Michael Grant pays tribute to Motherwell’s Phil O’Donnell.
With the transfer window opening tomorrow Richard Gillis report’s that baseball’s Billy Beane made a presentation on his talent evaluation model at the “Future of Football” conference last month.
Phil Ball takes a look at how things are going for Chris Coleman in Spain now that his washing machine has been fixed.
I'm disappointed with one tiny paragraph in Phil Ball's article. I've been following Coleman's career in Spain & the "washing- machine" situation wasn't simply about a washing mashine 'malfunction'. He was critized by the Basque press for being seen late at night at a few bars in San Sebastian with visiting friends the night before. He had to explain himself on the official website (which I listened to). The more probable story about him being late, then, is not that he had problems with his washing-machine, but that he overslept & completely forgot about the press talk! That incident was some time ago.
If Real sack him for whatever reason, I'd like to see him at Newcastle!
re Paul Wilson's article: I'm very interested to see who City bring in this January. Nery Castillo seems like a step in the right direction.
Love the New Year resolution article!
Malbec is my poison of choice, redfan (although lobster & Prosecco is a bit of a New Year tradition for me).
As for whisky, the Macallan is always dependable: all other Speysiders must bow down before it!
Last edited by atleti on December 30th at 5:10 PM.
I'm interested in your opinion on how Hodgson will fare at Fulham. Barring the obvious answer "everywhere", where do you think they most need imporvement and who might they target for those positions? Thanks in advance; I always appreciate your analysis.
For some superficial news: Puyol shaved his head after promising to do so if they lost to Real! His new look apparently "shocked" the rest of the team...
Paul Wilson – nice england article – if Cappello wins he’ll be an “honorary englisman” if he loses he’ll have to read about his private life in the SUN.
transfers – ‘cup tied’ will play a role – one or two big moves but not the sort of frenzy next summer will bring and don’t forget the AcoN is a huge shop window.
Beane – statistics will be a tool, a useful one for sure, still a tool. So far it seems the stats that are being used is very basic.
Stewart Robson’s piece :-
It’s nicely done but very low on detail. How about a week’s worth of articles with three or four teams a day and some detail.
Mr Liddle certainly made me chuckle:-
1-Shearer’s was always a favourite. The Classic has to be walking calmly back to your own half and waiting for the opposition to kick off.
2-more post match press conferences of the Neil Warnock style – truth and no bs!
3-Howay the Lads! The fans are definitely glass half full supporters
4-What about Canada, Thailand, Outer Mongolia and Essex!
5-nuff said
6-just hide their crayons
7-auntie sometimes does need a kick up her derriere
8-thank the lord clubs don’t get stadiums built in the way the nfl does
9-I concur Rod!
10-“you’re shiite & you know you are!”
11-how about tutu's or scuba gear for perennial "divers"?
Bobby -
Can you explain the Possesion stat - how is it decided, is it technical or what? Sometimes it pops up and is so obviously wrong.
We do it in Cricket but not really football, what's your take (re:wilson's piece)
What is your best and worst, funniest and saddest, angriest and couldn't care le
What is your best and worst, funniest and saddest, angriest and couldn't care lessest, wrongist and rightest moments of 2007? Best/worst games seen? Purely football.
AFOTHY- his very presence stopped a run of four away defeats. Good manager. And been around the houses a bit so has a good scouting network
Soccerbase has the games at Ewood, Reebok, the other Stanley park stadium and toon all listed as Postponed. Can anyone corroborate that?
2007 - another year gone!
Happy new year to YOUSE ALL on this blog. It's a consistent hoot. Thoroughly enjoy the conflabulations with everyone and anyone.
someone with much better diction than me once said-
"so long and thanks for all the fish"
so sam allardyce has come out and said he's disappointed in Joey Barton and that he feels let down. Really?! That's like the people who are shocked when a tiger wants to eat a human, a puppy pees on the hardwood floor or Kieron Dyer blows out a knee. You know what! I'm disappointed that Sam is disappointed. You bought a criminal, don't be surprised when you get a criminal.
Just back from watching the sun rise on a winters morning whilst doing a spot of ice fishing. Now having a laugh at the blog with hands around some hot coffee.
Worst moment of last year was LFC losing to AC Milan.
Best moment was visiting my family in England in the fall.
The craziest moment is still under review since there are another 13 hours to do something crazier.
Athleti, not done either malbec or prosetto. Obviously my horizons need widening.
Have a good day peeps and see ya next year if not sooner.
Verbal wheres your place of work? I am located at 1 Beacon, and yes I am working because the markets are open!
Coleman to Newcastle atleti? Interesting, I have not heard that one, do you think he would try and raid Fulham? I hope he would get Dempsey.(God my love affair with Dempsey is starting to sound worse than sleepers with Eduardo)
Coleman would do a much better job at St. James Park than Shearer, the prohibitive favourite to replace Fat Sam Allardyce. Whether he'd excite the Geordie nation is entirely a different matter, though.
Bobby,
I know it’s the half way point in the season, but I thought I would ask. You said at the beginning of the season you said Santa Cruz was a bust and Malouda was the best signing. Cruz has 9 goals in 5 games. Do you see him setting down in the EPL and continuing his form? Or do you see this as temporary and his season will end in a whimper? He reminds me of a Van Nistelrooy, no? What about Malouda, big bust?
I work in a lab in the Longwood Medical Area. Very cheap when it comes to holidays (don't even get Columbus Day). By contrast, my wife has had the last 2 weeks off because she works at a college.
Another great year comes to an end. Great moments in football like:
-Henry last goal against ManUre a late winner at Emirates.
-Watching Kaka' brillence especially his 2nd against ManUre.That particular game was also a classic.
-ManUre 7-0 win over Roma.
-Arsenal young Gunz killing Liverpool at Anfield not once but twice.
-Peter Crouch' hat-trick at Anfield against Arsenal was amazing to.
-Capello inspiring Real back to win the trophy then getting fired.
-Messi and Cesc. one Messes you up the other is simply Fabulous.
-Seeing Arsenal start the season well and stat top for the first time in year.
-Valencia/Inter fight was a moment not to forget.
-Dida acting out been hit by a coin was just out of this world.
And many more. Happy New Year and keep supporting this great sport that we call football, soccer,futbal or whatever you want to call it.
Champions Leg. Especially that Ac milan Arsenal tie and Roma/ Real tie. And who will win it this year? Can Fergie finally lay his hands on a 2nd? hopefully not.
Euro Cup. Who will win it? My fave five as of now Italy, Spain, France, Germany, and England ohh woops they are not there I ment Swizirland pardon my sp.
And watching all the great player upcoming, at there peak, at the end of there peak or about to retire.
Looking forward to a 42 inch catfish; an house by the sea with an ocean going yacht and Liverpool winning a treble with the Premiership and two cups. The first two are realistic but the third? well a guy can dream eh?
Well it is in Britain and that’s good enough for me.
Besides ,with the help of Milwaukee’s best and Kentuckey’s finest I never do seem to make it to midnight.
Oh ,and Anelka should be signing on the dotted line right about....now.
I have seen much nonsense regarding the upcoming transfer window. Part of this regards the question of whether any real talent is available. Clearly, teams that choose transfer players wisely can benefit enormously (e.g. West Ham last year). For teams 'on the bubble' like Middlesbrough, Birmingham, Sunderland, Fulham and Wigan, patching holes in team capabilities may prevent relegation, which is enormously expensive. For most teams, what is needed is not a flashy midfielder or striker but a couple of defenders with pace, skill and determination, who can support the midfield on attack as well as bolster the defense. In my observations, these players seem to make a bigger difference than the flashier attackers. The problem is that such defenders are hard to find.
Re: Fabregas. Wouldn't call it a disgrace when in every league a player exaggerates his reaction. He probably overdid it by rolling around but you can't ignore Arteta and Neville's blatant dives. To me all the professional players alike are willing to try anything incl. acting to gain advantage for the team. Their instinct is to fall down at any touch. So would Arteta himself.
Re: transfer. Anelka to Chelsea sounds too perfect a match. If it happens, will it result in either Drogba or Sheva's departure for Milan in the summer? And to pool fans, how much would Rafa have to spend besides the 17 mil pounds to sign Maschrano?
Last edited by foxcube on December 31st at 8:55 PM.
1.How much have you seen of Angel di Maria since he moved to Benfica?how goes his development?
2.Can Arsenal really afford not to buy a reliable centre half?
3.Shouldn't Wenger look for a playmaker as cover for Cesc instead of playing gilberto and diarra in central midfield?
4.Barca players seem to dwell too long on the ball and that poses a big problem in their game. What has gone so wrong for them?
African Footballer of the Year - Hodgson has to get to work very quickly if Fulham is to be stay up. Away form has been poor for years and too many home draws. He needs to strengthen the centre of the midfield and the defence as a priority. He also has to get Fulham to stop treating each game as a sprint. The other tams know that Fulham will start strongly and fade badly and they wait for their opportunities. I really have no idea who Hodgson might target as we really don’t know who is really available and whether or not Fulham has any money to spend after allowing Sanchez to flush $50M down the toilet. However, a connection might be players that he has worked with while managing Finland or players they have recently played against.
Craigy_F - I have always assumed that when a team gets the ball that the clock starts and then stops when the ball is clearly regained by the other side. I am not sure what your cricket question actually is – sorry. At the start of every year I think about making note of great goals, matches, comments etc but never get around to it. I think my best memory of 2007 will be the night the USA under 20s beat Uruguay in extra time while Argentina and Lionel Messi were putting on a show on a televised game at the same time. Then the later under 20 game was Spain coming back from 2-0 down to beat Brazil 4-2. A great night of football.
Footie fan - There has to be have been a reason that Bayern Munich let him go so cheaply so I will believe he is the real thing when he does it for a couple of seasons. He is no a Ruud Van Nistelrooy be any stretch of the imagination. Malouda - Hard to describe someone as a bust over half a season particularly when he has been injured for a good part of it.
Gregz -
1. Sorry I can't reaaly help with how Di Maria is doing at the moment.
2. Who would you drop? Arsenal are not as dominant in the air as other top teams but they have pace at the back. The problem is that if you might get a defender better in the air but not as quick – are you really any better off?
3. No – he has Denilson and don’t be surprised if you see Rosicky popping in a more central role if Fabregas goes down. He has played in a central position before for Borussia Dortmund and the Czech Republic. Hleb could also play deeper at a push.
4. Compared to who? They are in the last 16 of the Champions League and second in La Liga with half a season to go – teams win trophies by staying in contention for the first seven months and then playing really well over the last three months. It's far too early to write Barcelona off.
Bobby, Why do you believe that Anderson at Manchester United is a defensive midfielder, rather than more attacking one? He has been playing as an attacking midfielder/playmaker both at Gremio and Porto, its only at United that I saw him play defensively sometimes. But i thought that was to make him adjust better, with time gradually giving more and more freedom to actually attack, so that Anderson doesn't lose his confidence.
Eduardo scores again. Interestingly enough, he is substituted after 63 minutes of play. Last game he was substituted after 75 minutes. Why would Wenger do that? It's one thing if he were playing badly, but Eduardo is scoring goals. Are you kidding me? I really don't understand Wenger. One thing is for sure. As soon as RVP is 100 % healthy, Eduardo will be relegated to the stands again. What a shame.
Maxim - Your explanantion makes sense. It would certainly account for Ferguson's glowing tributes while Anderson's performances hardly deserve #### praise. Either that or Ferguson just doesn't want his central midfield players to attack and is happy to allow Ronaldo, Rooney, Tevez, Giggs etc to take care of things.
Jokes aside, I am not saying anything different from what the commentators are saying. I think a player who's doing well and scoring goals should only be substituded if, A: he gets injured, B: a player gets red carded and he needs a defender (not a striker) to limit the damage, C: He's trying to save the player for a more important match to come in three days time.
However, none of those rules applied for the last two games.
Last edited by Sleeper000 on January 1st at 1:54 PM.
Seems that Bobby used the word "bleep" more often lately. With it underlined that is. hehe...
Only caught some of the Villa-Spurs game. Tottenham went into panic mode defending every set-piece, just like Arsenal last season. But they have more players back defending now when they lost the ball. What other changes has Ramos rung to Spurs' playing system, Bobby? What do you think of their young players such as Kaboul and O'Hara? Thanks!
Well, Porstmouth finally won. Hopefully, they'll be able to win without the other team losing a player due to a red card. Like you said Bobby, it really seems that the African players spiritually are already at the African Nations Cup.
Re: Eduardo. Wenger thinks he's still adapting to the EPL. Perhaps he's also adapting to Arsenal's style which stresses more team work and understanding. Takes time to blend in team mates' passing and movements and develop his linkup play. Saw his Blackburn game where a few occasions he clearly didn't see where he's supposed to pick the passes.
BOBBY
England have plundered the Commonwealth and beyond for talented cricketers, no one seems to bother that they aren't actually English born and bred as they are usually quality players. This happens in Rugby but not nearly enough in Football (Barnes, J - Jamaica and Hargreaves - Canada being the rare exceptions). Why do you think this is?
RINGO
we all know that the Phil Taylor running scared from the rest of the darts world (or is that the other way around?) World Championship isn't the real one. The real one happens at Lakeside!
One Hundred and EIGHTYYYYYYYYYYY!
Poland has a new World Champion as well.
Snooker WC is coming up soon!
2007 IN A NUTSHELL
Best - 6th, or Mexico v Argentina first half copa america 2007, Iraq winning, DC United
Worst - 6th, mcclaren, Iraqi fans being shot whilst celebrating! Matt Taylor getting GOTS against US!
saddest - barwick and brooking not resigning.
couldn't care lessist - SPL, LoW,
angriest - Clattenberg
saddest - football doesn't really make me sad
wrongest - 0-0 to macedonia
rightest - ac Milan - 2007 CL Winners!
funniest - Landon Donovan about to take a penalty
best games - beating metalist, at chelsea or old trafford
worst games - a draw against metalist, a st James Park or at Vila Park
GAMES OF THE DAY, IN BRIEF
Good win when not at full strength. 6 out of 12 after New Year is Ok considering our opposition. Nice to see McFadden's goal celebration.
Nice to see the Gunners are celebrating their history with a return to the long ball game. Easy win over the Hammers.
Fulham are making progres
Fulham are making progress already under Hodgson
Straight forward win for Manchester United
Villa and Spurs need to work on their defending
Good win for Pompey
GAMES OF TOMORROW, IN BRIEF
I will be rooting for Wigan, Toon, Derby and the Black Cats
REFEREE'S CORNER
Good decision to card Carsley, it wasn't for the challenge but rather for the afters.
Surely Jagielka's slide was a PK?
Ballack's penalty, sure he was tugged and it was a penalty. Why are so many other incidents like that not punished?
Soft free kick at Reading, two players going for the ball fairly and squarely, how could you split them? Gave the early dead ball chance to Pompey.
NEWSPAPERS
Two views on football in January from the slightly right of centre Telegraph
Bolton boss Gary Megson says the transfer window is "rubbish" and he would like to see its legal validity challenged in court
Wigan boss Steve Bruce says buying a player in the transfer window is "like buying puppies at Christmas - you have to make sure it's long term and for the right reasons"
FA CUP THIRD ROUND
A nice chance to rest some of the lads as we entertain Oldham.
Villa & Man Utd - the tie of the round
Boro have a Banana Skin
Chelsea ease through
Tricky one for Harry
Sunderland and Wigan or Spurs and Reading don't really need the distraction of the FA Cup. Ramos has had success as a 'cup' manager so interesting to see what he does in the FA version
Easy for Arsenal reserves
Banana Skins for Derby, Fulham, Newcastle and Liverpool.
Y'ALL
How did your festive seson go in terms of your results?
Craigy - It aint at the Lakeside anymore.
The Power has been turned off.
Bring back the Crafty C0ckney.
And I once had the pleasure? of having my bum kicked by Jocky Wilson.
And McFadden was a class act.
Alright ,in the words of #### Emery "I got it wrong again dad!"
The other ones still at Lakeside.
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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