Since Graham’s been going on and on about predictions, here are a few I’ve made in the past (1, 2, 3, 4). I got a few specific ones wrong (David Jones was sold, Alan Smith was sold, Rossi was sold) but in hindsight, that was wishful thinking. I got a few key ones right as well - Makelele’s decline, Scholesy and Giggsy decline and Arsenal’s problems last season.

In any case, I hope you guys enjoy Gerry’s and Graham’s weekend previews - on to the rest of today’s news:

Read the rest of this entry »

As One Door Shuts…A Nutter One Opens

For some inexplicable reason, the subject of mental illness remains taboo. I am convinced that if we debate the topic in a mature and sensitive fashion, we could raise awareness of the constant unnecessary stigmatisation of these unfortunate lunatics.

I’m not embarrassed to admit that I used to regularly suffer from panic attacks. All it would take was an unexpected knock on the door, and I’d find myself screaming like Andy Cole’s wife. Luckily, the attack would subside once I realised my other half hadn’t arrived home from work early.

Read the rest of this entry »

“You’re writing a review of the championship games every Monday, so why don’t you do a preview of the games on Fridays?” Ahmed said to me.

“No problem, I’ll start this week,” I said.

“Yes,” Ahmed continued, “Just do a preview and make some predictions”

That’s where I hit a big problem. As I said in this week’s review, the fact is that every team in the Championship can beat every other one. My track record of predictions has been pretty poor on this site so far, and the prospect of predicting games in this league could completely destroy any vestige of reputation I am clinging on to so desperately.

21st placed Preston sum it up for me really. Last week I was depressed and devastated by the fact that my beloved Watford could only draw with them. In midweek, Preston go and beat the leaders Stoke, and all of a sudden I’m optimistic again and thinking what a great performance we put in last week!

Anyway, here we go with a look at all this weekend’s matches:

Read the rest of this entry »

A lot to talk about Liverpool today - the way the fan-based bid for the club is going, the whole deal with DIC and Hicks and Gillett, Mascherano’s new deal and my favourite, Carragher getting arrested for ‘common assault’ earlier this weekend (he was released on bail, don’t get too happy).

Read the rest of this entry »

He hasn’t scored in the French Ligue 1 since December 8, and in the African Cup of Nations, his performance was average at best. What on Earth seems to be the problem for Ivorian striker Aruna Dindane?

Dark magic, that’s what. At least according to some people back in Africa…

Read the rest of this entry »

England’s failure to qualify for Euro 2008 has had fans, officials and journalists alike busily arguing over the state of the English national game.

It’s not exactly all going swimmingly. Steve McClaren’s appointment was as much a symptom as it was a cause, but the first signs that Brian Barwick actually intends to remedy the game’s ills are beginning to drag themselves into sharp focus.

The national set-up is, supposedly, taking a long hard look at itself. The association has appointed the right man for the job at long last, bringing in Fabio Capello to deliver a swift boot to the rears of England’s prima-donna megastars and remind them that ‘you might be famous, but I’m your manager and you’ll do as I say’. And, if reports are to be believed, that’s exactly what’s happened.

In a strange time of reflection for English football, though, most of the sport’s fans and officials are aware that the rot runs deep. We are, at last, stoically refusing to be swept away by the tide of optimism, preferring instead to wish Capello well and give him our backing, but take seriously the fight to fix football.

Read the rest of this entry »

You know, if there is someone who I’ve always had the utmost respect for, throughout all these winless years (let’s face it, until 2006 Inter Milan hadn’t won squat for the past two decades, save for a measley UEFA Cup in 1998), it’s Javier Zanetti. He’s been the heart of the Nerazzurri ever since he transferred from Banfield in 1995, and Wednesday he had the occasion to prove it yet again, by saving his team from their first Serie A loss of the season. Not only that, but losing against Roma would have meant the onset of a mini-crisis among Inter ranks, especially after the draw vs. Sampdoria and the Liverpool catastrophe.

Speaking of Roma though, yesterday night proved one thing: 17 matches after the Supercoppa Italiana and 10 months after their 3-1 away victory at Giuseppe Meazza, if there’s one team Inter have a tough time tackling it’s the Giallorossi.

Read the rest of this entry »

Something you folks didn’t know about Paul Gascoigne:

Handed £1000 over to Jimmy Five Bellies after betting that the burly boozer couldn’t withstand a cigarette lighter’s heat on the bridge of his nose for five seconds. Jimmy could. Twice.

More on Gascoigne, plus Israel, Iran, Italy, Idiots and the Premier League (just about par for the course…).

Read the rest of this entry »

“If the FA Cup final is football’s Ascot, then the League Cup final is its Derby Day.” – Alan Hardaker

Now that the euphoria over my beloved Spurs’ Carling Cup win has abated somewhat, I thought it might be a good time to voice an idea as to how to salvage the dignity of a competition for which the general media, big clubs, fans of big clubs, and even some players (David James) have about as much respect as for the average fat paper-boy.

Read the rest of this entry »

In this week’s WagSnatch Roundup is Gazza finally on the mend, the Spurs boys are still celebrating, not one but two WAGs get into a catfight, Beckhams exposed and moving on up, Cheryl Cole goes back to her roots and the strangest pulling technique ever.

Read the rest of this entry »

Hasta El Gol Siempre’s Sam Kelly takes an early look at the start of Argentina’s football season - namely the 2008 Clausura and the Copa Libertadores.

The 2008 Torneo Clausura is three weeks old, and already Argentina’s got a club at the top of the league table who haven’t been there for a little while. Estudiantes de La Plata, the champions of the 2006 Apertura, have made a good start to life under new manager Roberto Sensini, winning all three of their games, but joining them on maximum points are a side who’d lately become all but lost to mid-table: Vélez Sársfield.

Read the rest of this entry »

If you’re running short on gift ideas for an upcoming birthday, look like the most thoughtful person in the world (what did you do?!), or get a jump on your own Christmas wish list, you’re in luck, because Getting Personal likely has what you’re looking for.

Read the rest of this entry »

John Terry’s season just seems to go from bad to worse. Chelsea coach Ten Cate has admitted to a ‘bust up’ with Terry prior to the Carling Cup Final defeat on Sunday.

“We are both kind of emotional, but we respect each other fully,” Ten Cate told The Sun.

“We just had a discussion about the intensity of the training session. That’s a normal part of the game. There have been a few F-words, no doubt. But that’s common in England.”

With this news, together with the Carling Cup defeat, a succession of injuries and increasing criticism in the media, John Terry seems to be fighting an uphill battle to retain his England captaincy under the new manager. Fabio Capello has yet to decide whether Terry will continue to captain his side as he did under Steve McClaren.

Read the rest of this entry »

“You give your life to football and then it often forgets you. Football clubs have a bad habit of taking players in, making the most of them, and then vomiting them up once they’re too old or injured […] That’s where the Professional Footballers’ Association are so wonderful, because they do not forget anyone”.

- Malcolm Macdonald

Hugo Steckelmacher takes a very analytical look at the world’s oldest professional sportsman’s association: is it needed, what is it for, and ultimately, is it doing its job? Soccerlens investigates.
.
Read the rest of this entry »

Former Liverpool boss Gerard Houllier says English footballers are pushed into top management jobs too quickly. He has told the BBC Inside Sport programme that he believes Bryan Robson, Stuart Pearce and Gareth Southgate all took on senior positions far too soon.

“In France, you cannot become a manager when you step out of your career as a player,” he said.

“Would a manager of a big company put somebody without experience into a key position in his company? No, he would not, but they do in football.”

Read the rest of this entry »

Images courtesy of Oscar R. Amoia.

One of the great things about the Internet is that the world has become a smaller place. If you view my blog and world football site, I state that the whole world is united by a ball. For me, it means something very personal.

Read the rest of this entry »

Oxford United’s relegation from the football league in 2006 was a boon to pub quiz writers. A disastrous season meant they were now the only English team to win a major domestic honour to be playing non-league football, while simultaneously being replaced in the league by Accrington Stanley, a team they’d replaced in 1962 when Stanley went bust. Quizzers may be scratching their heads. Oxford fans will just be asking one question: how?

One would not have anticipated the club sinking so low since their Milk Cup win of 1986 but the 2007/08 season has seen new depths plumbed. Despite starting this season as a tip for promotion back to the league, Oxford are currently 12th having just put together their first back-to-back wins since August.

There’s no one reason why the U’s have dropped so far but, as with most other clubs going through difficult times, Oxford’s is an all too familiar tale of heavy debts and controversial owners taking their toll both on and off the field.

Read the rest of this entry »

It feels like Thursday afternoon although it’s just Tuesday morning (or afternoon in my part of the world). So, allow me to rush through today’s news roundup (juicy as always) as we struggle with weight issues and the obvious lack of time in our lives.

Read the rest of this entry »

This is the first of what will become a weekly round up of the events in the English Championship. A chance for me to let everyone know how my beloved Watford are doing, and to let you know how much hair I have left and how much of it has gone grey.

Read the rest of this entry »

The monotony was finally ended on Sunday as Tottenham became the first club outside the top four to win a trophy in England since Middlesbrough in 2004. It was a deserved victory by Ramos’ men as they come from back from a goal down to beat Chelsea. But as one manager is receiving praises for winning a trophy just four months into his tenure in England, another is being victimized for not having won it.

As unlikely as it seems, Chelsea boss, Avram Grant, is being heavily criticized for one reason or another. The Sun and others like it joyfully explain how Grant did a horrible job in preparing for the cup final and how this would never have happened under the Special One. The worst part: the shameless propaganda has gotten to Chelsea fans, most of which by now are dissatisfied with the job that Grant is doing at their club.

Read the rest of this entry »

I won’t mention anything about what happened to Arsenal’s Eduardo over the weekend, since it’s been talked about plenty already, but I send my get well wishes towards him, and hope he’s back scoring goals (but not against Manchester United) again as soon as possible.

It was a pretty important weekend of football in the Premier League, with the race for the title and for European places getting ever tighter as we edge towards the home stretch.

At the other end, the relegation battle is ongoing, and though it’s almost a given that Derby will be playing Championship football next term, several other sides are fighting to not join the Rams in the second level.

Read the rest of this entry »

While the Premier League title race rages on, things are edging closer to completion below the top flight.

There are limited spots on the elevator up, but there are plenty of teams trying to throw some elbows and trip some others up to secure their place on the next level.

Read the rest of this entry »

In a cliché world everyone in Switzerland and Austria walks around in Lederhosen, quaffing down Wurst, Schnitzel and large vats of foamy lager, whilst trekking up large mountains with large dogs, socks pulled up yodelling about Ricola. In reality Lederhosen is a German fashion item and the only yodelling that still exists is in American adverts. The beer and the food is very true.

Unless you have been locked away for the last year, I am sure you are aware of the forthcoming European Championships hosted in said countries from the 7th to 29th June. Here is a guide on how to get around, generally survive and make the most of your money.

Read the rest of this entry »

If Real Madrid fail to win their 31st league title this season, they may well look back at this week as being where they lost it. Madrid conceded a ridiculous goal which gave Getafe a 0-1 win at the Bernabeu and allowed Barcelona to reduce the points difference to just two. Only four weeks ago when Barça dropped points at Athletic Bilbao, Madrid had a lead of nine. So far in 2008 Madrid have lost three games in La Liga, two in the Copa del Rey and one in the Champions League, while Barça remain unbeaten.

Read the rest of this entry »

A very good morning to Tottenham fans and those who don’t like Chelsea - Tottenham beat Chelsea 2-1 in the Carling Cup final yesterday in an emotional, gripping game that went to extra time (but thankfully, not penalties).

On to today’s news, where Nigeria are holding Moyes’s family hostage (or planning to, at least), Stan Collymore talks to Soccerlens, more insight into the Fifa bullies, Steve McClaren finally learns something about football management, Sir Alex Ferguson’s hypocrisy and a male football player feels up a female ref (we don’t make this shit up folks)…

Read the rest of this entry »

The Scousers are famed for their sense of humour. Not that there are many Liverpudlians of a red persuasion laughing at the moment after Barnsley’s impudent victory at Anfield last Saturday, a result which has condemned Rafa Benitez’s boys to be the butt of everyone’s jokes for the next few days.

It’s human nature – let alone football etiquette – to revel in the misfortune of the great and mighty. We were all sniggering at Arsenal’s mauling at Old Trafford and if Chelsea had been downed by Huddersfield at Stamford Bridge, we’d be wetting ourselves. The bigger they are, the more humorous the fall.

So what now for Rafa and his players? They’re not the first side to suffer the ignominy of losing to lower league opposition. A morale-boosting win over Inter Milan at Anfield in midweek went a long way to papering over the cracks and a respectable late rally in the Premier League, closing the chasm that currently exists between the top three and the Reds, would certainly not go amiss.

And yet the feeling persists that there are long-term, fundamental problems at the club.

Read the rest of this entry »

I felt a mixture of bemusement and enjoyment as I sat and watched the fascinating and lively auction for cricket’s upcoming Indian Premier League. But once I’d got over the amusement of seeing players being bought for different teams in an auction house and awarded their price as wages with no choice as to who they play for - it suddenly dawned on me that the Indians might have struck gold on this one.

Read the rest of this entry »

There were some beautiful scenes at Wembley yesterday as Tottenham lifted the Carling Cup. Essien and Zokora shaking hands as the Chelsea man made his way off the pitch, the delight on Woodagte’s face after he scored what turned out the winner and, most of all, the tears (or what looked like tears anyway) in Keane’s eyes after the final whistle went. Among the great things that happened on the pitch yesterday was a performance which deserved a man of the match award from the man in green.

In over 120 minutes of football I counted 2 mistakes by Mr. Halsey. Maybe there were more but in any case, he did better that any one referee in any one matched so far this season. But before I go any further I want to highlight that the penalty decision, which I found rather dubious, was given by the assistant referee after Halsey waved play on.

Okay, so onto the actual match and the two mistakes I found:

Read the rest of this entry »

I haven’t been a full-time football writer for very long. I absolutely love doing it, and I genuinely think I’ve got an opinion worth sharing. It isn’t always one that many people agree with. In fact, in some cases it’s hard to find anyone, but it usually lead to good debates, which is what writing opinions is all about. I’ve played at a reasonable level (It was a decent pub team) and I’ve been watching the game for nearly forty-years. Like every other football fan in the world I think I know about the game. Why the FA turned to Capello when I was available I just don’t know!

I just want everyone who reads these pieces at Soccerlens, and elsewhere, to realise that putting your opinions and predictions on paper is far from easy! I try my best, I really do, but already on this site my opinions are all there to come back to haunt me. Let’s have a look at some of the evidence:

Read the rest of this entry »

On Saturday morning, with some bookmakers, you could get odds as low as 8/11 on Arsenal regaining the Premier League title. And with their lead over Manchester United standing at five points with just twelve league games to play, some people may have argued those odds as fair.

Yet flick through the sports pages and websites today, and you won’t have to look far to find someone who is convinced that yesterday’s 2-2 draw away to 10-man Birmingham (coupled with United’s emphatic 5-1 demolition of Newcastle), proves that in fact Arsenal should not be regarded as favourites for this title. Have the bookmakers, not for the first time, got it all wrong? Or are the doom and gloom merchants gathering around the Emirates guilty off the typical sports writers’ error- over-reaction.

Read the rest of this entry »