bench - Most popular for 2012
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Images: facebook, headbandsandheartbreak.
We've got to say, while canvassing your opinions as to the hotness quotient of various players
is an endless source of fun and amusement for us, too much of a good thing is bad for you. We
actually ate so much confectionery yesterday that one of us is dipping in and out of a sugar coma
as we write, so you can be sure we've tested the theory thoroughly.
Arsenal striker Andrei Arshavin yesterday revealed that the lack of regular playing time was a
major factor that influenced his decision to leave the club. Having made only a handful of
appearances for the Gunners this season (most of them from the bench), Arshavin said that he was
happy with his return to his old club.
By Chris Wright
Good news everybody, we are hearing this morning that Eva Carneiro is to stay on as Chelsea's
first-team doctor despite the untimely sacking of the man, over the weekend, who had the grace,
foresight and endeavour to appoint her back in the summer one Andres Villas-Boas.
Now as you know, Fernando Torres spoke with Guilleme Ballage the Spanish Football expert on
SkySports and those comments have caused quite a stir yesterday. In a way, Ballage has dampened our
celebrations with the timing of his article but I guess he had no choice due to the content of what
Torres said.
By Chris Wright
This probably isn't going to stay up for very long, but here we have Wigan full-back Maynor
Figueroa pulling off one of the most brazenly ridiculous handballs for quite a while as, with a
matter of minutes left to play against Man City last night, the Honduran leaps like a salmon to
blatantly swat a bouncing ball away with Sergio Aguero poised to scamper in on the Wigan goal from
45-odd yards out.
By Chris Wright
Someone chundered (we've blurred it because, let's face it, no-one likes looking at sick) all
down the Arsenal substitute bench against Milan last night chief culprit being Tomas Ro-sicky,
though it may also have been Per Mertesicker or even Mik-hurl Arteta.
Former Argentine international Hugo Gatti has launched a scathing attack on Barcelona's Lionel
Messi by stating that he would be a 'bench-warmer' in the days of Diego Maradona and Johan Cruyff.
Speaking to Radio La Red Gatti who made 18 international appearances for Argentina between 1967 and
1977 sought to bring Lionel Messi [.
Thierry Henry's promising debut on his return to Arsenal pretty much hypnotized everyone
including the Gunners' manager, Arsene Wenger, who can't seem to stop sending out his praises
towards the veteran striker.
Scoring the London team's winning goal against Leeds United in the FA Cup apparently convinced
Wenger that Henry is ready to play in the premier league, partnering Robin Van Persie up front.
ALSO FILE UNDER: This thing might just go away in 5 or 6 years
As player acquisition tools evolve in Major League Soccer, January's annual SuperDraft seems
destined to shrink in relevance. Even this year the process already is shrinking, literally,
reduced to just two rounds. That's down from four rounds just two years ago.
Carlo Ancelotti joined PSG in December after being sacked by Chelsea. The Italian won the double
in his first season but failed to inspire The Blues as they finished without a trophy the following
season.
The 52-year-old admitted he was hoping to replace Arsene Wenger in north London.
Morning all,
and let's start with some good news, for a change. Word is Thomas Vermaelen could be in line to
play against United later on. He trained with the first team yesterday and assuming all went well
it means he'll start the game at left back. It'll certainly add some solidity to a back four which
could really do with it at the moment, but we ought not to forget that our defensive issues aren't
simply the domain of that group of players.
JOSH. Fortunately, he won't be playing against us. Nevertheless, this is going to be hella
difficult.
Team news and the like from 2:30pm EST.
Team sheets
Swansea City
Vorm, Rangel, Caulker, Williams, Taylor, Britton, Allen, Sigurdsson, Dyer, Sinclair, Graham.
Cute Ryo. Adorkable through and through. Isn't he? Image: Jamie McDonald/Getty Images.
You're already familiar with the "sculpted by angels" loveliness that is (on-loan from Arsenal)
midfielder Ryo Miyachi. According to you lot, he's variously "beautiful", "handsome", "so pretty he
could be a girl" and "looks like he's made of wax".
Barcelona came back from conceding a 9th minute goal to beat Valencia 5-1 on Sunday. Lionel
Messi scored four of those goals just because he can, but with Barca up 3-1 in the 77th what seemed
like a routine substitution of Thiago for Cesc Fabregas got a little frisky. Fabregas gave Pep
Guardiola a hug as he made his way to the bench, but after the two exchange a few calm words,
Guardiola shoved Cesc by the back of the neck.
If you have been wondering why Jozy Altidore has been relegated to the bench for AZ Alkmaar, it
looks you now have an answer.
According to a report from the Netherlands, AZ manager Gertjan Verbeek has preferred to start
Charlison Benschop over Altidore in recent weeks due to Altidore's lack of progress.
Kickoff from the Stadium of Light at 3:00PM GMT/10:00AM EST
Ways to Watch:
Match live on Fox Soccer Plus in the US.
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Liverpool:
Team sheet when it's released
Bench:
Sunderland:
Team sheet when it's released
Bench:
By Chris Wright
Somewhere between 'audaciously awesome' and 'tacky as sin'; Sevilla's new substitutes bench, as
unveiled against Barcelona last night, is really quite something...
Wow.
The Frank Lampard preservation society proudly offers another edition of the groundbreaking,
intimate, and kinda shallow life of a Chelsea legend. In this episode, Frank smirks, gloats, and
then smirk-gloats. A lot.
FEBRUARY 26, 2012
Yes, I have kept my New Year's Resolution to not speak poorly of Mr.
Chicharito's bench thoughts : "Did I wrap the turkey with aluminium foil this morning?!"
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Liverpool manager Kenny Dalglish insists he will resist any temptation to rush captain Steven
Gerrard back into action too soon.
The Reds' talismanic skipper came off the bench in recent fixtures against Newcastle and Man City
following two months out with an ankle infection.
The temptation to start Gerrard in upcoming matches will be even greater for boss Dalglish given
that star striker Luis Suarez is in the midst of an eight-game suspension.
While some continue to debate the merits of sending MLS stars on loan, those in the camp that
doubted the quality of MLS were dealt a blow today. Thierry Henry, after two seasons in Major
League Soccer, returned to Arsenal and scored a magical goal to win the third round FA Cup match
over Leeds.
Henry came off the bench to side-foot home the game winner in the 78th minute for Arsenal.
In truth, there have been relatively few rumours linking Spurs players into or away from the
club and this has been a relatively quiet window so far. However, it seems that Harry Redknapp has
spent most of his time deflecting attention away from the majority of players already in the
squad.
Agudelo: One Foot Out the Door?When the New York Red Bulls' disappointing 2011 season drew
to a close, both Hans Backe and Erik Solér assured fans that they had identified the team's main
weaknesses and would be taking steps over the winter to address them. But with 2012 preseason
training camp having opened this week, the RBNY roster is still a work in progress, with question
marks hanging over the heads of several players and doubts remaining about key positions and bench
depth.
Liverpool midfielder Dirk Kuyt has spent lots of time on the substitutes bench this season, and
given the fact he hasn't scored a league goal in eight months now, it is, perhaps, easy to
understand why. Having said that, Anfield Legend Mark Lawrenson doesn't believe that continually
benching the Dutchman is the best solution.
Tonight Chelsea travel to the Liberty Stadium to take on the impressive Swansea side under Brendan
Rogers. We all saw how well they played when they beat Arsenal the other week and once again for
Chelsea, this is no easy game.
Imagine a Chelsea side without three of the four players that have been part of the core of our
side for the last five or six years.
By Chris Wright
'Twas a bit of a slow one yesterday as anyone who spent 11-and-a-bit hours 'glued' to the live
feed will tell you, with the total spending across the English leagues failing to surpass the £50
million that Chelsea spaffed on Fernando Torres this time last year let alone the ludicrous £225
million that was spent in total in January of 2011.
Looks like Mr. Backe has some decisions to make come opening day in Dallas. With a surplus of
forwards and central midfielders, it'll be interesting to see what formation and personnel makeup
the starting XI. With so many options and possible configurations at his disposal, how will Backe
manage his depth?
Ryan wrote yesterday about the formation likely to be the most common in 2012, based on John
Spencer's almost exclusive use of the 4-4-2 in 2011. It's true, Spencer likes the direct approach
to the attack, a strategy that uses lots of speed and doesn't require much in the way of
possession.
But part of me wonders if Spencer felt limited in choosing his formation because of a lack of
depth on the bench.
Bored? Tired? Pissed off because the DP you bought blew out his knee before playing a single
game, limiting himself to the bench for 6-12 months?
Well, I can't preform invasive surgery on Jose Adolfo Valencia, but I sure can give you a
wonderful way to waste your time until March. Meet rated90.
There was a point yesterday – just before Sunderland scored their freak goal – when I was
thinking: we need to change this game from the bench, but who can we bring on? We have no quality
on the bench!
Silly me.
All it took was one Ramsey pot shot, one sublime cross from Arshavin and one trademark Henry
finish to prove that Arsène Wenger still knows what he's doing.
By Benjamin Leinwand and Chris AndersonWhen it comes to pay, not all positions are created equal. In fact, we have long known that
strikers command a premium for their services. So it should come as no surprise that Major League
Soccer is no exception. In 2011, average earnings were distinctly tilted toward the offensive side
of the pitch.
Two of Europe's most storied clubs continue their quests for continental glory, when AC Milan
hosts Arsenal in the first leg of their UEFA Champions League knockout tie (2:45 p.m., Fox Soccer
Channel).
The highly anticipated match not only pits two of the world's top strikers, Robin van Persie and
Zlatan Ibrahimovic, against each other, but it also marks Thierry Henry's final game while on loan
with the Gunners.
Getting bleaker
When Chelsea went into half time in their match against Birmingham trailing by a solitary goal,
the Chelsea fans went into frenzy. They were booing and offered their team no support whatsoever.
It got worse, they were singing Mourinho songs. At the Stadium of Light, the travelling Arsenal
fans were facing the same situation but resorted to none of those sorts.
Arsenal announced today that they have chosen to loan out Andrey Arshavin back to his former
club Zenit St Petersburg for the rest of the season.
A marquee signing when he joined in January 2009, the captain of the Russian international team
proved an instant success, lifting the team to a 4th place finish almost single-handedly.
This afternoon, for most of us Chelsea brethren, was a nice change of pace from the usual
depression-filled days of the past couple of months.
It should have been an evening to savor for players, staff and supporters following the recent
string of poor result after poor result, but it seems as though more speculation is bound to engulf
Chelsea instead after Frank Lampard opted to talk up internal (and personal) strife rather than
focus on the positives of today's display.
Tottenham's Dutch international Rafael van der Vaart has hit the headlines for two reasons today
in the wake of Spurs' 5-2 defeat at the Emirates on Sunday. Firstly, Rafa ruled his club out of the
title race and at the same time, it was announced that he will miss Holland's friendly
international with England this week due to an ankle injury.
Kickoff from Anfield at 12:45PM GMT/7:45AM EST
Ways to Watch:
Match live on Sky Sports 1 in the UK and ESPN2/ESPN3.com in the US.
Wiziwig.eu
MyP2P.bz
StopStream.tv
ATDHEnet.tv
FromSport.com
FirstRowSports.eu
CoolSport.
20 year-old tough tackling Newcastle defender, Paul Dummett, has been sent on loan to Gateshead
for a month. Paul Dummett - Welsh U21 International defender The Welsh under-21 international
Dummett has joined Gatehead until 3rd April, and could make his debut tomorrow night against
Hayes and Yeading.
It's arguably Chelsea's biggest night since Moscow, two goals down with just 90 minutes to turn it
round and up against one of the most lethal counter attacking forward lines in Europe right now.
The question is who should Roberto Di Matteo decide starts the game?.
Di Matteo made an interesting point about his team selection against Stoke by more or less stating
that he made the selection based on the opposition.
By Alan Duffy
'Please God, let me dodge the army for another 10 years"
One of Arsene Wenger's surprise last-minute summer purchases, striker Park Chu-Young was
expected to return to South Korea in the next year or two to undertake his national service.
