Golazo de Buttner vs Wigan by rrmisas 1. It was a good weekend for scoring on your debut. Alex Buttner, Nick Powell, Dimitar Berbatov, Mark Lowton, Christian Benteke and Javi Garcia all accomplished that feat. 2. Paul Scholes: he continues to score goals. The Manchester United legend marked his 700th game with a goal against [.
So, apparently there was a game on yesterday. As we all try and destroy the image of John Terry
holding up a European Cup forever from our brains, here's something to keep us distracted. The
third and penultimate part of the season review, where I grade our forward line.
Ju-Young Park: F
I have to say, I was quite excited when we announced this signing back in August.
The Linesman takes the international break to look back at how August went for the Premier
League teams.
1. Chelsea 9 pts
Di Matteo endured a magical 11/12 season and led Chelsea to the top of the table by nailing 3
out of 3, mostly thanks to new signing Eden Hazard, which the talented attacking midfielder had one
goal and six assists and was the star in August.
I watched a lot of football over the weekend: Manchester United versus Fulham, in which some
Dutch bloke scuffed the ball over the line; Chelsea v Newcastle, a mid table clash between the
fifth and sixth best teams in England; Stoke v Arsenal, in which a party of brave adventurers
including at least one dwarf travelled to Mordor, failed to slay some Orcs and came home again;
and, finally, a mugging in Liverpool (I know that's not news, but this one was a
footballing mugging, with the away team stealing an undeserved point).
I watched a lot of football over the weekend: Manchester United versus Fulham, in which some
Dutch bloke scuffed the ball over the line; Chelsea v Newcastle, a mid table clash between the
fifth and sixth best teams in England; Stoke v Arsenal, in which a party of brave adventurers
including at least one dwarf travelled to Mordor, failed to slay some Orcs and came home again;
and, finally, a mugging in Liverpool (I know that's not news, but this one was a
footballing mugging, with the away team stealing an undeserved point).
......... Don't worry! We survived it once and we can do it again, and this time, oh how
we are in a better position!
Think back to this god awful time last year. Bye-bye Fabregas and Nasri. Now think about the
situation we are in now. Bye-bye Van Persie and Song. Ask yourself, which two players would you
prefer to have?
......... Don't worry! We survived it once and we can do it again, and this time, oh how
we are in a better position!
Think back to this god awful time last year. Bye-bye Fabregas and Nasri. Now think about the
situation we are in now. Bye-bye Van Persie and Song. Ask yourself, which two players would you
prefer to have?
1. Anderson, Man Utd: He scored a real beaut in a pre-season
testimonial on Tuesday night, but it's fair to say that United are yet to get their money's worth
out of the oft-doughy £17 million Brazilian.
So, let's get the obvious line out of the way first. That difficult second season. Buoyed by the
adrenaline high of promotion into a new division, a team kicks on and exceeds the most apocalyptic
of pre-season predictions. In the lower divisions, this might mean two successive promotions, but
in the Premier League this usually means a mid-table finish of some description.
As Joe Allen moves ever closer to securing a £15million move to Liverpool, it beggars belief
that such a great old club would even want to bring the Welsh youngster in.
Allen has had one half-decent season at Swansea City in the top flight, a side who played with
abandon and got away with it, due to it being their first season in the Premier League.
Blackburn Rovers boss Steve Kean is facing a big dilemma, with rumours that Junior Hoilett may
be heading to the Bundesliga this summer rather than staying in England.
Hoilett, who scored seven goals in 37 appearances last season, is a product of the Blackburn
academy, but failed to help the club survive relegation during last term's torrid Premier League
campaign.
New Liverpool manager Brendan Rodgers is aware that reigning European and world champions Spain
play a uniquely dominant brand of football but is confident that his Reds side can play with a
similar approach.
Rodgers rose to prominence after leading his Swansea City side to play an aggressive style of
football that had been rare for a recently promoted club.
Luis Suarez is a fan of the way his new boss likes to play football.
Brendan Rodgers was confirmed as Liverpool manager last week after leading Swansea into the
Premier League and then masterminding a mid-table finish armed with limited resources.
Suarez was full of praise for the philosophy executed by the Swans following Liverpool's trip to
the Liberty Stadium in May, which ended in a 1-0 defeat for the Reds.
Paul Lambert has been unveiled as the new manager of Aston Villa.
The 42-year-old former Colchester boss has enjoyed a remarkable rise after guiding Norwich into
the Premier League and keeping them in a safe, mid-table position this season.
He replaces fellow Scot Alex McLeish, who was unable to rescue a slump for the Villains, after
relative success under now Sunderland chief Martin O'Neill.
Not too dissimilar from Swansea, Norwich have gone from nailed-on mid-table battlers to relegation
favourites in the space of week. Both teams have lost managers instrumental to their success and
Norwich have suffered extra ignominy – losing their top scorer and cult-favourite talisman, Grant
Holt.
Welcome to Liverpool, Rodgers – it's Top Four or the Door - originally posted on
Soccerlens.com
Top four may not be a divine right for any club in the premier league given the competition has
increased immensely over the past few years. Still the Manchester clubs remain clear favorites,
Blue side with their versatile squad plus cash and Red side with their stability.
Fenway Sports Group (FSG) and Liverpool Football Club today announced that Brendan Rodgers has
been appointed as the club's new manager, after signing a contract.
Rodgers, 39, is regarded as being at the forefront of a new generation of football coaches, an
excellent tactician and motivator with a progressive philosophy.
Liverpool confirm Brendan Rodgers as new manager - originally posted on Soccerlens.com
Liverpool have today confirmed that Brendan Rodgers will become their new manager for 2012-13,
joining the club from Premier League rivals Swansea.
The Anfield outfit have been in the market for a new head coach after owners Fenway Sports Group
dismissed Kenny Dalglish following a disappointing eighth placed finish in 2011-12.
Liverpool confirm Brendan Rodgers as new manager - originally posted on Soccerlens.com
Liverpool have today confirmed that Brendan Rodgers will become their new manager for 2012-13,
joining the club from Premier League rivals Swansea.
The Anfield outfit have been in the market for a new head coach after owners Fenway Sports Group
dismissed Kenny Dalglish following a disappointing eighth placed finish in 2011-12.
"It's not about results, it's about entertainment," says Sam Allardyce. Pause a moment to take that
in. The man often portrayed as the ultimate no-frills manager announcing that, actually, he quite
fancies frills and thrills. Except that's not exactly what he's saying. Because it is clear that,
for Allardyce, entertainment has always meant getting good results and getting good results means
entertainment.
We've already seen several sides hemorrhaging players over the past week or so, with the likes
of Bolton and Sunderland parting company with 22 players between them, while poor old Macclesfield
Town even went as far as releasing 21 players from a squad of just 33 on Monday following their
relegation from the Football League.
This'll mostly be an exercise in going through the motions as I mentioned earlier, I had a news
and notes post half-completed when the news of Kenny Dalglish's dismissal broke, so this is most of
that post with a few comments added on the current situation. We'll probably start the conversation
soon enough about what happens next at the top, but for now we can at least take a look at the
other goings-on from the week.
We've finally come to this day. The final day of the Premier League season for 2011/12. In
honesty, the season could not end quick enough because Arsenal has proved to be very frustrating
and a break is needed to regroup and rebuild the squad. However, I'm sure from tomorrow onwards,
I'm going to miss the team.
The hard work, the experts will tell you, has been done. Victories against Manchester United and
Newcastle United have taken Manchester City to the cusp of their first English league championship
in almost four and a half decades and on Sunday afternoon a win against Queens Park Rangers at the
City of Manchester Stadium will be enough to return the second part of the dynasty that the club's
lavish owners have set their hearts upon since taking control of it in 2008.
In the old days, there was humour about the state of corruption within Italian football.
Now the tittering is about the rampant corruption in ScudamoreWorld - the Premier League Theme
Park.
Serie A, Serie B, the Bundesliga, La Primera Liga (to an extent), the Dutch Eredivisie, the
Champions League, the Europa Cup, the leagues in Portugal, Denmark, Sweden and even Russia have
taken institutional actions that target the match-fixers.
Last season, it took an embarrassing 8-2 spanking at the hands of Arsenal's once bitter rivals
to force Wenger to actually spend some money. All be it, very average ones. Arteta aside, the
others were, and are still not good enough to play for Arsenal. It was a lot different this time,
as we actually did some decent business early on, but that was it.
Here's a quick recap of what's been going on at OL recently. There have been talks of several
depatures while Aulas has also promised new players, perhaps even this week.
The curtains get drawn on Lyon's season this Sunday, and boy have there been ups and downs!
While the men's team won the Coupe de France, the women's team won the Champions League in a second
consecutive final.
All 20 clubs are in action on the final matchday of the season in the Italian Serie A on May 13,
2012.
AC Milan v Novara
Neither team has much to play for as AC Milan will finish in second place and Novara will be
relegated. AC Milan are the superior side and will be heavily favored to get the three points.
Saturday night's Eastern Conference clash between the New England Revolution and Columbus Crew
is a critical game for both teams, as just two points — currently the difference between making
the playoffs and missing out on the postseason — separates them in the standings.
That the Revolution (5-7-1, 16 points) and Crew (5-4-3, 18 points) are so close in the standings
and both mid-table in the East one third of the way through the season shows how inconsistent both
teams have been.
Lee Nguyen and Chris Tierney hope that Saturday's clash against the Dynamo will deliver more
opportunities to celebrate. (Photo: Tony Biscaia/RevsNet)
It may not carry the same cache as the Revolution-Dynamo clashes of years past, but
Saturday's affair between the former MLS Cup rivals offers a number of its own storylines.
So, its out with the old and in with the new, yet its still the same old story.
Penny-pinching owners who care more about their draft players in Boston than investing a few quid
into their pet-project, namely Liverpool Football Club.
Brendan Rodgers, to his immense credit, got rid of alot of deadwood at Anfield; Adam, Carroll,
Kuyt, Maxi and Ecclestone, reducing the wage-bill and getting costs down.
Welcome to another edition of Monday Morning Centre Back
The Dynamo drew 2-2 with the Columbus Crew last night, coming back from a goal down late to
equalize and then holding on late as the Crew came close to becoming the first MLS team to win at
BBVA Compass Stadium. It wasn't the reaction match I was hoping for after last week's loss to New
York, but it's a point and the Dynamo offense looked sharp, especially in the first half.
With time being short before the first games kickoff, this division will be a little briefer
than the Championship and League One. As with the other divisions, not all signings have been
named, so if you notice someone, or perhaps a club that I've "missed", chances are I haven't
actually missed them, just made a decision to omit them.
Welcome back! When you get to mid-table then how do you measure success in a season? Well we look
at the candidates to move and shake within the table. Who will be left shaking in their boots and
who will ...
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When it comes to countries nutty about sport, few are nuttier than the Australians. Australia;
where a horse race can bring the county to a standstill; where men in tight, very tight shorts
chase an odd shaped ball are often cheered on by 70,000 nutty spectators; where two types of rugby
are popular and they excel in both.
Ever since the Seattle Sounders started talking about being open to adding a Designated Player
during this transfer window, speculation ran rampant about who might be moved in order to make
room. If a report out of Colombia is to be believed, it appears that player is Alvaro Fernandez.
The reports, which remain unconfirmed by official sources, suggest Fernandez would go to Colombia's
Deportivo Cali on a one-year loan.
EDITOR'S NOTE: It's Friday and we could do with a little more
discussion. Don't agree with all these estimations, but that's why it's a good conversation. -
Jeremiah
The silly season is here! While taking a break from designing my customized Xavi in Rave Green
jersey, I thought the following might be a good discussion topic: What are our players "worth" on
the open market, and where are they most likely to go?
Woden Valley, Belconnen and Gungahlin will be the dominant teams in mens and womens football.
Canberra FC will drift to a mid-table team. Canberra FC's aspirations for higher level football -
as in to play in NSW - is already long buried, confirmed by the riots of last years grand final and
further entrenched as their current status will be reduced in coming years.
