Another break day and so an opportunity to answer some questions.


Danielgregg – Something I've noticed about this tournament, don't recall if it's something unique or not: there've been so many records broken. Croatia broke some kind of record when they beat Germany, Turkey broke their record against the Czechs, the Dutch beat their 30-year record against Italy, and Italy beat their 30-year record against France, and now Spain banished their longstanding record against not only Italy, but their June 22 jinx.

You probably don't put too much store in these records. I just think it's been interesting to see so many games one after another with pundits pointing out these records before almost every game, and then they go and promptly break them--so consistently.

Bobby – There have been a good number of these instances. I think it would need a statistician to provide more intelligent comment.  But you also have to consider that international match ups don’t happen every year or sometimes even every second year and so extended records of 20 or 30 years may only be less than a dozen games.  Something that happens in domestic league leagues


LHJS - I hope one day the America's can combine to form a great tournament like EURO's. 8 groups, 5 or 6 teams per group, winner and second place team gets an invite. Every country between Chile and Canada would have a chance. I think it would be great fun for all soccer fans. A nightmare for police but still as we see on TV it could be great.

Bobby – This is something that comes up on a pretty regular basis. I can’t see either Federation amalgamating for the purposes of World Cup qualifying but maybe there is just a small chance that they could get together for a regional championship.

Here is a précis of an article I wrote for “WSC – When Saturday Comes” back in April 2002 just after the Gold Cup of that year.

“……The more astute readers will have noticed that South Korea and Ecuador are not Central American, North American or Caribbean counties. Since it’s inception in 1991 the Gold Cup has invited guest teams to compete, not something that lends credibility to the competition. It’s simple: when you invite outside teams to enter a regional championship it’s no longer a regional championship.

Can anyone imagine the European Championship inviting Brazil, Argentina and Cameroon to fly in for a game or two? In the past we’ve seen Peru, Colombia and Brazil turn up along with South Korea and Ecuador. To date no guest has won the Cup but two have reached the Final.

This time around only Mexico drew well in the early stages and after they lost in the quarter final to South Korea, average attendance dropped dramatically. Despite the USA reaching the final where they beat Costa Rica 2-0, the last four games in the competition attracted less than 22,000 fans. Cup organizers were quick to point out that the Cup was up against the National Hockey League all-star game and the Superbowl weekend. It begs the question - why would you schedule the Gold Cup against these events in the first place?

The problems facing the Gold Cup are strikingly similar to those facing CONMEBOL and the Copa America. Copa America with the ten member countries of CONMEBOL has to invite two guest countries in order to get to a workable number. Honduras, Mexico, Japan, the USA and Costa Rica have all taken part in the Copa in recent years. There is, however, a solution – the Pan American Cup.

Never heard of it you say? That’s because it’s time to drop both the Copa America and the Gold Cup and start a new sixteen team tournament to be held once every four years with no guest teams.

To ease fixture congestion the tournament could be scheduled just before or just after the European Championship. A Pan American Cup makes sense for everyone, including the long suffering fans.

From a CONCACAF prospective it gives their member countries the badly needed challenge of better opponents. The participation of Brazil and Argentina would increase television revenue in the US and generate greater media exposure throughout North America.

With the imminent demise of the ill fated and vastly unpopular Confederations Cup the need to identify regional champions no longer exists. If the Pan American Cup could live up to half of its potential, the qualifying competitions would generate interest.

By holding the tournament two years after the World Cup, qualification standings in each confederation could form the basis of awarding automatic spots in the Pan American Cup, perhaps the top five finishers in each. As tradition dictates, the previous winner would get a bye along with the host country.

With four spots remaining, three could come from a Central and South American qualifying competition while the remaining spot would be from a North America and Caribbean tournament.

Is there hope that CONMEBOL and CONCACAF would give up some of their power and merge the two troubled competitions? From a CONCACAF prospective they run a competition of no value, so they have little to lose by making a move. CONMEBOL’s view is likely to be different given the Copa America is the oldest international tournament in the world.

However, FIFA has already told the South Americans that an eighteen game World Cup qualifying competition can’t continue if the Copa America is held every two years. The South American qualifying group generates tremendous interest and a great deal of money.

It’s not something the CONMEBOL countries want to lose so the status quo may not be an option. The alternatives are changing the Copa America to a four year format or make a bold move and go for a Pan American Cup.”  


Shmish - What's your take on the criticisms that are being leveled on coaches such as MVB and Donadoni? It's predictable that Aragones or Loew will also be condemned by media and bloggers. I think all of these men seem to have done a good job, but I'm not a soccer analyst.

Whether a team is outplayed or outcoached, do we always have to point fingers at the coaches? Surely as Bobby suggests, we should pay attention and offer praise to the winners, when praise is due. One man's or team's success doesn't necessarily equate to another's failure.


Bobby – When a team loses the coach more times than not becomes a lightning rod for criticism. At club level there is almost always a game coming within a week or so and the coach and team have an escape route. That’s rarely the case at international level with friendlies and competition spread out.

Coaches know the “rules” when they sign on as unfair as they may be.  But each defeat produces knee-jerk reactions from the fans and the media and the pressure builds on the national associations for a change to be made. Without having lived through it I doubt many of us can truly understand the constant pressure that coaches all operate under.

So much of it comes down to managing expectations going in, unfortunately as fans most of us have expectations that are unrealistic. I’m waiting for the day when a fan admits he would have picked a different team than the one the coach did and because the team won its obvious the coach knows what he’s doing and has not lost the plot!


Terry 63 - Hey Bobby, we're missing the Tartan Army at these major tourneys. Start checking the census rolls to see if there are any Scots with Brazilian grandmothers.  Of course...I meant to say Brazilians with *Scottish* grandmas! But either way couldn't hurt.

Bobby – At least Scotland has shown some improvement over the last couple years.  Under Berti Vogts a team made up of Brazilian grandmothers might have been a better option. That’s what you meant wasn’t it?


ZUCO2 - I was watching the FSR yesterday and I heard Derek say that there was 9 minutes of added time in a qualifying game in Asia. Shouldn't FIFA have a rule that allows referees to give a certain amount of stoppage time? A sort of limit that shouldn't be broken?

Bobby – So what you do in the situation where there was a serious injury and possibly even a couple of serious injuries? Or the game is delayed because of a streaker? It is up to the referee to judge how much stoppage time should be played I don’t see any benefit by capping it – and in fact I think the opposite is true, it would lead to more abuse.


Exponents - Bobby, off topic, but let's say the USMNT needed a new coach (I think you'll agree that they do)...who should they try to get? Of course this begs the question of who would actually want to coach the USMNT.

Bobby – No, I actually don’t agree. To date Bradley has won the only competition the United States has entered since he became coach (Gold Cup) so why would you be looking to replace him?


Rowdies33 - I haven't seen much heat on Van Basten for his tactics during the game. RVP played on the right flank where he has played before in this tourney, but he was always looking for the cutback and Heitinga wasn't getting forward so there was no width on the right and then by not bringing Robben in on the left there was no presence going forward on the left to stretch the field.

Given the difficulties of set pieces for the Russian defense, wouldn't crosses from wide positions have likely given them problems? Of course, the Russians dominated the play and perhaps nothing changes, but it seemed like the Dutch offense was basically using 1/2-3/4 of the width of the field making the Russians defensive pressure much easier to employ. Thoughts?

Bobby – It might be a bit pointless turning up the heat up on van Baston given that we all knew he was finished with the Netherlands after this tournament.  You do make valid points however. 

But the problems that the Russians were experiencing from set pieces were coming from in swinging free kicks on the left. Robbin would be delivering more conventional out swinging crosses with his left foot so I’m not sure the two would necessarily be connected.  I was surprised that the Dutch did not try and force the Russian full backs to defend more and instead allowed them to attack almost at will.

I think the brilliance of Hiddink’s strategy was to counter the counterattack by pinning the Dutch so deep and not giving them time on the ball that they are unable to use the counterattack tactic that had been so lethal in the group stage.


LHJS - I almost forgot, Bobby did I catch Carlos?

Bobby –Carlos picked up nine points in the quarterfinal round and has 37 points. However, he only has one team left and that is Spain. He has Spain down as beaten finalists.


RINGO - Do those who predicted the third place game lose points?

Bobby – No, they just have to suffer the public embarrassment of adding games that don’t exist.


Comment of the Day

“I bumped into Howard Webb, the English referee, at Zurich Airport last Friday. He was on his way back to Manchester, having not been retained for the knockout stages of Euro 2008, after his controversial decision in the final minutes of the match between Austria and Poland. Webb was no different to a lot of other Englishmen at leading tournaments, really, in that he was eliminated by penalties.” - Martin Samuel in The Times.


Stat of the Day
1: Number of the past 52 goals in the tournament to have come from a defender — Christian Panucci  - From Bill Edgar of The Times.


 
 

Netherlands 2-0 Romania

Romania took an ultra-extra cagey approach to this vital match trying to ensure that they didn’t offer Netherlands a chance to counter attack. By the end of the ninety minutes they had won the battle but had categorically lost the war.

The safety first approach worked in the first half as the Netherlands were forced to build their attacks rather than benefitting from the super quick passing that had caused Italy and France so much trouble.

However, Netherlands did have chances with the best falling to Robben but he shot wide with only Lobont to beat. Boulahrouz of all players was enjoying far too much space when attacking down the Dutch right and more might have come from a couple of his raids.

Romania’s passing was inconsistent with far too many sloppy passes or players being caught in possession. Early in the second half any thoughts Romania may have harboured about holding back and then pushing for a late winner were crushed when their sloppy play infected the back four.

The Romanian defence allowed Afellay to chase down an errant Robben cross completely unmolested. The Dutch midfielder played the ball back into the box and again the defence failed to deal with it. This time the ball found Huntelaar and Romania was in trouble.

Needing to up the tempo Romania was unable to change gears as their passing deteriorated under the pressure of now having to chase the game. Maruis Niculae who started in place of his namesake Daniel was a willing front runner but sorely lacking the skills to bother the Dutch defence.

Mutu was a sporadic presence as the two received virtually no support from the midfield. The replacement of Maruis by Daniel made no difference as the Dutch continued to deal with any Romanian threat with a minimum amount of trouble.

Another goal from the Dutch, this one from Robin van Persie, only served to highlight the gulf between these two teams on the day.

Romania go home and leave thinking of what might have been if only Buffon had been a split second slower or even a fraction of a second quicker. But even then the game against the Netherlands offered up a second chance to Romania and they bottled it.

France 0-2 Italy
The share of the play might have been even but Italy should have had France dead and buried before half time. French supporters can look to the penalty kick awarded against Eric Abidal and the red card he received as the turning point in this game but there ominous signs before that moment  for France.

The injury to Franck Ribery early in the game was another blow to France but even a fully fit Ribery for ninety minutes would not have mitigated the problems caused by a porous central defence and a ponderous in midfield.

The lead up to the penalty decision was a microcosm of France’s early problems. A free kick in the centre circle was played to Pirlo. With no pressure on him Pirlo had time to look up and clip a 35-yard pass over the head of Abidal and onto the toe of Toni. Abidal attempted a tackle was never going to finish up as anything but a dead-cert penalty kick.  

Toni was giving the French defence fits before Abidal’s sending off and he continued after the dismissal. Grosso also hit the post from a free kick and Perrotta came close to breaking through. 
French coach Raymond Domenech’s decision to withdraw substitute Nasri (he had replaced Ribery) shortly after Abidal’s red card will be a source of heated discussion amongst French fans. A more fateful decision was perhaps taken before kick off in opting to deputize full back Abidal as a centre back.

You can certainly argue about the merits of centre backs Jean-Alain Boumsong and Sébastien Squillaci.  But asking a regular full back to play centre half when Domenech had two specialist centre-backs available begs the question why did he bother picking Boumsong and Squillaci to start with?

Daniele De Rossi’s deflected free kick was the clincher and put the game well beyond 10-man France. De Rossi was excellent throughout and his performance was a reminder of Donadoni’s mistake in not playing the Roma midfielder against Netherlands in the first game.

Comment of the Day

"That is the happiest I have ever been after a match in which I didn't score," Ruud van Nistelrooy after Holland beat France 4-1.

Prediction Update

LHJS, Sounderfan, knvoetbal all recorded 100% scores is predicting the outcome of Group B. Sounderfan is the only poster with a 100% record at the conclusion of the first two groups. He leads everyone by at least two points.

Reports of Mourinho's departure from Stamford Bridge are now extensive with the debate now centering on whether he resigned or was fired. Here are the latest articles from a couple British newspapers with their take on the shock development - the Times and the Guardian. The Daily Telegraph and the Independent currently are without a story although the Telegraph contains a link to ESPN Soccernet.

With Ballack in the mix, Lampard's role become less clear and subsequently the English midfielder became less effective. Prior to his move to Stamford Bridge Ballack has been the fulcrum of the midfield at Bayer Leverkusen, Bayern Munich and with the German national side. Two players trying to play the same role did not work as England has experienced when Steven Gerrard and Lampard were teamed together.

While the problem of Ballack and Lampard in the midfield became more obvious as the season progressed the issue of Shevchenko's role was more apparent, in fact almost from the start. In order to play Shevchenko, Mourinho had two options - the first was to opt for the former Milan man over Drogba. Although Drogba struggled at times in his first Premiership season in 2005, it was clear to all by season two that the Ivory Coast striker was a game-winner and not someone who needed to play second-fiddle to anyone.

That left Mourinho with the option of moving to a 4-4-2 formation which he fielded for most of last season. It was a system that rarely flattered Chelsea and left them generally looking disjointed and lacking the balance and pace that was on show during Mourinho's first two seasons in charge.

What's more Chelsea seemed to lose the mental edge and application that had been such an important part of their game when the won back-to-back titles. As the fear receded in other sides Chelsea was forced more frequently to come from behind to salvage a draw or to pull off a win - a position they had rarely found themselves in before.

With rumours rife of the owner and the manager not speaking the club appeared to grow more dysfunctional as last season progressed. The move to bring in Avram Grant looked to be the straw that was to break the manager’s back but a peace deal was brokered that appeared from the outside to have everyone comfortably playing in their own sandbox. However, reports that owner Abramovich was on a mission to sign Ronaldinho just before the August 31 transfer deadline, was perhaps a clue that the fix was only a band-aid solution and the cracks quickly reemerged.  

Over the last two or three weeks the issues have compounded – an unsatisfactory explanation as to why Michael Ballack was left of the Champions League roster; the Shevchenko dilemma escalated as the Ukrainian striker put in good performance against Italy something not seen in a Chelsea uniform; a loss to Aston Villa and a draw with Blackburn in the Premiership; an embarrassing tie at home in front of a small crowd to Norwegian team Rosenborg; and then perhaps the final sign that Mourinho had cracked – his egg story at a press conference this week.

So what now for Mourinho? It’s not good news for incumbent managers. Knowing that Mourinho is again on the market provides any trigger happy Chairman with a ready replacement should any of the big clubs stumble in the next few weeks.

As for a replacement two names will be prominent. Fabio Capello is available and if Chelsea is looking for a proven and tested winner then Capello fits the bill to a tee. The other is Guus Hiddink, currently in charge of Russia’s national team. Abramovich is rumoured to have brokered the deal that placed Hiddink in charge and so there does appear to be a prior relationship.

That potential move does however come with complications beyond Hiddink dumping Russia and it comes in the form of Frank Arnesen, the current Sporting Director at Stamford Bridge (another chief!). Arnesen and Hiddink worked together at PSV Eindhoven a few years back until PSV management opted to dump the Dane in a power struggle that Hiddink won.

Gunner44 - Since Owen seems to be set to leave Newcastle where do you see him going since the top 4 all seem to not be interested? And how much is he worth?

Bobby – I’m not convinced that Owen will leave mainly because I can’t come up with a reason why the big four would be interested in him now when they weren’t before he moved from Real Madrid to Newcastle and before his injury. I think big Sam will fight tooth and nail to hold on to him if there is a chance of him leaving. If he goes I think the release figure in his contract is 12 milion pounds.

Mr. Red Devil - I think that Group E is definitely one of the 2 or 3 most difficult groups in Euro 2008 qualifying. I know that England has some very big matches at Wembley coming up. Do you think their qualification is a lock? Does Israel have any chance at qualification? What do you think the final standings will be in that group (just the top 4 spots)?

Bobby – It is certainly one of the three toughest groups. I would have to award the toughest title to Group B with Italy, France and Ukraine (WC winners, runners-up, last eight). I am still confident that England will qualify. They have Russia, Israel, Estonia and Croatia at Wembley while the only away game is in Moscow. England also may have the added advantage that by the time Croatia visits Wembley for the last game on November 21, Croatia may have already sealed a place in the finals and will have nothing to play for.

If Israel is to qualify then they need to find a way to make up for the 4-3 home loss to Croatia. That was a big blow to Israel. If I assume – for sake of argument – that Israel wins their two home games against Russia and Macedonia then the September 8 meeting with England at Wembley becomes the pivotal match. If Israel wins that one then an upset could be on the books. But if they lose then they are likely to find themselves six points behind Croatia with three games left, a point behind Russia with a game more played and tied with England with a game more played. Croatia would only need a draw to kill off the Israeli challenge while Russia and/or England would have likely gained points in their games.

Whichever way it goes it will be exciting. My placing prediction is Croatia, England, Russia and Israel.

LosAngelesChelseaFan - Can Fox get together an invitation to Coach Stephen Hart to be on FSR tomorrow night – even by phone in?
With one game (and one slip up) away from a much needed title, why would this guy (Ramon Calderon) risk disrupting Beckham and the team by running off at the mouth about getting Beckham to change his mind? The answer is presumably a massive ego that had him invent the nonsense about Arjen Robben over the weekend, when he obviously no contact was made and Robben isn’t going anywhere. Presumably he is still trying to patch over his election promises. It could really tick Beckham off and suddenly his injury “won’t recover in time.”
Assuming you watched La Liga on Saturday, how did you rate what you saw? How will you view Messi in the future?

Bobby – A smashing idea but interim Coach Hart had a pre-arranged appointment with Haiti on Monday.

On the question of Calderon’s motive - ego or a complete imbecile, or both. 

With the last minute dramatics over the last few rounds of La Liga and in particular last weekend it really puts another spin on the best league question. Given what we have seen who cares if La Liga is no longer “the best” – the last minute dramatics at the Nou Camp and Zaragoza were incredible. I really can’t see how Barcelona can recover from the two stakes in the heart – unbelievable stuff. As for Messi – I think it will be a cloud over him for a little while. I think it would have been worse if it had given Barcelona a lead going into the final weekend. I was listening to Sid Lowe on the Guardian Unlimited Podcast and he brought up an interesting point. He said in the Messi case and others like it the public blame the officials for not catching it but don’t take the player to task. It set of an interesting few comments about what different countries regard as cheating. One example was that in England nudging the centre half just as he is jumping is looked upon as part of the game while others might consider it just another form of cheating.

Jeffers77 - Any thoughts on Tyrone Marshall's tackle late in the game that broke Kenny Cooper's leg? Do you think he deserves any suspension over the 1-game for the red card?

Bobby – Late, high but I don’t think he meant to injure Kenny Cooper. I would be surprised if he was suspended beyond the standard punishment.

Henry14 - l was thinking that instead of MLS looking for star names why can't they look for quality players between 26 to 32 from the Prem, La Liga and top league not exactly the star players. You look at Angel he is probably the best player in MLS but he is a professional who does not go about marketing but ensures victory.
The likes of Marlon King, Djemba Djemba will help in real quality on the pitch, you look at Andy Cole and probably a Fowler what is your take.
What do you make on the restriction of funds by the Liverpool board, firstly l thought they would spend 70m pounds but l think the new contracts will expand their wage bill from 61m to around 90m pounds a season and if they were to bring Eto’o Tevez, Malouda and Milito they would have to break the 100m pound mark and they owe 470m pounds what do you think will be the transfer policy at Liverpool this season.

Bobby – When you are a star your name is recognized and therefore of greater value and is more likely to attract people to watch. I think you underestimate Angel’s standing as a star – given his career with River Plate and Colombia I would say he is qualified. As for Djemba Djemba – I don’t think he qualifies under star, or quality. The last I heard of him he was with Burnley on loan. On problem with the proposal is that it would in most cases involve paying significant transfer fees.

We are the stage in the summer break when the papers are struggling for stories. That’s why we are hearing so much about possible club takeovers and who has what to spend and who doesn’t. The vast majority of stuff that is being printed and reported just now is absolute rubbish. The Spanish season finishes this weekend and after a brief break the real moves with real money will start to happen. Then we will see who has what to spend and on who.

Neophyte - Do you think anything will come of Ronaldinho's comments about being tired? He was voted the best player in Europe last year, this year everyone says he's washed up. Why isn't the fatigue caused by the ridiculous schedule these guys are forced to keep by FIFA, UEFA, domestic leagues and their own national federations, discussed and changed? It seems to me that the demands on the players have increased. This will only diminish the product on the pitch as the best players are carried off due to injury.

Any thoughts on the USMNT? Bradley and Failhauber (sp?) seem like a tough combination in the middle and if Beasley, Dempsey, Ching, and Donovan can keep those defenders stretched with their speed it might make for a fun Copa America. I have also been impressed by Mapp and his attacking ability on the left. What do you think...anyone?

Bobby – I think everyone knows the solution (fewer games) but the powers that be can’t or won’t make the tough decisions. To some extent we are also the problem. The fans have an almost limitless appetite for the game and so as long as we are watching then I can’t see anything changing.

I’m not sure that all the players you mentioned will be at the Copa America. The last thing I heard was that you could expect a Copa America squad heavy with Euro-based players. Mapp has the ability to go past defenders although his final ball into the box is a bit inconsistent I think.

Digity - Sounds like Atletico might be ready to accept offers for Fernando Torres...where do you think he might end up? Any thoughts on whose system he might fit well into? I feel he's a very versatile player, but that he would fit in perfectly at Man United and flourish under SAF's guidance. thoughts?

Bobby – I know that there is a lot of talk of England but I don’t think you can discount an Italian move. You have to also factor in where David Villa might go and who goes first. Torres or Villa might turn into a very good “consolation” price for someone. I don’t think Torres will go to Old Trafford. Sixty million dollars is a lot of extra money to come up and then there is the wages.

Gongatore - Why do you think FR should be fired at Barca? And who should replace him?
Have the new American owners delivered at their respective clubs in the EPL?

Bobby – It’s not the case that I think Rijkaard should be fired it is a case that I think he will be fired. At the end of 2006 things looked great for Barcelona – one season on and it looks like they will finish with no major trophies. To me that looks like a recipe for a dismissal. As for a replacement – perhaps Quique Flores or Juande Ramos.
It is far too early to come to any conclusion as to the success or otherwise on ownership changes. The timeline on that one is probably a decade or so.

Verbal 97- First, can (or rather will) a team like Portsmouth or Bolton be able to claim 3rd or 4th? Second, can someone from the pack jump into the title race (i.e., is there precedence that someone as many as 16 points down at this stage of the season winning the title)?

Bobby- To answer the second question first, I can't remember anybody coming back from 16 points down, particularly as someone else has pointed out when two teams are involved. In regards to Portsmouth or Bolton or other such teams, the squad depth will have a major impact as well as avoiding injuries.  That is where the likes of Liverpool and Arsenal have a significant advantage over the other teams. If you're looking for a team to spring a surprise then maybe you look at last year when Spurs got knocked out of both cups early and were able to concentrate on the league. A third-round exit in the FA Cup, early in the New Year may actually turn out to be a blessing in disguise for someone.

BlueBlades-Being an Everton Fan it has become very frustrating that we don’t seem to score very many goals. Is this the players fault or the system that the team plays? Do you think James Beattie should be moved on and the younger players given more opportunities? Victor Anachebie looks like he would run through brick wall for the side.

Bobby-I think if you go back to last year's Everton’s scoring rate has increased.  But then again, last year was pretty awful. I think you have to factor in that Arteta and Cahill are both out and they create and score a lot of Everton's goals. Beattie’s scoring rate is down significantly from when he was at Southampton and Moyes must be losing patience with him I would think. However, you have to consider that the relegation battle this year is going be very tight and although Everton are sitting in mid table I don't think they could count themselves out of trouble quite yet. Until Moyes feels safe I can't see him gambling on youngsters from the start.

Gunner 44- Great game it was. Essien is the best midfielder in the EPL at the moment the guy can do everything, even Vieira and R. Kean weren't this good where they? One thing I noticed though is the high pressure that Arsenal put on Sunday. They did the same against Tottenham and it seems to bother teams. Even Chelsea some times lost the ball because of it. So I think Wenger should keep telling his team to do that but when they win the ball they have to finish the opponents off.

Bobby-the difference perhaps is that Patrick Vieira and Roy Keane did it for season after season. The way that Arsenal played against Chelsea (early on) and Spurs was quite reminiscent of the way Milan used to play- placing the opposition under pressure high up the park. As for finishing the opponents off, I am sure Arsenal team are not missing chances on purpose!

Henry 14- Is it worth to put a player of Robben's ability on the bench when Sheva is not performing, because l feel Robben would make it in any of the top four team's first eleven, how do you view that?

Bobby- Robben tends to be quite inconsistent - on his game he could play for just about anybody, but he is not always on his game. It is quite different coming into a game than it is starting one. On Sunday, Robben was able to take advantage of a tiring Arsenal side and the space created between Hleb and Fabregas.

ranndino-The whole episode with Lehmann and Drogba provided me with some comical relief. What penalty, Bobby? They both totally exaggerated the contact and dived. Lehmann's push on Drogba would not have knocked down a 10-year old girl. Same goes for the flop Jens took when Drogba came back at him. It all reminded me of old Charlie Chaplin films really. Except his falling over looked less fake.

One small comment about Sheva. I absolutely agree that patience is required. I think he's been getting better in the last few games. However, it is really difficult for Jose to keep Robben on the bench. He completely turned the match when he came on and is 10 times more effective than Shevchenko at the moment (and I'm a big fan of Sheva). With Robben on the bench Chelsea have no width and look very short of ideas up front. It's mostly limited to individual runs by Drogba and long shots by Lampard. I still think that dumping Duff for Sheva has really hurt Chelsea. With Duff and Robben Chelsea's attack was nearly unstoppable.

Bobby- What penalty?  Then why yellow cards? I think the Duff and Robben combination was much more effective two seasons ago.  I'm not sure the statistics from last year backup your argument about Duff and Robben being nearly unstoppable. Duff only started in 18 Premiership games last season and was substituted in 14 of them.  Robben last season started 21 games and was substituted in 10 of them.  So between the two of them they only managed to complete 15 games.

USA England fan-What was your favorite goal and favorite match of the weekend, and who would you say was MVP (I'm guessing Essien)?

Bobby-There were certainly some crackers on the weekend- Essien, Matthew Taylor, Pedersen to name three.  My favourite has to be Essien though -a clutch goal.  As the MVP- I would probably go for Gilberto Silva, he held Arsenal together particularly in the first half.

Bigmacmtl - I believe there was no penalty given because Drogba was not pushed during open play?  (Drogba and Lehmann incident).

Bobby- From the commentary it certainly sounded as if the ball was in play – there was a foul, the referee booked the players, why wasn't a free kick given where the incident took place which was in the penalty box - why not a penalty?  I would agree that the referee showed good sense, but my point was that by his stupidity Jens Lehmann could have cost his team dearly.

Riocharlie- One thing I’ve noticed during the 1st half of the season, are the number of young Irish lads making strong contributions to their sides. Is there a renaissance of Irish football under way? They have a tough Euro qualifying group, how do you rate their chances?

Bobby- I think you have to keep your eyes on Ireland for  2010 World Cup qualifying. They got off to a bad start in Euro qualifying and I can't see them catching the Czech Republic and Germany.

bigdavedisaster - I have admired the play of Gamst-Pedersen since early last season great balls in especially from corners is there any talk of him moving from Blackburn?

Bobby- There was some talk a year or so about Gamst-Pedersen may be going to Old Trafford.  But I don't think a wide midfield player is really what Alex Ferguson is looking for.

Carljamaica – I am from Jamaica and I make sure I don’t miss the show when you are on. What will Man Utd have to do to get a little credit? I always wonder what team you support. Is it me or does Man Utd seem to not get much love at all. Everyone talks about their squad and it’s like everybody expects them to falter, and how they have had a good home fixture. that team as always done well on the road, from week one everyone has been predicting united will soon come unstuck and now we are in week 17. Do you think united can win the league? I just think people need to give credit where it is due and look beyond Chelsea and their whining players. A couple weeks ago Drogba said he was the best striker, now he is stuck on eight goals and a number of players have caught up with him. Man Utd. has done well and if Fergie get one or two players in January then I honestly believe they can win it. Chelsea is just stupid cause there is no way Robben should be on the bench, they can’t expect to out muscle teams every week, they need some spark that Robben has.

btw which players do you think could be available for Man Utd that would help that team in January? 

Bobby- Interesting Carl, I usually get accused of going light on Manchester United! I think people are cautious about United's chances of winning the league because of the depth of the squad, and in particular, a shortage of quality midfield players -- central midfield players -- and what would happen if Saha or Rooney were injured.Talk of signing Fernando Torres percolates every now and again, and of course, Owen Hargreaves who seems to me to be just  a younger version of Philip Neville.

Djnima - Do you think Jose will stick around if he fails to win the league or the champs league this season?

Bobby-I think Mourinho is just as liable to leave if he wins the league or the champions league this season as he is to leave if he doesn't. Ronaldo has been absolutely outstanding so far this season and has been the player of the season so far IMHO. 

Realmadridcffan - 1. Out of the EPL managers their right now, which manager gives the best post game sound bites or press conference quotes? 2. With the January transfer window coming soon, who do you see so far being mentioned as the biggest name to move to a different club? 3. What do you think of the FIFA World Club Cup? I find it is ok, but 6 teams is too awkward and with the fixture schedule as hectic as it is for the clubs in this competition, is it even feasible to have in reality?

Bobby- I like Stuart Pearce’s honesty, and I'm waiting for Steve Coppell to crack a smile. I'm not sure that there will be many big-name moves during the transfer window- Ribery perhaps? FIFA will not let the Club World Cup die so we may as well get used to it. It will take a couple of years, and a few good games for the fans to embrace it.  Next year will be the last tournament in Japan and taking the competition around the world will help.

Eriktheviking-re: Sheva I'm not sure what is worse for Sheva--Chelsea's system or Lampard either shooting whenever he gets the ball or making all those CF runs in the box. Sheva drops to receive the ball. Lampard fills the CF channel. Sheva is left supporting play.

Bobby- I thought it was interesting that the comments Shevchenko supposedly didn't make seemed quite accurate to me.  When he was at Milan it seemed like the player's knew exactly the areas that they were to operate in, while at Chelsea a number of players seem to want to operate in the same area.

henry14 - I personally feel that all the other 19 teams in the Prem lack creative midfielders in the mould of the Deco, Pirlo type that Arsenal have in abundance, l think everyone saw the how Arsenal were full of ideas and United lacked them at all, and by the way l feel Gerrard is not at all creative he is an impact midfielder. Bobby what do you make of my creativity theory. Is it true that everytime Arsenal won at Old Trafford during Wenger's time they went on to win the title?

Bobby – Do you not think that having too many creative midfield problems can be a problem? A team is about balance and having all the creative talent in the world doesn’t make a difference if you can’t win the ball and score goals.  I don’t think that just because Gerrard covers a lot of ground and tackles well that you can’t describe him as creative. He scores goals, he inspires and he sets up goals – that sounds like a pretty creative package to me. 

Yes – Arsenal’s three title wins under Wenger have happened in the same season as winning in the Premiership at Old Trafford. On second thoughts (!!! I have been corrected) the 03/04 season was a 0-0 draw.

bmax14 - A fantastic and necessary result for the Gunners. This was a great game to watch with a bit of everything. I was convinced that Man U was beatable as their perfect start didn't appear to be so "perfect" with the results coming against the likes of Fulham and Watford. Arsenal really threw down the gauntlet to the rest of the league with this victory. When you look at their schedule for the next 4-5 weeks there are some very winnable games and they could be in the top 2-3 by late October. Well done Gunners!

Bobby – Arsenal should take advantage of a fairly straight forward schedule in the next few weeks but how many fans expected then to take two points from a start that included Aston Villa, Middlesbrough and Manchester City? Arsenal has a young side and with a young team you will find inconsistency now and again.

neophyte – (1). Arsenal’s 4-5-1 is not a new formation but seems to have taken the place of the beloved 4-4-2. I like it since you see more attacks from various angles and not just balls crossed from the wings in a traditional 4-4-2. (2). Baptista for Reyes. Who is going to get the better deal Real or Arsenal? Is Baptista really that big o####uy or is the TV camera playing tricks? He looks HUGE! When Rosicky and Baptista start clicking...look out.

Bobby – Wenger has been a resolute 4-4-2 manager until last season’s run in the Champions League. I think you will find that he will mix the two formations using 4-5-1 when up against strong opposition. The extra man in the midfield gives Fabregas a bit of help with the extra load. When Vieira was in his prime that wasn’t an issue but Cesc is a  very different player. However, week in and week out as long as injuries do not interfere Wenger will go back to 4-4-2.
In terms of Reyes and Baptista it may turn out that it is a good move for both clubs and the players. I am still not sure where Wenger will play Baptista – he is known as “the Beast” for a reason.

only1cab - As an Arsenal fan I'm obviously very happy and agree with your opinion about Rosicky, in my opinion he’s like Hleb with a brain. I watched the Chelsea game and was amazed to see how much space they gave up on the flanks. Kuyt could have phoned his mum back in Holland and ask her where he should shoot on one of Liverpool’s attacks. When J Cole and Robben are fully fit do you think they will revert to their old system and if so who would you drop? I think Essien (even though he’s been their best player so far) as I could never see them dropping Lampard and they've recently signed Ballack.

Bobby – That has been the question since Ballack was signed. Given the injury situation it has still to be answered. I suspect that Essien would be the player that is most likely to find himself on the bench if everyone was available and fit.

travel_coach - I was only able to watch the first half of the United loss -- my daughter's U12 team had a game -- but it was a very good first half, very enjoyable. Ronaldo had several chances and the way things looked, I expected Lehman to get a second yellow for being an angry person. I'm not an Arsenal fan at all, but before the game it was clear that United was overdue for a loss and Arsenal was due for a win. Why was Thierry Henry absent?

Bobby – Henry was hurt.

simba9 - Do you think that Didier Drogba has finally come into his own, despite all the criticism he endured in his first two seasons at Chelsea? There's an interesting story on the Chelsea website about his numbers. By and large not too shabby!

Bobby – His goal against Liverpool was spectacular. However, he does tend to be a bit hit or miss so I think he needs to keep up his form for a full season before he convinces everyone. He might also be benefiting from Shevchenko attracting the attention of defenders.

henry14 - l feel Mourinho should play bridge in place of Cole bcoz l thought he was the best left back in the Prem over the 5 rounds

Bobby – Ashley Cole is a much better left back than Wayne Bridge.

buffytvs - As a United fan, I have to be disappointed in the second half effort. And also in the rather odd substitutions -- I thought Fletcher and O'Shea would go. That said, I thought a draw would have been a fair result, but perhaps I'm biased. Best player on the pitch? Rosicky. And Batista was very impressive in the short time he had.

This is the second match on the trot SAF has played Rooney up front with Saha in support, and the second time Rooney has been mostly ineffective. That's how Eriksson wasted him too, and I'm surprised to see it at Old Trafford.

Bobby –  I would have to disagree. Ericksson played Rooney as a lone striker against Portugal. Rooney’s best performances have always come when playing just behind a main striker – the role that Fergie asked him to play on Sunday.

ancanada - Man U midfield appeared to be overrun by the Gunners midfield in the second half Sunday, and I cannot remember a shot that Lehmann had to save in the second half until Solksjaer which produced a great save. I cannot understand why Carrick was on the bench; Bobby is it possible he is still carrying an injury as this appears to be the only valid reason. Do you think the number of games the international players’ couple with the travels of some to various parts of Europe and the recent world cup is affecting performance.

Bobby – I think SAF was thinking that if he could hold the Arsenal midfield 5 with his 4 that Rooney or Saha to get a goal. However, I still don’t understand why you would spend that kind of money on a player and then not stat them against one of your toughest rivals. Wenger seems to think that some players are suffering from World Cup hangovers and I am sure that other managers would concur. But there again that is one of the reasons that clubs carry large squads.

Reggae_Boy_23 - I don't know if there's anymore for me to add to the whole Arsenal situation. Everyone seems to have pretty muched summed up the game pretty well. But my question is in regards to the 4-5-1 formation. Don't you think Arsenal have too many attacking options up front to just use 1 forward. Yeah there is better possession in the midfield, but Arsenal does not really have a problem with possession so far this season its scoring goals and I think they lack attacking options with just one striker especially with the midfielders not showing any good form in front of goal so far. Also Henry never seems quite comfortable when he's left up front alone. I can remember a number of occasions both with France and Arsenal when he has been pleading with his coaches to give him some support what do you think? One other thing Bobby. Your thoughts on Real Madrid so far this season. I know you like Capello, but I'm not too impressed with the squad he's put together so far. Is it too early to tell or do you see any potential problems with his lineup?

Bobby – I remember the days when 4-2-4 was being systematically dumped in favour of 4-3-3 and the same argument was being made. Now we are at 4-5-1 and on the face of it would seem extremely negative. But it comes down to how it is executed. If the 5 midfield players are just lined up across the park then it is going to make for some dull football. If, on the other hand, two or even three of the 5 midfielders are given license to get forward and support the lone strike when the chance occurs then there is the possibility of plenty of goals.
I think Capello is implementing a band-aid solution for this year in the hope that he can find some younger players next year. It has not been impressive stuff but Juventus was not very entertaining either – but successful. There again that is another story!!

usenglandfan - I'm surprised no one has talked about Riquelme yet. I know it's all about the EPL right now, but one of the most pivotal midfielders in the game just retired internationally, at 28 years old, from a perennial top 5 team and the best team at the World Cup! Oh yeah, and he was captain. Do think he retired for the reasons he cited (I’m pretty sure he said it was due to the criticism he received post WC and post Brazil @ Emirates) or could it have been something else? He's such a "rugged individual" type of person, so I wouldn't be all that surprised if this decision was indeed driven by spite, but who knows? I thought this deserved some attention.

Bobby – It is a shame to lose a player of his quality to international football when you would think that he should have another World Cup in him. It is good news for Villarreal though and they desperately need a tonic given their awful start to the season.

kirbym - Surprising bit of fence mending that Mourinho did with Benitez. That feud had livened things for awhile and I wonder what will replace it. Also, Mourinho actually admitted the Ballack foul was a red card offense. A sign of JM stepping a bit more lightly?

In the Newcastle-West Ham match I couldn't see what Roeder did to inflame the WH fans (granted, not everything is on camera). He was an unpopular appointment there and they never seemed to respect him--including the players, despite a rather backhanded vote of confidence from Di Canio. It seemed to poison his tenure right from the beginning. Do they still hate him that much?

Bobby – JM will be controversial when it suits his need. As for Roeder it appears from some comments from West Ham fans that they do hate him that much. I don’t think they held that view when he helped them to seventh in the Premiership however.

CIAO - Given Totti's track record with the Italian national team... do you think the team is better off with out him? Also have you heard any rumors about Mancini getting sacked and/or Buffon being signed in January at Inter? I that at the end of the season they bring Mourinho to Inter. If things don't turn around in the next 3-4 games Mancini will be looking for a new job. Hopefully a new manager can set up a functioning youth program.

Bobby – I never thought that Italy would come even close to the World Cup without Totti turning in some spectacular performances. As it was he made very little impact – Pirlo was far more influential. I still think though that Italy can benefit from an in-form Totti.
I guess that whoever is in charge at Inter they are only ever a couple of results away from being fired. Sven-Goran Eriksson has been linked to Inter and the Mourinho story has been around for awhile. The problem is that no manger is going to build a youth system at Inter because there is no befit to it if a manager is going to be evaluated on results today rather than building for three or four years down the road. As far as Buffon is concerned – haven’t heard anything since the transfer window closed.

MeanSucka - Speaking of Italian football, how is it that a relegated Juventus with a points deficit is able to hang on to so many of their stars. Was United really overrated this season or was it the Ewing Theory at work with Henry out? The Ewing Theory is based on Patrick Ewing with the New York Knicks - when he got hurt in 1999 they went to a different style of play and made it all the way to the NBA Finals. Same phenomenon with Drew Bledsoe and the New England Patriots in 2001 when they won the Super Bowl - reinforcing team over the individual.

I suppose we'll see when Henry returns, but as you said - they need to get results against average sides too. Can't wait to see Rosicky blossom.

Bobby – We don’t really know what deals the team may have cut with some of the players nor to way know how much of this season is being underwritten by shareholders.
In terms of the Ewing theory – interesting. However Arsenal has gone 4-5-1 before with or without Henry in the side. The secret is having someone with a bit of pace and mobility up front. Arsenal tried Dennis Bergkamp as the lone striker in the 2005 FA Cup Final and it did not work.

Last season Chelsea won the Premiership by 8 points with Manchester United finishing as the runner-up. Liverpool was a point further back and then Arsenal was 15 points behind and then came Tottenham another 2 points back and in fifth place. So the gap between first and fifth was twenty-six points.

The season before the corresponding gap was thirty-seven points and between the winners Chelsea and runner-up, Arsenal was twelve points. The gap has been reduced over the last two seasons but can any team stop Chelsea from winning a third consecutive Premiership title? The season gets going in a little under five weeks and to date Chelsea has been the most aggressive as far as signing are concerned.

Michael Ballack from Bayern Munich; Andriy Shevchenko from Milan; Salomon Kalou from Feyenoord; John Obi Mikel from Lyn; have all signed and rumours of Roberto Carlos coming to Stamford Bridge continue – although I don’t see that as a positive. Perhaps the biggest problem for Mourinho is going to be keeping his squad happy. At the moment Jose Mourinho has a team of midfielders to choose from alone and at least eight of them are bona fide starters - Ballack, Cole, Robben, Wright-Phillips, Duff, Makelele, Lampard & Essien.

For Manchester United it has been a case of standing pat so far although it looks as if three injured players should be back for the start of the season - Solskjaer, Scholes and Heinze – with Alan Smith ready to start training again in the fall. The biggest hold in the United squad continues to be the centre of midfield. United had 11 players on World Cup duty but not one of them was a central midfield player. With what seems to be the imminent departure of RVN, United will also need another gun up front.

Liverpool has made some interesting moves in signing Gabriel Paletta from Banfield; Craig Bellamy from Blackburn Rovers; and Fabio Aurelio from Valencia. Bellamy should give Liverpool some different options up front and watch for Aurelio from set pieces – he has a great left foot. We will also get a chance to see mark Gonzalez who was signed last summer but who has now received a work permit.

Arsene Wenger has limited Arsenal to Tomas Rosicky plus three youngsters for the future. Even though the youngsters will continue to improve is hard to see how the squad as it stands could push Chelsea for the title.

Tottenham’s hopes will be to build on last seasons fifth place finish but other clubs have found it difficult to hold on to what they achieved the previous season. Spurs’ chances may be better than most given that they have a young squad and have made some interesting additions with the likes of Dimitar Berbatov from Bayer Leverkusen; Benoit Assou-Ekotto from Lens; and Ivory Coast World Cup standout Didier Zokora from Saint-Etienne.

So with five weeks left and friendly games already underway what does Manchester United, Liverpool, Arsenal, and perhaps Tottenham need to do to take the Premiership title away from Stamford Bridge?

The Miguel vs. Robben battle is a well-matched affair. I don’t think I have see a better right back than Miguel at this World Cup so far. It’s interesting how Portugal is defending Robben. It looks as if Miguel is being given free rein to nip in front of Robben when a pass is delivered with Carvalho tucking in behind in case it fails.

Gabriele Marcotti described Pauleta as possessing the mobility of Ayers Rock in an article yesterday – cruel but perhaps more than an element of truth.

The Dutch have gone with three at the back and four in midfield to match the Portuguese midfield.

What a cracking wee player Maniche is. He arrives late in the box and creates a little bit of room for himself then hit a rocket beyond EvdS.

It looks to me as if Big Phil is playing Deco on van Bronkhorst from time to time. I thought Gio was a very decent midfield player but I have never found him to be a convincing full back.

How many countries that can replace someone like Ronaldo with Simao?  What a great run from van Persie about 8 minutes from half time.

Costinha is fortunate to be still on the field – others referees would have cheerfully given him a second yellow card. Re-write this piece. He’s gone this time – he was red card waiting to happen.

A fantastic save by EvdS off Pauleta just on half time. That save kept Holland in with a shot in this game. The chance came from the left side of the Dutch defense again.

With Portugal down to 10 men this game is finely balanced.

Nothing in this one so far. But.....

Van Persie creates a free kick chance and then nearly takes the net of the moorings. Van Basten has van Persie out on the right so he can cut inside on his left foot.

Van Persie does just that and Toure fouls him. Van Persie drills it - 1-0.

RVN makes it two after a great run from Robben.

It was a bad day for….

Serbia and Montenegro a side that rarely looked capable of getting a goal after going 1-0 down to the Netherlands.

Iranian goalkeeper Mirzapour and centre back Rezaei who teamed up to gift Mexico a go-ahead goal that turned out to be the winner.

Angola’s 2005 player of the year Jamba who saw Luis Figo breeze passed him to set up Pauleta for the only game of the game after only four minutes.

FIFA – the British investigative program Panorama turned their attention to bribery allegations involving the bankrupt company ISL and “payments” allegedly made to officials of soccer’s world governing body over a period of 20 years.

It was a good day for….

Arjen Robben whose pace and running caused the Serbian and Montenegrin defense no end of problems.

Mexico’s Coach Ricardo Lavople – his double half time substitution paid off - eventually.

Mexican striker Omar Bravo who notched two in typical goal poaching style.

And the most overstated fact of the day...

USA plays their first game tomorrow.

EVDS is hurting and everytime the ball goes to him it is a potential problem. However he does well to grab a cross and sets up a quick attack which ends with Robben firing wide.

Robben flys down the left side and is body checked just outside the penalty area. Gavrancic yellow card and free kick to the Dutch but nothing comes of it. We are now into injury time.

Whistle goes and Holland starts with a win. The Dutch were clearly the better team while S&M looked like a team better equipped to grind out a scoreless tie than to chase a game after going a goal down.

Man of the Match - Arjen Robben.

Edwin van der Sar shows what an advantage it is to have a keeper who can also play a bit as he brings an ackward passback down on his chest and then he cooly clears.

It has just struck me what is "odd" about this Dutch team - neither of the de Boer twins are playing. I know they have been gone for a couple of years but they were around for so long that I became accustomed to seeing them whenever the Dutch played.

The Dutch conceed a corner and they only have one post manned. God I can't understand why teams to that.

Van Bommel off and Landzaat (AZ) on. The obvious difference between the two teams is still Robben. He is the flair player that S&M just don't have.