Best performances…..

Hull has a tough season in front of them but no matter what happens from here they will always have their first win to remember. Down 1-0 to an early Fulham goal at KC Stadium the Tigers fought back with goals from Geovanni and Caleb Folan. Thirty-seven games to go but Hull already have a win and a #### off their backs.

A week or so ago the Football Association announced a program aimed at improving the on-field discipline of players especially towards match officials. Despite the complaints emanating from a couple of pundits over the weekend there is a sense amongst fans in general that such an initiative is overdue.

Although the program is aimed at all levels of the game in England a particular focus is dissent in the Premiership. It may just be a coincidence but the Premier League saw a substantial drop in cards issued on the opening weekend compared with one year ago. Last year there was 35 yellow cards and one red issued – this weekend just past the total was 24 yellow and no reds.

Bundesliga newcomers 1899 Hoffenheim beat Energie Cottbus 3-0 to kick off the new season. Hoffenheim success has come as a surprise to many in Germany and some see parallels with Gretna’s rapid ascent in Scotland – and are concerned of a similar meltdown should the wheels sheer off. Dominic Hinde explains Hoffenheim’s situation in the September edition of “WSC When Saturday Comes.”

Hinde points out that less than seven years ago Hoffenheim were playing two rungs below the regional leagues in front of only a few hundred spectators. Little wonder when you consider the village of Hoffenheim has a population of just over 3,000. The club’s fortunes changed when a former player turned very successful business man called Dietmar Hopp bought the club and started pumping money in. This season Hoffenheim will groundshare with SV Waldhof Mannheim before moving to a new 30,000 seat stadium sometime next year.

Belgium became a surprise Olympic soccer semi-finalist on Saturday. Despite playing a man short for 63 minutes Belgium beat Italy 3-2 after falling behind 1-0 in the quarter final on Saturday. In group play the Belgians lost their first match to Brazil 1-0 before rebounding to beat host nation China 2-0 and New Zealand by the only goal of the game. The referees have been kept busy whenever Belgium has played. In the four games so far there have been seven red cards handed out – three to Belgian players, two to China and one each to New Zealand and Italy.

Liverpool and Arsenal won by single goals while Manchester United was held at home by Newcastle United. On the other hand Chelsea demolished Portsmouth 4-0 with a magnificent display of power, speed, passing, mobility and finishing. With full backs Bosingwa and Ashley Cole being given free rein to get forward and Deco, Lampard and Mikel controlling the midfield, Chelsea dominated the game and if it was not for Portsmouth opting for a damage control strategy after the first thirty minutes the scoreline would have been an absolute embarrassment.

Honourable mention – Newcastle United showing great spirit and resilience at Old Trafford.

Best forgotten…..

It has been a bad week for Manchester City. First there was the ongoing distraction of charges facing owner Thaksin Shinawatra in his native Thailand; then came a 1-0 home loss to Danish side FC Midtjylland in the UEFA Cup on Thursday. That was followed by Bulgarian striker Valeri Bojinov who missed close to the entire 2007/08 season breaking down during the warm up at Villa Park. It seems likely that he will be out once again for an extended period after damaging his Achilles. Finally Villa beat City 4-2. Mark Hughes must be hoping that bad news comes in fours. Next Sunday City is at home to West Ham.

The pre-season was a terrific time for Spurs but after their display at the Riverside on Saturday they must be regretting that other teams are now playing for real. With points at stake Spurs were anemic for large stretches of the match and badly outplayed and outfought by a more spirited Boro squad. The poor performance was compounded by a strange decision by manager Juande Ramos to start Dimitar Berbatov on the bench. The apparent rationale was that with talk of an imminent transfer to Old Trafford that the Bulgarian would not be focused. That’s fine except Ramos threw on the striker on with twenty-five minutes left. Tough to understand what changed in little over an hour apart from Ramos regretting his initial decision.

Best goals….

Gretar Steinsson gets the benefit of the doubt with his cracking angled drive that put Bolton on the road to a comfortable win over Premiership new boys Stoke City.

Two beautiful left footed curling long range efforts. The first was by Geovanni for Hull against Fulham and the second by David Dunn for Blackburn against Everton.

Another great goal from the Everton – Blackburn game. Yakubu’s header after Arteta floated a perfect left footed cross beyond Paul Robinson in the Blackburn goal.

Ricardo Clark’s 35-yard laser that gave Houston the lead against Real Salt Lake at 3-2.

Goal feast……

Houston Dynamo edged Real Salt Lake by the odd goal in seven and in the process leapfrogged them and took over top spot in the Western Conference of MLS. Six goals came in the first half with Houston twice pegging RSL back before goals from Clark and Jaqua sent them into at half time with a two goal lead. Kenny Deuchar pulled Real within a goal with ten minutes left but that was as close as it would get.

Best Howlers……

What was Fulham’s left back Paul Konchesky thinking? Caught in possession in his own penalty area by Craig ####en with less than ten minutes to go the resulting goal cost his team a point on the road on opening day.

Spurs’ Michael Dawson’s all-round display against Boro made recently departed Younes Kabul look like the reincarnation of Franco Baresi.

Best Players….

David Wheater of Middlesbrough had a goal disallowed in the first half when the call could have easily gone the other way. Even so Wheater scored the opener in the second half and was a stand-out throughout the game playing at right back.

Ronnie O’Brien’s two goals bookended a 4-0 destruction of the New England Revolution by the suddenly red-hot San Jose Earthquakes. The first came from a volleyed lob into the far corner and the second a fantastic left footed curler from just outside the Revolution penalty area.

Gabriel Agbonlahor may have been omitted from Fabio Capello’s England squad but this week he signed a new contract and followed it up with his first senior first hat trick on Sunday. The three goals came in less than ten minutes.

Stat facts

No defending Premiership has lost on the opening day of the season. In sixteen games they have recorded 13 wins and 3 draws.

Villa’s win over Manchester City was only their second over City in 12 Premiership matches and City’s first loss in six visits to Villa Park.

New England lost 4-0 to San Jose but also lost goalkeeper Matt Reis to injury after 55 minutes. This ended a run of 7,795 consecutive MLS minutes played by Reis stretching back to September 2005. The score was 1-0 when Reis left the match to be replaced by Doug Warren.

San Jose Earthquakes is now is unbeaten in their last five matches has won two games in a row for the first time this season.

What was said….

From Friday’s Globe and Mail

“PSG given green light to play in Carling Cup

Paris Saint-Germain will be allowed to defend its Carling Cup title this season after a court annulled a decision to ban the club because of racist behaviour by its supporters.”

Have I missed something? Has the Coupe de la Ligue been renamed after the English beer sponsored competition or is this a reverse form of the 39th game?

Jeremy Wilson and the impact of the credit crunch of the Premier League.

The top twenty English youngsters at Premiership clubs.

Patrick Barclay on Villa owner Randy Lerner.

Gabriele Marcotti describes how Fabio Capello is going about building the England team as World Cup qualifying beckons.

Former PSG, Espanyol and Betis coach Luis Fernandez resurfaces at Betar Jerusalem.

Coming up this week…..

A raft of meaningless international friendly matches this Wednesday, and the Olympic tournament moves to the semi final and then final stage. There is still the possibility of a rematch of the Olympic Final of 1996 between Nigeria and Argentina. On Tuesday Nigeria will play Belgium while Argentina plays Brazil. The final is on Saturday.

Most importantly the first group stage of CONCACAF World Cup qualifying gets underway on Wednesday. This stage is made up of three groups of four countries with the top two from each group qualifying for a final group of six.

Group 1

Cuba vs. Trinidad & Tobago

Guatemala vs. USA

Group 2

Canada vs. Jamaica

Mexico vs. Honduras

Group 3

Costa Rica vs. El Salvador

Haiti vs. Suriname

As a new Premiership season draws ever closer one of the favourite pastimes of pundits and fans is to opine on who will be the first managerial casualty of the campaign. Alan Curbishley (West Ham), Kevin Keegan (Newcastle), Gary Megson (Bolton), Roy Hodgson (Fulham) and David Moyes (Everton) are all attracting some attention in the "sack race" - or first-out-the door.

Interestingly three of the most touted names (Keegan, Megson and Hodgson) were brought in to takeover after Newcastle, Bolton and Fulham opted to pull the plug on the then incumbents.
We know all three clubs survived so perhaps the end justified the means but do the statistics from last season support the managerial changes that were made?

Along with the three aforementioned managers there were another four managerial changes in the Premiership last season. Juande Ramos replaced Martin Jol at Spurs, Paul Jewell took over after Derby from Billy Davies, Steve Bruce returned to Wigan taking the place of Chris Hutchings and Avram Grant stepped into the special shoes left by Jose Mourinho.

So of the seven managers who made the biggest difference? The points differential can’t be used because all seven arrived at different times so the best comparison is the points per game gained after the change had been made measured against the points per game gained before the new gaffer signed on.

As well as making interesting reading in terms of last season the numbers may also give a hint of things to come in 2008/09.

The most “successful” change was at Wigan. Steve Bruce inherited a side that had averaged 0.57 points per game and he saw it increase by more than double to 1.33 per game. Projected over an entire season the pace under Bruce would have given Wigan a 50 point season – good for a very comfortable mid-table finish.

Next was Bolton’s Gary Megson. Before Megson arrived Bolton was collecting a point every two games. Megson increased that to well over a point per game (1.14) – another increase of over double the prior rate. Projected over a 38 games season Megson’s team would have finished on 43 points.

In third place is the manager who I am guessing most fans would have picked as the one showing the greatest improvement – Juande Ramos at Spurs. Ramos came within a smidgen of doubling Spurs points per game tally (1.39 to 0.70) but was well behind Megson and Bruce in the most improved category.

However, only Chelsea under Avram Grant averaged more points per game (2.31) under a new regime. If Spurs were to maintain the post-Ramos pace in the coming season they would finish with 53 points – not really top four form. There was the Carling Cup win however.

Finishing out of the medals was Roy Hodgson at Fulham. A little over a 50% improvement and it was all down to Fulham’s storming finish in the final three games. The nine points from three games made the difference between a 50% improvement and a record that would have worse than the man he replaced.

Projected to the new season Fulham would finish on 44 points – a cautionary note, exclude the final three games and that points total becomes 30 points.

Avram Grant’s Chelsea garnered the highest ratio of points per game but the improvement Mourinho’s performance was a little over 25%. (A caveat when making an assessment on Chelsea’s pre and post performance is that Chelsea fired a manager who was averaging 1.83 points per match. Of the seven sides only Newcastle pre-Keegan at 1.18 points per game exceeded an average of a point a game.)

After that we start moving into points regression. Under Keegan the points per game ratio was 90% of Newcastle’s ratio before he arrived (1.18 before – 1.06 after). Points projection over a full 38 game schedule – 40 points.

Last but not least was Paul Jewell and Derby County. With only six points from the first 14 games under Billy Davies I wonder if any of the Derby top brass suggested that if they parted ways with Davies it certainly could not get any worse. Well – it did. The next 24 games brought only five points and a projected total so low that it will not even be mentioned.

Matt Johnston - Much has been made of the Diaby and Eduardo tackles and I have to voice my agreement that the two are indistinguishable except that Eduardo was unlucky to have had his foot planted. 

The FA and FIFA have cracked down on such hard challenges, ordering referees to show the red card in such situations, but in reality what else can be done to prevent such challenges? Also, any rumors or word on what the FA and the Referees Association is going to do about the disrespect being shown to referees of late?

Bobby – Getting referees to issue the cards is the first step but then it is up to the FA to impose harsher punishments for violent challenges. Years ago players would be suspended and from time to time fines as well. That was in the days when players did not make anything like the money they make today. But I wonder if a fine based on salary might not be a way to grab players and coaches attention.

Ringo - Any opinion on the Everton/Chelsea game being brought forward to a Thursday for TV?

Bobby – It looks as if someone at Premiership HQ has royally screwed this up. It seems very unfair on Chelsea.


CIAO - I didn't watch the Gunners game. Can you please tell us what you (if you watched the game) thought of RVP's performance in the game? Does he look like he could carry the team to a strong finish? If he doesn't, has anyone else in the team recently stepped up their performance?

Bobby – Apart from a well struck penalty RVP didn’t look like he could carry an empty backpack on Saturday. Having said that the only way he is going to get match fir and sharp is to play so I don’t think Wenger has had any option but to give him a run the last two games. I thought Hleb looked brighter and sharper than he had done in weeks but he still refuses to shot.



Foxcube - Related to the sports science piece, how are training sessions organized at the professional clubs of, e.g., the premier league? I read that Juande Ramos brought in 2-session a day scheme to the Spurs. I thought they'd be relatively tired if other teams merely hold a 2-3 hr session each day.

However, their performances showed the opposite effect. Could it be that his methods are more advanced than other managers? How different can their approaches be? What do the managers have their players do after the training? Thanks!

Bobby – I think that you would be shocked at the varying approaches that managers take to training and tactics. However, I think there is a move towards conditioning (as opposed to practice with the ball) being regarded as a specialty and not something that any old pro can think up. You see more conditioning instructors being hired by clubs.

I can’t remember the former UK athletes name but I heard him on Talksports about a year ago discussing the fitness of professional players in England. He was very critical and felt that many clubs were missing a key element in preparation by not having instructors who understood strength and conditioning rather than the game.

I think what the article is really getting at is that improvement in the overall conditioning of players will be the next frontier together with more sport psychology. Ramos mover to 2 a days but he was shocked at the state of the players when he arrived. Capello was the same in 2006 when he went to Real Madrid. Both managers were willing to risk poor performances in the short term in order to get the players in better shape. Both won trophies so I guess it was worth it.


CIAO – I once was told that for every week that a player does not play it takes 2 weeks to regain full fitness. What do you think about this theory? I suppose it is different in every case (i.e. are they playing for AC Milan vs Inter or is the player able to lightly train or has to sit around).

Bobby – This is probably a question for a professional conditioning coach but I suspect that the statement is bit to broad and doesn’t take into consideration the training/conditioning being done even though a player may not be starting. I was told by a personal trainer that for “weekend” athletes or folks who work out just to keep in decent shape that they will lose all their “fitness” after six weeks of inactivity.


Redfan4ever - Do you still see a twist coming in the long saga of this year's Premiership or do you now think that the pattern for the season is set, concerning top and bottom?

Bobby – I still think that there is a trick in the tail yet.


MasMaz - Finally someone at FSC listens. I have been calling for Bobby to do a Wednesday CL show for awhile.
These are huge games. I can't wait.

Bobby – This season it has actually been more about my schedule than FSC.

Ringo - (Tommy Smith) It says he intensely disliked Emlyn Hughes ,do you know why?

Bobby – I think I read in a book about Shanks that it had something to do with Hughes replacing Smith as captain.


Bairnsfan - After the Man Utd/Liverpool game last week, some guy wrote a comment on the BBC website. He said that Brown and Ronaldo were going to sing a duet together, "Reyna's drops keep falling on my head".

Bobby – That is very good and very clever.



Jahmikes - What are your views on Blatter and Platini.. I think they need to retire from their posts every month one of them comes up with some dumb idea to ruin why football is so entertaining, e.g nobody wants to see teams full of English players kicking the ball up front all the time, its all about diversity in the modern game.

Second: Your views on Christian Ronaldo..do you believe he can sustain his form for seasons to come, I rather your opinion on the matter than all those you know what riders such as Webster and those fools on Super Sunday. Another thing do you think that young French Midfielder Nasri would be a good signing for my Gunners..I think we should go after him and Yobo.

Bobby – I have a lot more time for Platini than I do for Blatter. But you also have to remember that if you get rid of Blatter who knows what might replace him. Believe me it could be worse.

Ronaldo – the thing that impresses me is that he has improved every season since he came to Manchester United. He was criticized for being a one trick pony the first season. Then he started to play with his head up and brought other players into the game.

He became very good in the air, then his free kicks and long range shooting improved and now this season the avalanche of goals. Based on that I don’t see nay reason why he cannot keep it up for seasons to come.

I have my doubts about Nasri in the Premiership – looks a bit lightweight to me and I don’t think Arsenal needs anymore players like that. I’m not sure David Moyes is going to surrender Yobo easily. He is one of the most understated but effective centre backs in the Premiership – a great signing.


Therealrico - So I was thinking and kinda curious on other peoples opinions. A lot of articles that we read about Liverpool seem to point out their over reliance on Gerrard and Torres, and this got me thinking about the other top 4 clubs, and do they overly rely on one player, and I would have to say yes.

No doubt Man United would miss Ronaldo if he were to get injured or suspended for some period time. I also recollect that they had a dismal record when Rooney was not in the line-up. I also think if Vidic were to be absent for an extended period of time you would notice that as well.
With Arsenal if Cesc was to be gone for any period of time I think it would hurt badly, as well as Adabayor.

Chelsea to be seems to be the only that you can pin point one player and the team would be see a drop off in performance. Prior to the African cup of nations you could have argued that losing Terry, or Cech, or Drogba would kill Chelsea.

But as Chelsea showed they continued to win without Drogba, and also did well without Terry. Last year you could say Chelsea lost the league because Cech was out, but I don't think you could say that this year, as he has not been nearly as good as years past.

Bobby – Good point and something that was relevant to the 39th game debate. There is no following of the Premiership around the world there is a huge following for Arsenal, Chelsea, Liverpool and Manchester United with perhaps three or four other sides that have good followings – more ex pats than real foreign fans.

Out of the top four there are probably around 15-18 big name players that provide the marquee talent. It is those 15-18 players that the Premiership brand relies upon.

Foxcube - Are there any statistics available to measure how lucky a team is? Such as the times woodwork hit against, sitters missed against, etc. Had this question watching Chelsea-Boro game.

Bobby – Not that I know of. However, I believe they publish weekly stats to show how #### poor some teams are at scoring. Apparently scoring goals has something to do with points and the points generate a table of some kind. (My point is that Boro were not unlucky - they could not score. It’s not the same thing.)

Ringo - And Berwick Rangers,the English team that plays in Scotland ,did a Derby ,or a Gretna.

Bobby – Since beating Rangers in the Scottish Cup in 1967 it has been pretty much downhill for the Berwick version.


Aldoray - Its often said that Rafa Benitez and other managers approach a European game differently than a Prem game. If possible could u explain what it is they do differently whether it be the mental approach that is different or is it formation etc. Also do u think he will take a European or domestic approach to the Arsenal tie?

Bobby – Thee are a few fundamental differences. The refereeing is different for a start. Then in the group stage the objective is to qualify in the top two out of four. It allows the better teams to be cautious and a point away from home is a point gained and two points the opposition didn’t get.

With six games and ten points usually enough to qualify two home wins, one away win, a draw and two away looses should be enough. In the Premiership an away draw is not considered to be that good a result for the top teams just because there are more teams around and in particular more bad teams.

When it comes down to the knock out stage caution is the watch word again because you are playing a 180 minute match not a 90 minute one.


Generally in the Premiership   the top teams will push forward more because there is less risk over all that they are going to be punished. In Europe it is more about being rock solid at the back and bending but not breaking , not getting caught in midfield if the ball is turned over and trying to coax the other team forward and try to hit them quickly and to take any chances that come their way. (I thought Manchester United played the consummate European away game today against Roma).

I you asked me to sum it up I would say that the primary difference is that you are punished more severely for mistakes in Europe because of the formats. Tomorrow Benitez will take a European approach.

Thierry Henry - 1. What is the reason why Arsene continue to refuse to buy a world class keeper? You and me know that Arsenal cannot win the title with Almunia in the goals. Apart from Barthez, I have not seen a team winning the title with a shaky goal keeper who cannot make saves when his team need him the most. I think Friedel could be a really good addition to the ARSENAL FC.

2. Do you think Theo Walcott is now ready to be in the Arsenal's first team? Everytime he comes on the pitch for Arsenal, things seem to change for the better... remember at Birmingham, AC Milan and on the weekend at Bolton.

Bobby – 1. I think Arsenal could improve their goalkeeping but to be fair I don’t see Almunia being the problem over the last few weeks. Overall I have been surprised at how well he has played this season.
2. His head still has to catch up with his legs so he has a long way to go yet. Substitute appearances are not always to be way to judge how a player will play if he starts.

Henry14 - How does Jeremy compare the loss of Totti to Saha and Nani on the show? it ridicoluos.

Bobby – How come you hear stuff that I don’t? He didn’t compare them other than to point out that all three were injured.


MeanSucka - I was watching Fulham the past few weeks and paying particular attention to Eddie Johnson's effect on the games. I understand Fulham don't have the best midfield in the world, but it was kind of frustrating seeing Johnson lazily run around the park, not have the ability to get past defenders using pace or skill, and then get outmuscled on balls in the air. I mean, if you have the temerity to wear orange boots it would be nice for you to work at pressuring defenders like Dempsey did/does instead of just standing around. Is Hodgson playing him to see if he develops and do you think he has a future at Fulham or at another Premier League team?

There was a buzz on FFF about the US win over Poland and the ineptitude of the England squad and some suggestion that the US may even get a result against England in Wembley in May. Do you think that's possible and do you think that Fabio will institute a youth movement if he continues to see no improvement in the team?


Bobby – I don’t think Eddie Johnson’s style is overly suited to the Premiership. I don’t think Roy Hodgson is focusing on development projects at the moment when his team is on the cusp of dropping out of the Premiership.

In terms of the US getting a result at Wembley – yes it is possible. Will Capello institute a youth movement if he sees no improvement ? – not very likely.

There is nothing in Capello’s DNA to suggest a sudden conversion to a team full of youngsters. Capello will find a system and players that will work. There might be some young players but he has already named a number to his two squads.  

Ringo - "Big news expected about the Emirates stadium this afternoon.
A report is due out by the Institution of Structural Engineers which claims that the steel reinforced concrete which was used in the building of the stadium was not up to UK building safety standards.
It’s not sure what will have to happen next ,whether or not Arsenal will be allowed to finish the season at the Emirates ,or whether they will have to move out immediately while extensive repair work is carried out. More details are expected at a news conference at 3pm today".

Bobby – There was another story late yesterday that was sensational. Apparently Roman Abramovich has actually been drawing social security for the last four years and lives in a cardboard box. The oligarch thing was just an elaborate ruse.


Henry14 - You insisted Arsenal persist with rvp on the show. Do you think Arsenal can afford that, because he clearly looks like a man who has been on vacation for six months.

Bobby – No, I “insisted” that Arsenal persist with him on the park not on the show. I don’t think he would be able to make the flights every Monday and Friday to Winnipeg for a start and to be honest it is difficult enough to get all the stuff into the show without RVP interrupting.


Neophyte - You mentioned a couple of weeks ago that Barcelona was not a hungry team. After watching them go up 2-0 then to lose 2-3 was probably the straw that broke Frank R.'s tenure with Barca. (Your thoughts on that?)

The Yellow Submarine are in the hunt and pushing Real Madrid. Do you think they end up with a Champions League spot at the end of the season? Did you catch Ronaldo's (you know, that player that is so overrated in some circles...mainly the envious Red Fans on the blog)flick behind his planted leg from a corner kick? Is there anyone more in form than Cristiano R. right now?

Bobby – I think it is just the end of the cycle for Rijkaard. I would be surprised if Villarreal fall out of the top four. However, they do have a habit of tailing off at inopportune moments. Ronaldo is playing as well just now as I can remember anyone playing.


Aldoray - What do u think the chances are of Arteta playing for England. Do u think he would be the ideal candidate to replace Beckham. do u even think he is on Capello's radar

Bobby – Bsed on my understanding he has no chance. I may have this wrong but I don’t believe that Arteta qualifies for England. He may not have a full international cap for Spain but I thought he had played for the under-21s and was to hold to “switch.”


Craigy_f - What is the longest a team in the English top flight has gone without being awarded a penalty kick?

Bobby – Give in – what’s the answer.

ThierryHenry - Please confirm FSC ratings are down and so you have to work overtime... are you really on WEDNESDAYS? if so, is it just this week, or something regular?

Bobby – I will be on tomorrow and next Wednesday after the second legs. We will see after that.


Frenchking2012 - ROBERT is coming to Toronto fc? that is sick. The guy was one of the most underrated player at PSG and then Newcastle, I really hope he finds his form again, because if he does (remember those magic free kicks?) Toronto will gain a great player and possibly a leader

Bobby – Are we talking about the same Laurent Robert? The same one that has hardly played for the last year and could not make it at Derby County or Levante – both heading for relegation.


Flashman - Do Irish commentators get paid by the word? After hearing the 'Silence-Is-The-Enemy' style of the two Irishmen who do Italian commentary, and now the breathless nattering of blatherskite Tammy Smyth, I can only conclude they're on some sort of per-word stipend.

Is Diaby eligible for Champions League despite his 5-game suspension for that brutal tackle on Saturday?

Bobby – Let’s just say that I use the mute button a lot. I did have the sound up this afternoon and my wife turned to me and said “ does he never shut up.”
Mascherano is available so Diaby will be likewise.


RonW - Tongue in cheek SAF said "It was a centre forward's header - it reminded me of myself." about Ronaldo's goal. Trying to figure out the time line when SAF played for Rangers ... Was SAF with Rangers when they played in the Cup Winners Cup Final in '67? I always remember that game because Rangers had to play with a center half at center forward ... Roger Hynd(sp?)

Also, Mark Hughes for Celtic? Interesting, I would think Moyes would be the favorite (ex-player etc.) If Everton don't come up with more money for players I can see him splitting for Celtic in the summer (assuming Strachan moves on).

Bobby – Based on my memory Fergie signed for Rangers from Dunfermline the summer (1967) after the Berwick Rangers defeat and the loss in the European Cup Winners Cup Final. If I remember correctly Rangers shipped out their centre forward George McLean in exchange for Andy Penman (Dundee) who was an inside right.

Centre  Jim Forrest was another Berwick Rangers casualty  and it left them short on strikers hence big Roger Hynd in attack against Bayern Munich. He had played there before but he was not much of a scoring threat.  

Redfan2000 - What's your take on the midfield for England? You lauded Jenas in the weekend blog, so how about explaining your thinking regards the competition with, Barry, Gerrard, Lampard, Carrick, Hargreaves et al, all vying for a CM slot? Could Jenas run the right wing??

What do you think of Downing as an attacking winger and his defensive qualities going the other way?

Re the Inter debate, do you think they are truly a great side or just very consistent, unlike those around them and elsewhere? Never mind Rafa's position, do you think Grant will start next season as Manager at Chelsea? Who do you think RA would/could replace him with??

Bobby – I think you can see a significant improvement in Jenas since Ramos took over. He is more composed, chooses his moments to go forward and is much more disciplined. He has a very good turn of pace – something that Ramos likes – and I am betting that Capello does as well.

There is a feeling that Capello will opt for a 4-2-3-1 formation and so in the long run Jenas probably has two bites at the cherry. If he continues to improve under Ramos then Capello may be willing to slot him into one of two defensive midfield positions.

The conventional wisdom has Hargreaves as having a lock on one of the positions but I am not so sure. Hargreaves is an aggressive defender playing in front of the United back four and offers virtually nothing in terms of building an attack or controlling the tempo o####ame.

That is where Barry has a big edge and I think Jenas will eventually be slotted into the second position beside him. In front of them maybe Bentley-Gerrard-Cole. Downing is a natural left footer but overall Joe Cole is a far better player and a better option.

Bentley is a more natural wide player than Jenas and I think Jenas’ more valuable in the middle of the park. For Inter to be regarded as a great side they are going to have to win the Champions League rather than just winning their domestic championship a few times in a row.

Re: Avram Grant, I’m still surprised he was hired to begin with. As for a replacement who knows. It is more a product of who is available at the time rather than who is the best candidate. Naming replacements is a hypothetical exercise means nothing.

CIAO - I'm curious, do you have any comparative data on injury statistics of the leagues (i.e. Serie A, PL, Bundesliga and La Liga). To me, it seems obvious that such career ending injuries seem to occur more in the PL vs. the other top leagues.

Henry14 - What should Eduardo have done yesterday? Should he have not gone for the ball because he thinks (as many others may do) there's a real danger my leg will be broken here. The ridiculous assertion that Eduardo was too fast and therefore that means that’s ok is beyond belief.

To avoid serious injury yesterday someone had to decide differently. Taylor could have decided to not go flying in or Eduardo could have pulled out going for the ball. You have a choice. Which one do you want to influence to make a different decision? For me it is clear. A greater ban in the event of causing a serious injury would make the tackler and the club thinks twice and we would not have had the injury we had.

What’s your take on the way tackling and aggressiveness on less technically play is taken in England?

Gregz - What did U make of the Eduardo injury. (I missed the show).

Bobby – I will try to deal with all the Eduardo/Taylor questions in one response so there may not be a direct match to each specific question. First off on a historical basis the game is far cleaner than it was in the 60s, 70s and early 80s.

That comment is made in the context of all leagues, not just in England. You name me a decent soccer playing nation from that era and I guarantee that we can find thugs from each and every one of them. The same goes for today. Just because one style is more physical than another does not make it more or less illegal.

I would suggest that the real dirty players are the ones that you don’t see rather than the ones you do.

The suggestion that somehow thugs and evil doers are limited to the Premiership does not stand up. Anyone remember the Juan Arango and Javi Navarro incident from three years ago. Or Maradona and the Butcher of Bilbao? Dutch league? A bit of the Matrix perhaps? A Norwegian thug more your style?

Anyone trying to make this a nationality argument is disingenuous at best.

I am not aware of comparative stats on career ending injuries in the PL vs. Other leagues but I doubt that it would statistically significant if it was. It may seem that way because we hear more about the PL than others.

I don’t have anything to back up this assertion but I would be willing to bet that the vast majority of career ending injuries are not caused by fouls but from normal play and physical contact.

So is someone going to suggest that anyone causing an injury with a fair tackle should be suspended as well – according to some comments that would apparently stop bad injuries.

The most intelligent comments about the incident have come from Eduardo – the victim.

I wonder how many of you saw the incident and immediately thought it was brutal tackle?

Taylor flying into the tackle – pure hyperbole. Taylor was slow, he was late and he caught Eduardo. A fraction of a second either way and Eduardo rolls off the tackle or Taylor brings him down, a free kick is given and Eduardo plays on as players do countless times each game.

With a game played at the pace of the modern game it is impossible not to have some mistimed tackles and unfortunately bad injuries are going to happen now and again. Bad injuries have happened for years and they will happen for years to come and you are not going to find that they are restricted to one league, one nationality or even bad tackles.

As for a player going into a game worrying about a broken leg - he should not playing the game.

Gregz - Do U see Wenger parting ways with Van Persie because of his constant injury problems. What do you make of Carlos Vela? Better as a winger or striker?

Bobby – I guess your definition of constant injury problems are a bit different than mine. He’s been at Arsenal four seasons and the first year he was almost exclusively on the bench.

He injured himself scoring against Manchester United last season and then he’s been injured this season – is that constant?

Maybe someone can explain to me the upside of releasing a player who has yet to hit his prime and has the potential to be one Europe’s best goal scorers? My latest view of Vela was at the Under-20s last summer and he was not very impressive. On last summer’s showing he is nowhere close to being ready to step up.

Frenchking2012 - What do you think of Walcott? Could he do a Ljungberg after Pires (Arsenal best player in the 2001-2002 season) was injured by Dabizas. I remember Freddie scoring 6 or 7 goals in 8 or 9 games and he was the one whose run and later shot gifted Wiltord with an open goal at Old Trafford.

Walcott score 2 great goals Saturday and for once was dribbling rather well. I think he needs to step up because the Bendtner -  Ade duo doesn’t work, and we won’t have RVP back for the Milan game (maybe as a late sub if we are down 1-0 in the 75th minute).

Bobby – Not a hope. Ljungberg was an experienced club and international in 2001/02, Walcott is still a young boy. The expectations of how quickly Walcott will mature are way over the top.

Flashman - When it comes to assessing ar5ena1 games, you dig in like you were Cronkite covering a moonshot. Very thorough. So why no coverage of William Gallas snapping a head valve and kicking the advertising boards and stomping off and throwing hisself down at midfield and having a right old sulk? The UK media have ripped him soundly and clamoured for the club to get rid of him. Why no coverage?

That said, you could have drawn attention to Spurs' Pascal Chimbonda chewing up clock time with his selfishly slow walk-off after being subbed at Wembley.

Bobby – If you can persuade our producers to give us a three hour show then I am hopeful that we could fit everything in. As it is I get told to wrap it up when I am going over and so I have to do what I am told. Sometimes bits get in and sometimes they don’t.

As for the media clamouring for Arsenal to get rid of Gallas - clamouring? Really?

Alberta_Man_United_Fan - What is it with the officiating in the Prem lately? Missed offside calls, ref's missing incidents were one player puts his hands on the face of an opponent who responds, only to get turfed?

I am amazed at the appearance of bias from some game officials in the calls that are and are not made! Kicking at a players heal when I played resulted in a card, not a lecture! (Arsenal-ManU).Then this past weekend Man City had a player sent off for doing that same thing.

As a youth coach and official I tell all the kids, if it is in the rule book it will be enforced! The best way to stay out of the book is to play a clean game. Professional referees do none of us minor coaches any favors by selectively enforcing the rule book.

Immediately after the Arsenal-Man United game I witnessed three such kicking incidences in the games that I officiated in. When did the standards drop for officials?

Bobby – I can’t disagree with you on the incidents that you bring up. However, I would not limit the comments to the Premiership.

Zuco2 - What do you think about Reading football club? Last season, they had a perfect year finishing in the top 10 and narrowly missing a UEFA cup spot. This season, they are winless in 11 games. They are in the relegation zone and they have one of the worst goal difference records in the Prem. What is wrong with them??????? Have any idea???

Bobby – At the risk of stating the obvious they can’t score goals and have let in far too many – a recipe for relegation trouble normally. Second seasons in a higher division are traditionally difficult.

It is interesting that last season a number of fans pointed out that Wigan had made too many changes to the team that had done very well during its first season in the Premiership and hence their problems.

Steve Coppell made few changes and that has not worked out either. Lita, Doyle, Long and Kitson have to start scoring goals and scoring early in games as well. The two goals in the last seven games have both been last minute consolation goals and they have yet score a goal in the first fifteen minutes of a Premiership game this season.

On the bright side they do not have a particularly difficult run in over the final eleven matches and frankly if they can’t get enough points from a softish schedule then they deserve to go down.

Gongatore - If warranted is there a side in Europe that you could see Altidore going to in the next transfer window?
How do you rate Cruz and Zlatan at Inter?

Bobby – Moving clubs is an individual decision but from my point of view I think the rush to have Jozy Altidore move to Europe is ill-advised. He’s better off in MLS where he can play regularly for the next season or two. If he really makes an impact then when he moves he will be on his terms.

Cruz has scored goals throughout his career and continues to do so – a reliable goal scorer but well short of being one of the best. Zlatan on his day can be one of the world’s best players. It depends on whether or not it is his day!

Albertagooner - I'm trying to figure out how Patrick Barclay has managed to spot Arsenal's aerial weakness. Neither of United's goals involved a high ball hoofed into the box. In any event, both Gallas and Toure have a wonderful spring. I'd rather have them than taller defenders who have difficult marking strikers, such as Jamie Carragher or John Terry.

Bobby – I think Barclay is identifying a more traditional weakness rather than one that showed up on Saturday. The problem use to show up when Sol Campbell was missing and there is still a doubt in my mind about how well Arsenal deal with crosses.

It seems to me one of the things that they have improved on this year is not allowing so many crosses to reach the penalty box. I don’t have the stats to prove that and it could just be a case of Arsenal retaining more possession. I never considered Jamie Carragher to have had any trouble marking strikers. The only issue with Terry is that sometimes he can be caught out by a quick forward one-on-one but his anticipation and the way he plays the angles makes it a rare occurrence.

gabemar -  Would you rate the chances of the three teams (Villarreal, Fiorentina and Man. City), who seem to be challenging the status quo on the three big leagues, at contending for at least CL spot until the end of the season? Also the last few weeks you have not been wearing your glasses at FSR. Are you wearing contacts or did you have lasik surgery? How do you like not wearing them?

Bobby – Villarreal and Fiorentina, Champions League spots yes. Manchester City – the jury is still out. Apart from a very poor start last season Villarreal has been a consistent performer in Liga for a few seasons now and it would not be a surprise to see them finish in the top four.

Fiorentina has an outstanding manger in Cesare Prandelli did a great job with Parma and it was unfortunate that he could not stick with Roma when he was appointed. Fiorentina’s Sporting Director Pantaleo Corvino has a great reputation and the two of them seem to putting together a very good team – even though they regularly lose players. Mutu is playing great again and Pazzini could become a very good player. There are lots of others as well.

City has a habit of starting well and fading and it might turn out to be different under SGE. However, it was interesting to note that Eriksson commented last week that he felt that other clubs might be preparing better when facing City. I think what he really meant was other teams were looking for ways to shut down Elano. Against Sunderland yesterday City collected three points but it was brutal performance by both sides.

I had laser surgery a few weeks ago and it has been great. No problems and I have my distance sight back again. Still need readers for close work in poor light but that was expected.

Flashman - How much longer can AC Milan resist the urge to pull the trigger and bring in a new manager? Huh?  And how much longer can AC Milan resist the urge to make that new manager the former manager at Chelski? Yeah, the Portuguese bloke, Mourinho. That's the one.

And how long will we have to endure the myth that this year's edition of the Arsene Wenger Slight of Hand Show is the New Invincibles? Coz it ain't. It simply has to be said, because no one elsewhere has bothered to note this, that Arsenal, thus far, have played one of the softest league schedules imaginable. They've been outside of London proper only once in league play this year and coughed up an away draw to nasty Bla-hack-ahack-aburn Rovers.

Bobby – Ancelotti’s now served six years at the San Siro and his time has to be up soon. One way of coaxing the last possible piece of talent out of an older squad is to change the manager.

In terms of Arsenal’s schedule so far you are right but it is a bit of a red herring. London teams are all going to be in a similar position given that if you include Reading there are six London teams. That means that this season Arsenal will play nearly 2/3rds of their games in the London area. The counter to your argument has been put forward by a number of London clubs. The suggestion is that because of the high number of derby games London clubs actually have a tougher time of it.

Arsenal’s schedule is out of sync but that is down to the Champions League third round qualifying game that bumped an early season trip to Newcastle.  As for being an easy schedule there are always going to be easy and more difficult runs. But if you compare to Tottenham’s schedule you will find that both clubs have played Sunderland, Derby, Manchester United, Fulham, Bolton, Liverpool and Blackburn Rovers. Spurs have faced five away games to Arsenal’s three. Of the remaining games Spurs have played Villa, Newcastle, Boro and Everton. Arsenal have played Manchester City, Portsmouth, and West Ham. Overall – probably about even.

PS – you missed Arsenal’s visit to Anfield of two weeks ago.

CIAO - When players and managers move to other clubs for large sums of money, you always hear them say "it wasn't about the money." The move usually is to a club that has a greater opportunity to win trophies.

That said, Ramos' move to Spurs puzzles me. He essentially built a good side that has been winning trophies. He quits too move to the Spurs. A club that placed 5th in the EPL for the past two seasons and has not won trophies. Does not play in the CL and potentially may not even qualify to play the CL next season...

It just doesn't add up. Do you by chance see some other reason (other than large sums of money) that would make Ramos' move an attractive one?

Bobby – Well the first thing I would point out is that Ramos did not build that Sevilla team – he has only been there for a little more than two seasons. He certainly turned them into trophy winners but the foundation was put in place for him – he took them over the top.

Sporting Director Ramon Rodriguez Verdejo appears to have played a more important role in turning Sevilla into a top club than Ramos. I don’t think Ramos tried to hide the fact that the money was too good to turn down.

Aldoray - What do you think about Peter Crouch as a player and his situation at Liverpool. I believe he is seriously being overlooked too often and he might be hitting the exit door at Anfield very soon along with Kewell.

Bobby – Here we go again. As I said on Monday night’s FSR a lot of people seem to think that because he is awkward to play against that it makes him a great player. When you hear Steven Gerrard suggest that Crouch has a great chance to break Jimmy Greaves England scoring record then you have to shake your head in disbelief.

The “Crouch is Great” lobby seems to base their views on his scoring record to minutes played as opposed to games appeared in. The argument goes something like this. He has an impact when he comes on and scores lots of goals so he should be on more often or earlier or even from the beginning. So let’s see if the statistics actually back up the view that Crouch is an underappreciated talent by Rafa Benitez and others.

I would suggest that the best statistics to use are from the Premiership. Reason – it gives a comparison to other strikers plus it shows the longer term effectiveness of a player against sides that are better prepared to play against the player having scouted strengths, weaknesses etc. more thoroughly.

Over the last two seasons and a bit Peter Crouch has appeared in 70 Premiership games for Liverpool – he has started in 47 and come on as a substitute in 23. He has scored 15 Premiership goals. Only four of these goals have been clutch goals – goals that either turned a potential draw into a win or a loss into a draw.

His average scoring rate is one goal every 4.66 appearances. That rate doesn’t get him in the top 100 Premiership scorers. Comparison examples - Henri Camara 3.41, James Beattie 3.99, Jan-Aage Fjortoff 3.36, Marian Pahars 3.07, Dion Dublin 2.81.

But, the Crouch lobby would argue, that goals per appearance are not a reliable indicator because although Crouch may appear many of his appearances are relatively short and have to be adjusted for. So in the interest of fairness I went back over the minutes actually played and converted into the equivalent of full ninety minute games.

This substantially improves Crouch’s average – it translates to a goal every 2.81 games, equal to Dion Dublin’s but Dublin’s average has not been adjusted to minutes played. I must have missed the “Dublin for England” lobby a few years ago. 

So how does Crouch’s record stack up against some of his contemporaries? I looked at two younger players over the last two and a bit seasons – Robin van Persie and Bobby Zamora. Based on goals per minutes played RVP clocks in at an average o####oal every 2.08 Premiership games - Bobby Zamora a goal every 2.64 Premiership games. Both substantially better than Crouch.

The next point that is normally argued is that Crouch is good in the air. Given that he is five inches short of seven foot tall he should be. Well what do the statistics show? Four of his 15 Premiership goals at Liverpool have come from headers (midfielder Tim Cahill in two and a bit seasons has scored from five headers for Everton).

An interesting stat that sticks out is how few games Crouch actually completes – only 19 full Premiership games in 47 starts. And it is not just a case of being substituted in the last five minutes. His average stint in a Premiership game for Liverpool (based on him starting) when substituted, is just a few seconds short of 65 minutes.

It’s also something that shows up in his England appearances. Add it all up and a reasonable conclusion is that Crouch finds it difficult to play ninety minutes hence the reason that Benitez starts him on bench so often. Rather than playing him against fresh players it would make more sense to have him come on late when defences are tired. And guess what - he looks impressive.

But the “Crouch is Great” group then jump to Crouch’s goals in the Champions League and for England. On the basis of goals scored his numbers are impressive…….but. His goals for England have come against Estonia, Macedonia, Andorra, Greece, Trinidad & Tobago, Jamaica, Hungary and Uruguay - clutch goals two. In addition he has only completed nine games although he has collected 22 caps.

In Champions League last season he scored all seven goals against group opponents (although PSV were also opponents in the first knock out phase). It strongly suggests that again Crouch’s value is in his awkwardness to play against and uniqueness. Teams facing him for the first time have difficulty dealing with him but over time they solve the problem.

So if you are looking for a striker who is tall but not necessarily good in the air, isn’t up to playing ninety minutes, and has trouble scoring clutch goals then I guess Peter Crouch is your man.

As for heading out of the door – could happen but he will not be joining a team better than Liverpool that is going to give him any more playing time.

Syncrew - 1 Now that Avram Grant has had 10 or so matches in charge ,what do you see as the big difference between Jose's and Avram's Chelsea ?
2 Since it’s up on the blog I may as well ask who you think is the most underrated and overrated striker in Europe?
3 How do you rate Alex? He seems to be doing well in place of Terry and is keeping Ben-Haim out of the team. (Ignore that foul against Schalke.)

Bobby – 1. It’s quieter around Stamford Bridge and Sir Alex Ferguson is aiming shots exclusively at the Emirates again.

2. You will have to define underrated and overrated. As I’ve pointed out before just because a player is considered “overrated” it doesn’t mean that he is not better than an “underrated” player. If I had to sign one striker in the world it would be a fit Samuel Eto’o.

3. Alex - Good player although I’m not sure keeping Ben-Haim out of the team should be the measure of him. I think his potential is well beyond a competent journeyman such as Ben-Haim.

 

Gunner44 - Is it Healthy for the game that 3 or is 4 managers have already lost their jobs and it's only been 2 1/2 months in the league. Is it the managers that are to blame or the Board? I read somewhere that someone said if Spurs don't improve the whole board should be fired.

 

Don't managers deserve more time to prove themselves? Very few managers have the ability to turn a team into a winning side in their first season. Like Jol should have been given at least till Jan before they left them go. He had been in top 5 for 2 straight seasons and almost took Arsenal out of top 4. Taking ManUre, Chelski, Liverfools and Arse out of top 4 won't be an easy thing to do and Jol came very close to doing it.

Bobby – It is a merry-go-round and I think the managers are wise to it. Sign a three year deal for a lot of money – if you get fired you get a huge pay out. What astonishes me are the choices that some owners make – Sammy Lee and Chris Hutchings stand out. The cost of relegation is huge (even after parachute payments) and if the club’s finances are stretched with longer term player contracts involving Premiership wages even if the side is relegated then the a financial meltdown is possible.

Djnima - 1. What do you think is the reason of Lampard's turnaround in form?
2. Have you heard anything of McLaren's visit to LA? A little bird told me that he may become the manager of the Galaxy after England doesn’t qualify. Becks has been recalled. Do you think he will make 100 caps?

Bobby – 1. The form of all players comes and goes and isn’t necessarily based on scoring goals. Lampard has spent the games prior to the one against Leicester in the Carling Cup shooting from almost anyplace. Just because they have started going in doesn’t mean that his form has necessarily turned around.

2. McClaren’s visit to LA appears to be pointless and beyond the ridiculous rumour that he is shopping himself to LA Galaxy I have not heard a reasonable explanation. If McClaren was looking to move then surely he would not be as stupid as this.

At least when SGE met with Abramovich he at least tried to keep it undercover.  Has Becks been recalled? You are ahead of me on that one. How about another explanation – McClaren came over in person to tell Beckham that he has not been recalled?

Wiegs9 – I have a silly question that maybe somebody can answer. What are the large, reddish #### lapel pins that you, Jeremy and Mitch were wearing last night and the ones that the Sky Sports presenters (and some Premiership managers) are wearing? Unfortunately, I must have missed the show where this was mentioned. Thanks!

Bobby – They are red poppies that are worn in Commonwealth countries in honour of the people who gave their lives during the wars. Remembrance Day is November 11 and the poppy is worn as a symbol and a mark of respect. The poppy flower was chosen as they grow in Flanders where some of the most brutal battles of WW1 were fought.

JayAlves - "Fergie support for Blatter stance on imports
Sir Alex Ferguson believes clubs should be seen to have 'a proportion of home-based players' - and feels rivals Arsenal would 'protest the loudest' at such a rule.”

Bobby – It is a sure sign that Ferguson is more concerned about Arsenal than the likes of Chelsea and Liverpool. I understand the full article quotes him as saying that all that would need to happen is for the Premiership clubs to agree to such a proposal. He is wrong.

Unless UEFA/FIFA are given full autonomy over soccer in Europe (and it is clear that will not happen) it would need the European Union to repeal the commitment to the free movement of labour within member countries (as it applies to soccer player) or at the very least agree to the exception under the terms of the "Lisbon Treaty" of a few weeeks ago which regards sport as special. It cannot be done unilaterally just because a few rich owners decide that they would like to.  

Although I’m sure that the United owners would be happy to see the value of their investment erode as worldwide television money would shrink and the price of “home-grown” players rocket.

In a perverted way United are to blame for this. Before Matt Busby took over the manager’s job at United teams never groomed young players as a way to build a team. They signed local players who played at lower levels or proven professional players from other clubs.

It was United’s then chairman James Gibson and Busby who came up with the idea of signing the best young players and developing them. The initial focus was on Manchester youngsters but as the pool dried up United cast a much wider net to cover the rest of England as well as Scotland, Wales and both parts of Ireland.

That is why the Busby Babes came from so many different parts of the British Isles. Other clubs would complain about United poaching “their” local products. Arsenal is using the same philosophy except now scouting is done on a global basis.

 MasMaz - I agree and disagree with your numbers on people watching Football worldwide. They are not anywhere as high as they claim but they are higher than you say. Especially for the WC final and the Champs league final. Did you ever see that movie about the child buddhist monk and his buddies trying to catch the '02 final?

Impossible to verify but I would guess that 200 million people watched the '02 final in Europe and South America between the 2 continents alone, adding the rest of the world I would say at least 300 million, maybe even 400.

Bobby – Television viewership of sporting events in 2006 - articles including numbers.

http://www.worldcupblog.org/world-cup-2006/wor
ld-cup-television-estimates-off-the-mark.html<
/p>

http://www.bloginitiative.com/

http://initiative.com/static/prDec2006.html>

After much frustration the blog god has permitted me access once more!

Gerry Francis on the trials and tribulations of preparing an England national side.

Ian Plenderleith on David Beckham’s imminent arrival in Los Angeles and the poor side that awaits him. 

Rob Hughes on the youthful invigoration of France and Italy.

Simon Barnes and the three r’s of David Beckham.

Matt Scott says that the Stevens’ Inquiry has produced evidence of financial irregularities in a number of player transfers.

After Jurgen Klinsmann opted to move on some expected the German rival to wither. Not so according to Raphael Honigstein.

We have a weekend menu of La Liga, MLS and Gold Cup. Real Madrid can win La Liga for the first time since 2003 this weekend but if you are a bettor then the odds apparently are not too good that it will come to pass. The Spanish paper Marca has had someone calculate the odds of Real securing their 30th Spanish title with one week to go and it is apparently less than 10%.

Real Madrid travels to play fifth place Real Zaragoza who are trying to make sure that they hold on to a UEFA Cup spot. Zaragoza has only lost twice at home this season although Real Madrid has already won 11 times away this season. That is three games more than the next best – Atletico Madrid – while league challengers Barcelona has four fewer wins and nine less points.

What is surprising is that Real Madrid and Barcelona share the same goals for and against when away from home. Both teams have scored 32 and conceded 20 but the Madrid side has obviously rung more points out of their efforts.

Barcelona is still unbeaten at home this season – the only Spanish side that can boast of such a record – and plays Espanyol at the Nou Camp in a derby match-up. Despite efforts to have Ronaldinho’s red card against Getafe rescinded it is unlikely to succeed. Espanyol’s 3-1 win over Barca earlier in the season was their first in ten matches and only their second in the last 15 derby clashes. With Espanyol sitting comfortably in mid-table they have little incentive to bring their best game – except that is, to screw up their bitter local rivals!

With talk of a Real Madrid league championship in the offing it easy to forget that Sevilla’s treble dream is still on alive. However, should Real Madrid and/or Barcelona win this weekend it will have to move to life support. Sevilla plays Mallorca who will finish the season at the Bernabeu next weekend. A run of four straight wins in April and May banished any relegations fears for Mallorca but the last two games have brought to 1-0 losses.

Fears that manager Juande Ramos might be seduced by big money offers from foreign clubs has meant that Sevilla has stepped up attempts to sweeten the pot and to tie Ramos down with a longer-term contract.

At the butt-end of the table Celta Vigo (away to Atletico Madrid) and Real Sociedad (home to Racing Santander) are both in need of divine intervention in order to stay in the top flight. Both sit on 33 points and trail Athletic Bilbao (away to Villarreal) and Real Betis (home to Osasuna) by four points. Celta Vigo and Sociedad both need nothing less than a win and even then they could still be demoted this weekend.

The Chicago Fire broke a horrible five-goal winless stretch when they beat Columbus by the odd goal in five the last time out. They hope to build a winning streak when Chivas comes calling. Former Lazio, River Plate and Juventus striker Marcelo Salas has been training with the Fire this week but no word yet of a contract offer let alone acceptance. Chivas arrives in Chicago with a poor away record of a single point in four games. A couple of weeks ago Chivas coach Preki was bemoaning the lack of scoring from the midfield. With the strike pairing of Razov and Galindo contributing three quarters of Chivas’ goals to date it is an imbalance that has not yet been rectified. 

New York Red Bulls snuck out of Toronto on Wednesday with three points after a smash-and-grab win over the FC. Any debate of about which big signing will make the biggest impact seems pointless at the present given that Colombian Juan Pablo Angel has now scored six goals in his first five games for the Bulls – including both markers against Toronto FC.

The Red Bulls are in the middle of a stretch of game that has them playing six of seven on the road and on Saturday they visit Washington to play DC United. It will be a homecoming of sorts for the Red Bulls coach Bruce Arena who spent the formative years of MLS building DC United into its most successful team. His team will face a side that appears to have recovered from a tentative start to the season and are now unbeaten in five games.

Both Canada and the USA came through their opening games with wins while Mexico plays Cuba on Friday evening in their opening match. Mexico will have European based players such as Pavel Pardo, Ricardo Osorio and Carlos Salcido. However, Barcelona has been able to hold on to Rafa Márquez until the end of the Spanish season. Mexico plays Honduras on Sunday and with Cagliari’s David Suazo and Genoa’s Julio César León in the line-up Honduras could have worried Mexico. But neither player is in the Honduran squad.

On Wednesday evening Canada started the Gold Cup with one of their finest performances in some time. A second half double from Deportivo La Coruna’s Julian de Guzman (his first goals for Canada) helped to overcome Costa Rica 2-1.

On Saturday they play Guadeloupe, a French protectorate that is not a full FIFA member and therefore ineligible for the World Cup. Jocelyn Angloma, who played 37 times for France, may now be 41-years-old but he is still has some magic left. Angloma was a fantastic right back and played for the likes of PSG, Marseilles, Inter Milan and Valencia during his time in Europe. He played in three Champions League finals as well as the 1992 and 1996 European Championships. Now he has slotted into a midfield role for Guadeloupe who surprisingly drew 1-1 with Caribbean Champions Haiti in their opening match.

The USA with three points in the pocket after a 1-0 win over Guatemala hope to make it six points when they face Trinidad and Tobago. However, anyone expecting to see the ####mp;T side from last summer’s World Cup will be largely disappointed. Only Densil Theobold from the World Cup squad remains as the others are locked in a bonus dispute with the ####mp;T Football Association and have been suspended.

It is the sort of situation that CONCACAF or FIFA should step into mediate but when Jack Warner’s hands are all over another messy situation we are more likely to get a straight answer at a Steve McClaren press conference.