Swansea and Reading will contest the Championship play-off final on bank holiday Monday for a place in the Premier League. But neither side would look out of place in the top flight and after the season each club has had their place would be fully deserved.
Swansea have had a fairly consistent season and featured in the top 6 for the majority of it. Their success has been built on their very impressive home form that produced 15 wins and only 3 defeats. However, if there was anything that let them down this season it was the number of games they lost away. Although they won 9 games on the road the tally of 11 defeats is the worst in the top 9. However, despite missing out on automatic promotion they now have another chance in the play-off final after beating Nottingham Forest in the semi-final.
Reading in many ways have had a very different season to Swansea even though the final league table shows them separated by only 3 points. However, in many ways they gate crashed the play-off party as one team usual does. For much of the season it looked like a finish in the top half of the table was as good as it was going to get. But Reading have a fantastic spirit about them and a run of games that included 8 consecutive wins put them right in contention and for a second it looked like automatic promotion might be on the cards.
It promises to be an exciting final between two sides that enjoy playing good football and both have one or two players to watch and worth keeping an eye on. Swansea play a very patient game of possession football and like to control games and that should put them in good stead in the Premier League should they get there. However, they also have some very good attacking players that can get in behind teams. Players worth keeping an eye on include former Chelsea man Scott Sinclair, Nathan Dyer and on-loan Chelsea striker Fabio Borini – who has made a real impact in a short space of time.
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Reading like Swansea has some real talent and pace in their side that would cause problems for any defence. Players worth keeping an eye on include Jobi McAnuff, Jimmy Kebe and their top scorer Shane Long. Good luck to both teams in the final and whoever is successful can look forward to the challenge of the Premier League.
There are certainly plenty of good things going for each club. They both play in modern stadiums, like to play football in the right way, have players that would not look out of place in the Premier League and both have up and coming managers; no reason to think that one of these teams cannot become a permanent fixture in the Premier League.
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Chelsea 0-3 Sunderland – With most of Chelsea’s England contingent picking up their monthly pre-International tournament injuries, a depleted Chelsea side were left with the task of pulling away from the drawing drawing Manchesters. It was a task in which they failed miserably, much to the surprise of absolutely everyone and their dog as Sunderland achieved – according to Match of The Day – “one of the greatest results in their history.” Which is certainly an achievement (and presumably a surprise) for a club who’ve won 6 League titles and 2 FA Cups in their time. The margin and nature of their victory will have surprised even Steve Bruce (still failing miserably to prevent his slow transformation into a fat lesbian, unhelped by wearing a woman’s skiing jacket) and certainly the bookies who priced the 0-3 score line at 250-1. Luckily for them that outcome seemed so ludicrous at 3pm yesterday evening they can be safe in the knowledge that absolutely no body would’ve taken it. Without Ray “Butch” – Uncle Fester – Wilkins to stare at them with terrifying sunken-eyed menace from the sidelines, the Blues seemed to capitulate entirely and were picked apart by a vibrant, adventurous Mackems side in a manner reminiscent of swaggering Champions League regulars. A clean sheet for the home side would’ve seen Petr Cech collect his 150th clean sheet (can you collect clean sheets? Is it like England caps only with linen?) but that looked a tricky prospect right from the off, as the away side peppered his netty frame with shot (19 in all) right up until the fat lady sung. They even had about 5 attempts in the build up to their opener, before Nedum Onuoha decided to casually walk past everyone before slotting neatly beyond the helmeted one. Asamoah Gyan continued to bolster his growing cult hero status by being the only one of Sunderland’s scorers to actually play for them, even if his now customary mid-electrocution funky chicken celebration was partially ruined by a silly white man with no rhythm trying to get in on it.
Everton 1-2 Arsenal – In a nice break from tradition, football acknowledged that some stuff might have happened at some stage before 1992 as the longest running game in top flight football recommenced at Goodison park. Arsenal became the only team to take advantage of Chelsea’s unexpected humbling by doing their usual Arsenal thing of passing it around a lot and occasionally shooting, only this time without winning a penalty. At one point Samir Nasri almost scored Michael Owen’s 98 Argentina goal and Chamakh missed an open goal from 3 yards out because it wasn’t on his head but in the end it was left to Sagna (ED: and not Song. Definitely not Song) and Fabregas to steal the spoils. Everton rallied but couldn’t do a Man United, like they’d done against Man United. For some reason in my head Diniyar Bilyaletdinov sounds more like a sentence than a name.
Spurs 4-2 Blackburn – With legendary Lilywhite and Tommy Chong/Cracked out old wizard look-alike Ricky Villa in attendance, Gareth Bale fittingly continued his weekly price hike and cyclical transformation from overrated Welshman to the greatest British player in the history of sporting awesomeness. Added to his repertoire of astonishing skills now are majestic heading and the ability to feign a scuffed shot for the purposes of bamboozling the keeper and slotting it right in the corner. The boy is an undoubted genius. Which was helpful for Spurs, having one of those incredibly fun looking days where they attack with free flowing abandon and defend in exactly the same way, because Roman Pavlyuchenko was trying his bestest to take woefully awful shots on goal throughout, even when he was given a free one from the spot.
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Villa 2-2 United – Meanwhile, at Manchester United’s second favorite English ground, Aston Villa conspired to throw away a game both Andy Gray and Alan Green had already declared they’d won before United somehow conspired to not win it despite equalizing with a full 5 + 5 minutes left. Frederico Macheda put his rather limited party trick of only scoring spectacular and important goals against Aston Villa to good use in one of the two yearly fixtures he can, after the home side had taken a commanding, deserved and comfortable looking two goal lead with 15 minutes to go. Nani continued to be a big gangly ball of contradictions as he whined and dived and failed to beat the first man from all 437 of his corners before delivering an absolute peach of a cross for Vidic to equalize. As far as “end product” goes, he’s been well above most this season, his Holy Baleness included.
Stoke 2-0 Liverpool – Down at the home of the only team in England to employ football as a tactic for when things aren’t going their way, Liverpool realized there actually are lower levels to sink to, as they were comprehensively outplayed and deservedly beaten by Tony Pulis’ side despite using their Big Four get out of Stoke away free card of favorable refereeing decisions. One hundred year old leather striker Ricardo Fuller put the home side ahead with a shot he seemed to make accidentally leading fans in the away end to start chanting “Dalglish”. And there was me thinking demanding knee jerk personnel changes based on past glories, club legend and nostalgia was solely the preserve of Newcastle United fans.
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Other things I noticed. I’ve never seen a goal scored in front of a full Wigan end. Paul Merson is the punditry equivalent of that Chelsea fan who said “yeah” a lot. Johan Elmander is the new Lionel Messi. Carlos Tevez is rubbish at the hand of God but has had some kind of hypnotically powerful connection to the fans of all the clubs he’s ever played for and that famous Ricky Villa cup final wonder goal isn’t actually that wonderful.
You can follow Oscar on Twitter here; http://twitter.com/oscarpyejeary where you can join his campaign to get Audley Harrison to give him his £15 back.
Andre Villas Boas has stated that he feels Chelsea can still win the Premier League, and wants his side to return to winning ways against Bayer Leverkusen on Wednesday night.
The Stamford Bridge outfit have had an autumn blip, with a 2-1 defeat at home to Liverpool on Sunday making it three league defeats on the bounce for the London side.
The Blues face a tricky trip to the BayArena in midweek in the Champions League, but despite a drop in form the Portuguese coach is keeping upbeat.
“We have to believe in the work we are doing to get back to winning ways,” he told The Guardian.
“The players have immense talent and I have faith in them, and you can’t forget we are still in all four competitions. But now we have to focus just on what we are doing.
“The Premier League has got more difficult but it’s not impossible [still to win it]. We have to trust the December fixtures and, above all, we have to find the belief again to fight for the title.
“But the most important thing is finding winning ways straightaway, if possible, against Leverkusen which is a massive game.
“Then we have three games in the Premier League where we must try to get nine points. The challenge is to have the belief and strength to fight for those nine points. But if we get nine points, it would put us in a different perspective,” he concluded.
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Chelsea are now 12 points behind runaway leaders Manchester City and sit in fifth place currently.
It would not surprise many that the name that springs to mind is Robbie Keane. Redknapp clearly does not have great faith in him to spearhead the attack, having made only two starts this campaign. The rise to prominence of Van der Vaart being played in a role just off a lone striker in a new system, entails the club is unlikely to need four out and out strikers. Indeed even with Defoe being injured, a player who would surely be considered above Keane in the pecking order at White Hart Lane Keane is unable to muscle in to the first eleven. Yet there are many questions raised over the quality of the two strikers left who are rotating that sole striker’s position between them, Pavlyuchenko and Crouch. If a forward of the highest calibre to improve the first team is what is desired by Spurs fans, and I believe that it is, then there is no question that there is no room for Keane.
A player that is evidently considered so far from the first team by the management cannot continue to receive such high wages at the club. It is astonishing that being one of only two players to take home more than £50,000 a week as a basic wage, the other being Van der Vaart, he plays so rarely for the club. It is therefore important for Spurs to clear him off the books. Although Keane has previously been a great servant of the club, he cannot continue to be such a drain on their resources whilst not playing enough football to justify it. This is why he must be got rid off even if the transfer fee is not particularly high, which in all likely hood it would not be as he is a 30 year old striker who has not been playing much football.
Looking across the midfield of the team, I don’t think there is much justification in keeping onto both Bentley and Kranjcar. Neither are part of the first team and both seem to struggle when they do come into the team only sporadically as most players do. As I feel he has a more varied game, can contribute more and is a general more diverse squad player I would opt for keeping on to Kranjcar at the expense of David Bentley. Although putting in ok performances for the last two games, Bentley did not shine and based on last seasons form, particularly his scoring I believe given a chance Kranjcar would be able to.
Other than that I don’t think anyone else is ready for the exit unless someone is bought in first, but if that was the case in midfield I think both Palacios and Jenas positions could come under scrutiny. Whilst Jenas has improved on his rare outings this season meaning he is not an immediate tip for the exit. Palacios’ form however has gone drastically the other way and should only be saved form the exit door as he is the only mature midfielder at the club that’s game is focused around breaking down the opponents attack. A position where I feel at least one is required at the club, and Sandro is still a bit too young to be the only player to fulfil this role.
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Defensively there should be no need for exits again unless someone is bought in first. Despite the club having six recognised centre backs, the prevalence of injuries ensures that at the time being this is a necessity. Although I wouldn’t be surprised to see Bassong shown the door if both Dawson and King make full recoveries and reform a solid partnership, as Kaboul and Gallas for cover should be sufficient.
Sunderland have been left be reeling this week from the loss of top marksman, Darren Bent, who completed an 18 million pound move to struggling Aston Villa. Steve Bruce’s options have been further reduced by an injury to Danny Welbeck, the Manchester United loanee could be out for up to two months.
Blackpool boss Ian Holloway must be tired of the platitudes directed at his side after every performance. It is clear that the Tangerines have become a Premier League side both in terms of the quality of their play and the way in which they have been able to see out results. However, there will inevitably be a feeling, as there was with Hull and Bradford before them, that a lack of top-flight experience may cost them further down the line. In terms of this season, however, they should be fine.
If Sunderland have lost their best asset, Blackpool look set to be keeping theirs – Charlie Adam appears happy to remain with the Seasiders until at least the summer.
The Black Cats have struggled recently, even without a major dent in their striking capabilities, and whilst Blackpool will allow their Wearside rivals opportunities, I would expect the home side to prevail.
Prediction: 2-1
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Arsenal fans have warned to be careful for what they wish for in light of the criticism directed towards Arsene Wenger. Sir Alex believes that the Frenchman deserves a huge amount of respect, given the giant strides he has made at the football club during his tenure. Wenger has done his level best to redress the balance with a deadline day splurge, which has gone some way in pacifying some of his critics.
At FFC this week we have seen a mixed bag of Gunners blogs that include the penny finally drops for Arsenal; Sol worth a gamble? Time for Wenger to utilise his £15m Plan B.
We also look at the best Arsenal articles around the web this week
Caption Competition: And the award for the biggest ego at Arsenal goes to…
Sol worth the gamble at Arsenal?
Can Wenger recreate the Bergkamp and Henry axis within?
Arsenal and Chelsea looking to activate £3m clause
Arsene Wenger should consider his exit strategy
The penny finally drops for Arsene Wenger
How do you ever follow a footballing legend?
A shrewd £10m move by Arsene Wenger?
Time for Wenger to utilise his £15m Plan B?
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Best of WEB
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Wenger being lined up by the FA? Leave Our Man Alone!…… – Highbury House
Some pretty amazing Arsenal Data on injuries… – Le Grove
Arsenal’s Forgotten Man? – Online Gooner
One Of Us Speaks: This Time It’s For Real – A Cultured Left Foot
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Can Arsenal’s new centre-back emulate club legend Tony Adams? – Gunnersphere
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Sir Alex Ferguson believes that Tottenham are currently the best team in the Premier League at present and represent the biggest threat in taking the title away from one of the Manchester clubs. The United boss believes it is simply a three-horse title race, with both Chelsea and Arsenal deemed also-rans for this season.
Elsewhere in the news Balotelli is urged to quit smoking; Liverpool look to gazump Chelsea to Cahill, while Dalglish is excited by Gerrard’s new start.
Ferguson fires title warning at City – Guardian
Dalglish excited by Gerrard’s new start – Independent
Balotelli urged to quit smoking – Daily Telegraph
Wenger confirms Henry’s return – Guardian
Capello: foreigners ruining England – Daily Telegraph
Gower’s day of destiny with Spurs arrives – Independent
Liverpool ready to gazump Chelsea’s Cahill bid – Mirror
QPR set to sign Man United striker Macheda on loan until end of season – Daily Mail
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You can forget about signing Mi, Spurs – Sun
Chelsea still interested in Rodwell…but not for £20 million – Mirror
Chelsea manager Carlo Ancelotti believes his team have turned a corner by beating Bolton 4-0 and has fired a warning at Manchester United.
Chelsea are still seven points behind English Premier League leaders United and have played a game more than their rivals.
But Ancelotti’s side are yet to play United both home and away and are refusing to give up hope after an impressive display at the Reebok Stadium, in which Didier Drogba looked back to his best and scored an outstanding opener before strikes from Florent Malouda, Nicolas Anelka and Ramires.
“It was an important performance, we turned a corner and now we have to look forward with confidence,” Ancelotti said.
“I said before when you are able to move on you can be stronger. The most important thing is to maintain composure. We have to stay focused.”
“It is not easy to win the trophy because in this moment Man United is so far (ahead) but we have to try to do everything we can. I think step-by-step we can do it.”
“Of course, it also depends also on the performance of Man United and obviously we have to win the games against them, the first on March 1, and we must use all our power, strength and personality.”
Ancelotti was delighted with the performance of Drogba, who scored a stunning goal from 35 yards to get Chelsea’s comprehensive win underway.
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“Finally he played a fantastic match, and scored a fantastic goal,” the Italian said.
“But it’s not the only reason we have to be happy tonight. Anelka scored, Malouda scored and for a long time they were not able to score. It was a good performance.”
Manchester City and Arsenal have all but agreed a fee regarding the sale of Samir Nasri – an even this is not too far away.
This news will not be welcomed by Adam Johnson who will now seek a move away from Eastlands.
This year is a big one for the former Middlesborough man. If Johnson can perform to his ability, he can establish himself amongst Ashley Young, Stewart Downing, Aaron Lennon and Theo Walcott as one of the starters for England on the flanks.
Despite a promising start to both his Manchester City and England career, Johnson has struggled to get into City’s starting line-up, and will certainly play second-fiddle to fellow left-sided midfielder Samir Nasri.
This will have a whole host of Premiership clubs fighting for Johnson’s signature. Reports last month suggested that Johnson was in line for a move on loan to Everton or Sunderland, and the interest from both these sides remains.
However, having sold two wide men this summer, Aston Villa boss Alex McLeish is also observing with interest.
Newcastle would also be keen on a move for Johnson to bulk up their depleted and yet more depleting squad. Though it would be tough at first for fans to welcome the signing of a Sunderland-born, former Middlesborough player.
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Brazil is widely regarded as the most successful football nation on earth and the South American country lives and breathes football. The largest soccer fan club in the world belongs to São Paulo’s Sport Club, Corinthians Paulista. Their supporters, Gaviões da Fiel, are renowned for being the biggest organized rooting association in the world. They have over 80,000 supporters, and among them you will find soccer muses, a samba school, and arguably the most impressive float at São Paulo’s Carnaval. In short, they inspire passion like no other club. We hang out with them on match day as they get geared up at their clubhouse, fill the busses to head to the stadium and ultimately go nuts in the stands.
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For an insight into the We Are Eleven series check out our interview with producer Santiago Stelley.