The Gaffer's Dugout

The Troubles at Chelsea

2009-02-10T15:56:00.006Z

If Chelsea owner Roman Abramovic still had an ounce of interest, love or concern for his club then Phil Scolari's sacking was inevitable, it was just a matter of when rather than if.

It just so happened to be mid-season when the axe finally fell on the Brazilian coach but no-one would have been surprised had the decision been put on hold until the summer.

Sacking Scolari, mid-season, like Jose Mourinho, is a strange one. Clearly the chiefs at the Bridge lost faith and trust in the 2002 World Cup winner but questions dangle over the whole saga.

What if Abramovic had forked out the extra few million to secure Robinho's services in August? What if Deco hadn't picked up that injury in the warm-up to the Manchester United home game? What if tenacious midfielder Michael Essien had never returned from international duty with a season-long injury? What if Steve Clarke hadn't packed his bags and set off to the east of London to aid Gianfranco Zola at West Ham? What if Didier Drogba had ignored that Burnley coin and stayed injury free?

Chelsea fans began to turn on Scolari after a disappointing goalless home draw with Hull

Luck wasn't on Big Phil's side and now he's getting the tabloid headlines 'Big Phail Scolari', it all seems a tad harsh on a very experienced football man.

Chelsea managers are always going to be compared to Mourinho and in many ways Scolari's sacking can be compared to the Portuguese's, if that's the only similarity between the two who have taken up the hot seat under Abramovic's watchful eyes.

The Special One left due to a fall out between him and the owner but, it seems, on face value, that Scolari's relationship was fine between himself and the boardroom boys. That's if there was even a relationship as Scolari revealed, around a month ago, that he had only met Abramovic 'two or three' times since he took over in July.

But what if Scolari demanded what he was shown in the brochure that lured him away from the luxury of international management to the nitty and gritty day-in-day-out domestic football? Perhaps the 60 year old demanded the transfer budget he was promised in signing his Chelsea contract and was utterly refused it, having to make do with an unhappy and inconsistent Ricardo Quaresma on loan.

This is all just speculation but I find it difficult to find the logic behind sacking such a highly regarded coach just seven months into the job, for football reasons alone. So Chelsea aren't living up to expectations, sitting fourth in the league and not looking like they will progress much higher this season but the bookies still have Chelsea high favourites for third position and a chance of them slipping out of the top four was very slim.

Roman Abramovic and Guus Hiddink have a close relationship

This point has even stronger emphasis when you begin to hear the rumours that Chelsea are lining up a 'loan' or 'interim' managerial signing to take them up to the summer troublesome free. The name rumoured is Guus Hiddink, a well respected and talented manager - but then again so is Scolari.

This short term option surely makes Carlo Ancelotti the favourite to take over at Stamford Bridge in the summer, after Roman Abramovic's attempts to bring the Italian in after Avram Grant's departure last summer failed miserably, especially when you realise that the AC Milan manager has a clause to let him go at the end of this season.

There's no doubting that Chelsea hero Gianfranco Zola will be on the wish list for Chelsea fans who still remember the days when he graced the Stamford Bridge turf but maybe the Chelsea club owners are concerned that it's a little too early for the Italian to start gracing the Stamford Bridge dugout.

Whatever goes on behind the scenes at Chelsea and whatever decision they come to regarding a new temporary or permanent coach, they have to have plans for a long term manager to start his work sooner rather than later as the rocky ship in west London needs to steadied quick.

The Beautiful Game's Sole Criticism

2009-02-07T14:14:00.007Z

Football, especially the English Premier Division, is subject to much praise and, of course, rightly so.

Not only does the game involving 22 players, a rubber ball and two goals create such vast entertainment that rivals Hollywood and possesses huge passion and culture that undermines the billions in Bollywood but it also unites the world in a way no other organisation can relate too.

The United Nations (UN) goal to create political stability and disperse poverty world wide can boast 192 members and was founded in 1945, after World War Two killed its final soldier. Meanwhile FIFA, with the goal to create stability in football world wide, shadows the UN's member total with 208 associates, furthermore the head body of football was founded in 1904 and survived, unharmed, through the World War years.

So football does, correctly, receive praise after praise after praise and long may it continue.

But when a criticism is discovered, buried amongst the praise, it comes in hard and powerful. They say money makes the world go round and for many years football ignored and proved the cliche wrong as football enjoyed some of its finest spells in years where shillings were hard to come by. Now-a-days shillings are even more scarce as the rolls of millions and billions, swept in, by wealthy, affluent business men from abroad invest their change into clubs and change the face of football.

Jack Walker may be the typical Englishman, but when he invested his millions into the small club of Blackburn Rovers in 1991 the northwest club stormed up the leagues and eventually won the Premier Division in the 1994-1995 season, something which would have been hugely impossible without the Walker millions.

The money men from Abu-Dhabi are the latest group to take over a Premier League club

Roman Abramovich came over from Russia to London and invested millions, of his billions, of oil money into the financially struggling Chelsea. The Kings Road club became Kings of England just two years later and have enjoyed an abundance of success thanks to the Russian.

Then other businessmen with an eye for a profit realise the money available in the booming Premier Division and they quickly jump abroad their private jets to snatch the club off a struggling English chairman and walla the club is reborn with virtually any superstar footballer within their reach.

The Glazzers, who took over Old Trafford and spurred more success into the club, preceded Hicks and Gillett's Liverpool takeover, which has, ironically, resulted in more starvation of trophies.

Then it was Manchester City's turn and the Royal family of Abu-Dhabi, who invested almost £100 million worth of players in just five months with success for City almost inevitable.

So, why is this so bad? For football it's brilliant - a chance to cement itself as the world's greatest sport but it is the fact that this money is being thrown around like a reality Monopoly game into a sport which really doesn't need it that has created the criticism.

In an era of recession, an era of a credit crunch and with world wide poverty still not cured these billions should be ploughed into the UN and other needy organisations with not a second thought - but then again, without the influx of money, would football really rival Hollywood? Would a two-horse title race between Arsenal and Manchester United, year-in year-out, be as entertaining as a five or six or even seven horse race now Chelsea, Liverpool, Aston Villa and Manchester City have millions, rather than pennies, to spend?

Whatever your opinion, there seems to be no end to the billions being piled into football.

Rafa Plays Into Fergie's Hands

2009-01-13T15:24:00.008Z

So much has happened since my last blog entry that I could write all day and still have surplus news, well not really news any more I guess.

The best place to start has to be in the Liverpool press conference room where Rafa joined previous title-hoping managers, Wenger and King Kev, in the mind-games malarkey with Fergie. Fergie always wins, perhaps so often that his kosher is in need of doubt?

The premeditated statement was appropriately labelled 'Rafa's Rant' but the Spaniard was just the voice of many people's opinion and he will have certainly won a few friends last Friday afternoon, even if his one with Fergie died out.

We all know how much whiskey-nose Fergie loves his red wine after a match and I wouldn't be foolish in suspecting that Rafa will not be on the Scot's invitation list for a post-match beverage when the two title contenders clash on the 14th March.

Meanwhile Chelsea face a tumbling season which started so well and Big Phil is becoming the latest manager to face a media rollicking after a string of poor results put the World Cup winning coach under scrutiny.

Rumours of a rift between the English contingent and the foreign imports are surfacing and despite the Chelsea camp denying it wholeheartedly the performance on Sunday does not show much evidence to the claim.

Big Phil has problems to deal with at Chelsea

The London club were spineless and with little options on the bench in the offensive frame of mind meant that when they went one down it seemed impossible for Chelsea to grab any momentum and crawl back into a game they thoroughly deserved to lose by the full time margin.

Another rumour lurking around the back pages is Roman Abramovic's reported loss of interest with his toy that has progressively tired as each year has wore on in his 5 year reign. The evidence behind this? The fact that, seemingly, the Russian billionaire is unwilling to invest any more millions into new singings, that are desperately needed to save any title hopes. Furthermore, the £12 million raised from sending left-back Wayne Bridge up north to the blue half of Manchester has, reportedly, gone straight into Roman's savings. The credit crunch could be hitting Roman's empire more strongly than others, but a simple £20 million for a new forward is surely still pennies to a multi-billionaire?

On the other hand, Chelsea's target of becoming self-efficient and to break even by 2010 could play a substantial part in the lack of spending but another Chelsea goal, of becoming the world's greatest club by 2014, would indicate the need for expenditure.

How exactly do you measure becoming the world's greatest club? Winning the World Club Championship would, theoretically, indicate this but ironically the clubs in competition for this supposedly prestigious trophy are not of a world-class status.

So winning the Champions League in 2014 would prove that Chelsea are the world's best club? Maybe in that particular season, but no Champions League winning team has retained the trophy which would surely be needed if Chelsea are to gain prestige amongst the trophy saturated cabinets occupied by the likes of Manchester United and Real Madrid.

One guidance in setting targets tends to be to make them measurable. Is becoming the best club in the world by 2014 measurable? I'm not convinced it is and if it is, Chelsea have a long way to go before scoring that goal - or any goal for that matter!

Grayson Moves Down A League

2008-12-23T14:51:00.010Z

Leeds United have named Simon Grayson as their new manager following Gary McAllister's sacking on Sunday.

But Grayson's old club Blackpool are considering legal action against Leeds after they refused the League One side permission to speak to the 39 year old and denied a resignation request by Grayson just hours before he signed for Leeds.

Grayson started his playing career with Leeds in 1988, staying for four years, but only making two first team appearances. The former defender went on to serve for Aston Villa and Blackburn before hanging up his boots after spending three years with Blackpool.

Grayson won promotion from League One with Blackpool

Grayson is considered one of England's finest young managers after his success in guiding Blackpool into the Championship, where they currently sit 16th - 8 points from the drop zone.

Meanwhile Leeds have been struggling in League One this campaign and Saturday's 3-1 defeat to MK Dons marked their fifth successive defeat and McAllister's final game for the The Peacocks.

Grayson's new club sit 9th, with automatic promotion looking out of reach as we enter the festive period. Grayson's first fixture comes at Elland Road on Boxing Day against top of the table Leicester City and Ken Bate's new man will be looking to turn around the results before promotion becomes too audacious for the Yorkshire side.

The Special One Returns

2008-12-22T17:42:00.005Z

Jose Mourinho usually gets his way and so when the Champions League draw for the last 16 was unravelled there was a certain inevitability about it.

Mourinho's Porto defeated Manchester United in the same round en route to lifting the prestigious European trophy in 2004 and the Portuguese will come up against his old foes again this year.

Earlier in the week Mourinho revealed that he hoped to get an English club in the next round, with Liverpool being the other possibility.

But despite Mourinho's instinctive confident personality the pressure will be far greater when he takes his Inter Milan side to Old Trafford in February compared with what he experienced 5 years ago when he was still just a face in a crowd of European managers.

Now he is at the forefront of one of the biggest clubs in the world, at a club who are desperate to win the Champions League after a longer wait for England to bring the World Cup home - the Italian aristocrats last won it in 1965! His former Champions League winning side were underdogs, never considered a bet to win the entire thing and so the pressure wasn't there.

How times have changed. English football fans, and especially the English press, feel that the Portuguese is really one of their own and was heavily tipped to succeed Steve McClaren when the England national team job became advertised.

Mourinho has a good record against Ferguson

The press and Mourinho exert a mutual relationship of love. The media relish his press conferences and Mourinho marvels in the attention. 'The Special One' is box office and he will revel in his first return to England since his departure from Chelsea just over a year ago.

Although Mourinho will take the back pages, there are mouth watering reunions around the draw. Another former Chelsea boss Claudio Ranieri, now Tinkering the Juventus side will see a return to Stamford Bridge before welcoming his former employers to Turin.

Chelsea will be delighted to have avoided Barcelona who are on top form and sit at the peak of La Liga but Juventus will be a stern test. Ranieri was much loved by Chelsea fans but will want to make a point against his old club who kicked him out unceremoniously after the Italian guided them to second place in the Premiership and semi-finals of the Champions League.

Liverpool manager Rafa Benitez will make a return to Real Madrid, who are now managed by ex-Spurs boss Juande Ramos. Ramos, like Ranieri, will be keen to make an impression and prove he is no hapless figure he so often cut at White Hart Lane.

Finally Arsenal will encounter Roma and the London club should, if they play to their best, put the tie beyond Roma's reach in the first leg but with Arsenal's inconsistency this season the tie could swing in Roma's favour early on.

But despite all the exhilarating fixtures, only one man will be making the back pages this February.

Real Lead Race For Diarra

2008-12-17T15:39:00.005Z

Real Madrid are the first team to place a bid for Portsmouth's Lassana Diarra but there are many other top clubs sitting in the auction room.

The Spanish club's £20 million bid was accepted by Portsmouth and the 23 year old midfielder is set to leave the south coast club.

But Pompey's Premiership rivals Tottenham and Manchester City are also interested in Diarra who has had spells at both Chelsea and Arsenal.

The £20 million price tag may prove to be too steep for Spurs despite their desperate need for Diarra's tenacious abilities.

Diarra is dubbed the new Claude Makelele

On the other hand, Manchester City, who look set to spend big in January after their takeover will not be set back by Madrid's offer and could fire a bidding war for the Frenchman.

The lure of playing for Real Madrid, and immediate Champions League football, could sway Diarra's decision in favour of the La Liga champions and Portsmouth will naturally be reluctant to sell to a Premiership rival.

"When you talk about Real Madrid the other teams are no longer important, all the others take second place," said Diarra.

1966 Was A Great Year For English Football - Gianfranco Zola Was Born

2008-12-12T15:25:00.015Z

"He is a genius"
- Richard Attenborough -

What do you need to become a legend? The question is almost impossible to answer and ambiguity wouldn't do the question justice.

But whatever characteristics you need to become a legend, Gianfranco Zola possesses them beyond belief.

Individual skill must take on a primary role in defining a football legend, Zola has this equipped. The ability to create something out of nothing may be an overused cliche but Zola has this box well and truly ticked. Striding your team to victory in the biggest games and on the biggest stage is something the little Italian did so often. Scoring memorable goals, innovative assists and individual moments of brilliance was the forefront of Zola's philosophy. And finally a warm, kind and magnanimous personality to light up the the dressing room. Mr Zola has all these and more qualities which is the reason why he is regarded as a Chelsea and football legend.

And it was a good job too that Franco had this wonderful magnanimous personality, his ability to sway around and away from world-class defenders left him vulnerable to ravaging challenges from hopeless centre halves.

Zola has scored many memorable goals in his 599 professional appearances including the winner against Stuttgart, for Chelsea, after being on the pitch for just 21 seconds, in the wonderfully cyclically named Cup Winners' Cup Final (so yes, Zola and that 1997 Chelsea team did, indeed, win the Cup Winner's Cup Cup - why isn't there a trophy called that nowadays?).

The Chelsea number 25 scored 192 goals in total and over half of them must have been exquisite and memorable. His neat and stealthy mid-air back-heel flick which instinctively found the Norwich net from a Graeme Le Saux corner has cemented itself in many Chelsea fans' minds.

Zola celebrates his winner against Stuttgart

The goal, in his debut season for Chelsea, against aristocrats Manchester United - and in goal the impervious Peter Schmeichel - will be remembered for many years, not just because of how sweetly the goal was taken but because while the Italian was in his trademark dribbling subconscious, leading to the goal, he completely miss-guided defender Denis Irwin and sent the Irishman humiliated on his backside. Magic.

Zola's 80th and final goal in Chelsea blue came against Everton when the Italian lobbed the helpless Everton goalkeeper from outside the box. It was true Zola.

But his closing article was one of the most memorable moments in one of the most memorable games in Chelsea's history. It was the closing stages of the 2002/2003 Premiership season and Chelsea were up against fierce rivals Liverpool, a Chelsea win would secure The Blues the much financially needed place in next year's Champions League. Chelsea won 2-1 and pipped Liverpool to 4th position. The result ultimately secured Roman Abramovic's millions as the attraction of Champions League football must have been a defining reason as to why the Russian chose the Kings Road club.

Zola, now well into his 30's, came off the bench 20 minutes from time and one moment of individual and world-class natural skill left three Liverpool players in his wake as he weaved in and out of them near the Stamford Bridge touchline that left both sets of fans applauding and Chelsea fans bellowing the widely heard Gianfranco Zola chant.

Zola, being the man he is, promised the small Italian team Cagliari his services before he retired and despite Abramovic's plea to keep him, Zola left and made 44 final appearances and 21 final goals before retiring in 2005.

Zola's Chelsea shirt number 25 has been retired and in 2004 he was voted Chelsea's best ever player by the fans. In the pre-season of Jose Mourinho's first season at Chelsea Zola under took a testimonial against Real Zaragoza in front of a full Stamford Bridge crowd.

Legend. Magic. Exquisite. Zola.

Full Name: Gianfranco Zola
Date of Birth: 5th July 1966
Place of Birth: Oliena, Sardinia
Did You Know: Zola played with the legendary Diego Maradona while the two played for Italian side Napoli

Gianfranco Zola Compilation #1 - Youtube

Gianfranco Zola Compilation #2 - Youtube

Pietersen: Team Decision

2008-12-11T18:54:00.005Z

The following article is a transcribed press conference with England cricket captain Kevin Pietersen. OK, it's not actually Kevin Pietersen and nor is it Pietersen's words but just the mere comments by a Sport Journalism lecturer under-taking a role-play in the uni open day. My style model was The Sun.

Kevin Pietersen has revealed it was a team decision to return to India to continue the test matches.

And the England captain was quick to rubbish reports that team mates Andrew Flintoff and Steve Harmison were against the return to the recent terrorist hit country.

An Indian hotel was seized by terrorists while England were in the country and the conflict continued for many days. However the Indian government have confirmed the battle is now finished and Pietersen's team feel it is time to battle back on the cricket field in a series they are currently behind in.

Recent terrorist attacks in Mumbai, India

Pietersen has also announced there are no expectations on his England side and whether or not this could play to his advantage could depend on the mind-set of the individual players.

Security has naturally been stepped up in India and armed soldiers will guard the England team 24/7. This is a rare situation for England but Pietersen believes that most England players are used to this level of security. England have made regular trips to Pakistan, India and Sri Lanka in recent years - places that are constantly under threat from terrorist attacks.

Only time will tell whether or not these extreme circumstances help England defeat a rampant India side. But one thing is for sure, England returning to India has shown that terrorists do not dictate sport.

Chelsea Scrape Through

2008-12-10T19:01:00.012Z

A pattern of inconsistency has developed at Stamford Bridge under Phil Scolari.

Big Phil started his tenure at Stamford Bridge in unbeatable style. Playing beautiful football whilst keeping the back door locked at all times. It was Brazilian. And it was a craving that had eluded Roman Abramovic since his takeover in 2003.

Emphatic 4-0 and 5-0 wins against Portsmouth and Middlesbrough eclipse the world-class display in the 2-0 victory over Aston Villa but all that audacity seems long gone.

Recent performances and results have been poor. Knocked-out of the Carling Cup to Burnley, dropping to second in the league after defeats to Liverpool and Arsenal and an unexpected bore draw when Newcastle came to town has rubbished fears from Chelsea's closest rivals that they could go all season indestructible.

And Chelsea's poor form has stalked them into the Champions League - a trophy that is still missing amongst their silverware. They have qualified from their group stage. Just. It took Chelsea until the final day to secure the minimum requirement of second place in their group - which on paper wasn't particularly horrifying.

Romanian side Cluj, who had nothing to play for, were the visitors to Stamford Bridge and although they left England with a 2-1 defeat their performance was far more heroic than their opposition.

Chelsea celebrate Drogba's winner

Chelsea started poor and ended poor but when Didier Drogba came off the bench in the 64th minute Chelsea at least looked more fiery.

It was Drogba's winner, in the 71st minute, that secured Chelsea's qualification and what a delightful goal it was. Drogba at his greatest.

A spontaneous chip from Joe Cole sent the ball over and behind the Cluj defence and Drogba's first touch was as pretty as the pass before slotting a well placed shot into the net. Exquisite.

Chelsea's first, however, came in the 40th minute when Deco's free kick found Salomon Kalou completely unmarked and from 3 yards from goal the forward fired past the helpless keeper.

Despite Chelsea dominating possession the London side still couldn't conjure another meaningful chance and a dull game just got duller until Cluj found an unlucky equaliser. Yssouf Kone was the Cluj hero but it was Alex's poor marking and awareness that let Kone in acres of space before he sweetly headed past Petr Cech.

Chelsea groaned out the needed result but it was far from vintage.

Ramos Takes Madrid Post

2008-12-09T15:21:00.009Z

To those narrow-minded English football fans out there the announcement that Juande Ramos has just levered himself behind the reigns of the Real Madrid stallion will be totally shell-shocked.

That's right, the recently sacked Tottenham flop has been given the Real Madrid job on a contract lasting until the end of the season.

But to us football fans that like to peer our eyes over the English Channel and into the continent will not be surprised by Real Madrid's latest notion.

Real Madrid have been sacking their managers quicker than Northern Rock and after their dramatic loss to Sevilla at the weekend, which ultimately saw them drop out of the top 4, the long-running pressure on Bernd Schuster finally reached overload.

Ramos becomes Real Madrid's 11th manager in just ten years and with a contract lasting until the end of the season he could be the next manager to get the boot so soon after his arrival.

Juande Ramos has enjoyed success in Spain

The ex-Spur's manager, who won the Carling Cup in his short stay in England, has always been regarded as one of Spain's most prestigious football talents in recent times and his managerial track record in his motherland is no threat to his status.

In fact it is because of his successful C.V. that he has this honourable accolade in Spain. The 54 year old never hit the big time in his playing days and after undertaking the journeyman role, appearing for six teams before the age of 28, he was forced to hang up his boots early due to a knee injury.

He's no stranger to the big time in his role on the managerial dugout and got his first big opportunity when Real Betis came calling in 2001. After a successful 3 year spell Ramos moved on to Espanyol in 2004 and shortly moved to Malaga later that year before leaving the post in 2005. Sevilla was Ramos's next stop and he transformed them into back-to-back UEFA Cup winners in his 2 year spell before moving to London in 2007 to take over at Tottenham. Despite a Carling Cup final win over fierce rivals Chelsea in February 2008, he was sacked later in the year after a poor start to the new season that saw Spurs plummet to the bottom of the table.

Ramos's first test in La Liga will be the daunting challenge of facing league leaders Barcelona on Saturday but has the opportunity to see his team first hand for the first time when they face Zenit St Petersburg on Wednesday in the Champions League group stage, a qualification Real Madrid have already succeeded in.

Wales and Scotland Joint Bid

2008-12-03T19:13:00.005Z

Scotland and Wales are eyeing up a possible joint bid for the EURO 2016 tournament.

The tournament is due to be expanded to 24 international sides in 2016, putting increasing doubt on the ability of smaller nations to hold the tournament.

Current regulations state bidders must have at least eight suitable stadiums, but with the increasing tournament size this looks likely to increase to ten.

Scotland's Hampden Park

However regulations have yet to be altered regarding the increase in participants but is due to be changed in early 2009 which will give the Welsh and Scottish boards the opportunity to discuss a potential bid in more detail.

England are set to pose a bid for the 2018 World Cup while Poland and Ukraine are hosting the next EURO championships in 2012.

Ronaldo Scoops Ballon d'Or

2008-12-02T15:31:00.003Z

Cristiano Ronaldo has won the 2008 Ballon d'Or trophy awarded by French Football magazine.

The Manchester United winger, who scored 42 goals last season as his side won the Champions League and Premier League double, has described the day as "beautiful".

"It is one of the most beautiful days of my life, something I dreamed of as a child," said the Portuguese international.

And the 23 year old cannot be short of beautiful memories in his short but prosperous football career. Ronaldo has an illustrious trophy cabinet that many retired football legends cannot compare to.

"Great emotion fills me but I cannot really describe it," continued Ronaldo.

"I was not worried, because I was aware of what I did in the course of the season.

"But to the people who mentioned my name, I say thank you. Thank you also to my teammates.

"This (trophy) is one that I want to win again because it is so good.

"Therefore, I will wake and I will say to myself 'I want to be even better'."

Ronaldo scored in the Champions League win against Chelsea

Worldwide football journalists voted the accolade and Ronaldo totalled a record 77 votes out of a possible 96 (equalling 446 points), a landslide victory that topped last year’s winner Kaka by just 2 points.

The Brazilian finished in a disappointing 8th place whilst it was good news for Barcelona winger Lionel Messi who finished second and Spain's EURO 2008 hero Fernando Torres who was placed third by the journalists.

England's contingent were Steven Gerrard (10th), Wayne Rooney (13th) and Frank Lampard (15th) while fellow Premier League stars Emmanuel Adebayor (12th), Michael Ballack and Cesc Fabregas (19th), Didier Drogba and Nemanja Vidic (21st) and Edwin van der Sar (24th) join Ronaldo and Torres in the votes.

2008 Ballon d'Or voting

1 Cristiano Ronaldo (Manchester Utd) 446 points
2 Lionel Messi (Barcelona) 281 pts
3 Fernando Torres (Liverpool) 179 pts
4 Iker Casillas (Real Madrid) 133 pts
5 Xavi Hernandez (Barcelona) 97 pts
6 Andriy Arshavin (Zenit St-Petersburg) 64 pts
7 David Villa (Valencia) 55 pts
8 Kaka (AC Milan) 31 pts
9 Zlatan Ibrahimovic (Inter Milan) 30 pts
10 Steven Gerrard (Liverpool) 28 pts
11 Marcos Senna (Villarreal) 16 pts
12 Emmanuel Adebayor (Arsenal) 12 pts
13 Wayne Rooney (Manchester United) 11 pts
14 Sergio Aguero (Atletico Madrid) 10 pts
15 Frank Lampard (Chelsea) 8 pts
16 Franck Ribery (Bayern Munich) 7 pts
17 Samuel Eto'o (Barcelona) 6 pts
18 Gianluigi Buffon (Juventus) 5 pts
19 Michael Ballack (Chelsea), Cesc Fabregas (Arsenal) 4 pts
21 Didier Drogba (Chelsea), Sergio Ramos (Real Madrid), Nemanja Vidic (Manchester United) 3 pts
24 Edwin van der Sar (Manchester United), Ruud van Nistelrooy (Real Madrid), 2 pts

Prosperous Sunday

2008-11-29T18:19:00.013Z

Saturday's Premiership fixtures were just the calm before the storm.

There is no doubt that the prospect of a Teesside derby between Middlesbrough and Newcastle was exhilirating, but the dull 0-0 result summed up the sullen Saturday.

The result of the day has to be Bolton's 4-1 win at Sunderland, Gary Megson's second consecutive win and his counterpart's second loss in as many games. Both of Roy Keane's last two games have ended in defeat, but both could have been so different had the referee's been more competent.

In last week's defeat at the hand's of Gianfranco Zola's West Ham side the 1-0 score line could have easily been reversed into Keane's favour. Hammer's defender James Collins should have been sent off with the score line still goalless for a last man's challenge on a Sunderland forward free on goal. Sunderland were also denied a clear penalty in a frustrating game for the home side.

Luck is not on Roy Keane's side

In today's slaughtering, Sunderland were poor, but with the score line just 2-1 a Kenwyne Jones header was unfairly disallowed after the big forward was accused of climbing on a Bolton defender to win the header. Bolton rode their luck but Sunderland have well and truly been chucked off theirs.

That, in deed, was just the calm before the storm for tomorrow's eagerly awaited fixtures will surely produce some fireworks. Sky Sport's entertain our Sunday with a pair of two historically heated derbies’, the first Manchester City vs Manchester United is followed by the London clash between Chelsea and Arsenal.

Although you can never write United out of a title challenge until it is mathematically impossible for the Red Devil's to pick up the prestigious trophy, a loss tomorrow and a Chelsea win could create a large crack in their already dented season.

The Gunner's are struggling and I’m sure the majority of Arsenal fan's will concede themselves out of a title race tomorrow if they lose at Stamford Bridge, but a win could lift Arsenal’s morale and form.

Gallas has been stripped of the skipper's band

Mind you, after Arsenal's superb win at home to Man United a few weeks back, the Gunner's ruined their applauding headlines with defeats in the following games to lesser opposition and not to mention William Gallas losing the armband to Cesc Fabregas. The latter, however, resulted in headlines just as pleasing to Arsenal fan's as the ones that were published the morning after their famous win against their bitter northern rivals.

If Arsenal do manage an unexpected victory at Stamford Bridge tomorrow, Arsene Wenger must not let his side lose any points when they face Wigan, Middlesbrough and then Liverpool in the next few weeks.

Meanwhile it is a must win game for Chelsea, as every game is if you want to challenge for the title. Liverpool face West Ham on Monday night and there is no doubt that Liverpool will be deserved favourites for that clash, so anything less than a win tomorrow, and then a Liverpool win, will see the Anfield club climb to the peak of the Premier League.

Torres Facing Another Lay-Off

2008-11-28T15:03:00.004Z

Liverpool striker Fernando Torres picked up yet another injury in the mid-week Champions League win against Marseille.

The Spaniard looks set to miss 2-3 weeks with a hamstring strain while team-mate Fabio Aurelio will also be sidelined for a similar period of time.

Torres' season has been injury hit so far and has only played in nine league games, out of a possible 14, with two coming as cameo appearances from the bench.

It's been an injury hit season for Torres

The absence of Torres has left the hones on strike partner Robbie Keane to ripple the net but he has failed to find his feet since his big money summer move from Tottenham.

Keane, who was signed to create a formidable partnership with Torres, has only scored two league goals in fourteen games. The £20 million signing will be looking for the likes of Steven Gerrard and Ryan Babel to join him in the opposition's box for Monday's game with West Ham.

Rafa Benitez will be hoping his Liverpool side bounce back after the disappointing home draw with Fulham last week. If Chelsea take away all three points in the Sunday clash with Arsenal and Liverpool fail to beat West Ham, day light will start appearing through the top two sides in the league.

Nic In Pink

2008-11-27T18:32:00.008Z

Nicklas Bendtner fashioned a pair of bright pink boots in his sides Champions League clash with Dynamo Kiev on Tuesday night.

Why? Perhaps the young forward was trying to reveal a feminine side? Or maybe he was giving the two fingers to recently stripped skipper William Gallas who moaned that Arsenal 'need soldiers'? Or perhaps the 20 year old has recently discovered that the Barbie shade of pink is his lucky colour?

The boots certainly helped Bendtner out on Tuesday night when the forward fired home late on to reduce the intensity of Arsenal's recent blushes.

Pretty in pink Nic

A headline filled week for Arsenal will now fade away and the soap opera storyline that is William Gallas has seemingly reached its end.

Gaffer Arsene Wenger certainly made the correct choice in making Gallas redundant of the armband and then handing it over to Cesc Fabregas, who will represent everything that Arsenal are. Physically weak, inexperienced and inconsistent but beautifully sleek, quick and sparkling on the occasional World class performance.

The ex-Gunner captain will only improve mentally from being stripped of the band that will mean he will go back to the wonderful form he is so capable of producing week-in week-out.

For Tuesday night, at least, the headlines belonged to young Nic in pink.

England's Injury Concerns No Problem

2008-11-20T15:23:00.002Z

John Terry’s 86th minute header continued England’s impressive winning streak as Germany fell victims in their own backyard.

Fabio Capello’s England side have now won all previous six matches, including the four World Cup qualifiers.

It is a winning mentality that European aristocrats have been so accustomed to but England has been deficient in down the years.

England’s confidence shone right from the kick-off in Berlin and it only took 24 minutes before centre back Matthew Upson toe-poked his first international goal after a Stewart Downing corner wasn’t cleared by the German back line.

A lack of communication and judgement by Terry and substitute goalkeeper Scott Carson gifted Patrick Helmes with an open-goal opportunity that he comfortably converted to draw his country level.

England’s defence has been suspect to a lot of blunders in recent times but is unprecedented in Capello’s reign. In the era’s of Sven-Goran Eriksson and Steve McClaren England may have wobbled at staring down the barrel of adversity and gone on to concede more goals. But this is a new England, a more determined England and a much improved England.

Capello’s side bounced back like good teams do and in the 86th minute England deservedly re-took the lead through a Terry header. The courageous captain, determined to make up for his earlier error, leaped above the German defence to send a powerful header into the far corner and wheel away in celebration.

Capello had an injury list as long as Man City’s January transfer targets but the lack of eight first team regulars was not recognised. England’s midfield duo Gareth Barry and particularly Michael Carrick bossed the midfield in both the offensive and defensive play whilst Upson, earning the man-of-the-match accolade, kept any opposing attack at bay.

Roaming the flanks were Shaun Wright-Phillips and Downing who were both equally impressive attacking the lacklustre German defence while Capello opted for pace again in his full backs with Glen Johnson and Wayne Bridge constantly overlapping their more forward thinking team mates.

Jermaine Defoe started the England attack alongside Gabriel Agbonlahor, who made his first senior cap after impressive performances for Aston Villa in the Premiership. Defoe was later substituted for Darren Bent and all three fairly inexperienced attackers were very composed and content in such a big stage.

The result and the performance were both very good for England and now Capello has some difficult options in who to pick for England’s next test. Perhaps it’s time to start letting some of the younger players with smaller ego’s lead the line for The Three Lions.

Carling Cup Draw (QF)

2008-11-15T15:13:00.003Z

Burnley's reward for knocking Premiership leaders Chelsea out of the Carling Cup is to welcome Arsenal to Turf Moor.

Meanwhile defending champions Tottenham will travel to Championship side Watford and Manchester United host Premiership rivals Blackburn. Finally Stoke City will contest Derby County for the last semi-final place.

The quarter-final dates are arranged for the 2nd and 3rd December.

According to Sky Bet, European and English champions Manchester United are favourites to walk away with the first available trophy of the season whilst Arsenal's youngsters are tipped to join the Red Devil's in the final.

Eastbourne Gazette, 5th November 2008

2008-11-15T12:31:00.001Z

Drogbaish Didier

2008-11-15T10:56:00.006Z

In today's economic crisis it was surprising to see the Burnley supporter's launching their loose pocket change at Chelsea forward Didier Drogba in their Carling Cup clash on Wednesday. I wonder if Burnley's away fans felt some empathy for the big Ivory Coast international and thus did the charitable deed of granting Drogba with some much, probably, unneeded change.

I find it funny how the Burnley faithful can possibly believe that Chelsea's £120,000 p/w star would need each and every penny he can get. Now obviously the Burnley fans are in the same economic downfall as the rest of us, but if they really didn't feel the need for their pocket pennies (granted, their change won't exactly help avoid an almost inevitable second mortgage for the majority) then why didn't they just pass the coins onto a much grateful charity?

The away fans tossed the pennies at Drogba like you toss pennies at the homeless, their saxophone (or any other portable instrument) and their shrubby dog on the shrubby mat. I genuinely feel sorry for the homeless' dog. How sorry that poor dog must feel to be stuck with the alcohol-happy, homeless owner whilst laid non-groomed on the hard and cold street pavements thinking of all his former pet store companions mixing in the highlife of a loving family and a warm home (of course the homeless and his penny-making instrument must have the same thoughts drilled through their head each day).

We know, however, that Burnley's fans didn't 'give' Drogba the coins in sympathy. I would bet my mortgage that the real intent of the coin throwers was, indeed, to hurt Chelsea's disliked forward and am certain that Drogba didn't really 'give' the coins back to the fans in empathy of the credit crunch.

Drogba inevitably denied intent to hurt the Burnley fans, the customary apologetic statement was most likely forced upon him by his ranting and raving employers, and so whether or not Drogba did realistically intend to hurt will probably never be discovered.

The word 'drogba' should be coined into the dictionary and defined as 'great petulance over shadows exceptional ability'. Drogba's act on Wednesday night was certainly 'drogbaish'. Drogba scored a goal in front of Burnley's travelling fans that the likes of Maradona, Zidane and Ronaldinho would be proud of, weaving his way past a awe-stricken defender with one exquisite touch before placing the ball past the bewildered goal-keeper with a second. It was a truly exceptional show of ability that was followed by the great petulance of throwing the coin back into the crowd just seconds after the goal.

The blame cannot be fully put on the broad shoulders of Drogba, he is both the culprit and the victim but there is no doubt that the Chelsea star should be punished by The F.A. I would imagine a 3 match ban would be piled on Drogba, a 3 match ban that will continue to disrupt an injury-hit season.

Drogba is an experienced footballer at the age of 30 and this immature act is not a one off, he's red-card after the slap on Nemanja Vidic in the Champions League final defeat to Manchester United in May is the first unprofessional act the big man has committed that comes to mind.

Drogba should be mythologically wearing the captain’s armband, Chelsea are a top team and therefore demand leaders from all around the pitch not just in the man who physically wears the band around his bicep. At the moment Chelsea can't rely on any positive influence from Drogba and this could leave a damp patch on what has been a successful Chelsea career.

Saha Strikes For Toffees

2008-11-01T14:56:00.005Z

Louis Saha came off the bench and grabbed a late winner for Everton against Fulham in the early Saturday kick-off.

The win gives Everton their first win at home this season and lifts David Moyes side up to seventh before the rest of the weekend fixtures.

Everton were denied a stonewall penalty by referee Lee Mason when Brede Hangeland unfairly obstructed Marouane Fellaini when the two players challenged for a header inside the Fulham box.

Everton then should have taken the lead when Tim Cahill headed over the bar from just 6 yards preceding Fellaini's strike against the Fulham post.

Despite Everton showing far more confidence and creating the better chances, Fulham also had a great opportunity when Zoltan Gera headed against the cross bar.

Louis Saha came on for Fellaini early in the second half and the decision was jeered as the new Everton favourite jogged off the pitch.

Moyes's decision worked wonders and in the 86th minute Saha showed Cahill and Gera how it was done by placing a powerful header past Mark Schwarzer in the Fulham goal. The goal was the former Manchester United and Fulham striker's first goal in Everton blue and he got it at just the right time for Moyes's men.

The defeat leaves Fulham in 14th but depending on results at the bottom of the table Fulham could see themselves plummet to the relegation zones come Sunday night.

Harry Is No Judas

2008-10-31T18:45:00.007Z

Portsmouth fans revealed a banner during the weekend fixture against Fulham that showed little gratitude to their once heroic Houdini. 'Once Forgiven. Twice Forgotten. Judas.' were the words symbolising Portsmouth fans unrest after Harry Redknapp moved a few miles up north to work his magic on stumbling Spurs.

The message was almost one that said Redknapp owes his ex-club so much whereas this is far from true. It is Pompey who owe Redknapp and the fans should be wishing their old gaffer good luck on his new venture.

Redknapp rescued Pompey from almost certain relegation from the Premiership and since then has built a side that even the toughest teams dread playing. Along with this he has brought an unprecedented victory in an FA Cup final that veered the south coast side into Europe. After guiding them through to the group stages of the UEFA Cup, Pompey now have the prospect of welcoming Italian giants AC Milan to Fratton Park.

Redknapp's mission at Portsmouth was a successful one and now his new objective must be carried out.

It shouldn't be hard. Tottenham have a group of top-notch players who, if moulded into the right formations, will give anyone a run for their money.

The win against Bolton and the highly dramatic draw at rivals Arsenal shows that Redknapp's miracle hands are once again at full grip.

Under Redknapp's guidance Tottenham will make a belated move up the table but it may be too late to challenge for a fourth spot which was so fondly predicted pre-season.

It is amazing what a simple change in manager can do for a club's fortunes. Ramos isn't a bad manager, his successful spell in Seville proves this but Ramos was a man who just quite simply isn't suited to the English game. He seemingly lacked knowledge of the English language and thus struggled to motivate an unmotivated Tottenham. The pressure and criticism grew and it was a week-in week-out routine for opposition fans to sing the notorious 'you're getting sacked in the morning' chant.

Coincidently Ramos is considered a Judas at his former club Seville. Ramos was very successful with the Spanish side winning the UEFA Cup and then successfully defending it a year later. He made a struggling side in La Liga a title challenging side before abruptly, yet not surprisingly, quitting to join the London side.

Since Ramos's departure Seville have kept up their high standards under the guidance of new boss Manolo Jimenez and there is no reason why Tony Adams can not sustain Portsmouth's high heights for many years to come.

There is a fair and logical reason for Portsmouth fans to worry about Redknapp's recent departure to their Premiership rivals. Their ex-manager will be back in Portsmouth hunting their big names in January with the likes of Crouch, Defoe, James and most importantly Diarra heading the manager's shortlist. Diarra, who is somewhat a journeyman like Redknapp, having moved to three Premiership clubs in as many years, is the sort of player Tottenham desperately need. The Frenchman who was dubbed the new Makelele whilst at Chelsea and then compared to teammate Gilberto whilst at Arsenal has a huge future ahead of him. His tenacity, awareness and get-stuck-in ability are something Tottenham's midfield lacks.

Redknapp teased Portsmouth with the prospect of sustained success. It's like teasing a child with a lolly, slowly moving the lolly towards the child before quickly lashing it away as the child tries to grab it. Portsmouth did, however, get a brief taste of that lolly and what a sweet taste winning the FA Cup left in the mouth.

Eastbourne Herald, 31st October 2008

2008-10-31T15:14:00.001Z

Robust Roma Broken

2008-10-23T09:56:00.004+01:00

The long-running stereotype that Italians are ultra-defensive when it comes to football was once again proven to have more truth than myth when Roma visited Stamford Bridge last night.

To say Roma set up in an unprecedented 10-0-0 formation would most certainly be an over-exaggeration. It would not, however, be wrong to say that Spalletti's Roma side set up against Chelsea without any strikers. The Roman's were strikeless. You can't blame the visiting coach for installing this philosophy after the struggling Serie A side were destroyed by Jose Mourinho's Inter Milan 4-0 and Chelsea demolished Middlesbrough 5-0 at the weekend.

Spalletti's plan worked. Worked, that is, until the 77th minute when the 0-0 deadlock was finally breached. John Terry latched onto a Frank Lampard out-swinging, near-post corner to head his side into the lead. The header was heroic, handsome and hungry. The Chelsea captain had failed to score in the past four Champions League seasons following a season where the defender scored four headed goals in Europe.

Terry, who had taken a lot of criticism over his fitness, displayed a performance which shows why the defender is widely accepted as one of the best in the business. The England captain looked back to his old passionate and fiery self, shrugging off any concerns that a back problem could, once again, rule him out for a sustainable period of time.

The visitors, lacking any strikers, were forced to force the Chelsea goal with long-range spectacular efforts, which were all but spectacular, as De Rossi and Mexes sent scuffed shots wide.

Roma were floppy, flimsy and flaccid going down pleading for free kicks after the slightest of tickle from the Chelsea players and there is no doubt that the Italians came to Stamford Bridge to frustrate.

And, once again, the plan worked, until the 77th minute. Kalou and Lampard both had good chances saved from the Roma 'keeper Doni and a Lampard free kick clipped the woodwork on two occasions. The blue wave thundered against Roma's back wall but continually failed to pass their way through.

As time ticked on it was getting more and more likely that Chelsea, who had the encouragement of Deco and Ricardo Carvalho back in the side, were going to miss Didier Drogba's presence inside the penalty area. Scolari had said that Chelsea would have to play ugly and ugly was on the agenda last night, as beautiful football would not undermine their Italian counter-parts.

Liverpool Duo Hit By Injury

2008-10-16T15:09:00.000+01:00

Fernando Torres and Ryan Babel both limped off whilst on international duty on Wednesday and the pair look set to miss a string of games.

Spanish striker Torres was substituted after just 16 minutes in his countries 2-1 win over Belgium in a World Cup qualifier and the prolific forward looks set to miss Liverpool’s next three games with a thigh injury.

Meanwhile, a challenge from Blackburn’s Morten Gamst Pederson insured Dutch winger Babel played no further part in the 1-0 win in Norway. Liverpool’s wide man will have to endure treatment on ankle ligament damages whilst Liverpool manager Rafa Benitez weighs up his injury problems.

It will be Babel’s team mate, Torres, whose injury will cause the biggest concern for Benitez whose side are currently joint top with Chelsea in the race for the Premiership title. The Spanish striker had only just begun finding his feet in the new season before last night’s injury hit. Torres, who guided Spain to Euro 2008 glory with two goals, including the winner in the final, had been dogged with injury problems since his return to England in the summer.

The striker went seven games without a goal until his recent strikes in the Merseyside derby win over Everton in late September. Torres then hit two in two games for Liverpool as his side continued to hold onto Chelsea’s tail at the tip of the Premiership table.

Torres’ injury will heap more pressure on £18 million signing Robbie Keane, who has yet to find his goal scoring touch which he so often produced at Tottenham. The Republic of Ireland captain has yet to open his account for his ‘boy-hood club’ in the league but has bagged one goal in the Champions League victory over PSV.

The two injuries are going to put more pressure on Liverpool who need to maintain their winning form against Wigan on Saturday if they want to continue pursuing their first Premiership crown.

England Run Rampant

2008-10-11T19:05:00.008+01:00

England showed quality and quantity for the second game running after a rampant performance against a weak and young Kazakhstan side resulted in a 5-1 win.

Fabio Capello set England up with a 4-3-3 formation with Steven Gerrard and Frank Lampard supported by Gareth Barry in the middle of the park. Wayne Rooney, Emile Heskey and Theo Walcott lead the line for the home side. However it was a frustrating first 45 minutes in the World Cup qualifier and Capello's men went in with a goalless score line.

Aston Villa man, Gareth Barry, was substituted for Shaun Wright-Phillips, a player who has seen his form rocket after his move to mega-rich Man City in the summer. Along with the change in personnel England also reverted to a 4-4-2 formation testing the much debated Gerrard-Lampard lone pairing in central midfield.

The swap worked wonders for an England side rooting off the 4-1 shock win in Croatia a few weeks ago. The second half saw six goals fly into the Wembley nets as England produced another fine thrashing. Rio Ferdinand, skippering the side in John Terry's absence, opened the score line on the 52nd minute with a fine back-post header from a Lampard corner.

England made it 2-0 thirteen minutes later when Alexandr Kuchma nodded in an own-goal with Chelsea man, Lampard, once again providing the deadly assist. However, England were back to their sloppy concentration and decision making, which was so often experienced under Steve McClaren's reign, when Ashley Cole's lacklustre pass was intercepted by Zhambyl Kukeyev who's shot, which lacked power, scattered into England's net.

Ashley Cole was then the victim of Wembley boos whenever the fullback picked up the ball and England seemed rocked and once again loss all their confidence.

Wayne Rooney restored England's belief on the 77th minute when the on-form hitman headed in from close range. It was three points to England and now a chance for the home side to extend their all ready impressive goal difference.

Rooney doubled his goal tally for the night on the 86th minute after David Beckham, making his 106th England cap and equalling World Cup winner Bobby Charlton's tally, entered the impressive England eleven. The right midfielder replaced Walcott, who failed to impress on his Wembley debut.

England got a fifth goal in a qualifier for the first time since the famous 5-1 slaughtering of Germany in Munich seven years ago, when Jermaine Defoe, a substitute for Wayne Rooney, slotted home a fine Heskey flick-on.

Put The Past In The Past

2008-10-08T15:31:00.005+01:00

Comparisons were bound to be made after Fabio Capello's England side beat Croatia 4-1 in their own back yard, seven years after Sven-Goran Eriksson fired an England side to a demolishing 5-1 win in Germany. However we shouldn't compare the two experienced bosses until Capello has actually taken part in a major International tournament.

Though it would be unfair to relate the two foreign managers in terms of their success for England, there is no doubting that our Italian friend has asserted himself as more of a success than Steve more-concerned-of-the-rain-than-bothering-to-order-team-instructions McClaren.

The way he has commanded respect and asserted his Don like power over the players has been impressive. The Italian's are known for their discipline, desire and devotion into creating a defence impermeable to any opposition attack and with a defensive partnership of John Terry and Rio Ferdinand, this cannot be a tricky problem. It was for Steve and Sven though.

We have two perfect examples of completely different national philosophies in football management in our own English dugouts. From our Brazilian, Gene Hackman look-a-like, Luiz Felipe Scolari at Chelsea to our Fabio, The Don, Capello in the England hot-seat. It is great to see the all risk, attacking flair of a Brazilian Chelsea side and then watch an Italian England team who are strong, disciplined and static in their traditional formations. It shows the cultural diversity in footballing tactics.

Although Scolari stated he was Capello's 'number one fan' you can't help but think that this probably wouldn't be true if firstly John Terry wasn't restored as England captain and secondly if the England team hadn't played with such Brazilian attacking instinct that was shown against Croatia. However, come to think of it, because I can rarely make out what Big Phil means in his interviews, for all I know he could be England's, Wembley's or even the WAG's 'number one fan'!

I'm sure Sven was only in it for the WAGs. The Swedish, come English come Mexican, manager got more front-page headlines than the back, which in my opinion, was one of the reasons why the 'Golden Era' failed to win a trophy.

Stevey Mac was in it for...well I don't know! I suppose he jumped at the opportunity of sitting in a high profile seat when really he should of taken it gradual, slowly working his way to the top of the hierarchy in football management. He is like one of those characters off one of the 'Shrek' movies where Shrek, and his friends, jump from the dragon's castle, over a deadly motte filled with fire and jagged rocks to the other, safe side. McClaren did not make the jump and was unsuccessful in his leap from low profile management to the highest managerial post possible. The result for McClaren and his doomed England team was failure to qualify for Euro 2008 and now the joke of English football has seen his managerial career plummet to an outfit club in Holland!

Capello's motivation behind trying to snatch the World Cup off his countrymen seems to be that he wants respect and experience in international football. I'd imagine that if the Italian job was up for grabs when he was approached by the English FA he would be gaffing Italy now and we would be left with a choice of Big Sam or Joe @!%*$&£ Kinnear!

So despite our recent win in Croatia reminding us of the successful start to the Sven era, we mustn't compare. The Don has only just started his gunning down of International football with England being the most appreciated bullets. Let’s just hope that when Capello leaves the England frame the only similarity we will see between Sven and Fabio is the fact they both beat very good teams, comprehensively, before they had got their feet firmly under the table.

Cluj Fight For Goalless Draw

2008-10-02T15:19:00.005+01:00

Chelsea’s trip to Transylvania last night to face Champions League newcomers CFR Cluj ended in a goalless draw which provided very little thrills.

The Romanian champions, who shocked Roma with a 2-1 win on their Champions League debut, fought out the nervous 0-0 draw in front of 22,000 supporters. The 800 Chelsea fans will be wishing they’d stayed at home after the dire match sent the Romanians into ecstasy.

Maurizio Trombetta, the recently appointed manager of the Champions League neophytes, set out his Cluj side with a determined, informed and unruffled manner despite the daunting and dreamy process of facing last season’s runners-up becoming reality. The Italian manager didn’t, however, set his team up to defend in ruthful behaviour and the underdogs produced some half-decent chances of their own.

Eugen Trica produced the best chance of the night as the Romanian clipped the post late on whilst Alvaro Pereira also threatened to break the deadlock with a couple of good opportunities.

Chelsea, who looked a shadow of their recent brilliant performances against Stoke and Portsmouth, found it difficult to conjure a chance worth mentioning. Salomon Kalou and Frank Lampard possessed the best chances for Chelsea but both players miserably scuffed their shots.

The main incident in the dark night was Didier Drogba’s 57th minute injury which put Chelsea’s night even darker. Drogba, who is just recovering from an injury sustained last season, seems likely to now miss a further 6 weeks for suspected ligament damage in the knee. The Ivorian fell awkwardly after challenging for a cross delivered by Florent Malouda and seemed in genuine pain after his early injury feigns.

The Premiership leaders are already without Deco, Michael Essien and Ricardo Carvalho whilst Joe Cole and Ashley Cole will be fighting to be fit for Sunday’s encounter with high-flying Aston Villa. Captain John Terry can also be put on the list of uncertainties after the defender complained of a back problem after the match.

Despite the result Chelsea still sit on top of Group A with Roma staying in third position after their 3-1 result against French side Bordeaux. CFR Cluj are proving to be the shock team in the competition this year after the hard fought goalless draw last night and the stunning win in Rome on the opening day. The Romanian champions sit in second place with Bordeaux the next team in their sights.

Torres Double Sinks Toffees

2008-09-27T15:58:00.008+01:00

Fernando Torres proved that form is temporary and class is permanent as the Spaniard hit his first goals since the opening day of the season. Tim Cahill's late red card left Everton fans with red faces on a rosy day for Liverpool.

Despite Liverpool's dominance in the first half it wasn't until just before the hour mark that the deadlock was broken. Keane's delightful burst of pace and then an each perfect cross into the path of the unmarked Torres set the Liverpool fans into rapture as the bragging rights seemed on their way to Anfield.

It was confirmed just three minutes later when Jagielka's challenge on Dirk Kuyt allowed the ball to fall just inches in front of Torres who rifled it past the falling Tim Howard for his second of the day.

Everton’s misery was made worse when their midfield heartbeat, Tim Cahill, was wrongly sent off for a challenge on Xabi Alonso. Riley, who was criticised last week for the amount of cards he wrongly branded out to Man United, yet again couldn't help his reflexes as yellow cards and whistle blowing was an annoying distraction to an unusually slow Merseyside derby.

Everton could of taken the lead far earlier if Tim Cahill could of made any connection to a ball creeping along the goal mouth, instead the Aussie was left as red faced as his later red card as he completely missed the ball leaving the chance begging.

Liverpool had two goals disallowed within very close proximity to each other and although one of the two should of stood after Torres neatly finished from an acute angle, Riley did, at least, get one of the decisions correct.

Chelsea Run Riot

2008-09-25T15:06:00.005+01:00

Chelsea comprehensively beat Portsmouth 4-0 at Fratton Park to make their way to the next round.

Frank Lampard put the London club ahead in the first-half after German powerhouse Michael Ballack was brought down in the penalty area by Nadir Belhadj.

Lampard got his second just a few minutes after the first-half interval, preceding Malouda’s well taken strike. Kalou rebounded off his goal against Manchester United with another on the 64th minute.

Chelsea mirrored their opening day result against Portsmouth and have now recorded their third 4-0 win in Scolari’s young era.

Portsmouth conceded their tenth goal in just two games, putting England goalkeeper David James under pressure. Manager Harry Redknapp said this of his fragile defence, "We didn't want to get smashed up, people are making mistakes they don't usually make. But it's history now."

"We had a makeshift midfield and we worked very hard but we gave away scandalous goals," Redknapp continued.

Chelsea’s next game, on Saturday, is against a Stoke team that must tighten up their defence if they want to avoid a thrashing by a rampant Blues side. Meanwhile Portsmouth face struggling Tottenham, who sit bottom of the table with just two points from a possible fifteen.

City Shocked As Seagulls' Fly Past

2008-09-25T13:52:00.005+01:00

The shock of the midweek League Cup ties came at the Withdean stadium as Brighton beat Manchester City in a penalty shoot-out.

Gelson Fernandes put the visitors in front after Brighton’s Steve Thompson hit the post. Man City seemed to be making their way into the 3rd round until Brighton’s Glenn Murray struck home a late equaliser to send the game into a further 30 minutes.

Joe Anyinsah sent the 8,729 watching supporters in to euphoria with a well taken goal early into extra time. However Brighton couldn’t hold on for the remaining 25 minutes and Man City midfielder Stephen Ireland equalised just 13 minutes later.

With the score level at 2-2 after extra time the game was sent into a penalty shoot-out with Brighton’s Matt Richards the ultimate hero after Dutch ‘keeper Michel Kuipers saved Michael Ball’s spot-kick.

Man City, the world’s richest club after their recent take-over, were left stunned by debt ridden Brighton whilst the Brighton fanatics invaded the pitch in the aftermath.

Brighton may be penny-less but Man City were Robinho-less.

Man City’s £32 million transfer wasn’t included in the squad to play the League One outfit and this wouldn’t have helped the Premiership side. The Brazilian winger has scored two in two games for his new club and so far the ‘step-over king’ has impressed in the Eastlands.

Brighton, who sit 13th in League One, will now face struggling Championship side Derby in the 3rd round.

Chelsea Sign Brazilian Mineiro

2008-09-24T19:03:00.006+01:00

Chelsea have snapped up 33 year-old Brazilian Mineiro on a free transfer.

Defensive midfielder Mineiro, who also interested Arsenal and Birmingham, has signed a deal until next summer with the Stamford Bridge club.

The veteran has been without a club since leaving German side Hertha Berlin last summer and has been bought in due to recent injury hits to Essien and Deco.

Essien will be out for up to 6 months after injuring his cruciate knee ligament while on international duty earlier this month.

Deco, who picked up an injury in the warm-up prior to Sunday's clash with Man United, is likely to be sidelined for up to two weeks, leaving Chelsea with some serious dents in their midfield.

"He (Mineiro) won't play this week but maybe after 10 days he will play," Scolari said earlier this evening.

"I say to fans of Chelsea, if they remember (Claude) Makelele, Mineiro is the same," Scolari continued.

"He is good positionally, a very good marker. He is a man that works for the other players and he is also a good man outside of the pitch."

Chelsea, who face F.A. Cup winners, Portsmouth, in tonights Carling Cup tie are also without defender Ricardo Carvalho for 4 weeks after the Portuguese star picked up an injury just 13 minutes into Sunday's encounter.

Football Slang

2008-09-22T19:41:00.005+01:00

Found this great article on the net written by Brian Boyd for students learning English.

Imagine you’re sitting in a pub, waiting for your friend to arrive. It’s getting late, and you’re about to give up on him, when he calls you on your mobile.

“Sorry, I’m going to have to kick it into touch,” he says. “My girlfriend’s found out I’ve been playing away from home and she really kicked off. It’s best if I play it safe for a while.”

What’s he talking about? Is he calling from a football match? Actually, phrases like the ones above have become commonplace in everyday English in the UK, and many people now use language borrowed from the world of football without even realising it.

Just as fashions, technology, pop culture and attitudes constantly change, so the English language changes too; every year, hundreds of new words are added to the pages of the Oxford English Dictionary. The huge selection of slang terms used by British people is forever growing, and it’s no surprise that the country’s most popular sport has been responsible for some of that slang.

Early doors, nutmeg, a clean sheet, sweeper – anyone new to the game of football could be forgiven for thinking sports commentators are speaking a whole new language; the terminology they use could fill a phrase book. People who love football usually love talking about football, and some of the more frequently used terms have taken on new meanings and filtered into our daily conversations.

When a footballer kicks the ball into touch, he puts it out of play and concedes a throw in. ‘Kick it into touch’ is often used in conversation to mean cancel, reject or quit something. A team that visits another team’s stadium is playing away from home. ‘Playing away from home’ is also used to describe someone in a relationship who is secretly dating someone else. ‘Kick off’ is the term used to describe the start of a football match, but away from the pitch it can mean the start of trouble or a fight. A team that plays it safe doesn’t want to take any unnecessary risks, and the phrase ‘play it safe’ is commonly used to mean ‘be careful’. These are just a few examples of football’s influence on modern English, and there are many more.

In any UK office environment, football can be heard slipping into the conversations of businessmen. Someone talking about a meeting or project might talk about getting the ball rolling (starting it), kicking an idea around (passing it from person to person to see if it’s any good) or giving a job their best shot (putting a lot of effort into it).

There are negative phrases too; perhaps you’ll hear complaints because management has ‘moved the goalposts’ (made unfair changes without warning). Maybe someone could find themselves in trouble if they ‘let the side down’ and a person who makes a problem for themselves has ‘scored an own goal’.

Footballing phrases are widely used in London – home to some of the UK’s biggest football clubs and thousands of football-mad fans. The distinctive accents and colourful slang used by many Londoners has come to be known as ‘Estuary English’ (named after the area of the River Thames estuary), and football is just one of its influences.

London is also home to Cockney rhyming slang, which originated in an area of inner London known as the East End. This unusual (and often confusing) slang is said to have begun life as street traders’ language, used to hide illegal activities from the newly founded police force. Rhyming slang is now widely used, and modern additions often utilize the names of the famous. Liverpool defender, Gary Ablett was hardly a superstar of world football, but his name is often heard in night clubs as a slang term for the drug ecstasy (Gary Ablett – tablet). England’s World Cup hero, Geoff Hurst, has become slang for a first class honours degree (Geoff Hurst – first), and diners in a restaurant will need to pay the Jimmy Hill (bill) before they leave.

Nobby Stiles, Gianlucca Vialli, Robbie Fowler and many others from the footballing hall of fame have found their way into British rhyming slang. Even football’s most famous couple, Victoria ‘Posh Spice’ Adams and England captain David Beckham, have their own rhyming slang – ‘Posh ‘n’ Becks’ (sex).

Such slang and idioms are colorful words and expressions that cannot be translated literally, yet finding out about them can be the difference between ‘textbook’ and ‘real-world’ language. You might be surprised at how fascinating and fun they are to learn and use. Football slang and idioms can be baffling at first, but once you know the Bobby Moore it should be a Glenn Hoddle!
http://www.britishcouncil.org/learnenglish-sport-article-football-slang.htm

Chelsea's Portuguese Duo Ruled Out

2008-09-22T18:51:00.004+01:00

Chelsea stars Deco and Carvalho have been ruled out for weeks after receiving diagnosis on the injuries picked up on Sunday.

Deco, who picked up an injury in the warm-up to Sunday's 1-1 draw with Man United will be out for around 2 weeks the club doctors believe. The Portuguese play maker has torn a muscle in his upper thigh and is now expected to be out for the Carling Cup encounter with Portsmouth as well as a Champions League match with CFR 1907 Cluj and the Premiership matches against Stoke and Aston Villa.

The imminent arrival of 33 year old Mineiro will soften the blow for Chelsea who currently have fellow midfielder Essien sidelined for up to 6 months. Despite the deal for free-agent Mineiro likely to be completed within the days, Chelsea will still be only left with 4 central midfielders and this setback may lure Scolari into a more favoured 4-4-2 formation.

Centre back, Carvalho, who is out for 4 weeks with knee ligament damage will be a big loss for Chelsea despite Alex showing a content and solid performance against the league champions. Carvalho's injury may also give January signing, Ivanovic, his first game in a Chelsea shirt.

Chelsea's Home Record Continues

2008-09-21T17:39:00.003+01:00

Why is it that my grandparents decide to take the family out for a Sunday roast on one of the biggest days on the football calender!? It was hardly pleasing eating a rather cold roast dinner and then a boiling hot Treacle Sponge when you know the Chelsea-Man United encounter is just minutes away. Anyway, despite my worries, I was home in time for kick-off and ready for a mad afternoon of football!

Salomon Kalou's 80th minute header ensures Chelsea's undefeated home record continues despite Man United taking a first-half lead.

A close, tactical and nervous encounter between England's and Europe's top two teams ended in a 1-1 draw at The Bridge earlier this afternoon. Manchester United winger, Park, put the visitors in front on the 18th minute after Berbatov's shot kindly rebounded off 'keeper Petr Cech into Park's path. Chelsea kept pursuing an equaliser and after numerous efforts from both Joe Cole and Anelka it was Kalou's header which finally broke the United back line.

Chelsea were eager for revenge, fire in their stomachs and a tad nervous going up against their Champions League finalists for the first time since Moscow. John Terry, who's red card against Man City 7 days ago was successfully appealed against, started the game with recent injury hit stars Drogba and Ronaldo coming off the bench.

United took the lead after a quick burst of pace from Evra saw him in the danger zone before laying off Berbatov, who's weak shot was parried by Cech into the feet of Park. Park ran off celebrating leaving Chelsea full-back Bosingwa and goalkeeper Petr Cech at the end of the questions. Bosingwa was at fault for letting Man United's French star, Evra, pass him as easily as a train surging through a tunnel, before Cech, uncharacteristically couldn't hold Berbatov's fumbled shot and allowing Park an open shot at goal.

United's veteran goalkeeper, Van Der Sar, was looking dodgy and insecure at the start of the game before an impact injury saw his match end early as he was replaced by ex-West Brom star Kuszczak. Chelsea also had early match injury worries from play-maker Deco and fellow Portuguese international, Carvalho. Both Chelsea players were in top form going into the clash and Chelsea would of been concerned with their injury problems.

Chelsea took their time to breach the United defence, with their goal finally coming in the 80th minute after a free-kick by Mikel was placed perfectly on the head of Salomon Kalou. Chelsea, however, should have taken the lead far earlier as Joe Cole had two one-on-one chances against the United 'keepers, but failed to slot away both times. Anelka also managed to somehow let the ball trickle through his legs when the slightest of touch would of put the ball in the net from less that 2 yards.

With 10 minutes left and the momentum in Chelsea's hands it seemed the most likely team to take three points from the Battle of the Bridge would be Chelsea. However United hung on for a fair and deserved point.