So if anyone reads this anymore, I grew sick and tired of the MSN blog system, and especially not a fan of the new set up.  I with a couple of other faithful Bobby McMahon readers have created a new blog called www.sofaball.com.

 

I hope you can get a chance to check it out, and I am always looking for new creative sports bloggers so if you are interested drop me a line on the site.  It can be any site soccer, football, cricket, I don't care as long as it has to do with a sport.

With the confederations tournament kicking off for the US tomorrow, I felt it was a good time to expand onto my US depth chart article, with my personal opinion on what the best US starting line-up and formation should be.  Some things you should know before you continue reading this article, I am putting this together based only on who I believe she be on the team, and starting.  This line-up or formation has nothing to do with the current roster Bradley brought to South Africa, to be honest I haven't even seen the final roster for the Confederations cup.

            I will begin with the starting goalkeeper, which is a pretty obvious no-brainer, Tim Howard.  I really don't think I need to explain this decision.  The two backups would be Kasey Keller and Marcus Hahnemann.

            Now onto the defense, the two central defenders are pretty obvious choices, with Carlos Bocanegra, and Oguchi Onyewu the undisputed starters.  On the sides I would start Steve Cherundolo on the right, and Jonathon Bornstein on the left.  I like both of these players because of their ability to not only play good defense, but also their ability to attack, and provide good service into the box.

            The midfield is the United States strongest area, with many options for holding midfielders, attacking midfielders, and the right side, our left side is the only question mark.  If the US goes with a four man midfield, Dempsey should start at the right, and Donovan at the left.  In the middle I would start Bradley, with Mastroeni as our holding midfielder.  If we go a five man midfield I would like Benny Fiellhaber to be added to the mix, and dictate the tempo of the game.

            At forward depending on who we play I would prefer the partnering of Altidore, and Kenny Cooper.  Not a lot needs to be said about Jozy, but I feel that Kenny Cooper has not been given a fair chance.  I have been spouting on and on about how Bradley doesn't give him a chance and his one international appearance he scored a goal.  In my opinion Cooper gives the US the best option at forward to partner Altidore because he is good at not only holding up the ball, but also distributing to other players, and is a decent finisher to boot.

            The best formation in my opinion for the US is one that emphasizes our strength in midfield, while minimizing our weakness at forward and defense.  Too do this I believe the best formation would be a 4-5-1, or old school 4-4-2.   Below is how I think the two formations would look.  Because Donovan and Dempsey aren't out and out wing midfielders, and are basically two attacking midfielders, we need Cherundolo, or Bornstein to get up those flanks and provide service into the box.  This system also allows for a lot of interchangeability between the forwards and midfielders.  Something that would hopefully help mimic a team like Barcelona, that has much movement between Iniesta, Xavi, and Messi.

 

4-5-1

 

Howard

Cherundolo Onyewu Bocanegra Bornstein

Mastroeni

Feillhaber

Dempsey Bradley Donovan

Altidore

 

4-4-2

 Howard

Cherundolo Onyewu Bocanegra Bornstein

Mastroeni

Bradley

Dempsey          Donovan

Altidore Cooper

Every year three teams are relegated, and every year, those best performers, or players who have the biggest names make an exodus to clubs still in the premier league.  What I have done is compiled a list of the players I think will still be plying their trade in the premier league next year, or players who's names are too big to not talk about.

 

Newcastle United

 

Damien Duff - I was a huge fan of Duff, when he played for Chelsea.  I loved watching him, Robben, and Joe Cole interchange on the flanks and create problems for opposing teams.  I don't know if has been injuries, or playing with a crappy team, or just getting older, but Damian Duff is not the player he once was, and it is too bad, but he is now 30, and isn't getting any younger.  With that being said I am sure some one will take a chance on him, probably a middle of the pack team such as West Ham.

 

Obafemi Martins - Capable of the incredible, while also known to disappear regularly.  His inconsistency is his downfall, but his talent is undeniable.  A case can be made that midfield service was lacking, and it can be tough as a forward when you are the only person pressing, but as I said he is also inconsistent.  Last year Arsenal was rumored to be interested in him, but I doubt he will go there unless Adabayor leaves.  I think Everton could possibly be a good fit for him, but really any club who needs a quality forward should look into him, such as Fulham, or Wigan.  I however think that Martins thinks too highly of himself to go to a small club such as those too, I actually wouldn't be surprised if Martins went to Liverpool, especially if they don't get Tevez.

 

Barton - Psycho! Really that is all you need to know, a solid player, when he isn't getting red cards, or accumulating a criminal record in practice sessions.  I will be shocked if any teams risks bringing this volatile midfielder.   He just has way to much baggage to take a risk on.

 

Alan Smith - He is a forward who hasn't scored in like 3 years or something.  I still don't even know how he ended up on Manchester United.  He works his butt off, but I don't see him going anywhere than on a team recently promoted, or in danger of dropping down next season..

 

Geremi - Geremi  has been a decent role player, who is also capable of the odd free kick.  He only played in 11 games this year, but I am not really sure why.  Either injuries or drop in form I think a lot of clubs would be willing to take a risk on this defender.  I see him going to a team like Aston Villa, who desperately need depth all over the field, if they are going to compete for a champion's league spot, as well as the Europa League.

 

Jonas gutierrez - I have seen very little of this player, but the little bit I have seen left me impressed.  The 4-0 loss to Arsenal being the prime example, while the rest of Newcastle team looked too have given up, Jonas seemed like the only who cared while on the field.  His work ethic was very noticeable, and he did a great job of covering on defense, and doing his best to press the attack.  I think his type of work ethic would be a great fit for any team, but especially Aston Villa.  While I don't think he would be a like for like replacement of Gareth Barry, he might help ease the loss of that player.

 

Fabricio Coloccini - What is it about Newcastle and horrible center backs?  Before Newcastle Coloccini was a well regarded player for Deportivo La Coruna, and a regular on the Argentine National Team.  But since his arrival at Newcastle, he has been awful, and can be blamed for a number of goals that were scored on his team.  I don't see him staying in England, he will probably head back to Spain where any of a number of teams from the bottom to the middle of the pack would be willing to take a chance on him.

 

Sanchez Jose Enrique - To be honest I know very little about this player.  What I do know is that his name was mentioned a few times on blog articles and soccer review shows, for playing well.  Looking at his stats and bio, it mentioned that Liverpool, and Manchester City were interested in him, before Newcastle snapped him up, and he played 26 times for Newcastle.  At 23 age is on his side, and I wouldn't be surprised if Liverpool snapped him up.

 

Nicky Butt - At 34 the best of Nicky Butt's career is behind him, although he did start 33 games, only Coloccini started more at 34.  I still can't imagine too many teams would be interested in him.  I wouldn't be surprised if a promoted team grabbed him, or if he stuck it out with Newcastle, I just really can't tell.

 

Kevin Nolan - Depending on the system he is playing in Kevin Nolan can be a very important player.  I was surprised when he transferred to Newcastle in January, and would be shocked if he went down with them.  I could see him being reunited with Sam Allardyce at Blackburn, or rejoining Bolton.  I also think his style of play would fit in nicely with Stoke.

 

Mark Viduka - He is 33 and not getting younger, and seems to be injured a lot.  I really don't see too many, actually no teams interested in him n the premier league.   He definitely wants to remain in the premier league, so he can get another nice payday, but I think he will find that very difficult.  I think a return home to Australia and the A-League might be a possibility.

 

Michael Owen - Such a promising career, that has sadly not gone the way it should have.  Constantly sidelined by injuries, he has also lost a step.  His strike rate when he does play is still highly impressive, but that is the problem, he has featured in roughly only half of Newcastles games since he joined three years ago.  Still since he is out of contract, he obviously won't be with Newcastle next season.  I think a return to Liverpool is a very real possibility, but only if he signs an incentive based contract.  If they brought back Fowler, why not take a risk on Owen?

 

Middlesbrough

 

Stewart Downing - Every year we typically hear transfer rumors that have Tottenham Hotspurs bringing him to London, well I am pretty sure this will be the year.  In my own personal opinion I think he is slightly overrated, but there is no doubt he is a premiership caliber player.  His last season at Boro was very unremarkable, but I wonder if that has more to do with his moral for playing for such a poor team, or because he has dropped in form.  The fact of the matter is he is a left sided player, Tottenham need a left sided player, and will probably buy him, after selling some of their players such as Bentley.

 

Jeremie Alliadiere - To be honest I don't think there will be much interest in him next year, but because he played for Arsenal is kind of a well known player.  I have never been too impressed with him, he doesn't seem to score much, and has gotten himself some stupid red cards.  If he does move it would be to a bottom half club, who needs some dept.

 

Marlon King - This guy has been on Watford, Wigan, Hull, and Middlesbrough in the last two seasons.  I actually didn't even know he was on Boro till I looked at the roster.  He could definitely stay on the roster in the championship, but more than likely one of the recently promoted teams will probably try and grab him.

 

Tuncay Sanli - A talented hard working Turkish player, who had been linked with a move to Chelsea last year.  I personally don't see him moving too a top four team, but I like him on a club like Everton or Aston Villa.  I also see clubs in Spain or Germany lining up for his services, with maybe a return to one of the bigger clubs in Turkey as also a possibility.

 

Ross Turnball - Another player I don't know too much about, I have seen him make some highlight reel saves, but also some blooper reel gaffes.  He will probably go down with Boro, but he could also be a solid back up for any of a number of clubs, or even a starter for a team like Stoke.

 

Alonso Alves - Middlesbrough's most expensive signing at 12.7 million pounds, he has also been their biggest flop.  In his one and half seasons at Boro he has started 37 games, and scored 13 goals.  Compare that to his time at Heerenveen where he scored 48 goals in 44 games.  Some players just don't acclimate themselves well to the Premier League, and Alves appears to be one of those players, he was constantly guilty of missing easy chances.  He will not be with Middlesbrough, but it is really hard to judge where he will go next year.  I could see a number of teams in Spain or Italy taking a chance on him, but I can just as likely see him go to a smaller league like in Greece, Brazil, or back to the Netherlands, but I am fairly positive he will not be in England next year.

 

Justin Hoyte - Another player I am including on this list based only on his past with Arsenal, I am really not sure how good or bad a player he is.  With that being said I wouldn't be surprised too see him back in the Premier League next year, could be a team bottom half team, or it could be someone like Aston Villa, or Tottenham who will be challenging for a Champions League spot.

 

 

West Bromich Albion

Scott Carson -  In roughly a year and a half Scott Carson has experienced the high of highs, as well as low of lows.  He helped Aston Villa gain a UEFA Cup spot, and was named England's starting keeper.   He was also partially responsible for England lsing to Croatia, thus missing out on the Euro Cup, as well as being a part of the worst team in the Premier League.  Not really sure where Scott Carson will be next year, but I would be shocked if not one premier league team didn't pick him up.  I think Portsmouth would be a good fit, why not replace a mistake prone former England number one with a mistake prone England former number 1?

 

So here is my list of players who I think merit discussion as to where they will be next year, obviously I left many players out.  What do you think?  Who will be leaving one of these three teams next year, and where will they go?

 

A friend sent me these jokes and pictures in an e-mail, and thought they were funny enough to pass along.  Just so you know I am not a Spurs hater, and actually have been a fan of the club in the past.

What's the difference between spurs and a fork? A fork has more points

Darren Bent is ill, so Jaunde Ramos offers to do his shopping for him. While in Sainsbury's he bumps into Arsene Wenger. 'What are you doing in here, Juande?' asks Wenger. 'Getting a bag of potatoes for Darren Bent,' he replies. 'Sounds like a good swap to me,' says

"London Underground wish to apologise for the severe points failure in the Tottenham area."

"David Blaine was gutted to hear that his record of 48 days in the box doing absolutely nothing has been broken by Darren Bent."

"You can buy 'Spurs, The Glory Years' from most shops, priced

After reading an article on Bobby McMahon's blog click here to read it, it got me thinking about the problems and possible solutions that not only affect the Premier League, but European Football in general.  

First we need to analyze the problem.  The article I linked does a good job of talking about it, so if you have not read it I will summarize it as best I can in a paragraph or two.  The Premier league is basically a competition between three teams at this point, Chelsea, Manchester United, and Arsenal, with Liverpool in a distant forth.  The current formula for success it appears to be either you accumulate massive amounts of debt like Arsenal, Manchester United, or Liverpool, or you hope that a billionaire will buy your club like Manchester City or Chelsea.

In order for a club to compete you need money, how that club gets money depends on the situation.  Types of revenue that really benefit a club in no particular order are gate receipts, TV deals, merchandising, shirt sponsors, selling players, and appearing in the champions league(the farther you progress the more money you make)

I agree the Premier league is headed towards eventual bankruptcy.  The reason I believe this is because of two major events, they are the Bosman Ruling, and Roman Abramovich purchasing Chelsea.  The Bosman Ruling had both positive and negative effects on the footballing world; it allowed players more freedom in moving to more desired clubs, or earning more money.  While the negative points are that it has created an unhealthy player auction block which has only increased every year, and is spiraling out of control.

The second occurrence was when Roman Abramovich purchased Chelsea.  With his unrivaled wealth, no player, or coach was out of his range, and he significantly changed the way players worth were valued.  Couple this with the Bosman ruling, and you have player transfer fees that are breaking records every year, and putting many clubs in debt in the process.  This has in turn turned the premier league into a three horse race.  (Maybe four, we will wait and see if Liverpool can continue their run.)

In order for the balance of the league to be restored, the premier league needs to follow such leagues as the NFL.  The salary cap is the first thing that comes to mind, but since American leagues and European leagues are set up so different, some sort of transfer cap should also be implemented.  This will effectively put a stop to transfer fees sky rocketing, while also having the side effect of limiting the amount of transfers that occur each year.  They could even go a step further with the salary cap and divide it into two categories.  Each team would have a salary cap for transferred players, and either a higher cap, or no cap at all for players brought up through the clubs youth system.

I am sure there would be some very stiff opposition from the top teams, and one of the biggest arguments, if not the biggest arguments I can envision being used will be that it will give an unfair advantage to other leagues.  The advantage will be that other leagues such as La Liga will be able too attract top players either away from premier league, or from traditional soccer hotbeds like Brazil, where highly sought after player may choose to play in Spain over England, because he will be able to make more money in Spain.

So the only way this type of plan will ever succeed is if UEFA gets behind it and sets certain rules that govern all the leagues with the same salary and transfer rules.  I see several positive things that could result from this.  The first would be that developing players would once again become a top priority for top clubs (Especially if there was no salary cap for academy developed players).  This would in turn, due to the transfer restrictions make it easier for the smaller clubs to retain their talented players that they developed, which would hypothetically make those clubs competitive over the long term, and create a fairer league.

There is no doubt a plan like this would not only be difficult to implement, but would also face stiff competition from top clubs such as members of the G14, however I feel it rewards the best clubs by allowing them to keep the money they earned in such competitions as the Champions League, while stopping it from carrying over to an unfair advantage on the field.  Not only that but with a salary, and transfer cap, owners stand to make a lot more money, than in the current unregulated transfer market.