All posts by h79snht.top

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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Without a shadow of a doubt the famous Champions League music will be ringing out at White Hart Lane next season. The bright lights of Europe’s premier club competition grow ever closer for Tottenham Hotspur as their domestic season draws nearer to its conclusion. Sitting comfortably in the Premier League’s top three with only the FA Cup to concern themselves with their time should be utilized effectively to ensure they can compete in a competition that has changed drastically during their year long absence.

Spurs’ enthralling debut campaign in the Champions League was cruelly terminated at the quarter-final stage by Real Madrid last year. A humbling defeat at the hands of the La Liga giants left supporters realising the squad would need to be strengthened if they were to compete with the best Europe has to offer. Whilst reaching the last eight was an achievement beyond the North Londoners’ wildest dreams its worth noting that emulating their feats of 2010/11 will be incredibly difficult. Big spending Manchester City and neighbours United were both knocked out of this seasons competition at the group stage whilst Arsenal and Chelsea are close to being nudged off the edge without so much as a whimper. With four of English footballs superpowers struggling to survive on the continent what hope to Tottenham have of surviving?

Arguably Spurs are a stronger side than they did 12 months ago. The addition of Emmanuel Adebayor, Brad Friedel and Scott Parker has transformed them into Premier League title contenders this season. The latter pair have been the unsung heroes at White Hart Lane this season with Friedel offering an experienced head behind a sometimes erratic back four. Younes Kaboul has been a shining light at centre half with Kyle Walker and Benoit Assou Ekotto also made of sturdier stuff. Parker has also received plaudits for his commanding displays in the engine room providing a license for Luka Modric to scheme and construct in the final third. Adebayor, should he stay, has provided the muscle they’ve lacked for so long and seems to have found a team capable of playing to his strengths. Along with the new additions a majority of the squad played together in their first Champions League adventure that took them on a wild ride to the quarter-finals.

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Back then they were an unknown quantity with teams unable to fathom how to quell the threats posed by Gareth Bale and Modric. The Croatian is Spurs’ deadliest weapon when in possession and if given time to create he can split a defence in the blink of an eye. Bale is of a similar ilk. Inter Milan didn’t have the first clue how to address his speed and direct running on the night of his unforgettable San Siro hat trick. This time around they won’t have the element of surprise on their side making their task of progressing from the group stages a lot harder. Whilst they still play with the same fluid attacking style teams will have done their homework and will set out their stalls to try and neutralise their attacking threats taking out Tottenham’s principal route to goal and leaving them in need of fresh ideas. Getting the ball out to Bale or Aaron Lennon and asking them to run at the full backs just won’t cut it anymore. Modric will be man marked and choked of space and the lone striker will be nullified.

This is where manager Harry Redknapp is required to impart some tactical wisdom upon his side along with a lashing of his famed man management. Looking at it the 64-year-old will be the Lillywhites’ most potent weapon as they prepare for another assault on Europe. The job he has done at White Hart Lane in just over three years is nothing short of remarkable taking the club from the relegation zone to the brink of a title challenge in such a short space of time.

Redknapp has crafted arguably the best Tottenham squad in 60-years and it’s little wonder he is the front runner to take over the vacant England job. And therein lies the biggest problem that could dash the clubs dream of competing at the highest stage in Europe. Should he be tempted to take the national reigns where would that leave Spurs? Who else could possibly fill his shoes? Quite frankly it’s not even worth thinking about. When he took over  the dressing room was filled with individuals. There was no cohesion, no togetherness and a lack of unity. Redknapp soon sought to that and the turnaround during his time in the dugout has transformed the club in a manner no one thought possible. His fabled ability to get the very best out of his players has ignited Bale’s career turning from an expensive flop into one of the best left sided players in the world. It’s not just the Welshman that has benefitted from the 64-year-0ld’s approach. Assou-Ekotto, Kaboul, Lennon, Modric and Kyle Walker to name a few have all undergone a metamorphoses under Redknapp’s leadership.

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To say Tottenham are well equipped to compete in the Champions League next season would be jumping the gun. Yes, they have a squad capable of standing toe-to-toe with the very best but Redknapp is the cement that holds the structure together. His future at the club will determine how well they do when battle commences with Europe’s finest.

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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.

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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Roy Hodgson insists his England side will be practising penalties ahead of their Euro 2012 showdown with Italy on Sunday.

The recently appointed England manager understands the importance of shootout training but has focused on the issue far more since his side topped Group D and qualified for the knockout rounds.

According to the Guardian, Hodgson acknowledges the fear factor associated with England’s penalty shootout record after their involvement in so many tournaments has been curtailed by the dreaded spot kicks.

“We have practised them already and use the time after training sessions regularly to practise some of those. We’ll obviously take it even more seriously now, working on that aspect of the game.

“Of course, you can practise penalty shootouts until the cows come home but it’s really all about composure, confidence and an ability to block everything out and forget the occasion. You hope the practice makes a big difference but it boils down to the strength of mind of the individual. That’s what determines whether you score or don’t score.”

As the teams designated penalty taker, it is thought captain Steven Gerrard will step up should England’s quarterfinal against the Italians go past extra time. Returning striker Wayne Rooney is also expected to brave the occasion along with James Milner, Ashley Young and Ashley Cole.

By Alex Churcher

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The introduction of new squad rules concerning home-grown players and the well-documented state of Liverpool’s finances means that Rafael Benitez (or whoever is manning the Anfield hot-seat next season) will probably have to utilise some of the vast wealth of youth talent currently available at Anfield next season. A once-fertile youth system has undergone something resembling a drought over the last ten years, but the current crop of youngsters emerging at Liverpool have managed to invoke the excitement that was last seen around the time of the first-team graduations of the likes of Robbie Fowler, Steve McManaman and Steven Gerrard.

Amongst this crop, I believe that the following five starlets are most likely to make a first-team breakthrough next season.

Daniel Ayala – Defender – 19 years

Strong and tall, the Sevilla-born defender Daniel Ayala was thrown into the deep end a few times for Liverpool last season and excelled on each occasion. Deployed as a substitute against both Tottenham and Chelsea, Ayala admirably managed to quell the attacking threats posed by the likes of Jermain Defoe and Didier Drogba. The young Spaniard also started during 4-0 romps against both Burnley and Stoke City, impressively marking his first competitive starts for the club with clean sheets.

The decline of Jamie Carragher and injury proneness of both Daniel Agger and Martin Skrtel means that Ayala is likely to feature more prominently next season. With his contract recently extended until 2012, Ayala is assumed to be highly-rated by the Anfield management. Carragher himself has praised the 19-year-old, informing the club’s official magazine that, “He’s only played two games but we’ve had two clean sheets. It was a lot more difficult at Burnley because we were under pressure in the first half but for a young lad to come in, in what was again a makeshift defence in only his second senior start, he did very, very well. Although the result makes it look easy, it certainly wasn’t.”

Lauri Dalla Valle – Forward – 18 years

Compared to a young Fernando Torres, it is safe to say that the young Finn is one of the most exciting prospects at Liverpool. Being likened to the darling of the Kop is high praise indeed, but Dalla Valle’s pace, work-rate and finishing ability all bear testament to this sentiment.

Upon arrival from Finnish side JIPPO in 2008, Dalla Valle fired in 20 goals in 28 outings for the club’s U18 side. Having been subsequently promoted to the reserve side, the Finn took to reserve team football like a duck to water, most notably firing in a 32 minute hat-trick in the 5-1 FA Youth Cup drubbing of Leicester City at the Walkers Stadium. The dearth of striking options in the absence of Torres means that Dalla Valle may get the chance to showcase his talents for the first-team next season.

Martin Kelly – Defender – 20 years

A key member of Gary Ablett’s title-winning reserve side of 2007/08, local lad Martin Kelly certainly possesses the quality to establish himself within Rafael Benitez’s first team next season. Having made his senior debut as a substitute in a Champions League clash with PSV during 2008, Kelly made his first start against Lyon last year, deputising for the injured Glen Johnson. Kelly’s confident and assured display on the right-hand side of Liverpool’s defence saw the defender named as man of the match on the club’s official website.

Following a return from injury, Kelly made his Premier League debut, coming on as a substitute during the 4-1 demolition of relegated Portsmouth. The elegant defender is capable of playing in a range of positions across the back four, and is highly-rated by Rafael Benitez and his team. Expect to see more of the 20-year-old next season.

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Dani Pacheco – Forward – 19 years

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Cheekily poached from Barcelona in the summer of 2007, Dani Pacheco looks destined to forge a stellar career at Anfield. The 19-year-old made a series of cameos for the first team last season, notably coming close to scoring with his first touch upon his Liverpool against Fiorentina last year.

The creative forward, who operates just behind the main striker, is equally gifted with his goalscoring and chance-creating abilities. Whilst bereft of height, Pacheco possesses great vision and technique, as well as an eye for goal. The undisputed star of the reserve side, Pacheco has drawn admiration from Rafael Benitez, with the former Valencia manager stating that, “He is a player with talent and if he can keep working hard, he will use it more effectively. Sometimes players with talent are a little bit inconsistent, so if he works hard, like he is doing now, he can be very, very important. Everybody can see him playing really well with the reserves, scoring fantastic goals and getting a lot of assists. He is a player who can make a difference in the final third, which is what the fans like.”

Jack Robinson – Defender – 16 years

At the tender age of 16 years and 250 days, Jack Robinson is the youngest player to have ever played for Liverpool’s first-team. Having made Anfield history during the side’s 0-0 draw with Hull City, great things are expected from the Warrington-born defender.

Yet to feature for the club’s reserve side, Robinson has become a key member of Rodolfo Borrell’s U18 team. The left-back is noted for his sweet left foot and quality in the final third, as well as assuredness in defence. The departure of Fabio Aurelio means that Emiliano Insua is now the only recognised left-back within Liverpool’s first-team squad; in the instance that Aurelio isn’t replaced, it is likely that Robinson will feature more frequently for the first team next season.

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Everton manager David Moyes believes an England call-up would be long overdue recognition for low-profile midfielder Leon Osman.The Merseyside club have recovered from a slow start to reach seventh in the English Premier League table, with Osman one of the most consistent performers at Goodison Park this season.

The 29-year-old has been a mainstay in the Everton first team from 2004 onwards, but has never gained international recognition for his efforts.

That could be set to change, with England coach Fabio Capello reportedly considering Osman for his next European Championship qualifying squad.

“Well, that would be great if they are (looking at Osman),” Moyes said.

“I think that he’s sort of one that’s underneath since I’ve been here – he’s never just quite made the extra little bit, maybe to get involved with the England squad, but if that’s right that would be great.”

“He’s been a really good player for us.”

Osman joined Everton as a youth player in 1997, making his first-team debut at the end of the 2003/04 campaign, Moyes’ second full season in charge.

“He’s been a big part since I’ve come here, not just the recent form,” Moyes said.

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“He’s been very much right in there, doing as well as most people. He doesn’t maybe get the recognition or the plaudits he deserves a lot of the time.”

“He’s suffered a little bit with injuries in recent years, little bits at times that he’s been out, but overall he’s been an excellent player who we can rely on, we trust him and he’s done a really good job since I’ve been here.”

Thierry Henry understands Arsenal captain Cesc Fabregas' reported desire to return to Barcelona this summer.

Henry, the club's all-time leading goalscorer, left the Gunners to join Barca himself back in 2007.

The new Red Bulls New York striker has watched on with interest this summer while Fabregas has been the subject of one unsuccessful bid from the Spanish champions.

The 23-year-old midfielder is reported to have told manager Arsene Wenger of his desire to return to his former club and Henry can understand the lure of Barcelona.

"It is hard because the guy is from Barcelona. I wouldn't like to be in his shoes that's all I can say," he told BBC Radio Five's Sportsweek programme.

"I wouldn't like to be in his position because he is from there and he loves Arsenal. I don't know what to say about this because I don't want to talk for him.

"But as an Arsenal fan, for me, I want him to stay at Arsenal, but I would also understand if he goes back home."

Henry was unveiled by the Major League Soccer side on Thursday after being released by Barcelona and the former France striker has revealed he hopes to return to Arsenal one day.

The record-breaking 32-year-old scored 226 during 369 appearances during eight seasons with the north London club.

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"What I want to do is when I retire, I don't know how, but I want to come back to Arsenal," he explained.

"I have just come here (New York) to play and to compete and win another title. After everything is done then I will think about it.

"Whatever it is I want to come back (to Arsenal), maybe as a waterboy, I just love this club."Subscribe to Football FanCast News Headlines by Email

Stoke City boss Tony Pulis is content to remain patient in his efforts to strengthen his Potters squad this summer.

Rumours of a number of comings and goings from the Britannia Stadium are doing the rounds, with Pulis playing a waiting game to try and secure his top targets.

He told the club's official website:"It's the phoney season with transfers at the moment, so there is a lot going on beneath the surface, but few people are making a move.

"We are aware of who is and who isn't available, but agents and players are still dipping their toes in the water and not committing themselves just yet. That will change as time goes on.

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"It's just a case of everyone being patient and then hoping we can get who we want when people start making firm decisions."Subscribe to Football FanCast News Headlines by Email

David Villa knows that Barcelona must take advantage of playing the first leg at home in their Champions League clash with Shakhtar Donetsk.The La Liga title holders have an opportunity to take an aggregate lead in the quarter-final tie when they play host to Shakhtar at the Camp Nou on Wednesday.

But if they fail to gain a positive result at home, Barca may need to become the first team to win away to Shakhtar in Europe since the Ukrainian champions moved to the Donbass Arena in 2009.

“We’ve had a good weekend in the league (beating Sevilla on Sunday) and are very happy about it, but now we are in another competition against a tough opponent,” Spain striker Villa said.

“We’re playing at home in front of our own fans, but we still need to play well and not make hard work for ourselves in the second leg.”

“At this stage of the competition it’s very difficult to take a clear advantage going into the second leg (which is) at a ground at which Shakhtar haven’t lost yet.”

“They also play much better football in front of their own fans. We need to play well there.”