PremWatch 29th September 2008

It was a spicy but glorious weekend of Premier League football. Here's what happened:

Fernando Torres kicked things off in style on Saturday, netting twice to send Liverpool to a 2-0 Merseyside derby win over Everton at Goodison Park. Toffees midfielder Tim Cahill was sent off, given a straight red card for a challenge on Xabi Alonso. He made matters worse by walking away from the referee before the card was shown and ignoring requests to turn around.

Aston Villa defeated Sunderland 2-1 at Villa Park to go third in the table. Djibril Cisse scored clinically to put Roy Keane's side ahead, but Ashley Young and John Carew turned the game on its head.

Quick-fire goals from Can't Control and Matty Etherington put West Ham United in front at the end of the first half at Fulham. They were a man up too: Andy "Andrew" Johnson was lucky to receive a yellow card for a horror challenge, but found himself sent off for a second bookable offence in first half stoppage time anyway.

Cristiano Ronaldo scored a controversial penalty against Bolton Wanderers to put Manchester United in the lead. Jlloyd Samuel clearly won the ball from the Portuguese and referee Rob Styles will not be surprised to find himself in League Two next weekend. Ronaldo laid a second on for Wayne Rooney, who took his first goal of the season in great style.

Jonas Olsson scored the only goal at the Riverside as Middlesbrough went down to an unexpected defeat at home to West Bromwich Albion.

Newcastle United's new interim manager Joe Kinnear apparently got stuck into his side at half time against Blackburn Rovers, despite not being due to start his job until this morning. The Magpies' unrest continued, with Michael Owen's penalty a mere consolation after Chris Samba and Roque Santa Cruz had put Rovers ahead.

Goals from Jose Bosingwa and Nicolas Anelka gave an international feel to Chelsea's win over Stoke City at the Britannia. The win sent Chelsea top of the Premier League.


The evening kick off on Saturday took place at the Emirates, where Arsene Wenger had to watch his Arsenal side lose a lead and slump to a home defeat by newcomers Hull City. Paul McShane scored an own goal to put the Gunners in front, but a Geovanni stunner and a header from Daniel Cousin secured three points for Phil Brown's team.

On Sunday, former Tottenham Hotspur strikers Jermain Defoe and Peter Crouch haunted their old colleagues, scoring the goals in a 2-0 win over Spurs for Portsmouth. Pompey's Lassana Diarra was sent off late on, and the result puts massive pressure on Spurs boss Juande Ramos.

There was controversy at the JJB. Antonio Valencia hit a wonder-strike to put Wigan Athletic one up. Vincent Kompany equalised for Manchester City, but Steve Bruce's charges picked up a win with a questionable penalty - it was won by Valencia and scored by the prolific Amr Zaki.

In terms of the table, the end of the weekend sees Chelsea on top, with Liverpool, Villa and Arsenal in hot pursuit. West Ham will be pleased to occupy the UEFA Cup spot, but Spurs, Newcastle and Stoke remain in the bottom three.

(Photo Credits: BBC Sport)

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TFT meets...Ray Parlour

Ray Parlour is a popular man in the world of football. He's one of the most under-rated players of the last decade, anchoring the guile and verve of Arsene Wenger's Arsenal side with a work ethic and down-to-earth approach which allowed the more celebrated players to live up to the hype which surrounded them.

But Parlour in his pomp wasn't reliant simply on hard work. The man matched his team for skill and quality, and that's no mean feat. He was integral to a team which claimed silverware for fun, and eventually seemed to gain the respect he earned as his career began to wind down with moves to Middlesbrough and Hull City.

As part of his work in the build up to The Legends: England v Ireland, Parlour was kind enough to set aside some time to chat with me about Legends Football, Arsenal, Wenger and England.

"I think we're probably slight favourites," said Parlour of England's chances against Ireland at Craven Cottage on October 9th. "I think it'll be similar to the Scotland game, which we won 2-0, but Ireland have players like Phil Babb, Steve Staunton and Jason McAteer who are still fit and young. It'll be close."

Who will be the key players?

"Hopefully myself! I think you need to look at Robert Lee, who's a good player. We've had Paul Merson playing for us who is always good. Des Walker's very fit, still, and very solid at the back. We'll all have a go and run around a bit, and have some fun.

"For Ireland, Quinny [Niall Quinn] is likely to be a threat. He's a big lad, and he's a very good, technical player. McAteer and Babb have not long finished playing. I've heard Ray Houghton might be playing. He was excellent."

Parlour's last outing with England Legends didn't go as well as one might have hoped. Bramall Lane saw England thumped 5-1 by - you guessed it - Germany.

"We'll have to improve a lot. The Germans were a lot fitter and younger. We had a few older lads: Brian Robson was excellent on the night, we also played with Viv Anderson, John Barnes and Ray Wilkins in the side. They're all great players but the key is to keep the ball, keep moving it about, and not give it away when we're in possession."


The former Arsenal midfielder played his career at the confluence of talent and endeavour, and his lack of 'showiness' overshadows his significant medal collection. Parlour has four FA Cups, a League Cup, a Cup Winners Cup and three Premier League titles to his name, and that's what he's really interested in:

"It doesn't really bother me. The main thing for me is winning medals. 1998 was the real turnaround with Arsene Wenger having joined the club a bit earlier. Don't get me wrong, we had successes under George Graham, but Arsene Wenger was the real turning point. I was privileged to play with so many great players.

"I think I didn't help myself when it came to getting more England caps. I said something about Eileen Drury once, so Glenn Hoddle didn't pick me. I also had a great player in the team in front of me - it was always going to be difficult to get into the team ahead of David Beckham.

"There was injury too, of course. I went into a tackle with Roberto Carlos against Brazil and did my knee ligaments. That put me out for eight weeks and I missed a major tournament. So I probably didn't help myself, and I'd have loved to play more for my country, but every footballer would tell you that. That's football, though. And I was fortunate enough to have played in lots of finals."

It was in one of those finals that perhaps the most famous moment of Ray Parlour's career was played out. As well as the best known moment, it was Parlour's proudest. In the 2002 FA Cup Final against Chelsea, he set the Gunners on the way to victory with a goal that each and every player in that Arsenal team would have been proud of.

"I remember my dad drawing the curtains for cup finals as a kid, and to score in one was definitely my proudest moment."

What was it like to play under Arsene Wenger?

"It was fantastic. He was a real breath of fresh air when he came into the club. He changed everything. Training was enjoyable and fun. Most importantly the results really turned around.

"It's hard to name the best player I played with, there were so many great players. Dennis Bergkamp stands out most. He knew how to play between the lines, between the front man and the midfield. Thierry Henry would be close, but he would probably agree with Bergkamp. He set up loads of Henry's goals.

"Going back a few years, Tony Adams was fantastic. Ian Wright was a brilliant goalscorer and there's also Patrick Vieira and Marc Overmars."

So what's next for Ray Parlour? I'd read recently that he was considering doing his coaching qualifications after injury had made it difficult for him to find a club, but that's on the back burner at the moment. Parlour is enjoying his media work, but there could be a time when he wants to get back involved properly: "When I wake up and miss it, that'll be the day I do my badges."

He's positive about England's prospects under Fabio Capello, and England Legends' chances against Ireland:

"I think they'll do very well. They got a good result in Croatia, and I think a result like that was coming, to be fair. Lots of people would prefer an Englishman, but you have to go with the best. Capello has a great record at club level and hopefully he can translate that into internationals. He's got a good blend of players there.

"There's usually a few goals in these Legends games, so I'm going to predict 4-2...to England, of course!"

(Bottom Photo Credit: BBC Sport)

Ticket Information

Tickets for The Legends: England v Ireland are £14 for adults (over 16) and £8 for OAPs/Students, plus booking fee and available from Fulham Football Club’s Box Office on 0870 442 1234. Transmission for The Legends: England v Ireland will begin at 7pm. All Legends football games operate a ‘Kid-A-Quid’ scheme; all children under 16 will gain entry to The Legends for just £1. However, Two Footed Tackle can offer all my readers a discounted rate! Call Fulham Box Office and quote ‘Leg410” and you’ll get your adult ticket for just a tenner.

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Match report: AC Milan 1-0 Internazionale

With Mauro Zarate’s double against Torino sending Lazio to the top of Serie A this afternoon, the Milan derby - already one of football’s biggest occasions - took on extra significance. Carlo Ancelotti’s men needed a win simply to stay in touch with the Scudetto race, while a win for the Nerazzurri would see them return to the summit.

It was to be Milan’s night.

The first half was a pulsating, end-to-end affair. Neither team had notably more chances or possession, but Milan looked a touch more dangerous. Three scintillating Brazilians were the ringleaders every time the Rossoneri bore down on Inter’s goal.

There was little excitement early on, but for the occasional glimpse of brilliance from Inter striker Zlatan Ibrahimovic and one or two suggestions that the ‘Golden Trident’ of Kaka, Ronaldinho and Alexandre Pato could do some damage. But in the 12th minute, Nerazzurri defender Marco Materazzi pole-axed Kaka as the pair challenged for a header in the Inter penalty area. The referee was unmoved.

Five minutes later Ibrahimovic found himself through on the Milan goal, played in by Cristian Chivu, but mis-controlled. The Rossoneri quickly replied, with Ronaldinho and Kaka working a chance for Pato, who struck well from a tight angle but could not get on the scoresheet.

The same three caused havoc after 25 minutes. Kaka hit the byline with a storming run, and his cutback in the direction of Pato was deflected straight to Ronaldinho. His powerful shot was blocked well, but certainly gave the crowd something to shout about. The younger two have learned a thing or two about niggling fouls from Dinho, too.

And it was Ronaldinho who broke the deadlock in the 37th minute. It was a goal straight out of Brazil. Kaka sprung Inter’s offside trap (by being offside, basically) and floated a sublime cross to the back post, where his compatriot rose forcefully to thump a header into Julio Cesar’s top corner. The match had been evenly matched up until that point.

The first real chance of the second half came in the 52nd minute. Inter winger Mancini found himself free in the area and on the end of an in-swinging free kick from deep. He couldn’t get enough of a touch to glance the ball past a static Christian Abbiati. Once again, the Rossoneri followed defensive good fortune with attacking incisiveness, Kaka winning a corner from another powerful run into Inter’s box.

Jose Mourinho took a gamble on the hour, introducing Julio Cruz and Adriano in place of Mancini and Materazzi. Such bold changes worked well for Mourinho at Chelsea, and putting his faith in Adriano showed how far the Brazilian has come in the past few months.

But Inter began to look ragged shortly after the substitution. Wayward forward passing was desperate and over-ambitious, and was often happening under little or no pressure. Mourinho’s men also began to pick up silly bookings. Patrick Vieira and Ricardo Quaresma were carded in quick succession.

Nicolas Burdisso made matters worse for Jose with 15 minutes left. The Argentine was dismissed for his second bookable offence, leaving the Nerazzuri a goal and a man down, with little time to do anything about it. Amazingly, Marco Materazzi was also shown a red card - while sitting on the bench after being substituted. Matrix has got one hell of a gob on him.

Andriy Shevchenko came on near the end, and almost doubled Milan’s lead with a drive from inside the area, which was well saved by Cesar. In the third minute of stoppage time, Adriano wasted a golden opportunity to equalise, putting a free header wide of the near post.

So what have I learned tonight? Well, Inter and Milan players are all very friendly until frustration sets in. Massimo Ambrosini is a bit better than I often give him credit for, and Alexandre Pato is surely the most exciting young talent in world football.

Oh, and Inter are not going to stroll to a Scudetto win. And that’s exciting for the rest of us.

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Football Foundation rolls out London projects

Despite proclaiming herself a 'rugby mum', Home Secretary Jacqui Smith can be found in the Trinity Road Stand - where she holds a season ticket - at Aston Villa home games. Smith deals day to day with the issues of knife crime and drug mis-use, so she'll be pleased that her sport is going out of its way to help.

Football schemes for young people can no longer be simply about football. With the game emerging as a financial behemoth, it must consider corporate social responsibility (CSR) as much as any multinational.

The Premier League teamed up with the Metropolitan Police in 2006 to launch Kickz, a series of projects aimed at 12-18 year olds. The schemes include football coaching and competitions as well as "educational sessions about issues such as healthy lifestyles and the dangers of drug use and carrying weapons."

Now managed by the Football Foundation, Kickz was boosted in 2007 by funding from the Foundation, the Met and from the Department of Culture, Media & Sport's Premier League good causes fund. Regionally, London received a 3-year funding package in September 2007.


I was pleased to read about the roll-out of 65 London schemes when a Football Foundation press release dropped into my inbox a couple of days ago. Each London borough has at least two, and they're supported by all 14 professional clubs in the capital. Nice work.

In theory, Kickz benefits the community as well as the individuals taking part. Education should be central to the fight against knife crime, drug use and anti-social behaviour, as should providing young people wiith projects, activities and a reason to stay out of trouble and off the streets.

For the kids, Kickz is one of those distractions. Over 16,000 of them are registered nationally, and many gain qualifications. The press release mentions that some have earned their FA Level 1 coaching badges. Volunteers at London Kickz schemes have gone on to work on community schemes as full-time employees of professional clubs.

Multi-agency approaches are often criticised, but when all interested parties share a common goal and back a project properly, it can work well.

The police and the Greater London Authority have a vested interest in community order. Football does not necessarily share that interest, but it does have responsibility. It's great to see the clubs and the Football Foundation doing their bit.

(Photo Credits: Football Foundation, Evansdale)

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Quick Hits 26th September 2008

Interesting stuff I've read:

• Soccer parents from hell (Journey in Parenting, via On The Pitch)
• Golden age of football? (Two Hundred Percent)
• Genoa 3 - 1 Napoli (Serie A Talk)
• Venables says no to Magpies (FIFA)
• Chelsea for the quadruple? (Guardian.co.uk)
  

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Breaking news: Dean Windass to hold Brown showdown talks

Who said nobody breaks news on blogs? I was just tipped off by ITV about an interesting addition to their site. Hull City striker Dean Windass, the man who fired his club into the Premier League at Wembley in May, has used his blog to announce that he will be speaking to manager Phil Brown this week and is considering his options.

"These are strange times for me at the club I love as however much I'm enjoying seeing Hull City play in the Premier League, I'm getting more and more frustrated about not being involved.

"And it looked even bleaker on Sunday when I wasn't even named on the bench for the 2-2 draw with Everton. It was the first time in 18 years that I'd been fit but wasn't involved and it hurt like hell.

"I've got a meeting with manager Phil Brown this week to discuss my future and if he tells me that this is the way it's going to be then I will have to consider my options.

I'm not one of these footballlers who doesn't mind picking up a cheque every week for not playing and I also don't want to train every day and then end up taking the dog for a walk on a Saturday."

Windass is a popular figure among City fans, and they'll be sad to hear that his time at the club may be coming to an end. His honesty is admirable, and the fact that this was posted on his blog shows that he wanted the news to come from the horse's mouth. His sign-off, while talking about Hull's game against Arsenal, is ominous:

"Whether I'll be involved or not is another question."

(Photo Credit: Hull City)

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Tevez shambles almost over?

They call it 'the Carlos Tevez' affair, but it's not an affair at all really. Affairs are what sweaty fat men have with their secretaries. It's more like your average sham marriage: a deliberate construct aimed at benefiting all parties - except the authorities.

When Javier Mascherano and Carlos Tevez were touted around the Premier League by owner-agent Kia Joorabchian, it seemed a little odd that they ended up at West Ham United, being photographed alongside a suitably shocked-looking Alan Pardew, then Hammers manager. It's fair to say that the whole 'affair' was a little suspect.

Sure enough, it emerged that Joorabchian's involvement was interesting, to say the least. As is common in South America, Macherano and Tevez were part-owned by Joorabchian. This, among other suspected concerns, rendered the players ineligible to play in the Premier League. Joorabchian was a third party, and that's a big no no. Or at least it used to be.

The Premier League whimpered at the thought of tackling Joorabchian, and shuffled their feet long enough for West Ham to play Tevez for most of a season in which they ended up with a new manager, Alan Curbishley, who helped them to the depths of a relegation battle which should have doomed them to the Championsip. Strangely, Mascherano didn't get much of a look in.


But then Carlos came to the rescue. A string of outstanding performances and key goals from the little Argentine striker - including the winner on the final day at Old Trafford - kept West Ham up. You'd almost be pleased for him if he wasn't an accessory to this sordid nonsense. Of course, where relegation is involved, there has to be a loser. Sheffield United were sickeningly relegated from the Premier League in 2007.

Common sense and precedent suggested that playing an ineligible player in so many games could land West Ham with as much as a fatal 18-point deduction. At the very least, three points would have relegated them.

The Premier League utterly disgraced itself with its ruling. Despite finding West Ham guilty, the body did not relegate them or deduct the points necessary to do so. For playing a world-class ineligible player for free a season, West Ham United were fined £5.5m. The reason for such leniency? "Won't somebody please think of the supporters?" The League's foot-dragging had left it unable to punish United appropriately. Besides, what about the Sheffield United fans?

Needless to say, Sheffield United were not best pleased. After all, £5.5m is peanuts compared to the sums involved in promotion and relegation to and from the top flight. Blades chairman Kevin McCabe has been seeking compensation, and a tribunal has now indicated that the door is open for him to achieve his aim, to the tune of £30m. I hope it works out that way.

So well done to Sheffield United for sticking to their guns. West Ham should have been thrown out of the league for their blatant and total disregard for the rules, for deceiving the league, and for bigging themselves up when the two players came in. As for the Premier League...absolutely disgusting. Another notch on Richard Scudamore's hellish bedpost of bad leadership.

(Photo Credits: CNN, The Sun)

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PremWatch 22nd September 2008

It wasn't the most exciting weekend of Premier League football, but it wasn't so bad.

Saturday saw the under-rated Blackburn Rovers striker Matt Derbyshire net the winner against a very decent Fulham side to bring Roy Hodgson's team back down to earth with a bump.

Arsenal put in a stunning performance after going a goal down at the Reebok against Bolton Wanderers. Kevin Davies had scored the opener, but Emmanuel Eboue, Nicklas Bendtner and Denilson fired Arsenal to a comfortable-looking victory. They were full of tricks and quick passing and looked good value for two big away wins in a week.

Stoke City benefited from some suspect officiating at Anfied, fighting out a goalless draw with Liverpool despite Steven Gerrard curling in what seemed to be a perfectly good free kick. Nobody seems quite sure what happened - including the referee, probably.

Two late strikes from Michael Chopra helped Sunderland to a home victory against Middlesbrough, who were apparently surprisingly lacklustre.

Meanwhile, Newcastle United collapsed at Upton Park. Michael Owen's consolation did nothing to ease the pressure on the club after David Di Michele scored twice for West Ham United, once with an absolutely sublime finish, and Matty Etherington made it three. So Gianfranco Zola's first game at the Hammers ended in a win.


England's European representatives were in action yesterday, with West Bromwich Albion and Aston Villa raising the curtain at the Hawthorns. Villa performed something of a hit and run job, fighting hard to secure victory after John Carew and Gabriel Agbonlahor had put Villa ahead with two goals in as many minutes. James Morrison pulled one back for the baggies.

Ji-Sung Park and Saloman Kalou netted for Manchester United and Chelsea respectively as United came within 10 minutes of ending Chelsea's 376-year-old unbeaten run at Stamford Bridge. Sir Alex Ferguson's team had a staggering seven players yellow carded and will face an FA charge.

Hull City threw away a 2-0 lead at home to Everton. Michael Turner and then, accidentally, Phil Neville, turned in corners from Dean Marney to put City ahead. Everton levelled with two goals in five minutes from Leon Osman and Tim Cahill.

Manchester City demolished Harry Redknapp's Portsmouth at Eastlands. Their six goals came from Jo, Richard Dunne, Robinho, Shaun Wright-Phillips, Gelson Fernandes and Ched Evans. Now THAT is a beating.

Tottenham Hotspur played Wigan Athletic too. Nothing happened.

In terms of the table, the weekend finally put the big four in their rightful positions, with the Champions League spots occupied by Arsenal, Chelsea, Liverpool and Villa. Stoke, Newcastle and Spurs form the bottom three, and I hereby vote that we end the season now.

(Photo Credits: BBC Sport)

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Football Bloggers network

Forgive the self-indulgence, but I have more readers here than blogging contacts elsewhere, so I'm going to allow myself a little free advertising - for a non-profit venture, you understand.

Here's the deal: Gary Andrews and I have spoken once or twice over a nice cold beer about trying to instigate some kind of community for football bloggers. We've got a lot in common, you know. We all care enough about the game enough to dedicate our time - mostly for free - to writing about it.

We wanted a resource which allowed bloggers to a) share, b) meet and c) drink. That's it.

But Gary and I are both social media types, so we didn't want to lay it on too thick. We spoke about a wiki and an agenda-free meet-up. But I took the plunge and set up a network using Ning.com and it seems to have gone down well.

So if you're a football blogger, football Twitter person or whatever, come by and say hello. There's no rules or leaders, it's just a focal point. Enjoy.

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Lack of Guthrie justice highlights structural incompetence

Every footballer gets frustrated, especially when he's losing. We're all aware that things are boiling over at Newcastle United. Kevin Keegan's second departure tipped supporters over the edge, sparking a protest against the so-called 'Cockney Mafia' which, in turn, appears to have driven owner Mike Ashley out after what seems like five minutes in charge.

But it got worse. On Saturday, flying Premier League new-boys Hull City came to town and gave United a lesson in football. With turmoil poisoning the air on Tyneside and United stinking the place out on the pitch, Newcastle's Danny Guthrie lost his rag. Guthrie's 'challenge' on Hull's Craig Fagan was a sickeningly petulant attack, and scans showed later that Fagan has suffered a broken leg as a result. He's out for three months.

Referee Andre Marriner showed Guthrie a red card for the offence, and the Football Association was asked to consider extending his ban, given the violent and unnecessary nature of his swipe at Fagan.

Hull, and manager Phil Brown, were understandably furious about the incident. Brown opined angrily that the three match ban received by Guthrie was not sufficient, and he's absolutely right. But events since the extent of the injury became clear have left a very sour taste and raised questions about the ability of the authorities to impose sanctions correctly through their cock-eyed view of the game.


In the same week as rescinding a red card for England skipper John Terry after he rugby tackled Manchester City's Jo, the collective known only as 'they' announced that they would not be taking any further action against Danny Guthrie for breaking Fagan's leg. One can only assume 'they' took into account Guthrie's apology to Fagan and decided on leniency. I really don't think that's appropriate.

Rob Parker at Soccerlens called for the other extreme, arguing that Guthrie should have been banned for as long as it took Fagan to recover. Increasingly, this view is being aired as the only solution to what seems like a rise in the number of shocking tackles in English football. Let's be honest, it has to be stopped somehow.

The real worry for football is that its total lack of will/ability to dish out justice appropriately might lead to clubs and players taking external legal action against offenders. It's already been mentioned in the Guthrie/Fagan case, and if tackles like Guthrie's are punished only by three matches on the sidelines, it won't be the last time legal action is considered. Football really doesn't need that at the moment.

(Photo Credits: Metro, Guardian)

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Highlights of England aways return to terrestrial

Before and after England's impressive 4-1 win in Croatia last week there was a bit of a stink over the rights to broadcast highlights of England's competitive away matches. The live rights belong to Setanta, a company with an increasinly bad public perception, and they've been at loggerheads with fans, Parliament and various football bods regarding their price for the rights to show highlights packages.

The debate raged. The nationals began to ask questions about whether England games should be either shown or highlighted on terrestrial TV as a matter of course. The same question was raised in the House of Commons (I'd dig up the Hansard link, but you wouldn't read it and their search function probably hasn't improved since the heady days of using it almost hourly), and fans bemoaned the fact that, after a good performance at last, Setanta were seemingly holding the footage to ransom.

Last Thursday, ITV sent out a press release announcing that it had agreed a deal with Setanta to belatedly show highlights from Zagreb. And I've just received another press release from those good folk at the station, which gleefully states:

"ITV can today announce that it has agreed a deal with Setanta to broadcast highlights of all of England's remaining World Cup 2010 away qualifying matches."

Good news indeed. The highlights will be shown on the correct day at 10.30pm, and add to ITV's full live competitive home rights. More ITV footy-related type stuff at ITV.com/football.

(Photo Credit: LA Times)

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Vokes fires Wolves to the top of the pack

A little while back, I wrote about Wolverhampton Wanderers boy-striker Sam Vokes. I'm a big fan, what with him a being reasonably local lad when he was at Bournemouth, and a goalscoring machine. I like goalscoring machines.

So I was pleased for Sam when he got a move into the Championship with Wolves, and began singing his praises in the direction of my Wolvo-type colleague. And lo and behold, Vokesy's delivering the goods, wowing Wolves fans and making me look like God's own football scout.

However, given the Cherries' dire financial situation, I was less pleased yesterday when said Wolve-type colleague informed me that word in the Black Country has it that the transfer fee paid to Bournemouth for their finest talent in years was a not-so-grand total of £300,000. Including add-ons.

Still, he's started his Wolves career with a bang, and good on him. Sam, pictured above in a sort-of Wolves-looking Bournemouth shirt, has notched up a tidy three goals in three league games. The first came away at Plymouth on opening day, grabbing a late point for his team in a 2-2 draw. Two and three came as a pair at the Valley on 13th September and, having played Wolves between those games, Accrington fans will be thankful he didn't add to Wolves' trio that day.


Even better news for Vokes comes in the shape of a Wales call-up, and three caps to boot. In the recent round of World Cup Qualifiers, Sam Vokes scored his first goal for Wales: a vital winner to sink Azerbaijan.

In truth, Wolves are in great form at the moment whether Vokes gets a run-out or not. But he's a hell of a weapon to have in your arsenal. It's only a matter of time before Arsene Wenger realises.

(Photo Credits: Sporting Life, The Mirror)

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PremWatch 15th September 2008

I managed to not be able to watch Match of the Day or, with any sound, Match of the Day 2, but I probably learned more from not listening to Phil Brown, Les Ferdinand and Lee Dixon. I've read quite a bit about the weekend too, so here's PremWatch.

The early kick off on Saturday saw Liverpool get the better of Manchester United at long last. Carlos Tevez tucked away the opener early on, but an own goal from Wes Brown levelled. Ryan Babel lashed home the winner for Liverpool before Nemanja Vidic earned himself two yellows. And what do two yellows equal folks? You're damn right...

Emmanuel Adebayor took home the match ball as Arsenal thumped Blackburn Rovers 0-4 at Ewood. Adebayor's treble came after Robin Van Persie had put the Gunners in the lead.

Zoltan Gera and Bobby Zamora tied up the points for Fulham before Kevin Davies scored a consolation for Bolton Wanderers as the sides faced off at Craven Cottage.

Hull City hilariously beat Newcastle United 2-1 at the Delusionodrome. Marlon King netted twice for the victorious Tigers before Xisco nabbed a consolation. Danny Guthrie was given a straight red in stoppage time for a nasty tackle on Craig Fagan, and Phil Brown's grown a beard to go with his charity 'tache.

Jermain Defoe stuck two past Middlesbrough to give Portsmouth victory at Fratton Park. Mido had scored for Boro to put them 0-1 up at the break.

In the battle of the sponsorless wonders at the Hawthorns, West Bromwich Albion beat West Ham United 3-2. With Gianfranco Zola watching on, James Morrison, Roman Bednar and Chris Brunt netted for the Baggies. Marc Noble and Lucas Neill scored the Hammers' goals.

Titus Bramble scored an own goal to put Sunderland ahead in their match against Wigan Athletic. Goal machine Amr Zaki equalised for Wigan but Lee Cattermole was deservedly sent off.

The late game saw moneybags Chelsea defeat moneybags Manchester City at Eastlands. New signing Robinho stuck to the script early on, dumping in a free kick for City, but Ricardo Carvalho, Frank Lampard and Nicolas Anelka sealed the win for Chelsea. Manchester City fans in Arabian head-dresses make me sick. John Terry was sent off, I'd need to see it a few more times, because I'm undecided as yet.


Just the one Sunday game this week, and it was great to see Stoke City get theirs against Everton. It was another 3-2 at the Britannia, but it went the way of the away team. Yakubu and Victor Anichebe put the Toffees ahead, but a Seyi Olofinjana volley and a Phil Jagielka own goal resulted from Everton's struggles against Rory Delap's long throws. Everton were denied a blatant penalty, and David Moyes was banished to the stands, before Tim Cahill thumped in a header to down Stoke.

Tottenham v Villa tonight, and I'll be able to report on that first hand. Lovely.

Chelsea, Liverpool, Arsenal and Hull (still) make up the top four, with Manchester City in the UEFA Cup spot. Blackburn, Stoke and Spurs are going down, and Manchester United are 14th.

(Photo Credits: BBC Sport)

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Can the Golden Trident fire Milan to Scudetto number 18?

Despite a poor start against Bologna, AC Milan will expect to challenge for the title in Serie A this season. The Italian giants have put all their eggs in a big, fancy Brazilian basket. They kept Ricky Kaka on their books despite interest from Chelsea, and they snapped up Ronaldinho - Manchester City probably won't find themselves used simply to increase a player's salary when he moves elsewhere very often in the future.

With Kaka and Ronaldinho playing high in the channels, Carlo Ancelotti has put his faith in wunderkind number 7 Alexandre Pato to hit the net. That's a massive responsibility for a teenager. But in fairness we're talking about possibly the most exciting teenager on the planet.

Ronaldinho's time was up at the Nou Camp. He wanted out, and Barcelona wanted out. His playboy lifestyle, weight and refusal to train professionally had worn out FCB's patience, but in truth the latter two probably stemmed from the fact that Dinho was bored and wanted a new challenge. He's lucky Milan took him on, really, because his reputation was in a nosedive.

However, both sides should benefit from the move. In Dinho, Milan have signed the most recognisable and most skillful player of his generation. And with a good six or seven years left in him, it's very possible that the doubters (i.e. me, sorry) were wrong to write him off a few months back. Ronaldinho will benefit from the Milan Lab.

Magnificent piece of business #2 for the Rossoneri this summer was keeping hold of Kaka. The 2007 World Player of the Year didn't really seem to have considered leaving, but with Roman Abramovich sniffing around, you just never know. Is he really the best in the world? Cristiano Ronaldo and Lionel Messi are generally considered his closest competition. I think they both run him pretty close, but he's a phenomenon. He's becoming as iconic as Ronaldinho, and he's brilliantly, magically talented.


Tim Vickery, BBC South American football deity, likes Alexandre Pato. And so do I. The 19-year-old Brazilian (now that is not as exciting as it sounds) burst onto the scene at the San Siro in January, but the hype began months before. The Duck, who broke a bone at the age of 10 only for the x-rays to reveal a tumour in his arm, was unable to play until the age of 18 (September 2007). His Serie A debut in January saw him score against Napoli, and two weeks later he scored twice against Genoa.

This kid means business in a big, big way. His reputation is sky high. Milan are relying on him to score the goals which fire them first back into the Champions League, and then to the title.

Let's not forget Milan's competitors for the Scudetto. Internazionale are remarkably strong, and have been galvanised further by the arrival of Jose Mourinho. Roma didn't seem to do much in the summer mercato, but they were pretty damn good already. Stability could be the key. Juventus, along with Milan, will be determined to exorcise the ghost of Calciopoli, and they look in decent enough shape.

On top of those highly-rated sides, Fiorentina could be the one that breaks into the top three. The Viola are a young, vibrant side. With Adrian Mutu leading the line and Riccardo Montolivo stepping up to the responsibility of captaining the side, Cesare Prandelli's side could trouble the big boys.

If the Rossoneri are to fight their way back to the top, the trio dubbed Ka-Pa-Ro by Calcio Italia's Susy Campanale must fire on all cylinders all season. It's going to be a fascinating race.

(Photo Credits: Soccerati.net, Soccerbyives.net)

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The Great David Nugent Mystery

Knocking around a bit after work today, I came across an interesting thread started by 'jimmygreaves' at a favourite site of mine, VillaTalk.

It seemed a little out of the blue, but it's thought-provoking nonetheless.

What did happen to David Nugent?

Nugent kicked his career off as a trainee at Bury, as the Soccerbase link above will demonstrate. But it was at Preston North End where he became a household name in English football. In two and a half years at the club, Nugent showcased an unerring knack for finding the back of the net, doing so 37 times in total.

Goals like this one for North End, which brings back memories of David Ginola in particular, sent Nugent's stock into the stratosphere and earned him a goalscoring appearance for the full England team (well, sort of) and a £6m move into the Premier League with Portsmouth.

That was in July 2007.

So where the hell is David Nugent?

Well, he's not spent much time in the Portsmouth squad, that's for sure. He's started just eight matches for Pompey in over a year, and he was all but dumped on the transfer list before his first season even started. Money well spent once again by Harry Redknapp, but all completely innocent I'm sure.

There seem to be several schools of thought on how and why Nugent fell out of favour so quickly at Fratton Park - most of them beg the question "why hasn't he left?"

1. He bottled it. Sometimes players just don't have the mentality to deal with the pressures of Premier League (and even international) football. It's a big jump from the Championship, and the thought of playing in front of that tosser with the bell at Portsmouth must be pretty terrifying.

2. Redknapp "changed his mind". Read between the lines here, folks, but it is of course possible that Redknapp spunked six million notes at Preston and then decided, either unfairly or after Nugent put in some poor showings in training, that he wasn't the man for the job. Curious, but it happens.

3. Perhaps Nugent and Redknapp fell out? It's not beyond the realms of possibility. The theory goes that Nugent was on the bench in pre-season, prompting ex-Preston boss Billy Davies, by then at Derby, to enquire about his availability. Redknapp thought Nugent had tried to pull a fast one and, being the arrogant old fool he is, announced that the man was for sale.

4. David Nugent isn't good enough for the Premier League.

Either way, Nugent needs to have a good think about his future. It seems obvious that he needs a new club, but the question is whether he goes to a bottom-half Premier League side to prove once and for all that he's capable of playing at that level, or drops down to where he might return to being a star player.

If he is good enough, a few goals might just kickstart his career. Personally, I'm not sure he is.

(Photo Credit: TheFA.com)

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Carling Pub Football Manager of the Year 2008: Matt Busby!

Interesting press release through this morning. I like it.

It’s the 1980s and you’re a Manchester United supporter named Mr. Busby.

Your missus is pregnant and you begin to talk about the possible names for said sprog.

No contest, really, is there?

25-year-old Matt Busby, from Leicestershire, has been named Carling Pub Football Manager of the Year 2008 for his successful debut year as manager of the mighty Enderby Social FC.

The Carling Pub Football Awards celebrates the massive community of amateur footballers in the UK.

Backed up by the One - All online community, Carling aims to recognise the overlooked achievement of the average pot-bellied Sunday footballer. I’ll be looking into the community in more detail at some point soon, hopefully.

When it comes to award time, players, managers and fans are urged to nominate their mates and colleagues for a selection of categories. This is exactly what Enderby Social’s Richard Edwards did for Busby, and Edwards told Carling that “[Matt] has earned the respect as a manager from all of us. I can’t speak more highly of this man as a manager and a mate - there are only two Matt Busbys!”

Once nominated, the entrants were judged by the likes of ex-pro Robbie Earle, and Daily Mail columnist and Fighting Talk favourite Des Kelly. Busby was named top of the pile following promotion in the Hinckley and District League - and a win in the Les Moore Trophy, whatever that is - in his first season in the dugout.

At the time of writing, I know little about One - All and the Pub Football Awards, but I’ll look into it. For now, I’ll leave you with the words of the next Matt Busby…Matt Busby:

“To win the award is an absolute honour - I’d like to thank the team and everyone associated with the club for their support and contribution.

“My dad supported Manchester United - and obviously with my surname there was no other name to call me! I’ve got his autobiography and have taken my inspiration from the great man. I study his management skills and hope that the lads think that my approach is calm and positive too.

“Last season we won the Les Moore Trophy, came third in the League, and got promoted to Division Two. We’ve got three or four new players coming in this season, so I’ll need to make a few decisions on the team - but we’re a passionate bunch of lads who will make that step up.”

Best of luck to Enderby Social this season. It sounds like a challenge.

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The methods of Mourinho

Jose Mourinho is a winner. It's as simple as that, and he knows it.

Following Champions League success with Porto, Mourinho made the inevitable move to Chelsea and picked up a stack of silverware in England too.

For various reasons, things went a bit tits-up for Jose at Stamford Bridge roughly a year ago, and he bowed out of the Premier League.

Now, though, The Special One is back in football. And he's in a proper league. Over the summer it was announced that Mourinho was joining Italian serial champions Internazionale.

Inter fans are understandably confident in Mourinho's ability to make his side champions for the fourth season on the bounce. Their squad is pretty impressive, and the players are already falling for their new boss - it seems the team spirit he built at Chelsea is now prevailing at the Nerazzurri's training facility.

So how does he do it?

In September's Calcio Italia, Inter frontman Julio Cruz reveals a few of Mourinho's methods. It certainly throws some light on why the players have such respect for their coach and each other. It's impressive stuff.

The first thing that struck me about Cruz's interview was that Mourinho likes his players to work, at length, with a football at their feet. As I wrote a long old while back at Soccerlens, I'm a big advocate of training in constant contact with the ball. It just seems obvious to me that the best way to help a player to become, or continue to be, a natural footballer, is to develop a love for the ball. Forgive the hippyism.

It's all about being at home with the ball. If you learn to run with the ball, pass the ball, know the ball, then you'll be a natural with the ball at your feet. It wouldn't be right to indoctrinate kids into some kind of pseudo-religious affection for a pig's bladder, but developing natural technical ability should be encouraged. That includes players at Inter's level. Mourinho seems to agree.

Jose also coaches his players by way of some clever specific routines, none of which are new, I bet. Inter play a training game involving three goals. It's confusing and unorthodox, which is why it encourages players to think and to concentrate. More importantly, it forces them to conjure up creative and inventive solutions to every possible attacking and defending scenario. Two birds, one stone. Mourinho is a clever man.

My favourite training set-up mentioned by Julio Cruz is one in which Inter's squad plays two games on adjacent pitches, with Mourinho marshalling both matches from a narrow corridor of grass between the two. Every few minutes, the boss blows a whistle and calls out the name of a player (or players). They must swap pitches, and immediately set up a move with the ball.

Again, it's confusing, so it promotes concentration, awareness and adaptability. It also has the side effect of making the skills and movements more important than the result, by virtue of the fact that the teams are so fluid. The players always have to be on their toes.

Cruz also revealed a certain level of positional differentiation at Inter training. That is, attackers and defenders undertake many exercises independently of one another. The different positions work and develop as cells, meaning that specific skills and exercises can be addressed on a more focused basis.

The famous Mourinho team spirit is no mistake. The real eye-opener of Dominique Antognoni's story is Inter's head tennis practices. Why? Because it has a competitive edge which could cause cliques at other clubs. I can just imagine what would've happened if David O'Leary (eugh) had asked the ex-Sunderland boys to play against the Scandinavians at Aston Villa. Not pretty.

But that's effectively what Jose does: the Brazilians play the Argentinians, the Italians from one region play the Italians from another. It's competitive, and it's risky. But it develops a will to win, and in a squad which is a) successful and b) managed by a team spirit merchant like Mourinho, it's more likely to result in cameraderie than fights.

Perhaps the biggest source of the Mourinho spirit at Inter (and presumably Chelsea) is the manager's solidarity with the players. Jose has been known to run with the players in torrential rain. It engenders respect between the boss and his charges. It means the players will want to work and play for their manager. And that Mourinho joins in suggests that a team spirit is in place already at Inter, from the Special One down.

Does this mean Inter have the Scudetto sewn up once more? Their performance against Sampdoria last week suggests not. But I wouldn't bet against them with the Portuguese in charge.

(Photo Credit: Sky Sports)

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Does any football fan NOT like Jimmy Bullard?

I believe that we entered a new era of anti-football this week.

Manchester City, for the few who haven't heard, are under new ownership with pockets so deep they make Roman Abramovich look like Oliver Twist.

The Sheikh's first act as City owner was to complete the signing of Brazilian forward Robinho from Real Madrid, presumably pissing Abramovich off in the process.

When a man and his family takes over a club and spends £35m in the same day, football has eaten itself.

But the beginnings of anti-football far pre-date this week, and have many manifestations.

One source of displeasure for the traditional football supporter is the England team. Gone are the days of players putting in blood-and-thunder performances for their country. It's debatable, but there is undoubtedly a perception among supporters that the highly-paid players of the Premier League lack passion when playing for England. The current generation has nothing left to prove. It's been successful from a young age, and it's on a whole hell of a lot of money.

Fantastic news, then, when Fulham midfielder Jimmy Bullard was selected in Fabio Capello's England squad for World Cup Qualification clashes against Andorra and Croatia on Saturday and next Wednesday respectively.

The 29-year-old east-ender has snuck under the radar for most of us throughout his career. He began at Corinthian before being snapped up by Gravesend & Northfleet (now MyFootballClub.com's Ebbsfleet). In 1999 he signed for West Ham, but moved on a free to Peterborough in 2001. They only took him after a trial.

In 2003, Wigan came calling and Bullard became a household name with some entertaining moments and great goals as his team impressed in the Premier League. But he wanted to move closer to home, and took a 2006 move to Fulham when they triggered a release clause in his Latics contract. He's struggled with injury, but his return has been significant in Fulham's small revival under Roy Hodgson.

And so I put it to you, friends, that Jimmy Bullard is universally popular among traditional footy fans.

His late success gives us a reason to have faith in the game. To be called up at 29 is a fantastic achievement for the man and he must be absolutely buzzing at the moment. We like him because he clearly loves the game. He's enthusiastic and hard-working, and he plays with a smile on his face. More than that, he's really rather good at it.

Bullard is also fondly known for his slightly odd but very funny sense of humour, whether it's trying to score a sneaky goal during floodlight failure, diving over a pile of players into the goal, or pulling faces at Duncan Ferguson.

Jimmy Bullard is genuine. He's the antithesis of the England international. I really hope he gets a cap. Go on Fabio, you know it makes sense.

(Photo Credit: Sky Sports)

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Napoli fans banned for the season

The Italian domestic season kicked off last weekend and threw up some interesting results.

Sampdoria outplayed Inter Milan and grabbed a draw. Bologna beat AC Milan. It was a fascinating weekend.

Sadly, the football was marred by ultras - or, to describe them more accurately in this case, hooligans.

I'm ashamed to say that the thugs in question were supporters of SSC Napoli, my Italian footballing poison of choice.

Napoli's ultras are a continuing nuisance in Italian football, consistently showing a complete lack of ability to behave. On Sunday, the Azzurri played Roma at the Stadio Olimpico. Given Napoli's propensity for trouble and the fact that Roma fans are pretty low in their own right, away supporters were originally banned from this 'high risk' game. They were reinstated as 'an act of good faith'.

In amongst a whole stack of exaggerated propaganda, The Roman Forum describes how the travelling Napoli tifosi repayed this faith:

"The train ride from Naples resulted in damages worth €500 thousand: ripped covers, seats cut open, broken windows, torn up bathrooms and a general wreckage in 11 out of the 15 train compartments. Innocent passengers returning from their vacations were asked to vacate the train by the police department, and four train guards were sent to the hospital after being attacked, and many travelers were forced to postpone their departures from Naples due to the chaos caused by the ultras fans.

"In the afternoon, after a 1-1 tie which also featured grave acts of violence, paper bombs exploded in Termini train station, and fights between police and fans erupted as many hopped on board without tickets, covering their faces with scarves and hats, ready for a fight. One supporter was harmed in the disorder, though not seriously; four were arrested."

Nice. What a well behaved bunch. A more cynical man might suggest that English supporters have suffered disproportionately in the reporting of such incidents over the years. You can bet your bottom dollar that the authorities would come down on English football like a ton of bricks if this had happened in London.

Unsurprisingly, a suitably harsh punishment has been imposed. Partenopei supporters will be banned from all away games from the rest of the season and may find high risk home games played behind closed doors. It's drastic, but what option was there?

I'm a big Napoli fan, but I'm disgusted by this behaviour and I support the authorities in their punishment. But the whole incident highlights Italian football's serious problems with hooliganism - and it's not just Napoli.

(Photo Credit: The Offside)

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PremWatch 1st September 2008

So I took my sweet time about it, but here's the lowdown on the weekend's Premier League football, sans European Super Cup losers Manchester United.

On Saturday, Bolton Wanderers and West Bromwich Albion battled out a goalless draw at the Reebok. Not exactly impressive, but Albion will be pleased to pick up a clean sheet against a physical side.

Everton continue to suffer. They fell foul of Jermain Defoe, who scored two as Portsmouth ran riot at Goodison, picking up a 0-3 win. Glen Johnson scored Pompey's very tidy second and Everton looked decicedly out of sorts.

Wigan went to Hull City and set a blistering pace in the Rugby League derby. The newboys went behind early to an own goal from Sam Ricketts, and then crumbled as Amr Zaki (2), Emile Heskey and Antonio Valencia - with a wonderful solo effort - slaughtered their defence.

The honeymoon's over for Stoke City too. Middlesbrough full back Justin Hoyte scored the Potters' goal for them in a 2-1 Boro win, sealed by Afonso Alves and Tuncay. Stoke midfielder Amdy Faye was dismissed for a horror tackle, and four colleagues were booked. Mark Halsey, take note.

Blackburn Rovers were hard done by at West Ham. They went down 4-1, but the scoreline didn't really tell the story. Callum Davenport and a Chris Samba own goal put the Hammers two up, and Jason Roberts replied. With Rovers chasing the game, Craig Bellamy and Can't Control netted goals in stoppage time.

In the late game, Arsenal swept aside Newcastle United with goals from Robin van Persie (2) and Denilson.

Tottenham Hotspur went to Stamford Bridge on Sunday and pinched a lucky draw. They weren't very impressive, despite being handed an equaliser as Darren Bent pounced on a Frank Lampard error. Juliano Belletti had put Chelsea ahead after Spurs failed to defend a corner.

Aston Villa were unlucky to draw against Liverpool, who flooded the midfield and sat back for 90 minutes. Title challenge from Liverpool? Almost as hilarious a proposition as their team without Steven Gerrard and Fernando Torres.

Sunderland gave us all a chuckle too, losing at home to a resurgent Manchester City. Returnee Shaun Wright-Phillips scored a brace after Stephen Ireland's first half goal as City ran out 0-3 winners.

In the meaningless table, Chelsea, Liverpool, Man City and Arsenal make up the Champions League contingent, while Sunderland, Spurs and West Brom are the bottom three.

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