Left back - a football blog

Last night on Sky Sports News Paul Merson called United’s performance against Portsmouth on Monday ‘different class’, everyone else in studio agreed and proceeded to wax lyrical about how great they were.
Now, I am a Liverpool fan and as such have a general hatred for all things Manchester red, but I believe I’ve reached an age where, apart from during a match when I’m filled with rage and hatred and bile and shameful thoughts of broken spines and permanent blindness, I can give credit where it’s due.

Deserving champions, it’s not nice but yes I think so.

On Monday I thought they were average. I thought it was a typical early season performance, a game they won but could just as easily have drawn or lost.
Different class? Certainly not.

Am I mad?
Are all pundits morons?
Do Sky have an agenda?

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I’m tremendously excited about this new season.

Even though we had the European Championships, this off season seems to have taken so long it’s almost rude. Maybe it’s been the relatively quiet transfer market (in terms of big name players at least)

My best guess is that the title race will be between Chelsea and Man United, although much was made of Portugal’s defensive frailties from set pieces under Scolari, and how will United get on while Ronaldo is out injured?

After Wednesdays performance against Standard Liege, is this really the season Liverpool mount a serious title challenge? Also, I’m guessing Liverpool’s European away kit was already designed prior to the purchase of Robbie Keane, someone should have warned Rafa he’s not the same player when he wears green.

Arsenal’s squad looks thin, they all said that last year and despite leading for a long time and being highly entertaining it ultimately proved correct. Squad looks even thinner this time though…..worried Arsefans?
Spurs will be fun I think, not sure in what way but fun nonetheless.

Questions:

Can any of the promoted teams survive? Come on you Tigers!
Will Sunderland’s expensively experienced mediocrity based approach to transfers bear fruit?
How is Deco going to enjoy being kicked around the park?
How could Setanta hire Clive Tyldesley? Really.
Will Everton sign anyone?
Paul Ince !?!?
Can Man City entertain us again?
Will Portsmouth miss Muntari as much as I think they will?

Think that’s all for now.

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I’m looking forward to Jay’s post about the Championship after his excellent round-ups of League 1 and League 2.

I’ve got my beady eyes on the top of the table, I have to say. Although an Arsenal fan as long as I can remember the first ever ground I visited was Boothferry Park to watch Hull City. I remember Tony Norman playing in goal and crowds were so low you could hear him bellow at his defenders.

“**&%&% &£^** %*%& **% YOU *%8**^&& %**&%**’s”, he’d roar.

“What does **&%&% &£^** %*%& **% YOU *%8**^&& %**&%**’s mean?”, I’d innocently ask my father who was most uncomfortable at the question from his 8 year old son.

So for that reason alone I’d love to see Hull City go up this weekend. No offence to any Stoke fans but I hope they bottle it.

Come on the Tigers.

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Isn’t Premier League football the best? Two Chelsea games in three days (the horror!), three goals, little in the way of excitement and all we have to really show for it is Avram Grant’s incredible post-match interview after the game against Everton. The Israeli is clearly going bonkers under the increasing pressure and criticism which is being heaped upon his broad shoulders, but there was no need to act like a petulant child in front of a baying media pack.

Credit must go to the Blues as the only side who are pushing Manchester United as the finishing post looms, but it is a season that has come at a cost. An increasing number of disillusioned “untouchables”, a stop-gap manager who clearly wont be there come August and a set of fans who are less than happy with the way the club is run. Chelsea’s slim dream of Premier League glory in 2008 may still be alive, but there hopes of doing it with dignity and style banished long ago.

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Despite the best comeback since Lazarus this weekend, I reckon Arsenal will finish 2nd or more likely, 3rd this season. There are three reasons for this in my opinion.

1) Lack of quality depth in the squad (particularly defence)

As has been highlighted in recent weeks, when the likes of Toure are out, there is a lack of quality cover in the team. Senderos is error-prone and Djourou is out injured. Hoyte is not a centre back, and Song is erratic. Once Eduardo got knacked, only Adebayor was the only consistent goalscorer, with Van Persie only just coming back from injury. Rosicky is made of glass and Diaby is no goal-getting midfielder. Some players are excellent, such as Sagna, Fabregas and Clichy but you don’t see the continuity that Man United or Chelsea (or Liverpool to an extent) have.

2) Hleb

Despite a good early season and a good performance against AC Milan (fuelled by ice cream apparently), he has reverted to form; “All show, no go” said my Gooner mate. “Why won’t he fucking shoot” he added.

3) Eboue

Can someone explain to me what this bloke adds to the team? He can’t cross, he can’t tackle, he doesn’t score, can’t defend and generally appears irrelevant. During the Chelsea game the other week he was being booed – was this by the Arsenal fans? His histrionics must be embarrassing to Arsenal fans, and his behaviour in general is pretty disgraceful. Walcott is a much better option, he can take players on a bit more and scores goals from time to time.

What Arsenal appear to lack is a big player – someone like Torres, Ronaldo or Henry. The sort of player that other teams would look at and think “I hope he’s not in the team today”. Arsenal will probably spend about 12 quid in the summer, buying some unknown players and turn them into multi-million pound assets and watch them be linked with Barcelona and Real Madrid every day for the rest of their careers but I reckon they could do worse than blow some decent money on two or three experienced individuals; Gallas and Rosicky are the only proven players bought recently, others such as Eduardo, Sagna and Walcott haven’t done it yet.

The season for Arsenal is not over yet, but the three games against Liverpool are extremely significant – aside from the fact that they have to go to Old Trafford in the League. They’ll still finish above Tottenham though, despite what was written in the meeja back in the Summer….

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Tottenham - what were you thinking? A spectacular 4-4 draw may of been salvaged due to a late Robbie Keane strike but the decision to play highlights from your Carling Cup success before the game is utterly baffling. Why give Chelsea even more ammunition after their pathetic 2-1 reverse?

All said and done though, what a game. We were even given more reasons to dislike Ashley Cole and Pascal Chimbonda!

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It may be a couple of days old now, but Michael Owen may want to look a little closer to home if he is worried about his Engerland place; it’s got very little to do with Newcastle’s (woeful) form – if Capello drops him, it’ll be because Owen himself is not playing well. Right now, Defoe is a more viable option in my opinion alongside Rooney.

If you look at the rugby, Jonny Wilkinson has been dropped for the national team, and in the cricket Matthew Hoggard and Steve Harmison have been dropped. Why? Because they aren’t performing. Owen isn’t performing. The goals Owen has scored in the past are just that – in the past.

It appears that little Michael is more bothered about his place in the national team than helping King Kev out of the quagmire that surrounds Newcastle right now. He maintains that his club is his main focus, but the word “contract” has already been bandied about. He’s two years into a deal worth in excess of £100K per week, and has scored five goals in 24 games (19 starts) this season. Not a good return. The only way they are going to do anything (i.e. survive with a modicum of dignity) is if they score more than they will inevitably concede in each game, and the problem is that Owen is one of only two real options for them. Smith isn’t going to do it, and don’t get me started on Ameobi. Martins has had a stop-start season, interrupted by the African Cup and injury but he is class - a full season will show that. Viduka can’t play more than two games in a row because his head and arse are too big and you can’t rely on the evergreen Shay Given to keep the score down.

KK has to run the changes in the summer, starting at the back and remove the dead wood brought in by BFS; he also needs to keep hold of N’Zogbia and Milner who are, in my opinion, the two best outfield players in the team. Newcastle fans are among the most loyal, but there will come a time when enough is enough.

It comes down to options; Newcastle haven’t got many as KK didn’t spend during the transfer window (why not Kev, why not?) but Engerland do.

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I don’t recall any chants regarding Luc Nilis’ broken leg. Or the ill health of Martin O’Neill’s wife.

You thick cunts.

Don’t even consider complaining if anything happens to a Villa player this, or next season. I used to like really like Villa; great ground, an improving team. Pity about the supporters.

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After the revelation that Juande Ramos vetoed the open-top bus parade, this piece makes me wonder - what sort of tattoos were they? I expect Darren Bent’s read “We won the Carling Cup and all I got was this tattoo. I was at Spurs that season, in case you didn’t notice.”

What WOULD happen if they won the League? Pillage? Human sacrifice? Is the Carling Cup worth THAT much to the Spurs players, or is it years of underachievement manifesting itself in overboard actions? A DVD, mug and commemorative t-shirt of the semi-final win against Arsenal is obviously not enough. Perhaps this competition is finally coming back to (near) the top of some teams priorities. Maybe.

Yeah, right.

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The Manager of the Month awards for February are in, so avoid backing the following teams as the dreaded curse descends on…

Stoke City! Tony Pulis was the victor in the Championship after guiding Stoke to five wins in six but, somewhat predictably, once the Potters reached the poisoned chalice of first place, they contrived to lose against Preston to give the sides directly beneath them a lifeline. Next up for City are the trio of QPR, Burnley and Norwich - all tricky, but all ultimately winnable. Expect to see them languishing in 4th by the beginning of April then.

Carlisle manager John Ward is the deserved winner in League One after wins over fellow promotion hopefuls Walsall, Doncaster and Huddersfield saw the Cumbrians end the month in 2nd, only the 12 points behind Swansea, while in League Two Peter Jackson gained the plaudits after Lincoln City won five of their six February games - all while battling cancer.

With the season beginning to hit its business end in terms of promotion and relegation, can the above continue their good form into the pivotal month of March?

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