Soccer Pages

Good-bye, and Good Luck

2008-07-21T23:53:00.000-07:00

It is time for me to stop writing in this blog after three long years. During the past 3 years, I shared my emotions, my anger, my ecstasy, and my disappointments through this blog. Now, I have reached the stage in my life where education takes center-stage, again. It will be extremely difficult, nigh impossible, to continue writing frequently as I have done over the years.

At a moment when loyalty is hard to find (see, Flamini, Hleb, Ronaldo, etc.), football is suffering due to the mercenary nature of footballers, who reckon they are slaves of football clubs, when in reality, it is the other way around. Although an arch-rival of the Gunners, I empathize with Arsenal manager Arsene Wenger, when he says suggests there is lack of respect among clubs. After building a good team, he finds his players leaving in search of more money this summer.

And then, there is Ronaldo, who believes he is God himself in disguise. At 23, his worst career move would be to move to Real Madrid, when he could achieve greater things at United, with the wily Old Scot to look after him. Moving to Real at his age would be a terrible dampener to his growing football career.

Although I am a bit emotional about not writing again, I will forever remain a fan of Manchester United. I am extremely happy to finish this blog on the highest note, when ManUtd are the reigning English and European Champions!

Transfer Talk - Manchester United and Chelsea

2008-06-02T05:25:00.000-07:00

Manchester United

After an incredible season in which Manchester Unitedd completed the double of Premier League and Champions League, one wonders whether there is a need to strengthen the squad. But, there is.

Right Back

United need a right back in the mold of left back Patrice Evra - capable going forward and supplying the crosses. They were chasing Jose Bosingwa of Porto but Chelsea beat them to his signature.

Striker:

A striker is also a top priority since Saha will be sold to the highest bidder. Wanted - a tall striker with a good physical presence and excellent finishing capabilities!

Meanwhile, there is daily speculation about Ronaldo leaving and the latest rumor is that a bid for 64 million pounds along with Robinho would make Man Utd sell their most valuable asset and the likely European and World Player of the Year.

Possible Ins

In: Dani Alves (Sevilla), Micah Richards (Man City), Philip Lahm (Bayern Munich), Miguel Veloso (Sporting Lisbon), Miguel (Valencia), Huntelaar (Ajax), Benzema (Lyon), Luis Fabiano (Sevilla), Ashton (West Ham), Berbatov (Tottenham), Aaron Ramsey (Cardiff), Valencia and Palacios (Wigan)

Possible Outs: Pique (to Barca), Silvestre (to Bordeaux), Ronaldo (to Real), Fletcher, Kuszack, and Saha

Manchester United Utd have reportedly made bids for French teen sensations Jeremy Helan and Darnel Situ. It would be great to get Richards and Benzema, but the possiblity of getting Richards is extremely remote. Aaron Ramsey looks promising and could be one for the future. Ferguson must be looking at offloading two of Fletcher, Saha, and Silvestre. If Ronaldo were to leave, I would splash the cash and buy Ribery from Bayern.

Chelsea

For Chelsea, the season began and ended in disappointment. One expects Roman Abramovich to splash the cash and get some of the best but 500 million pounds in investment, it remains to be seen how much further he wants to go.

The manager:

Avram Grant is likely to be sacked and replaced by either ex-Barca manager Frank Rijkaard, Roberto Mancini (Inter Milan), or Guus Hiddink (Russia). I expect wholesale changes to the squad that failed to win a trophy this season, after losing out to Manchester United in the Premiership and the Champions League and to Tottenham in the Carling Cup.

Frank Lampard is being linked with Inter Milan but I am sure Lamps is just holding out for a huge bumper deal. Chelsea will give him that deal as it plans to build a team around Terry and Lampard.

Didier Drogba looks certain to leave after whining through the season about how much he misses Jose Mourinho. Milan should be his likely decision but whether its Inter or AC remains to be seen. Whats going to be the fate of Andrei Shevchenko? Will Shaun Wright Phillips finally leave? Its going to be an interesting summer at Stamford Bridge.

Possibe Ins

Ribery (Bayern), Ramos (Real Madrid), Ronaldinho (Barca), Van der Vaart (Hamburg), Mario Gomez (Stuttgart), Dos Santos (Barca), Huntelaar (Ajax), Richards (Man City)

Possibe Outs

Drogba, Malouda, Bridge, SWPhillips, Belletti, Shevchenko, Kalou, Sidwell, Pizzaro, Ben Haim, Cudicini

The Spirits of Busby Babes Make United Euro Champs

2008-05-21T22:33:00.000-07:00

The spirits of Busby Babes who were lost in the tragic Munich crash 50 years ago, certainly helped as Chelsea's John Terry missed from the penalty spot when he could have won his team the Cup. But it was left to Van der Saar to atone for Ronaldo's missed penalty as he saved Anelka's kick, bringing home the European Cup after 9 long years.

ManUtd 1 - Chelsea 1
Ronaldo '26 Lampard '45

The greatest night for Man Utd fans all over the world...Rejoice !

One Cup to Rule'em All!

CHAMP10NS

2008-05-11T21:08:00.000-07:00

ManUtd retained their Premier League title after beating Wigan 2-0 away at the JJB Stadium. There were tears in my eyes, tears of joy, as Giggsy scored the 2nd goal in the 81st minute to make sure the Premiership trophy remained with the Red Devils. Fergie and Giggs take their Premier League titles to a record 10, and ManUtd close in on Liverpool's all-time record of 18 League titles, with just one behind. A thoroughly deserved title for the best English team! Now to conquer Europe, with the Champions League final against Chelsea to look forward to in about 10 days. Here's to the Red Devils!

Scholes Strike Sets up Moscow Date with Chelsea

2008-05-01T06:34:00.001-07:00

Ginger Ninja takes ManUtd to the final

ManUtd overcame Barcelona 1-0 at Old Trafford to set up an intriguing all-English final against Chelsea at Moscow on 21st May. After a 0-0 first leg draw at the Nou Camp, where Ronaldo missed a penalty in the 2nd minute, ManUtd were resolute in their defending, and totally deserved their victory over the Catalans. Messi put up a one-man show for Barca but that wasn't enough. While Rio and Brown were terrific in defence, Tevez and Park were full of energy and covered as much ground as a marathon runner would.

ManUtd now have the chance to gain revenge over Chelsea, who beat them at Stamford Bridge last weekend after a controversial penalty. ManUtd and Chelsea have 81 points each with 2 games to go, but with ManUtd's superior goal difference, they just have to win the next 2 games (home to West Ham and away to Wigan) to retain the league title.

A Dream Match

2008-04-11T04:44:00.000-07:00

Clash of the Titans

A long cherished dream has finally come true. Yes! ManUtd will play Barca in the semi-finals of the Champions League. As a fan of both clubs, I have been waiting for the day when I can get to watch the great players of these 2 great clubs play against each other. Now, the moment has finally arrived. ManUtd despatched Roma in the quarters after a 1-0 home win resulted in a 3-0 aggregate victory. Ronaldo and Rooney, the scorers in the away leg were relegated to the bench in the home leg to keep them fresh for this weekend home clash against Arsenal.

Barca, meanwhile struggled and were unconvincing in their 1-0 victories in the home and away legs over Schalke. Rijkaard is under tremendous pressure to quit after a particularly disappointing season, where they are placed 2nd in La Liga, about 7 points behind Real Madrid. Ronaldinho and Deco look to have played their last game for the Catalan club, and Henry seems to struggle on the left wing, and the supporters are voicing their displeasure at the way the team has labored to just 1 win in their last 7 La Liga games.

But the clash between the Red Devils and the mighty Catalans looks set to be an entertaining affair, with both teams intent on playing attacking football. Ronaldo and Messi will be the driving forces for their respective teams and it should be a great spectacle, watching them battle to get their team to the final in Moscow.

In the other semifinal, Chelsea meet Liverpool again for the 3rd time in 4 years. But this time, the 2nd leg will be played at Stamford Bridge and that should work out in Chelsea's favor. Grant will want to prove his worth to his doubters by achieving what Mourinho failed to do in his time at Chelsea - get Chelsea to the Champions League final.

Red Devils Go to Rome...Again!

2008-03-18T08:34:00.000-07:00

ManUtd regained its place at the top of the EPL table after they won at struggling Derby 1-0, and Arsenal drew at home to Boro. This weekend should be yet another interesting one with ManUtd facing Liverpool at OT, while Arsenal meet Chelsea at the Bridge.

ManUtd struggled to score against Derby, wasting a host of chances, just like they did against Portsmouth when they crashed out of the FA Cup thanks to some dubious decisions by the referee Martin Atkinson. Ronaldo has reached 31 goals for the season, but we just can't depend on him all the time. Need a striker this summer! Last heard, ManUtd were linked to Valencia's David Villa.

The Champions League has thrown some really interesting matches. This is the draw for the Quarters.

Arsenal - Liverpool
Fenerbahce - Chelsea
AS Roma - ManUtd
FC Schalke - Barcelona

Chelsea remain lucky with their draws, and we can expect an all-English final if ManUtd can overcome Roma and Schalke/Barca.

Great Action Weekend

2008-02-24T21:48:00.000-08:00

Ronaldo takes his season tally to 29

Ronaldo and Rooney scored a brace as ManUtd destroyed Newcastle 5-1 at St.James' Park. Wonder what the Geordies now think of their 'Messiah'? The Red Devils are now just 3 points behind Arsenal who were held to a 2-2 draw at Birmingham. Eduardo Silva suffered a horrific injury and is now out for the season and the Euro Championships. Arsene Wenger, who we all know has selective blindness, surprisingly saw the tackle from Birmingham's Martin Taylor that caused Eduardo's injury!

Meanwhile, Tottenham won their first trophy in nine years, beating Chelsea 2-1 in the Carling Cup. After dominating Chelsea in an exciting match, Tottenham needed to come back from a goal behind and win the match in extra time, Woodgate's header proving to be the winner. It's actually good to see a team outside the top four finally winning something!

Start of Ramos Revolution?

Liga Fight!

Barca too closed the gap on Real to just 2 points after they beat Levante 5-1 thanks to Eto's hat-trick and Real's home defeat against Getafe, in comic circumstances. Robben thought he had scored and as Real players gathered to celebrate, little did they know that it was actually ruled offside. Getafe took a quick free kick and scored from the counter-attack.

EPL Overseas Plan - For the Good of the Game?

2008-02-22T05:28:00.000-08:00

“The Premier League has proposed an international round of league games to be played in five cities across the globe from 2011 to cater for the worldwide demand for English football.”

When Premier League chief executive Richard Scudamore announced his ambitious plan to exploit English football’s popularity and expand outside England, there were mixed reactions to this plan. While a few managers such as Arsene Wenger and Roy Keane gave their backing to the plan, most fans were unanimous in their opposition to the proposed 39th league game abroad.

There are certainly pros and cons to this highly controversial plan, and there are some questions that still need to be addressed before a final decision is taken.

Pros

The precedent was set by NFL, which was taken from the United States to London and it was appreciated by the fans. Premier League is a major attraction throughout the world and is a cash-cow waiting to be milked.

Fans around the world will have the chance to watch wonderfully talented players from the world’s strongest league playing competitive football.

With more revenues, the sport can witness a tremendous improvement in the not just the quality of players but also in that of the stadiums and other related facilities.

As is the case with any other sport, football needs to keep evolving and innovating if the sport needs to expand globally and dominate other sports in terms of viewership.

Cons

The idea is seen as solely motivated by money and with utter disregard for the fans.

It is a worrying trend that local fans are often marginalized by clubs as the clubs seek to establish a global fan base. Fans often feel that the game is beginning to forget its roots and the tradition of local club support. This might force fans to be up in arms against their clubs, and ultimately turn their back on the Premier League.

There is already talk of too much football and no winter-break. There is talk of accommodating the 39th game in January, a time when clubs play for the league, the league Cup, and the FA Cup.

Other national associations will want to protect their own leagues and clubs and furthermore, they will not be happy about the Premier League coming to their domain and taking sponsors, and advertising revenue.

Questions

What will happen to season-ticket holders who support their club every game in the home stadium but cannot afford to travel overseas?

Will the money made from these matches be put back into youth and grassroots football? Will clubs lower ticket prices?

If this becomes a huge success, what is the guarantee that the Premier League will not eventually play more games abroad?

Will fans abroad be as interested in a Derby-Boro match as they would be in a ManUtd-Newcastle game?

Will kick-off times be arranged to suit both the spectators in the stadiums abroad and the local supporters watching their clubs on television in England?

As much a fan I am of the Premier League who would love to watch EPL clubs playing competitive games in India, I am averse to the idea of the proposed 39th game abroad. Football clubs, throughout the world, have been established on a strong supporter base, built and passed over generations. I have personally witnessed the passion of local club supporters who have struck with their respective clubs through decades of triumphs and losses, and I believe that if the Premier League, whose enormous success was possible only due to the support of the local fan base, antagonizes the local fans by sticking to its plan of holding overseas games, the game will eventually lose its soul.

United thrash the Gunners

2008-02-17T20:44:00.000-08:00

Manchester United put the derby defeat to City behind them as they crushed Arsenal 4-0 in the FA Cup fifth round. After an insipid performance against City on the week United were bogged down by the memories of Munich, they produced an inspired masterclass display against the team that sits at the top of the Premier League table.

ManUtd started the game without a number of first team players including Ronaldo, Giggs, and Scholes, and Tevez. Although Tevez and Scholes were on the bench, ManUtd ensured they remained fresh for the midweek Champions League trip to Lyon, thanks to a dominant display that saw them lead 3-0 at half-time. Rooney was magnificent as the single striker, and was supported well by Nani, Anderson, and Fletcher. Nani supplied the crosses for Fletcher's 2 headed goals, and scored one himself.

The scoreline actually flattered Arsenal since ManUtd had the chance to score many more goals. Although Rooney performed incredibly with his high work-rate, he has to learn to finish better. Nani was accused for showboating but with the score already at 4-0, why shouldn't he entertain the crowd?

The surprise of the weekend was Liverpool getting knocked out after losing at home 1-2 to Barnsley. Looks like they have only the CL to play for this season, and it should be an interesting encounter against Inter this week, the Italian champions are yet to lose a game this year in Serie A and lead the table by a mammoth 11 points.

La Liga
Barca closed the gap on Real Madrid to 5 points after beating Real Zaragoza 2-1, thanks to a Henry goal and a Ronaldinho penalty, while Real lost at Real Betis by the same score. I think Barca are gradually recovering while Real are beginning to stutter. This season should see a close battle once again.

The Legend of the Busby Babes

2008-02-05T00:17:00.000-08:00

February 6, 1958 - On that fateful winter’s day exactly 50 years ago, the plane carrying Manchester United players back from a victorious European match at Belgrade, crashed after a failed attempt to take off after a refueling stop in Munich. The club lost 8 players in that tragedy and this became a moment of profound significance not just in ManUtd’s history but also in English football’s.

Sir Matt Busby, the ManUtd manager, had envisioned a golden age for ManUtd after being crowned English champions in 1956 and 1957, with a team of young starlets including Duncan Edwards, the then golden boy of football and the youngest international in England’s history. Busby had dreams of European domination, but those dreams lay in tatters while he lay critically injured in a hospital, but more painful was the excruciating news that he had lost most of his squad.

Apart from Duncan Edwards, ManUtd lost their captain Roger Byrne, David Pegg, Eddie Colman, Tommy Taylor, Billy Whelan, Mark Jones and Geoff Bent. Eight journalists, 3 United staff, one crew member, the co-pilot, and two other passengers lost their lives.

Busby recovered from his injuries and so did a few other players including Bobby Charlton, Dennis Viollet, and Bill Foulkes, among others. Amazingly, ManUtd made it to the FA Cup final, where they lost to Bolton Wanderers. But then, the club stumbled into the wilderness for a few years but who would have thought that Sir Matt Busby would build another great ManUtd side, a team that played some of the finest football in Europe.

At a time when football was moving towards conservatism and tactical organization, Busby's refusal not to compromise on the club’s attacking style of football led to the club winning its first European title in 1968, the first English club to do so.

It is not the Munich tragedy that propelled United into a club with a worldwide fan base but it is the way they regrouped under their manager Sir Matt Busby, deriving strength from adversity, building a great side that consisted of Bobby Charlton, Denis Law, and George Best, and winning the European Cup on the 10th anniversary of the Munich tragedy.

African Cup of Nations

2008-01-20T00:07:00.000-08:00

The 26th African Cup of Nations kicks off in Ghana today. Football is one of the few unifying factors in the continent of Africa and the cup of nations is the time when Africans forget their worries, come to watch the matches in a colorful atmosphere, beating their drums and dancing around, and having complete fun. While in Europe, football is more about business, for Africans, it is more about players showing their love for their respective nations by playing in a competitive way. And, as always, EPL managers are moaning about losing their African players.

It is amazing to how football creates tremendous impact on the lives of the people. It was football players who helped bring a truce between warring factions in the Ivory coast. These people consider their players as ‘God’ because they have given them hope and motivation to succeed in life and it gives a clear sense of perspective at a time when the word ‘God’ is used indiscriminately to deify undeserving people.

It is good to see that football is being used to reach out to people with regard to their education and health. Also, an increasing number of talented players who are beginning to perform well and earn enough money in top European clubs return to their home nations to help their people in terms of creating awareness about numerous issues.

This year’s championship takes place in Ghana, a team that performed admirably during the last World Cup in Germany. They are one of the favorites since it has stars such as Essien and Muntari, and has the home advantage. Ivory Coast will be expected to provide stiff competition since they have the likes of Drogba, the Toure brothers, Eboue, Kone, among others.

Angola would be a dark horse and its striker Manucho, who recently signed for ManUtd, will be watched closely. Cameroon looks to be on the wane but one can never rule out a team that has a player like Samuel Eto’o in its ranks. South Africa, which hosts the next World Cup in 2010, will hope to perform well and use this tournament as a platform to improve its football.

The excitement and the atmosphere are certain to be electric and I am hopeful that some great football, plenty of goals, and incredible passion among the nations will lead to a successful African Nations Cup. It will be interesting to see an African nation win the World Cup in the near future.

Football Managers - Dead Men Walking

2008-01-14T20:56:00.000-08:00

ManUtd emerged from the festive period with the maximum points, winning all but one. The 2-1 loss against West Ham hurt especially since ManUtd missed the chance to go 2-0 up due to a missed penalty from Ronaldo. And, giving away 2 goals to set-pieces! But since the loss, they have redeemed themselves with some good victories over Birmingham, Villa (FA Cup) and the 6-0 drubbing of Newcastle.

Just past the half-way mark of the season and Ronaldo has already passed 20 goals. His first hat-trick for ManUtd came at OT against manager-less Newcastle, who despite their claims of being a big club, continues to plunge deep into a quagmire of desperation. Sam Allardyce was the 8th manager to get the boot this season, and despite the fact that they played terrible football, it wasn't fair to judge Big Sam after just 8 months.

The St. James' Park stadium of Newcastle has the 3rd highest capacity in England after ManUtd's Old Trafford stadium and Arsenal's Emirates Stadium. Newcastle have a large fan base and that the fans are very dedicated to their club in spite of poor results in recent times, can be seen from the fact that most home games are almost always full. But the fans have far too much expectations and they seem to forget the fact that they last won a major trophy almost 40 years ago.

The Newcastle manager job has always been a poisoned chalice. Just look at the list of great personalities who have been unsuccessful in the past decade - Kevin Keegan, Kenny Dalglish, Ruud Gullit, Sir Bobby Robson, Graeme Souness. I wouldn't blame Harry Redknapp for his decision to stick with Portsmouth. Who in their right mind will take up this job? And, it doesn't help when foreigners takeover the club, splash money, and then expect returns immediately. Well, not every club can turn into a Chelsea. Until then, Newcastle will keep looking for their Messiah.

One just has to take a look at ManUtd and Arsenal, which have gained due to the stability provided by their respective boards. Sir Alex has been at ManUtd for 21 years while Wenger is entering his 12th year at Arsenal. The trigger-happy football chairmen of today would do well to remember that Sir Alex did not deliver his first trophy until the fifth year of his reign. And, we all know what ManUtd has achieved in the past decade and a half under the regal Scot.

Rafa Benitez seems to be the next on the list of managers most likely to get the sack. This is the guy who won the Champions League for Liverpool in his first year. And, when the club owner accepts that he had talks with Jurgen Klinsmann about taking over Liverpool, it clearly undermines Rafa's position at the club.

At present, it is difficult for managers to operate against a background of constant criticism and incessant speculation about their future. It is important for club chairmen and supporters to realize that the success of the football club on and off the pitch depends on a long-term strategy replete with the right foundations. As Sir Alex would say "Stability and consistency is the basis of success at any club."

List of sacked managers in 2007-2008 season:
Jose Mourinho (Chelsea)
Chris Hutchings (Wigan)
Sammy Lee (Bolton)
Martin Jol (Tottenham)
Steve Bruce (Birmingham)
Billy Davies (Derby)
Lawrie Sanchez (Fulham)
Sam Allardyce (Newcastle)

Classic Ron and Un-Classico Ronnie

2007-12-27T07:13:00.000-08:00

As I watched Manchester United's last weekend match against Everton, followed by the el classico between Barcelona and Real Madrid, I could not help but marvel at Ronaldo's brilliance at United and lament the fall of Ronaldinho at Barcelona. As a fan of both United and Barcelona, I want both my clubs to perform well. When Barcelona was winning trophies until just more than a year back, I was hoping United would follow suit.

When United was setting the Premiership on fire last season, I also had to witness the demise of the Catalan club. Will I ever see these two majestic clubs of Europe win their domestic titles in the same season? I guess not, considering the way the Catalan club is witnessing a downturn in its fortunes.

Ronaldo has already scored 17 times this season for United, while Ronnie has hardly made a significant contribution for Barca. I was aghast to say the least, seeing the latter's abject performance in Barca's home loss against Real Madrid.

Just more than 2 years back, Ronnie was given a standing ovation by Real fans for his virtuoso performance at the Santiago Bernabeau. Even last season, he scored about 21 goals for the club. But, what happened to that old Ronnie?

Did all that adulation get to his head? It is rumored that he missed more than 50 percent of the club's training session last season and that he was given preferential treatment by everyone at the club. No doubt, Ronnie was instrumental for Barca's revival but it is far more difficult to keep your act together at the highest level and in that aspect, he would do well to take cue from United legends such as Giggs and Scholes, who continue to perform at the highest level even after several Premiership titles.

On the other hand, Ronaldo is a star on the rise. However, he just has to take one look at the path taken by Ronnie and avoid that path at all costs. He is at a terrific club, surrounded by legends such as Giggs, Neville, and Scholes.

If Ronnie's arrogance was his downfall, Ron's might be his attraction to glamour and a constant craving for attention, reasons why he might quit United in a couple of seasons and head toward Real Madrid.

United would loathe to lose Ron when that time comes, but then no player is greater than the club, a fact being demonstrated by Ronnie at Barcelona.

Champions League - Knockout Stages Draw

2007-12-21T09:28:00.000-08:00

CL Draw

ManUtd has got a rather tough draw for the knockout stages of the Champions League. The English Champions will travel to Lyon to meet the French Champions. The pick of the clashes however has to be Arsenal's meeting with reigning Champions AC Milan. Liverpool too have an Italian job at hand, and will play Inter Milan. It's too early to predict since the chances of the teams progressing depends on how their form is, come February. We all know what happened to initial favorites Barca who were on the decline after the new year and ended up exiting the CL in the 2nd round itself.

Anyway, this has got to be one of the most interesting and exciting 2nd round group of clashes in the past few years.

Kaka - World Footballer of the Year

2007-12-17T22:50:00.000-08:00

Kaka - Footballer of the Year

As expected, Kaka beat Messi and Ronaldo to this year's title of World Footballer of the Year. Kaka, already proclaimed the European player of the Year, played an important role in AC Milan's Champions League triumph, scoring 10 goals. He has been a significant player for Brazil as well. Here is a footballer who is a devout Christian, does not revel in night outs or parties, and is a true idol for aspiring footballers throughout the world. Also, he was terrific for AC Milan and inspired them to the World Club Cup win over Boca Juniors, scoring one goal and providing 2 assists in their 4-2 victory.

AC Milan - World Club Champions

I am sure we would see more of Messi and Ronaldo in the coming years. The Champions League and the Euro Championships provides a great platform for Ronaldo, who is determined to win one of the major awards next season. What better way to achieve that than helping ManUtd win this season's CL and EPL title?

Red Devils - At Home at Anfield

2007-12-16T23:10:00.000-08:00

Tevez Scores at 'Home' Anfield

Anfield is turning out to be another home ground for ManUtd who have not been beaten here since 2001 in the Premier League. Tevez scored the winner for ManUtd last night just before half-time, for a 1-0 win for the Red Devils.

It was a scrappy affair with Liverpool having the majority of the possession but hardly creating any chances. The couple of chances to score were from Van der Saar's blunders. Thankfully, Anderson and Evra were at hand to stuff out the danger.

It was a solid performance from ManUtd. Particularly, the midfield was superb with Anderson overshadowing Gerrard, and Hargreaves as always, a rock in front of the defence. Rio too had a great game and never gave an inch of space to Torres. My men-of-the match would definitely be Anderson and Hargreaves.

Anderson overshadowed StevieG

ManUtd are second in the league, a point behind Arsenal, who won an exciting but violent encounter with Chelsea. Gallas put one over his old team and scored the only goal of the match, thanks to a Cech mistake at a corner.

Meanwhile in La Liga, the stage is all set for a pulsating encounter at the Nou Camp between Barcelona and Real Madrid next weekend. Barca are 4 points behind Real but are in good form thanks to Eto'o's return from injury. Messi's injury means he will be out for 4 weeks but I think Ronaldinho will make it to the starting eleven for the El Classico, after being left out on the bench numerous times this season.

Btw, there is a rumour that Fergie might see this as an opportunity to bring Ronnie to ManUtd, after failing to complete the deal in 2003. But the question is do we really need fat Ronnie at ManUtd?

The Best to the Greatest

2007-12-08T21:53:00.000-08:00

Two for Tevez against Derby

A few weeks back, Sir Alex said that the current ManUtd squad may be the best in his time at Old Trafford and seeing the displays of this team, not many people will doubt his statement. However, it will take trophies to prove his squad is not just the best but the greatest as well. Any ManUtd squad has to measure up to the achievements of the 1999 treble winners.

It was a great effort to qualify top of their Champions League group with one more game yet to be played against Roma away. This gives the opportunity for Sir Alex to rest some of his players ahead of the crucial away match at Anfield next week. Liverpool's loss against Reading this week means that Arsenal are the only unbeaten team in EPL now (update: the Gunners lost at Boro!)

ManUtd are a point behind Arsenal and would have overtaken them if it had not been for the loss at Bolton. However, ManUtd has not been lucky with injuries this season, with Rooney just returning back from ankle sprain and Hargreaves pulling out of the team just before the home match against Derby. Gary Neville has suffered a setback in his injury comeback and other players who remain on the sidelines include Park, Silvestre, Scholes, and Foster.

The newcomers this season - Anderson, Hargreaves, Tevez, and Nani have been very impressive and played some crucial parts in ManUtd's fine form this season. For me, Tevez and Anderson have been the most important players. Tevez has started to combine well with Rooney and Anderson looks like he might dislodge Scholes from the starting lineup earlier then expected.

December is crucial for ManUtd's title aspirations and the players need to put in their best performance in each of the remaining matches this month. And if things do not go as planned sometimes, you can always rely on Ronaldo to save the day.

Ron scores against Fulham

Tears at Wembley as England Crash Out of Euro

2007-11-22T04:21:00.000-08:00

England will not be in the finals of a major football tournament for the first time since the 1994 World Cup, as they lost to Croatia 2-3 at the Wembley. In a dramatic night, Croatia went two goals ahead after 14 minutes but England drew level after half-time with a Frank Lampard penalty and an excellent Peter Crouch finish.

However, Petric’s winner in the 77th minute and Russia’s 1-0 win in Andorra means England will have to watch the other big European countries converge in Austria-Switzerland for the Euro Championships.

England has one of the best squads, with lots of superstars, no doubt. But it takes an inspirational manager to mould the squad into a world-class team. England under McClaren, never looked like a ‘team’. Frank Lampard is at best, an overrated player who has Essien and Makelele doing the dirty job behind him at Chelsea. Gerrard is inspirational for Liverpool where he is surrounded by good foreign players but when has he ever shone in the English team?

No one can question their passion but Lampard and Gerrard just do not have the technique or the skill of a Fabregas or a Scholes. When was the last time we saw Lampard providing a defence-splitting pass for an England striker to score? And when his goals dried up, all we could see was a one-dimensional player. That players like Xabi Alonso, and even Cesc Fabregas sometimes do not make it to the first team, shows the quality Spain has.

Agreed that the English media puts tremendous pressure on its players but then it is the same case with Spain, Italy, and France. In fact, Spain’s Luis Aragones faced calls for resignation almost through the entire qualifying campaign.

It is not fair to put the blame entirely on Steve McClaren, his selection and tactics, since England players are not as good as they are hyped up to be. The huge influx of foreign players has definitely had a negative impact on the English national team, with fewer English youngsters getting a chance to prove themselves.

But then, who can blame top English teams like Manchester United, Arsenal and Liverpool preferring to sign Portugese and Spanish youngsters when the only other option is English youngsters with limited technique. One would feel compelled to put the blame on the FA again for their failure to develop players at the grass-root level.

The failure to reach the Euro Championships (from a relatively easier group) might actually be a blessing in disguise. It has revealed some serious issues for the English FA to address. The FA has to take this opportunity and take some sincere efforts to improve youngsters at the grass-root levels. The English Premier League might be one of the best and most entertaining leagues in the world, but that just conceals the rot at the national level. It’s the bitter truth - England never truly deserved to make it to Euro 2008.

Teams for Euro Championships at 2008.

Switzerland Croatia
Austria Italy
Greece Czech Republic
Holland Sweden

Germany Poland
Romania France
Portugal Turkey
Spain Russia

Sir Alex - 21 Glorious Years at Manchester United

2007-11-09T21:47:00.000-08:00

November 6th 1986 is a Red-letter day in the history of Manchester United. That was the day when a fiery Scot named Alex Ferguson left Aberdeen to take charge of one of the most popular clubs in England. And the rest, as they say, is history.

Sir Alex’s spell as ManU manager has seen him secure nine Premier League titles, a Champions League title, five FA Cups, a League Cup, and a knighthood. Even at 65, he does not show any sign of slowing down and his enthusiasm for the game is still intact.

It is rumored that Fergie narrowly avoided the sack in 1990 after winning away at a 4th round Cup tie at Nottingham Forest. ManU went on to win the FA Cup that season, kick-starting the golden years. A Cup-Winners’ Cup in 1991 after beating Barcelona in 1991 was followed by the disappointment of losing the league title narrowly to Leeds in 1992. The inspired signing of Eric Cantona in the same year propelled ManU to the inaugural Premier League title in 1993 and a League and Cup double in 1994.

In 1996, ManU overcame Newcastle, thanks to Fergie’s mindgames over Kevin Keegan and achieved a second League and Cup double. ManU clinched the treble in 1999 in a sensational manner, winning a dramatic Champions League final, beating Bayern Munich 2-1, the League title, and the FA Cup. In 2001, Fergie accomplished a hat-trick of Premier League titles, becoming the only manager to achieve this feat with the same team.

One more league title followed in 2003 and when calls for Fergie’s head increased after a few trophy-less years, he masterminded yet another league triumph in 2006/2007. Fergie always stated ‘his greatest challenge was knocking Liverpool right off their fucking perch’. I guess he has also knocked Chelsea off their fucking perch when it looked like Chelsea would dominate for a long time thanks to Roman’s riches.

No fan who has watched ManU play in the past couple of seasons would have any reason not to believe in Fergie’s belief that ManU can continue to remain a force in European football for years to come. Fergie is certainly one of the greatest ever managers to have been involved with the game. One more Champions League title for this living legend, and he will gladly fade into the sunset.

Did I Miss Something?

2007-11-05T05:22:00.000-08:00

After an entertaining game of football, it was disappointing for me, the match ended in a draw. It was funny to see Arsenal players, after the game, huddled at the centre of the pitch and celebrating. Did I miss something here? It was an Arsenal home game, at the Emirates Stadium and Arsenal lost 2 points! I would never see ManU players or Fergie so happy after gaining just a point at Old Trafford.

Anyway, it was great to see ManU perform really well. Anderson seems destined for stardom...he can pass, he can tackle, he can run box-to-box, there's nothing he can't do, including a bit of gamesmanship. I am sure Fergie/Carlos will have a private word with him.

La Liga Story

Looks like it's gonna be a roller-coaster season at La Liga. Real Madrid kept winning, then drew, then won, and then lost this weekend. Meanwhile, Barca drew, won, lost, drew and won. Sevilla kept losing and then suddenly started winning and beat Real this weekend. Villareal is going great guns without Riquelme and it is good to see ex-ManU player Rossi doing great there. And, Valencia have got a new manager in Ronald Koeman and looks to turn around its season both in La Liga and the Champions League.

Curtains for England

2007-10-17T23:05:00.000-07:00

The pre-match talk was all about the artificial pitch. The post-match talk was all about blaming England's defeat on watering of the pitch right before the kick-off. In the crucial Euro 2008 qualifier at Moscow, England was surprisingly doing well, courtesy of a Rooney strike in the 29th minute. But a shocking miss by a poor Gerrard, followed by 2 goals by Russia in a space of 4 minutes in the 2nd half, contributed to England's downfall.

The antagonism towards Chelsea must have certainly increased manifold for English fans as they saw Roman Abromovich celebrating the Russian goals. The 2-1 defeat for England means their Euro 2008 hopes are hanging by a thread and qualification is no longer in their hands. We can safely assume Russia and Croatia will win their other match against Andorra and Macedonia respectively. England have to hope Israel, which is already out of the race, avoid defeat to Russia at home. Even if that happens, England would have a huge task of beating Croatia at the Wembley.

Yet again, England find themselves in the familiar position of struggling to qualify for a major tournament. However, the last time they missed out on one was way back in '94 when they missed the World Cup. The English FA is certain to take a beating in terms of finances if the unthinkable happens - Hiddink's Russia qualifying at the expense of McClaren's England. The FA is certain to rue its decision to appoint McClaren when they had the chance to get Hiddink or Martin O'Neil.

O'Neil, a manager of the highest caliber and a person with numerous trophies in his time at Celtic was not selected as the FA did not find his presentation impressive. And, Hiddink was supposedly incensed at the FA's insistence that he had to make a presentation. On the other hand, a great presentation was all McClaren needed to persuade the FA to appoint him for one of the toughest managerial jobs in football.

For all his lack of pedigree and experience at the highest level, McClaren could have certainly done a good job with the squad at his disposal, IF he had the tactical nous of Hiddink. In spite of the consecutive 3-0 wins, including against Israel and Russia at home, most fans were never confident in a man whose only achievement was a Carling Cup title at Boro. And of course, he was as an assistant to Fergie at ManU during the treble-winning season.

In spite of the great players in the England squad, it is really the quality of the manager that reflects the performance of the team. Given the talented players in the England squad, it would have been an easy task to qualify had the team been managed by a Hiddink. A manager, with superior tactical and motivational skills and one who would have the balls to drop underperforming superstars, is needed if England has to win any trophy at the highest level. It will take a miracle if we are to witness England at Euro 2008. Even if they do qualify, I wouldn't be surprised to see a wily Portugese at the helm for the Euro Championships.

Messiah

2007-10-06T23:05:00.000-07:00

ManU was back among the goals at the weekend at home against Wigan. After a difficult first half when O'Shea and Vidic were lost to injuries, ManU came out guns blazing in the second. The attacking trio of Tevez, Ronaldo and Rooney all scored and finally ManU fans could see the some real action after a difficult start to the season. Also, ManU was lucky to escape with all 3 points in the midweek CL match at home against Roma as a result of the latter's profligacy in front of goal.

Meanwhile, Barca has been rather impressive lately, with Messi being proclaimed as the their 'Messiah'. Henry managed a hat-trick last weekend at Levante but Messi has been the more dominant performer for Barca. However, Barca, like ManU, has been struggling with injuries. Their injury list seems to be growing by the day as Puyol, Marquez, Zambrotta, Toure, Edmilson all join Eto'o on the sidelines. Barca take on a revitalized Athletico today at the Camp Nou and this should be an exciting clash. Finally, Barca doesn't need to depend completely on Ronaldinho.

Another European Night

2007-10-01T22:12:00.000-07:00

The goals that were flowing last season appears to trickle down this season. In spite of the lack of goals, ManU has managed to hold their own and come up with spirited wins home and away, including the crucial home win against Jose-less Chelsea. ManU youngsters lost a great opportunity to get some playing time in the first team after their Carling Cup exit at the hands of Coventry. To put things into perspective, Arsenal, Chelsea and Liverpool all won.

And tonight, Roma visit Old Trafford, revenge on their minds, after their humiliating 7-1 loss to the Red Devils in April. This should be a pretty exciting game. Although I like Roma Captain Totti very much for his loyalty to his club, he has been shooting his mouth way too often. He should have learnt his lesson after the 7-1 drubbing last season but looks like he hasn't. Another good win for ManU should put him in his place.

Owen Hargreaves is still recovering from his injury, although there is a possibility he might start. Carrick has been woefully out of form this season and I hope he improves soon, for he was one of the most underrated performers for ManU last season. Pique might get his chance in defence since Vida and Brown are struggling with injuries. I hope Pique plays and puts in a terrific performance.

My first choice XI for today...

Kuszczak
O'Shea Rio Pique Evra
Ronaldo Owen Scholes Giggs
Tevez Rooney

Goodbye, Special One!

2007-09-22T04:19:00.000-07:00

Not an unexpected exit but it was certainly not expected right at the start of the new season. Bad run of results, lack of entertaining football and a shocking 24,000 supporters for the Rosenborg game (at a time when Peter Kenyon was talking about world domination!) were just some of reasons for the sudden departure of Jose Mourinho from Chelsea. Anyway, despite his lack of respect for referees and repeated squabbles with officials, EPL will be a tad poorer without him. The English media will certainly feel his loss more than players and fans will do!

Jose Leaves Chelsea

Man, is it U?

2007-09-15T21:38:00.000-07:00

Week 6 of EPL and the usual suspects make the top 4 in the Premiership table. Arsenal has been in great form, Liverpool still has away blues, Chelsea seems to stutter and ManU has forgotten they are the reigning Champs. ManU's recent displays against Sunderland and Everton have been inept, to say the least. For a team that was playing great attacking football until a few months back, this is clearly unexpected.

Ever since Saha succumbed to injuries, ManU has looked terrible up front. With Rooney and Ronaldo out, Giggs was paired up front with Tevez and the latter, not being an out-and-out striker clearly struggled with his new role. Ronaldo is back now but was not at his best against Everton. And, can someone please tell Ron he sucks at free-kicks!

Champions League starts mid-week and ManU plays away at Sporting Lisbon. This is a tricky encounter, given the form ManU is in but then I expect Sporting's old boys Ron and Nani to play a huge role at their former stadium.

A few random thoughts...

1. What has happened to Giggs this season? He doesn't look good but then he has been playing up front, rather than in the wings.
2. Silvestre at LB and Evra at left wing? What is Fergie/Carlos thinking? But one consolation...looks like Egghead is out for a long time with an injury he suffered at Everton.
3. Tevez struggles up front but seems an entirely different (much better) player with Saha for company. Hope Saha, the Brittle' stays clear of any more injuries this season.
4. Too early to say this but with Hargreaves in CM, ManU look so different. They are much better at defending but far from the attacking force they were last season. Personally, I would prefer Owen only for games against top clubs and in Europe.
5. Martin Jol's days at Tottenham are numbered now. 40 million+ pounds later, they lose the London derby at home against Arsenal!? Wondering whether we will see Lippi, Koeman or Ramos?

In Memoriam

2007-09-01T00:38:00.000-07:00

Double tragedy in football last week - Sevilla's Puerta died of a heart-attack and QPR youngster Ray Jones died in an accident. R.I.P!

Antonio Puerta

Ray Jones

OLE OLE!

2007-08-28T07:09:00.001-07:00

Thank you OLE for all the memories!
Read the Solskjaer Moments

Need a Striker, Please!

2007-08-22T10:00:00.000-07:00

Two draws and a loss - hardly the start the champions would have envisaged, especially after spending a lot of money this summer. But the loss of Rooney against Reading and Ronaldo's red card against Portsmouth didn't help matters. Tevez is better off playing deep and the Red Devils clearly miss the presence of a striker up front. The derby loss against Man City was clearly a shock, especially having dominated the match. City had just one chance and they scored! ManU has to play 4-4-2 this weekend, and perhaps Fergie should give a chance to reserve-player Frazier Campbell who impressed in pre-season games. Btw, ManU are linked to Anelka, Martins, Berbatov, Huntelaar...the list just goes on!

The weekend match against Tottenham, another club in crisis, is a must-win for both teams. Martin Jol is in a precarious position after losing the first 2 matches of the season and pundits are already beginning to doubt if Spurs can achieve the elusive Champions League spot. Rumor has it Sevilla coach Ramos has declined Tottenham's offer and that he wants to wait for a possible position as the coach of Chelsea next season.

Btw, the penalty given to Chelsea against Liverpool was one of the worst ever refereeing decisions one would see in the EPL. ManU should be at least happy their main rivals Chelsea, Liverpool and Arsenal drew their matches. And, Fulham lost against Boro, thanks to the seemingly blind assistant referee and lack of goal-line technology. When technology such as Hawk-eye is being used in tennis and cricket, I don't understand why it is taking so much time to be implemented in football. The sooner it is implemented, the better it is for the game.

New Season and New Scorers

2007-08-12T09:57:00.000-07:00

The new EPL season has started! An exciting weekend saw a number of players scoring on debut for their new clubs - Bianchi & Geovanni for Manchester City, Chopra for Sunderland, Pizzaro and Malouda for Chelsea, Cruz for Blackburn, Sibierski for Wigan, Healy for Fulham, Kapo for Birmingham, and Utaka for Portsmouth.

Chelsea, Liverpool and Arsenal scraped through to wins against lowly opponents Birmingham, Villa, and Fulham while Champions ManUtd could just manage a goalless draw against Reading. Tottenham show they are yet to make the step up, suffering a shock loss at Keane's Sunderland. The most surprising was ManCity's performance under Sven Goran Ericksson, whose signings show real quality and moreover, the flair which was never witnessed at City under Stuart Pearce was on full display as City beat West Ham away. The excitement and fun has just started and hope this season turns out into a memorable one.

Punish The Traitor?

2007-08-08T08:36:00.000-07:00

'Judas' Heinze

What should be done to Heinze for his blasphemous request for a controversial move to Liverpool?

A. He should not be sold. Let him rot in the ManUtd reserves.

B. He should be punished severely by selling him to Liverpool ;)

Summer of Signings

2007-07-18T06:34:00.000-07:00

The summer signing spree continues. Clubs armed with new billionaire owners and cash from the new TV deal are going all out to get their man. Money is pouring into EPL, which is by far the most attractive league in the world. Move over millionaires. It's now billionaires who seek to buy football clubs and turn them into money-making enterprises. Ex-Thai PM Shinowatra has bought ManCity and brought in Eriksson (ManU fans, rejoice!) as the new manager. Newcastle and Birmingham are other clubs who have new owners. Taking a look at some of the major signings this summer...

ManU
It has been ManU all the way, splashing the most cash to get Hargreaves, Nani and Anderson, and most probably Tevez too. That would take ManU's spending to about 70 million pounds. The Glazers might seem spendthrift but then they know they will have to invest to make money. Btw, ManU fans can forget big money signings for at least another 10 years.

Liverpool
It's a fight between the Kop and Spurs for the 2nd place in spending most money. Until now, the Reds have bought Torres (£20.2m), Babel (£12m), Benayoun (£4m), Voronin (free), and about a thousand youngsters. Liverpool have strengthened the squad and should provide stiff challenge to Chelsea and ManU.

Tottenham
G Bale (£10m), D Bent (£16.5m), A Taarabt, Y Berchiche, Y Kaboul. Expect Tottenham to make more signings. But I expect Tottenham to stutter again and finish fifth.

Chelsea
Malouda(£12m), free - Sidwell, Pizzaro, Alex, Ben Haim. Chelsea have a strong squad and good backup players too. Mourinho has intended to revert to his 4-3-3 formation and that should be a lot better than the snoozefest provided by their 4-5-1 formation of last season.

Arsenal
Eduardo Da Silva (D Zagreb, £8m), L Fabianski (Legia Warsaw, £2m), H Nordveit (FK Haugesund, £2m), B Sagna (Auxerre, £6m rising to £8m)
Henry moving to Barca might be a blessing in disguise. Youngsters will have to come to the forefront and I am sure Wenger will see to that. Arsenal might even challenge for the title if they can get one of their strikers to score more than 20 goals this season.

Henry to Barca

2007-06-23T08:10:00.000-07:00

After the heart-break of losing the La Liga title to arch rivals Real Madrid on the last day, it was just the sort of encouraging news that Barca fans were waiting for. Although this signing would put the future of Eto'o into doubt, football fans around the world would be eager to see how some of the best attacking players in the world - Ronaldinho, Henry, Eto'o and Messi, link up. How will this transfer affect some of the clubs in Europe, we will have to wait and watch. Some random thoughts...

1. Arsenal were struggling to make it to the top four for the past two seasons and with Henry's departure and Wenger's future in doubt, it would seem Arsenal's title hopes are out even before the start of the new season.

2. Would Wenger too depart this season? He is supposed to be a man of integrity and he doesn't want to quit before his contract ends next season. However, with the departure of Henry, he knows he has to sign a world-class player to fill the void. Moreover with the departure of David Dein, he has lost a crucial ally in the Arsenal boardroom.

3. Henry loves the limelight. So do Ronnie and the outspoken Eto'o. Will there be ego clashes that could possibly threaten Barca's season? Will Rijkaard stay and be able to have control over his superstars?

4. Henry is 30 now. Does he still have it in him to prove himself like Van Nistelrooy did, in a different league?

5. I am no fan of Henry but I am a fan of Van Nistelrooy. I am no fan of Real Madrid but I love Barca. I am in a huge dilemma!

What's Hot and What's Not?

2007-06-06T06:57:00.000-07:00

ManU sign Porto's Anderson and Sporting Lisbon's Nani. The duo are dubbed as the new 'Ronaldinho' and 'C.Ronaldo' respectively, in a deal over 40 million pounds. The Hargreaves saga looks like it's finally over with the player set to join ManU in a 17 million pound deal. Well, with the Glazers splashing so much cash, ManU fans can now look forward to no more signings for the next 5 years!

Anelka is linked with ManU in a 8 million pound transfer. I am sure by the time he retires, the total money spent on him by clubs would exceed $1 billion!

Looks like West Ham has won the battle with Newcastle in the race to sign Man City's bad-boy Joey Barton. That's right. Barton is set to sign for Newcastle, having rejected West Ham. Can I hear West Ham fans heaving a sigh of relief?

The most ridiculous transfer news item..."Barca will swap Eto'o with Henry and pay an additional 17 million pounds." That would be the most preposterous transfer ever since Chelsea paid 30 million pounds for striker Shevchenko.

Chelsea have spent just $1 in the transfer market, getting back their on-loan defender Alex back from PSV and have signed on out-of-contract players such as Steve Sidwell and Claudio Pizzaro. However, I can see another 30 million pound signing (definitely a striker) in the offing.

Believe it or not, Wigan has signed on defender Titus Bramble from Newcastle. Let's just say it's the end of Wigan's Premiership hopes and the beginning of Newcastle's!

Steve McClaren has brought back David Beckham into the England squad. Good way to admit to the English fans and the press his team can never score through open play.

Lampard was booed by English fans during friendly draw with Brazil. Yes, only Lamps! Mac finally got some respite.

Ever heard of the player who gave up his dream of being a celebrity chef because it was too stressful and then became one of the most successsful managers of all-time? That's Sir Alex Ferguson for you!

Best Moments of the EPL Season 2006/07

Best match - ManU's destruction of Bolton home and away.

Goals of the season - Drobga's winner over Howard against Everton at Goodison Park and Scholes' cracking volley at Newcastle.

Best team performance - Wigan's final day escapade.

Unsung hero - Everton defender Yobo

Funniest moment - Chelsea's guard of honour for Dong, Eagles, Lee, and co.

The season in 5 words - Exhilarating, Dubious, Ferguson, Tevez, Shocking.

Milan in Seventh Heaven

2007-05-24T08:04:00.000-07:00

Milan won their 7th European Cup, and how sweet it was for the Rossenieri! They had their revenge over Liverpool at the Greek Olympic Stadium, and were finally able to bury their shocking memory of the loss against the same opponents two years back at Istanbul. If one person deserves the trophy more than anyone else, it has to be Captain 'Marvelous' Maldini, who did a terrific job yet again, defying his age. Congrats Milan! A Greek tragedy for the Kop!

Marvelous Maldini

What's On Their Mind?

2007-05-10T06:12:00.000-07:00

Jose - I am ze special one. My players are ze special ones. Need 100 million pounds to get more special ones.

Roman - Ahh...Jose is demanding more funds. I think I may have to return to my money laundering days soon.

Obi Mikel - What have I done? I should ask for a new contract and more money to get over my mistake of leaving ManU.

Wenger - Need to get more players and strengthen my squad for next zeason. I heard there are a couple of promising 14-year olds in Ghana...must get them.

Owen - Newcastle is a big club and I should be loyal to them. Who am I kidding? Fergie, Jose, Rafa...someone please put me out of my misery.

Tevez - Qué el infierno que estoy haciendo en WestHam? Debo ir a Chelsea y ganar más efectivo y participar en las orgías de JohnT y de Lamps.

Southgate - How can I put the blame on Cristiano Ronaldo for Boro's disappointing season?

Ballack - Should I get another Maybach with my last week's wages?

Ronaldinho - Who says I am not hungry anymore? I never skip my lunch or dinner. I never say no to a free lunch. And in fact, I have regular snacks throughout the day.

Becks - Should I quit football and take a shot at Hollywood?

Ruud - The ball is Cristiano Ronaldo and the net is Fergie.

Essien - I should learn not to put my big foot inside my mouth. And, I should learn Math.

Big Sam - So many test messages from Fergie! Should change my number.

Fergie - Must find Big Sam.

ManU are EPL Champions!

2007-05-06T10:39:00.000-07:00

Back Home Where It Truly Belongs

A truly deserving title win for Manchester United. What an exciting season this has been for ManU and Premiership fans in general! Sir Alex Ferguson has once again masterminded a great title win and knocked Jose Mourinho and his Chelsea side of their perch. A delightful day for ManU fans all around the world. It's time to uncork the champagne bottle. Here's to the world's best football club and the best team in Europe this season.

Source: manutd.com

InSane Siro

2007-05-03T11:28:00.000-07:00

In one of the best displays in recent years of the Champions League, AC Milan destroyed a tired and jaded ManU. AC Milan put up a great show of possession football and made it look so easy against the top English team. Meanwhile Chelsea faltered at Anfield in a match that was devoid of much excitement, except for the penalties. Just proves teams with rested players play a lot better, and fatigue catches up for some teams after a certain point of time, as it happened for ManU and Chelsea.
Best Players in the Semis -> Kaka, Rooney, Gattuso, Gerrard
Worst Players in the Semis -> Lampard, Heinze, Ronaldo

I think Kaka has pipped Ronaldo for the European and probably even World Player of the Year awards. Kaka has been awesome this season, especially in Europe but then his team's performance in Serie A does not invoke much praise.

La Liga is very close this season. Just one point separates the top 3 - Barca, Real and Sevilla. With in-form Real playing Sevilla this season, things should hot up this weekend.

ManU's Comeback and Sourinho

2007-04-29T00:20:00.000-07:00

If there was a weekend that determined the Premiership, it has to be this weekend. At one point, Chelsea were equal on points with ManU after going 2-1 up against Bolton and ManU deep in trouble 0-2 at Everton. However, ManU's resilience and fighting spirit came to the fore for the second time this week and with a little help from Everton's appalling mistakes, and Bolton's equalizer from Davies means ManU are 5 points ahead, with 3 more games to go.

Teams have always found it difficult in EPL games that follow an European game and especially after intense encounters against AC Milan and Liverpool respectively, ManU and Chelsea were always going to struggle. However, ManU has regained the momentum this weekend and it will hope the Gunners will do them a favor by beating Chelsea next week.

This week, Wenger has surprisingly hailed his old and eternal foe Fergie as the best EPL manager this season along with Reading's Steve Coppell. I am sure he has no regard for ManU winning the title this season but he would want to put one over Jose and prove money isn't everything.

Meanwhile, it looks like the relegation battle will go down the wire. Fulham, Wigan are getting sucked into the zone while West Ham are in the zone only by goal difference. Charlton looks doomed. Now that Watford is relegated, I am eager to see Ben Foster replace EVS in goal at ManU. Frankly, the latter doesn't inspire much confidence these days but then, he has a patched up defence in front of him.

Meanwhile, Birmingham and Sunderland top the Championship with just one more game to go, and they just have to win their games to make it to the EPL next week. Derby has to hope one of them lose next week and win their final 2 games, otherwise it goes to the playoffs. And yes, Leeds go down to division one!

Finally, we have to admit Mourinho has a problem. He just can't keep his mouth shut. First, he complains teams don't get penalties against ManU and then he fumes Chelsea did not get a penalty for a handball that clearly happens outside the box. Furthermore, he calls Liverpool a small club, with utter disregard for their history. He has exceeded the limit this time around and it's very surprising that the FA doesn't do anything about this.

In a Spot of Bother

2007-04-23T16:10:00.000-07:00

The mounting number of injuries to key ManU players has been a growing concern lately, and with Rio ruled out for 2 weeks, I am concerned about ManU's chances in the Champions League and this weekend's away match at Everton. Not enough bench strength and player fatigue are 2 main things ManU should overcome if they have to win the EPL and reach the CL final. Meanwhile no surprises in the Player of the Year and Young Player of the Year PFA awards, both goes to Ronaldo.

It has been reported in the media that Jose can keep his job as Chelsea manager if he keeps his mouth shut and plays attractive and entertaining football, both of which seems highly unlikely. The draw at Newcastle was a major blow and they go into the semifinals against a highly spirited Liverpool, a team that has only one trophy to play for. I see Rafa, a mastermind at Europe, putting one over Jose.

Meanwhile, La Liga title race could never be closer. With Barca losing and Real beating Valencia, the title is still open. Btw, the goal Messi scored for Barca against Getafe in the King's Cup semifinals is one of the best in recent times and there are already comparisons with Maradona's wonder goal.

In Seventh Heaven

2007-04-12T09:04:00.000-07:00

What a response by ManU after two consecutive losses! A 7-1 thrashing of Roma in one of the most attacking displays ever in the knockout stages of the Champions League takes ManU to the semifinal meeting with AC Milan and gives them a chance to gain revenge after losing to them 2 years back in the 2nd round stage. Carrick played one of his best ever games in a ManU jersey and I will be surprised if Ronaldo does not win the player of the year honors this year.

A perfect year for English football with 3 teams in the semifinals. Chelsea have a chance to gain revenge over Liverpool and the chance of an all-England Final is pretty good. I have a feeling Chelsea will have their revenge mainly due to their resilience but then Rafa is a master at European games. Now then, who will have the last laugh?

Dream Theatre

2007-04-03T15:01:00.000-07:00

ManU regained their 6-point lead after a comeback 4-1 win against Blackburn, while Chelsea scraped to a 1-0 win away at Watford. The Gunners were thrashed 4-1 by Liverpool at Anfield, while relegation candidates Charlton and West Ham managed crucial wins. The relegation battle is getting really interesting and there is a danger that Villa, Fulham might get sucked into it.

The next round of the Champions League starts today after a long break. Milan could only manage a 2-2 draw with Bayern Munich at the San Siro while Liverpool scored three away at PSV. ManU plays Roma tomorrow while Chelsea take on Morientes-Valencia.

A few things I couldn't help notice...

Mascherano doing well at Liverpool proving yet again that he's a great midfielder - shows it's just that Alan Pardew and Alan Curbishley were incapable of handling such a top performer! But then, these are English managers, aren't they?

Real Madrid and Barca clashing yet again, this time off the field, for ManU's Cristiano Ronaldo. But apparently, Real is not willing to pay 50 million pounds, when they could splurge close to 50 million on a comparitively older Zidane in 2001.

Roma making too many noises about Ronaldo and diving! Italians talking about diving - now there's something you seldom come across!

Flamini is not happy being on the bench and wants to leave Arsenal and play in the first-team. Something to think about for Silvestre and Darren Fletcher!

Roy Keane-managed Sunderland's unbeaten run in the Championship this year sees them close to the automatic promotion place. 6 more good games and perhaps, we can see Sir Alex and his former protege clashing on the sidelines next year. Roy Keane at Old Trafford in the away bench...that's something no ManU fan would have dreamt of.

The Show Goes On...

2007-03-20T18:08:00.000-07:00

ManUtd continued their fantastic run in the EPL with a superb 4-1 win over Bolton, while Chelsea kept pace with them with a win over Sheffield. The gap between the top two and the rest continues to widen as Arsenal (not suprisingly) lost at Everton and Liverpool could only manage a draw against Villa.

Ronaldo has been in inspired form this season and continues to either score goals or provide assists, when he is not winning penalties as he did against Boro in the FA Cup replay win. I do not understand the hue and cry raised by Boro after the penalty was given for a blatant and clumsy foul by Woodgate on Ronaldo. Looks like some teams just have a personal vendetta against Ron. Opposition fans and players are going on and on that it was yet another blatant dive while the perpetrator Woodgate remains quiet.

Meanwhile, things have been hotting up in La Liga too with Barca, Sevilla, and Real winning but Valencia losing ground. Messi's comeback has provided a stimulus to Barca's otherwise woeful season and his performance against Real Madrid in the El Clasico was one of the greatest in recent times. If only Messi and Eto'o had been fit, Barca would have had a much better season.

Soccer, for now...

2007-03-02T15:42:00.000-08:00

It's soccer time! Being in USA, things are a bit different here....I switch on my TV, and they show nothing other than basketball...am already tired of it but then I hope to catch a Spurs game live in the stadium some day soon.

Getting back to soccer, it's been a real shock for Gunner fans as Arsenal crashed out of the FA Cup and lost the Carling Cup final in a matter of a few days. As a ManUtd fan it's tough to say this but I feel Arsenal will only get stronger after a couple of years. Anyway, good for ManUtd...they progressed in the FA Cup and scraped to a victory over Fulham....that should result in lesser pressure for the weekend's match at Anfield.

I am hoping they show the match live here but any time I switch on the sports channel, all I get is basketball! Keeping my fingers crossed that they show it live tomorrow and that ManUtd wins!

What's the Real Deal?

2007-02-06T07:49:00.000-08:00

Real Madrid's fall from grace has become even more spectacular as they got beaten by relegation-threatened club Levante for the first time ever in their history, and to add insult to injury, it was their 1000th match at the Santiago Bernabeau Stadium. Real fans began to wave their white hankies towards the end of the game, demanding manager Capello and President Calderon's resignation.

Bringing Capello to Madrid was always a risky business for the Madridstas wouldn't accept anything less than an entertaining and attacking game of football, while Capello always symbolised the Italian Catennaccio style where the focus is much more on defending. While bringing in Jose Mourinho would be a prudent move, his win-at-any-cost attitude towards the game will only endear the fans for a short while, probably until they win their first trophy in a long time.

I think it would be wise for Real to appoint someone who is not afraid to play attacking football. For a glamorous club such as Real Madrid, it is not what they win that counts but how they win that matters more. I feel the club should go for either former Real-man Bernd Schuster who is doing wonders at Getafe or Didier Deschamps who took Monaco to the Champions League final a few years back. And, the new manager should be given a free-reign for at least a year or two!

Jose Feels the Heat

2007-01-21T05:15:00.000-08:00

Will Jose Mourinho be at Chelsea during the next season? That's the million dollar question right now. After a string of draws with some unfancied teams, there's a lot of speculation that things aren't well between Jose and Abromovich and his board. The loss at Anfield highlighted Chelsea's poor defence and with Terry still injured, the Chelsea board isn't willing to grant Jose's request for a defender and a striker.

Moreover, Shevchenko still appears to the bone of contention, with his close friendship with Abromovich viewed with jealousy by other players and his struggle to adapt to the pace of the Premiership not winning the confidence of his manager.

Jose has been the architect of his own downfall this season by not playing the formation he used in his 2 previous successful Premiership-winning seasons. Ballack looks woefully out of sorts in the Chelsea midfield and playing without the wingers, Chelsea has been looking out of shape for quite a while now.

Gallas was one of the most important players for Chelsea over the last 2 seasons, if not the most important. But his departure to Arsenal in the summer and the arrival of Cashley Cole has weakened the defence significantly. In fact, the Terry-Gallas partnership was much better than the present Terry-Carvalho partnership.

Apparently, Jose and Abromovich haven't been looking eye-to-eye for a few months now and this is bad news for Chelsea. If Jose leaves this summer, it would be a big loss for the club and whoever else comes in place of him, be it Hiddink or Ancelotti, would find it extremely difficult to fill the boots of Mourinho.

Meanwhile, ManUtd were unlucky not to claim a point at the Emirates. Liverpool did a favor for ManUtd by beating Chelsea but Arsenal has now made a favor for Chelsea by beating ManUtd. And it does make the title-run-in much more exciting this season.

Crazy Transfer Rumors

2007-01-05T05:32:00.000-08:00

Cristiano Ronaldo to Real for 50 million...that's one among the many worthless rumors doing the rounds lately, thanks to the opening of the winter transfer window. Here are some of the other rumors...

ManU - Owen Hargreaves (yawn!) from Bayern for 17 million GBP, Gareth Bale from Southampton for >3 million, Barton from ManC and Bentley from Blackburn!

Chelsea - Micah Richards from ManC for 20 million, Upson from Birmingham, Sol from Portsmouth, Andrade from Deportivo, Ayala from Valencia.

Liverpool - D.Bent from Charlton, Mascherano from WHam, A.Young from Watford.

Arsenal - Ribery from Marseille, Gareth Bale from Southampton.

West Ham - Matthew Upson, Shaun Wright-Phillips and Mark Viduka.

Other crazy rumors include Crouch to Juventus!

Christmas Presents

2006-12-25T02:09:00.000-08:00

It's that time of the year where we give out presents to managers and players. Last year, Wenger got a pair of binoculars, Essien got a new pair of spiked football shoes. This time, these would be the appropriate presents for these people...

Shevchenko - a return ticket to Italy

Alan Pardew - a flag of Argentina

Fegie - already got an early Christmas present by drawing Lille in the next round of CL

Mourinho - a video archive of great, entertaining football

Wenger - a couple of promising 10 year old kids from Angola - Onwaquachi and Muawawahaha

What people should give away as presents...

Mourinho - the young guys who spend more time warming the bench than ruffling the referee on the pitch

Beckham - his retirement announcement

Fergie - releasing Silvestre who can help out Cannavaro at Real

Merry Christmas everyone and a Happy New Year!

Champions League Draw!

2006-12-15T03:32:00.000-08:00

The pick of the draw is the clash of recent winners - Liverpool and Barcelona. And, there's Bayern against Real Madrid. The draw has been kind to Chelsea, Arsenal and ManU.

Courtesy: UEFA.com

Can we expect some shock results in this round?

The Race is on...

2006-12-10T02:18:00.000-08:00

After a nerve-wracking final round of CL matches, I was relieved to see ManU and Barca make it to the knockout stages of the Champions League. With Eto'o and Messi expected in the next month, I hope Barca does much better. As for ManU, Fergie has to realize he cannot expect to win the Premier League and the Champions League titles with this squad lacking quality in depth. I guess Fergie will settle for one of these two this season and no more signings expected this winter transfer window, I am sure it's the EPL title he has set his sights on.

We will know the 2nd round match-ups this Friday and I only hope ManU do not draw Barca this early. It's going to be tough for even the first placed teams with some strong clubs finishing second in their groups. I am sure the English clubs will be anxious about drawing either Barca, Real, or Inter.

ManU are setting the pace in EPL, along with some great football. Fergie certainly knows his first XI but with the festive period and lots of games coming up, he has to shuffle his players so that they are not exhausted in the latter stages.

Btw, what's with all the clubs being or in talks about being taken over. Liverpool, Man City, Newcastle are among the clubs who are certain to join ManU, Chesea, WHam, Villa in being taken over. No club can expect another Abromovich but I wonder if this does any good to the club and the game as such in the long term.

Also, Chelsea's chairman Peter Kenyon talks about Chelsea overtaking ManU as the best supported club in the world by 2014. Peter...That's just wishful thinking if you believe buying all titles with Roman's mafia money is gonna get people become more attached to the club. Your club can buy top players and titles but you can never buy history and tradition that are associated with Europe's elite clubs such as ManU, Real, Barca, Liverpool, and so on. Moreover, there's something called beautiful football. Try and play that and try to fill out your Stamford Bridge stadium first before you can even dream about world domination!

PS: Essien's stunning equaliser earned a point for Chelsea against Arsenal. Chelsea 'started playing' only in the last quarter of an hour after the poor Shevchenko (must be counting his days at London now!) was substituted and the wingers came on. Luck was however on Arsenal's side as Chelsea hit the post a number of times and Lehmann's blunder right at the end of the game almost giving Chelsea the win. For once, I was cheering for Arsenal and was really impressed by Gilberto. He was the best player on the pitch and it is time Wenger realize Henry is no captain material and give the captain's armband to Gilberto.

Larsson to ManU - A Coup?

2006-12-02T08:49:00.000-08:00

Just when rumours were strife that Fergie was planning to sign either Torres, Bent or Defoe in the winter transfer window, Fergie has surprised everyone by signing ex-Celtic legend and former Barca striker Henrik Larsson on loan for a couple of months. This may turn out to be a masterstroke but then the duration of the loan period is not too long. Will Larsson make a big difference at the start of the second half of the season? Will he reproduce the same form that helped Barca win the La Liga and CL titles, even though he will be at OT just for a short period of just of 2 months? Every ManU fan would hope so.

Henrik Larsson factfile (courtesy: Telegraph.co.uk)

1971: Born Sept 20, in Helsingborg.
1993: Leaves Helsingborg to join Feyenoord.
1994: Member of Sweden's World Cup squad which finishes third at USA 94.
1997: Joins Celtic and scores 16 goals to help the Hoops to their first Scottish Premier League title for a decade.
2001: Wins Uefa Golden Boot and breaks Charlie Nicholas' post-war Scottish record with 50 goals as Celtic win treble.
2002: Becomes Scotland's all-time top scorer in Europe with 22 goals.
2003: Scores 200th and 201st goals for Celtic in Uefa Cup final against Porto but Celtic lose 3-2.
2004 April: Helps Celtic to third title in four years and then leaves after scoring 242 goals in 315 appearances.
June: Joins Barcelona, but misses much of the season through injury as they win La Liga.
2006: Scores 10 goals as Barca win La Liga again and plays a part in both goals as they beat Arsenal 2-1 in May's Champions League final.
June: Rejoins Helsingborg.
Dec 1: Agrees to join Manchester United on loan.

Pick of the Week

2006-11-27T09:04:00.000-08:00

I have not been able to update my blog for a long time...my apologies for that. The past couple of weeks have seen some great action across Europe. Some of the goals that really caught my eye and ranked accordingly are these...

1. Nakamura's awesome freekick, giving Celtic a win over ManU. One of the best freekicks I have ever seen. Just unstoppable!

2. Ronaldinho can't seem to stop scoring lately, his incredible overhead kick goal hit the final nail over Villareal's coffin.

3. Jermaine Defoe scored a peach of a goal, bamboozling the Wigan defenders. This guy is a terrific but underrated striker and needs to start more regularly for Tottenham.

4. Saha did a Ronaldinho over Chelsea, taking a shot from a tight angle and scoring a wonderful goal with his great left foot. Pity, it wasn't the winning goal!

5. Blackburn's Tugay is well-known for his long range kicks, so it was no surprise when he hit that stunning strike from nearly 30 yards. What a volley!!!!!

There's a rumor that Cannavaro is certain to land the prize of BalloonD'Or or the European player of the year, followed by Buffon and Henry. I feel Eto'o deserves that honour more than anyone else. His wonderful scoring record last season both in Spain and in Europe was the main catalyst in Barca doing a double. No doubt, Cannavaro was incredible at that World Cup but that alone does not make him more worthy than Eto'o.
My Pick would be Eto'o, Ronaldinho, Deco, Henry, Kaka...in that order.

Ruud and Ronnie to the Rescue

2006-11-13T07:36:00.000-08:00

In the La Liga, Ruud scored 4 goals in Real's away win over Osasuna, while Ronaldinho scored 2 and set up another in Barca's 3-1 home win over Zaragoza. It's good to see my favorite players leading the race for the 'pichichi' with 8 goals, although I am not too happy Real is getting too much for a bargain price of 10 million pounds. But, with the galacticos era over at Real Madrid and that fool of a president Perez out, my antagonism towards Real has diminished to a certain extent. And, Ronnie was at his inpirational best yet again, rescuing his team from a goal down to a morale-boosting victory.

Now, it brings us to the question....who is the world' s best striker/forward at present?

Shevchenko
Ruud Van Nistelrooy
Henry

For me, it has to be Ruud simply because he has proven time and again that he can go to any club and score at will. Unlike Shevchenko, who seems to struggle at Chelsea, not something expected from someone regarded as the best striker in the world by many pundits not long ago. Henry has been terrific for Arsenal over many seasons but then we would never know if he can be the same prolific striker if he was at a different club. What do you think?

European Nights - The Misery and the Ecstacy

2006-11-02T08:45:00.000-08:00

Not a great week of European action for me. ManU lost at Copenhagen thanks to triple injury blow. During last weekend against Bolton, they started with their best XI players after a long long time and we saw how they demolished the Trotters. A few injuries now and ManU are in a limp! That's where Chelsea scores over ManU with their strength in squad depth. However, it wasn't a pretty sight at the Nou Camp with cards being dished out to every other player. Well, seeing Mourinho's celebrations, one would think his team won at the Nou Camp. Relax Jose, it was only a draw and there's still a long way to go. Btw, Real won thanks to a freakish own goal and qualified.

The only consolation for me was AC Milan's performance and the fact that they have almost qualified. If only they can reproduce their European form in Serie A too! They are nearly 14 points behind leaders Inter!

Arsenal...my god! how many chances must they have missed?? They kept hounding CSKA's goal, missed so many sitters that no wonder the crowds became distraught. Their group has become so evenly poised now!

The next round of matches should be really exciting now. Teams that have qualified include Bayern Munich, Valencia, Liverpool, PSV Eidhoven, Lyon, Real Madrid.

Questions to ponder...
Can Chelsea be beaten in Europe this season?
Who should ManU sign during this winter transfer window if they have to succeed both in EPL and in Europe?

Rooney Magic

2006-10-29T05:51:00.000-08:00

Well, for all ya Rooney doubters out there, take a hike!!!!! Rooney was awesome in ManU's match against Bolton, who by the way, looked like a Championship team, especially in the first half when ManU just ripped them apart. 4-0 to ManU, Rooney scores a hat-trick, great attacking and entertaining display yet again...what more does a fan want? Yes, the league title...but still a long way to go.

Rooney gets his ball

Chelsea, as always, relied upon a bit of luck as the Sheffield goalkeeper's mistake gave them the lead. And once, they take the lead, do they ever lose that? Trip to the Nou Camp awaits now, but given Barca's recent poor showing in Eto'o's absence, I wouldn't be surprised if the Catalans struggle at their home stadium.

Everton did extremely well for a team with so many players ill during midweek, denying the Gunners all 3 points at the Emirates Stadium. Cahill has been one of best attacking midfielders in EPL over the last 3 seasons, and deserves every bit to have been nominated for the world player of the year.

Villa's unbeaten run came to an end as expected, at Anfield. Liverpool, having been criticised all week for their show at OT, had to answer with goals, and they did. 3-1 to the Kop and Rafa is spared of the criticism for at least a week now.

Farewell to the Greatest!

2006-10-24T08:45:00.000-07:00

There's so much happening at the moment in football but so little time to write about them.

ManU defeating Liverpool very easily - is it because ManU played that well or Liverpool played really bad? Rafa Benitez will know the answer to that. 97th consecutive game he has changed his team and now Liverpool are 11 points behind ManU and Chelsea!

Barca's defeat at Real - Do Barca miss Eto'o? Will they slide down the table or will Rijkaard make sure Barca regain their top form? Anyway, it must be great relief for Capello, who had to clear rumors that he might quit after Real's defeat at Getafe.

Arsenal playing terrific football again, beating Reading away 4-0. Does anyone know when Arsenal are playing Bolton?

Shevchenko finally opening his account in EPL. Will he improve his form now?

'Bite Hart Lane'- terrific headline in 'The Sun', denoting Jermaine Defoe's bite on Javier Mascherano. Martin Jol called that a comical incident but Mascherano's reaction to the bite was even more comical. He rolled about on the ground and acted like a man who was shot!

Glenn Roeder (Newcastle), Ian Dowie (Charlton), Alan Pardew (West Ham), or Stuart Pearce (ManC)...your pick for the first manager to get sacked this season?

I know this is not football but...

Formula Without #1

Farewell Schumi...Thank you for all the memories...We'll miss u!

Schumi, the greatest F1 racer ever, definitely ranks among my all-time top 5 favorite sportsmen.

Cech it out!

2006-10-16T08:27:00.000-07:00

Highs
ManU putting up a terrific second half performance to come back from behind to beat Wigan 3-1 at the JJB stadium. If the introduction of Giggs at half-time was the catalyst, Rooney showed why he is still the best by having an inspired second half.

Ronaldinho is back to form as Barca beat high-flying Sevilla 3-1 at the Nou Camp. Ronnie's brace and Messi's great strike takes Barca to top of the table, 3 points ahead of Valencia who lost at Celta.

Lows
Chelsea keeper Peter Cech injured his skull in a clash with Reading's Hunt. He has had surgery and is out until the end of the year. His deputy Cudicini too was injured towards the end of the game and Chelsea finished with John Terry between the goalposts!

Real Madrid suffered their first defeat in Spain this season as they were beaten 1-0 away by Getafe. Real played one of its worst games under Capello and they were lucky to escape with that scoreline. And, Ronaldo got sent off in his first game after a long injury layoff.

West Ham, Newcastle continued their losing streak, against Portsmouth and Bolton respectively. Alan Pardew and Glenn Roeder's days at the helm might just be numbered.

Euro Blues

2006-10-09T10:33:00.000-07:00

The obvious shocks so far are Spain and France losing. Scotland's win over France means they sit at the top of their group but they do have some tough away matches. Italy lost their World Cup hangover thankfully and won a hard-fought match against Ukraine. This is definitely the group to watch out for.

Spain reached a new low when they lost away at Sweden. This time Aragones has to quit for good. Factional divisions, lack of team spirit, and lack of faith and passion among supporters have left Spain, a team of talented players, struggling to find a win after 3 matches.

As always, England flattered to deceive against a spirited Macedonian team who themselves came close to pulling off a shocking win. However, England sit atop their group due to goal difference but with an away match at Croatia this week, there might be some changes.

I did not expect Ireland to put on such a pathetic defensive display. They are definitely in danger of losing out of Euro 2008, along with Spain, unless they clean up their act soon. And Wales without Giggs, will probably struggle to even beat a team like San Marino.

Ronaldo continued his impressive form when he netted a brace for Portugal in it's win over Azerbaijan. Meanwhile, the Czechs thrashed San Marino 7-0. And, Holland snatched a point away at Bulgaria thanks to Robin Van Persie's equaliser. I still don't understand how Ruud Van Nistelrooy can be left out of the squad!

Scotland 1 France 0

Sweden 2 Spain 0

England 0 Macedonia 0

Cyprus 5 Ireland 2

Italy 2 Ukraine 0

Wales 1 Slovakia 5

Portugal 3 Azerbaijan 0

Czech Republic 7 San Marino 0

Bulgaria 1 Holland 1

Quick Punches

2006-09-29T12:22:00.000-07:00

Giggs injured. Rooney out of form. ManU beaten at home. God help ManU! Silvestre out injured for 6 weeks. Sweets, anyone?

Argentine superstars move to West Ham. Time to win the UEFA Cup. West Ham record since then - Played 5, Lost 4, Drawn 1. Out of the Cup!

Age: Sheva 29. Ruud 29. Cost: Sheva £30 million. Ruud £12 million. Goals: Sheva 1. Ruud 5+.

Arsenal Red. Juventus Red. Inter Red. PatRed Viera?!!

Bad Refs and Other Stinkers

2006-09-27T10:52:00.000-07:00

One month into the new season and no prizes for guessing which team tops the EPL table. Chelsea are not committed to playing free-flowing football like Arsenal or entertaining & attacking game like ManU does...they just go for the points. One goal and they win the game in some style - sitting back, defending deep and stifling the opponents' attack. Can't expect much more from a team playing 4 central midfielders!

Anyway, looks like ManU again flattered to deceive. After winning 4 in a row, they lost at home to the Gunners and then drew at Reading. They still are at number two and have a few points more than the Gunners and the Kops, their other main rivals.

Too early to say this but I think the Red Devils, Gunners and the Kops have to improve their consistency drastically if the title race is to gonna go down to the wire.

Some interesting observations till now...

Ref Trouble

The quality of refereeing seem to go down every season. Refs such as Steve Bennett still referee at the top division, elbowing still goes unpunished, inconsistencies in 'handling the ball' decisions, laughable penalty decisions, and offside controversies.

Jose's Eleven

Mourinho finally succumbs to the pressure of changing his formation to accomodate his superstars into the playing eleven. Makalele, Essien, Lampard and Ballack in the midfield...but with Sheva so out of form (as many of you had predicted!), I guess it's just a matter of time before he finds himself on the bench. Btw, Gallas is scoring goals for Arsenal whereas Cole, the best LB in the world, looks ill at ease in his new club!

Boo Hoo

The constant booing from rival fans seems to have made Ronaldo an entirely different player. He has been one of the best player in the league along with Giggs and defenders have already expressed their unhappiness at facing him on the pitch. More consistency, more goals, and of course the constant booing has made Ronaldo much more determined. And that's bad news for the defenders.

Tinker Stinker

Liverpool manager has not fielded the same team for 93 games in succession now...and they used to call Ranieri the tinkerman!

Rumble on

Why do managers seem to say the same things during the post match talk? Fergie has been singing in praise of Ronaldo saying how good he is and Wenger keeps claiming there is lot of potential in his Arsenal squad. I think I'd rather opt for Mourinho's remarks "Levski Sofia away is tougher than playing Barca"...that guy is getting funnier by the day!

09.09.06 - Venue: Theatre of Dreams - I WAS THERE!

2006-09-10T14:42:00.000-07:00

11.00 - I am on the Virgin train from Oxford to Manchester, all excited about going to the Old Trafford football stadium. I just hope I get a ticket. I am willing to spend up to 80 pounds.

13.00 - The train looks crowded as a number of people get on at the Birmingham station. I hear a bloke sitting some feet away from me, explaining to his female co-passenger that the OT stadium has just got bigger and that ManUtd has started the season very well. I can probably afford 100 pounds, I think.

13.55 - As the train moved towards the Manchester Piccadily station, I could see the Old Trafford football stadium coming into view. If only I could get a ticket!

14.00 - The train is right on time and I have reached the station. I alternate between going by a bus or by Metrolink tram, to Old Trafford. I choose the latter.

14.15 - I get a ticket for 2 pounds and am told I can use the same for the return travel too.

14.20 - I am inside the tram and I find a number of people wearing ManUtd jerseys. I curse myself for forgetting to bring it.

14.25 - Aware of the fact that I still have not got a ticket, I ask the blokes who are seated right before if I could get a ticket this late. I am told there are many people trying to sell the tickets for higher amount. I keep my fingers crossed.

14.35 - I get down at the Old Trafford station and follow the hordes of fans to the stadium.

14.40 - I pass by the Old Trafford cricket stadium and can see that a few people are watching a county match.

14.45 - On the way, I come across a number of small roadside shopes selling ManUtd memorabilia. I buy myself a ManUtd scarf for 5 pounds.

14.50 - I could see the stadium ahead, a few hundred yards from me. More than 2 hours before kickoff, the area is already crowded.

14.55 - I encountered a guy selling tickets, who was selling a 35 pound ticket for 60 pounds. A seat in the Eastern stands. I decided to buy it.

15.00 - I passed by a father-son duo who were wearing ManU jerseys. I asked them what would be the best time to enter the stadium. I am told they do not enter more than an hour before kickoff.

15.02 - I take a few snaps in front of the stadium and decide to check out the ManUtd store.

15.05 - The ManUtd store was great. I take a few snaps there too, and after checking out the stuff and the high prices, I decide to goto the ManUtd museum.

15.15 - I go inside ManUtd museum after paying 6 pounds. I am there for over half an hour, checking out their great history, the titles they won, reading more about the 1958 Munich Air Tragedy. I also watch a small video detailing how the stadium and locker-rooms and other things are prepared before any match. The museum visit has made me even prouder to be a ManUtd fan.

16.00 - I decide to go inside the stadium, and as I climb up the stairs to enter the corridor of the East Stand, I am beginning to get really excited.

16.08 - A shock for me as I cannot find my ticket. After some frantic search, I find it a minute later on the stairs. I curse my stupidity and thank my stars.

16.10 - I enter the East Stand, and begin to take snaps. The seats are still empty around the stadium. The words 'STRETFORD END' and 'MANCHESTER UNITED' were etched onto the seats of the West Stand and North Stand respectively.

16.30 - Players from both teams have started to warm up on the pitch.

17.00 - The seats are beginning to fill up very fast.

17.15 - Fergie and Giggs are presented the 'Manager of the Month' and 'Player of the Month' awards. Match kicks off. Tottenham seem to play well in the opening few minutes. Both sets of supporters are singing. Tottenham supporters surprisingly seem louder.

17.24 - Giggs scores with a header after Robinson fumbles a Ronaldo freekick.

17.30 - I chant along with other ManUtd supporters - "UNITED! UNITED!"

18.00 - We are nearing half-time and I have heard various ManUtd chants. I cannot get the lyrics though.

18.30 - ManUtd are much better after the break and the atmosphere is just electric. A guy behind me is really enthued and has been singing vociferously.

19.00 - An announcement is made that a new Premiership attendance record has been set. I am one among the 75434 people who watched the game at the Theatre of Dreams.

19.15 - After an entertaining match, supported by fierce singing from both sets of supporters, the match ends in a ManUtd win.

19.20 - I am on my way back to the station and I try to make my way through thousands of fans and a number of security guards.

19.35 - I leave Old Trafford and on the way back to Manchester Piccadilly, I reflect back on my experience. Visiting the Theatre of Dreams was a dream and I finally fulfill it! Thank you ManUtd! United Forever!

Transfer Mockery

2006-09-04T09:58:00.000-07:00

There was a flurry of transfers as the summer transfer window slammed shut on Thurday. None was as shocking as the swoop for in-demand Argentine duo Tevez and Mascherano by West Ham United. Definitely something sinister was going on the background, which I am sure we'll come to know more about as time passes by.

Fergie let down the ManU fans yet again by making just one signing in Michael Carrick, who is not a replacement for either legends - Keane and Ruud. In fact, for the first time in many years, ManU spent less money than they received for selling players. Rossi moves to Newcastle at a time when ManU have just a couple of fit strikers. And we all know about Saha and Solkjaer's history.

Arsenal made astute deals on the last day by swapping Reyes for Baptista with Real Madrid, on loan. Furthermore, they got 5 million pounds plus Gallas from Chelsea in exchange for Ashley Cole. Although Gallas' age (he is 29) is a minus-point, he is one of the best in EPL and scores the occasional goals too. Arsenal will benefit from Gallas far more than Chelsea benefits from Cole. Btw, Walcott remains the only English player now in Arsenal.

Tottenham spent more than 30 million pounds this summer and nearly half of that on the last couple of days. Chimbonda, Malbranque, Mido looked like panic buys, especially with the Spurs in not so great form.

Liverpool had a good summer and made most of their buys before the World Cup. Attacking players such as Gonzales, Bellamy and Kuyt are certain to add steel to their attack, an area where they were found wanting last season.

Portsmouth, for all their new-found money, kept a low profile spending just about 10 million pounds and making a number of loan deals. Manuel Fernandez is supposed to be the next next-Viera, after all Sissoko and Zakora have made similar claims. And of course, Lassana Diarra has claimed to be the next Makalele. And, I am the next Andy Gray!

Great Players and Managers

2006-08-29T10:11:00.000-07:00

ManU legend Roy Keane has become the new manager of Sunderland. There is no doubt he is one of the greatest midfielders of this era, but can he now reach the great heights he once reached as a player?

Very few great names come to my mind when I think about great players becoming great managers. Of the top of my mind, I can think of Johan Cryuff, Franz Beckenbeur, Frank Rijkaard but no more. On the other hand, great players such as Graeme Souness, Ruud Gullit, Bryan Robson have not achieved much success as managers.

So, what is that X-factor that managers are supposed to have in order to become great? Providing inspiration and confidence to the players, i suppose is the most important thing that makes a great manager. Aston Villa, until recently was down in the dumps, but after Martin O'Neill took over, they have been undefeated and are in the top five after 3 matches. It's basically the same set of players his predecessor O'Leary had but then O'Neill has been able to instill confidence into the team through his great approach and charismatic persona.

Also, managers do need some luck. Money for new players and fewer injuries, as in the case it has been with Mourinho at Chelsea, can pave the way for huge success. But will Roy Keane be able to build a team at Sunderland with limited money but great fan-base and take it into the Premiership within at least 2 seasons? If he does that, he can be considered a good coach but for him to become a great one, he will have to achieve nothing short of what he achieved as a player at Manchester United, be it with Sunderland or any other club.

An Incredible Start!

2006-08-24T10:36:00.000-07:00

How is it that I miss the best of ManUtd's games? I missed ManU beating Chelsea 1-0 last season and the season before I missed ManU thrashing Arsenal 4-2 at Highbury. And this season, I missed the season opener when the Red Devils overwhelmed Fulham 5-1 because of my flight to UK.

Anyway, I am not complaining as long as ManU retain their winning streak and keep their momentum especially at a time when Chelsea and rest of the tope teams aren't exactly going great guns right now.

I didn't want to miss the away game at Charlton. So I went to one smoky pub in Oxford, paid for my Pepsi and enjoyed the game as ManU excelled once again. There were lots of people in the pub and 3 Chinese guys ( I think) too at my table cheering on ManU and Park-Ji Sung.

People were really excited everytime ManU hit the post or came close to scoring. There were loud cheers when ManU did score finally after half-time but the loudest cheers were reserved when we got an update on the screen that Boro were leading Chelsea 2-1.

Great entertaining play once again by ManU and it is nice to see ManU top the table after a very long time, although it's just 2 games over. Hoping to see some live games in the stadiums. Keeping my fingers crossed. More later.

Btw, Champions League fixtures are out...tough groups for Arsenal and ManU and Chelsea meet Barca again!

Group A - Barcelona Chelsea WerderBremen Levski Sofia
Group B - Internazionale BayernMunich SportingLisbon SpartakMoscow
Group C - Liverpool PSVEindhoven Bordeaux Galatasaray
Group D - Valencia Roma Olympiakos ShakhtarDonetsk
Group E - RealMadrid Lyon SteauaBucharest DinamoKiev
Group F - ManchesterUnited Celtic Benfica Copenhagen
Group G - Arsenal Porto CSKAMoscow Hamburg
Group H - Milan Lille AEKAthens Anderlecht

To The Theatre of Dreams!

2006-08-17T07:58:00.000-07:00

Suprise! Surprise! I am going to UK on an official visit this weekend and I will be gone for about 6 weeks! I had hoped to watch one of ManUtd's home games at the Old Trafford stadium but I was told that members themselves aren't assured of tickets as tickets are often allocated though a ballot system. A cruel blow to my hopes!

Anyway, I am hoping to catch at least one of ManUtd's matches live in the stadium, even if it means watching some away match. That means, from my base at Oxford, I will have to travel to either Watford, Charlton, or Reading. But, I can forget getting a ticket to the home games against Tottenham and Arsenal.

I just hope I have a really good time there (meaning I get to watch a couple of matches in the stadium), and I promise I will try and keep my blog updated. Expect pictures from the Theatre of Dreams too!

Bye Bye Becks!

2006-08-11T07:29:00.000-07:00

The End of Beckham?

The new England manager Steve McLaren has named John Terry the new England captain. Oh, btw, Beckham is finally axed from the England squad to play Greece in a friendly next week. So, is this the end of the international road for the former captain? I think so.

Also, I feel Gerrard would have been a better choice for the captaincy, just because he raises his game to the next level when extra responsibilites are given to him. Anyway, good to see Dean Ashton, who has been terrific for West Ham, being given a chance to prove himself. I had hoped Kevin Nolan to be there too but there is too much competition for places in midfield right now.

The Squad...

Robinson (Tottenham), Kirkland (Liverpool), Foster (Man Utd); Bridge (Chelsea), Brown (Man Utd), Carragher (Liverpool), A Cole (Arsenal), Dawson (Tottenham), Ferdinand (ManUtd), G Neville (Man Utd), P Neville (Everton), Terry (capt, Chelsea), Young (Charlton); Downing (Middlesbrough), Gerrard (Liverpool), Hargreaves (Bayern Munich), Jenas (Tottenham), Lampard (Chelsea), Lennon (Tottenham), Richardson (Man Utd), Wright-Phillips (Chelsea); Ashton (West Ham), Bent (Charlton), Crouch (Liverpool), Defoe (Tottenham).

The Curse of United

2006-08-07T09:26:00.000-07:00

New Season. New Player. New Injuries. Welcome to ManU!

The new season is yet to start but Manchester United will be left ruing their luck as they fell victim to the curse of injuries that haunted almost the whole of last season. Neville, Heinze and Vidic are yet to recover from their injuries following the World Cup. Rio got a knock in a pre-season friendly and is doubtful for the season opener while new signing Carrick damaged his leg against Ajax and is out for a month.

Last season, Heinze, Giggs, Neville, Saha and Scholes missed bulk of the matches due to injuries and it was the team's slow start that eventually came to haunt them towards the end of the season when they still had a chance to clinch the Premiership title. ManUtd faithful would just be hoping this does not happen again, especially since the sqaud is much weaker now that Keane and Ruud have left.

This makes me ponder on the usefulness of pre-season friendlies and trip to other countries, just because more players are beginning to get injured. Does the profit made from such trips compensate for the loss of players? Chelsea's Joe Cole was injured against DC United in USA and now he might miss the season until Christmas. Although Chelsea have enough cover, they will certainly miss him.

Btw, am surprised that Chelsea lost that game where they played Sheva, Ballack, Kalou and the greedy Nigerian teenage fraudster. But more surprising was the 5-0 thrashing Liverpool suffered at the hands of lowly German team Mainz.

Meanwhile, Barcelona are on their American tour and drawing huge crowds. The club's marketing director has been talking of overtaking Real Madrid as the world's richest club in the near future, which by the way is quite possible if they continue to play such attractive football and also able to keep hold of their main stars such as Ronaldinho, Eto and Messi.

Great Expectations?

2006-08-01T10:08:00.000-07:00

The new season is about to start in a few weeks...here are my predictions...

Henry to emerge EPL top scorer again...Berbatov and Rooney to come close.

C.Ronaldo to get booed at every away game (probably at home games too!)

Chelsea's dominance to continue while Arsenal, ManU and Liverpool fight it out for the 2nd spot.

ManU to have injury crisis again and struggle in the opening few games as usual.

ManU to beat Arsenal, Liverpool at home but struggle against Watford and Reading.

Becks-Ruud partnership to bloom again, this time in La Liga.

Barca's reign to continue in Spain, if Real do not replace Zizou with Kaka.

Berbatov to shine?

Chelsea to fall short of winning the Champions League, again!

At least two of the three new teams to go back straight to the Championship.

Mourinho to get fined by the FA for some crappy comments about players/referees/authorities.

You have any predictions? Let's hear!

Ruud Departure

2006-07-28T20:54:00.001-07:00

As expected, Real has completed the signing of Ruud VanNistelrooy from ManUtd after agreeing to a deal worth just more than 10 million pounds. It's a pity that Ruud's wonderful career at ManUtd has to end this way.

Watch some of Ruud's greatest goals here...

Thanks for all the memories, Ruud....we'll miss you in the EPL!

Goal Record at ManUtd...
EPL - 150 goals in 219 appearances
Europe - 38 goals

The Spanish Saga

2006-07-26T09:45:00.000-07:00

It was a great last season for Spain with Barcelona and Sevilla being crowned the Champions League and UEFA Cup winners respectively. Being a Barcelona fan, I couldn't be more happy but I would not lie if I say that I look forward to the next season with a bit of apprehension. It's never easy for a club to be motivated especially after a great season conquering Spain and Europe as well.

But Barcelona have made some good buys already this season. Though Gudjohnsen is no Larsson, he was one of the most impressive playmakers for Chelsea whenever he featured for the Blues - surprising given the fact that he is a striker! Luring Thuram and World Cup winner Zambrotta from relegated Juventus means Barcelona have strengthened their Achilles' heel - their defence. At 34, Thuram still looks amazingly fit.

In addition, the Spanish players, Ronaldinho, Messi et al would be fired up to make up for their failure in the World Cup. Barcelona still have one of the greatest squads around and it would definitely not mean success if they do not conquer Spain and Europe again this season.

Real Madrid have been busy too in the transfer market, raiding Juventus and signing on Italian World Cup-winning captain Cannavaro and Emerson. Kaka, Cesc, and Robben seem to be out of Real's grasp as their respective clubs have warned these players aren't for sale. Real need a good striker and signing them Ruud and re-uniting him with Becks would do both these players and the club a world of good. I feel Real are being really stingy here by bidding just 10 million pounds for a striker who guarantees a bucketload of goals every season. They risk losing him to Bayern if they don't up their offer meeting the 15 million evaluation of ManUtd.

Real need to replace Zidane who has retired, get a left winger, and a striker if they have to challenge Barca this season for the title. Now that Perez is no more the President of the club, his galacticos-policy is gone, I guess the club will start to do better. Fabio Capello, the new manager will see to that.

Valencia have under-achieved the last 2 seasons after winning the title in 2003-2004. I expect a lot from them every season, with some great players in their team - Ayala, Vicente, Albelda, and Villa. Aimar has moved on to Zaragoza. Villa has to fire away this season just as he did last season and Vicente has to recover from his injuries and recapture his sizzling form from the Euro'04 if Valencia hope to challenge Barca and Real for the title.

Athletico Madrid is a team to watch out for. They have made so many signings this season and Torres has also opted to remain at the club, giving a boost to their small hopes to challenge the other big teams this season.

Being a great fan if La Liga, I am very much eager for the new season to start!

The Color of Money

2006-07-22T10:10:00.000-07:00

Sir Alex is in a dilemma. Given the scarce funds thanks to the Glazers, he has no scope of buying some of the hottest prospects in Europe. Thanks to Russian mafia-money, Chelsea has emerged as a top destination for world-class players and other greedy ones who look to make a killing just by warming their benches. Difficult times lie ahead for Fergie as he struggles to keep hold of his top players. Adding to his dilemma is the fact that Juventus players are available for cheap after their demotion but this would be just a short term strategy as most of them are in the last stages of their career. As I write this, I hear Thuram and Zambrotta have joined Barcelona...finally some good news, but that's entirely different matter.

Sir Alex has seen a host of talented players snub United and moved on to Chelsea just because they get larger pieces of the pie that is the Russian mafia-money. Adding to Fergie's woes is that ManUtd from a profit-making plc, has become a club riddled with debts thanks to the Glazers' takeover.

The transfer market scene has changed entirely after the arrival of Roman Abramovich who is willing to shell out obscene amounts of money for overrated players. 25 million pounds for Essien and 20 million for SWPhilipps - Bull shit! Fergie points out to Chelsea spending 30 million for Shevchenko, while arguing his case for more money for Ruud Van Nistelrooy whose position as Europe's top goal scorer is very similar to that of the former AC Milan striker. 12 milion pounds for Ruud is peanuts for a guy who guarantees 20 goals a season and a few in the Champions League as well.

Torres might be an upcoming player but he is still unproved at the elite level in Europe and he might even struggle to adapt in the EPL. 25 million for him? No way! Diarra preferred a move to Real than to ManUtd but Real have signed on Emerson, which opens the way for a move to OT...but the transfer fee demanded by Lyon - 25 million! Absolute crap!

Some of the players recently bought were extremely high-priced. No guesses for which club bought them. Given below are the actual money paid/demanded and the real worth according to me.

Player - Demanded/Paid Fee - Real Worth
Essien - 25 million - not more than 14 million
SWP - 20 million - maximum 15 million
Horno - 8 million - 3 million
Drogba - 24 million - 15 million
Shevchenko - 30 million - 22 million ( he is 30, for goodness sake!)
M.Diarra - 25 million demanded - not more than 17 million
F.Torres - 43 million (buy-out clause)...at least 26 million demanded - 22 million max!

I have to agree with Arsene Wenger for once...the price of players just inflate when clubs know Chelsea are also interested. Some clubs allege Chelsea are looking to buy their player just to increase the fee. It's definitely not a good trend and is sure to affect the EPL as the gap between them and the rest of the teams would widen to such high levels that ultimately one team will dominate, resulting in serious lack of interest.

Vultures will Swoop Down

2006-07-15T09:48:00.000-07:00

Following the match-fixing scandal, Juventus, Lazio and Fiorentina have been relegated to Serie B, but AC Milan will remain in the top flight, although they have penalized 15 points for next season.

The outcome...

Juventus
Relegated to Serie B
stripped of the last two Serie A titles
Fine of £50,000
30-point deduction for next season

Lazio
Relegated to Serie B
penalized 7 points for next season

Fiorentina
Relegated to Serie B
penalized 12 points for next season

AC Milan
Docked 44 points from last season's total
Out of Champions League
15-point deduction for next season

Juventus could lose the likes of Fabio Cannavaro, Gianluca Zambrotta, David Trezeguet and Zlatan Ibrahimovic and without European football, Milan could lose Pirlo, Gattuso, and Kaka. The vultures have been hovering around these clubs already. Real, Barca, ManUtd, Arsenal and many other clubs are looking at the situation. We can expect a lot more transfers in the next few weeks.

I pity these clubs and I feel bad that this might make the Champions League less interesting next season. But justice has been served.

England - Revelling in Mediocrity?

2006-07-11T21:40:00.000-07:00

English football, no doubt, has some of the biggest superstars in the world. In Gerrard, Lampard, Terry, Rio, Owen, and of course, Rooney, England can pride itself of a individuals par excellence. But then, why do they suffer in almost all major championships? Is it the absence of a strong coach, or the failure to play as a team?

Analyzing England's performance at this World Cup would shed some light on the problems plaguing the England national team. Firstly, they have as their coach a man of questionable integrity - a person who seeks out to potentially financially better opportunities when he holds the apparently the highest managerial position in world football.

After 6 years in charge and 3 quarterfinal appearances in major championships, England for all its world-class players, are nowhere near the top rung of teams. Sven has never had the guts to make critical decisions and his insistence to continue with a lackluster Beckham apparently had other players revolting. Sven never had a system in place and used the system that suited the players, so that he could accommodate his stars in the lineup.

Lampard and Beckham were among the worst performers. At least, Beckham had a hand in most of the goals England scored, even if only a few. But Lampard, coming after a title-winning season with Chelsea, never found form. Sven never had the guts to replace Lampard. And why the hell did he take Jermaine Jenas if his job was just to warm the bench. Perhaps, Defoe would have been a much better choice, given the shortage of strikers with all the injuries.

I applauded Sven for picking Walcott but then, Sven's gamble has turned out to be one of his worst ever mistakes. If he wasn't fully convinced, why did he ever take him to Germany? Walcott could have been given a run-out at least in the group stages. Sadly for Walcott, it may have even damaged his confidence, going into the new season.

England is among the best supported nations in any major championships and I look at them in awe for the tenacious support they provide. But then, booing at Owen Hargreaves, their own player was disgusting. It was a wonderful sight to see Owen prove them wrong with a terrific man-of-match performance during the loss to Portugal. It is also ironic that he was the only person to score his penalty when the big guns such as Lampard and Gerrard failed at it miserably.

Sven's win-at-all-costs stand may have led to another quarterfinal appearance but their game was repelling to say the least. Even teams like Germany and Italy, who aren't exactly renowned for their beautiful or attacking game played some great football.

The endless wait for a major title will continue to torment the English supporters until the English FA appoint a manager who is strong enough to take tough decisions that might even hurt some of the superstars in the team. Is the new coach Steve McLaren capable of that? I do not know but we will have to wait and watch.

As they say, you can plot the passage to the quarters with your mind. But after that, it is all heart. And, it is in the heart and mind that Sven was found wanting.

Italy - World Champions

2006-07-09T20:24:00.000-07:00

We are the Champions!

Italy beat France in penalties to win the most coveted trophy in sports, after the game finished 1-1 after extra time. Italians are no doubt deserved winners for they have shown the spirit and commitment in all their games.

Meanwhile, Zidane's exit from football was ugly as his headbutt on Matterazzi had him sent off in extra time.

Zizou off for good!

The ghosts of penalties are buried for the Italians as they won their first ever penalty shoot-out! And what a stage to do that?!!! Simply awesome! One of the moments to remember in world football....I know I will :) Grazie l'Italia!

Ultimate Glory Beckons

2006-07-06T09:55:00.000-07:00

Italy and France are set to fight it out for the World Cup in the final at Berlin on Sunday. Italy overcame a fighting Germany while the French needed a penalty to kill off Portugal's challenge.

Azzuris' fiery spirit

The Italians, rocked by the match-fixing scandal back home, have showed tremendous spirit and will-power to progress into the final. After a tremendous display in their opening game against Ghana, they were rocked by the red card to Rossi and were held by a determined 9-men USA. Italy overcame Czech Republic and Nedved's one-man show, thanks to Buffon's excellent saves.

In the knock-out round, a last-second penalty helped a tiring 10-men Italy to overcome the resolute Aussies. In the quarters, Ukraine were brushed aside thanks to Toni's brace and even though injury kept out defender Nesta, Italy still had an inspiring defender and captain in Cannavaro who has by far been the best defender in this World Cup.

Beating the Germans proved tough as the Italians were held goalless until the last minute of extra-time when they attacked with full vigour, partially out of fear for penalty shootouts in which their record is as poor as England's. Italy deservingly won the game as Grosso and Del Piero scored right at the end of extra-time.

Strengths

Italians as always have been tremendous at defending and have not conceded a goal apart from an own-goal against USA. Buffon has been the best goalkeeper in this tournament, Cannavaro - the best defender, and Pirlo and Gattuso are among the best players in midfield.

Weaknesses

The strikers haven't scored many and Totti though has been very important, has not been at his very best, mainly due to his recovery from injury. Italians are known to not play attacking football but just defend, especially after they score a goal. Coach Marcello Lippi has however seen to it that Italy play attacking football even after scoring.

Les Blues march on

France started on a low-note after draws against the Swiss and S.Korea but regained confidence with a win against Togo. Zidane, after a disastrous season at Real Madrid, has improved as France progressed. The win against Spain and Brazil gave them self-belief and a penalty against Portugal has given them a place in the finals.

Strengths

Peaking at the right time has been their advantage, starting with the win against Spain. Zidane has inspired them in the knockout rounds and has been ably supported by the old warhorses such as Makelele and Viera, and rising stars such as Ribery. Henry has also played his part by scoring vital goals. Thuram and Gallas have let in just a couple of goals in this tournament.

Weaknesses

Barthez in goal still looks shaky. The oldies - Zidane, Maka, Thuram were expected to tire out as the tournament progressed but they have been able to keep their strength and have played important roles in taking France to the final. The French manager Ray Domenech, still opts for one-man up-front and this might not help the French trying to break down the stubborn Italian defence.

Two deserving teams have made it to the final. Past records against each other will make no difference to the teams' fate. The players will fight it out and give their all. It might just be a solitary goal that might separate the victors from the losers. Just 90 more minutes (or perhaps, extra-time...no penalties please!) to achieve ultimate glory!

My Nominees for Player of the Tournament

Goalkeeper - Buffon

Golden Ball - Buffon, Cannavaro, Zidane, Pirlo, Gattuso, Klose

Coach - Marcello Lippi

Best XI

Buffon
Zambrotta Cannavaro Gallas Lahm
Ronaldo Gattuso Pirlo Zidane
Klose Podolski

Bench: Ricardo, Riquelme, Makelele, Viera, Figo, Miguel, Rodriguez

Worst Players
Lampard, Ibrahimovic, Brazil!

Best Moments
Argentina's 24-pass goal
Australia's comeback win over Japan
10-men Trinidad holding Sweden to a draw

Worst Moments
The card melee in the Portugal-Holland match
England's penalties disaster
De Rossi's red card for elbowing McBride
Swiss crashing out without conceding a goal and without scoring a penalty
The players' brawl after the Germany-Argentina game

Top 3 goals

1. 24-pass goal by Argentina
2. Maxi Rodriguez's stunner against Mexico in extra time
3. Joe Cole's stunning volley against Sweden

The Clash of Champions!

2006-06-30T08:55:00.000-07:00

This World Cup, fortunately, has not seen many upsets, thus setting the up clashes of high intensity between a number of former champions in the quarterfinals. Of the teams remaining in the QFs, only Portugal and Ukraine have never won the World Cup. The other teams include former champions such as Argentina, Germany, France, England, Italy, and reigning champions
Brazil.

QF 1 - Argentina vs Germany

Germany has been playing awesome this World Cup, but only next to Argentina. The winner of this match will however be determined by how good the defence is. I feel Argentina has a much better team than Germany but then the host nation can spring a surprise if they take an early lead and pressurize their opponents by giving them much less time on the ball. Not many goals are expected but certainly will be the most exciting QF clash.

Prediction: Argentina 1 Germany 0

QF 2 - Italy vs Ukraine

Italy, many point out, are lucky to make it to the quarters...however, they do deserve their luck after so many injuries and the trouble back home due to the match-fixing scandal. Italy played well and attacked against Ghana but then had to resort to their mean defensive tactics after going a man down against USA and Australia. Ukraine have already achieved everything in their debut World Cup and anything more will be just an icing on the cake. More pressure on Italy, none whatsoever on Ukraine, but Italy should prevail.

Prediction: Italy 2 Ukraine 0

QF 3 - England vs Portugal

England as always, hyped up and flattering to deceive, have not played attractive football but then Sven has said he just wants his team to win, and they are doing that. But their toughest test yet will be against Big Phil's Portugal who will be without their most important player Deco who is suspended. Portugal players will be tired after their high-intensity clash with Holland and will try to keep their rough tackling to a minimum as most players are on a yellow card, which will work out in England's favor. A penalty shoot-out is quite a possibility.

Prediction: England 1 Portugal 0

QF 4 - Brazil vs France

France is yet another team peaking at the right time. A confidence-boosting victory over Spain will have rejuvenated their title hopes. Although Brazil still doesn't seem to play exhilarating football as expected, they have finished off opponents with ease. A France win is quite a possibility although Brazilian players seem fresher than their rivals.

Prediction: Brazil 2 France 1

Raining Goals and Cards

2006-06-26T11:05:00.000-07:00

This World Cup has seen some terrific action with a lot of amazing goals, wonder saves, and great attacking display but these have been soured by some dubious refereeing and a lot of avoidable yellow and red cards.

With the 2nd round almost over, we have not really seen any major upsets. Czech Republic crashing out in the group stage has been the only real upset. Australia progressing to the 2nd round was no real surprise considering the fact that Guus Hiddink was coaching the Socceroos.

The 2nd round started with a bang with hosts Germany beating Sweden with ease and Argentina beating Mexico with a Rodriguez wonder goal. England then struggled to beat Ecuador 1-0, thanks to a trademark freekick. Portugal overcame Holland 2-1 in a match that saw 4 red cards and equalled the world cup record of 16 yellow cards. I feel Holland could have done much better although it seems some sort of infighting still exists within the team.

Totti saves the day

10-men Italy should thank their lucky stars for their 95th minute winner from a dubious penalty scored by Totti. The referee made some glaring mistakes yet again as Matterazzi was harshly given a red card for a foul that warranted just a yellow.

The refereeing has been nothing short of woeful this World Cup with the referees dishing out cards like crazy. There is a danger of important players missing out on crucial matches. Deco is out of Portugal's clash against England and this may just tilt the balance in England's favor.

Deco sees Red

Some real funnies (Courtesy BBC):
Spanish newspapers are claiming soothsayer Nostradamus predicted Spain will win the 2006 World Cup.
Meanwhile, an Israeli biblical scholar claims that the Book of Numbers says that Argentina will win the World Cup 3-0.

Beauty and the Beasts

2006-06-18T11:05:00.000-07:00

Ghana Impress

More than a week since the World Cup began and we have seen the first big upset - debutants Ghana beating the Czech Republic in a great game of attacking football. I feel sorry for the Czechs for they have lost Baros and Koller - their best strikers up front in attack. But we have to give credit to Ghana who played excellent attacking football...one of the best we have seen till now.

But the team that has impressed me the most is Argentina. I doubted their abilities in previous posts but they have jelled very well as a team and with Riquelme in inspiring form. They thrashed Serbia & Montenegro 6-0, in a match that will be most remembered for the best ever team goals ever scored. After about 24 passes, Cambiasso gave a fitting tribute by finishing it off with a goal. If this isn't the beautiful game, what is?

See the beautiful passes and the goal here...

Ivory Coast, the most impressive African team, was unlucky to bow out of the World Cup after losing to Argentina and Holland, but not without a good fight in the 'group of death'. However, Poland, Costa Rica, and Paraguay have crashed out with a whimper.

Group E seems to be the real group of death and no other group seems as evenly poised as this one. Ghana beat the Czechs and USA held Italy to a 1-1 draw in a ill-tempered match which saw the red cards tally double as 3 players were sent off.

Red for Rossi

De Rossi was an embarassment to the Italian team as he was rightly sent off for elbowing USA's McBride. Before halftime, USA too were reduced to 10 men as Mastroeni was sent off for a 2-footed lunge on Pirlo, although it looked a bit harsh. Soon after halftime, USA were reduced to 9 men as defender Eddie Pope received is marching orders for a 2nd yellow card. However, they played the better attacking football as the teams soon tired out and held on to gain a point each.

Will Rossi's moment of madness hurt the Italians who were going great guns before his red card? Italy against the Czech has become a must-win game for both teams and it looks more likely now that only one among the 2 initial favorites will qualify from the group to the next round.

Teams Qualified
Germany
Ecuador
England
Argentina
Holland
Portugal
Brazil

Teams Out
Costa Rica
Paraguay
Iran
Ivory Coast
Serbia & Montenegro

After One Match...

2006-06-14T10:07:00.000-07:00

All 32 teams have played one match. There have been some great goals, great saves, and as always some contentious decisions by the referee. There have been no major upsets and the usual suspects have all won their games, except Sweden, whose opening game voodoo continues. They still haven't won their opening game at the World Cup since 1958.

'Saint Guus'

The Expected...

Maradona's last minute flip-flop about attending the opening ceremony. (I do support him in this because he is no less legendary than Pele. It would have been fitting if both these legends had brought the World Cup trophy instead of Pele accompanied by Claudia Schiffer)

Germany once again showing their credentials by a big opening game win over Costa Rica.

Over-hyped England struggling in the heat to prove they are among the favorites and scraping a 1-0 win over Paraguay.

Riquelme showing his class by setting up 2 goals for Argentina.

France still struggling to find the back of the net. Zidane looking aged and weary, and Henry blaming the pitch for not scoring.

Guus Hiddink, the master tactician, proves why he is among the best coaches around as his substitutions win the game for Australia, their first ever victory in a World Cup Finals. Sven can learn a thing or two from 'Saint Guus'. I still can't believe the English FA messed up by not roping in the brilliant Dutchman.

The Unexpected...

Sweden gets embarassed by tiny Trinidad who hold them to a 0-0 draw with just 10 men for nearly 45 minutes.

Portugal coming after a fine qualifying campaign, but struggling to beat Angola. The supporters jeering them as they scrape to a 1-0 victory.

Signs of in-fighting in the Dutch squad as Van Persie accuses Robben of being greedy - this after Robben inspires Holland to victory through an impressive performance and a goal.

The Czechs and the Spaniards' morale boosting 3-0 and 4-0 victory over USA and Ukraine respectively.

Brazil not asserting their superiority over Croatia and just managing to grind out a 1-0 victory.

Ronaldo running faster when he was substituted than he did when he was on the field playing.

The Heroes...

Miroslav Klose, Shaka Hislop, Tim Cahill, Thomas Rosicky, Bravo, David Villa, Juan Roman Riquelme, Kaka, Arjen Robben, Pauletta, Guus Hiddink.

Please cast your vote in the new poll!

The World Is Watching

2006-06-07T07:01:00.000-07:00

The 18th FIFA World Cup got underway in Munich, Germany as more than 150 World Cup winners from past World Cups put on a spectacular show.

Claudia takes the coveted WC trophy

Germany - Costa Rica

Germany got off to a winning start as they beat a highly motivated Costa Rican team 4-2 thanks to 2 goals from Klose and spectacular strikes from Lahm and Frings. Costa Rica fought back with goals from Paolo Wanchope but couldn't beat the hosts, and they were unlucky to lose the game. Germany needs to set its leaky defence right if they have to win the World Cup.

Spectacular Strikes

Ecuador pulled off the first upset when they beat Poland 2-0. Carlos Tenorio and Agustin Delgado scored the goals for the South Americans.

Looking at Poland's form from the pre-WC friendlies and their first match, I guess they will be among the countries who will return home early. Ecuador looks likely to finish second.

Last-Minute Predictions

Group A: Germany & Ecuador
Dark Horse: Costa Rica

Group B: England & Sweden

Group C: Argentina & Holland
Dark Horse: Ivory Coast

Group D: Portugal & Mexico
Dark Horse: Iran

Group E: Italy & Czech Republic
Dark Horse: Ghana

Group F: Brazil & Australia

Group G: France & Switzerland

Group H: Ukraine & Spain

Poll Results!
Who else but Ronaldinho tops the list.

Warming-up to the World Cup - Updated

2006-05-31T09:42:00.000-07:00

Stevie comes to England's rescue as he opens the scoring. Owen still looks unfit. Gary Neville is injured and Carra plays in midfield!

England 3
Hungary 1

Crouch (???) scores a hat-trick as England thrash Jamaica.
England 6
Jamaica 0

The Royal Robot?

The Dutch draw with the Socceroos. More worries for them as Cocu and Sneijder are injured. Cahill comes back from injury for the Aussies and scores too!
Holland 1
Australia 1

Cahill - Key for Aussie Hopes

Guus Hiddink shows why he is among the best in the business as his team beats European Champions Greece 1-0.
Australia 1
Greece 0

Portugal beat Luxemborg. Simao is the hero, scoring a brace. Figo is seemingly at his best again.
Portugal 3
Luxemborg 0

Messi comes on as sub and plays for abt 20 min. Argentina look solid but their opponents aren't Brazil!
Argentina 2
Angola 0

Spain struggle and can't score against Russia. Aragones is going to end up a fool for having neglected Morientes and taking just 3 strikers, out of which 2 are inexperienced at the highest level and one is so out of form!
Spain 0
Russia 0

Spain find their scoring touch, beat Egypt.
Spain 2
Egypt 0

Germans struggle at home as they come back from a 2-goal deficit to save their blushes. If Germany reach the quarters, it's a good tournament for them!
Germany 2
Japan 2

Germany, however have a good sending off, beating Columbia in their last match before they play Costa Rica in the WC opener.
Germany 3
Columbia 0

Rosicky and Nedved did not play this game but they both need to be in their best form if Czech can dream of getting past the 2nd round. Latest news: Smicer is ruled out.
Czech Republic 1
Costa Rica 0

Koller scores a brace and Nedved scores too as the Czech regain confidence.
Czech Republic 3
Trinidad 0

France is still unconvincing. They will do much better than last time but how far will they go?
France 2
Denmark 0

Italy going 4-4-3? Totti and Del Piero starting? Lippi trying out new things but they have to do much better than a draw against the Swiss.
Switzerland 1
Italy 1

Italy still struggling....C'mon Azzuris!
Italy 0
Ukraine 0

Business, as usual!
Brazil 8
FC Lucerne 0

Brazil 4
New Zealand 0

Football Fever - Hotting up!

2006-05-27T00:48:00.000-07:00

The World Cup fever has set in throughout the world. With just more than 10 days to go, most teams are focussed on doing a good job in the WC...and there is England, whose main focus is on getting Rooney fit for the World Cup.

Rooney has been told he is out of the group stages. And a scan on June 14th would determine if he could take part in the latter stages of the tournament. With Crouch set to start up front, it wouldn't be a surprise if England struggle to get past through to the next round.

But gotto appreciate the England FA's sense of humor. Seems they have already arranged the national team's victory parade that includes a visit to the Buckingham Palace.

Spanish striker Morientes, unhappy at losing his place in the World Cup squad, has decided to call it quits at Liverpool and has signed for Valencia. With Valencia striker David Villa on fire and responsible for Mori's exclusion in the national team, can Mori expect a starting place at Valencia?

Spain coach Luis Aragones was reportedly angry with captain Raul for wearing a yellow jersey at training. The man who fears the color shouted at his captain to take that off. I dont suppose Aragones can do anything if Spain happen to face 'yellow' Brazil in the quarters.

Spanish defender Del Horno, has played down his injury reports and says he is raring to go.
Just when Spanish hopes were staring to soar high!

It's just a matter of time before Ruud follows in the footsteps of Ince, Kanchelskis, Beckham and Keane - out of the club after falling out with Sir Alex. Sir Alex is looking at various swap deals involving Ruud although it's likely that Ruud would wanna choose his club. Watch out for Ruud trying to prove a point to Fergie this World Cup.

Chelsea seems to have struck gold in the transfer market this year. After many strikers refused to get lured by Chelsea's riches last year, they have signed Ballack on a free transfer and are on the verge of signing star striker Shevchenko. Sheva has decided to quit AC and come to the EPL just so that his son can learn to speak English! So then, its nothing about getting lured by the Chelsea money!

Nigerian wonderkid John Obi Mikel's situation appears to have finally been solved. Chelsea will pay more than £10m in "compensation" to Manchester United in order that he is released from his contractual obligations. With the Chelsea midfield already crowded with stars, I hope to see Mikel rotting in London just like SWP.

Can Big Phil Do it Again?

2006-05-21T06:10:00.000-07:00

Portugal is one of the teams that has a good chance of winning the World Cup just because the team is a good blend of youth and experience. Also, the wily Felipe Scolari having won the World Cup with Brazil last time, would be looking do it again with Portugal.

Portugal has a good central defence in Carvalho and Meira. It looks to be seen if they will miss Andrade who is out of the WC due to injury. Hopefully, Miguel should play instead of Ferreira at RB. Deco, Maniche and Costinha should form a good midfield although the latter two haven't had much football at their respective clubs this season. So, there is a possibility that Petit comes in for Costinha. Figo and Ronaldo should be the wingers although Simao should provide stiff competition to them for a place in the starting lineup.

Pauletta is irreplaceable in the striker's role as he is Portugal's top scorer. Boa Morte, Nuno Gomes and Postiga would be his backups.

Portugal has always flattered to deceive at the highest level, although they did reach the finals at Euro 2004. This is the last chance for captain Figo who has won everything at the club level but nothing with the national team. Can he inspire them to glory this summer? It's difficult, not impossible.

Probable Team...

Ricardo
Miguel Carvalho Meira Valente
Petit
Figo Deco Maniche Ronaldo
Pauletta

Goalkeepers: Ricardo Pereira (Sporting), Quim Silva (Benfica), Bruno Vale (Estrela Amadora).

Defenders: Paulo Ferreira (Chelsea), Miguel Monteiro (Valencia), Ricardo Carvalho (Chelsea), Fernando Meira (VfB Stuttgart), Marco Caneira (Sporting), Ricardo Costa (Porto), Nuno Valente (Everton).

Midfielders: Armando Petit (Benfica), Costinha (Dynamo Moscow), Tiago Mendes (Olympique Lyon), Maniche Ribeiro (Chelsea), Hugo Viana (Valencia), Luis Figo (Inter Milan), Deco (Barcelona), Cristiano Ronaldo (Manchester United), Simao Sabrosa (Benfica).

Strikers: Luis Boa Morte (Fulham), Pauleta (Paris ST Germain), Nuno Gomes (Benfica), Helder Postiga (Saint Etienne).

The Enigmatic Azzuris

2006-05-18T22:11:00.000-07:00

Can the Azzuris win the World Cup after 24 long years?

Can they overcome the match-fixing scandal that's rocking Italian football?

Can goalkeeper Buffon who is accused of betting on matches, keep his concentration and his place in the squad?

Can manager Marcello Lippi abandon the traditionally defensive tactics and make the team more attack-minded?

Can Luca Toni provide Italy the goals that he has been consistently doing for Fiorentina (31 goals in the Italian league....incredible!) this season?

Can Totti overcome years of under-achieving with the national squad, inspire them to ultimate glory this summer?

Expected Starting Lineup...

Buffon
Zaccardo Cannavaro Nesta Zambrotta
Camoranesi Pirlo Rossi Totti
Toni Gilardino

Goalkeepers: Gianluigi Buffon (Juventus), Angelo Peruzzi (Lazio), Marco Amelia (Livorno)

Defenders: Cristian Zaccardo (Palermo), Alessandro Nesta (AC Milan), Fabio Cannavaro (Juventus), Gianluca Zambrotta (Juventus), Marco Materazzi (Inter Milan), Fabio Grosso (Palermo), Massimo Oddo (Lazio), Andrea Barzagli (Palermo).

Midfielders: Andrea Pirlo (AC Milan), Gennaro Gattuso (AC Milan), Daniele De Rossi (AS Roma), Mauro Camoranesi (Juventus), Simone Perrotta (AS Roma), Simone Barone (Palermo).

Forwards: Luca Toni (Fiorentina), Alessandro Del Piero (Juventus), Francesco Totti (AS Roma), Alberto Gilardino (AC Milan), Filippo Inzaghi (AC Milan), Vincenzo Iaquinta (Udinese).

Reserves: Morgan De Sanctis, goalkeeper (Udinese), Daniele Bonera, defender, (Parma), Franco Semioli (Chievo Verona), Marco Marchionni (Parma).

Europe's New Champions

2006-05-17T17:26:00.000-07:00

נ We are the Champions נ
The Man of the Match

The Best team in Europe

The Color is Oranje

2006-05-15T10:46:00.000-07:00

After missing out of the World Cup in 2002, Holland are eager for this World Cup to start. The pioneers of 'Total Football', Holland were unlucky not to win the 1974 World Cup final against Germany. Four years later, they lost the final yet again, this time to hosts Argentina. They reached the last four in 1998 when they lost to Brazil and this time, they will want to go all the way and win the Cup.

The Dutch squad selection threw a couple of surprises. Huntelaar, the top scorer in the Dutch league was left out, as was veteran Edgar Davids. I believe manager Marco Van Basten is relying too much on young players, especially at the back. After unsuccessfully trying to lure Jaap Stam from retirement, Basten has no option but to have confidence in his relatively inexperienced defence. Davids should have been retained for he not only adds experience to the team but also physical strength.

Ruud is certain to score goals for them as always, in spite of his problems at Manchester United, and a lot of hope is pinned on Van der Vaart, who is yet to return to full fitness after a spate of injuries. Vaart has been terrific for his club Hamburg this season and was a key figure for the oranje in their qualifiers too. Robben will look to attack from the wings but can he overcome the physical challenge posed by strong teams in their 'group of death' - Serbia, Argentina and debutants Ivory Coast?

Can the eternal underachievers claim the ultimate prize in football this time? Only time will tell...and Ruud may want to prove a point too.

Probable Team...

Van der Saar
Heitinga Mathijsen Boulahrouz Gio
Kuyt Van Bommel Cocu Robben
Van der Vaart
Van Nistelrooy

Goalkeepers: Edwin van der Sar (Manchester United), Maarten Stekelenburg (Ajax), Henk Timmer (AZ Alkmaar).

Defenders: Kew Jaliens (AZ Alkmaar), Jan Kromkamp (Liverpool), Andre Ooijer (PSV Eindhoven), John Heitinga (Ajax), Khalid Boulahrouz (Hamburg), Joris Mathijsen (AZ Alkmaar), Giovanni van Bronckhorst (Barcelona), Tim de Cler (AZ Alkmaar).

Midfielders: Mark van Bommel (Barcelona), Philip Cocu (PSV Eindhoven), Denny Landzaat (AZ Alkmaar), Hedwiges Maduro (Ajax), Wesley Sneijder (Ajax), Rafael van der Vaart (Hamburg).

Strikers: Dirk Kuyt (Feyenoord), Ruud van Nistelrooy (Manchester United), Jan Vennegoor of Hesselink (PSV Eindhoven), Arjen Robben (Chelsea), Robin van Persie (Arsenal), Ryan Babel (Ajax).

Gambling on Theo

2006-05-09T11:03:00.000-07:00

England manager announced his squad and there were a couple of shock call-ups, atypical of Sven who likes it to play safe, at least when it comes to his squad. It was not a surprise at all to see Rooney and Owen's names in spite of their injuries. But Theo Walcott...that's a shocking inclusion.

I have always wondered why teams such Brazil have them in their squad certain very young players. While Ronaldo was among the reserves in 1994 and it was Kaka in 2002. The Brazil managers are intelligent guys. They take with them promising players who get invaluable experience just being part of the squad even though they might not get to play. Now, Ronaldo
and Kaka are integral part of their team.

Coming back to Sven's inclusion of Theo, I feel it's a good gamble considering he is highly rated by Wenger at Arsenal and has a pace quicker than Henry's. Just the exposure at the highest level may do him real good.

Theo - The new Wonderkid

My prayers have been answered! I was extremely happy to see Aaron Lennon being included in place of SWP. SWP should be feeling very dejected and he should be...moving to Chelsea when he knew it would be toughto dislodge Duff, Cole and Robben from the starting line-up! Latest rumour is that Rafa is planning to bid 14 million pounds for SWP.

Lennon has been impressive this season at Spurs and has played a big part in their quest to play in Europe next season. Carrick and Jenas have excelled this season at Spurs and I would like to see Carrick in the starting line-up as the holding midfiedler.

Now that Rooney is a major doubt, it is the perfect opportunity for Sven to play to his strengths...Gerrard and Lampard as 2 attacking midfielders, with Carrick behind them. Captain Becks should play in the right and Cole just behind the main striker.

Sven wouldn't have much pressure on him now that he's quitting at the end of the season and with Rooney as good as out, expectations would be lower. This is his chance, to become part of the legendary group of men who won the World Cup.

The ideal formation would be...

Robinson
Neville Rio Terry A.Cole
Carrick
Becks Gerrard Lampard
J.Cole
Owen

Sven's squad...

Goalkeepers
Robinson (Tottenham), James (Manchester City), Green (Norwich)
Defenders
G Neville (Manchester United), Ferdinand (Manchester United), Terry (Chelsea), Cole (Arsenal), Campbell (Arsenal), Carragher (Liverpool), Bridge (Chelsea)
Midfielders
Beckham (Real Madrid), Carrick (Tottenham), Lampard (Chelsea), Gerrard (Liverpool), Hargreaves (Bayern Munich), Jenas (Tottenham), Downing (Middlesbrough), J Cole (Chelsea), Lennon (Tottenham)
Forwards
Rooney (Manchester United), Owen (Newcastle), Crouch (Liverpool), Walcott (Arsenal).

Standby:
Carson (Liverpool), Young (Charlton), Reo-Coker (West Ham), Defoe (Tottenham), Johnson (Crystal Palace).

Shocks Galore

2006-05-08T06:05:00.000-07:00

Conspiracy Theory?

About 10 Tottenham players including Dawson, Carrick, Keane vomited in the dressing room before the 2-1 loss which ended their Champions League dream. Investigations are on against the London hotel where the players had dined before the match.

A Dejected Jol after Defeat

Deception Point
Wigan defender Pascal Chimbonda handed in a transfer request on his way off the pitch after Sunday's defeat by Arsenal. This is a show of ridiculous level of disrespect to the manager Paul Jewell and to the Wigan supporters, who had supported him thoroughout their remarkable season. Pascal had signed an extended 4-year contract in January and the Wigan chairman has reiterated that he wouldn't sell him for less than 6 million pounds.

Utter Lack of Loyalty

Ruud Exit
Ruud Van Nistelrooy is going the Beckham way. Nope, he is not getting his head shaved. Instead, he is gonna be sold this summer after the latest bust-up with Sir Alex. He had left the OT ground when Fergie decided to play Rossi up front with Saha in the crucial encounter with Charlton. Latest speculation is that Ruud may be involved in a swap deal with Athletico Madrid's striker Fernando Torres (plus 14 million pounds!).

A Sheva Shock
Ukraine suffered a jolt to their debut World Cup plans as their inspirational captain and striker Shevchenko injured his knee ligament in AC Milan's league match against Parma. Fortunately, Sheva should be back in training in 25 days' time.

A Standing Ovation for the Fantastic Four

2006-05-07T00:06:00.000-07:00

Some of the greatest players to grace the footballing world have decided to quit playing football at the end of this season...and some like Larsson have decided to go back home and play for his local club...there's no doubt that we'll miss these legendary men.

Champions, Injured Rooney and a Beaming Mclaren

2006-05-06T06:03:00.000-07:00

Terry lifts the Trophy

Barca Players Rejoice

As expected, Chelsea and Barcelona retain their league titles.
Rooney is most likely to miss out on the World Cup and with it, all hopes of a England victory are almost gone unless Sven can inspire the rest of the players and achieve a miracle.

Steve Mclaren was a surprise choice for the England manager position. The English FA were certainly made to look stupid when Felipe Scolari rejected their offer.

I am not a big fan of Mac but I think he has to do a good job given the resources he has at his disposal. For me, Guus Hiddink would have been the perfect choice.

All Anglo-Spanish Affair in Europe

2006-04-29T01:17:00.000-07:00

Arsenal is to meet Barcelona in this season's CL Final in Paris. Meanwhile the UEFA Cup Final sees another English-Spanish encounter as Middlesborough take on Sevilla.

Jens makes the critical save

Team Barca

Maccarone - Boro's savior

Sevilla Players Rejoice

Why Such Losers?

2006-04-23T09:23:00.001-07:00

Makelele unleashed a verbal riposte at Ferguson, claiming Jose Mourinho stands head and shoulders above his older counterpart and that the West Londoners are also on a higher footing than their northern equivalents. This is what he said...
''It took Ferguson seven years to win the league, it took Mourinho eight months.''

I cannot understand why the normally sensible Makelele made such a comment. Perhaps, he din't realize what everyone knows...Chelsea would have finished first even if David O'Leary had been manager...Chelsea just have bought their way to their 2nd title thanks to Roman Abramovich's funds.

Agreed Jose achieved a lot with Porto but then let him manage a team like Villa and make them champions in 7 years. Then I'll accept Jose is as good a manager as Fergie.

Maka Mentally Ill?

Btw, I have lost all respect for Liverpool. Have a detailed look here at what theKop fans have done at Old Trafford after their win over Chelsea in the FA Cup.

Not Funny at all!

Team Watch - Argentina

2006-04-13T06:44:00.000-07:00

Argentina was the first nation to qualify for the World Cup but all is not rosy within the Argentine camp. There has been in-fighting, the squad doesn't look spirited enough, and a few injuries to key players doesn't help either.

There will be no Veron when the squad is announced later next month, thanks to in-fighting within the squad over the issue of the captaincy. When Jose Pekerman took over as manager of the team, he made Sorin the captain. Some of Argentina's senior players took the view that since the squad had already shown its preference, Sorin should do the honourable thing and hand the armband back to Ayala. However, they were reported to be none too pleased when that didn't happen, which, it seems clear, caused a definitive breakdown in relations between Veron and Sorin.

Sorin and Veron

In the recent Champions League game between Inter and Villareal, Veron and Sorin were repeatedly on the point of tearing strips off each other, and at half-time had to be separated by players from both teams. Pekerman has resisted calls to pick Veron to the World Cup. It seems nothing would change his mind, even Maradona calling for Veron to be picked.

Consequently, all Argentine hopes rest on playmaker Juan Roman Riquelme who has been in exceptional form in the past couple of seasons for Villareal. However, fatigue is a factor that would play a crucial factor on how he plays in the World Cup. for his team is still in the Champions League fighting Arsenal to make it to the finals in Paris in May.

Argentina would rely on Messi and Crespo to score the goals. However, their defence is where their weakness is, especially with defenders Ayala and Heinze yet to prove their fitness after recovering from long-term injuries.

After a horrendous WC in 2002, the players will be looking to do well in Germany although they are unlucky to be in the 'Group of Death' this time around too. Argentina will be lucky enough if it survives the stiff challenge posed by Holland, Serbia & Montenegro, and Ivory Coast.

Is The Race Over?

2006-04-10T06:32:00.000-07:00

Although the race for the Premiership title was effectively over in the first week of January, there has been some renewed excitement lately due to ManUtd's amazing winning streak...the latest casualty being Arsenal who lost 0-2, thanks to Rooney's brilliance in a match that has set a new Premiership attendance of 70,908. United used the game to mark the 50th-anniversary of the first league title won by the team that became known as the Busby Babes, with the average age of their 1956 championship side just 22 years.

Rooney was denied in the first half thanks to some excellent goalkeeping by Lehmann, ably helped by the hands of defender Kolo Toure. But I am sure there is no way the referee could have made a correct decision without the help of replays. Rooney was however not going to be denied as his shot from an excellent cross from Silvestre landed zoomed past a hapless Lehmann, who proved Klinsmann made the right decision in making him Germany's number one keeper for the WC by making a number of fine saves in the first half. Rooney's cross to Park who shot home from close range killed off the game.

Henry's absence in the starting lineup did not seem to affect Arsenal as they made the brighter start to the game. However, ManUtd got into their groove after the first 20 minutes. The ManUtd defenders - Rio and Vidic have to be applauded for some great defending. Vidic has been a great partner for Rio in the defence and has stepped into the role with aplomb ever since he arrived this year.

However, Chelsea's continued winning ways means there is very little hope for ManUtd but I guess they have to keep their form going just to achieve the 2nd position and automatic qualifying for Champions League.

The relegation battle though is far from over. Sunderland is as good as relegated but the other 2 candidates would have to be one among these - Portsmouth, Birmingham City and West Brom. However, Portsmouth has been making some inspired progress lately and there is also remote chance that either Fulham or Aston Villa might get sucked into the battle. Another exciting finish in the prospect!

In La Liga, Real Madrid drew at home against Real Sociedad...a bad result considering Valenica went past them to 2nd place after a win and Barcelona could manage just a draw against Racing Satander.

AC Milan's win and Juventus' draw with Fiorentina means the gap at the top is less but it is still Juventus' title to lose just as Barcelona's and Chelsea's.

Bayern stumbled to an embarassing defeat, delaying their league title in Germany. However, the Dutch league saw PSV Eidhoven being crowned as champions. Celtic won the Scottish league as they beat Hearts 1-0. Also, get ready to see Reading next season in the EPL!

World Cup Watch - Young Guns II

2006-04-07T21:16:00.000-07:00

Cesc Fabregas

Cesc has been a revelation for the gunners this season and more so in Europe, where he has been one of the top performers. At age 18, he is one of the youngest midfielders around and with injury to Xavi, he seems to have made his way to Spain coach Luis Aragones' plans too for the World Cup.

Cesc has proved he can perform at the highest level in Europe but it's an entirely different matter to take his good form into the World Cup. Spain has always been an underperforming side, the eternal underdogs and one of the fine teams who always seem to get knocked out in the quarters. Cesc is just one among a number of great talented players in Spain. Great speed and exceptional passing abilities makes him one of the emerging talents in the game. However, Cesc's relative inexperience at the national level would make Aragones to resist tempatation of fielding him in the starting XI.

Cesc is definitely a player to watch out for this WC and if he manages to keep Xavi out of the starting lineup, his performance will be even more keenly followed, none more so than the club keeping tabs on him - Real Madrid. But the biggest question is - Can he inspire Spain to achieve the long overdue glory that has eluded them so far?

Cristiano Ronaldo

One of the stars to watch out for, Ronaldo has been on song whenever he has played for Portugal, scoring goals at will in the WC qualifiers. He has matured a bit this season and under Sir Alex's guidance, has been trying to work on his physical side a bit more.

Portugal was unlucky to lose at home to Greece in the Euro Championships and breezed through their qualifiers easily topping their group. Ronaldo is likely to have stiff competition from Simao for a place in the starting XI but is likely to get the nod as he is equally adept in the air. He has to remain consistent in his play and the crosses he provides from the wing. Opposition teams are likely to get physical with him and his reputation as a diver although has come down, wouldn't help him one bit.

Portugal, being in an easy group, should qualify top of their group. However, making it past the 2nd round and quarters would be a tad difficult. Ronaldo is a key player for them and he needs to be at his best in creating goal-scoring opportunities for his team. He is definitely one of the youngsters to keep an eye on during the WC.

More than Just a Shirt!

2006-04-07T05:40:00.000-07:00

ManUtd signed an agreement with insurer American International Group (AIG) in a new shirt deal worth £56.5m over four years, the biggest ever in UK.

The new shirt deal has not been without controversy. Earlier this week United were accused of "double dealing" by online casino firm Mansion. The company's chief negotiator claimed that Mansion and United had verbally agreed to a £70m shirt sponsorship deal before the football club pulled out. The club countered that it never holds exclusive talks and it was perfectly entitled to hold discussions with other firms.

Good news for ManUtd fans, but nothing beats the shirt with the Vodafone logo!

March of the Champions!

2006-04-06T05:59:00.000-07:00

Missed chances by Lyon and Benfica has paved way for a pulsating clash between the mighty giants from Italy and Spain - AC Milan and Barcelona respectively. Arsenal produced a great performace over two legs against the Italian Champions Juventus and their prize is a comparitively easier clash against Spanish minnows Villareal.

AC Milan would have been left to rue the missed chances in the first leg at Lyon had it not been for Inzaghi's last gasp goal in the 88th minute. Sheva's strike in the 90th minute effectively settled the tie. Milan though deserved to go through just because they created the better chances over 2 legs and took their chances at the San Siro. Lyon did not make the Milan defenders work too hard...there was no sustained pressure on the Milan defence that was necessary to break them. Houllier has a great team and I am sure Lyon will come back stronger next season if they manage to keep hold of their key players.

I suppose Barca were a bit jittery after failing to score from a host of chances in Lisbon. Ronaldinho's penalty miss in just the 5th minute in the Nou Camp once again made everyone wonder if the Gods were on Benfica's side. However, Ronaldinho, the great player that he is, quickly atoned for his mistake by scoring from Eto'o pass in the 20th minute. Benfica too had a couple of chances to score but their failure to score over the 2 legs meant they had to go out. However, Ronald Koeman's side has to be applauded for overcoming the defending champions Liverpool and ex-champions ManUtd.

Arsenal are on a great run in Europe and their surprisingly comfortable victory over Juventus means they have the best chance to reach the finals in Paris, if Henry and Cesc remain fit and uninjured, that is.

Villareal, who were playing in a lower level league in Spain until about 7 years, have acheived a great distinction by reaching the semis in their debut run in Europe, thanks to the goal from Arruabarrena. Inter were a sorry side to watch as Villareal continued to create greater chances to extend their lead, while Inter and Adriano struggled. Perhaps, it is time for Adriano to move on. Real must be watching keenly. Manager Mancini looks set to be axed at the end of the season after yet another disappointing season.

2 Spanish sides, an Italian and an English one in the semis confirm these are surely the best 3 leagues in Europe.

El Classico and Other Moments

2006-04-02T09:44:00.000-07:00

El Clasico resulted in a 1-1 draw as Ronaldo cancelled out Ronaldinho's penalty. Barca still hold a 11-point lead at the top over Real.

Ronaldinho received a special visit during training before the game from Vanessa, a deaf child who shouted out his name throughout the session. Afterwards, her father asked him to celebrate a goal in the manner of deaf and dumb people. And when he scored, that's just what he did.

Ronaldinho comforting compatroit Roberto Carlos after the Real fullback got sent off for arguing with the referee.

Saha scores a stunner in ManUtd's win over Bolton at the Reebok. ManUtd cut Chelsea's lead at the top to 7 points.

Henry scored a brace as Arsenal routed pitiful Villa 5-0 at Highbury. Huge result for the Gunners as rivals Tottenham lost 1-3 at Newcastle.

Robben's diving theatrics were futile as Chelsea were held to a 0-0 draw at relegation-threatened Birmingham.

Legends - Marco Van Basten

2006-03-25T22:42:00.000-08:00

San Marco

Thinking of Dutch players, after the legendary Johan Cryff, the next player that comes to mind is another great player and an outstanding striker - Marco Van Basten. Van Basten played for Ajax Amsterdam and AC Milan in the 1980s and early 1990s and is regarded as one of the finest strikers of all time and scored 276 goals in a career cut short by injury.

By 1986 he was the top marksman in Europe, winning the European Golden Boot award. With van Basten leading their attack, Ajax lifted two Dutch Championships, two Dutch Cups and the European Cup Winners' Cup.

Known for his strength on the ball, his tactical awareness and spectacular volleys, he scored 24 times for Holland, his finest being the classic looping volley that ensured Holland's only international triumph in the Euro Championships in 1988.

He joined compatriots Gullit and Rijkaard in AC Milan in 1988 and that set off the golden period for the mighty Italian club. In 1989, Milan destroyed Romanian Champions Steaua Bucharest 4-0 in the final in Barcelona. Van Basten got two of the goals. In his time at the club, he helped AC win 4 Italian league titles, 3 European Cups and 3 European Super Cups, among others.

His career was cut short by a chronic ankle injury and he retired from the game in 1995. As the present Dutch coach, he has established himself as a man of strong principles. He has left out underachieving superstars from the national team and brought in unknown but talented youngsters, and was vindicated when Holland qualified for the World Cup top of their group.

Van Basten was indeed a truly delightful footballer and one of the finest strikers of all time.

Individual Honors:
FIFA World Player of the Year: 1992
World Footballer of the Year: 1988, 92
European Footballer of the Year: 1988, 89, 92.

If I were Sven...

2006-03-21T00:01:00.000-08:00

If I were Sven, I would...

Give the England captaincy to Terry and keep Beckham out of the starting eleven.

Try and keep my mouth shut when approached by unknown persons.

Not make such statements like "England will win the World Cup", often.

Drop SWP, David James from the squad and bring in some other keeper.

Keep Campbell out of the squad and give a chance to Tottenham's outstanding

centre-back Dawson (definitely, another Terry in the making!).

Bring in and play Scott Parker as the holding midfielder.

Bring in Boltons's Kevin Nolan and Tottenham's Aaron Lennon and keep them on the

bench.

Play Gerrard on the right wing.

Drop Kieran Richardson and bring in a proper left-winger - Stuart Downing.

Keep Crouch and Defoe on the bench as backup strikers.

Walk down to the touch-line and motivate the players during the match.

Never make hasty substitutions.

Use this as the starting XI...

Robinson

Neville Ferdinand Terry A.Cole
Parker
Gerrard Lampard J.Cole
Rooney
Owen

Subs: Green, Crouch, Defoe, Nolan, Downing, Lennon, Carragher.
Others: Jenas, Beckham, King, Dawson, Bridge.
Other probables: P.Neville, Dean Ashton, Kevin Davis, Luke Young, Routeledge, SWP