Much of the focus is on the upcoming Barclay’s Premier League season. There will also be a four part preview that will run from Monday through Thursday on FoxSoccer.Com and I will post links from the blog to the articles. Just like last year everyone has a chance to chime in with your own predictions. The link will be posted by tomorrow at noon I expect. Meanwhile here are a few worthy pieces that have run over the last week or so.
I liked Marcotti’s piece. However I don’t think Liverpool will be there at the end. I thought Pool would be fighting Chelsea last year for the crown but didn’t happen. IMO, Rafa had the lineup to challenge Chelsea for the title but was unable to put it together. This year is the same thing, even better, so what will hold Pool back? Rafa. Rafa will tinker again and unsettle the team. Yes, Rafa has won the Champion’s League and the FA cup. But the Premier League is a lot longer tournament and consistence is key.
And one last thing, the new signings from teams outside the EPL don’t always mean they will take a team to the top. How many times have we seen top rated players who have excelled outside the EPL, only to bomb when they get to England? So saying the Torres and Nanies are going to be heroes, I’ll hold my breath.
P.S. Bobby, do you think Tevez and Rooney combo will work upfront?
Bobby -
Heinze (or his agent) seems to badly want the move to Liverpool and first team football, but I'm not sure Heinze would start in that back four. Would he move to the middle? Riise? Thanks.
I'm not sure if you read Atleti's blog, but we from her blog, were wondering if you would participate in a fantasy footie league with some of us? That I know of Atleti, gabemar, Verbal, LGB, VVV, ulsterson and last but not least, the crowd favorite, Ringo were also interested in the idea.
Don't worry LGB, The Times will have to eat their words at the end of the season when 'Pool have a couple of cups and/or title.
Bobby-Why doesn't Liverpool build the new staduim to full capicity? After seeing United draws in 3 million pounds per match, what are Hicks and Gillette thinking?
In the same article it talked a little about Man U's transfer activity. First, are most deals between clubs now performance based with escalators? Secondly, seeing as two of United's signings have a hard time with injuries(Anderson and Hargreaves) who do you see as doing the best with their money out of England's top five?
LGB, to answer the last question, it's obviously Chelsea, but that's simply because they didn't spend much of anything at all...
In the end, I think Nani works out for United, while Anderson fails to reach his potential. Everyone already knows what Hargreaves can do, they just spent "too" much money on a player like him.
Actually everyone only knows what Hargreaves can do in Germany and on the national level. Both are very different than the EPL. So he may need time to settle in...
Bobby, since you will not review the bundisliga can you please give us your opinion on how Bayern, Stuttgart and Werder Bremen prepared for the new season? I know that Stuttgart added Basturk (a big +), but lost Hildebrand and replaced him with a goalkeeper named Schafer. Do you know anything about him? Bremen lost a defender to Real and Klose to their main rivals. Speaking of, Bayern hit the jack pot with all the talent coming to Munich. What do you make of these three teams in their domestic vs UEFA/CL cups?
Good article on Man Utd, it allays some of my fears reagrding their transfer policy. However their overall debt structure remains highly questionable. As the leader of their supporters club was quoted, the Glazers have invested nothing and are continuing to raise prices at a clip beyond that of the rest of the league. Usually in a leveraged buy-out there is some huge growth potential that makes the risk worth it or their assets are undervalued. I don't think their assets were undervalued. What huge growth potential does Utd have? From 3rd on the money list back to 1st as they were 4 years ago. Is China going to finance them for the next 20 years. Bad long term forecast.
Mas-I don't know if you read some of the comments at the bottom of the page of that article but Manure's ticket prices are still lower than some of its rivals.
In fact, I think you should go back and read the comments because there are some good points made there and some transfers that have been left out. The Glazers are running it like any other businessman would, its just that the English are xenophobic against foreign ownership and will do anything to criticize the Glazers. It was the same thing when Murdoch tried buying the club back in 98.
Leche-If their not good signings, or I should say if they don't make impacts it doesn't mean anything at all. Only Malouda will push for a starting XI spot, so I don't see how that makes it obvious that Chelsea spent the best.
"Gutsy one-liner about Liverpool by The Times: "Big in the ’80s, less so now"!"
Atleti, are you kidding??? "Gutsy"??? How much of the English press do you read??? This observation about Liverpool is incredibly ordinary and conventional in the English press and among all UK football pundits. I've lost count how many pieces I've read about Liverpool where the club's failure in over a decade is poured upon ad nauseum. There's nothing original or gusty about it. And no, I'm not a Liverpool fan.
I am not blaming the Glazers for buying Man Utd for zero down then paying interest ony for a few years, they can do whatever they want. Just don't be surprised when it comes back to haunt those who love the club.
I am sure that Utds' tickets are cheaper than the clubs in the south but evrything in the south of England is much more expensive.
Bobby,
What do you think of DeMarcus Beasley at Glasgow Rangers? This seems to be in compelete contradiction to his slight frame and easily bumped off the ball style. Do you see this working out? Ally McCoist has been complimentary of him so far. Your Thoughts....
After Van der Sar's performance at the Community Shield where would you put him as far as penalty shoot performances? (I still think he is a bit shakey at times and his back-up doesn't inspire either).
LGB- Terry's out for a month, so in steps Ben Haim... Impact right there at the start of the season. Pizarro is set to be their 3rd striker, which is a role I think he can fill quite nicely. For teams at this level, depth is just as important as quality in terms of season long success. They got Ben Haim, Sidwell, Malouda, and Pizarro, all of which will have their impact on where Chelsea finishes this season, one way or another... And they got them for much cheaper than United and Liverpool got their players.
Although, the best all around buy just might belong to Liverpool in Andriy (spelling?) Voronin... While Fernando Torres and Ryan Babel are very talented, I don't think we'll see Liverpool really get their money's worth from them for a couple of years (if they're around that long)
Leche-No way Ben Haim even fills Terry's jockstrap. Terry is, by far and away, the best central defender in England right now. Not only is great in the tackle and good in the air, he also likes to get up in the attack.
Ben Haim can't and won't do that. Alex has done that with PSV BUT as we've seen with other defenders bought from the Dutch league, that doesn't equate to the same thing in the EPL.
And if Pizzaro is the third striker, does that make Schevchenko the second? Thats not a good thing after last season's performance.
LGB, Ciao, leche - I agree Hargreaves may yet need to settle into the EPL. Of United's new boys he would be the favorite to have the easiest transition but he will also be facing the most pressure to perform. Im optimistic with Nani too, but SAF has already stated he is for the future, so next season or the one after. I'm hopeful with Anderson but Leches reservations are felt by many United supporters. South American players do not have the best history at United (Kleberson, Veron) and he seems less polished from the little I have seen.
1 Bobby what happened to nakamure, he looked like a guy who had a big club waiting to take him?
2who do you think are favourite to win the champions leauge
3 Do you understand the ac milan transfer policy because they have money and are linked with everyone but are not buying
Ciao - check out www.channel4.com and follow the sports links to Italian Football, they always do a nice job.
A good story is Roma's fixtures, they get:-
Palermo away - a toughie
Siena home - easy
Reggina away - tough
Juventus in Rome - tough
Fiorentina away - tough
Inter in Rome - tough
Parma away - tough
Napoli in Rome - tough
Milan in Milan - v tough
The Rome Derby - v tough
That is a make or break first ten weeks for the Giallorossi!
Bayern spanked Werder Bremen in a pre season tournament, not a friendly tournanament either, they looked very good and will almost certainly be favourites to lift the UEFA Cup this time around.
£163m on strikers so far, how much of that dosh is going to be sitting on the bench or put up for sale in January?
Will Keane be able to step up a level and manage a Premier League team? I don't think so.
So Bobby, love to see if you have any opinions you can publish or share on the coverage of the MLS, how it's packaged, what it could learn from the more established football broadcasters (if anything) and do you have broadcasters/commentators you like.
Also we have had the Beckham stuff play out a little - what is your take on the whole pulava so far?
Roy Keane was a great player, but will he be a great coach in the EPL? Yes. Why do you ask? Because Roy Keane is the type of person who will never say die. The word failure doesn’t exist in his vocabulary. Roy Keane encompases all of those special qualities (dedication, heart and passion) that every owner desires. So will Keano restore Sunderland’s glory days of the early 20th century? Yes. Why? Because he can. And he will. He has already helped Sunderland reach the Premiership while earning the Championship "Manager of the Year" award last year. He knows what it takes to win and has proven his ability of finding players that share his vision and commitment for success. This is evidence of last year additions of Dwight Yorke, Ross Wallace, David Connolly and Liam Miller. But beyond his ability of signing quality players, his experience as a player at United will be an invaluable asset to Sunderland’s success in the EPL this year. My prediction: major success for Sunderland.
LGB, Ben Haim is going to have to fill Terry's jock, because Terry's gonna be out for about a month... And who else do they have?
Yes, Sheva is #2 striker, and no that is not good for Chelsea, hence whey they are not being predicted to do as well as their own expectations are set for...
They're almost like an All-Star team... But half like the Harlem Globetrotters... Where their all about what the individual can do, and working that into a team unit. Instead of the individual working for the team.
CIAO H14:
According to Galliani yesterday, Milan are still pursuing some transfer targets. Milan have a very strong squad and there really aren’t any available players who would be in a typical starting lineup. The midfield is very solid, as is the defense despite some aging players. There are some questions up front, which is why the most likely arrival, at the moment, seems to be Julio Baptista from Real. The sticking point seems to be that Real wanted to package him in with Cassano (who is now close to Sampdoria), and Milan aren’t interested. However, Milan have Gilardino, Ronaldo and Inzaghi, and considering they played most of last season with one striker, it is not a desperate situation. Milan haven’t completely given up on Sheva or Ronaldinho, but either seems very unlikely.
There are 25 days left in the transfer window, so much could still get done. Milan always seem to spend their money with great caution, and will not spend $100m in a summer without much improving their current squad. In fact, most big European teams, outside the north of England, this summer have limited their transfers to a couple of players where currently needed most, without spending a fortune in the transfer market. I guess everyone is learning from the best!!
Last edited by Venti_vidi_vici on August 7th at 5:38 AM.
Craigy f, After what Keane did last year you really don't believe he can manage a premiere club? If Southgate, Jewell, Jol et al. can why would you believe Roy can't? Tactically he is sound, technically no problems--he has the playing resume, motivational..no problem there the only thing holding him back would be talent on the pitch. That is somewhat out of his control (board, money, current contracts etc..). I can't wait to see him give it a go.
CIAO:
Milan need another central defender, especially after this season. Maldini will be out until October, and it is not clear how many matches he will be able to play. They have considered using Ambrosini in that role when necessary, but Barzagli, who is slated as Nesta’s replacement for Italy, is a much better option. Milan have been interested in Motta and Emerson all summer, but the latter now seems closer to Inter. Other names who have been mentioned lately are Bodmer and Makalele, but again, Milan already have several quality midfielders, and any new players will, at best, have to compete for a semi-regular place. I think Milan are very close to signing Baptista, but the relationship between the two clubs is a bit strained at the moment.
Again, Milan are painfully aware that of their 5 signings last summer, none were much help last season. At the UCL final, two were on the bench and the other three were in the stands. Milan, just like any other big club, are in a situation where to sign a player who is going to have a real impact, that player is going to be very good and therefore be very expensive. There are only a few players who fit the needs of a team like Milan, and who are also available, which, again, is why most big clubs haven’t really made any big acquisitions.
neophyte -
One good season in the Championship does not a Premier League Manager make, the step up is big, opposition managers play more football with more tactical nuances, players are faster and better, players cost more so bad signings make a bigger impact, referees are better.
What experience is he going to draw on when things get tough, and please don't make the great players make great managers point, typically in fact they don't!
He'll be bottom 10
Southgate got by on his players, and away form
Jewell is a much better manager than Keane, he's bee managing since '98.
Jol has gone from 14 to 9 to 5 and then stayed there with Tottingham Spurs
Who are ET AL?
You can't compare him to O'Neill or Allardyce or Moyes or Sven or Curbishly or Hughes or Redknapp or Coppell or Bruce or Davies
Maybe you can compare him to Little Sammy and Lawrie Sanchez but look what Sanchez has done on the international stage
Chris Hutchings would be a fair target for comparison
I do believe Keane will struggle, but the stats and records back me up. (Look at Sunderland's last foray into the top division) I don't think the side is bad enough to go down but Keane will need a couple of seasons to do anything more than mid-table.
But for a fuller run down on what I think of Sunderland and the players they have check out my Premier League Preview which will ocme out tomorrow!
Why is Calderon spending GBP27m for Robben? Is he simply going to unreasonable lengths to keep one of his pre-election promises, just like his GBP60m offer for Kaka'?
Robben isn't exactly a shirt-selling-Galactico, and hasn't been that spectacular of late either. Last time I checked Real had Robinho, Raul, Ruud, newcomer Saviola, as well as a group of highly rated youngsters including Higuain and Soldado. Is Calderon simply under pressure to spend a lot of money on somebody, or is there any on-field logic to signing Robben for this kind of money?
WHAT EXPERIENCES IS HE GOING TO DRAW ON WHEN THINGS GET TOUGH? I hope you’re not serious. Well, how about his captaincy at United, the most successful football club in the EPL, or for his beloved country. It appears to me that someone believes Roy Keane has what it takes to win. Let me remind you that Keane turned a struggling club into the champs of the Championship league last year. Now, I don’t know about you, but I would think that deserves a little bit of respect. Also, most of the managers that you mentioned above inherited teams that were already competing in the EPL. And how can you compare Keane to those managers who have been managing 6, 7, 8 years? You can’t. Even Sir Alex Ferguson said that he wanted Keane to succeed him as manager when he retired. Now that’s saying something. And what about Mark Hughes? He was a great player, and now he’s a good manager. So you kind of disproved your point. Anywyas, after it is all said and done, Keane will be one of the most successful managers in EPL history.
Last edited by Sodepop10 on August 7th at 4:39 PM.
Sodepop10,
Keane was an outstanding player, I've no arguement with that. I merely point out that being a great player doesn't necessarily translate into being a good manager.
Keagan, Reid, Coppell, Bruce, Pearce, Hughes, Dunga, Beckenbaur, all decent both sides of the touchline - but that is only eight - OH MY GOODNESS MAYBE THE STATS DON'T ACTUALLY BACK ME UP !
Wait, who knows how many players turned managers didn't do so well or struggled, surely there has to be more than eight. It's likley that research will not get done today.
I wasn't comparing Keane to any of the managers I mentioned in the previous comment, I was questioning the validty of any comparisons.
I'd only compare Keane to Hutchings for their lack of managerial experience.
Sunderland will still be a bottom half team, at best. Why, he has a small squad, he has one year of management experience, the Premier League is really hard and so far some of his signings are questionable; Halford - 3M quid for a lower league utility player with U20 experience? 5M quid for Chopra, expensive gamble, not quite as expensive as Gordon, that will either make or break Sunderland, If the Scot performs between the sticks then mid table is acheiveable, but who is going to score the goals and how well will Sunderland travel.
Thanks though for the opportunity to debate with someone who knows football, whilst we may see much the same things and disagree upon them it is way better than a lot of the comments on FSC (such as U #### or U R KKRAP...etc)
If I have the time I'll try to look at good players and thei
If I have the time I'll try to look at good players and their managerial careers.
So are you a Keane fan, a Sunderland fan or did you just think I was talking shiite?
I didn’t think that you were talking ####. You seem to know what you’re talking about and I just wanted to probe a little bit deeper concerning your thoughts on the matter. However, I have to disagree with you about Sunderland finishing in the lower half this season. I just don’t see it happening. I believe Sunderland has a lot of talent, but with Keane as their Skipper they will prevail; they will develop a pedigree of playing together as a unit under Keane’s direction, and will finish in the 11th or 12th position.
Last edited by Sodepop10 on August 8th at 6:57 AM.
SodePop10, check out my blog, the latest Premier League Preview goes more in depth on my Sunderland thoughts, Gordon and Chopra are key, if only one flop they'll be OK, if both flop I can Sunderland maybe finishing 17th. If the two of them do well then your prediction (from another blog comments ection) would be about right.
If Mackem have a season without too many relegation 6 pointers then they'll be in a good postion to build.
Does Keane have his UEFA coaching badges?
Who do you support?
TA :P
Check out Atleti or LGB there blogs are often good.
I am the soccer analyst for the Fox Soccer Report and appear twice a week - every Monday and Friday at 10:00 EST. I have also been a regular contributor to the Fox Soccer Channel website since the summer of 2004. Over the last twenty years I have contributed to various radio and television programs throughout North America as well writing about the game for newspapers, magazines and websites.
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