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As part of the annual Football League Awards hosted in March, this year containing 17 categories ranging from PFA Player in the Community Award, contested by Portsmouth’s Joel Ward, Noel Hunt of Reading and Millwall’s Tamika Mkandawire, to Best Matchday Programme, the three-man shortlist for the npower Championship Player of the Year Award has been put together.
Last year’s winner, Adel Taarabt, who was crowned on the back of Kevin Nolan’s 2010 successes and Sylvan Ebanks-Blake’s triumphant 2009, thanked voters – last year compromised of firstly fans voting online and then narrowed down to the top three and eventual winner by a select panel of judges: “I am really happy to be named the top player in the npower Championship. I had a difficult time at Spurs and going to QPR was a risk for me, but things have gone very well and hopefully, I will be back in the Premier League next season.”
With the winner being announced in March, Q.P.R’s fate was not yet confirmed: however, as Taarabt was wishing, Q.P.R won promotion, finishing as Champions, and the talented Moroccan is part of Mark Hughes’ plans to avoid relegation, having been inconsistently used by Neil Warnock prior to his dismissal.
This year, all three nominees will have similar expectations to those of Adel Taarabt. Shortlisted for the prestigious award, is: Cardiff City’s Peter Whittingham, Southampton’s Rickie Lambert and his Saints teammate Adam Lallana.
Cardiff City play in their second domestic cup final in four years on Sunday, having lost to Portsmouth in the F.A Cup Final in 2008: coincidentally the year in which Rickie Lambert finished top scorer in the competition. They take on Liverpool in the Carling Cup Final and the nomination of their hugely talented midfielder for the Award is a credit to their campaign. In Malky Mackay’s first season in charge of The Bluebirds, Cardiff have reached the Carling Cup Final and are still chasing promotion from where they currently sit at 5th, six points off of automatic promotion with 14 games left.
The achievements of Southampton under an ever-positive Nigel Adkins are equally admirable: coming up in second from the npower League One, Southampton quietly went about their summer transfer dealings, overshadowed by pseudo-rivals Brighton capturing League One’s top scorer Craig Mackail-Smith and Valencia’s Vicente, yet quickly established themselves at the top of the pack. To date, Southampton are yet to be positioned anywhere but the top two and led the pack for the majority of the campaign. Nominees, Rickie Lambert and Adam Lallana, will be hoping their strong performances can continue and ensure Premier League status next season.
However, who will win the npower Championship Player of the Year Award 2012?
Rickie Lambert
In League One, Rickie Lambert had all the plaudits: they were as plentiful and as vast as his goal-scoring portfolio. However, when Southampton made the step back up into the second tier of English football, many suddenly left the Scouser’s side. The Southampton faithful didn’t, though, and after many a lazy comparison to Grant Holt, Saints fans were left wondering if they were the only ones knowing just how good Rickie Lambert was, as he seemingly continued to go unnoticed in the Championship.
Yet, Rickie Lambert’s recognition, all the more valued as it is coming from opposition managers rather than the previous system of fan votes, which was easy to rig, is full confirmation – if currently being the league’s top scorer with sixteen and second in the assists chart with nine wasn’t – that Southampton’s no.7 has made the step up.
What is much-covered in the media is Rickie Lambert’s transition from a chunky League One target man to a much trimmer “Saints fit” centre forward: however, this understates just how talented Rickie Lambert is technically as well as physically. His hold-up play is noted, his ability to drop off his man and play the quick one-two is not; his aerial ability is credited, but his wing play and succulent deliveries are not; and whilst his free-kick’s and penalties are often lauded, his creativity and vision is not. At 6’2, Rickie Lambert is the not so subtle underdog.
theseventytwo rating: 19th best player in the league
Peter Whittingham
Unlike last year, the voting system is open to only the votes of the 24 managers in the Championship. The three-man shortlist is a reflection of the most voted for players in each manager’s five-man submittal. Peter Whittingham’s inclusion in the final cut for the trophy pays homage to a season in which he has helped his team towards a League Cup Final, contributing with two goals, one of which became the decisive third penalty in a 3-1 semi-final penalty shootout win against Crystal Palace.
However, it is in the league where Whittingham, who made his debut for Cardiff City in 2007, since becoming a permanent fixture for The Bluebirds under Dave Jones and then Malky Mackay, has made the biggest impact: the midfielder has featured in all of Cardiff’s 32 league games so far this season and his return of nine goals means that the former England -21 international leads the scoring charts for Cardiff - along with Kenny Miller - a feat he carried out until the end of the season during the 09/10 campaign, securing the Championship Golden Boot with 22 goals. Add to that that Whittingham has the most assists in the league, and the case for Cardiff creator is strong.
The npower Championship Player of the Year Award isn’t the only gong the Cardiff City hit man is up for either: due to his audacious attempt from 25-yards, caught on the volley, the free-scoring midfield maestro finds himself up against Darren Ambrose, Peter Leven, Kári Árnason and Paul Coutts for the Mitre Goal of the Year, something Barnsley ‘keeper Luke Steele wouldn’t begrudge him.
theseventytwo rating: 4th best player in the league
Adam Lallana
“For me he is the best player in the league,” said Nigel Adkins, “Lallana oozes class; it’s as simple as that.” For anyone that has seen this prodigious talent twist and turn opposition defenders inside out, his ability in undoubted: his feinting hips and dipping shoulders left John Paintsil on his bum when Saints suffered their first defeat of the season at the King Power Stadium. Now, as the final fourteen games approach, Adam Lallana has hit his brilliant best once more.
His performance against Derby, his second faultless home display on the trot, was scintillating. In the early stages of the season, David Connolly had provided the class on par with Lallana to enable an unstoppable partnership to form, but his dip in performances has seen the aging Irishman feature less, as competition for attacking places increases and on Saturday, it was January Japanese signing Tadanari Lee that made Adam Lallana spark even brighter once more. The relationship was telepathic and the one touch passing between the two was the catalyst for Southampton’s third goal, which was beautifully finished on the volley from Adam Lallana himself.
With five assists, Southampton’s 5th highest assister, and eight goals, Adam Lallana has proved himself as one of many sources of goals in a freely-attacking Saints side. However, the 23-year old one-club man is all about the team, “It’s obviously nice to get recognised but we just want to achieve promotion now because that’s our main goal for the season. If we get promoted then it’ll be brilliant.” Saints fans will be hoping the momentum gathered between now and the final run-in will be gathered at pace and such an award could only spur on their best player.
theseventytwo rating: the best in the league
Written by Jordan Florit for www.maycauseoffence.com/ For more articles visit my website or my Twitter @JordanFlorit
If it wasn’t for Andre Villas-Boas’ failure to make an immediate impact at Chelsea, something that he undoubtedly intended to do given his insistence that “there is no calling this a year of transition,” earlier in the season, despite evidently being in a year of transition - something that has become painstakingly obvious to the rest of the world who hadn’t already realised it was underway, thanks to Villas-Boas all but admitting the transition by stating, “we have a three-year project to change, not only the team but, the culture and structure of the club” - Arsenal’s season would be dead right now. Luckily for Arsene Wenger, they still have the much-coveted “trophy” of fourth place to cling on to.
Meanwhile, Arsenal’s season has taken a rather different path to Chelsea’s, yet both teams are still going into the last thirteen games on level points (43) and the same goal difference (13). The only thing that currently keeps Arsenal in the top four over Chelsea, a position Arsene Wenger has never finished below during his Arsenal career, is the 22-goal Robin van Persie, rather than a 2-goal Fernando Torres.
Chelsea’s defence has been marginally tighter than Arsenal’s (I emphasize marginally) and whilst both teams have suffered defensively this season, with Chelsea’s Mourinho-instilled focus on strong foundations at the back finally all but fading out as Villas-Boas adopts a risk-taking and attacking defence, and Arsenal’s back four providing all but stability or consistency, with a total of eleven plays being used across the back, if The Blues were going to pip The Gunners to fourth place, it would be won at the back.
However, news that John Terry - who was set to be risked by the Portuguese boss against Napoli, a clear indication of just how important Terry is to Chelsea, despite not being quite the player he was a few years ago - is out for two months, could scupper Villas-Boas’ chances of Chelsea finishing in a Champions League spot and mount further pressure on the 34-year old.
John Terry suffered a blow to his knee in a collision with the goalpost in Chelsea’s F.A. Cup victory over Championship Portsmouth on January 7th: an injury he played through for two more games. Since then, The Blues have failed to keep a clean sheet and have slipped from 4th place and just four points off of 3rd and six clear of seventh, to 5th place, where 3rd seems unreachable at 10 points away and 7th placed Liverpool have closed the gap by two.
The reading doesn’t get much better for Chelsea fans as not only are Chelsea without a clean sheet in a Terry-less side so far this season, but in addition, last season Chelsea kept just one of their 15 clean sheets without Terry, in a season in which the centre-back missed 5 games. Last campaign, Chelsea kept a clean sheet with Terry 42% of the time and without him, just 20% of the time. This season, Chelsea have kept a clean sheet 27% of the time in which John Terry has played and without him, it currently stands at 0%.
Chelsea’s defensive woes are further encapsulated by the fact that they’ve only won two of their last ten games, one of them against relegation zone dwellers Wolves. And whilst they may’ve only lost two, both were bottom half at the time and their six draws have been score draws five times, with their only goalless draw coming against Norwich, a game fans would’ve hoped Chelsea would’ve won. Their 3-0 lead against Manchester United could’ve galvanised Chelsea’s season, but even that was carelessly thrown away, to add to their other two score draws that saw Chelsea lead.
Chelsea fans may take some hope from January signing Gary Cahill: however, the centre-back is stepping into the shoes of a Chelsea hero in an extremely frail Chelsea team that, simply put, is lacking leadership, belief and confidence. He’s stepped out of the fire, in the form of Bolton, who have only kept one clean sheet since the opening fixture, and into the fire at Chelsea.
So, can Chelsea turn to last season’s Player of the Year Petr Cech for help? Seemingly not. This season, you could make a claim for Petr Cech being the worst shot stopper in the league, although much blame should be put down to a defence lacking in organisation, something further hindered with the absence of Terry: this season, Cech’s saves-to-shots ratio in the Premier League is 65% and therefore the worst in the league.
Turn to Arsenal and in a season in which the Premier League’s top four has been more hotly-contested than Miss Universe and saw The Gunners seventeenth after an embarrassing 8-2 defeat at the hands of a ruthless Manchester United, their current position of fourth place is rather admirable. Yet, the past ten days has seen The Gunners lose everything they were fighting for but fourth place, crashing out of the F.A. Cup in a 2-0 defeat to Sunderland and their Champions League adventure all but over after a 4-0 first leg loss at the San Siro.
Yet, news that Laurent Koscielny should be back for Arsenal’s next Premier League game – the North London derby with Tottenham – has given a cloudy Arsenal week a much-welcomed silver lining. With Bacary Sagna firing on all cylinders again and Thomas Vermaelen at the heart of defence with the Frenchman, Arsenal fans have the right to celebrate.
The ever-changing back line, eluded to in the opening of this article, has finally mustered up some strength and stability: a blend of leadership, provided by Vermaelen, experience, courtesy of Sagna and ability, supplied in heaps from the much-improved Kosclieny, may well prove to secure fourth place in a season where defence has been far from Arsenal’s strong point.
It would be careless to rule out Newcastle or Liverpool sneaking in and snatching the last Champions League spot, especially with the momentum Liverpool are gathering and the focus Alan Pardew has on the league campaign: but, ultimately, if Arsenal or Chelsea do indeed finish fourth, the fight will be settled in defence.
Written by Jordan Florit for www.maycauseoffence.com/ For more articles visit my website or my Twitter @JordanFlorit
The social network site, home to 300 million users, created in 2006, has allowed a closeness to the footballing world never experienced before: at least, not with such synchronicity. The quick, instant and concise characteristics of Twitter quickly attracted the attention of businesses, and football clubs rapidly followed, with many branching out to a global audience to promote themselves during recessionary times through this free method of communication, marketing and, most importantly and most valued, interaction.
The growth Twitter has experienced is undoubtedly down to, in large, the intimacy it provides the everyday person with its less everyday users, such as Piers Morgan, Rihanna and Rio Ferdinand: in its market, it is unrivalled on this selling point.
It has blessed the world of football kindly, too. In recent times, we’ve had: the overnight phenomenon that is @AnfieldCat, which has, since its creation in the immediate aftermath of a cat stopping play at Anfield during Liverpool’s 0-0 draw with Tottenham, racked up over 60,000 followers; the ability to get instant access to England player’s views over the next England manager and captain, in such tweets as “Gutted capello has quit. Good guy and top coach. Got to be english to replace him. Harry redknapp for me (sp.)” and “For everyone asking i would love to be england captain. But thats upto new manager to decide. Gerrard is perfect choice for me (sp),” both from Manchester United striker Wayne Rooney; and lastly, but only indirectly strictly football related, are the parody accounts created on Twitter, which amass thousands of followers, look on the lighter side of what is sometimes a grim game and provide endless topical humour on the footballing world.
However, for all its positives, Twitter has a vile side when it comes to the relationships forged between the followers and the following: Manchester United boss, Sir Alex Ferguson slammed the social network site back in May, saying, “I don’t understand it…I don’t know why anybody can be bothered with …It is a waste of time,” having seen then Red Devils midfielder Darron Gibson axe his account having received numerous abusive Tweets from users of the site. Since May 2011, his views haven’t swayed too much, yet Rio Ferdinand’s following as well as Wayne Rooney’s, has since doubled: “I don’t know how to do these things….I’m not into that kind of stuff.”
Unfortunately, however, Darron Gibson wasn’t to be the first and last footballer to have to quit Twitter thanks to abuse. Although Newcastle striker Demba Ba wasn’t the direct recipient of racist Tweets, Peter Copeland, a 29-year old unemployed man living with his parents, still posted racist remarks concerning the Senegalese international: “With the number of darkies in your f**king team, you should be called the Coon Army.” Fortunately, for Ba’s 75,507 followers (myself included), Copeland’s case was adjourned for sentencing under breach of the Malicious Communications Act and the former West Ham striker has kept his Twitter account.
Yet, for Micah Richards, after three months of continual racist abuse, he did feel the need to close his account: “I did enjoy Twitter and the banter with the fans, but I didn’t like the abuse you get on it. Sometimes you want to retaliate, but you have to be the bigger man and not.” It’s a sentiment wisely expressed by a player that hasn’t always been the wisest and highlighted just how intimate Twitter can be: following a string of offensive Tweets in May 2011, Wayne Rooney threatened a respondent, seemingly unable to be “the bigger man,” but Rooney insists it wasn’t meant to be taken seriously.
It’s a sad case that racism is still so prevalent in society, let alone football: however, when there have been numerous cases of racism in football itself, such as the on-going John Terry case and the Evra-Suarez saga, it is hardly surprising that the same behaviour is being replicated by so-called fans of the game. But, that is no excuse for such behaviour: so surely, some sort of moderation should be put in place to prevent such Tweets from ever being posted?
Take the recent Twitter abuse inflicted on Southampton’s January signing Billy Sharp for example: whilst Sharp was playing for Saints in their 1-1 away draw to West Ham on Valentine’s Day, a user who has since closed his account, like Copeland did, tweeted despicable and hateful comments directly to Billy Sharp. On October 29th 2011, Luey Jacob Sharp, Billy’s two-day year old son passed away due to Gastroschisis. @ChrisDRFCBoyd used this sad fact to taunt the Southampton striker with taunting jibes and sick comments. Surely moderation to prevent such comments from ever reaching users should be in place?
However, moderation takes time and, sadly, time is money and that is the selling point of Twitter: it is a free to use social networking site, valued by businesses for the service it provides in which companies can efficiently and instantaneously interact with the public and the same is said for footballers and their employees. Thisisfutbol editor, Harry Cloke says that for his website, Twitter is “pretty vital. In terms of creating a sense of community, creating discussion and controlling traffic it’s essential.”
The free promotion it provides has seen numerous football clubs rapidly take advantage to increase their social media presence and since it went big, English clubs have quickly dominated the scene with Chelsea, Arsenal and Manchester United coming in at #5, #4 & #3 respectively, in the most followed clubs according to Facebook and Twitter: however, Real Madrid and Barcelona, in second and first place, is a harsh reminder that La Liga threatens to overshadow the Premier League.
So if moderation seems like an implausible possibility, surely Twitter can use a form of word filter, such as the ones utilised on forums, to prevent such offensive Tweets from being published?
Only time will tell. However, to challenge a concept favoured by one of Twitter’s more liberal users, Joey Barton, who’s love of freedom is clear in his posts, describing The F.A. as an “Orwellian institution,” when they requested he didn’t offer his predictions for Premier League games on Twitter, and stating he’d “gladly go to jail for a month, in the name of free speech,” I leave you with this:
Twitter allows the quick and easy access to a public domain in which freedom of speech is allowed: however, how long will it be before that freedom will inhibit others in their numbers, like it already has done to Micah Richards?
Is it time for football to give Twitter the red card, or is it too much of a crowd pleaser?
Written by Jordan Florit for www.maycauseoffence.com/ For more articles visit my website or my Twitter @JordanFlorit
The Saints are now unbeaten in five, conceding just two during that spell and keeping three clean sheets: the most recent came against Nigel Clough’s Derby County side in an emphatic 4-0 win in which January signing Tadanari Lee scored his first goal for the club, with a thunderous effort from just inside the box.
The blip is well and truly over: it concerned a few Saints fans, as Southampton went nine games with only two wins and their impenetrable home record came to an end, first stumbling to Blackpool in a 2-2 draw and then losing to Bristol City in the last game of 2011. However, a timely return of form has steadied the ship and Southampton are back at the top of the table: even if it is only till Tuesday, when one of West Ham’s two games in hand present a chance for The Hammers to return to the top. Still, independent of the games in hand for other sides, Saints will remain in the automatic promotion places, where they have been all season.
With a reinforced squad, thanks to some astute January signings in the form of free transfer Tadanari Lee, a Japanese international from Sanfrecce Hiroshima, Spanish winger Iago Falque on loan from Tottenham and 10-goal Billy Sharp from Doncaster Rovers, and construction of the new Football Development & Support Centre at the Staplewood training ground underway, as the club continue to pride themselves on high quality graduates such as Alex Oxlade Chamberlain, Gareth Bale and Theo Walcott, the South Coast club looks destined for the Premier League.
MayCauseOffence’s Jordan Florit looks at the top five reasons why Southampton F.C. will be in the Premier League next season:
Nigel Adkins and Andy Crosby
By Brighton, Portsmouth and most recently West Ham fans, Nigel Adkins is detested. His ever positive demeanour and his extensive use of clichés and metaphors can frustrate opposition fans and is confused for pseudo-arrogance: however, the management duo is far from arrogant. For them, preparation is key and a painfully long process, but one well worth undergoing.
For all the importance of Nigel Adkins’ tactical nous, it would be worthless without Andy Crosby’s clever set plays and his ability on the training ground to get players “Saints fit,” and both have been invaluable in the set up at St. Mary’s: along with Dean Wilkins, Andy Crosby runs the fitness programme at Staplewood, and Adkins has commended it for the turnaround Rickie Lambert has experienced in his fitness and expects the same to happen for Billy Sharp. For the value of Crosby’s set plays, which Adkins describes as “massively important,” look no further than the weekend’s result in which two of Southampton’s four goals came from set plays.
Adam Lallana
Considered by TheSeventyTwo as the best player in the Championship, Adam Lallana’s form will be pivotal in determining whether Southampton F.C. finish in the automatic promotion places or not. Utilising one of his most used catchphrases, Nigel Adkins summed up Lallana’s influence on Saints post-match, describing him as a player who “oozes class, it’s as simple as that.”
Saints fans cheekily sing that he overshadows Barcelona’s Lionel Messi, but whilst Southampton fans do so with a tongue firmly placed in cheek, to say he is this generation’s Matthew Le Tissier to the Southampton faithful, is no understatement. His boisterous flair, his jinking turns and twists and his measured confidence is what makes Saints tick and his good health will be vital in Southampton’s 14-game run in until the end of the season.
At current, Lallana has five assists and is therefore Southampton’s fifth highest assister and yesterday’s volleyed goal, a scintillating finish, which saw the talented attacking midfielder finish the moved he started on the half-way line with a one-two with Tadanari Lee, was his eighth goal of the season.
Rickie Lambert
Southampton’s current #7, a shirt never really done justice at St. Mary’s since Matthew Le Tissier until now, has made the step up to the Championship effortlessly and for all that doubted whether he would, his name at the top of the scoring charts in England’s second tier is proof enough that he has done so. With sixteen goals to his name and twenty in all competitions, Rickie Lambert has been Southampton’s Grant Holt if Saints are set to “do a Norwich.”
However, that lazy comparison to Grant Holt, Lambert’s former striking partner from his days at Rochdale, is wide of the mark. Hopefully, Rickie Lambert, who turned thirty last week, will get his chance to shine in the Premier League: until then, he can only continue to prove himself as the best striker outside of the top flight, a sentiment expressed by the masses on Twitter in response to Crawley Town’s Steve Evans claiming Tyrone Barnett is the best striker in the Football League.
Goals all over the park
With an average of 1.81 goals scored per game, the best goal difference in the league by six at +26 and the most goals scored in the league with 58, Southampton F.C are rather flush with goals. Add to that impressive goal-scoring display of facts, top goal-scorer Rickie Lambert hasn’t scored in the league for four games now, yet Southampton have still scored seven picking up eight points, beating Burnley and Derby and drawing to then top-of-the table West Ham and unbeaten at home Birmingham.
Although £1.8m Billy Sharp is yet to score for Southampton (properly, anyway), his teammates have produced goals from all over the park: Saints have 14 different goal-scorers, two players in double figures (three including Sharp) and a further two with more than five. Southampton’s knack for goal-scoring is undoubtedly aided by the fact that seemingly any player can create a goal at Saints: out of the top fifteen assisters in the league, four are Southampton players, whilst overall the South Coast side have 12 assisters, five of which have at least five assists to their name. Frazer Richardson and Rickie Lambert both have nine assists, whilst Danny Fox’s weekend hat-trick of assists takes his total to eight.
Competition for places
“We’ve got such a good squad here. The gaffer could change the whole team and we’ve still got a team that can play exactly how we always play.” Building a team in League One that would be ready for the Championship and doing the same this season in preparation from the Premier League has led to the scenario that Aaron Martin describes here. Undoubtedly, the financial backing the club has, has allowed Southampton to build such a competitive squad and as the last fourteen games approach, it is this competition that will give Southampton an edge in the race for promotion.
For Danny Fox, there is Dan Harding; for Billy Sharp there is David Connolly; for Morgan Schneiderlin there is Dean Hammond and for Guly Do Prado there is Steve de Ridder. For many teams, balancing such a strong squad with individual player happiness is a tough gig: however, as highlighted by Jason Puncheon, Nigel Adkins has developed a togetherness among the team and a shared attitude is at play: “Promotion is not just going to be about what 11 players can do but about what 19 or 20 can do. And wherever you look at this club, there are at least 19 or 20 players good enough to play. So no-one has a divine right to be in the team. You have to be there on merit.”
Written by Jordan Florit for www.maycauseoffence.com/ For more articles visit my website or my Twitter @JordanFlorit
FCI haven’t played since January 21st now and the eagerness to play has been evident throughout many of the first team players. Matt Lakeman, who has rejoined FCI on a permanent basis alongside older brother Ryan Lakeman, told manager Jordan Florit, through a text message, that he “really wants to play,” before adding that, “playing footy is about the only thing [he] looks forward to all week.” Ryan Breen and Jim Neave added similar sentiments more akin to Jim Neave, stating that they were “buzzing” to be back to playing football.
At current, FCI sit in 1st place, with a seven-point cushion on second placed FC Waterside A, and today’s opposition are closer to the bottom than the top, sitting in the bottom half of the table at 5th place. Romsey Saints haven’t won since November 19th now and that result saw them smash 5 past Cosham, with just a one-goal reply from the opposition: furthermore, Romsey Saints enjoy their best football away from home, with just one win coming at the Hunts Farm ground that plays host to today’s game.
FCI’s management team have been buoyed by the permanent signings of Matt Lakeman, who spent preseason with Indie before joining Winchester, and Ryan Lakeman who has featured for FCI on a number of occasions but has previously been otherwise engaged with Winchester City likewise. Both additions, who have featured infrequently up until now, will be valued additions for the second half of the season in which Jamie Ross will miss the majority of as he settles in in his new house in Kent.
February 18th 2012 FCI 1-1 Romsey Saints
FC Independence (4-3-3): N. Hussey, Broadway, Hannides, M.Florit, Redhead, J.Florit, M.Lakeman, J.Hussey, Ely, Saribiyik, Neave Subs: B.Redhead, Goddard,
Attendance: 7
FCI 1-1 Romsey Saints
FCI’s unbeaten run stretched into it’s seventeenth game today, with a 1-1 draw at Hunts Farm. Although it is now two games without a win, Florit’s men will take heart from the performance in which seven first team players were missing and the back four, which performed admirably, limiting the opposition to shooting from distance, was rather makeshift.
FCI were patched up with the Redheads, with Paul Redhead, FCI’s second choice shot stopper, slotting in comfortably at right-back and his older brother, Ben, coming off the bench to turn home a Jordan Florit cross to send FCI into the lead just before the break. Both performed to a high standard, with Paul Redhead part of a strong defensive unit and up the other end, talismanic Ben led the line well, feeding Jack Hussey and J.Florit into the channels well.
The game started brightly for FCI, with Jack Hussey particularly shining throughout the first forty-five: however, much of FCI’s initial spark fizzled out within the first fifteen minutes and Romsey were allowed to dictate the play through the middle, on a boggy pitch suiting their five man midfield in which the play was slowed down and channeled to their solo striker.
Jack Hussey continued to trouble the opposition’s defence, whilst his older brother kept the back tight, and feeding off of Jim Neave and later Ben Redhead, much of FCI’s play, when not centred, was through the left flank of Hussey’s. His best chance was typical of his performance: latching on to a long ball forward, Hussey chased down the ball, pacing past the defender and was only stopped by the oncoming ‘keeper, who collided with Hussey just inside the box.
However, it was a family affair that brought the goal about: with a ball-playing defence in possession of the ball, Mike Florit played it across the back line to stand in centre back and captain Hannides, who continued the horizontal passing to Paul Red head, who fed J.Florit, who then battled past his marker, knocked it past the oncoming defender and burst into the final third of the pitch with time spare to get the right side of the ball to turn in a cross on his stronger left foot, which Ben Redhead guided home, just before the half-time whistle. 1-0 FCI.
The second half was a constant reminder that the game wasn’t won yet: having come off at the 20-minute mark, Matt Lakeman replaced Mitat Saribiyik at half-time and shortly after, J.Hussey made way for Jim Neave to return to the play. The second half was much more creative and chances were spurred by both sides, with Nathan Hussey making the odd routine save from afar.
However, with 10 minutes left, a free-kick was conceded by Mitat Saribiyik, who had returned to the action five minutes previous, replacing the in-form Scott Ely, and following a failure to clear their lines, FCI conceded the equaliser to a well struck bending shot from outside the box.
With two subs left to be made, the goal changed things and FCI headed towards the final whistle with the current eleven, having to leave Ely and Hussey on the bench. The equaliser had given FCI a second wind: however, a foul, deemed inside the box by the majority, but “bottled” by the ref, stopped J.Florit from going through clean on goal. As he latched on to a through ball, he lobbed the defender with his first touch, but was prevented from bursting into the box by the left-back who hugged Florit to the spot. A free-kick was earned and a yellow card given much to the bemusement of Mike Florit and Paul Redhead, and the free-kick nearly provided the winning goal, with Ben Redhead nearly grabbing his second. One last chance presented itself with Jordan Florit striking a long free-kick goalbound: the keeper was unable to deal with it and his parry was close to conversion by Paul Redhead, who’s acrobatic effort was cleared off the line. FT 1-1.
The man of the match goes to Dan Broadway, for his terrific performance at left-back, despite having the squits. Unfortunately, he is unavailable for next week’s cup clash with Division One’s MVC. Mikey Hannides gets a special mention for his admirable performance at centre-back in which he remained composed and handled himself superbly.
In a stinging attack on an Arsenal side that is not, according to World Cup and European Championships winner Emmanuel Petit, “the team that I knew,” the former Gunners midfielder, who won the Premier League and F.A. Cup double with the 97-98 Arsenal side, which included free-scoring Dennis Bergkamp, an ever present Patrick Vieira and a young Nicolas Anelka, stated that Arsene Wenger should “send out a strong signal” and “say to Arshavin and Rosicky: ‘Gentlemen, thank you, but goodbye.’”
The midfielder’s criticism comes in the wake of Arsenal’s hammering at the hands of an impressively potent AC Milan side, which scored with its first four shots on target, but enjoyed less of the possession than Arsenal’s spineless eleven on the night. According to a poll on The Telegraph’s website, 52.85% of the fans believe that it is too late for Arsene Wenger to build another trophy winning Arsenal side: but, considering The Gunners haven’t won a major trophy in seven years, the difference in opinion is barely noticeable with the remaining 47.15% of voters still believing the Frenchman can mould another winning side.
In a strong core eleven in the form of Wojciech Szczesny, Bacary Sagna, Thomas Vermaelen, Laurent Kocielny, Kieran Gibbs, Alex Song, Jack Wilshere, Aaron Ramsey, Alex Oxlade-Chamberlain, Robin van Persie and Theo Walcott, Arsenal have a side capable of a top four finish: however, with depth lacking, Theo Walcott and Robin van Persie both within 18 months of contract expiry and a few names failing repeatedly to step up and provide what Arsene Wenger promised of them, a top four finish, something Arsene Wenger has always delivered, isn’t the guarantee it used to be, leaving Gunners fans on tenterhooks.
Theo Walcott is one name that is being more and more strongly linked with a move away from The Emirates with each passing week, as is Tomas Rosicky and Andrei Arshavin, only helped further by the scathing condemnation of Emmanuel Petit: however, with van Persie into the last 16 months of his contract and turning 29 this summer, should Wenger be looking to offload the Dutchman and secure the future of Theo Walcott, who the Frenchman believes is destined to one day play as a centre forward?
On explaining the difference between Theo Walcott and Arsenal’s other Southampton Academy product, Alex Oxlade-Chamberlain, Wenger stated “Oxlade-Chamberlain could be a central midfielder one day and Walcott a central striker.” Although selling a striker responsible for 46% of Arsenal’s Premier League goals this season and 28 goals in all competitions, a mammoth 22 goals ahead of their second top scorer in Theo Walcott, who before the Swansea game last month hadn’t scored since October 29th’s 5-3 victory over Chelsea, seems ridiculous on face value, Arsenal’s ability to keep hold of van Persie is suffering a major blow with every missed opportunity of success. Selling him, on top of expected announced profits of £55m last year, aided by the sales of Samir Nasri and Cesc Fabregas, would provide the war chest for Wenger to build a trophy winning side that 47.15% of fans still believe he can.
Despite the criticism Theo Walcott gets week-in-week-out, slating him if he plays poorly or condemning him to inconsistency even if he plays well, I cannot help but think that if he leaves, it will be on to better things than Arsenal and a move up rather than down. With a strong core, and seven years of trophy chastity anyway, the best bet for Arsene Wenger achieving success, before his contract expires in 2014, would be to cash in on Robin van Persie before his contract expires, play Walcott in the centre forward role, before his career is ruined and judged to have not delivered by the age of 22, and play the exciting and skilful Chamberlain one side of him and the unorthodox Gervinho the other.
The selling of Gael Clichy, Cesc Fabregas and Samir Nasri, have not been adequately replaced and with the money there, just a reluctance to spend from an ever-stringent Arsene Wenger, it is not too late for the Frenchman to turn the fortunes around at Arsenal. His targets are very clear in Lukas Podolski, Mario Gotze and Eden Hazard: the execution of these transfers is all that is needed now.
The departures of several other players may well be on the cards and most will be welcomed: however, for all his goals and brilliance, a selling of Robin van Persie, when the chances of him staying beyond his contract are slim anyway, would provide not only the money to reinvest, but the removal of a reliance on him that has become so prevalent this season in the absence of other key players from last year.
For Arsenal fans, it is a case of the same questions, just a different season: however, there are foundations for a title-winning side in their ranks. All that is needed now is a decisive summer transfer window and a change in mentality at the club. Look forward not back; pass forward and not sideways and buy for success now and not in the future that never comes.
A culture change must arise, a mentality where winning becomes the precedent. For too long, Wenger has been investing in youth, when the current bunch of youth-turned-first-teamers isn’t delivering. Success breeds success and Arsene Wenger is seven years dry of it and only two away from never seeing it again. A clear out may well be needed, but not an overhaul and certainly not another failed transition from the old to the young: what Arsenal need is experience, players with an experience of success itself and, most importantly, readiness.
Written by Jordan Florit for www.maycauseoffence.com/ For more articles visit my website or my Twitter @JordanFlorit
Going into the game at the San Siro, bar Arsene Wenger’s pre-match excuse that suggested that AC Milan may’ve relayed the wings of the pitch to stunt Arsenal’s ability to express themselves with width and not because it had already endured thirty-five games this season and not because the Frenchman is still trying to flog the dead horse that is Theo Walcott as the real deal either, the stats were casting the tie in a positive light for The Gunners.
Against the traditionally defensive and slow-moving Italian set-ups, which may’ve been expected when The Gunners took on an aging AC Milan side, Arsenal have a strong track record: over two-legged clashes, Arsene Wenger’s side have never been sent home by Italian sides and furthermore, English clubs as a whole have been responsible for eliminating AC Milan in the past three Champions League knock-out stages. Having beaten Arsenal 4-0 on Wednesday night, that trend looks unlikely to continue, at least not for another round or two if at all: but, what did we learn from Arsenal’s humiliation?
Wenger keeps buckling under pressure
Always buying for the future and always investing in youth, that is what has come to be expected from Arsene Wenger: however, on a night where the latest kid on the block looked ready to play, physically and mentally, Arsene Wenger bottled it. Despite his emphasis on youth, the Frenchman went for experience over excitement, safety over skill and, ultimately, sideways passing over speedy direct wing play. Alex Oxlade-Chamberlain started on the bench, whilst Aaron Ramsey, fresh from striking his fourth deadly goal, started in his place.
The early travesty that was Arsenal’s start to the season saw Arsene Wenger quite literally lose it: his head in his hands, his hands grasping at his wet hair, was symbolic of The Gunners’ start to the campaign and a highly accurate depiction of what some people believed to be the start of the demise of Arsene Wenger. The season finally looked like it was taking shape for The Gunners during January, despite an underwhelming transfer window, and they overtook Chelsea to push into the top four as February hit its halfway point. However, although Alex Chamberlain’s introduction has had quite an impact on Arsenal’s performances, faced with AC Milan at the San Siro, Wenger buckled under pressure once more and went with experience over youth, irrelevant of talent, in an Arsenal season so far defined by rash and random decisions by the Frenchman.
Whilst on the topic of Age and Experience……………
On the day that it was announced that the average age of retirement had risen to 65, it was the side with even more experience than the one Arsene Wenger fielded in the belief that it had more experience than what was probably the better choice of a starting line-up, including Alex Oxlade-Chamberlain, that won and won convincingly: in fact, it was so convincing, it was Arsenal’s worst ever Champions League proper defeat.
AC Milan’s side is in fact the oldest on average, at 30-years old, out of the top 500 clubs in the best 33 leagues of Europe (the Premier League’s oldest average team is Stoke at 29.08-years old): however, the eleven Massimiliano Allegri sent out to do battle with Arsenal, which included 34-year old Mark Van Bommel, 35-year old Clarence Seedorf, although he only last 12-minutes, and 34-year old Christian Abbiati, was one with countless trophies between it, numerous successful internationals and bundles of experience. It was a case of age versus amateurs, but most importantly, a team with a winning mentality versus a team without a title in seven-years.
It’s not how much – It’s what you do with it
This is nothing to do with Kevin Price Boateng’s rampant sex-life, which often hinders his playing time and apparently is part of the reason why he’s often laying down at work too – on the treatment table – according to his model girlfriend Melissa Satta; it is the hard fact that, whilst Arsenal left the field of play having had possession 57% of the time (I purposely avoided the use of the word “enjoy”), AC Milan were the most productive with it, scoring with their first four shots on target.
During the group stages of the Champions League, despite being the first English team to qualify for the last sixteen, Arsenal had the second least amount of shots at 56: only Greek side Apoel Nicosia, coincidentally the second oldest side in Europe, had fewer with 36. It’s no surprise that both sides were completely out-attacked last night then: whilst Arsenal lost 4-0, recording only half the attempts at goal that AC Milan did, Apoel had only one shot all game, compared to Lyon’s 16 – the same amount of shots that Arsenal’s victors had.
Zlatan Ibrahimovic can cut it against English opposition
He was voted the best player in Italy recently by his fellow professionals: however, there was still some doubt, now eradicated, over his ability to deliver against English opposition. He once nearly ended up playing his football in England, for Southampton F.C., before his move to Juventus: yet, it wasn’t to be and playing time for Ajax, Juventus, Inter, Barcelona and A.C. Milan was yet to convince the harshest of critics that the big Swede could make an impact against English sides.
However, Wednesday night, constantly proving troublesome for Arsenal’s back four, Ibrahimovic assisted the second and scored the last, in an impressive display that saw the towering ponytail donning striker become the first since Arsenal’s Marouane Chamakh to score in five consecutive Champions League games. His assist saw him exert a quick burst of pace past his man, rolling his foot over the ball as he burst into the box, before poking in a cross for ex-Manchester City Brazilian Robinho to nod in from close range. His goal, celebrated Balotelli-esque, was a well struck penalty to the ‘keepers’ right, which Wojciech Szczesny, or Sir Chesney if you are Clive Tyldesley, was a well-earned cap to a stellar performance.
Written by Jordan Florit for www.maycauseoffence.com/ For more articles visit my website or my Twitter @JordanFlorit
As I sat and stood in interchanging fashion, rather like a Russian Kozachok dancer, in row E, seat 24, of the Sir Trevor Brooking Stand and looked up to my left to see the rather large and, unlike our own, perfectly working and crystal clear screen showing the game and match entertainment, in between self-promoting adverts and the worthy cause of Richard House Children’s Hospice, I was made aware, once again, that West Ham still consider themselves “The Academy of Football,” as they advertised membership to “The Academy.”
Whilst three of the starting eleven for West Ham on Tuesday, in their top of the table 1-1 draw with Southampton, were graduates of “the Academy” (Mark Noble – captain and scorer on the night; Jack Collison – substituted after 21 minutes, having seen teammate Matty Taylor sent off for violent conduct; and James Tomkins – freely chucking his elbows into the ribs of Dean Hammond like some kind of Inbetweeners dance tribute act,) the football was far from what West Ham had become traditionally associated with. But, according to Sam Allardyce, it’s ok because “all this team did before was lose” before him.
From where I was positioned, busy practising my own traditions of standing, sitting and kicking out – something that wasn’t considered dancing when I tried to re-enact it in a nightclub the same night, but is in Eastern Europe – when the Southampton faithful, myself excitingly and appreciatively included, began to sing “you used to play football” to the group of fans situated in the corner of the East Stand, it seemed well-received.
Of course, it is a chant that no football fan ever wants to hear about their club, but the fans were accepting of the fact that Sam Allardyce has changed that style West Ham have strived to maintain (instilling it as an ethos in the academy so it can grow through and into the first team) and duly clapped our satirical efforts that took the shape of a reply to their “we’ve only got ten men” chorus.
Lost in the tribalism that is the away stand, deindividualised by anthemic chanting and the quick dissemination of one man’s opinion into a whole stand’s worth, I quickly found myself shouting “hoof” regularly and singing a line that reassured any doubters over how many teams called Bolton Wanderers there were. Yet, for all the mocking that can be served in a 90-minute spell, to opposition fans that, in majority, agree with you anyway, West Ham are still at the top of the table with sixteen games left to play.
Unlike Big Sam, I can understand fans’ criticism of their style of play, described by one as “sterile 1-0 wins.” Anyone that knows football would’ve expected such route one directedness to be witnessed at The Boleyn Ground when Allardyce took over: it was a style that, until recently, had become synonymous with the Reebok Stadium dwellers, Bolton Wanderers; Zat Knight even called for Owen Coyle to revert to such tactics.
However, being the disinterested and often tired football fan I am by the time The Football League Show starts, I hadn’t seen West Ham’s football first-hand all season – bar their John Carew headed appearance at St. Mary’s earlier in this campaign – and thus, I hadn’t fully engaged on a wholehearted opinion on West Ham’s football this season, and still haven’t.
Yet, the Sam stereotype was something further enforced by the pre-game entertainment in which a montage of five recent Hammers goals were shown: three were penalties - two of them being described by the BBC as “controversial”; another was struck home by Winston Reid whilst David Forde laid motionless on the floor, having been floored by Julien Faubert, a goal that Millwall manager Kenny Jackett felt shouldn’t have stood; and the last of the five-goal highlights was a headed effort by Carlton Cole following a lofted ball into the box from deep.
Whilst the football isn’t pretty and the results, although victorious 56.67% of the time, aren’t always attractive, I can’t help admiring the relentless waves of attack that The Hammers led with in the opening stages, irrelevant of how direct they were or were not. They were like salmon swimming up water: they leaped up strong and regularly in attack and defence to head the ball clear and nod it down to runners gliding through the channels to meet the waiting balls and like salmon they didn’t give up when the tide was against them, like it was once Matty Taylor had been sent off.
When watching Southampton this season, despite the fact we’re the league’s top scorers, I have been hit with twinges of frustration when the neat, slick football isn’t paying off and a quick switch to something more direct isn’t adopted: it pangs me. We’re second and I can’t complain with that position, but having led the race for four months, not winning it or finishing second would pain me and if there is one thing we can learn from a team that aren’t admired for their style of play this season, it is their grit and determination to get the ball forward relentlessly.
I’d dislike for us to resort to that method as the norm for the rest of the season, but lately the goals are not being scored as frequent as they were for the first four months of the season – 2.2 per game – and they’re currently only coming at a rate of 0.9 goals per game and the ability to switch from the pretty to the necessary when needed, in order to get a result, could be the factor that ensures us back-to-back promotions.
West Ham “used to play football” as the chant went, but not playing it is serving them well at the moment: whilst some may like to believe we are Brazil or Barcelona, we’re not and sometimes the brutality of the game is as effective as the beauty.
Written by Jordan Florit for www.maycauseoffence.com/ For more articles visit my website or my Twitter @JordanFlorit
After most game weeks, the performance given by Wayne Rooney would’ve been more than enough to seal his place in the team of the week: in a fiercely contested derby match between the red half of Manchester and the red half of Merseyside, it was the former Evertonian that fired United to glory with a three-minute quick fire salvo that saw the England striker finish a Ryan Giggs cross, with a smart half-volley into the roof of the net and an Antonio Valencia through ball.
However, as was the performance of one England manager candidate’s team and the performance of another candidate for the same job’s team nearly matching that, Wayne Rooney didn’t make the cut and instead, the team is dominated by Tottenham, West Brom and Everton players: two of the players represent good value for money from the January transfer window.
Tim Howard
Keeping a clean sheet against Chelsea could be seen as an easier task nowadays, especially considering Fernando Torres plays upfront week-in-week-out and Didier Drogba was on Africa Cup of Nations duty: however, their top scorer, Frank Lampard, was starting again and midweek visits from Russian owner Roman Abramovich, cranked up the pressure for The Blues to get a result. Unluckily, for Andre Villas-Boas, Everton hit two goals without reply and it is now three games since Chelsea’s last clean sheet and their ‘keeper has the worst shots to saves ratio in the Premier League. Contrastingly, Tim Howard kept his net empty, made three vital saves to deny Chelsea a way back into the game and has now kept as many clean sheets as Petr Cech, with six.
Joleon Lescott
As part of the best defence in the Premier League so far this season, conceding only nineteen goals, thirteen of them coming away from home, Joleon Lescott has been a mainstay at the heart of the Manchester City back-four for most of this season, missing only 374 minutes of football up to the 25th game of the season. Yesterday’s 1-0 away win against Aston Villa came in Lescott’s 8th clean sheet performance for Manchester City and was earned through his 62nd minute goal from close range. His man of the match performance is enough to earn himself a place in this week’s team of the week.
Benoit Assou-Ekotto
Mr. “I don’t like football – it is just a job” is probably enjoying his football this season: the Tottenham left-back, signed for just £3.5m, had scored just two goals before this season, and only one for Tottenham: however, this weekend, saw him double his tally after his second goal in a month started off Spurs’ demolition of Newcastle United. Unlike his previous two long-range screamers, this strike was neatly put away from 10-yards as the French-born Cameroonian international latched on to an Emmanuel Adebayor cross. His performance contributed to Tottenham’s second clean sheet of the week and earns him a place in the best XI.
Jonas Olsson
As well as Harry Redknapp’s Tottenham hitting five past Newcastle United, fellow England candidate Roy Hodgson, saw his West Brom side smash Wolves for five, subsequently costing Mick McCarthy his job. In amongst the goals was defender Jonas Olsson: having scored the goal to put West Brom back into the lead over their Black Country rivals, the scorer turned provider just over ten minutes later, to help Peter Odemwingie towards his hat-trick. Although the 6’6 Swede didn’t keep a clean sheet, a goal and assist in a performance that saw him hail his boss as the “best coach in England,” was enough to earn him his place in the XI.
Gary Caldwell
In a fairly abysmal Wigan defence, this is one man that can hold his head fairly high: missing just two games all season and having only been subbed once, the Scot has become an ever-present in the Latics’ defence since signing from Celtic in 2010. In a rare win, in fact only their fourth, for Wigan, the defender earned the man of the match award for the away side and his goal and strong defensive display at the back capped and signified a resilient Wigan performance that will be needed if they are indeed, “ready to fight” as Roberto Martinez has stated.
Steven N’Zonzi
N’Zonzi, even with the return of sharp-shooting Yakubu, was Blackburn’s best performer in their Saturday 3-2 victory over Q.P.R: getting on the end of a clever Junior Holiett ball, following a mazy run through the Rangers’ defence, the Frenchman scored his first goal of the season, rifling in from just inside the box. Just eight minutes beforehand, N’Zonzi had set up the returning Yakubu to open the scoring fifteen minutes into the game. If Blackburn are to stay up, the performances of the aforementioned trio will be largely responsible.
Steven Pienaar
Returning to Everton a year after leaving for Tottenham Hotspur, where he has been criminally underused (just 17 minutes this season, with 14 of them against Everton), Steven Pienaar, according to club captain Phil Neville, is “back doing what he does best at a club he enjoys playing at.” His two performances have been described by the captain as man-of-the-match worthy, and the 2-0 victory over Chelsea was “driven by the classy Pienaar,” according to BBC’s Owen Phillips, with him scoring the first and linking up well with Leighton Baines throughout the game, until he left the pitch on 74-minutes to a standing ovation.
James McArthur
The Wigan midfielder is enjoying a purple patch at the moment: game time was fairly limited for the 24-year old Scot, but the New Year has brought a new lease of life in the first team and the 5’10 central midfielder has now scored two goals in three games and his strike fifteen minutes from time, getting on the end of a parried Victor Moses shot, won Wigan their first game in twelve. Their last was a 2-1 victory over West Brom in early December.
Louis Saha
Along with Steven Pienaar, it seems the players swapping allegiances between North London and the blue half of Merseyside, are wholly benefiting: before joining Harry Redknapp’s freely attacking Spurs side, Saha had only scored once all season, but with his first start for Tottenham, the former Manchester United striker has already doubled his Everton tally, with two deft finishes against the first side he played for in England. His brace, wholly assisted by Emmanuel Adebayor, has seen an instant partnership flair up, which will further hinder Jermaine Defoe’s playing time.
Peter Odemwingie
Back in December, the Nigerian said he was losing sleep over his goal drought: at the time, he hadn’t scored for eight games, stretching back into October, and even then he’d only scored two all season. It was far from the performances of last year in which he scored 15 times and summer interest from Arsenal and Wigan saw West Brom slap an £8m price tag on him. West Brom fans will be hoping his weekend hat-trick will mark a turn in form for the 30-year old forward.
Emmanuel Adebayor
At the beginning of the season I read Tottenham fans’ views that stated Adebayor would offer nothing different to Peter Crouch and that he wouldn’t improve the team: one fan said their two marquee signings, Adebayor and Parker, didn’t match up to Aguero and Silva and unless Chelsea challenged it would be a two horse race between the Manchester sides with Spurs scrapping for the remains with Arsenal, Chelsea and Liverpool. However, Redknapp has taken Spurs from strength to strength and they are only five points off of second, eight from the top and ten points clear of fourth. The Togolese striker has either scored or assisted 45% of Tottenham’s goal this season and his unselfish play at the weekend saw him assist four, before rounding off the scoring with a goal of his own. He is now the Premier League’s seventh top scorer, Tottenham’s top, and only David Silva has more assists: 12 to his 11.
Written by Jordan Florit for www.maycauseoffence.com/ For more articles visit my website or my Twitter @JordanFlorit
There was a point where this whole kerfuffle was becoming slightly tedious: Liverpool were literally turning their terrace chant into an all-abiding ethos, ensuring Luis Suarez would “never walk alone,” and the majority of everyone else was sternly on the side of Patrice Evra. An eight-match ban was given and the tedium truly set in, as a meek game of ping pong got underway with Liverpool stating they fully support Luis Suarez, Manchester United opposing such a stance, Luis Suarez offering some sort of pseudo-apology and Manchester United taking offence to such a half-hearted attempt. Luis Suarez’s return was hopefully going to break the tedium, draw a line under the set of events, as requested by Sir Alex Ferguson in his pre-game programmes notes at the weekend, and the rivalry between the two clubs could get back to purely football rather than two men seemingly both swathed in ignorance.
However, that was not to be: the lack of a handshake – something dodged, quite admirably in hindsight, by the F.A. in Q.P.R’s F.A. Cup tie against Chelsea – was enough to force football to take the back seat for the day and the next episode in the never-ending series of the Patrice Evra and Luis Suarez affair to take centre stage once more. Despite Kenny Dalglish’s feeble avoidance of the matter and Sir Alex Ferguson’s neutral stance in his post-match interview, although he did describe the Uruguayan as a “disgrace,” neither man has come out of the game with much dignity: but who will come out of the saga the worse for wear?
Before I start, I am not taking the side of Luis Suarez nor am I of Patrice Evra, I feel that both have acted sanctimoniously and ignorantly, whilst causing much dispute over the game as a whole.
The Uruguayan has made racist remarks - that is irrefutable: however, Luis Suarez is not a racist and that is where a case can be made for him; not one that excuses his insensitive behaviour throughout the saga, though. The F.A. commission found Luis Suarez to have made comments deemed racist and thus the eight-game ban: yet, the commission doesn’t believe he is a racist and it is here that inconsistency arises that may allow Suarez to feel wholeheartedly aggrieved by the matter, especially considering Patrice Evra’s despicable behaviour in the weekend’s game and Suarez’s belief that Patrice Evra hasn’t been wholly truthful throughout.
As well as the Uruguayan firmly believing that the Frenchman has engineered what is true (although Evra did admit referring to the former as “South American,” which could be deemed “offensive if taken as an implied slight against a regional identity” or with a sneer, but went unpunished), the way in which there has been no consistency in the handling of race-related issues that have sadly arisen during this season, could further aggravate Suarez.
Firstly, as briefly highlighted above, Patrice Evra wasn’t punished for his part in the exchanges – no matter how small; secondly, John Terry’s alleged slur, whilst causing just as much controversy and hindrance to the season, has again been treated differently, this time being handed over to the CPS, which will deal with the matter fully after Euro 2012; and lastly, Peter Copeland, who pleaded guilty to breaching the Malicious Communications Act by tweeting racist comments on social networking site Twitter, such as referring to Newcastle United as the “Coon Army,” in an unwitty observation of “the number of darkies” in Pardew’s side was punished, on the Chairman of the Bench’s advice, with just “medium level community order,” after the excuse of Copeland’s defence that, “he never intended his comments to reach a worldwide audience.”
The handshake was a chance to dispel the saga, weirdly appease Sepp Blatter and hopefully draw a line under the matter: however, it didn’t happen as Luis Suarez deftly avoided Patrice Evra’s hand and his further brattish behaviour on the sound of the half-time whistle did much to distract how he handled himself with dignity as he walked off the pitch at the end of each half, despite the actions of those around him, in particular Patrice Evra, whose full-time celebrations in front of the Uruguayan were tasteless and pious. How Luis Suarez fares from this prolonged saga will much depend on his media portrayal: but for him, he remains “disappointed because everything is not that it seems.”
Patrice Evra’s actions, though, were equally idiotic: had he simply let Luis Suarez pass, he could’ve held his head high, knowing he had offered his hand and that he had done no wrong. However, in grabbing his arm and acting hostile in doing so, and continuing to do so throughout the game – best exemplified in his and Rio Ferdinand’s combined efforts to clatter the Uruguayan - Evra has only aggravated the scenario further.
Some believe that Patrice Evra has conducted himself well: he was racially abused, he hasn’t received a direct and respectful apology and he still offered his hand to the man who insulted him: yet, regrettably so, there are more dimensions to both characters than simply one. Patrice Evra has acted petulantly once again in his career and it will divert attention away from the most important matter, as will Suarez’s actions. He has, on Sunday, issued an apology for not shaking his hand on Liverpool’s official site: “I should have shaken Patrice Evra’s hand before the game and I want to apologise for my actions,” but has it come too late?
If the saga regarding Patrice Evra and Luis Suarez is concerned only with racism, as portrayed from the viewpoint of the Frenchman, Suarez is in the wrong: but, if it’s taken from the stance of the Uruguayan, and is concerned with manipulating truth into a case the F.A. will mandatorily and immediately react to, to make example of, to gain an advantage over an opponent you have a grudge against, it is Patrice Evra who could be deemed disgraceful. Saturday’s events could be orchestrated to suit either party’s argument: but who will come out of the saga the worse for wear?
Written by Jordan Florit for www.maycauseoffence.com/ For more articles visit my website or my Twitter @JordanFlorit
The Premier League was rather flush with fixtures on Saturday, in a schedule that is ever more so controlled by television companies and viewing figures. Eight fixtures were played in total, providing the staple diet for any Premier League fan: there were two six-pointers; Arsenal could break into the top four if they could grab a result against an impressive at home Sunderland side and Manchester United took on fierce rivals Liverpool, in a match that had its own recurring subplots.
Ed Sheeran and Luis Suarez have more in common than you may think
Fresh with confidence from defeating their bitter foes in the F.A Cup, thanks to a Dirk Kuyt goal, Liverpool this time faced Manchester United away and in the Premier League. For United, it was all about keeping pace with their inner-city rivals at the top of the table and for Liverpool it was an opportunity to beat Manchester United twice in two weeks and extend their unbeaten run to four.
However, although United got the three points with Wayne Rooney scoring a quick-fire brace, the main attraction was the Patrice Evra and Luis Suarez affair: it was the first time the two had faced each other since the fateful day in October in which the former accused the latter of racial abuse resulting in an eight-match ban and similar to Wayne Bridge and John Terry and Anton Ferdinand and John Terry, there was no handshake. Unlike those two John Terry centred examples, however, it was the villain who refused the handshake and not the victim leading me to think that Ed Sheeran, who sings the line, “I know I can’t heal things with a handshake” has more in common with Luis Suarez than I thought, as does Patrice Evra with Sepp Blatter, who feels a handshake can.
Feed the Yak and He will Score
We knew that already right? We did, but it may well prove to be what keeps Blackburn Rovers in the Premier League for next season: during his three-game ban, Blackburn Rovers amassed just a solitary point and furthermore, they struggled to capitalise on the chances they did create, proving wasteful without the Yak.
However, reintroduce the Yak after his three-game, and Blackburn hit three goals just like they did in the last game he featured in and just like in the previous 60 games Blackburn have scored three in, they went on to win with Yakubu getting the decisive goal in a 3-2 victory over fellow relegation candidates Queens Park Rangers. Yakubu is now the fifth highest scorer in the Premier League with thirteen goals in a side that has only found the back of the net 39 times, leaving the Nigerian responsible for 33% of their goals. Luckily for Rovers, Yakubu is the most potent striker in the Premier League with a 39% conversion rate.
Chelsea slip to 5th, whilst Capello is linked to the job and Roman’s lurking
Everton’s January really has paid dividends much quicker than anyone could have realistically expected. At one point, it looked as if no transfer activity would take place: however, four signings were made, two on loan and two permanently, and three of them have already returned the favour of a new lease of life, either assisting or hitting the back of the net, going much of the way to ease Everton’s scoring worries that existed for much of the first half of the season.
On Saturday, without Jelavic even featuring, the man signed to “score goals, goals and more goals,” Everton took ten shots, had a 70% shot accuracy and converted their chances twice, with one of their January signings scoring in the form of Steven Pienaar as well as Argentine Denis Stracqualursi. Meanwhile, Chelsea, who are now without a win in four games and have only won two of their last ten, slip to fifth place as Arsenal secured a last minute victory over Sunderland thanks to a Thierry Henry volley, in a week in which Fabio Capello is linked with the club and Roman Abramovich visits the training ground twice.
Norwich Head up the table inflicting only Swansea’s second home defeat
Before Norwich City, Swansea’s fellow Championship promotion achievers, the only defeat inflicted on the Swans at Liberty Stadium was handed out by reigning champions Manchester United. That loss, only their fourth league defeat since the beginning of last season, was only by one goal and it didn’t deter Swansea from their free-flowing passing game that is built on from the back.
Norwich defeated Swansea by three goals to two, but before that game, Swansea had only conceded seven goals at home in 12 games - 0.58 goals conceded per game – and furthermore, only Arsenal, 2, had scored more than one goal at the Liberty Stadium. However, considering Norwich City’s aerial prowess this season – they are the most prolific PL side in the air with 14 of their 37 goals coming from headers – and Swansea’s averagely short stature, was it that surprising that Norwich got all three points? Norwich are now up to eighth, leaving Swansea in 11th place and just nine points off of relegation: yet, their home form should be enough to ensure Premier League survival.
Harry Redknapp isn’t distracted by England talk as Spurs smash home for five
At 4/11 to manage England for Euro 2012, 5/4 to become the permanent manager of the Three Lions and Harry Redknapp himself describing the post as the “ultimate job,” you’d be entitled to doubt how stable some feel at White Hart Lane now, despite Redknapp’s insistence that he “can’t take [his] eye off the ball at Tottenham at the moment,” declaring that he, “owes it to [Tottenham] to continue to keep completely focused on the job.”
However, if there is any worry that Redknapp might leave his Spurs post permanently, it certainly wasn’t a distraction on Saturday: The Guardian’s Scott Murray expected a “home capitulation to Newcastle at the weekend,” but it was Newcastle who would leave capitulated, as Tottenham ran rampant on home turf, clocking up 18 shots on target, nine of which were on target and five of the on-target strikes finding the back of the net. With a 63% of the possession and over twice as many shots, Spurs never took their foot off the pedal, but it was an impressive first half performance that saw them four goals to the good come half-time that won them the match. Emmanuel Adebayor was particularly delectable, notching up four assists and scoring the game’s only other goal, whilst new signing Louis Saha scored two goals for the first time in a year.
Written by Jordan Florit for www.maycauseoffence.com/ For more articles visit my website or my Twitter @JordanFlorit
FC Independence’s last game failed to reap the three points each of their last eight games had done so. With 15 minutes left it seemed that FCI’s 100% record would continue into it’s ninth game: however, with two straight reds and a calamitous keeping display - a rarity of Hussey’s season - FCI’s three points game just the one as Waterside B - assisted by the man in the middle - executed a ten minute hit and hope attack at the FCI goal. FCI’s unbeaten run remains, though, and Florit and Goddard went into today’s game confident of preserving their 100% home record, which has so far returned five wins, twenty-two goals and only six conceded.
Our scheduled opposition for Saturday 4th February, Testwood, we’ve previously met twice and defeated both times, with FCI hitting 4 goals on each occasion and Testwood replying with one and two respectively, come into the top half clash on the back of a 0-0 draw with Hedge End Blues. However, their away form - this being their second successive trip on the road - is impressive and they are so far holding the only 100% record away from home, having conceded just one. With FCI holding an 100% home record, the only guarantee was that something had to give for either side.
FCI were plush with strong performers: Paul Redhead returned to first team action, as does Wesley Regular, Lejay Giles-Pilgrim and the recovered Arthur Goddard, who had been injured with some kind of “I can run but can’t kick” muscle impediment. Scott Ely was hoping to continue his record of a goal per game in 2012, as was J.Florit with assists.
However, as with today’s Cup fixture, last week’s game fell victim to the weather and is rescheduled for March.
FCI’s cup run has been somewhat patchy and not due to on the pitch performances. With the league providing the main objective for Independence and a successful run of shows looking set to see that target reached, the Cup has become, for FCI, a test of their true strength and a benchmark for next season’s expectations, with most opponents coming from the higher tiers: however, weather and postponements means that the Cup hasn’t featured in FCI’s fixture list since October 8th.
The first round saw FCI overcome fellow Division Three opponents in the form of Testwood: Lejay Giles-Pilgrim scored two goals in that away encounter and Mikey Hannides and Jim Neave, with a sublime outside of the box finish, adding one each to complete a 4-2 victory. That earned the cup debutantes a place in the second round against higher opposition. Victory, based in Portsmouth, had bettered Goddard, both Florits and Breen’s old side Lighthouse in the first round in a 2-1 win to face FCI, but it was the home side to advance to the quarter finals, scoring five goals with no reply. Jack Hussey’s purple patch was well underway and he smashed his third and fourth goal of the season in only his second start; Ryan Lakeman also fired home a brace and Lejay Giles-Pilgrim continued his 100% scoring record in the Cup: however, it was Mikey Hannides who took the Man of the Match award, deputising at centre-back alongside Jamie Ross.
With the other three quarter-final ties already played, FCI’s result will be the last in to the hat for the draw for the semi-final in which four teams will be competing for the chance to play at Totton’s Testwood Stadium. If FCI can beat Division One’s MVC Kings, who beat rivals MVC to reach the last eight, one of three Division One teams await them in the semi-final.
Tuesday’s kick-about is currently expected to go ahead and high numbers are expected.
If there is a pet hate I have in football and that I hold in as high a regard as I do my distaste for people that make a scene out of reserved seating on a train, bus passengers that sit on the outer chair when the inner is free and my apparent hate of public transport etiquette offenders, it is the dislike I have for footballing hypochondriacs.
As a Southampton F.C fan growing up during the Lowe era and witnessing, what seemed like, as many managers as wins and subsequent chairman changes, I was used to being on tenterhooks – that’s another pet hate of mine: people that say “tender hooks” – and thus a tinge of hypochondria was permitted. However, things have changed: the ownership has changed, our management is stable and the only way was up. I became accustomed to stability, consistency and fluctuations in results, no matter how often Nigel Adkins told reporters that the “table would change,” had little effect on us.
Brighton won the n-Power League One after we failed to “keep up”, much to the banter infused amusement of our adopted secondary blue few, and, sneaking up in second place, we slowly established a respectable first team during the summer transfer window for the forthcoming Championship return. “Going about our business quietly” and sticking to a strict wage budget and hierarchy, stringently adhered to by Nigel Adkins and enforced in a totalitarian manner by Nicola Cortese, a team built in League One for the Championship, was reinforced for a similar effect in the second tier.
Some said doing business with us was impossible. It wasn’t, it was fair and it was realistic. For all his faults - I’m informed there are many - Cortese runs a tight ship and most importantly, our ship isn’t sinking and it is efficiently manned.
Given a finish of 7th- 14th at the beginning of the season, I would have been sufficiently satisfied: it sticks to our five-year plan installed when Markus Liebherr took us over, it would allow a season of stability back in the second tier of English football and as long as we finished above Portsmouth, it would be considered successful by the majority. However, among the minority is Nicola Cortese and, as most have learned, if it isn’t the way of Nic, it don’t stick.
Since his close friend and former employer Markus Liebherr took over Southampton F.C following their 2008/09 relegation season from the Championship, Nicola Cortese, club chairman, has insisted that under his leadership, we’ll always finish in the top half of any league and he’ll fund such high expectations accordingly so. So far, so good: yet, when the New Year passes and Southampton F.C are top of the Championship, with many touting them as capable of “doing a Norwich”, and then come February we’re still playing our game in the automatic promotion positions, merely a top half finish doesn’t quite satisfy the footballing palette of Southampton fans.
Cortese himself, somewhat out of character, or at least his portrayed character, gave an interview to The Sun in which he stated that he wants us promoted and he wants us promoted as Champions. It came very early on in the season and it was considered by some as quite an unnecessary burden to place on Southampton manager Nigel Adkins. But, he strived under it and until now, since going top, we hadn’t surrendered the pole position.
As often heard, every club has its rough patch and luckily for us – or unfortunately, depending on your stance on the matter – Sam Allardyce’s West Ham had theirs as we were having ours. It masked a shoddy spell, at least on the table as we continued to sit on the summit: however, had West Ham’s ship not rocked, I can’t help but thinking it would’ve forced us, or at least encouraged us, to try and steady the ship before it started to sink.
Now, don’t be mistaken, I don’t think we’re sinking yet - that would be a display of hypochondria – however, I do feel that a two-game period is upon us where we have to pick up maximum points to calm a bucking horse. We’d been majestically galloping through the months, sitting pretty atop of the table all along: yet, the road’s become rather rocky and the horse’s hooves are showing signs of deterioration. The new shoes have been purchased and fitted in Billy Sharp, among the other January signings: however, they need to be broken into and the horse needs to proudly strut once more.
Okay, enough with the equestrian metaphors: I feel like I might stirrup mild bemusement.
West Ham have seemingly recaptured their early season form, along with assembling an army of strikers in the process, and are picking up the points in a steady and high-returning manner once more: Southampton haven’t. We slumped together - whilst Middlesbrough continued to remain draw specialists at home stunting their potential - but we haven’t recovered together and with only two wins in our past ten games, we face a doubleheader of Claret and Blue.
Burnley travel to St. Mary’s on Saturday and then Southampton, hopefully in what can still be considered as a top two clash, like it did back at St. Mary’s where a Jos Hooiveld header was enough to snatch all three points, are hosted by current league leaders West Ham on Tuesday night.
A chance is presenting itself to Southampton: a chance to quickly mount the horse of success once more and canter off into the sunshine before Sam Allardyce can spit out his gum, stamp it into the ground as if it were a cigarette butt and make chase for us with a trailer of endless strikers in tow.
As is the nature of the Championship this season and most, the top is tight, and if it was Sir Alex Ferguson entwined with such a scenario, he’d describe it as “squeaky bum time.” Maximum points would see us return to the top of the pack. Two losses could see us slip to the lower half of the play-off positions and would see us with only two wins in twelve. It is all speculation, but it’s a rather spectacular scenario to speculate on.
I don’t believe in hypochondria, but I do believe things should be repaired as they suffer and not fixed once broken and that is what is key here: Southampton are not broken, far from it, but they have suffered and repairing it could not be timelier than this following week. With no further interest in either cups and a setting that provides a better chance than any to seal a return to the Premier League, which Nicola Cortese deems as inevitable, the time is now and this two-game period, whilst not season defining, is critical.
Written by Jordan Florit for www.maycauseoffence.com/ For more articles visit my website or my Twitter @JordanFlorit
If there is a pet hate I have in football and that I hold in as high a regard as I do my distaste for people that make a scene out of reserved seating on a train, bus passengers that sit on the outer chair when the inner is free and my apparent hate of public transport etiquette offenders, it is the dislike I have for footballing hypochondriacs.
As a Southampton F.C fan growing up during the Lowe era and witnessing, what seemed like, as many managers as wins and subsequent chairman changes, I was used to being on tenterhooks – that’s another pet hate of mine: people that say “tender hooks” – and thus a tinge of hypochondria was permitted. However, things have changed: the ownership has changed, our management is stable and the only way was up. I became accustomed to stability, consistency and fluctuations in results, no matter how often Nigel Adkins told reporters that the “table would change,” had little effect on us.
Brighton won the n-Power League One after we failed to “keep up”, much to the banter infused amusement of our adopted secondary blue few, and, sneaking up in second place, we slowly established a respectable first team during the summer transfer window for the forthcoming Championship return. “Going about our business quietly” and sticking to a strict wage budget and hierarchy, stringently adhered to by Nigel Adkins and enforced in a totalitarian manner by Nicola Cortese, a team built in League One for the Championship, was reinforced for a similar effect in the second tier.
Some said doing business with us was impossible. It wasn’t, it was fair and it was realistic. For all his faults - I’m informed there are many - Cortese runs a tight ship and most importantly, our ship isn’t sinking and it is efficiently manned.
Given a finish of 7th- 14th at the beginning of the season, I would have been sufficiently satisfied: it sticks to our five-year plan installed when Markus Liebherr took us over, it would allow a season of stability back in the second tier of English football and as long as we finished above Portsmouth, it would be considered successful by the majority. However, among the minority is Nicola Cortese and, as most have learned, if it isn’t the way of Nic, it don’t stick.
Since his close friend and former employer Markus Liebherr took over Southampton F.C following their 2008/09 relegation season from the Championship, Nicola Cortese, club chairman, has insisted that under his leadership, we’ll always finish in the top half of any league and he’ll fund such high expectations accordingly so. So far, so good: yet, when the New Year passes and Southampton F.C are top of the Championship, with many touting them as capable of “doing a Norwich”, and then come February we’re still playing our game in the automatic promotion positions, merely a top half finish doesn’t quite satisfy the footballing palette of Southampton fans.
Cortese himself, somewhat out of character, or at least his portrayed character, gave an interview to The Sun in which he stated that he wants us promoted and he wants us promoted as Champions. It came very early on in the season and it was considered by some as quite an unnecessary burden to place on Southampton manager Nigel Adkins. But, he strived under it and until now, since going top, we hadn’t surrendered the pole position.
As often heard, every club has its rough patch and luckily for us – or unfortunately, depending on your stance on the matter – Sam Allardyce’s West Ham had theirs as we were having ours. It masked a shoddy spell, at least on the table as we continued to sit on the summit: however, had West Ham’s ship not rocked, I can’t help but thinking it would’ve forced us, or at least encouraged us, to try and steady the ship before it started to sink.
Now, don’t be mistaken, I don’t think we’re sinking yet - that would be a display of hypochondria – however, I do feel that a two-game period is upon us where we have to pick up maximum points to calm a bucking horse. We’d been majestically galloping through the months, sitting pretty atop of the table all along: yet, the road’s become rather rocky and the horse’s hooves are showing signs of deterioration. The new shoes have been purchased and fitted in Billy Sharp, among the other January signings: however, they need to be broken into and the horse needs to proudly strut once more.
Okay, enough with the equestrian metaphors: I feel like I might stirrup mild bemusement.
West Ham have seemingly recaptured their early season form, along with assembling an army of strikers in the process, and are picking up the points in a steady and high-returning manner once more: Southampton haven’t. We slumped together - whilst Middlesbrough continued to remain draw specialists at home stunting their potential - but we haven’t recovered together and with only two wins in our past ten games, we face a doubleheader of Claret and Blue.
Burnley travel to St. Mary’s on Saturday and then Southampton, hopefully in what can still be considered as a top two clash, like it did back at St. Mary’s where a Jos Hooiveld header was enough to snatch all three points, are hosted by current league leaders West Ham on Tuesday night.
A chance is presenting itself to Southampton: a chance to quickly mount the horse of success once more and canter off into the sunshine before Sam Allardyce can spit out his gum, stamp it into the ground as if it were a cigarette butt and make chase for us with a trailer of endless strikers in tow.
As is the nature of the Championship this season and most, the top is tight, and if it was Sir Alex Ferguson entwined with such a scenario, he’d describe it as “squeaky bum time.” Maximum points would see us return to the top of the pack. Two losses could see us slip to the lower half of the play-off positions and would see us with only two wins in twelve. It is all speculation, but it’s a rather spectacular scenario to speculate on.
I don’t believe in hypochondria, but I do believe things should be repaired as they suffer and not fixed once broken and that is what is key here: Southampton are not broken, far from it, but they have suffered and repairing it could not be timelier than this following week. With no further interest in either cups and a setting that provides a better chance than any to seal a return to the Premier League, which Nicola Cortese deems as inevitable, the time is now and this two-game period, whilst not season defining, is critical.
Written by Jordan Florit for www.maycauseoffence.com/ For more articles visit my website or my Twitter @JordanFlorit
Irrelevant of the score line, I was sufficiently bored by the Liverpool versus Tottenham game come half-time to already discount analysing the game in one way or another. I’d hoped for Luis Suarez to start and stir up a talking point in one way or another and an entertaining as ever post-match dissection by Harry Redknapp. But, with neither featuring from the first whistle, all hopes of entertainment in a footballing capacity were void. Predictably, Spurs looked rather lacking in penetration without Rafael Van Der Vaart unlocking defences at will, and typical of Liverpool at home this season, a game of few or no goals looked on the cards. It was very much shaping up to be a game of “he who dares wins,” but neither looked brave enough to take the gamble and when they did, the sole purpose of the opposition was the exact opposite.
However, where Carroll had so far failed to make an impact and Bale was yet to produce something worth £140m there was a much smaller creature willing to risk life and limb to provide a splash of amusement to the proceedings. No, Aaron Lennon hadn’t passed a late fitness test and was eagerly waiting to shift a slow-starting Jake Livermore: a cat, as the eleventh minute passed, made its way on to the pitch where it was met with a rapturous reception from The Kop, which simultaneously broke into anthemic chanting of, “a cat, a cat, a cat, a cat, a cat.”
It had managed to: take the attraction off of Fabio Capello, who was adorned by a hundred or so cameramen; alleviate the attention from Luis Suarez, who, despite being on the bench, was receiving more of the flashes than the playing squad were; and it managed to trend worldwide on Twitter under the trend, “that cat.” Andy Warhol’s prediction, no less philosophical than Plato, “everyone will be world-famous for 15 minutes” hadn’t escaped the cat and with the second half underway, the cat was still more trendy than any of the twenty-two players on the pitch and was only dislodged from his throne, when Gareth Bale lept, rather like a cat in fact, to the floor as Daniel Agger came chomping in. Play-acting was the call and Gareth Bale was the tweet. The cat’s fifteen minutes of Twitter fame was over.
Or was it?
Well no: the cat shall forever live on as some fast acting person quickly made up an @AnfieldCat Twitter, which, at the time of writing, has already amassed 5000 followers: however, I imagine that account’s success will last as long as the cat’s debut did.
After a rather stressful seven days in the footballing world, which had amalgamated into a weekend of penalties, a continual grey cloud of racism and then the American version of something similar, which before Sunday night, I didn’t realise how many people were experts in, light relief in the form of a streaking cat was appreciated and with my own cat currently in animal hospital, with fears of him being put down prevalent over the weekend, it brought a welcome smile to my face.
In tribute to the Anfield Cat is my blog and in further appreciation, here are a few of his furry friends:
The Camp Nou Cats
This cat, typical of the Spanish, showed our English feline friend how to move: looking a lot trimmer than our tabby, the gato elegantly pounced along the turf, not breaking stride to hurdle the advertising hoarding and disappear back off into the stands. That was only at the weekend and it wasn’t the first: in 2010, between Barcelona and Real Sociedad another cat bounded down the left flank, exploiting the space Dani Alves had left, before exiting the pitch with a majestic leap into the stands.
The 3-minute Santa Fe Dog
Back in October 2011, in a cup game between Independiente Santa Fe and Botafogo, a sandy-coloured dog burst on to the pitch and proceeded to dodge match officials and jink and jerk in between home and away players alike. In a stereotyped Latin scenario, a man took to the pitch with a red plastic bag and attempted to play matador in order to coax the trespassing dog from the field of play: however, the four-legged fiend, having lulled the stadium into a false sense of security, got to the edge of the pitch before changing his mind and sprinting back on for more exercise. Eventually, having suitably allowed the home side to recover, having been run ragged for near-on seventy minutes, reflected in the 4-0 score line, the pitch invader left of his own accord. His ability to stop, stand and stare apparently was the inspiration for Mario Balotelli………..
The Deportivo Pereira Owl
Last February, Luis Moreno decided it was ok to kick an already injured owl off a football pitch, as it led still on the side of the pitch, having already been hit by the ball. The owl, considered as a club mascot by the home team, had wandered on to the pitch and unfortunately chose the wrong time to join the action: the ball was within the owl’s close proximity and fell victim to firstly the ball and secondly the boot of the callous Panama defender. Now, the player, having received threats and fines, has left the club and now plays for Tauro. The owl sadly died in relation to the incident.
The game finished 0-0 proving my time was better spent writing this.
Written by Jordan Florit for www.maycauseoffence.com/
For more articles visit my website or my Twitter @JordanFlorit
Liverpool created a monster and nobody wanted to see Luis Suarez anymore: however, in a fully cyclical kind of way, his return is as timely as a man with his finger delicately tapping his watch whilst ferociously chewing gum and looking at a man bewildered with the power his electronic board holds; this man is Sir Alex Ferguson.
As well as it being appropriate that he returns now, what with him having served his eight-match ban for racist abuse/ignorance of meaning and connotation/poor use of inter-linguistics – circle as you see fit or feel politically, socially or morally inclined to do so – towards Patrice Evra, it is also well-timed because we haven’t had racism and football instigating atmospheric pressure inside a teacup for a whole twenty-four hours.
The weekend served us well with its regular reminders that the modern game is fast becoming typical of the slap head fan of the 1970s donning a Shearling sheepskin jacket looking rather like English Frank, condemning all gays, blacks, women and children out of the game.
Firstly, Rio Ferdinand made the mistake of playing centre-back for Manchester United in a game against a club involved in a Crown Prosecution case, in the form of its team captain – although no longer the England captain, unless you’re Fabio Capello and then he’s still not the England captain in the physical form but possibly in spirit – John Terry. His punishment for such a crime, of course by means of being the brother of an alleged victim of racist abuse, was a chorus of boos from the Chelsea crowd. Yet, in true captain material, Ferdinand revealed it was “like fuel” to him, inspiring his side to emphatically come back from three goals down to Juan Mata ft. 10 other alleged footballers FC. Unfortunately, Rio doesn’t want to be England captain.
If that wasn’t enough race-related football news for you, a 29-year old football fan by the name of Peter Copeland, who looks a bit like Mike Ashley if the Toon owner had a beard and a bit more hair, pleaded guilty to breaching the Malicious Communications Act by tweeting racist comments on social networking site Twitter. His punishment for referring to Newcastle United as the “Coon Army,” in an unwitty observation of “the number of darkies” in Pardew’s side is likely to be punished, on the Chairman of the Bench’s advice, with just “medium level community order,” after the excuse of Copeland’s defence was that, “he never intended his comments to reach a worldwide audience.” We can expect the same for John Terry then, right?
In what I have been assured was not, in any way, a race-fuelled hate act, Emmanuel Frimpong has been ruled out until at least the beginning of next season, just five games in to his loan spell at Wolves. With twenty-four minutes on the clock, two of the four classical elements combined in a strictly nonracist way, to ensure Frimpong was Frimponged: the earth provided the passive force and the wind provided the active force, resulting in the on-loan Arsenal midfielder damaging his anterior cruciate ligament. In failing to understand the numerical measure of, “on the scale of 1 to 10,” Mick McCarthy summed up the likelihood of a serious injury, before scans confirmed it, with: “On a scale of one to 10 I have got no idea.” Typically, Mick was correct and had no idea.
Like I said, in a fully cyclical kind of way, Luis Suarez’s return is timely.
“Whatever I said, whatever I did, I didn’t mean it,” sung Luis Suarez as he returned back for good: well he didn’t but it would’ve been better than his half-hearted apology back in January and Patrice Evra would take that. How much Suarez has actually been missed is unclear: whilst the win ratios are acutely indifferent, separated by just 1% in the Suarezless Liverpool side’s favour at 55.55%, this is much down to the return of Steven Gerrard, which coincided with Suarez’s ban starting, and the partnership the captain has struck with Andy Carroll. Gerrard’s ability to being Carroll into the game has made the #9 look likely to finally settle into his own at Liverpool; in the Uruguayan’s absence. At the time of writing, Bellamy had leapfrogged Luis Suarez as Liverpool’s top scorer with six goals, whilst the former Ajax star sat in the seat Gerrard did for the best part of a year, in a straight swap for the Reds captain.
With two domestic cups still left to fight for, the feisty Uruguayan will be essential to Liverpool’s success this season: a fifth round tie at Anfield against the Championship’s own Uruguayan led outfit, Brighton and Hove Albion is on the horizon and a week later, on the 26th of February, the Carling Cup Final awaits Suarez and his team.
Whether his impact is felt in terms of goals and assists will only be determined between now and the end of the season: however, for many Liverpool fans, it is a welcome boost to a side feeling the benefits of the return of their captain, the doggedness of Craig Bellamy and the long-awaited form of Andy Carroll.
Whatever is thought of him off the pitch, Suarez will prove his worth on it.
Written by Jordan Florit for www.maycauseoffence.com/
For more articles visit my website or my Twitter @JordanFlorit
Liverpool created a monster and nobody wanted to see Luis Suarez anymore: however, in a fully cyclical kind of way, his return is as timely as a man with his finger delicately tapping his watch whilst ferociously chewing gum and looking at a man bewildered with the power his electronic board holds; this man is Sir Alex Ferguson.
As well as it being appropriate that he returns now, what with him having served his eight-match ban for racist abuse/ignorance of meaning and connotation/poor use of inter-linguistics – circle as you see fit or feel politically, socially or morally inclined to do so – towards Patrice Evra, it is also well-timed because we haven’t had racism and football instigating atmospheric pressure inside a teacup for a whole twenty-four hours.
The weekend served us well with its regular reminders that the modern game is fast becoming typical of the slap head fan of the 1970s donning a Shearling sheepskin jacket looking rather like English Frank, condemning all gays, blacks, women and children out of the game.
Firstly, Rio Ferdinand made the mistake of playing centre-back for Manchester United in a game against a club involved in a Crown Prosecution case, in the form of its team captain – although no longer the England captain, unless you’re Fabio Capello and then he’s still not the England captain in the physical form but possibly in spirit – John Terry. His punishment for such a crime, of course by means of being the brother of an alleged victim of racist abuse, was a chorus of boos from the Chelsea crowd. Yet, in true captain material, Ferdinand revealed it was “like fuel” to him, inspiring his side to emphatically come back from three goals down to Juan Mata ft. 10 other alleged footballers FC. Unfortunately, Rio doesn’t want to be England captain.
If that wasn’t enough race-related football news for you, a 29-year old football fan by the name of Peter Copeland, who looks a bit like Mike Ashley if the Toon owner had a beard and a bit more hair, pleaded guilty to breaching the Malicious Communications Act by tweeting racist comments on social networking site Twitter. His punishment for referring to Newcastle United as the “Coon Army,” in an unwitty observation of “the number of darkies” in Pardew’s side is likely to be punished, on the Chairman of the Bench’s advice, with just “medium level community order,” after the excuse of Copeland’s defence was that, “he never intended his comments to reach a worldwide audience.” We can expect the same for John Terry then, right?
In what I have been assured was not, in any way, a race-fuelled hate act, Emmanuel Frimpong has been ruled out until at least the beginning of next season, just five games in to his loan spell at Wolves. With twenty-four minutes on the clock, two of the four classical elements combined in a strictly nonracist way, to ensure Frimpong was Frimponged: the earth provided the passive force and the wind provided the active force, resulting in the on-loan Arsenal midfielder damaging his anterior cruciate ligament. In failing to understand the numerical measure of, “on the scale of 1 to 10,” Mick McCarthy summed up the likelihood of a serious injury, before scans confirmed it, with: “On a scale of one to 10 I have got no idea.” Typically, Mick was correct and had no idea.
Like I said, in a fully cyclical kind of way, Luis Suarez’s return is timely.
“Whatever I said, whatever I did, I didn’t mean it,” sung Luis Suarez as he returned back for good: well he didn’t but it would’ve been better than his half-hearted apology back in January and Patrice Evra would take that. How much Suarez has actually been missed is unclear: whilst the win ratios are acutely indifferent, separated by just 1% in the Suarezless Liverpool side’s favour at 55.55%, this is much down to the return of Steven Gerrard, which coincided with Suarez’s ban starting, and the partnership the captain has struck with Andy Carroll. Gerrard’s ability to being Carroll into the game has made the #9 look likely to finally settle into his own at Liverpool; in the Uruguayan’s absence. At the time of writing, Bellamy had leapfrogged Luis Suarez as Liverpool’s top scorer with six goals, whilst the former Ajax star sat in the seat Gerrard did for the best part of a year, in a straight swap for the Reds captain.
With two domestic cups still left to fight for, the feisty Uruguayan will be essential to Liverpool’s success this season: a fifth round tie at Anfield against the Championship’s own Uruguayan led outfit, Brighton and Hove Albion is on the horizon and a week later, on the 26th of February, the Carling Cup Final awaits Suarez and his team.
Whether his impact is felt in terms of goals and assists will only be determined between now and the end of the season: however, for many Liverpool fans, it is a welcome boost to a side feeling the benefits of the return of their captain, the doggedness of Craig Bellamy and the long-awaited form of Andy Carroll.
Whatever is thought of him off the pitch, Suarez will prove his worth on it.
Written by Jordan Florit for www.maycauseoffence.com/
For more articles visit my website or my Twitter @JordanFlorit
“John Terry: it never ends for that man.” That was one England fan’s viewpoint on the latest episode in the current miniseries of the John Terry debacle that typifies the fiascos that have ghosted his career. The quote appears somewhat sympathetic to the dethroned ex-England skipper, but it is not: it’s a polite euphemism - highlighting his knack for being in the wrong place or saying/doing the wrong thing at the wrong time - which the Chelsea captain doesn’t deserve.
If he did, which I don’t think he does, deserve any co-operation and support from footballing’s governing bodies, he didn’t get it: typical of the F.A., inconsistency and inefficiency was on display again. While Luis Suarez received an eight-match ban for his racist abuse of Patrice Evra, John Terry had his case passed onto the Crown Prosecution Service: but why? How can two similar acts be treated vastly different?
Secondly, the F.A have now, unintentionally I am assured, cast a moody and delicate backlight to England’s preparation for and participation in the European Championships 2012 by removing John Terry as the captain of The Three Lions as a result of his case not being heard until after the competition. It was inevitable and necessary to remove Terry from his position, but it could have been better dealt with considering the F.A’s initial tacit support for the centre-back, with him making the squad for November’s friendlies with European and World Champions Spain, and Sweden days later in which John Terry captained the side having been an unused substitute in the 1-0 win over Spain.
If, like Rodney Hinds suggests in The Guardian, Luis Suarez’s ban had restored English football’s credibility, then the management of the John Terry case and the sub story of England’s captaincy has partly undone that, as the rest of Europe look on and yet again wonder why we place such importance on it: a sentiment echoed by Fabio Capello.
However, we do and a new captain must be instated and the decision must be carefully considered: but who stands a chance of wearing the elastic strapping round their bicep, providing a vocal presence and leading by example?
Steven Gerrard – The Obvious Choice
The Liverpool captain is a natural leader: he leads by example on the pitch and has been an ever-present in the England squad under four different managers since his debut in 2000 under Kevin Keegan, whilst in the Premier League, he captains Kenny Dalglish’s Liverpool side.
Having captained England in their last major tournament, South Africa’s World Cup 2010, and leading The Three Lions out for the beginning of their qualifying campaign for this summer’s European Championship, Gerrard is the obvious choice.
However, he’s often been overlooked for senior positions within the England hierarchy: but with Rio Ferdinand ruling himself out of the captaincy, Steven Gerrard has become the obvious choice pitted against an out of favour Frank Lampard as the most experienced players in the England camp.
Ultimately, some may see the Liverpool captain as a regressive step for England as there is no guarantee that he will start this summer. Whilst, he unquestionably has the drive, commitment and direction to make a sufficient captain, it would be a temporary solution to a long term problem: at 31 and with England undergoing a transition, with numerous talented youngsters on the verge of regular starting positions, it is unlikely that the scouser will be in the 2014 World Cup team and the captaincy could be better appointed to a player that will be in the foundations of the side over the next decade. However, with Capello set to leave after the Euros, a new manager will have the ability to state a new captain anyway and no one would begrudge him so: Gerrard is the obvious choice this summer.
Joe Hart – The Choice of Potential
With Joe Hart in the side, England are unbeaten: yet, frustratingly for most England fans, the 24-year old shot stopper didn’t play in South Africa. Since then he has grasped his chance with both gloved hands, building on the three substitute appearances he had prior to the World Cup.
With his 6’5 figure filling the England goal, The Three Lions are yet to lose and he was one of only two players to feature in every game of 2011, guaranteeing himself, bar injury, the #1 jersey for Poland & Ukraine. Furthermore he is the only player to go 14 games unbeaten for England since ’96. In 9 starts in 2011, Hart conceded just six times: his goalkeeping exploits surely warrants responsibility and inspiration from the back can only channel positivity forward to the front.
In giving the captaincy to someone young, yet established, that will be in the team for years to come, yet already with experience and someone likeable and professional, yet as talented and determined on the pitch, is forward thinking; and with Gerrard, Ferdinand, Lampard and Cole all expected to be in the Euro squad, the presence and voice of experience will still be felt and heard.
He is assured a place in an England side that has few guaranteed starters nowadays and so far, the media has been kind to Hart – something England captains are rarely benefactors of. Whilst some outdated sceptics would err on the side of caution giving the captaincy to a ‘keeper, Joe Hart has the longevity needed for stability and is the choice of potential.
Wayne Rooney – The Choice of Naivety
Picking Wayne Rooney would prove: England never learns from history, at least in footballing terms; the same mistakes will be made again and that football still rates practical authority (authority through status), over theoretical authority (authority through expertise). Appointing Wayne Rooney as captain would not surprise me: appointing him as captain would be typical of England and would fail to address the problems we have had with captains since David Beckham led the nation with pride, passion and professionalism on and off the pitch.
However, as always with the English footballing fraternity of fans, a methodology of working in extremes is at play: for every fan that would deem it wise and a curb on Rooney’s behaviour if he was appointed, there is another that declares he is not even worthy of a place in the England side and should be cast aside with the other players considered dead weight – Gerrard, Lampard and Cole - by fans with clearly no appreciation of skill and talent and a lack of realisation that chemistry is built over time with consistency – something England have lacked.
The case with Rooney is that his talent is tarnished by his petulance and responsibility cannot fall into dirty hands. Yet, there is still time for Rooney to change as a player, like Joey Barton has done, and now performs his role as captain for Q.P.R. expertly.
As it stands, Rooney is our most talented striker and when he is at his best, he competes with the finest players in the world for individual talent: appointing him captain could be the unnecessary burden that could tip him over the edge on a more frequent basis than he is already inclined to do. It could, however, curtail his petulance. The ban has already effectively ruled him out of candidacy: however, Rooney remains the choice of naivety.
Written by Jordan Florit for www.maycauseoffence.com/ For more articles visit my website or my Twitter @JordanFlorit
You wouldn’t have put money on it: or maybe, if you’re my cousin, you would have placed a £2.00 bet, with odds of 50/1, on a 3-3 draw. The final score was hardly ideal for either side: however, Manchester United haven’t cracked Chelsea at Stamford Bridge for the past ten years and when Chelsea went three goals to the good with forty minutes left to play, to take a solitary point was unthinkable. Yet it happened.
It was the first time in Chelsea’s Premier League history that they’d let a three goal lead slip, exactly a year to the day after Arsenal had let a four goal lead slip to this season’s surprise package Newcastle United. Yet, in an unexpected sort of way, the result wasn’t as surprising as one may’ve thought: this season, Premier League fixtures between last season’s top four have reaped an average of 5.25 goals per game.
Three factors were at play to ensure that Manchester United will push Manchester City all the way in the fight for the title:
Persistence and Determination
Ultimately, what Rio Ferdinand described as a “Man Utd never say die attitude” display, is what was needed to compete in a hotly contested duel in which The Red Devils eventually came out as the dominant side in a game with no winner.
Dominating possession and converting their chances was the gilded difference between a Manchester United side that looked dead as the third goal was headed in by Brazilian centre-back David Luiz, and a Chelsea side that, on paper, looked as weak as they had done in such a clash with Didier Drogba, Frank Lampard, John Terry and Ashley Cole all out together for the first time in 4 years.
For Sir Alex Ferguson, it was a game that “epitomises what English football’s about,” and it went to prove that, despite failing to win, Manchester United will fight City all the way for the Premier League title.
At three goals down, with debatably two own goals scored – although the second was accredited to David Luiz, and with Chelsea’s fans providing another unwanted sub-story to the game, with a chorus of boos akin to the treatment Patrice Evra received at Anfield, United’s season was near the potential point of no return.
If, like the form book would’ve led one to believe, and Chelsea had gone on to win the game, it would’ve been Manchester United’s third loss to a top seven side, in all competitions, in 2012 alone. Furthermore, with Manchester City convincingly beating Fulham 3-0 yesterday, the gap between the top two would’ve remained at three points.
Some were expecting a repeat of the 6-1 defeat Manchester City had inflicted on United last year.
David de Gea
“When you make a mistake at United, it is highlighted and can be exaggerated a little bit,” commented Sir Alex Ferguson on the criticism received by his Spanish goalkeeper David de Gea prior to the game and at three down, the hate brigade was well and truly in full swing. However, in palming shots away and punching balls out of the box, despite the score line, the Spanish ‘keeper proved his critics wrong.
For many, and wrongly so, de Gea is considered the chink in United’s armour and, in the extremist’s view, including Piers Morgan, the worst goalkeeper in the Premier League: however, the statistics would beg to differ and in the aftermath of the game, the Spaniard’s saves-to-shots ratio was 77% and the fourth best in the league, whereas Petr Cech’s stood at 65%, pitting him as the worst in the league. Whilst I don’t believe either are anywhere near the worst in the league, de Gea outshone Petr Cech with his emphatic save to stop a tremendous effort from fellow countryman Juan Mata.
The blend of experience and youth
Although the game was tainted by the continuous drone of boos for Rio Ferdinand, something Andre Villas-Boas seemed to palm off as a “normal situation in the Premier League,” which would confirm Ollie Holt’s views of a “resurgence of racist attitudes in the English game,” it did prove there is still life in the old dog yet, literally.
Thirty-eight year old Ryan Giggs was at the heart of everything creative for Manchester United, producing six goal-scoring opportunities for the visiting side, which was more than any other player on the pitch with Mata and Malouda coming closest with four each. Paul Scholes, 37, came on with the deficit still at two and with the two most experienced players on the pitch making up half of United’s midfield four; a comeback was mounted.
The value of experience, absent in the Chelsea side with the aforementioned four all missing, continued to shine through for United: Carrick, 30, pulled the strings in midfield, coming in as their top passer with 76, 23 more than Chelsea’s highest passer Raul Meireles, and Rio Ferdinand, 33, was the most accurate distributor on the pitch with an 89% pass completion rate.
With experience bossing the midfield, ably assisted by the unfazed Rio Ferdinand, it was left to the youth upfront to convert Manchester United’s chances. With a 69% success rate of shots to shots on target and a 33% goal ratio from shots on target, both better than Chelsea’s return, Danny Welbeck, Wayne Rooney and Javier Hernandez ensured Manchester United could fight back from a steep deficit to earn a point. The former earned the penalty that saw Rooney score and the lattermost completed the comeback, having seen Rooney score the second. It was typical of Hernandez to score the equaliser, with 10 of his 21 Premier League goals coming in the last ten minutes and 11 of them coming from within the six-yard box.
**************************
Chelsea have now drawn their last three games, picking up three from an available nine, leaving them sitting in 4th, six, and possibly nine if Tottenham beat Liverpool, points off of 3rd place. Had they won all three, they’d currently be level with Tottenham.
A Premier League title now looks out of the question for Andre Villas-Boas’s Chelsea.
However, one positive from a game which will definitely go down as two points lost, was David Luiz. Today’s performance saw him win 100% of his aerial battles and 87.5% of his ground battles, whilst winning every challenge he made. Although he was debatably at fault for Manchester United’s equaliser, he’s becoming more disciplined as the season goes on and AVB can only hope for a stronger defensive display from next season’s Chelsea than the one he has witnessed this season. Cahill will go some way to ensuring that.
Written by Jordan Florit for www.maycauseoffence.com/
For more articles visit my website or my Twitter @JordanFlorit
Nikica Jelavic has more than just his position as a striker in common with Jordan Rhodes, Salomon Kalou, Nicky Maynard, Ricardo Vaz Te and even Carlos Tevez: he was linked with West Ham during the January Transfer Window. However, unlike Ricardo Vaz Te and Nicky Maynard, who signed for The Hammers on deadline day, Jelavic didn’t join the current Championship table toppers and headed to Premier League club Everton, for a fee of £5m. For Everton, it completed a successful transfer window, which saw Steven Pienaar re-join his former employers much like Landon Donovan – both on loan – and Darron Gibson sign a four-and-a-half-year deal, as well.
The signing marked the first over £1m for Everton since signing Jonny Heitinga for £6.2m in the 2009 summer transfer window, which was the last of many expensive signings Everton made since Wayne Rooney’s departure in 2004. His move made The Toffees £25m in and David Moyes went on to smash Everton’s transfer record 4 times in as many years, spending over £40m on James Beattie, Andrew Johnson, Aiyegbeni Yakubu and Marouane Fellaini. Moyes’ ability to spend led to Champions League qualification in 2005, and UEFA Cup runs in the 07/08 season and 08/09 season, as well as an F.A. Cup Final appearance in 2009, finishing runners up to Chelsea. Last year’s finish of 7th didn’t look like it could be replicated this season, with many players hinting at a small playing team and no money to bolster it; however, an impressive January, on and off the pitch, has the ability to push Everton up the league and firing them in said direction will be Nikica Jelavic.
Written by Jordan Florit for www.maycauseoffence.com/
For more articles visit my website or my Twitter @JordanFlorit
A 10th place finish last season, on face value, was an improvement for Sunderland: it marked the third successive season that The Black Cats had climbed up the Premier League end of season standings, having finished 13th in the 2009/10 campaign and 16th the season before.
With their Premier League status well and truly consolidated and going into their fifth consecutive season in the English top flight with a whole host of new signings, a top half finish was expected and when, thirteen games into the season, Sunderland were within two points of the relegation zone, former Sunderland defender told BBC Radio 5 live that “everybody’s expectations were for the top 10 this season and we are nowhere near that.”
However, considering that Sunderland had lost Darren Bent, Danny Welbeck and Asamoah Gyan up front, as well as the continued injury-inflicted absence of Frazier Campbell, and furthermore, Jordan Henderson departing for Liverpool having had a barnstorming second season in the first team, contributing with three goals, five assists and appearing in 13 clean sheet results, was a top half finish as elementary as some would have led us to believe?
Well maybe not, yet Steve Bruce’s return was simply not good enough: his win ratio had become pitiful, averaging at 30% over his entire Sunderland stint, but dropping severely to just half of that figure at 15% for the 2011/12 season, with just two wins in Sunderland’s first 13 games. Falling within two points of the relegation zone was enough for Ellis Short, club owner and chairman, to change the manager at The Stadium of Light and Steve Bruce was sacked having lost to the club he left Sunderland for just over two years ago: Wigan Athletic.
Martin O’Neill was instantly made the odds-on favourite to replace the former Wigan manager and three days later the ex-Villa boss was at the helm of his childhood English club and the passion was immediately displayed, galvanising a wallowing Sunderland side that imminently climbed the league in an impressive run of results, including the 1-0 win over league leaders Manchester City.
O’Neill’s return to management, little over a year after leaving Aston Villa, has been as romantic as it has rewarding and as seductive as it has been successful: they’ve dropped just seven points in the Premier League since the Northern Irish boss took charge in Wearside and then, they’ve only been dropped to the top four’s Tottenham and Chelsea and David Moyes’ Everton. Furthermore, his success with fellow countryman James McClean, signed by Bruce in the summer transfer window for £350k, has been pivotal in Sunderland’s turnaround.
The synergy of the Northern Irish manager and his compatriot has instigated Sunderland’s turnaround, which at current places them in 8th place on 30 points – about as high as they could be expected to ever be right now, considering the gap to 7th stands at seven points. McClean, aged 22, has already repaid his boss for breaking him into the first team with a goal and two assists, as well as his part in three clean sheets. However, Martin O’Neill expects much more of the like to come from the former Northern Ireland u-21 international: “He has come in and given us a big lift. He has brought enthusiasm and freshness to the team, as well as a lot of ability down the left-hand side.” His performances, particularly in January, having broken in to the starting line-up in the latter half of December, very timely for the Black Cats, “at the very worst, he has made sure that there is no need to rush out and bring someone in to play in that position,” before establishing that he’s well and truly holding his own destiny: “He has a place in the side now and he can go on and make it his own.”
However, whilst McClean is rightly starting in O’Neill’s prudent line-ups, set up to exploit the oppositions’ weaknesses, fully utilising Stephane Sessegnon in the hole, with the Beninese having hit three goals in three games, as well as laying on a further two, the arrival of Wayne Bridge may have a knock on effect on McClean’s playing time. At current, former Manchester United player Kieran Richardson is performing well at left-back, his secondary position: before Wes Brown was side-lined for a suspected eight-weeks, along with the aforementioned and John O’Shea, The Black Cats had three out of four of their back line from Manchester United and it was proving a strong and formidable line in front of Belgian international, although it was a trio often interrupted by the presence of Phil Bardsley. Now, the presence of Wayne Bridge may provide stiff competition for Kieran Richardson’s left-back slot, which would consequentially pressure McClean for the left-midfield slot.
Most importantly, Martin O’Neill has addressed the defence in the January transfer window shrewdly, signing two defenders of age and Premier League experience in the previously mentioned Manchester City left-back and ex-Liverpool centre back Sotirios Kyrgakios.
December was Martin O’Neill’s second month in charge and it served him well: three wins, most importantly around teams surrounding his side when he took over, a draw and only one loss, to then 3rd place Tottenham, won the Northern Irish manager his 8th Manager of the Month award; that places O’Neill behind only Arsene Wenger (11) and Sir Alex Ferguson (26). It had been 14 years since he first won the award, back at Leicester, and since then, he has received the award at all three of the Premier League clubs he has managed.
January served him equally well: three wins, including a triumphant 1-0 win over Manchester City and an emphatic 4-1 hammering of the team that cost Steve Bruce his job, and just one loss to Chelsea.
Sunderland’s turnaround, inspired by their Northern Irish synergic relationship between O’Neill and McClean, is currently as efficiently mounted as could be realistically expected: if O’Neill had won every game he had since taking over, Sunderland would only be one place the better, as is the chasm between the top seven and the rest of the league.
For Sunderland, the goal between now and the end of the season must be to maintain their current position. Last year should serve as a lesson: at the end of January The Black Cats were 6th and slipped to 10th with their firepower gone. This time round, Martin O’Neill must capitalise on breaking in to the top ten and satisfy beginning of the season expectations that looked dead before he entered the building.
Written by Jordan Florit for www.maycauseoffence.com/ For more articles visit my website or my Twitter @JordanFlorit
Harry Redknapp was hot, adjusting his tie and easing the collar that choked his rather saggy neck as it overhung onto his lapel that was trying to present a man as dignifying, despite the fact any dignity he had left was wiped out when his defence of tax evasion was practically illiteracy. Whilst this was all very believable – and becomes more logical when one notices how infrequent Roman Pavlyuchenko is in Spurs’ match day squads having heard Harry tell the courts he can’t “write [and] couldn’t even fill a team sheet in” – it is somewhat disputable considering he writes a column for The Sun. That’s another thing that was hot in the January Transfer Window: the sun.
Not as hot as Harry Redknapp was Roberto Mancini: up until January – ignoring their failure to qualify from the group stages of the Champions League – Manchester City were as hot as Harry Redknapp writing his column for The Sun on the sun; however, since then, they’ve slumped back into a metaphorical armchair from their once proud straight back posture and have begun to go stale. Ivory Coast’s illustrious AFCON campaign so far, which has resulted in three victories, five goals and three clean sheets, isn’t helping matters.
But, which club was hot and which club was not, when it came to the main attraction of the January Transfer Window 2012: signings?
Hot
Everton
When club chief executive Robert Elstone released a blog detailing the club’s finance to a depth in which he felt “no other Premier League club has done before,” the prospect of January transfers any more exciting than £600k Darron Gibson quickly evaporated like beads of sweat on Sir Alex Ferguson’s red forehead when he sees his side score another winning goal in the 567th minute of injury time.
Yet, when Diniyar Bilyaletdinov left Everton for Spartak Moscow, for what the BBC reported as £5m on January 29th, it looked as if Everton might be able to buy having sold. With two days left until the Transfer Window slammed shut, consequentially leaving glass shards all over the floor for Wayne Bridge to come along and sweep up as part of his new role as housemaid at The Stadium of Light, The Toffees had to move fast. With the pace of Louis Saha, oh what? He went to Tottenham on a free transfer? Okay, with the pace of Royston Drenthe, Everton sweetened up Tottenham with aforementioned French goal machine – if 2000/01 was yesterday – making financial space on their wage budget for ex-Everton winger Steven Pienaar, leaving White Lane through the door still swinging from Saha’s arrival and entering through the equally moving entrance at Goodison Park. Then, Everton robbed Rangers and the SPL of their top scorer Nikica Jelavic for a fee of £5.5m. Suddenly, further compounded by their 1-0 victory of Roberto Mancini’s Toure-less Manchester City, Everton look better positioned to equal last year’s finish of 7th.
Not
Tottenham Hotspurs
Not content with picking on Manchester United as the side that didn’t even reach lukewarm in January – it would be unfair, Fergie isn’t keen on the window of rash decisions – and deciding that Manchester City’s lack of spending is counterbalanced by their superfluous spending of previous windows, I have settled with Tottenham Hotspurs as my team of 0 degrees for transfer activity.
Whilst it would be unfair to simply categorise Spurs as the men with the chilly willies purely because they spent not a single penny on transfer fees – neither of the top three did – the nature of their signings, further highlighted by the transfer activity out of the club, are rather lacklustre.
In Louis Saha, a man who has scored a grand total of 8 goals in 18 months of football, and Ryan Nelsen, the only New Zealander to kick a ball in the Premier League this season and then only in the one appearance he’s been subject to, Harry Redknapp has fully lived up to expectations of being a top quality wheeler-dealer and provider of excitement in the Window, has he not?
No, he hasn’t.
His January activity has seen Spurs sign two players on free transfers with an average age of 33.5-years old: it sounds a bit like the January window you’d expect of a spotty teenager with poor financial control of his Football Manager career. Further mystifying, is the related transfer activity elsewhere at White Hart Lane: in Ryan Nelsen, they’ve signed a defender who is 34 and has only made one appearance this season in a team in the relegation zone. Meanwhile, Vedran Corluka and Sebastien Bassong, also defenders, leave on loan to the Bundesliga and Wolves respectively. Louis Saha is expected to become the cover for the dead on certain departure of Roman Pavlychenko and that could be seen as a justification; however, when Spurs can already boast Emmanuel Adebayor Jermaine Defoe, Cameron Lancaster and have chosen to loan out Harry Kane, it’s hard to find justification for the signing of a striker that spends the majority of the time injured and has only scored one goal this season. As his arrival will undoubtedly stunt Lancaster’s playing time in the first team, a counterintuitive practice as Lancaster will need as much of it as he can get as a young blossoming striker, I can only presume Harry’s signed Saha for the ease of spelling: three letters.
Written by Jordan Florit for www.maycauseoffence.com/ For more articles visit my website or my Twitter @JordanFlorit
Harry Redknapp was hot, adjusting his tie and easing the collar that choked his rather saggy neck as it overhung onto his lapel that was trying to present a man as dignifying, despite the fact any dignity he had left was wiped out when his defence of tax evasion was practically illiteracy. Whilst this was all very believable – and becomes more logical when one notices how infrequent Roman Pavlyuchenko is in Spurs’ match day squads having heard Harry tell the courts he can’t “write [and] couldn’t even fill a team sheet in” – it is somewhat disputable considering he writes a column for The Sun. That’s another thing that was hot in the January Transfer Window: the sun.
Not as hot as Harry Redknapp was Roberto Mancini: up until January – ignoring their failure to qualify from the group stages of the Champions League – Manchester City were as hot as Harry Redknapp writing his column for The Sun on the sun; however, since then, they’ve slumped back into a metaphorical armchair from their once proud straight back posture and have begun to go stale. Ivory Coast’s illustrious AFCON campaign so far, which has resulted in three victories, five goals and three clean sheets, isn’t helping matters.
But, which club was hot and which club was not, when it came to the main attraction of the January Transfer Window 2012: signings?
Hot
Everton
When club chief executive Robert Elstone released a blog detailing the club’s finance to a depth in which he felt “no other Premier League club has done before,” the prospect of January transfers any more exciting than £600k Darron Gibson quickly evaporated like beads of sweat on Sir Alex Ferguson’s red forehead when he sees his side score another winning goal in the 567th minute of injury time.
Yet, when Diniyar Bilyaletdinov left Everton for Spartak Moscow, for what the BBC reported as £5m on January 29th, it looked as if Everton might be able to buy having sold. With two days left until the Transfer Window slammed shut, consequentially leaving glass shards all over the floor for Wayne Bridge to come along and sweep up as part of his new role as housemaid at The Stadium of Light, The Toffees had to move fast. With the pace of Louis Saha, oh what? He went to Tottenham on a free transfer? Okay, with the pace of Royston Drenthe, Everton sweetened up Tottenham with aforementioned French goal machine – if 2000/01 was yesterday – making financial space on their wage budget for ex-Everton winger Steven Pienaar, leaving White Lane through the door still swinging from Saha’s arrival and entering through the equally moving entrance at Goodison Park. Then, Everton robbed Rangers and the SPL of their top scorer Nikica Jelavic for a fee of £5.5m. Suddenly, further compounded by their 1-0 victory of Roberto Mancini’s Toure-less Manchester City, Everton look better positioned to equal last year’s finish of 7th.
Not
Tottenham Hotspurs
Not content with picking on Manchester United as the side that didn’t even reach lukewarm in January – it would be unfair, Fergie isn’t keen on the window of rash decisions – and deciding that Manchester City’s lack of spending is counterbalanced by their superfluous spending of previous windows, I have settled with Tottenham Hotspurs as my team of 0 degrees for transfer activity.
Whilst it would be unfair to simply categorise Spurs as the men with the chilly willies purely because they spent not a single penny on transfer fees – neither of the top three did – the nature of their signings, further highlighted by the transfer activity out of the club, are rather lacklustre.
In Louis Saha, a man who has scored a grand total of 8 goals in 18 months of football, and Ryan Nelsen, the only New Zealander to kick a ball in the Premier League this season and then only in the one appearance he’s been subject to, Harry Redknapp has fully lived up to expectations of being a top quality wheeler-dealer and provider of excitement in the Window, has he not?
No, he hasn’t.
His January activity has seen Spurs sign two players on free transfers with an average age of 33.5-years old: it sounds a bit like the January window you’d expect of a spotty teenager with poor financial control of his Football Manager career. Further mystifying, is the related transfer activity elsewhere at White Hart Lane: in Ryan Nelsen, they’ve signed a defender who is 34 and has only made one appearance this season in a team in the relegation zone. Meanwhile, Vedran Corluka and Sebastien Bassong, also defenders, leave on loan to the Bundesliga and Wolves respectively. Louis Saha is expected to become the cover for the dead on certain departure of Roman Pavlychenko and that could be seen as a justification; however, when Spurs can already boast Emmanuel Adebayor Jermaine Defoe, Cameron Lancaster and have chosen to loan out Harry Kane, it’s hard to find justification for the signing of a striker that spends the majority of the time injured and has only scored one goal this season. As his arrival will undoubtedly stunt Lancaster’s playing time in the first team, a counterintuitive practice as Lancaster will need as much of it as he can get as a young blossoming striker, I can only presume Harry’s signed Saha for the ease of spelling: three letters.
Written by Jordan Florit for www.maycauseoffence.com/ For more articles visit my website or my Twitter @JordanFlorit
For much of January, a lot of talking was done and little business; so, it was no different from most windows, granted, but in relative context, there had been far more speculation than realisation compared to last year’s window, which saw a total of £225m spent. At current, just 13% of last year’s total expenditure has been matched, leading some to rashly proclaim UEFA’s financial fair play is taking effect; however, with football, in the majority, ignorant to the financial crisis Europe has been in for the last few windows, spending still didn’t stop or decline.
In fact, last year, the volume of transfers occurring was up 16.6% from 2009 at an average of 10 transfers per club, across the 500 clubs surveyed by the CIES Football Observatory. Undeniably, the new money in Russian football is rather warping this figure, with five of the current top seven clubs in Russia’s Premier League, the fortunate beneficiaries of the plutocrats of their country. This window has been no different: Spartak Moscow, owned by oil billionaire Leonid Fedun, have purchased Everton’s left winger Diniyar “Bily” Bilyaletdinov; and, Balázs Dzsudzsák has made the move from big spenders Anzhi, owned by billionaire Suleyman Kerimov, to Dynamo Moscow, owned by VTB Bank, Russia’s largest bank, on a four-year deal.
Bily will significantly value his move, that came as deadline day ushered closer, with Moyes stating that, “it just didn’t quite work and obviously we’ve decided to sell,” and a move home should ensure Bily can confirm his place in Russia’s 23-man Euro 2012 squad. His two-and-a-half-year stint in England will be best remembered for his goal against Manchester United in a 3-1 over the Red Devils in which he cut inside with the outside of his left boot in a first touch that allowed him to shoot on site, which swerved beautifully into the bottom left-hand corner of Edwin Van Der Sar’s goal. The strike won Everton’s goal of the season.
The left-midfielder scored nine goals in 77 appearances for The Toffees and joins a side that are currently 4th in the Champions Group of the Russian Premier League, which continues on the 5th of March, when Spartak face Rubin Kazan. For Bilyaletdinov, an opportunity to revive a career that was already going stale at 26, following just 523 minutes of football for Everton so far this season: that’s just 24% of the total amount of playing time the Russian could’ve enjoyed. The Lokomotiv youth product will be hoping Spartak treat him well.
Signed by Arsenal in 2010 having impressed on trial after reaching All Japan High School Soccer Tournament, which was televised across Japan, Miyaichi has been riding the crest of a wave that is Japan’s footballing revolution, which is predicted for big things by Arsenal manager Arsene Wenger, who signed the rapid winger: “In [Japan] they have an aptitude to have a team attitude and a hardworking attitude and I think once they get the education they will produce good players.”
Much like Jack Wilshere’s loan to Bolton Wanderers exactly two January windows ago, which reaped him 14 appearances and a goal, Miyaichi, as well as Arsenal, will be hoping this loan move until the end of the season will prove his worth in the Premier League – a competition he is yet to play his part in. With Theo Walcott, Gervinho, Alex Oxlade-Chamberlain and Andrei Arshavin all providing competition on the wing, the Japanese 19-year old will be eager to perform for Bolton in order to impress Arsenal.
Arsenal didn’t sign who many on ThisisFutbol would’ve preferred: Mario Gotze. However, they signed the next best thing, or the 6th best thing according to Clark Whitney, Goal.com’s German Football Edtior. That’s the 6th best thing at Borussia Dortmund, by the way; not the 6th best attacking midfielder who can also play on either wing or up front and not even the 6thbest attacking midfielder under 5’11, from Germany and playing in the Bundesliga. He is, though, the perfect Arsenal signing: if perfect means predictable and you’re happy with a Europa League spot at best.
At £400k he is cheap and thus Arsenal fans can’t rue Wenger spending big with very little to show for it. Yet, his cheap price comes for a reason: an anterior cruciate ligament injury in the latter half of 2009 haltered his progress and at 19-years old, he is yet to feature for any of the German youth sides whilst his Dortmund contemparies, Moritz Leitner and Mario Gotze represent club and country at full-level. Ultimately though, he is talented. Holding down a 0.5 goal per game ratio for Dortmund’s u-19 side, Eisfeld is their second highest goal scorer with six in twelve. A move to Arsenal sees Eisfeld join a side with the best rate of youth development, judged by their 38.5% composition of club-trained players and leave behind a club where his career could’ve stagnated, seeing a potential talent go to waste.
The move may have been inevitable for more than one reason: at a club which boasts: Micah Richards and Zabaleta at right back; Vincent Kompany, Joleon Lescott and Kolo Toure at centre back; Aleksandar Kolorov at left back and even Stefan Savic is preferred over you, you’re game time is going to be limited. Add to that, your chief executive accidently e-mails your mother, who is also your agent, a message in which her cancer is distastefully discussed and you have a perfect recipe for a move away. A move that reunites Nedum Onuoha with Mark Hughes, who managed him at Manchester City.
With 15 A* GCSES and 5 A-Levels at A-grade, you could say Nedum Onuoha is a bright signing. Furthermore, you can add “astute” to the list of adjectives that could be used to describe this capture for Queens Park Rangers. With Mark Hughes at the helm, Q.P.R have moved quickly to secure the players needed to ensure promotion and build for an establishment of Premier League credentials. In buying players that have working experience with the manager, Q.P.R are setting themselves up well. Having just 10 minutes of PL football under his belt this season, a move was essential for this 25-year old.
Now, I refuse to jump on a bandwagon and rip into Wayne Bridge and not just because he is from the same postcode as me. In Wayne Bridge, you have a player who was England’s second choice left back: fact. However, you then had England’s second best left back at the same club as England’s best left back and, understandly, game time for Wayne Bridge dried up. Then, Manchester City, who haphazardly bought many a player in three consecutive seasons, bought Wayne Bridge as well as two other left backs. As much as you can criticise the wage bill he brings home, you cannot criticise a player that turns up to training every day, scores the highest on fitness tests time and time again at Manchester City and patiently awaits a chance to leave for a club he wants to.
For Wayne Bridge, Martin O’Neill could not be a better manager to aid the resurrection of a career that has become the butt of retirement jokes and lambasted as “mercenary.” His spell at West Ham wasn’t the best, but West Ham was far from ideal in management or performance last season. In joining Sunderland, Bridge has no excuses for poor performances: the management and performances of late are nothing short of superb.
Written by Jordan Florit for www.maycauseoffence.com/
For more articles visit my website or my Twitter @JordanFlorit
Senegal’s striker saturated 23-man squad for Equatorial Guinea and Gabon’s Africa Cup of Nations was destined for greatness and it could’ve served Newcastle United well – breaking in a Demba synergy partnership: The Toon have the strike force of a re-emerging nation, from a continent predicted to win the World Cup soon rather than later – and that still might be the case – but Senegal’s performances certainly wouldn’t have befitted that prediction of Brazilian legend Pele.
The Demba duo form a potent strike force that is the beacon of a fledging Senegal side inspired by youth, vibrancy and most importantly, attack: yet the fledging side failed and flopped, proving the Teranga Lions are yet to restore their roar - despite all three of their main strikers being linked with, or in fact completing big money moves this window - Copper Bullets can kill, monetary bonuses from the President’s son can inspire Nzalang to qualify past the group stages and political unrest and a successive revolution can unite 23 men to the extent of 4-points greater than a side with a £30m strike force.
Ba left Tyneside on his most productive run of form: 15 goals in his last 15 appearances for The Magpies and a December that earned the former fellow Bundesliga striker the Premier League’s Player of the Month Award. His parting gift was an assist and a goal for Newcastle that earned them their first three points of 2012 at the first attempt and their 4th, 5th and 6th point out of the past nine. His returning gift is a partnership that has previously only lived on the international stage and could prove to be the formidable catalyst for the maintenance of Newcastle’s impressive season so far. However, for Cisse and Ba, the Africa Cup of Nations was as dry as the savannahs and summed up neatly, as pointless.
In the absence of Demba Ba, who signed for The Toon on a free transfer having activated a clause in his West Ham contract, Newcastle won one of their two Premier League games and did the same in the F.A. Cup, going out to second-tier Brighton and Hove Albion, despite Pardew stating that he was willing to rest players in the league for the benefit of the cup: “I just think it is the second biggest competition we can win, the biggest is the league and the chances of us winning that with the funds we have against some of the top clubs makes if very very difficult,” before justifying his ambition for the Budweiser sponsored cup, “the Cup levels the playing field and gives us an opportunity of winning a trophy and getting into Europe. If players from whatever country, cannot grasp that, then it is my job that they do.”
Yet, his Senegalese strike force, which combined only has one game’s worth of experience in the competition, now won’t get the opportunity to understand this most historic cup competition. The pointless absence of Demba Ba must now be made up for in the closing months if Newcastle are to qualify for Europe.
Without him, Newcastle stagnated: in their two Premier League games – the 1-0 victory against a Q.P.R side in the acquaintance of a new manager cannot mask Newcastle’s lack of penetration – Alan Pardew’s men have looked disorganised and disorientated in lacking the 6’2 Ba leading the front line and Cheick Tiote underpinning the midfield. In his absence, Newcastle recorded 24 shots in the Premier League, scoring just three. With Ba present – using the 2-game period prior to his departure, which recorded the same amount of points – The Toon’s shot conversion rate doubled and more to 27%.
The problem, when lacking Ba, isn’t a lack of chances created – in fact that went up without Ba, probably due to a dependency of goals now absent, by 60% – it is a lack of potency: Demba Ba possesses the best shot conversion rate in the Premier League 31% - and when he’s wearing the #19 shirt, he drags United’s potency up with him.
Yet, Demba Ba’s international duty was pointless in more way than one: as well as failing to accumulate a single point in Equatorial Guinea, something which even Sudan managed to do after a 36-year wait since their last, Senegal failed to see either of Newcastle United’s strikers score. Senegal scored a goal a game – unfortunately they conceded two per game, too – yet, N’Doye and Fenerbahce’s new signing Moussa Sow, were the scorers of the three, with the former getting two. Demba Papiss Cisse failed to score. Demba Ba failed to score.
Although between the two of them they failed to hit the back of the net, they were limited by playing time, inevitable considering the team was top heavy: out of a possible 270 minutes they duet could’ve played together, they completed just 81 minutes on the pitch together. Ba was a starter in each and every game, Papiss started just one and came on as a substitute in the other two games and their third high profile striker, Moussa Sow, made just one start too; however, he was able to capitalise in his share of game time and scored off the bench in their penultimate game. Their time together was further impeded when, in the last game, Ba was replaced by his Toon teammate.
Sow has completed a four-and-a-half-year move to Fenerbahce for £8.4m and last season’s top scorer of Ligue 1, in a Lille side boasting Eden Hazard and Joe Cole in support of the Senegalese, alluded to the possibility that Arsenal and Liverpool, stating that, “there were many clubs interested,” but the Turkish side was “the club [he] really wanted.” One thing that is clear is that he left on bad terms, “I could have stayed [but] when I read that the president said “he was greedy” it hurts.”
But my immediate concern, however, will be for Papiss as he will be a direct influence of the betterment of the English game and Demba Ba’s highest praise of Cisse has inspired great belief into his countryman. Describing his new strike partner as a “proper goal-scorer” in what I can only imagine is an audacious attack at Javier Hernandez who finds it difficult to score from more than 6-yards, or perhaps even a cheeky dig at Nwankwo Kanu who ran onto and scored from a throw-in back to the ‘keeper shortly into his stint at Arsenal, Ba insisted that “[he and Cisse] are going to do everything for [Newcastle] and forget about what has happened [at the AFCON].”
The question is, will Cisse feature in Wednesday’s clash against Blackburn in which Alan Pardew will be hoping to regain the momentum lost after two straight defeats. In their absence, Newcastle oversaw Blackburn 2-1 in the F.A Cup; however, since then, the clinical edge has been lost and The Toon will be hoping the Demba synergy will burst into life that was void in Equatorial Guinea.
Written by Jordan Florit for www.maycauseoffence.com/ For more articles visit my website or my Twitter @JordanFlorit
