The fan
Name: Tom Coley
Age: 23
The game
Scoreline Prediction:
Man City 3 - 0 Birmingham. We have an awful record at maine road and eastlands. Ive never known us win at either ground
One to watch:
Its tough to say really. Obviously the big name player for us is Alex Hleb but at the minute he has found it tough to settle down. So im going to go with Barry Ferguson, who has been outstanding since signing from Rangers last summer. This season has been a little tougher for him as teams are more weary of what he can do and have been marking him alot tighter than before. He is integral to our attacking play whilst still be disruptive in the middle of the park. He plays well, we play well.
Last year played a large part in Joe Hart's development, playing his first full season in the top flight whilst on loan at St Andrew's, picking up the PL goalkeeper of the year award and a nomination for PFA young player of the season along the way. You went to Manchester United in search of his replacement, how is Ben Foster settling in?
Joe hart was always going to be hard to replace and when I heard we wouldn't be able to get him permently I was a bit stuck to see where we would go. Foster was an excellent choice in my opinion. he started off excellently especially with his penalty save against Blackburn. He has sort of tailed off since but is still performing very well between the sticks and is rightly Englands number 2 behind Hart. Alot of promise and i think as the season goes on he will get better and better.
You currently sit one place above the drop zone, but just five points behind fifth placed Newcastle. Are you concerned you're experiencing 'second season syndrome' or is it just early days with a very tight table?
Its definately a bit of both. For the past 6 games we have been pretty terrible apart from against Blackpool. We seem to only start playing after the 60th or when we have gone 2 goals down. 3 times this season we have been 2-0 down only to get 2 goals back and get back into the game. The early signs this season are that we are in a real struggle but i firmly believe that it is as tight as ever this season, anyone from 5th or 6th downwards could beat anyone else. Come christmas it will be alot easier to see whats going on, but we need to play better than we have been.
General Birmingham City
What has been your favourite memory/moment from supporting Birmingham City?
Without a doubt the playoff final in 2002. We had tried and failed in the 3 seasons previous in the playoffs but we were in such good form at the end of that season that it was hard to see us losing. Its the only time ive cried at football but ill never be ashamed to admit it.
And the worst -
There has been a couple, losing 4-0 at home to Barnsley in the '99 playoffs is possibly the worst game ive ever witnessed, Losing 5-1 to villa a few seasons ago was also pretty awful. Those are the ones that will always stick out
If you could sign a player from the Manchester City squad (wages etc. irrelevant) , who would you choose ?
Me personally, i'd take David Silva in a heartbeat. He has everything i love in a player. He can beat men easily, he can finish and he can pick a pass. The fact he couldnt get in the Spain team at the world cup shows how strong they are, but for me he should have been in that side.
If you could place a past Birmingham City player into the current team, who would it be?
Not the best player by a long way at all but for the sheer work rate and commitment it would have to be Geoff Horsefield. Scored so many important goals for us without ever being prolific. One of the geniune nice guys in football aswell. I should probably have picked Mauro Zarate or someone else with more of a history but for me Horsefield optimised everything that our club is.
Saturday 13 November 2010
Tuesday 9 November 2010
Ask the opposition: Manchester United
Bumper derby edition.
The fans
Name: Greg
Age: 21
Name: Gareth Price
Age: 23
Name: Fred Thomas
Age: 23
The game
Scoreline Prediction:
Greg - A lot depends on our injuries due to the virus going round but I'm expecting either a tense 2-2 or for us to just pip it with a little green pea.
Gareth - 1-2
Fred - 2-1 United
One to watch:
Greg - For you guys, David Silva. For us? Paul Scholes.
Gareth - Tevez, Hernandez
Fred - Javier Hernandez
Despite signing a new contract, rumours have still circulated over the future of Wayne Rooney, even the potential of a 'gentlemen's agreement', as seemed to be the case with Cristiano Ronaldo, enabling the club to receive a much larger fee and the player to leave without the aggravation of unsettled fans. Do you believe he will still leave or has he genuinely been convinced to stay and can he win back the faith of the fans?
Greg - I think Rooney is a disgrace and gives our club a bad name. For me, winning in the right style comes before victory at any cost and that isn't just limited to how we play on the pitch. Looking at how the majority of our squad behave outside of their football (Giggs, Scholes, Park, Fletcher etc.) Rooney has completely let the side down. Just before the world cup I was praising him for growing up and maturing as a player infield but he seems to have gone backwards, cheating on his pregnant wife and behaving like an all round idiot at every opportunity.
Unfortunately, on his day, he is our best player although I don't think he's reached the heights his potential suggested at in his earlier years. In the last two or three seasons he seems to have lost some of his ability to do the unexpected and turned from being a raw, fantasy player into a far more efficient and effective, if predictable force of nature. His lack of personal discipline in the off season seems to be catching up with him too on the injury and fitness front causing his slow start the season to grow ever longer. He is still one hell of a player but personally, I'd rather we sold him off for a huge sum as soon as possible and invested it back into our youth system. No one is bigger than the club. Having said all that, I think he'll stay but things will never be the same again for some fans, me included.
Gareth - A gentleman's agreement wouldn't make much sense over a five year contract deal, to me it seems that his agent (Stretford) has worked much of this in order to cash in on what would be Rooney's last major contract at any club, a way of him to make the most of his clients income. Whatever the case this has been dealt with poorly and Rooney has alot to make up for, both to his teammates and fans, thus putting pressure upon himself when he returns. If a gentleman's agreement is the case I can only see him moving to Manchester City, due to his North West loyalty to his family, and that Chelsea would probs not need him and I can't see him fitting in at a Madrid or Barcelona. I highly doubt a move is on the cards, if the new transfer policy does take place it may put an end to the high prices of world class players which will no doubt put an end to 70 million plus transfers.
Fred - I think he will leave in January. Us united fans can be quite hard to win back over. I hope he stays but my heart says he will leave
In a recent derby between Schalke and Borrussia Dortmund, terrace ticket prices were raised above €22 for the first time, leading to a boycott of the game by 300 Borrussia Dortmund fan groups, 1500 tickets being returned.
“Even the League took notice, we got worldwide attention and the fans proved they can fight for something. Now it is time for fans of other clubs to continue the protest. This is not a Dortmund protest, but it is of concern to other fan groups as well”.
Rather than boycotting games, yellow and green scarves have become the Manchester United Supporter's Trust weapon of choice in the protests against the Glazer ownership of Manchester United. Firstly do you support the campaign and secondly, would it not be a more effective means of demonstration to have an empty Old Trafford screened across the world?
Greg - I completely agree. Hitting the Glazer's in their pockets is the only way they're going to notice. At the moment the dissenting fans are just irritants to be hijacked for PR spin reasons or for boasting about the OT atmosphere. The issue is though, as much as that is the cold, hard route to results with direct action, many don't want to harm the club they support even to face off arguably the greater threat of the Glazer ownership. So much for the Red Knights.
It was good to see FC United get into the next stage of the FA cup though. Protest club or not, I respect what they stand for and it'd be great to see them rise up through the divisions. Hopefully they won't have to compromise on their principles if success comes calling.
Gareth - To be honest I can't say that I'm fully into the gold and green campaign, alot of it seems fairly half arsed and more like a new fashion statement for many. Personally I don't like the fact that we have a huge debt, but a product the size of united will always keep afloat via its turnover. The Glazer's themselves are business men, hence their selfishness, however they don't interfere in the football side of things like other owners i.e. Abramovich, and probs the new Liverpool owners, so the football side of things is ran the correct way. David Gill is a very capable executive also and I firmly believe there's alot behind the scenes that we don't know about both positive and negative.It wouldn't be fair on the team to stop going to matches, it’s not a campaign against the players or the manager simply the heavy debt the club is now in through the Glazers.
Fred - I think something needs to be done about the Glazers, and our roots are never far from apparent. We are a very proud club and thats is what the scarves are about. A demonstration in the way of a walkout would definatley get the publicity but at the end of the day the club and it's fans are football fans thats why they turn up every week at OT.
General United
What has been your favourite memory/moment from supporting Manchester United?
Greg - I've been lucky to enjoy quite a few being a child of the Fergie years. Either my first ever match at OT when we tanked Ipswich 9-0 in March 1995 or Ole's goal at the Nou Camp. Amazing!
Gareth - Obvious ones include the treble season, and the league/champions league double. For me seeing Eric Cantona & Cristiano Ronaldo perform at the club have been two of my favourites, both in their own way one of a kind very special players.
Fred - Without Doubt The Treble 1999 specifically Solskjaer's goal
And the worst -
Greg - Not so much a memory or moment but the knee-jerk calls for Fergie to retire from some sections of our "fans" every time things don't go our way are probably the most embarrassing aspects of being a Manchester United supporter.
Gareth - Seeing us disappointingly miss out on the league title for several seasons running as we rebuilt, seems a little irrelevant compared to what other clubs have been through (i.e City) but this has been the only low point in my generation of supporting united.
Fred - The Rooney saga
If you could sign a player from the Manchester City squad, who would you choose ?
Greg - Joe Hart. Don't want another post-Schmeichal blight in goal!
Gareth - Tevez, hands down, second would be Silva possibly Joe Hart he's a great prospect, all the rest seem pathetically failing to live up to the smallest of price tags let alone the one's they actually got given. (Lescott, Toure(s), Barry, Adebayor etc)
Fred - Joe Hart
If you could place a past Manchester United player into the current team, who would it be?
Greg - Bryan Robson - the all action, box to box match winner we're missing in our midfield right now
Gareth - Cristiano Ronaldo
Fred - Eric Cantona
The fans
Name: Greg
Age: 21
Name: Gareth Price
Age: 23
Name: Fred Thomas
Age: 23
The game
Scoreline Prediction:
Greg - A lot depends on our injuries due to the virus going round but I'm expecting either a tense 2-2 or for us to just pip it with a little green pea.
Gareth - 1-2
Fred - 2-1 United
One to watch:
Greg - For you guys, David Silva. For us? Paul Scholes.
Gareth - Tevez, Hernandez
Fred - Javier Hernandez
Despite signing a new contract, rumours have still circulated over the future of Wayne Rooney, even the potential of a 'gentlemen's agreement', as seemed to be the case with Cristiano Ronaldo, enabling the club to receive a much larger fee and the player to leave without the aggravation of unsettled fans. Do you believe he will still leave or has he genuinely been convinced to stay and can he win back the faith of the fans?
Greg - I think Rooney is a disgrace and gives our club a bad name. For me, winning in the right style comes before victory at any cost and that isn't just limited to how we play on the pitch. Looking at how the majority of our squad behave outside of their football (Giggs, Scholes, Park, Fletcher etc.) Rooney has completely let the side down. Just before the world cup I was praising him for growing up and maturing as a player infield but he seems to have gone backwards, cheating on his pregnant wife and behaving like an all round idiot at every opportunity.
Unfortunately, on his day, he is our best player although I don't think he's reached the heights his potential suggested at in his earlier years. In the last two or three seasons he seems to have lost some of his ability to do the unexpected and turned from being a raw, fantasy player into a far more efficient and effective, if predictable force of nature. His lack of personal discipline in the off season seems to be catching up with him too on the injury and fitness front causing his slow start the season to grow ever longer. He is still one hell of a player but personally, I'd rather we sold him off for a huge sum as soon as possible and invested it back into our youth system. No one is bigger than the club. Having said all that, I think he'll stay but things will never be the same again for some fans, me included.
Gareth - A gentleman's agreement wouldn't make much sense over a five year contract deal, to me it seems that his agent (Stretford) has worked much of this in order to cash in on what would be Rooney's last major contract at any club, a way of him to make the most of his clients income. Whatever the case this has been dealt with poorly and Rooney has alot to make up for, both to his teammates and fans, thus putting pressure upon himself when he returns. If a gentleman's agreement is the case I can only see him moving to Manchester City, due to his North West loyalty to his family, and that Chelsea would probs not need him and I can't see him fitting in at a Madrid or Barcelona. I highly doubt a move is on the cards, if the new transfer policy does take place it may put an end to the high prices of world class players which will no doubt put an end to 70 million plus transfers.
Fred - I think he will leave in January. Us united fans can be quite hard to win back over. I hope he stays but my heart says he will leave
In a recent derby between Schalke and Borrussia Dortmund, terrace ticket prices were raised above €22 for the first time, leading to a boycott of the game by 300 Borrussia Dortmund fan groups, 1500 tickets being returned.
“Even the League took notice, we got worldwide attention and the fans proved they can fight for something. Now it is time for fans of other clubs to continue the protest. This is not a Dortmund protest, but it is of concern to other fan groups as well”.
Rather than boycotting games, yellow and green scarves have become the Manchester United Supporter's Trust weapon of choice in the protests against the Glazer ownership of Manchester United. Firstly do you support the campaign and secondly, would it not be a more effective means of demonstration to have an empty Old Trafford screened across the world?
Greg - I completely agree. Hitting the Glazer's in their pockets is the only way they're going to notice. At the moment the dissenting fans are just irritants to be hijacked for PR spin reasons or for boasting about the OT atmosphere. The issue is though, as much as that is the cold, hard route to results with direct action, many don't want to harm the club they support even to face off arguably the greater threat of the Glazer ownership. So much for the Red Knights.
It was good to see FC United get into the next stage of the FA cup though. Protest club or not, I respect what they stand for and it'd be great to see them rise up through the divisions. Hopefully they won't have to compromise on their principles if success comes calling.
Gareth - To be honest I can't say that I'm fully into the gold and green campaign, alot of it seems fairly half arsed and more like a new fashion statement for many. Personally I don't like the fact that we have a huge debt, but a product the size of united will always keep afloat via its turnover. The Glazer's themselves are business men, hence their selfishness, however they don't interfere in the football side of things like other owners i.e. Abramovich, and probs the new Liverpool owners, so the football side of things is ran the correct way. David Gill is a very capable executive also and I firmly believe there's alot behind the scenes that we don't know about both positive and negative.It wouldn't be fair on the team to stop going to matches, it’s not a campaign against the players or the manager simply the heavy debt the club is now in through the Glazers.
Fred - I think something needs to be done about the Glazers, and our roots are never far from apparent. We are a very proud club and thats is what the scarves are about. A demonstration in the way of a walkout would definatley get the publicity but at the end of the day the club and it's fans are football fans thats why they turn up every week at OT.
General United
What has been your favourite memory/moment from supporting Manchester United?
Greg - I've been lucky to enjoy quite a few being a child of the Fergie years. Either my first ever match at OT when we tanked Ipswich 9-0 in March 1995 or Ole's goal at the Nou Camp. Amazing!
Gareth - Obvious ones include the treble season, and the league/champions league double. For me seeing Eric Cantona & Cristiano Ronaldo perform at the club have been two of my favourites, both in their own way one of a kind very special players.
Fred - Without Doubt The Treble 1999 specifically Solskjaer's goal
And the worst -
Greg - Not so much a memory or moment but the knee-jerk calls for Fergie to retire from some sections of our "fans" every time things don't go our way are probably the most embarrassing aspects of being a Manchester United supporter.
Gareth - Seeing us disappointingly miss out on the league title for several seasons running as we rebuilt, seems a little irrelevant compared to what other clubs have been through (i.e City) but this has been the only low point in my generation of supporting united.
Fred - The Rooney saga
If you could sign a player from the Manchester City squad, who would you choose ?
Greg - Joe Hart. Don't want another post-Schmeichal blight in goal!
Gareth - Tevez, hands down, second would be Silva possibly Joe Hart he's a great prospect, all the rest seem pathetically failing to live up to the smallest of price tags let alone the one's they actually got given. (Lescott, Toure(s), Barry, Adebayor etc)
Fred - Joe Hart
If you could place a past Manchester United player into the current team, who would it be?
Greg - Bryan Robson - the all action, box to box match winner we're missing in our midfield right now
Gareth - Cristiano Ronaldo
Fred - Eric Cantona
Saturday 6 November 2010
Ask The Opposition: West Brom
The fans
Name: Adam Penn
Age: 39 and three quarters.
Name: Alex Adkins
Age: 20
The game
Scoreline Prediction:
Alex - 2-1 to Albion, will be tough though, but with all the rumours going around about Mancini and players fighting behind the scenes with your lot, can see it affecting you guys a bit!
One to watch:
Alex - If he's back from injury it has to be Peter Odemwingie, been immense when hes played this season and tore Arsenal to shreds! If he's still injured though look out for Mulumbu, mans a beast and never stops running in the midfield, one of our best players this season!
Can we expect to see 'the Moston menace' Ishamael Miller featuring much this season?
Alex - More then likely not tbh, only just come back from injury and has Odemwingie, Fortune, Cox and Bednar in front of him and should be sent on loan to a Championship side soon!
Has your season progressed as you had expected so far? The three promoted clubs seem have surprised a lot of neutrals, all sitting in the top half of the table with ten games played. -
Adam - I expected us to be OK this season, but I don't think anyone expected a win at Arsenal and a point at Old Trafford. The football we are playing is arguably the best in a generation.
Alex - None of the fans could have expected this season to go like it has so far tbh, its been beyond our wildest dreams but to lose the way we did to Blackpool was such a bitter blow and mainly down to the ref as to outplay them with 9 men was crazy! But we'll bounce back i think and if you had offererd us 15 points from 10 games we'd have bit your hand off, theres just so much quality in depth in this team, we never give up and they fight like mad for each other, RDM really has put together a quality team here.
What has been your favourite memory/moment from supporting West Brom? -
Adam - Too many to mention; a 3-1 against Villa when 1-0 down with 6 minutes left - the 2002 run-in where we upset Wolves and got 2nd place (ha ha) and winning the Championship in 2008.
Alex - A fair few tbh, The Great Escape, coming from 3-2 down in the 89th minute to beat Colchester 4-3 and near enough guarntee promotion, beating Wolves 3-0 at Molineux in the FA Cup but being there at the Emirates when we beat Arsenal 3-2 will really take some beating now!
And the worst -
Adam - 1991. Relegated to the Third under Bobby Gould
Alex -Losing the FA Cup Semi Final to Pompey in 2009 to a bloody handball goal....
If you could sign a player from the City squad (wages etc irrelevant), who would you choose -
Adam - Joe Hart
Alex -Toss up between Adam Johnson and Tevez as love both of them, just quality players.
If you could place a past West Brom player into the current team, who would it be -
Adam - Laurie Cunningham.
Alex - From when ive been watching them i always loved Gera when he was here, so id love to have him back and find a place for him!
Wednesday 3 November 2010
Matchday: Lech Poznań
Jose Maria Bakero has been appointed the new Lech Poznan head coach just one day before our top of group A clash. There appears to have been major upheaval in the Lech camp since our previous encounter, back to back 4-1 wins against Cracovia in the cup and Wisla Krakow in the league before the firing of Jacek Zielinski.
Of course this brings about the possibility of 'new manager syndrome' to a tough game played in front of a sell out 45,000 crowd. The locals will make this an atmosphere to remember, many fans queuing well in advance to purchase tickets
Last Saturday was possibly the worst performance from the Mancini reign, but it's likely that a lot of the players from that team will have to wait a few more days to make amends, with Roberto Mancini confirming that there will be squad rotation. "We will probably change some players for tomorrow because with a game every three days it's impossible to play the same players. So we need to make changes but we have good players and they can put in some good work on Thursday."
One player that didn't feature at Wolves, Aleksandar Kolarov looks set for his return to action since his injury during the opening match of the season. Albeit it is likely to be a cameo from the bench.
Shay Given could also start only his second game of the season according to Mancini's answer from last week's fans' forum. Although the loss to Wolves plus Shay suffering a knock in training on Monday could see Hart retaining his place.
Carlos Tevez remains in Argentina until Friday so Adebayor is likely to keep his starting place. Roque Santa Cruz is not registered for the EL squad, leaving Mario Balotelli and Jo as the remaining strikers fighting for a position. Given Balotelli's recent return from a long term injury plus the 90 minutes he played on Saturday, I believe he is unlikely to start, with a tough trip to the Hawthornes followed by the Manchester derby in the next seven days.
I'd like to thank Michał Zachodny from http://polishscout.blogspot.com/ and Kuba Krzyzostaniak from http://lechinusa.blogspot.com/ for their help this week.
Ask The Opposition: Lech Poznań
The fan
Name: Kuba Krzyzostaniak
Age: 23
The game
Starting with the big news - the club has today parted ways with manager Jacek Zielinski, were you surprised by the decision?
Not too surprised. There had been a lot of speculation last week that there was already a deal made with Bakero to take over, and after our horrid league position so far, something was bound to happen. The only thing that surprised me was that they waited to just 2 days before the huge match against City.
Jose Maria Bakero has been appointed his replacement; most will remember him for his playing career at Barcelona, but more recently he was head coach of Polonia Warsaw. Are you happy with the appointment and what can we expect from his team tomorrow?
I'm glad we will have a foreigner take over. Bakero doesn't have too much of a head coaching history for me to base how I think he will do with us, but he has worked with some great coaches and I thought he overall did well in his time at Polonia Warsaw. The owner there was constantly meddling in tactics, etc. and Bakero was sacked even though he had Polonia at the top of the table at the beginning of the season. Honestly, I have no idea what he expects to do with the team, it could be hard to expect them to learn a whole new system in maximum two training sessions, so I'm expecting we'll play similar to what you saw in Manchester. Probably Rudnevs up front though instead of Tshibamba. If he gets us playing like Barca though you had better watch out.
Scoreline Prediction:
I'm an optimist and I think our crowd will play a big role: Lech 2:1 Man. City
From an outside perspective, Artjoms Rudņevs looks to be the danger man; which players should we keep an eye on?:
Manuel Arboleda, our big Colombian defender always comes forward on set pieces and is also a scoring threat. Slawomir Peszko, our speedy right winger has been in good form the past few weeks and look for him to continue his pacy runs down the flank. In central midfield we're getting back Tomasz Bandrowski from injury, solid defensive midfielder who is very composed with the ball.
General Lech Poznań
What has been your favourite memory/moment from supporting Lech Poznań?
Finally winning the Polish league again after 17 years!
And the worst -
Getting relegated to the second division in 2000 and almost going down to the third the season after that.
If you could sign a player from the Manchester City squad, who would you choose ?
Wow, this one is kind of tough, but I'd probably take David Silva, have him direct our offense.
If you could place a past Lech Poznań player into the current team, who would it be?
Miroslaw Okonski, great player and Lech icon, my dad says he is one of the most technically talented players he ever saw play.
Good luck to you guys as well, I'm really looking forward to this game.
Friday 29 October 2010
Matchday: Wolves
- Great news on the defensive front is Kolo Toure returning to fitness. There is no doubting we have missed his partnership with Vincent Kompany - which only shipped 4 goals in 10 games, compared to the 7 goals in the last 3 games without him.
- The full back choices are again less obvious. Micah Richards was excellent against Arsenal and may well retain his place, possibly with Jerome Boateng filling in at left back. Kolarov is expected to take some part of Thursday's game so we are not far off our first choice defence.
- Carlos Tevez will miss the game with a dead leg. He has flown to Argentina to spend the weekend with his family before returning to training on Monday. A major doubt for Thursday's game against Lech Poznan, although he probably would be rested anyway.
- In his absence, it's likely that Emmanuel Adebayor will continue to deputise. Mario Balotelli is pushing for his first start, but I have my doubts whether he would be chosen as the lone striker. Mario is much more of a supporting ST, if he does start tomorrow I suspect it will be up front alongside Adebayor, with David Silva playing behind them at the tip of a diamond midfield. I'm planning on writing a full post on the diamond formation and Mancini's preference towards it later this weekend.
Ask The Opposition: Wolves
The fans
Name: Gerald Early
Age: 67
Name: Sam
Age: 19
The game
Scoreline Prediction:
Gerald - Feeling strangely optimistic, Wolves 1 - 0 Man City
Sam - 1-2. Although I wouldn't be too surprised to see us snatch a draw!
One to watch:
Gerald - Matt Jarvis, surely an England internation in the near future
Sam - Matt Jarvis. Very close to an England call-up for the last batch of internationals. I fear for our chances of holding onto him next summer, whether we are still playing in the Premier League or not.
Do you feel your current league position belies the way the team has been playing as of late:
Gerald - Not really, although we expected another tough season we're playing some decent football. Our main issue is that we're not clinical enough in front of goal, but we're creating the chances.
Sam - Definitely not - it's the same old story for us, we play some pretty good stuff at times and create chances easily, yet we can never stick them away.
General Wolves
What has been your favourite memory/moment from supporting Wolves:
Gerald - Steve Bull's loyalty, which is something that has gone missing in today's game. Of course, when he got his first cap, it was a proud day for the club. I would've said when one of our promotions, but sadly we haven't really pushed on from them as of yet.
Sam - Probably the Play-off final win against Sheffield United back in 2003. Closely followed by the 4-3 comeback victory against Leicester, and the 1-0 win over Man Utd, both in the following season.
And the worst:
Gerald - Relegation to the old 4th Division in 1986 is the one that stands out the most.
Sam - The entire reign under Hoddle. I don't think I've ever seen such an inept idiot in charge of a football team in my life, words can literally not express how awful he is. He had a team strong enough to battle for promotion from the Championship, and almost took us into League 1, almost ruining the club in the process. Thank god Super Mick came along and got us into the play-offs with a team of nobodies the next season!
If you could sign a player from the City squad (wages etc irrelevant), who would you choose:
Gerald - Carlos Tevez, he's workrate is second to none and he's a proven goalscorer.
Sam - David Silva. I love that little genius, and I'm glad he's found his feet quickly in English football, because for some reason not many people seemed to realise just how good he was.
If you could place a past Wolves player into the current team, who would it be:
Gerald - Quite obviously Steve Bull. He's the big man up front we're missing right now
Sam - Being only 19, I can really only pick a player from our days of being in what is now the Championship! So I'm going to have to go with Steve Bull. The way we create chances, all we need is someone to start sticking them in the back of the net, and who better than Bully to do that job? Wolves legend.
Name: Gerald Early
Age: 67
Name: Sam
Age: 19
The game
Scoreline Prediction:
Gerald - Feeling strangely optimistic, Wolves 1 - 0 Man City
Sam - 1-2. Although I wouldn't be too surprised to see us snatch a draw!
One to watch:
Gerald - Matt Jarvis, surely an England internation in the near future
Sam - Matt Jarvis. Very close to an England call-up for the last batch of internationals. I fear for our chances of holding onto him next summer, whether we are still playing in the Premier League or not.
Do you feel your current league position belies the way the team has been playing as of late:
Gerald - Not really, although we expected another tough season we're playing some decent football. Our main issue is that we're not clinical enough in front of goal, but we're creating the chances.
Sam - Definitely not - it's the same old story for us, we play some pretty good stuff at times and create chances easily, yet we can never stick them away.
General Wolves
What has been your favourite memory/moment from supporting Wolves:
Gerald - Steve Bull's loyalty, which is something that has gone missing in today's game. Of course, when he got his first cap, it was a proud day for the club. I would've said when one of our promotions, but sadly we haven't really pushed on from them as of yet.
Sam - Probably the Play-off final win against Sheffield United back in 2003. Closely followed by the 4-3 comeback victory against Leicester, and the 1-0 win over Man Utd, both in the following season.
And the worst:
Gerald - Relegation to the old 4th Division in 1986 is the one that stands out the most.
Sam - The entire reign under Hoddle. I don't think I've ever seen such an inept idiot in charge of a football team in my life, words can literally not express how awful he is. He had a team strong enough to battle for promotion from the Championship, and almost took us into League 1, almost ruining the club in the process. Thank god Super Mick came along and got us into the play-offs with a team of nobodies the next season!
If you could sign a player from the City squad (wages etc irrelevant), who would you choose:
Gerald - Carlos Tevez, he's workrate is second to none and he's a proven goalscorer.
Sam - David Silva. I love that little genius, and I'm glad he's found his feet quickly in English football, because for some reason not many people seemed to realise just how good he was.
If you could place a past Wolves player into the current team, who would it be:
Gerald - Quite obviously Steve Bull. He's the big man up front we're missing right now
Sam - Being only 19, I can really only pick a player from our days of being in what is now the Championship! So I'm going to have to go with Steve Bull. The way we create chances, all we need is someone to start sticking them in the back of the net, and who better than Bully to do that job? Wolves legend.
Saturday 23 October 2010
Matchday: Arsenal
- He grabbed a goal, a suspension and the headlines last year, but Emmanuel Adebayor will likely return to the bench after his midweek hat-trick against Lech Poznan. Tevez will take his place, looking to add to 28 goals in his last 30 games.
- I'm fully expecting a return to 4-5-1 after the unsuccesful 4-4-2 experiment last weekend against Blackpool. Yaya Toure returning from injury will mean a full strength midfield, most likely made up of De Jong, Barry, Yaya, Milner and Silva. The De Jong-Barry-Yaya triangle proved to be extremely effective at stifling Chelsea and we will need them to replicate that performance tomorrow against Song, Diaby and Fabregas.
- Tomorrow's defensive line up however, is far less certain. Deposed skipper Kolo Toure is still unavailable after failing to recover from the injury which has kept him out of the last two matches. This is a major blow to our hopes of keeping Chamakh and co quiet as the Kolo/Kompany partnership has matured into one of the best in the league.
- Big news on the injury front is that Kolarov and Balotelli will be available for the match, although I'm expecting bench starts at most for both of them. Competitively they have less than 90 minutes between them this season, so will most likely be gradually introduced into the team.
Ask The Opposition: Arsenal
The fan
Name: Vince
Age: 26
The game
Scoreline Prediction: 1-3
One to watch: Samir Nasri. Superb form going into this game.
Although it is still early, many are considering the game a six-pointer; has your season progressed as you had expected so far?
It's been as inconsistent as I'd expect the season immediately after a World Cup to be. Certainly the home defeat to WBA wasn't the anomaly I'd like to claim it as; Hull achieved similar in '08 -'09 against an equally complacent Gunners team. Aside from some early shakes, even as an Arsenal fan I don't think anyone expected us to have had the sheer number of injuries we've had to contend with so far. While Robin 'fibreglass' Van Persie wasn't a massive surprise (and he's fast becoming viewed as a luxury player at the Emirates), losing Vermaelen was an unexpected blow and this time last year meant either losing Song from the midfield or (shudder) bringing in Silvestre. Another player who's seemed absent despite physically being on the pitch is Andre Arshavin. Most of us felt that a good rest in light of Russia's failure to qualify for South Africa would do him good, in truth he still doesn't seem to have shed the weight he piled on over the Summer and after anything above a light jog he ends up doubled over and breathing heavily. While defensive duties have never been top of his priorities list he's left Clichy looking woefully exposed and the latter looked infinitely more comfortable playing behind the more tenacious Tomas Rosicky, who's been in great form of late. In terms of where we are in the table I'm cautiously optimistic; there's a gap to the top but it's smaller than what we overcame (twice!) last year. It's been nice to have gotten some tricky away fixtures over with but I'd like to have played a post-Mascherano Liverpool with the Jack Wilshere who's grown out of that match at Anfield.
Squillaci and Koscielny were the defensive additions this summer whilst Chamakh is already weighing in with goals, how do you feel the new recruits are settling in?
I think they're doing incredibly well. The pair of French lads in defence have been a welcome addition, as has Johan Djourou who has finally returned from injury. The communication across our back 5 has been lacking since the days of Adams and Keown; Toure and Gallas famously hated each other and last year the defence spoke entirely in French, unless they felt the need to include Almunia at which point they'd throw in some English! Squillaci has brought some much needed experience and is very vocal while Koscielny's got an uncanny knack for interceptions. Both have had the odd teething problem but nothing disastrous. Chamakh has been quietly becoming something of a revelation, the Moroccan penalty-collector may not lead the line quite like RVP but he has more experience than Nic Bendtner and after injury forced Arshavin to play as the lone striker last Spring, it's been brilliant having a big target man up front.
General Arsenal
What has been your favourite memory/moment from supporting Arsenal? -
The Dennis Bergkamp goal against Newcastle. It's a pretty obvious answer but aside from THAT Roberto Carlos free kick i'd never before seen a goal I didn't fully understand. It's a goal I get up on youtube whenever I'm with someone who says "why do you even watch football?"
I also have a feeling that the crowd reaction to Eduardo's return/goal on Tuesday will live long in the memory too.
And the worst -
If not the Champions League final, then the day of the injury to our aforementioned Crozillian. I was in Manhattan at the time watching the game in some tacky faux-Irish bar at about 9am due to the time difference, with a girlfriend I'd been with for years who'd grown to silently loathe me. What transpired in that game did nothing for my mood and the relationship went the same way as Eduardo's leg shortly after we returned to England.
If you could sign a player from the City squad (wages etc irrelevant), who would you choose -
Joe Hart. I'm not one of the people who expected Wenger to sign a new 'keeper in the Summer and always kept to the belief that a run of games would see Fabianski show us why we signed him, but you can't go wrong with a player like Hart who just seems to exude the kind of natural confidence you need. It spreads through the defence and makes the whole team more secure when you can trust the guy behind you not to do anything mental.
If you could place a past Arsenal player into the current team, who would it be -
Thierry Henry. I think he in his prime would love the way the team plays at the moment and he'd provide that vital unpredictability we sometimes seem to lack.
Name: Vince
Age: 26
The game
Scoreline Prediction: 1-3
One to watch: Samir Nasri. Superb form going into this game.
Although it is still early, many are considering the game a six-pointer; has your season progressed as you had expected so far?
It's been as inconsistent as I'd expect the season immediately after a World Cup to be. Certainly the home defeat to WBA wasn't the anomaly I'd like to claim it as; Hull achieved similar in '08 -'09 against an equally complacent Gunners team. Aside from some early shakes, even as an Arsenal fan I don't think anyone expected us to have had the sheer number of injuries we've had to contend with so far. While Robin 'fibreglass' Van Persie wasn't a massive surprise (and he's fast becoming viewed as a luxury player at the Emirates), losing Vermaelen was an unexpected blow and this time last year meant either losing Song from the midfield or (shudder) bringing in Silvestre. Another player who's seemed absent despite physically being on the pitch is Andre Arshavin. Most of us felt that a good rest in light of Russia's failure to qualify for South Africa would do him good, in truth he still doesn't seem to have shed the weight he piled on over the Summer and after anything above a light jog he ends up doubled over and breathing heavily. While defensive duties have never been top of his priorities list he's left Clichy looking woefully exposed and the latter looked infinitely more comfortable playing behind the more tenacious Tomas Rosicky, who's been in great form of late. In terms of where we are in the table I'm cautiously optimistic; there's a gap to the top but it's smaller than what we overcame (twice!) last year. It's been nice to have gotten some tricky away fixtures over with but I'd like to have played a post-Mascherano Liverpool with the Jack Wilshere who's grown out of that match at Anfield.
Squillaci and Koscielny were the defensive additions this summer whilst Chamakh is already weighing in with goals, how do you feel the new recruits are settling in?
I think they're doing incredibly well. The pair of French lads in defence have been a welcome addition, as has Johan Djourou who has finally returned from injury. The communication across our back 5 has been lacking since the days of Adams and Keown; Toure and Gallas famously hated each other and last year the defence spoke entirely in French, unless they felt the need to include Almunia at which point they'd throw in some English! Squillaci has brought some much needed experience and is very vocal while Koscielny's got an uncanny knack for interceptions. Both have had the odd teething problem but nothing disastrous. Chamakh has been quietly becoming something of a revelation, the Moroccan penalty-collector may not lead the line quite like RVP but he has more experience than Nic Bendtner and after injury forced Arshavin to play as the lone striker last Spring, it's been brilliant having a big target man up front.
General Arsenal
What has been your favourite memory/moment from supporting Arsenal? -
The Dennis Bergkamp goal against Newcastle. It's a pretty obvious answer but aside from THAT Roberto Carlos free kick i'd never before seen a goal I didn't fully understand. It's a goal I get up on youtube whenever I'm with someone who says "why do you even watch football?"
I also have a feeling that the crowd reaction to Eduardo's return/goal on Tuesday will live long in the memory too.
And the worst -
If not the Champions League final, then the day of the injury to our aforementioned Crozillian. I was in Manhattan at the time watching the game in some tacky faux-Irish bar at about 9am due to the time difference, with a girlfriend I'd been with for years who'd grown to silently loathe me. What transpired in that game did nothing for my mood and the relationship went the same way as Eduardo's leg shortly after we returned to England.
If you could sign a player from the City squad (wages etc irrelevant), who would you choose -
Joe Hart. I'm not one of the people who expected Wenger to sign a new 'keeper in the Summer and always kept to the belief that a run of games would see Fabianski show us why we signed him, but you can't go wrong with a player like Hart who just seems to exude the kind of natural confidence you need. It spreads through the defence and makes the whole team more secure when you can trust the guy behind you not to do anything mental.
If you could place a past Arsenal player into the current team, who would it be -
Thierry Henry. I think he in his prime would love the way the team plays at the moment and he'd provide that vital unpredictability we sometimes seem to lack.
Saturday 2 October 2010
Ask The Opposition: Newcastle United
The fan
Name: Michael Bates
Age: 21
The game
Scoreline Prediction: Manchester City 2-1 Newcastle United
One to watch: Ben Arfa
Sunday marks the return of Joey Barton to the ground at which he made his name. Do you feel he has finally put his problems behind him and what is the general fan perception towards him these days?
I still think he is rebuilding his reputation but has so far started to put his past behind him; lets just hope he doesn't go back to his old ways.
Generally I think he is a good player to have in the team, particularly in the premiership as he will battle and has a fiesty side to him, which you need at that level.
If you could sign a player from the City squad (wages etc irrelevant), who would you choose?
If I could have any player from Man City it would probably be someone like Adam Johnson or Carlos Tevez.
General Newcastle
What has been your favourite memory/moment from supporting Newcastle? - Would have to probably be being at St James Park for Alan Shearer's final game against Wigan, which he scored in.
And the worst - Being relegated.
If you could place a past Newcastle player into the current team, who would it be? Alan Shearer
Do you know more than Shearer about Ben Arfa? I would like to think I may do, but I couldn't honeslty say if I do know more about Ben Arfa than Shearer.
Name: Michael Bates
Age: 21
The game
Scoreline Prediction: Manchester City 2-1 Newcastle United
One to watch: Ben Arfa
Sunday marks the return of Joey Barton to the ground at which he made his name. Do you feel he has finally put his problems behind him and what is the general fan perception towards him these days?
I still think he is rebuilding his reputation but has so far started to put his past behind him; lets just hope he doesn't go back to his old ways.
Generally I think he is a good player to have in the team, particularly in the premiership as he will battle and has a fiesty side to him, which you need at that level.
If you could sign a player from the City squad (wages etc irrelevant), who would you choose?
If I could have any player from Man City it would probably be someone like Adam Johnson or Carlos Tevez.
General Newcastle
What has been your favourite memory/moment from supporting Newcastle? - Would have to probably be being at St James Park for Alan Shearer's final game against Wigan, which he scored in.
And the worst - Being relegated.
If you could place a past Newcastle player into the current team, who would it be? Alan Shearer
Do you know more than Shearer about Ben Arfa? I would like to think I may do, but I couldn't honeslty say if I do know more about Ben Arfa than Shearer.
Friday 1 October 2010
Ask The Opposition
I'll be starting an 'ask the opposition' type interview for every City game, starting this weekend with the visit of Newcastle.
Wednesday 1 September 2010
The 25 is announced
Michael Johnson is in the squad in place of David Gonzales as the only difference to my predictions. The only Mancunian in the senior squad at the moment, I didn't expect him to make the cut due to the fact he is out injured until late November (mixed with our terrible goalkeeper trouble last season) but I'm delighted for him. Hopefully he can get a few appearances but I believe a loan spell will follow in January in order for him to build up match fitness.
Keepers: Shay Given, Joe Hart, Stuart Taylor.
Defenders: Jerome Boateng, Wayne Bridge, Aleksander Kolarov, Vincent Kompany, Joleon Lescott, Shaleum Logan, Micah Richards, Kolo Toure, Pablo Zabaleta.
Midfielders: Gareth Barry, Nigel de Jong, Adam Johnson, Michael Johnson, James Milner, David Silva, Yaya Toure, Patrick Vieira, Shaun Wright-Phillips.
Forwards: Emmanuel Adebayor, Jo, Roque Santa Cruz, Carlos Tevez.
Keepers: Shay Given, Joe Hart, Stuart Taylor.
Defenders: Jerome Boateng, Wayne Bridge, Aleksander Kolarov, Vincent Kompany, Joleon Lescott, Shaleum Logan, Micah Richards, Kolo Toure, Pablo Zabaleta.
Midfielders: Gareth Barry, Nigel de Jong, Adam Johnson, Michael Johnson, James Milner, David Silva, Yaya Toure, Patrick Vieira, Shaun Wright-Phillips.
Forwards: Emmanuel Adebayor, Jo, Roque Santa Cruz, Carlos Tevez.
Squad prediction
The squad has been trimmed, I know a lot of people were worried about that, I'm looking at you, tabloids.
The only first XI player from last season to leave has been Craig Bellamy, the rest being a mix of youth, loaned out, reserve and fringe squad players. I'll do a full write up later but for the moment here is my prediction for the squad to be announced later today.
Joe Hart
Shay Given
Stuart Taylor
David Gonzales
Aleksandar Kolarov
Jerome Boateng
Joleon Lescott
Wayne Bridge
Micah Richards
Kolo Toure
Pablo Zabaleta
Vincent Kompany
Shaleum Logan
David Silva
James Milner
Yaya Toure
Patrick Vieira
Nigel De Jong
Gareth Barry
Shaun Wright-Phillips
Adam Johnson
Emmanuel Adebayor
Jo
Roque Santa Cruz
Carlos Tevez
The only first XI player from last season to leave has been Craig Bellamy, the rest being a mix of youth, loaned out, reserve and fringe squad players. I'll do a full write up later but for the moment here is my prediction for the squad to be announced later today.
Joe Hart
Shay Given
Stuart Taylor
David Gonzales
Aleksandar Kolarov
Jerome Boateng
Joleon Lescott
Wayne Bridge
Micah Richards
Kolo Toure
Pablo Zabaleta
Vincent Kompany
Shaleum Logan
David Silva
James Milner
Yaya Toure
Patrick Vieira
Nigel De Jong
Gareth Barry
Shaun Wright-Phillips
Adam Johnson
Emmanuel Adebayor
Jo
Roque Santa Cruz
Carlos Tevez
Tuesday 31 August 2010
Robinho signs for AC Milan
It was a day which will live on in the memory of every City fan, we had become the world's richest club overnight and were chasing four or five targets around the world, as the clock approached midnight the news broke that we had signed long term Chelsea target Robinho.
Two years on and Robinho becomes the latest signing for AC Milan, joining Zlatan Ibrahimovic up front for the rossoneri, ending an eventful short spell at Eastlands.
Signed not by the manager, but by the owners, Robinho was, and always will be more than a player for us, he was a statement. As much as I love Pablo Zabaleta, he wasn't the signing to make the world take notice that there was a new major player in the transfer market and on the footballing map.
After a stunning first half of the 08/09 season, including a debut goal against Chelsea, his performances dropped off after allegations into his personal life and anonymous showings in a team struggling away from home.
A summer move to Barcelona never materialised and it appeared he would remain in Manchester for at least another season, but a stress fracture on his right ankle sustained whilst on international duty sidelined him early on and he was never able to force himself back into the team before joining his boyhood club Santos in the January transfer window in order to gain fitness for the 2010 World Cup.
He split opinions between City fans, some seeing a talented player who is in the team to create, not defend, others seeing a lazy player not putting in the same effort as he did for Brazil, seeking an exit at the first opportunity.
Personally I am sad to see him go, the team he played in was not set up for his style of play, I believe he would've thrived in what is now a more solid City side with a defensive base. It may have been a case of running before we could walk, but we can have no regrets with the Robinho signing, without the profile he brought to the club I doubt we would've been able to attract the calibre of players we currently can.
Good luck Robson De Sousa and good luck AC Milan. Although with a forward line of Robinho, Ronaldinho, Ibrahimovic and Pato I don't think they need luck. Some defenders maybe...
Thursday 8 April 2010
Centre Back
The dead certs
Sol Campbell and Titus Bramble, sorry...John Terry and Rio Ferdinand will be our first choice centre halves during the summer as long as both are fit. A year ago I couldn't have been more confident with that pairing but with them both struggling with form and fitness this year it's not as solid as it once was. An in form partnership of our deposed captain and new skipper will be absolutely vital if we are to stand any chance in the competition.
The back up
Matthew Upson has deputised numerous times in the England back 4, he appears to be Capello's go-to replacement for Ferdinand or Terry, should one be injured. This is one decision I really don't agree with Fabio on, with Upson playing the entirety of the season in poor form, for club and country. Unconvincing and nervous, not exactly two traits of a world cup winner.
The should be goings
Although he may not be getting a Christmas card from Arsene Wenger, Ryan Shawcross has been sublime this season. A true no nonsense, no thrills defender, he can be relied on to do a good job if called upon. His dominance in either box has been a major factor in Stoke City retaining Premiership status for a second year running.
Gary Cahill was also having a fantastic season before he was unfortunately ruled out with a blood clot in his arm. Also developed an eye for goal this season, Cahill has undoubtedly been Bolton's star performer in what is otherwise an unconvincing back line, it remains to be seen whether he can do enough to convince Capello he is worth a place, having only last week returned to first team action.
Joleon Lescott suffered originally following his £24 million transfer this summer, I did wonder why we replaced Richard Dunne with him; but since late November he has shown every inch of his class and exactly why Mark Hughes decided to spend so much money on him. Composed on the ball and committed in the tackle, when Lescott is on form he is up there with the best of them, just ask Didier Drogba once he climbs out of Joleon's pocket, after two magnificent displays against Chelsea this season summed up why he was so highly rated at Everton. Which brings me nicely onto...
The outside shots
Phil Jagielka missed most of the season with cruciate ligament damage, but has made his way back into the Everton first team recently. There aren't many better headers of the ball in the premier league and his relationship with Lescott last year was a major factor in Everton's tremendous season.
Started the season in League 2 but could yet win a Premiership winners medal, it's been quite the season for Sol Campbell. He's looked surprisingly solid since his return to Arsenal, however despite his international experience, all of the above players must surely be ahead of him in the ranks. There's always a suprise pick though...
Sol Campbell and Titus Bramble, sorry...John Terry and Rio Ferdinand will be our first choice centre halves during the summer as long as both are fit. A year ago I couldn't have been more confident with that pairing but with them both struggling with form and fitness this year it's not as solid as it once was. An in form partnership of our deposed captain and new skipper will be absolutely vital if we are to stand any chance in the competition.
The back up
Matthew Upson has deputised numerous times in the England back 4, he appears to be Capello's go-to replacement for Ferdinand or Terry, should one be injured. This is one decision I really don't agree with Fabio on, with Upson playing the entirety of the season in poor form, for club and country. Unconvincing and nervous, not exactly two traits of a world cup winner.
The should be goings
Although he may not be getting a Christmas card from Arsene Wenger, Ryan Shawcross has been sublime this season. A true no nonsense, no thrills defender, he can be relied on to do a good job if called upon. His dominance in either box has been a major factor in Stoke City retaining Premiership status for a second year running.
Gary Cahill was also having a fantastic season before he was unfortunately ruled out with a blood clot in his arm. Also developed an eye for goal this season, Cahill has undoubtedly been Bolton's star performer in what is otherwise an unconvincing back line, it remains to be seen whether he can do enough to convince Capello he is worth a place, having only last week returned to first team action.
Joleon Lescott suffered originally following his £24 million transfer this summer, I did wonder why we replaced Richard Dunne with him; but since late November he has shown every inch of his class and exactly why Mark Hughes decided to spend so much money on him. Composed on the ball and committed in the tackle, when Lescott is on form he is up there with the best of them, just ask Didier Drogba once he climbs out of Joleon's pocket, after two magnificent displays against Chelsea this season summed up why he was so highly rated at Everton. Which brings me nicely onto...
The outside shots
Phil Jagielka missed most of the season with cruciate ligament damage, but has made his way back into the Everton first team recently. There aren't many better headers of the ball in the premier league and his relationship with Lescott last year was a major factor in Everton's tremendous season.
Started the season in League 2 but could yet win a Premiership winners medal, it's been quite the season for Sol Campbell. He's looked surprisingly solid since his return to Arsenal, however despite his international experience, all of the above players must surely be ahead of him in the ranks. There's always a suprise pick though...
Monday 5 April 2010
Right Back
Right back
The £18 million man
Barre injury, Glen Johnson will be England's right back in the World Cup. Which is great for us offensively as he's basically a winger, but terrible for us defensively as he's basically a winger. His bombing runs and the ability to shoot with both feet have been invaluable to Liverpool this season and his defensive limitations have been invaluable to the rest of the teams chasing fourth spot.
Against 'lesser' teams in World Cup qualifying it wasn't as much a problem, but against the top sides this will be an area they will target and it could well cost us. Positionally, Johnson is poor (as shown by Birmingham's equaliser just yesterday) and will need a lot of guidance from the centre halves during games. Despite this, he's the best we have.
If the Nevilles play for England so can I
In recent weeks, Gary Neville has become first choice right back for Manchester United, whether he remains there when injuries have cleared up is doubtful but for the moment he's enjoying his longest spell of first team football in years. This has led to a few tentative enquires in the media as to whether he could re enter the England set up. If Johnson is a liability then Neville would be the full on surrender. His complete lack of pace due to age and injuries would be a disaster in such a tournament. Rather than compensate positionally for his shortcomings, fouls and handballs seem to be his defensive weapon of choice against wingers these days. He still has a fantastic cross on him and is solid attacking but he's not an international defender any more, he's barely a premiership defender.
His younger brother on the other hand has had a fantastic season captaining Everton and recently has been playing at right back. We could do a lot worse than re introducing Phil to the England fold, especially with his versatility. An outside bet to make the squad.
Manchester back ups
The rise and fall of Micah Richards has been so swift that it's easy to forget that he's only 21. He's been playing premiership football for 5 years and he's younger than me, that's pretty depressing. With age on his side he has plenty of time to win Capello's favor, but this tournament is probably too soon for him. England's next big hope when he broke through at 17, becoming their youngest ever defender, he still has yet to feature under Fabio Capello. Fantastic under Sven, dire under Hughes and solid under Mancini, it really does appear that Mark Hughes' complete disregard for defensive training and tactics was to blame for Micah and the other City defenders poor form; now he's under Mancini he has been working his way back to his best and it wouldn't suprise me if he's back in the England fold sooner rather than later.
Wes Brown is currently injured and it remains to be seen whether he returns before the end of the season. If he makes it to South Africa he will be back up to Johnson in all likelihood, if he doesn't, it's no great loss. He's a good centre half but at right back he can be a liability against the top teams, as seen in his last England performance against Brazil. If it came down to it, I would rather have Phil Neville or even James Milner ahead of Brown in the pecking order; he has a lot to prove at international level and this is not the time to do it.
Left Back
Left Back
The please-be-fit
Obviously, Ashley Cole. One of the best left backs in world football, England's chances will be a lot worse without him in the team. Deadly going forward and very good defensively (see: the last game against Portugal), a huge miss for the team. Hopefully he'll recover from his injury in time to make it, although he won't be match fit.
The main pretenders
Ask ten people who they prefer out of Leyton Baines and Stephen Warnock and you'd probably get five votes for each player. There really isn't a lot of difference between the two but on current form I'd have to go for Baines. Baines' Everton are finishing the season with a bang whilst Warnock's Villa are more wheezing like one of those dissapointing fireworks inbetween all the pretty explosions. They are both solid if unspectacular, but I feel Baines offers more going forward and another dead ball specialist is always handy for when we reach the inevitable quarter final penalty shoot out.
The retiree
Wayne Bridge was arguably in his finest form for years when he announced his international retirement. Club bias aside, he would've been my first choice replacement for Cole, although it's very doubtful he will change his mind and make himself available for selection now. One horrific game against Burnley followed by a dressing down by the all powerful Alan Hansen on Match Of The Day has probably tainted the public's opinion on what has been a very solid season for the former Chelsea left back.
The please-be-fit
Obviously, Ashley Cole. One of the best left backs in world football, England's chances will be a lot worse without him in the team. Deadly going forward and very good defensively (see: the last game against Portugal), a huge miss for the team. Hopefully he'll recover from his injury in time to make it, although he won't be match fit.
The main pretenders
Ask ten people who they prefer out of Leyton Baines and Stephen Warnock and you'd probably get five votes for each player. There really isn't a lot of difference between the two but on current form I'd have to go for Baines. Baines' Everton are finishing the season with a bang whilst Warnock's Villa are more wheezing like one of those dissapointing fireworks inbetween all the pretty explosions. They are both solid if unspectacular, but I feel Baines offers more going forward and another dead ball specialist is always handy for when we reach the inevitable quarter final penalty shoot out.
The retiree
Wayne Bridge was arguably in his finest form for years when he announced his international retirement. Club bias aside, he would've been my first choice replacement for Cole, although it's very doubtful he will change his mind and make himself available for selection now. One horrific game against Burnley followed by a dressing down by the all powerful Alan Hansen on Match Of The Day has probably tainted the public's opinion on what has been a very solid season for the former Chelsea left back.
Monday 22 March 2010
Well, I finally have a blog + Goalkeeper
I'm going to start off with assessing England's world cup squad hopefuls and try to figure out if Emile Heskey is one big practical joke I just don't get.
The main contenders:
I say baffling as Green hasn't exactly been in great form for West Ham this season, with the hammers currently sitting 17th in the league and conceding 51 goals; whilst Hart's Birmingham currently reside in 9th, only conceding 34 goals due in no small part to Joe's constant heroics.
With only 2 friendlies remaining before the tournament begins, it remains to be seen whether Hart will be given his chance to stake a claim.
Described by Capello as 'young', it seems that Joe may be seen as too inexperienced to be counted on as the country's last line of defence, with an older head preferred.
The possibles:
It is odd then that Fabio would choose Green as this more experienced player, when the likes of David James and Paul Robinson are waiting in the wings, both with more caps than the faltering Green.
James has suffered a torrid time with Portsmouth this season, with the off field problems well documented, this coupled with injury problems has kept him out of the international scene and could well have ended his world cup hopes. A goalkeeper that isn't able to train for a number of days after playing a game isn't ideal for a tournament such as the world cup, with the games coming thick and fast. Unfortunately for David, I feel he may have made his last England appearance.
After a series of high profile blunders, Robinson was dropped from the international fold and barre injuries to the other contenders, doesn't look like re entering. Which is a shame really, as he has been doing a good job for Blackburn and behind Hart, is probably the in form English goalkeeper this season. Keeping goal for a Big Sam team may not be glamorous but he has done a very steady job for them and it seems his confidence has returned after his England relegation. If Fabio was going for experience of international caps, I would much rather go with Robinson than Green.
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