor en los últimos minutos, mientras que el Bolton venció en Portsmouth en el duelo entre los dos único equipos que aún no habían puntuado, y que deja a los del sur de la isla como uno de los claros favoritos para bajar a la Championship.

Blackburn 3 – 1 Wolverhampton

Liverpool 4 – 0 Burnley

Portsmouth 2 – 3 Bolton

Stoke City 1 – 2 Chelsea

Sunderland 4 – 1 Hull City

Wigan 1 – 0 West Ham

Tottenham 1 – 3 Manchester United

Birmingham 0 – 1 Aston Villa

Fulham 2 – 1 Everton

• Clasificación

El Chelsea mantiene el liderato una semana más y tendrá que defenderlo la próxima semana en el derbi londinense ante el Tottenham, que baja a la cuarta posición. Al acecho del líder ya están los dos equipos de la ciudad de Manchester, mientras que el Arsenal, líder en las primeras jornadas, baja ya hasta la 9ª plaza. El mal arranque del Everton, sitúa a los de David Moyes en la penúltima posición.

• El gol de la jornada

Cada jornada de la Premier trae un buen saco de grandes goles que merecerían aparecer en esta categoría. Tres de esos golazos se vieron el sábado en el duelo estelar de White Hart Lane, y aunque sea difícil descartar la maravilla de Mister Giggs y el jugadón de Rooney, me quedo con la belleza estética de la chilena del delantero inglés más en forma (con permiso del propio Rooney, con el que comparte el título de máximo goleador): Jermaine Defoe. Impresionante!

Y pensar que muchos árbitros de otras ligas lo anularían por juego peligroso…

I asked for a game and that’s what we got with a brilliant perfomance by United seeing them home, unfortunately at a bit of a canter by the end, as 3-1 winners. To rub it in their supporters were chanting “we’ve only got 10 men” and frankly we had never noticed. Love or loathe Sir Alex Ferguson you’ve got to admire his preparation for games. His team sheet suggested he expected a battering so starts for Anderson and the experience of Giggs and Scholes came in to bolster a midfield that is inevitably missing Ronaldo.

And despite the first few minutes when we scored a brilliant opener, robbed them of the ball a few times and put them under pressure it was the outstanding performance I had feared to win the game. From our seats at the top of block 53 we saw the United formation sit in position all afternoon to give us no space whatsoever at any time to give ourselves clear opportunities to attack.  

What we have to remember is that the opposition can be good and when they are it takes a fabulous effort to defeat them. This means if you set off at tremendous pace you have to be able to take it to them longer than they give it back to you. I don’t think we did. From the point of their equaliser we handed them the baton and never got it back though Robbie Keane’s early second half effort and the Jenas shot which produced a fine save nearly did so.

Where we failed was getting anxious and losing our clarity of thought. Too many free kicks were taken quickly and short without an idea of where the decisive pass was allowing United players to get in challenges and having  made intercepting defensive headers we pushed them into open play in the wrong areas rather than maybe bringing the keeper into play. This again put us under pressure of losing the ball immediatly or soon after. We also resorted too quickly to the long ball game when Vidic and Ferdinand are great in the air but more suspect on the deck.

Having hoped to see Lennon and Palacios play influential parts in a Spurs win we saw a brilliant marking job from Evra and after a great start some ill timed tackles and passes from Wilson and an early exit to save the red card threat. We thought Lennon had been booked for diving but MoTD showed what we thought to be a card was a whistle – so why no free kick for the trip? We clearly missed Modric and the international break was not the ideal preparation for the game. Had this been a normal week I believe Kranjcar would have started and possibly Crouch drop to the bench as a 4-3.5-2.5 formation did little to break United down and at half time we looked light in midfield.

This was a problem from the off. Our bench looks as good as it ever has but was there anyone on it to come on and decisively change the game if it were needed. Crouch may have done so but it was his header that lead to the opener. Therefore a choice between Keane and Defoe but one is skipper the other cannot miss in front of goal. A difficult problem for Harry to deal with during the week but a good problem none the less.

Overall it was not a poor Spurs performance but it was not a great one either. We gave it our all but conspired to hand goals to United at the wrong time. Wilson’s sloppy challenge on the Bulgarian (who was welcomed back to the Lane with a flurry of boos) for the first, Ledley’s half clearance to the edge of the box for the second and Hutton’s undoing by Rooney and Benoit when he tried a second challenge allowed the score to favour United maybe a little more than it needed to.

Finally, I thought the referee was poor. There were too many United players getting involved and trying to influence his decisions without being carded for it.  He missed some decisions that could have been influential and rebuked others who were not at fault for things – Crouch being one recipient in the second half. These games are always going to be fast and frenetic so we do need officials who understand that  and can keep up with the pace of the action.

Giggs first goal sealed it!

Admittedly, I predicted the score of 3-1 on the morning of Saturday 12th September, when Spurs were scheduled to play Man Utd. The only problem was I believed it would be as it reads – home team 3 away team just 1! After their greatest start to any season since 1961, namely 4 wins in a row, confidence was a high at White Hart Lane. Manager Harry Redknapp has performed a miracle at Spurs but one does feel a familiar feeling, that we are yet again blowing our own trumpet way too much. I did predict that score line but it was 3 to Spurs and 1 to United – no the other way round. Despite the cracking opening goal by Jermain Defoe, a wicked overhead back foot kick which left I-Pod boy, Foster standing in goal like a statue, Spurs soon conceded a free kick conversion by Giggs and just before half time, Anderson pounded another in. In the second half, despite a few missed chances, and Scholes being quiet rightly sent off for too many brainless fouls, Spurs just did not have it, despite the charisma of the Lane and a home crowd.

Football, leaving referees aside and their quirky decisions is very much like a political election campaign, the winning candidate often wins because their opponents are so weak. And that’s why we lost, despite United having just 10 men. Rooney stayed on form by sealing victory after a ridiculous bit of defending by Hutton, who came in place of Corluka. I normally understand Harry’s substitution tactics but this one just dazzled me. So bye to the unbeaten record of Spurs at home, which dates back to last November when Everton flakily clinched a 1 goal win. And if we are not careful, next Sunday we play Chelsea at The Bridge, despite the flying start, we may be heading for a couple of scrappy defeats.

Spurs without certain key players, such as the injured wizard Modric, are weak in midfield. We also hold onto defenders who are watery at times, like Hutton and have our head in the clouds too much when our strikers, score five goals in a row. Don’t get me wrong Defoe and Lennon are on top form, but aside from Jermain’s stunning 1-minute goal, he hardly touched the ball. Lennon was locked down by Evra, captain Keane was weak, the return of Jennas disappoiuntiung and a few wimpy efforts from the Hudd, reminded me too much of how Spurs used to play post- Martin Jol. I am sure Harry gave the team a much deserved post match dressing room gfrilling.

Still, life aint that bad, at least Berbatov did not score. He remains a misfit at United, and will find it hard to keep up with the stamina of people like Rooney, who is having a terrific – to coin  a Harry phrase – season. I don’t think we will win the Premiership and if we are not careful, our current position of 4^th could end up being another mediocre brainless position of 8^th-14^th. I know, Spurs fans will be vexed by this prediction, but I am convinced we still need to come back to planet earth…its only a 4 game run…lets get real! 

for the latest Spurs updates check the official club web site:

http://www.tottenhamhotspur.com

I long for the glory days but know we have to work real hard to get the results we need:

Manchester United have drawn two and won six of their last eight League visits to White Hart Lane and this is another massive test of Tottenham’s capabilities following their best start to a season since 1960. The sizzling Spurs boast a perfect start from four games, and that includes the 2-1 home win over Liverpool. And they can boast the fact that, in 2009 so far, they have played 22 games, winning 13, drawing four and losing just five.

Spurs, set to start with Peter Crouch, are without Luka Modric, so Niko Kranjcar should make his debut. Heurelho Gomes is also missing but Ledley King, who injured a groin muscle in the 2-1 win over Birmingham, should be fit. United are still without Rio Ferdinand.

Tottenham (probable, 4-4-2): Cudicini; Corluka, King, Bassong, Assou-Ekotto; Lennon, Palacios, Huddlestone, Kranjcar; Defoe, Crouch.
United (probable, 4-4-2): Foster; O’Shea, Brown, Vidic, Evra; Valencia, Fletcher, Carrick, Nani; Berbatov, Rooney.
Referee: Andre Marriner. Matches 2: R0 Y3.

Last season: United 5, Tottenham 2; Tottenham 0, United 0.

This time United 2 – Tottenham -1

By EPL Reporter

By Joe, www.Bettingexpert.com

Teammate during midweek, foes this weekend. Will Spurs be able to stay on top?

Back to the Premiership, Tottenham will take on Manchester Untied at White Hart Lane to see they can match them pound for pound. This is a great opportunity for Tottenham to rise to the occasion to muscle with the Big 4 and with their great form in hand, this could potential be a title decider.

Spurs have managed to prove themselves as one of the potential candidates for the title this year. They have started with a bang to the Premiership noting 4 wins out of four and being joint leaders on top of the table with rival London club, Chelsea. Redknapp have purchased his former player, Nico Kranjcar, before the transfer window closed. His international players will return and he certainly hopes that Aaron Lennon will be fit for the big tie.

Manchester United will go into this match without their key players, Rio Ferdinand and Edwin van der Saar. It looks like that Ben Foster will start in goal. The run up to this match has been dogged with Manchester United defending their approach to sign young players. After Chelsea receiving a purchase ban from FIFA, Manchester United looks likely to be another British club punished by FIFA. No matter what happens off the field, Sir Alex Ferguson will certainly make sure that his team will go to White Hart Lane in search for a win.

Manchester United have coped well with some of their key members in the starting lineup. After the victory over Arsenal, they are only grinding out result rather than being convincing in their victory. On the other hand, Redknapp has found the magic touch and his team responding to his magic wand. Watch for Defoe as Tottenham looks to triumph at home with Betsson offering 3.15.

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In the words of a £15m signing at Spurs Lodge in 2008, the footballer who couldn’t wait to rise through Arsenal youth ranks before he moved to Ewood Park in 2006:

“We can do anything we want, anything we put our minds to.”

Exactly, Spurs wanted to sign everyone in the summer!

Ex-Arsenal Midfielder, celebrating at The Emirates after scoring the opening goal for Spurs in The North London Derby, much to bear the wrath of gooners and more importantly, the author of this note.

Once hailed as “The New Beckham”, the former Arsenal trainee cuts a miserable figure at White Hart Lane these days (if at all, he is on the bench). Leave aside the chance to show off his boots embossed with DB7, he is struggling to get a chance to kick a ball. The spurs midfielder is yet to start for Spurs, this season.

Around one and a half months back, he was left with a cut face and a black eye by a punch from an unknown lad (who must’ve been a Gooner. We are proud of you arsemate. A Toast to You!) while he was dining at a North London restaurant. Plus, a few weeks back, he got arrested of driving under the influence of alcohol when he smashed his Porsche onto lamp-post. Consequently, the midfielder been banned of driving for one year and was fined two-week wages by the Spurs.

Icing on the cake, his loan move to Manchester City also fell through on the last day of the summer transfer window.

Lets all laugh! Hahahahahaha….

You are out, C*ntley! Where will you go now? Stoke in January? Join Larsson to avoid relegation at Birmingham? Or would you like to play under another like-minded Bulldog with Headset at Hull? I even doubt that, C*ntley. And don’t even try to dream that Manchester City will come again—you aren’t even going to earn bucks.

Being at the most confused club in the Premier League at the moment, what more can you expect! Presenting to you: The Roflham Lolspurz!

"I sold Chimbonda on the way up here" - Harry to Spurs fans at Doncaster (Carling Cup)

• Sold Defoe to Pompey in for £9 million only to bring him back after an year for £15 million.
• Bought the teen sensation-Giovani Dos Santos from Barcelona for around £5 million and ultimately loaned him out to Ipswich Town to avoid the further payments to Barcelona. According to transfer clause, Spurs may have to pay Barcelona as much as £8.6 million for Giovani, depending upon his appearances for the club. I guess he is back now at the club.
• In Jan ‘09, Robbie Keane was back at White Hart Lane after seven disappointing months at Anfield.
• Pascal Chimbonda resigned for Spurs in Jan ‘09 having lasted only six months at Sunderland. And Redknapp again offloaded him to Blackburn in this summer
• They also wanted to sign Patrick Vieira, the cult figure among Gunners—their fiercest, and arguably the most intense rivals in the Premier League.
• When Sol Campbell moved to Notts County, Redknapp expressed his desire to bring him back to white hart lane once again. Apparently, the fans who were infuriated with Sol’s move to Arsenal, back in 2001, stopped him.
• When all the big clubs were quiet, Spurs, as ever, were active in the market on the transfer deadline day. Redknapp has almost raped Portsmouth of their finest players – Peter Crouch, Jermaine Defoe and Niko Kranjcar. He almost got David James too. If Portsmouth head towards relegation, the convict has to be Harry Redknapp.

What can I say, Levy?
To me at least, its not the real estate business. You just can’t buy and sell. Why don’t you just make some use of your Land Economy degree to find a better place for your fans to sit and watch your c*nts?

Arsemates, give me more reasons to laugh at Bentley and Spurs. I will update the list with your reference.

God is Awesome. God is a Gooner. Cheers!

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]]> http://manufc.wordpress.com/2009/08/28/preview-united-vs-arsenal/ Fri, 28 Aug 2009 14:25:21 +0000 Peter Liaros http://manufc.wordpress.com/2009/08/28/preview-united-vs-arsenal/

Arsene Wenger’s side have surprised many of their critics by getting off to a buoyant start with four wins from four games, but a trip to Old Trafford to take on the defending Premier League champions will be seen as the first true test of their credentials.

Sceptics will say that, in sweeping aside the opposition with 15 goals in four games, Arsenal have had a relatively easy ride thus far. They caught Everton in Lescott-induced disarray on the opening day and duly hit them for six, then proved far too good for Celtic over two legs in the Champions League, and encountered only moderate resistance from troubled Portsmouth at the Emirates last weekend. United on their own patch represents a much sterner challenge.

However, the Gunners can do no more than beat the opposition that’s put in front of them, and to date that’s exactly what they’ve done, in some style. Winning breeds confidence and Wenger stressed that his team will be taking on United in that positive frame of mind, relishing the chance to inflict damage on a title rival.

Of course, some still refuse to consider Arsenal as serious title challengers, particularly after their activity in the summer transfer market, which closes on Monday, resulted in two high-profile departures and only one arrival.

The newcomer, Thomas Vermaelen, has impressed in his first four outings, forming a promising central defensive partnership with the seemingly rejuvenated William Gallas. Meanwhile Alexandre Song and Denilson both look to have raised their games a couple of notches in midfield.

Yet doubts persist about Arsenal’s solidity and durability in both those areas of the team, and the more cynical observers expect United to expose those limitations and confirm that the Gunners’ biggest challenge this season will be to retain their status among the elite quartet against the claims of potential gatecrashers Manchester City and Tottenham Hotspur.

Wenger himself sees things rather differently and stresses his conviction that his squad can win the title they last held in 2004 after their ‘invincible’ campaign. They’ve certainly started in the right manner, and Saturday’s clash may tell us – and themselves – whether they have the mettle and the guile to sustain it.

It was against United, over two legs in the Champions League semi-final last spring, that the gap between the two teams was underlined. “Men against boys” is how United’s full-back Patrice Evra described it. Two goals in the first 11 minutes of the second leg ended the tie as a contest and ensured that what might have been a glorious fight-back became, by his own admission, the worst night of Wenger’s career.

But United have since lost the mercurial match-winning talents of Cristiano Ronaldo and Carlos Tevez – and until the last 35 minutes of their game at Wigan last weekend, those two departures seemed to have affected the Red Devils rather more than the defections of Emmanuel Adebayor and Kolo Toure to Manchester City had affected the Gunners. (Indeed, Arsenal seem more unified and cohesive without a pair who are perceived to have become negative influences in the Emirates dressing room; the improved form and demeanour of Gallas and Nicklas Bendtner, in particular, tends to confirm as much).  

Suddenly at the DW Stadium, though, United clicked into gear, blew Wigan away with a 5-0 scoreline and banished the doubts that had sprung up after an unconvincing home win over Birmingham City and a shock defeat by newcomers Burnley. However, if Arsenal’s 6-1 mauling of Everton had to be viewed through the lens of the Toffees’ inadequacies on the day, United’s thumping win at Wigan also needs a moderating perspective.

The Latics capitulated after Wayne Rooney made the 56th minute breakthrough, but had earlier held their own, when United appeared to lack a cutting edge in front of goal, showing profligacy for which a better team than Wigan would have made them pay. In the event, Rooney was joined on the scoresheet by Dimitar Berbatov and Michael Owen, and it will have been a relief as well as a cause for satisfaction to Fergie that his three front-line strikers found the net – because the big issue for United this season was always going to be who will replace the 96 goals that Ronaldo and Tevez contributed between them over the last two campaigns. That question seemed particularly pertinent after United fired blanks at Burnley, so the goals at Wigan were all the more timely.

If there had been a touch of complacency about United’s approach to the Turf Moor encounter, there will certainly be none of that in the air when Arsenal come to town; this is, after all, the Premier League’s signature rivalry, and its most enduring. The emergence of Chelsea may have altered the balance of power, and the combustible fractiousness of United-Arsenal relations may have diminished markedly; but meetings between these two giants continue to capture the imagination and, given the adventurous footballing philosophies of the two managers concerned, deliver an enthralling spectacle.

The men in charge are by far the longest-serving managers in the country, and their previous antagonism has mellowed into a mutual respect, but there is never any doubt about how much it means to either to beat the other. Currently, Ferguson holds a slight edge in the head-to-head record, having won 15 of his 40 encounters with Wenger, who has triumphed on 14 occasions, with 11 games having been drawn.

United’s 4-1 aggregate victory in the Champions League semi-final tended to obscure the fact that in the Premier League, the progress of Sir Alex Ferguson’s side towards their third successive title was only aided by a solitary point against the Gunners, who beat them 2-1 at the Emirates and held them to a goalless draw at Old Trafford – though the latter on 16 May was enough to allow United to crack open the champagne.  

In the context of laying down markers for the season, there will be points to prove as well as three points to win on Saturday. Arsenal in particular will be desperate to show that they have hardened up during the summer and now offer a more credible threat both mentally and physically. Tactically, they are – in Wenger’s words – “structured to go forward”, and accordingly can be expected to try and take the game to United.

Crucially, they also appear more solid at the back now, although the Arsenal defence continues to look more likely to concede than United’s. In terms of creativity and goalscoring potency, the Gunners have offered more than United during the first two weeks of the season; but as we will be reminded over the weekend, it is still early days and too soon to draw hard and fast conclusions about either team.

The Champions League draw was reasonably kind to both clubs on Thursday, with United due to play Besiktas in Turkey on 15 September, and Arsenal travelling to Belgium to meet Standard Liege the following day. Before then, United face table-topping Tottenham at White Hart Lane while Arsenal will take on Manchester City at Eastlands. Ferguson and Wenger will be praying their players emerge unscathed from the
imminent international break – and hoping too to go into this busy period on the back of a morale-boosting victory on Saturday. They will want to make a statement of intent – and to avoid the psychological impact of an early defeat against a serious rival. Last season United dropped 12 points against fellow ‘big-four’ sides, four of them to Arsenal. The Gunners took nine points off the other three big shots.

FORM GUIDE

Manchester United

22 August (Premier League) v Wigan (A) WON 5-0
19 August (Premier League) v Burnley (A) LOST 0-1
16 August (Premier League) v Birmingham (H) WON 1-0
09 August (Community Shield) v Chelsea (N) DREW 2-2 (LOST 4-1 on penalties)
05 August (Friendly) v Valencia (H) WON 2-0

Arsenal

26 August (Champions League Play-Off) v Celtic (H) WON 3-1
22 August (Premier League) v Portsmouth (H) WON 4-1
18 August (Champions League Play-Off) v Celtic (A) WON 2-0
15 August (Premier League) v Everton (A) WON 6-1
08 August (Friendly) v Valencia (A) LOST 0-2

TEAM NEWS

Manchester United

Ferguson’s main injury problems concern his defence. UEFA’s newly-crowned European Club Goalkeeper of the Year, Edwin van der Sar, remains sidelined with a broken finger, while Rio Ferdinand’s thigh strain could keep him out of action for a further month. That means Jonny Evans may play despite suffering pain from an ankle injury that will eventually require surgery – though probably not until Ferdinand is back in contention. Should Evans be unable to make the Arsenal match, John O’Shea may deputise – or Wes Brown, who is available after successfully coming through a reserve game.

Nemanja Vidic is fit again and impressed in United’s win at Wigan, which also marked the return of Gary Neville, but Gabriel Obertan, Rafael and Owen Hargreaves remain long-term absentees, although Ferguson spoke encouragingly on Friday about the recovery progress that Hargreaves is making.

Further forward, Ferguson will hope that the strikers who suddenly found the net last week will continue scoring on Saturday. Wayne Rooney and Dimitar Berbatov are likely to lead his attack again, although Michael Owen has staked his claim for a starting place.

Last Starting XI (vs. Wigan): Foster; Neville, Vidic, J. Evans (O’Shea 72), Evra; Valencia, Fletcher, Scholes (Gibson 72), Nani; Rooney (Owen 71), Berbatov.
Subs Not Used: Kuszczak, Giggs, Welbeck, Fabio.
 
Probable Starting XI: Foster; Neville, Vidic, Evans, Evra; Nani, Scholes, Fletcher, Valencia; Berbatov, Rooney.

Arsenal

Wenger’s captain, Cesc Fabregas, has little chance of making the squad, even though the Arsenal medics will have done all they could to get the talismanic Catalan match-fit for this clash. He is nursing a hamstring problem and will be a big loss from the Gunners’ midfield, though they coped without him against Celtic and look set to have to do so again. Aaron Ramsey, who replaced Fabregas at half-time against Portsmouth, picked up a knee injury against Celtic and is a doubt for Old Trafford.

Tomas Rosicky is back in training and nearing fitness after his lengthy lay-off, but this game will probably have come too soon for the Czech. Theo Walcott is doubtful with a back problem, while attacking midfielder Samir Nasri is still recovering from a broken leg and defender Johan Djourou is also ruled out.

Forwards Robin van Persie and Andrey Arshavin are likely to return after being rested against Celtic, though the Russian came on for the last 19 minutes and was influential, scoring Arsenal’s third. He replaced Eduardo, the Brazil-born Croatian who, much to Wenger’s disgust, has been charged with diving to win the penalty he then converted against the Bhoys. Eduardo may not start against United, but is likely to feature at some stage.

Last Starting XI (v Celtic): Almunia; Sagna, Vermaelen, Gallas, Clichy; Eboue (Wilshere 72), Diaby (Ramsey 61), Denilson, Song, Eduardo (Arshavin 71), Bendtner.
Subs Not Used: Mannone, Silvestre, Traore, Van Persie.

Probable Starting XI: Almunia; Sagna, Vermaelen, Gallas, Clichy; Song; Eboue, Diaby, Denilson; Arshavin, Van Persie.

PLAYERS TO WATCH

Manchester United: Wayne Rooney’s opening goal against Wigan was only his fourth with his head for Manchester United, though it was his 100th strike overall for the club. He went on to add his 101st in the same game, and has now scored 86 times from inside the penalty area and 15 from outside. The England striker has started the season in good form, scoring against Chelsea in the Community Shield, netting the winner against Birmingham and then adding that brace at Wigan, making good on his vow to be more prolific in front of goal this season, following the sale of Ronaldo. Rooney has an excellent record against Arsenal, and indeed announced his arrival in the Premier League with a memorable last-gasp winner over David Seaman’s head for Everton in September 2002. He was just 16 at the time.

Arsenal: Trying to contain Rooney will be Belgian centre-back Thomas Vermaelen, whose £10 million fee earlier this summer from Ajax, where he was captain, has so far looked like a shrewd piece of business, especially as the Gunners received £16m from Manchester City for Kolo Toure. The calm and authoritative Vermaelen has displayed good anticipation, crisp tackling and excellent aerial ability, and has also provided an attacking outlet, scoring at Everton. He can expect his toughest test yet since joining the Gunners, with Rooney, Berbatov and possibly also Michael Owen looking to stretch and pierce the Arsenal rearguard, in which the seemingly unflappable Vermaelen’s communication with Gallas could prove crucial.

PREDICTION

United will look to reassert their authority in the League by vanquishing a major foe, but Arsenal will be by far their toughest assignment yet. The Gunners will aim to leave Old Trafford with at least a point, but will be aiming for three to further confound the critics and, more importantly, maintain the winning momentum. They will be aware that United are often less consistent and convincing in August, but won’t be expecting anything less than a fully committed encounter.

The hosts have had the better of most of the recent visits by Arsenal, and Ferguson will demand that his players maintain that trend. Arsenal, who are unbeaten away from home in the League since 22 November at Manchester City, look a more resilient and determined outfit than they did last season. Darren Fletcher and Paul Scholes will probably try to assert themselves physically in midfield to establish a platform on which the team can build, but Arsenal should anticipate that and offer appropriate resistance as they attempt to utilise their pace, incisive passing – and Arshavin’s ingenuity.

It all points to an intriguing contest that may tell us something about the prospects of both clubs this season. The game could well finish all-square, as it did in May, but the sides will both want the three points badly.

Manchester United 2-1 Arsenal

Give us your predictions in the comments section below

Same old story as last season…

Liverpool began their campaign with a 2-1 loss at White Hart Lane. The Reds were outplayed for the majority of the game, and Spurs once again beat them at their home ground. Tottenham began brightly, Robbie Keane forcing 2 great saves from Liverpool keeper Pepe Reina. The deadlock was finally broken by a Goal Of The Month contender wonder goal by Benoit Assuo-Ekotto, which meant Spurs would go into half time with a 1-0 lead.

Liverpool pushed hard at the beginning of the second half, forcing an early corner and more. They finally got their reward as Worth-Every-Penny signing Glen Johnson made a run which no other full-back would come close trying to do what he did. He ran into the area, forcing goalkeeper Gomes to bring him down. There was only going to be one outcome: Penalty and yellow card.

Captain fantastic then kept his cool, as usual, and made the score 1-1. The lead didn’t last so long though, as former Newcastle defender Bassong headed into the net from a free kick. From that point on, Skrtel was took off for Ayala, Benayoun replaced Babel, and for Spurs, Peter Crouch came on for Robbie Keane. Liverpool should have had 2 penalties in the last 10 minutes, the first insisted the referee supported Tottenham or hated Liverpool in one way. The other was aclear handball for the linesman. None were given, and the final score was: Tottenham 2-1 Liverpool F.C

Liverpool are coming to White Hart Lane! A gay ole time with smiles everywhere as our season finally kicks off!

What to expect? It’s going to be a tough match. Both teams have a lot to prove from the start. Liverpool want the top teams to know that they mean business, while we we desperately want to avoid “2 points from 8 games” like swine flu. Captain Steven Gerrard should be available for the match but they will be without Riera, Aurelio and new signing Aquilani – Xabi Alonso’s replacement – due to injuries. Liverpool is a squad with depth so I don’t think they’re too worried; hope I’m totally wrong about that!

Spurs need to do the following:

1. Hold the ball and control play
2. Palacios needs to stay out of foul trouble as I am sure Rafa will want to expose that
3. Assou-Ekotto will have to cover the left side with his life as Kuyt will be testing him
4. As always, set pieces will be a concern for Gomes; I’m sure we trained hard in preseason to minimize any risks (crossing fingers)
5. “El Maestro” Modric needs room to conduct the Spurs musical and the rest of the players need to be in tune with him
6. Bassong and Ledley (if starting) must be efficient in their communication at all times… Torres can spot opportunities and smell weakness in a split second
7. Harry needs to sub the right players at the right time
8. The forwards need to put a lot of pressure on the defense and Reina; take tons of shots at goal and keep them on their toes

But if we take last season into consideration, we know that Liverpool had a tough time at the Lane. Consider the following:

• 2-1 win at home: not Spurs most magnificent display of football but we were still adjusting to a new manager and coming to terms with being at the bottom of the table
• 4-2 win in the Carling Cup at home: Spurs dominated… destroyed… NEXT!
• 3-1 loss at Anfield: was never going to be an easy win and let’s not forget that Liverpool lost only two games last season (one to us, hehehehe)

My starting XI:

GK Gomes: if he continues his form from the end of last season, he is going to be fun to watch!

LB Benoit Assou-Ekotto: proving to be a consistent left back with a great touch; one of my favorite players last season

CB Ledley King: still our captain in my eyes; keep those knees healthy please

CB Sebastien Bassong: hoping he forms a good partnership with Gomes and the defense

RB Vedran Corluka: holds the ball for too long sometimes but nobody can say he isn’t quality

LM Luka Modric: “El Maestro”; he is the reason why we have been playing such fluid football recently

CM Wilson Palacios: the reason why I trust Harry’s decisions in the transfer market; an honorable player who makes opponents think twice

CM Jermaine Jenas: might not play due to injury; true box-to-box midfielder; needs to get on with it this season

RM Aaron Lennon: didn’t like his form in the preseason but more than capable of turning up the heat when needed

F Roman Pavyluchenko: he’s beginning to catch on to the English football style of play

F Jermain Defoe: feisty, aggressive and has an eye for the net; coming off two goals that rescued England @ Holland

Scriam recent ca doua cluburi acum surghiunite, ce nu demult jucau in prima liga, au deschis balul in Blue Square Premier, liga a cincea, semiprofesionista, prima sub The Football League. Fie a fost doar o indiscretie a programului computerizat de schitare a tintarului competitional, fie a fost o imperechere voita, pentru a atrage si mai mult atentia asupra tot mai popularei divizii de top a National Conference, cert e ca Wimbledon si Luton Town au dat piept in etapa inaugurala, pe The Fans Stadium din Kingston, undeva in sud-vestul Londrei, la o aruncatura de bat de Tamisa ori Twickenham, stadionul de rugby.

9 aprilie 1988. Anglia nu se mai distreaza prin fazele finale ale cupelor europene, fiind suspendata din competitii, dar “se scufunda” intr-un fotbal vlaguit de idei si conflicte. Problemele aveau sa se vada la Euro ‘88, de unde un june Tony Adams si Albionul erau eliminati fara vreun punct in traista. Dar viata merge inainte, si mai ales batrana F.A. Cup. Pe White Hart Lane din Londra, arena a lui Tottenham, un inedit duel in semifinala Cupei Angliei. Luton Town contra Wimbledon, din sudul Londrei. Asadar “The Dons” doar au trecut Tamisa, pe cand “Palarierii” n-au avut nici ei mult de rulat spre sud, dinafara centurii “Orbital” M25.

In cealalta semifinala, pe Hillsborough din Sheffield, Liverpool – Nottingham Forest. Da, da, a fost si in ‘88. Aldridge doua, respectiv Clough, tanarul fiu al regretatului antrenor al “Padurarilor”. Asadar nu doar nepotisme ci ce naste din pisica… 2-1 pentru Liverpool. Un an mai tarziu, acelasi stadion, aceeasi semifinala, dar o regie de cosmar… “Hillsborough disaster”.

Iar in Londra avea sa fie decisa presupusa invinsa a finalei de pe Wembley. Wimbledon ori Luton? Buturuga mica. 2-1 pentru “Gasca nebuna”. John Fashanu si Dennis Wise, respectiv Mick Harford. Anii au trecut si in 8 august 2009 acelasi Harford ce marca pentru Luton in semifinala pierduta i-a condus pe “Palarieri” in jocul contra urmasei teribilei Wimbledon.

Acum n-a mai pierdut, ci a remizat la unu, ba chiar ar fi castigat, daca golgeterul gazdelor, Main, n-ar fi egalat pe final. Luton, retrogradata din fotbalul profesionist in luna mai, a pornit asadar la drum cu o remiza externa. Luton n-a cazut insa de slaba ce-a fost ci a fost practic condamnata la surghiun. Cum poti supravietui cu o penalizare de 30 puncte dictata inca inaintea inceperii campionatului. Astfel a pornit Luton la drum in vara trecuta si deznodamantul a fost implacabil. Remarcabil este insa ca “Palarierii” si-au aratat valoarea, cucerind trofeul Johnstone Paint, rezervat trupelor profesioniste din ligile a treia si a patra, un fel de Cupa Ligii pentru doar aceste doua esaloane: 3-2 in finala cu prelungiri de pe Wembley, contra lui Scunthorpe. A fost palma data de Luton unui sistem care a imbrobodit-o cu 30 puncte pentru malfunctii financiare ce n-aveau de-a face cu echipa, antrenorul ei, fanii ori tot ceea ce tine de Luton Town in plan fotbalistic. Palmuita pentru chestii tinand de bani…

Asa ca Wimbledon, patita la fel nu demult, ba chiar mai crud, cand aproape isi pierdea firul istoriei in convulsii de care a aflat si Timisoara in acest deceniu, si-a gasit in Luton nu doar o colega de esalon, ci si de suferinta. De fapt, daca facem paralela si luam in considerare faptul ca Wimbledon detine cei mai educati si incarcati de materie cenusie fani din Albion, nu stiu de ce dar imi vine sa urlu din toti rarunchii senzatia ca maini invizibile si vadit interesate au ticluit planuri de a pune cu botul pe labe adevarate forte ale maselor, aici referindu-ma la Peluza Sud cu Spiritul Timisoarei si la intelectualii care pot citi printre randuri mersul lucrurilor, reuniti la meciurile “Domnilor”. Nu stiu, e doar o idee, dar prea au avut destine similare in acest deceniu…

Wimbledon 1 – Luton 1. Mick Harford isi continua truda de profesionist, indiferent de vitregiile soartei. Asa i-a fost dat lui Luton, sa fie luata anul trecut la ochi. Dar Blue Square Premier e o sansa de relansare. Harford si “Palarierii” pot prospera in Patratul Albastru. Unde nu e usor. Dar revenirea la profesionism le e la indemana. Fostul atacant prim-divizionar are sub armura un suflet mare, cu care i-ar putea face pe adversari sa-si scoata palaria in fata ‘The Hatters. Si nu mizati impotriva lui Luton cand intra in cartile Cupei Angliei…

By Joe, www.Bettingexpert.com

Tottenham will host Liverpool in the season opener at White Hart Lane. Both teams are prepared to battle out for honors in this Sunday’s televised game in London. Hopes have never been higher of winning the Premiership with the Reds from Merseyside while Spurs are looking to compete for a top 4 spot finish in the league. Both teams are set to do well this season and a victory to either team could see a promising season ahead of them.

Tottenham look likely to start fresh with Harry Redknapp in reign. Last season was a major disappointment as they finish mid tables only to have been at the foot of the table in the first half the season. They redeemed some pride in becoming the winner of the League Cup 2008/09. The result of last season has prompted Redknapp to be active in the transfer market this summer. He brought in former Liverpool player Peter Crouch, defender Sebastien Bassong from Newcastle and Kyle Naughton into the squad. It will be interesting to see who Redknapp will select for his starting partnership upfront as Keane, Defoe and Crouch are all fit to play. Jonathan Woodgate will not feature against Liverpool as he went through surgery on his groin.

Liverpool has gone 20 years without a league title and last season they came closer as they were only 4 points away from Manchester United. Liverpool are expected to mount a serious challenge for the Premiership title and Rafa Benitez has been very busy over the summer seeing major signing of England International defender Glen Johnson and Roma’s midfielder Alberto Aquilani. Liverpool had to say goodbye to both Xabi Alonso and Alvaro Aberaloa to Real Madrid. Liverpool might be without their captain, Steven Gerrard, as he pulled out of the England friendly against Holland and Jamie Carragher is also doubtful to travel to White Hart Lane.

Tottenham and Liverpool have in recent years played some exciting football at White Hart Lane. As this is their first official match, it usually ends up as a stalemate. However, Spurs have issues with the defense and Torres will take notice of this. So look at Betsson as they are offering 2.12 for a Liverpool win.

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