Monday, 16 November 2009
Monday, 24 August 2009
Another Win...
I got two of the results wrong, Spurs managed a win thanks to Carlton Cole's attempt to show he and Defoe could do a job for the national team in front of Capello with a neat through ball to his countryman.
Add to that Bolton showed no backbone against Hull, who could of have many more than the one they got.
I did however win another £82 accumulator, thanks to Burnley beating Everton 1-0.
7 Days of the transfer window left, i think things will start to hot up now. Lescott is finally... actually i'm not doing that again.
Liverpool play Villa tonight. Villa are struggling with a small squad and a lack of confidence much like Everton. Liverpool will not want to drop any points after the rest of the big 4 winning already.
Saturday, 22 August 2009
Match Preview
Predictions for today.
Arsenal 3 - Pompey 0
Birmingham 1 - Stoke 1
Hull 1 - Bolton 1
Citeh 2 - Wolves 0
Sunderland 2 - Rovers 0
Wigan 1 - Utd 2
Sunday.
West Ham 1 - Spurs 1
Burnley 1 - Everton 0
Fulham 0 - Chelsea 2
Wednesday, 19 August 2009
Midweek Mayhem
On Tuesday night Arsenal’s game with Bolton was prosponed so they could play in the more important champions league qualifier at Parkhead. With 5 players missing they won the game 2-0.
On Wednesday night the Red Devils made the short trip to Burnley with 5 players missing and lost 1-0.
Depth.
Owen missed a sitter early on, Carrick missed a penalty and Jensen nicknamed ‘Beast’ by the Burnley supporters made a number of good saves. Burnley could play that game another 10 times and be beaten 4-0 every time just like Paul Merson said on Sky Sports News. But Burnley were lucky, were up for their first home game in the Premiership and Robbie Blake smashed one past Englands number 2 just like Matt Le Tisser predicted pre-game. If Ronaldo was playing for United, he would of scored the penalty Carrick missed and probably created another. He made his name destroying mediocre teams like Burnley.
Rooney and Owen doesn’t look a good partnership. Berbatov’s relaxed style make it look like he is not putting in the effort. That frustrates Rooney, so Rooney and Berbatov doesn’t look a good partnership either.
United had 17 shots and 13 corners. Ferguson has 2 weeks to buy a striker. If he doesn’t and Rooney was to get injured then they could drop out of the top 4.
Spurs tore Hull apart 5-1 with Defoe smashing home a fantastic hatrick. That should make up Arry’s mind that its Defoe and someone for the majority of the season. Hull on the other hand have been a mess for a long time, relegation front runners.
Liverpool faltered first game of the season, but got back to winning ways at home to Stoke. Torres opened his account for the season, Johnson opened his account for the club and all was well again in the land of Mersey. Except of course Rafa's possible exit.
The weekend’s games will be interesting, Portsmouth will get turned over by a confident Arsenal side, Wigan will provide a strong test for United, Liverpool will continue winning ways to Villa and Chelsea should out do their nearest rivals Fulham.
I’ll have my predictions up on Friday.
Monday, 17 August 2009
And So It Begins...
All eyes were on the big game of the weekend with Liverpool’s trip to Spurs on the Sunday. After 40 minutes of Spurs minor pressure and a few chances saved by Reina the home side went one up. Liverpool looked stale and off pace, the big players didn’t turn up. On top of that even the most rose-tinted glasses wearing of scousers would be unable to make a case for the depth of the Liverpool squad with the likes of Voronin and alongside some of the clubs young ‘prospects’. Spurs look like more the side that they were a few years ago and with challenge for the Europa league places with a strong squad of internationals. Liverpool don’t have the squad for a season in the Premiership let alone for Europe and the cup competitions. Liverpool are the only team capable of dropping out of the ‘big four’. That won’t sit well with Liverpool fans, but too many people are getting drawn into Liverpool’s last season. That was a fluke. Torres and Gerrard with win games on their own but in reality if either gets injured for any length of time they don’t have the attacking force to replace them. Neither is capable of performing at the top level for a whole 60 game season. They will have a blip, but my gut feeling is they will have the nous to finish 4th.
The massive talking point of the weekend’s action saw Arsenal’s destruction of a poor Everton side 6 goals to 1. As much as the papers talked about the lack of aerial ability of the Arsenal side, the performances both defensively and going forward told its own story with 2 headed goals. Thomas Vermaelen made an impressive debut at the heart of defence winning the majority of headers and challenges that came his way, but it was Alex Song who was easily man of the match. His quick feet, awareness and tackling would have gone unnoticed to many, but his ‘invisible wall’ performance will put the mind of many Arsenal fans to rest. Everton look like a side who lack a cutting edge upfront and a team who need to sell Lescott before his unrest causes more problems. Sky Sports reported that he asked NOT to play in the game because his head wasn’t right and it showed as the defence lacked leadership. Everton will be barmy to turn down the reported £22m offer coming their way from Citeh. I still believe he will be sold, probably early next week, Everton will bring in Senderos whose personal terms are already agreed and Arsenal will bid late for Hangeland. Arsene will already have in mind who he will buy, but he will wait till the last minute to pick up players. Arsenal will solidify their position with a squad growing in confidence but without significant strengthening wont challenge for the title, eventually finishing 3rd. Everton will get in Europe again with the same squad as last year.
Man City outplayed a bottom half level Blackburn who were missing players. The new players all received debuts with Barry the pick of the bunch breaking up play with a strong midfield performance. Citeh were a class above their opponents, and will press till the end of the season but finish 5th.
The United game was interesting. Manyoo lined up without their best 5 players last season. Tevez, Ronaldo, VDS, Rio and Vidic. Did it make any difference? Yes it did, as they staled to a 1-0 win against newly promoted Brum. United defensively looked pretty strong and Brum didn’t really attempt to create much bar a couple of counter attack half chances. It was at the other end that the losses showed up, with everything having to go through Rooney they lack the cutting edge and moment of brilliance that Ronaldo can bring. United’s new recruits had a mixed effect; Valencia’s effect was of a player who looked slightly in awe of his surroundings. His usual wing play disappeared and he trundled alone in out of position for most of the game. Owen only saw the last few minutes of the game out but succeeded in missing a one on one.
Sunderland and Fulham both recorded wins. Darren Bent looked lively; I think he’ll get some goals this season especially with Jones partnering him. Bent’s record is still good even though his time at Spurs didn’t go like it should have. Pompey were Fulham’s victims, they lacked backbone and look dead certs to go down without investment. Goals will be few and far between. Sunderland beat Bolton who will bully their way safe this season as always.
I won £130 on a 5 team accumulator. Fulham, Leeds, Charlton, Arsenal, City.
Next set of games I’ll put my tips down before as proof.
So what have we learnt from the opening weekend of the season?
1. Owen is not a magical striker who comes on a scores at every opportunity, he is neither Tevez or Ronaldo
2. Unless Gerrard or Torres perform Liverpool will lose games
3. Arsenal’s height is not a major problem, it turns out the papers forgot about Song, Bendtner and Van Persie not being Borrowers
4. Spurs have great depth, they have potential to be the best team outside the big 4
5. Chelsea will win games without playing well, Man Utd without Ronaldo may not
6. Everton and Villa won’t finish 5th and 6th this year; neither have the squad of Spurs or Sunderland, let alone Citeh.
7. Gomes is still a clumsy clown, Harry may make a move to replace him
8. Transfers over the last few days of the season may render all the above points void.
Football is back.
Thursday, 30 July 2009
Transfer News: Thumb Twiddling...
Imagine being a player during a transfer window, sitting waiting for the phone to ring to hear Real Madrid had finally stump up the necessary funds to take you from your scouse residence to the plain of Spain. You should be imagining yourself with an ever increase amount of facial hair, face like a Moomin and think Basque accent. You should also imagine youself with Alonso 14 on your back.
After Kolo Toure becomes the John Terry that Mark Hughes always wanted, club captain Richard Dunne’s career as Eastland may parallel his surname. He’ll make a move to Sunderland in the coming weeks rather than sit on the bench watching the part Klingon, Joleon Lescott put his shirt on.
Spurs cut away the deadwood of Bent to bring in the towering oak, Crouch whose friendly plutonic relationship with both Defoe and Redknapp will delight Robbie Keane. It could be worse, as Roman Pavlychenko will find out so he will desert North London to join Roma.
Arsenal have money in the bank which is rapidly growing at Manu Eboo-ah will take his dancing antics to Florence, but this mean Patrick Vieira will be able to return home to Highbury, realise it’s now apartments and make the five minute walk around the corner to Ashburton Grove. “Sacrebleu” he will exclaim then promptly teach Alex Song the ways of a defensive midfielder.
West Ham want another striker, and being of Italian persuasion Zola will bring in hit and miss Mario Barwuah Balotelli so he can then let injury prone Ashton go to Stoke to free up space in the physio room for Kieran Dyer.
Finally with 2 weeks left till the season starts the panic buying may being as Hull realise they have done no business so far, Phil Brown will being his Churchill Dog act by saying “Oh Yes” to anything thrown at him lumbering him with a Chimbonda and a Barton because nobody else wants them.
Tuesday, 14 July 2009
Why Man City Cannot Challenge For The Title
Sadly the misguided Citeh faithful will have to make do with a tight challenge for European honours with Spurs, Everton and Villa in the Europa League chase rather than heading for at seat at the premiere European table and break the top 4. The problem with signing these ‘superstar’ names for big money is that actually whatever the media will lead them to think these players are not the superstar names that they appear to be. The club is more likely to fall into disrepute with a team of mercenaries being over paid who are happy enough to collect their massive wage packets without putting in the effort needed to climb the table. There reward is given out before they step onto the pitch. Will Gareth Barry care if he doesn’t win the league? Will Adebayor be bothered is he is not in the Champions League? Do these players have the hunger to win something for Man City? Are they ready to give it all for the fans? Or are they more hunger to fill their bank balance?
Citeh need a strong backbone. They would like to sign a heroic stalwart centre-back to build a defence round. A leader of men. They would like John Terry to be that warrior but will have a hard time getting him. Terry means more to the Chelsea fans than the club because those in the club realise his ‘throw his body on the line’ tactics have left him susceptible to injury and a large offer would be difficult to turn down. JT will hope that any offer that does come with be rebuffed and his contract will be upped to the same wage as Frank Lampard. Wherever he plays his football next season, and Man City is genuinely an option, he will be lucky to play ¾ of the games without his back giving out. If Citeh don’t get Terry they should look at a proven top level defender coming into their peak like John Mensah, Naldo or Bruno Alves. That would be a better and cheaper move to make.
Mark Hughes has the 2nd toughest job in football right now. (The top position goes to Manuel Pellegrini.) Hughes has to take these new signings and mould them into a team. His job is being made increasingly difficult every time a new player joins because already his players are saying “am I going to be in the first eleven”. The amount of competition doesn’t always create increased performance, there is such a thing as too many players. The luxury of Hughes’ situation is that some of those players will happily sit on the bench for 80 minutes deciding what to spend their next pay check on. Dealing with the ego’s that come with the stars is a job Hughes must adapt to fast. His experiences last year will help him but dropping players who have cost £20m is difficult and with the fans anticipation comes a short time period to get into full flow. As I see it this time next season the money men will have a new man in charge, a foreigner manager of course, but someone use to dealing with big names. It could be Mourinho.
There is too much that could go wrong at Citeh for a race for the title this season. Too much has chopped and changed for players to settle. When the group took over they immediately said this would be a long term project, but then they tried to sign Kaka for £100m. This made them a target for every club in the world to be overcharged. Until the season transfer window is closed I’m not going to talk about positions because too much depends on who the top 4 bring in between now and then.
Arsenal fans are pinching themselves as Emmanuel Adebayor looks set to join the Citeh ‘revolution’ for a whooping £25m after he joined for just £3m in January 2006. In the 07/08 season he pulled a large haul of 30 goals in 48 games but for those close to the club who saw the games rather than the MOTD highlights they know his tally should have been double that. Then after gaining the plaudits and respect of the majority of the fans his attitude changed. Firstly forcing a doubling his wages to a reported 80k-a-week then resting on his laurels he firmly believes he is one of the top strikers in the world, deserving to be loved in the same way the supporters respect Cesc Fabregas or Robin van Persie. This could have been the case if his work rate had improved but his lack of effort teamed with his obvious lust for more money and a bigger stage left his relationship with the fans at breaking point. His statement about Milan’s advances being like Beyonce was after him and his interview on Football Focus with Garth Crooks where he referred to himself in the 3rd person ended his career at Arsenal.
Fans appreciate work rate, sweat, effort, motivation, exertion over talent. Any player who will run his heart out like a fan of the club would do, will gain the respect of the crowd quicker than any solo strike will. Arsenal fans know that waiting in the wings is Nicklas Bendtner, another tall striker who likes the ball at his feet more than his head. Bendtner lacks the experience of Adebayor, but in a 10minute cameo in a game already won or lost will put in 100% effort. Even if Adebayor goes im not convinced Wenger will replace him with Chamakah. He already has Eduardo, Van Persie, Bendtner, Arshavin, Walcott and Vela as striking options. Last season the gap between Everton and Arsenal was 9 points, the gap between City and Arsenal was 22 points. The question Citeh fans need to ask is do these new players plug a gap of at least 22 points?
Now this is a Premiership blog, you probably realise that through the title so I will do my bit to cover the lower end of the league. Burnley must make an impact in the transfer window. At the moment they will go down with a points total like Sunderland and Derby. Last season in the Championship they conceded 60 goals only 6 clubs conceded more and 3 of those were relegated. I haven’t decided whether the other two have a chance, Birmingham are a bigger club than Newcastle. I’d rather see Birmingham v Villa than Newcastle v Sunderland.
That is all.
Thursday, 9 July 2009
Opening Weekend TV Fixtures Released
Chelsea v Hull
Saturday 15th August
12.45pm
Live on Sky Sports
Everton v Arsenal
Saturday 15th August
17.15pm
Live on ESPN
Manchester United v Birmingham
Sunday 16th August
14.00pm
Live on Sky Sports
Spurs v Liverpool
Sunday 16th August
16.00
Live on Sky Sports
Wednesday, 8 July 2009
A Worthy Gamble?
With much speculation on where the £80m received from the sale of Ronaldo would go, Sir Alex Ferguson moved quickly to spend just £0m to acquire Michael Owen on a free transfer. At 29, Owen’s career is moving towards its final seasons, but is he the ready-made poacher that Man Utd have lacked since the loss of Ruud van Nistelrooy?
With the rumoured £30k basic wage package with bonuses paid out on games played and goals scored, Owen has taken a massive pay cut from his £110k a week Newcastle income and turned down more regular opportunities of football for Everton, Stoke or Hull to play at Utd. Owen would not of thought twice about joining Everton if Sir Alex hadn’t called him up, because he knows his best days are gone and given the chance of playing in the UEFA Cup or being managed by a spray tan (insert any expletive here) his choice was made for him. After signing for Utd he couldn’t stop smiling in disbelief that he has another shot at the big time.
I’ve read a lot of opinions on whether Owen can be a success at Man Utd. One which made me really sit up and take notice was that of Sky Sports’ Graham Souness. Souness was an overrated manager who failed miserably at each club he joined and then went into punditry where he continues to give substandard and often ill-informed opinions on players and tactics. His opinions on players over the years have been consistently poor from his time at Southampton where he notoriously signed George Weah’s supposed cousin Ali Dia, who turned out to have the footballing brain of a duck-billed platypus married with the footballing ability of a ring-tailed lemur. He signed Jean Alain Boumsong and partnered him with Titus Bramble to create the worst centre-back partnership in Premiership history (including anyone who played alongside Craig Short) and brought to the club the wing wizardry of Albert Luque who spectacularly failed at Newcastle coming in with a hefty price tag, then a doing a sort of Abracadabra and presenting the fans with a toy from a McDonalds happy meal. At Blackburn and Newcastle his alienation of players pushed out some of the better talents and left the clubs in disrepute. After the loss of Keegan recently he put his name forward to the Newcastle job to which the club said “thanks but no thanks” by saying absolutely nothing.
I’ve lost the point of this…Owen.
Souness believes if Owen stays fit he will be top scorer in the league replacing the goals that Cristiano Ronaldo got. That is factual evidence that Owen can only fail. Souness also believes Tim Henman can still win Wimbledon, Gary Glitter’s music may have a resurgence and Gordon Brown may be in work this time next year.
Utd fans will say Fergie is not a stupid man; he is a wily cat (Thundercats hooo!) who knows the best to get out of ageing and forgotten players. He did this with Henrik Larsson. I would say wily cats get old and lose their marbles. I would say they forget Laurent Blanc. Fergie does make mistakes in the transfer market regularly but surely going into the season gambling on both Valencia and Owen to bring in goals is a dangerous game which could backfire catastrophically. My instant view is that there is more to this situation than just Fergie’s belief in Owen. Maybe the Glazers put there foot down and limited the transfer fund on old red nose taking back some of the funds to clear the titanic debts underwritten. I wouldn’t put it past another player to come out at Utd before the end of the window, unless Tosic, Nani or the new guy Obertan can step up to the plate. Remember this FACT. Man Utd lost Ronaldo and Tevez because they didn’t want to play at the club. Man Utd wanted Benzema and Ribery but neither wanted to play at the club. Man Utd got an overpriced winger from Wigan who had one good season at a club even David Batty would have stood out at, an unknown French winger who had an unremarkable season at FC Loirent who was surplus to requirements at Bordeaux and mister brand values himself, Michael Owen.
In no way am I slating Owen’s past. He just peaked at an early age and has lost his way. If Fergie can set him back on the road then he may score double figures in the Premiership and prove me wrong. But he won’t.
It will be interesting to see the reception he gets at Anfield, if he is fit.
Monday, 29 June 2009
Transfer News: Eto'o Fils drawn to Citeh
Every year at Domino Day in Leeuwarden, Netherlands, Mr Domino along with his team of steady handed fellows attempt to topple more dominos than ever before. Last year’s victorious attempt fell 4,325,027 dominos which was…brilliant. However this year without the knowledge of Mister Domino, Robin Paul Weijers, Man City are attempting to break that record. Their 25m domino offer for Samuel Eto’o Fils will knock over the widely sort after shiny David Villa domino in Barcelona, who’s very own Mr. Domino, Joan Laporta, will bring the Kerrison domino in from Palmeries. Valencia will be home to the Kerrison domino while he gets accustomed to living in Spain; then with Villa sold, Real Madrid’s collection of special Harrod’s hand-crafted dominos will then be able to be completed with French made Karim Benzema domino. Lyon will make do with equally skin-headed poacher Lisandro Lopez domino for Porto’s prime domino making outfit.
After a fantastic spell at Barca, Eto’o will see the move to City as one ‘to be part of a great project’ or ‘a new challenge’ both of those of course mean he would very much like to receive lovely cheque’s weekly in the mail for £250,000. This will soften the blow of not playing with his chums Thierry and Lionel, but will provide him the funds to buy many golden objects for his large Manc mansion. Hurrah for him.
In injury news the persistently crocked Michael Owen is still weighing up the offers from ambitious clubs all over the world as far afield as Hull, Stoke and…Hull. Meanwhile fellow ligament damagee Ruud van Nistelrooy may be sitting on the bench of Everton next year whose manager is sticking to his guns only looking at strikers who are equally incapable of playing a season’s worth of football as the previous ones. Ruud may also be tempted by a return to the Premiership to get injured at Ewood Park or the Britannia Stadium. Oba Oba Martins who definitely did not play in Nigerian youth teams with Babayaro making him 30, is also wanted by Tony Pulis to give him another shot in the Premiership. He is also wanted by…Hull. One player who definitely is not wanted by Hull or Stoke is Tony Valencia who will have to make do playing for Man Utd next season.
After the Confederation Cup unimpressive brute Jozy Altidore from New Joyzi is wanted by manager of the year Roy Hogdson to join his underrated Fulham outfit, Gilberto Silva has been talking up Arsenal to compatriot Felipe Melo and player of the tournament contender Piennar is wanted by Liverpool of all clubs.
Monday, 22 June 2009
Transfer News: Crimbo comes early as Santa goes to Citeh
Hull Citeh have offered Owen a deal based on games played and goals; on seeing this Owen’s advisors scoffed and announced he’d rather join Everton. Owen will soon be trading knee ligament stories with Louis Saha.
No-one is shouting “crisis” yet at Man Utd even after the CR7 went Carlito’s Way, but they are shouting things like “Ribery” and “Benzema”. Strangely this has been greeted by the words “No” and “Way” everywhere from Munich to Lyon.
At the Bridge, Ancelotti is still trying to work out the English for “scambio”, but as soon as he does he’ll ask Didier Drogba to ‘exchange’ shirts with Ibrahimovic. That all depends on the other interested parties of Barca and Madrid to give it the thumbs up of course, otherwise Ibra will be playing in sunny Spain rather than a gloomy London.
Spurs are ready to offload David Bentley whose time in North London was described as a nightmare. Not in the traditional cheese before bed and axe murderer dream sense, but more in the 1 goal in 25 games sense. Villa are readying themselves by checking his cupboards for monsters and putting on a night light.
Bentley's season highlight came after too much Red Bull and involved a skip
Middlesbrough sitting at the back of the class, have their head down, pretending to write as Villa, Sunderland and Liverpool ask them questions about Downing, Wheater and Tuncay. There's only so long they can get away with umm-ing and aah-ing before they can say “I don’t know” and start weeping. Newcastle sitting next to them have their hands firmly up meanwhile, as the rest of the Premiership ignores their efforts to dump their high waged squad on another ‘special child’. Seb Bassong is one who they would like to keep but his relative black-ness and French-ness makes him a target from North London’s red corner. Somebody forgot however to teach Newcastle mathematics as the 500k he arrived for last year multiplied by 24 in recognition of his abilities to help a club get relegated.
In non-Premiership related sports news, something to do with Tennis is happening and a Scotsman has the best chance to win since that Canadian which is all very good for the English. More transfer news in a couple of days probably with the words Citeh in there numerous times.
Thursday, 18 June 2009
Transfer News: Vermaelen's Goon to Arsenal
Spurs are looking to raid Real Madrid for former Premiership players Gabriel Heinze and Arjen Robben. Robben didn’t like the Premiership because he couldn’t stand up to the physical nature and kept picking up niggling injuries. He doesn’t want to come back and will dig his heals in to stay in Spain even if Madrid force him out.
Spurs buy and sell lots of players which means they are difficult to predict year after year.
Chelsea, United and Citeh are playing a chess game with each other waiting to see who moves first. Don’t expect any signings for another couple of weeks.
Liverpool have money worries and Rafa has to sell to buy, Glen Johnson will be wearing red next season, Arbeloa will not. Chelsea wanted Johnson back to replace an outgoing Bosingwa, but Johnson remembers what playing at Chelsea was like. He is one of the best right backs in the Premiership and deserves to play at a top club. Mascherano is coveted by Barcelona because he is mobile and breaks up play, he would fit into their midfield better than Keita and Hleb.
Wednesday, 17 June 2009
Dad's Army
Ballack is the Grandpa Joe to Roman's Chocolate Factory
10 of Chelsea’s first team are now 30 or older including their two mercurial strikers Drogba and Anelka, solid defenders Carvalho and Ferreira, and the midfield trio of Deco, Ballack and Lampard. Chelsea’s decline is not a confusion, it’s a problem that stems with a group ageing and complacent, finally seeing out the last few years they have at the top before they fall down the league ladder or retire all together. Don’t get me wrong hitting 30 doesn’t automatically mean your career is over plenty of players push well through that milestone still performing but with a different style and at a different level. Take Manchester United for example, who had 5 over 30’s that won the league this year, Van der Sar, Rio, Scholes, Giggs and Neville. Yet it’s arguable that Giggs, Rio and Van der Sar all performed to the highest standard they have in a Premier League campaign, with Giggs even taking the PFA Player of the Year award for his services. This is because Fergie knows how to use them; he’s able to get the best out of these older experienced heads by using them interchangeably with the younger, fitter and arguably hungrier players. Chelsea’s younger heads however never got a look in with the likes of Di Santo, Stoch and Mancienne left on the bench for the majority of the season occasionally getting their boots dirty in the last few minutes of games.
Chelsea need desperately to integrate younger players into their squad while the older heads are still around to show them the ways and values of the club otherwise that gets lost with a team of mercenaries as Man City hope to build. The Blues have to cut away the deadwood which has stagnated and got all too comfortable earning the most wages in the league and running a club which consistently mounts up debts. The likes of Deco, Carvalho, Drogba and Mineiro are already earmarked to be removed as Carlo Ancelotti takes the helm, but his rumoured replacements of Pirlo, Gattuso and alike are not the answer to the ageing team. Chelsea should sell Shevchenko, Drogba, Deco, Carvalho and Ballack and buy David Villa, Gokhan Inler and Yuri Zhirkov. Without these players Chelsea will lose ground on the rest of the big four next season.
Friday, 12 June 2009
Good Ridance
This transfer window, one of the major moves has seen good old ‘Mr Villa’, former captain Gareth Barry move to the bright lights of Sultan Citeh. Barry had a fantastic 07/08 season, which led to a certain Rotation Rafa to slowly stalk Barry like a curb crawler looking at a combative midfielder style hooker. Now well within his rights after 11 years of service to a mid-table side like Villa, Barry read ‘The Sun’ gossip column everyday and awaited Rafa’s call which came with a price of £12m, alot less than Villa wanted. At this point Barry decided that the move away was vital to his career and he wanted to play in the Champions League, causing a big fuzz resulting in negotiations between the club. Villa rejected these "below the asking" price bids, Barry had a tantrum holding onto Martin O’Neills leg as he dragged him around kicking and screaming. This left moaning sod Barry to be stripped of the captaincy and generally hated by Villa fans for being a twat. I do have some sympathy for GB on that point as the move did come about after Pool enquired and I’m sure he thought the deal would be completed, but there is still little excuse to behave in a way more befitting of a weasel. After a season of slightly less plaudits, Barry’s desire to join the top four was again seemingly a matter of who rather than when. Arsenal buzzed around with the intention of partnering him with Cesc and Pool considered their options again. It came as a surprise then, as Barry decided to leave the Europa Cup placed Villa to join last season dictionary definition of mid-table Moneybags FC in what he claimed was a positive career move for a club going in the right direction. Now I’m sure Mr Barry’s 100k a week wages will sooth the pain of not playing in the Champions League, but it does beg the question why choose Citeh over the other potential moves, or why not stay at Villa. It is purely because Mr Barry, and I believe this is verbatim, is a fucking greedy git. After 12 years at Villa his so called ambition coupled with a 5-year deal and retirement fund and the chance to fight for first team football with a bunch of mercenaries leads him to be despised by fans of all clubs not just Villa… look forward to booing Barry at a stadium near you in the near future.
Managers can hunt glory and money like players, you only have to look at Steve Bruce to see that...but don’t look for too long or you turn to stone like Conan’s parents. Brucie got a bonus when he left a midtable Palace side for an equally midtable Birmingham side, then decide Wigan would be a good move and now the new money men at Sunderland have taken the Newcastle fan Bruce’s interest. How long that 'beast and the beast' relationship will last will depend on what financial reward the next club offers him. Bruce to Newcastle seems a likely story to read in the next few years and wont Sunderland fans be impressed by the minimals of the man when that happens.
I can understand that money is important and the difference between fucking huge wages and fucking large wages makes a difference, but sometimes Mr Sidwell it does go horribly wrong. Cast you mind through the years and there have been traitors aplenty jumping ships like rats from club to club in search of big bucks, prepared to sit on the bench for half a season after leaving the clubs they have served time for.
I leave the biggest traitor of them all till last, a manager who shows such disregard continuously stabbing people in the back. Ladies and gentlemen I give you…Harry Redknapp. Twitching, always flustered, speedboat salesman Redknapp is an urchin of some standing and some history. This is a man who made his name at West Ham, happily claimed himself a boyhood Arsenal fan and then joined Spurs committing one of the most cardinal and heinous sins in London football. Adding to that his ship jumping aspects from Portsmouth to Southampton…then back to Pompey was so despicable even words cannot describe. He is the truly great traitor of this generation, like a modern day Guy Fawkes, motivated by money with a shameless desire to claw his way to the top by any means necessary jumping onto any coattail he can. Hated by Southampton, hated by Portsmouth, he leaves West Ham fans and used car salesmen disappointed by his actions.
Players sometimes forget where they came from, all too easily they think ‘oh I’ve had a good season I deserve a rise’ is that how it works in Asda?
‘Oh I’ve stacked those baked beans excellently, excuses me Mr Jones can you double my salary’, said Mr Sanders.
’No, fuck off back to work, that’s your job you ungrateful little oik’, said Mr Jones.
So to all the traitors that will move clubs this season I hope you all break your legs, get gangrene and have to have your cocks amputated.