All posts by h79snht.top

Sir Alex Ferguson will celebrate 25-years as manager of Manchester United this weekend and his players will be desperate to mark the occasion with a win against Sunderland at Old Trafford.

Since taking over in November 1986 the Scot hasn’t looked back overseeing the clubs most successful period building title winning teams over and again bringing through some of the best footballers the world has ever seen. He is quite simply the greatest manager in British football history but in true Ferguson style he will downplay the occasion and get on with his job and his passion – winning football matches. He’ll certainly be expecting his side to emerge victorious from their tussle with the Black Cats after toiling to a hard fought 1-0 win over Everton last week. It was the perfect response to their derby day humiliation at the hands of neighbours City a fortnight ago – which called for the famous hairdryer treatment. They followed up the victory on Merseyside with a hard fought Champions League win over Romanian minnows Otelul Galati with Wayne Rooney being deployed in an unfamiliar central midfield role. Creativity in the engine room has been a concern for Ferguson this season with his summer pursuit of Wesley Sneijder proving fruitless leaving the midfield without a natural playmaker. Whether Rooney is asked to perform the same role on Saturday remains to be seen. Injury to Tom Cleverley and Ashley Young have further weakened the creative side of the midfield and they’ll both miss the visit of Sunderland.

It’s rather poignant that one of Ferguson’s former players is the manager he will be battling against this week. Former Red Devil’s captain and current Black Cats boss Steve Bruce led United to their first league title back in 1993 and is now trying to emulate his old mentor in the dugout. His side have endured a painful start to the season losing at home to local rivals Newcastle and winning only one of their opening eight games. However their win over Bolton a fortnight ago and last week’s draw with Aston Villa have lifted spirits on Wearside. Bruce was the subject of much derision from his own fans last month but a battling display that saw them peg Villa back twice has alleviated the pressure on his shoulders. The burgeoning partnership of teenager Connor Wickham and on-loan Nicklas Bendtner looks like it could develop into a deadly one with the former scoring his first goal for the club last week. Both will be tasked with physically imposing themselves on a United back line that has looked far from solid in the last few weeks and ending a run of one win in 20 top flight meetings. Sunderland haven’t beaten Ferguson’s side since 2-1 victory at Roker Park in 1997 and they’ve failed to taste victory at Old Trafford since 1968. Bruce himself has yet to get the upper hand on his old boss and will be hoping to spoil is celebrations and finally get the upper hand on him at the 18th attempt.

Key Players

Wayne Rooney – Goals have flowed for Rooney this season with his partnerships with Danny Wellbeck and Javier Hernandez showing he can adapt his game to play with either. Could be asked to drop back into midfield again and use his vision and playmaking abilities to take down Sunderland and give his boss the perfect silver anniversary present.

Stephane Sessegnon – Scored for the second consecutive game last week after heading home a late equaliser to seal a point against Villa. The Frenchman has grown slowly into his role at the Stadium of Light and is now looking every inch the skilful playmaker Bruce say during his time at PSG.

Prediction: 3-1

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Wayne Rooney made the Ballon D’Or shortlist this week and remains top of the EA SPORTS Player Performance Index. Rooney covered more ground than any other player in the match against his old club, recording 12,592 metres during the game Rooney also hit the fastest top speed for a United player in that game with 25.72 mph Sebastian Larsson provided the assist for Stephane Sessegnon’s late equaliser and was a constant danger for the Black Cats. Larsson is now ranked 12th in the EA SPORTS Player Performance Index having scored three goals and provided four assists Sessegnon’s second goal in as many games made him one of the fastest movers in the Index up to 92nd

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As the price for Luka Modric continued to rise to almost extortionate amounts, the likelihood that Chelsea were going to look for a cheaper alternative increased in the closing days of the transfer window although few would have predicted that man being Liverpool’s Raul Meireles, joining Chelsea with only minutes left on the deadline day clock.

Despite enjoying an impressive first season for the Reds (in which he was a regular fixture, making 44 appearances) Meireles had oddly looked more like a substitute option for Kenny Daglish, new signings pushing him down the pecking order. There had been talk of the potential move in the lead up to deadline day, with a reported cash plus player deal initially rejected by the Reds. But Chelsea’s apparent desperation for midfield cover and a reported late transfer request from the player himself to push through the deal saw the Portuguese international move to Stamford Bridge in what was the one of the latest and most shocking moves on deadline day. But did Chelsea make the right choice in going for Meireles?

The apparent desperation of the deal (something that most late deals can be labeled as the transfer window draws to a close) does initially make you question what role Meireles will play in the team. He joined for £12 million, a reasonable fee based on his performances and a lot cheaper than any potential Modric deal but the midfielder will still need to perform in a Chelsea shirt to justify Andre Villas-Boas’ very late move in the transfer market. The obvious need for creativity in the centre of the park meant that Chelsea spent a lot of the summer chasing Modric and if Chelsea had managed to agree a deal with Tottenham, would Meireles have still been making the move to London?

But it seems very unfair to label Meireles, last season’s PFA Fans’ player of the year, as second choice. He enjoyed a very successful debut season at Liverpool, scoring five goals in six games during a productive month in early 2011 including finding the winner for Liverpool against Chelsea. During that period especially the 28-year-old showed how useful an acquisition he could be for any Premier League team, managing to score and assist goals when given the freedom to roam forward. He may not be as much of a direct creative force as Luka Modric (despite Meireles bettering Modric’s record of three goals and three assists last season) but he will offer versatility and should fit well into Villas-Boas’ 4-3-3 formation.

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But the success of the move for Meireles and Chelsea will depend on whether he can actually break into the Chelsea manager’s first team plans. The pair spent a very brief spell together at Porto before Meireles left for England so the Chelsea boss will have a good understanding of the player he has just acquired. But Meireles may have trouble displacing the likes of Frank Lampard, Ramires and John Mikel Obi, all of whom have potentially specific roles within the new manager’s midfield set-up. Meireles decision to move and Chelsea’s willingness to pay £12 million very late on for him will look like a terrible waste of Sky Sports News’ deadline day headlines if his Chelsea career goes the same way as another former Liverpool player to make the same move, Yossi Benayoun.

If Chelsea fans see the best of Meireles then he will look like a bargain compared to the hefty fees Chelsea were nearly prepared to pay for Modric but Meireles will have to be given enough of an opportunity at Chelsea to prove he is more than just a second choice panic buy.

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Do you think Meireles will be a success at Chelsea? If you want to read more of my bite size, 140 character views and thoughts follow me on Twitter @jennyk5

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LA Galaxy midfielder David Beckham believes the MLS All-Stars can spring a surprise when they meet Manchester United.The two sides face off in a friendly in New Jersey on Wednesday, where Beckham will be joined by the likes of Thierry Henry and Landon Donovan in the MLS All-Stars squad.

The match is a repeat of last year’s friendly which Sir Alex Ferguson’s side won 5-2, and although Beckham admits it will be tough to beat his former club, he says an upset is not out of the question.

“I think we have a chance on Wednesday,” Beckham said.

“It will be tough. It’s never easy coming up against Manchester United, no matter where you play in the world.”

Given the prestige of the opposition, Beckham also urged his team-mates to embrace the occasion.

“It’s going to be a difficult game, but it’s going to be a game to enjoy,” he said.

“You don’t get many opportunities to play against the likes of Wayne Rooney and Chicharito (Javier Hernandez) and so many other players that they’ve got.”

“As much as we want to win the game it’s important that we enjoy it.”

Hernandez will feature in Wednesday’s game and wants to improve on a superb debut season at Old Trafford, during which he scored 13 Premier League goals.

“The only thing in my mind now is to work hard every day, keep improving and learning and do my best to help the team,” Hernandez said.

“I am still enjoying my dream, but I just want to keep improving to help my team. If I score goals it’s a consequence of the team’s effort.”

“I’m happy. I’m enjoying it a lot. It’s a dream come true for me. I want to keep improving and do my best to help my team.”

Liverpool will be eager to get one over on former boss Roy Hodgson as they travel to the Midlands to face West Brom desperate to avenge the 2-1 defeat suffered at the Hawthorns in April.

Hodgson endured a nightmare six months at Anfield after replacing Rafa Benitez in the summer of 2010 before being shoved out by new owner John W. Henry in favour of Reds god Kenny Dalglish. His time at the Hawthorns hasn’t been as eventful as his spell on Merseyside although despite providing the inspiration and experience in helping them pull away from relegation the current campaign has been disappointing. A disappointing start saw fears creep in about another relegation battle but two consecutive wins have raised the levels of optimism in supporters minds. Beating Midlands rivals Aston Villa in their own backyard certainly allayed fans fears of another flirtation with the dreaded drop as they stretched their unbeaten run to four games. If they beat Liverpool on Saturday it will be their longest winning run in the top flight since 2002 when Gary Megson guided them to three victories on the trot. They’ll have to do it without Shane Long who was ruled out for six weeks after suffering an ankle injury last week. With only three goals going in at the Hawthorns this season the onus on Peter Odemwingie and the likes of Chris Brunt and James Morrison to find the back of the net in what will be their 100th Premier League game at home. Their record against Liverpool isn’t the best and Hodgson will need to provide some telling words to inspire his team to victory.

Dalglish’s men have an admirable record at the Hawthorns having remained unbeaten in 12 of the last 13 meetings against the Baggies until April’s defeat. Their mid-week Carling Cup victory over Stoke will have sapped energy levels but don’t expect the Reds to slack off as they continue their hunt for a top four place. Luis Suarez’s goal took him to seven for the season and his tenacious approach up front will surely give the West Brom defenders nightmares prior to the game. His partnership with record signing Andy Carroll is slowly starting to blossom and if the pair strike the right chord on Saturday then the home side could be in for a world of hurt. Dalglish has worked hard to get the Geordie striker up to speed following a slow start to his Anfield career but recent performances seem to indicate he is getting back to his bulldozing best. The return of Steven Gerrard has also provided a boost with the captain looking fitter and more motivated than he has done in the last 18 months. A win this week is imperative for Merseyside’s though after drawing the last two at home to Manchester United and Norwich.

Key Players

Chris Brunt – Albion skipper Brunt has finally started to show the form that made him one of the most feared left footed wingers in the Premier League. A loss of form coupled with injury had seen the Northern Ireland international man’s performances drop but he now looks back to his best but will be off penalty duty after his embarrassing miss at Villa last week.

Luis Suarez – Seven goals already this season with more certain to come. The Uruguayan has been a revelation since signing from Ajax with Liverpool’s system designed to get the best out of him. It’s certainly worked as Suarez has terrorised defences all season with his pace and determined approach up front.

Prediction: 1-3

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West Brom covered 110.005km in that game, with goal scorer Paul Scharner covering the most ground in that game with 11.104km Jonas Olsson scored his first Barclays Premier League goal of the season against Villa, but the  Swedish defender has been using his power in the air for more defensive duties so far this season, having made more clearances than any other player (25) Luis Suarez saw the post and an inspired performance from Norwich ‘keeper John Ruddy prevent him from getting on the score sheet against Norwich The Uruguayan striker is surely due a change in fortunes, as he has now had 36 attempts returning just 4 goals. Suarez has got 67% of those attempts on target, and is second only to Robin van Persie in both overall attempts and efforts on target.

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One of the things we often forget when thinking about footballers is that they are just normal men like everyone else, just with extraordinary talent and a very healthy wage packet and plenty of time to spend it – not to mention they are internationally famous and photographed on multiple occasions. Put all this together and you can head for a fashion disaster.

Players thinking they look as good off the field as they do on it, with crazy haircuts and outrageously expensive outfits that look like they’ve been put on before the player has looked in a mirror, no player is safe from paparazzi, cameras or I phones taking pictures, millions seeing them on twitter and then ending up on a ‘top ten fashion faux pas’ list.  So who are the worst culprits and what did they do to deserve a place on this list?

Click on Balotelli to unveil the top 10

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They often say that the best things in life come in threes and that’s hard to disagree with when you take a look at some of the most successful footballing trios over the years. While in terms of football, you might be familiar with famous double acts, such as striking partnerships including SAS (Alan Shearer and Chris Sutton) or managerial duos – Brian Clough and Peter Taylor come to mind; but the world of football isn’t short of a trio or two (or three!) either.

The attacking trio has come to force in recent years as managers across Europe have opted to play the 4-3-3 formation. Jose Mourinho was one of the first bosses in the Premier League to use this formation, with Chelsea still playing the trio of Didier Drogba, Florent Malouda and Nicolas Anelka / Salomon Kalou today, although £50 million man Fernando Torres might have something to say about that!

However, the greatest exponents of the attacking trio are the Spanish giants, Barcelona. Whether he’s in a striking two or three, Lionel Messi will strike fear into any defence, and alongside David Villa and Pedro (formerly Samuel Eto’o and Thierry Henry) Barca have a fearsome attacking line-up. Alongside the front three you of course have the midfield trio too, and you’d be hard pressed to find a better trio of midfielders than Barcelona’s Xavi, Andres Iniesta and Sergio Busquets anywhere in the world.

Arsenal’s trio of Robin van Persie, Andrey Arshavin and Theo Walcott can’t be held in the same regard as Messi and co, but this trio of Gunners are still capable of tearing opposition defences apart on their day. The same goes for Manchester United’s Wayne Rooney, Nani and Javier Hernadez when they play in a three, which Sir Alex Ferguson has used sparsely in recent weeks. However, when the forward three is working in harmony and they are all in form, they are ‘simply unstoppable’…

One trio to keep an eye on are Travis Barker, Tinie Tempah and Katie Taylor. Featuring in the latest Lucozade ad ‘Yes’, the Blink 182 drummer Travis , pop star Tinie and Irish boxer Taylor are a formidable trio. Taylor herself has played football for the Irish women’s national team, so she’s pretty handy with the ball at her feet. Watch the three ‘Ts’ do their stuff in the video below, featuring a rework of ‘Simply Unstoppable’ – something that can be attributed to Messi right now…

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You can see more of the trio of Travis, Tinie and Taylor at www.facebook.com/lucozade and play the game. Don’t forget to let us know which football trio from past or present are ‘Simply Unstoppable’ too!

Liverpool midfielder Steven Gerrard will sit out his side’s pre-season tour of Asia, as the England international makes an effort to be fit for the start of the 2011/12 season. The 31-year-old has been sidelined with a groin injury since March, undergoing two operations in that time, and will remain in England to work on his fitness.

“I’m sure people will appreciate Steven giving himself the best opportunity to play against Sunderland on the opening day of the new campaign,” manager Kenny Dalglish told the club’s official website.

The Reds leave on Sunday for an eight day trip that includes fixtures in China and Malaysia, and training in Singapore, and Gerrard regrets not having the chance to travel with the squad.

“I’d really been looking to travelling and meeting first hand as many as our fans as possible. I’m really sorry that I won’t now be able to do that,” he stated.

“But after sitting down and talking with our medical experts, it’s been decided that the best course of action is for me to continue my rehabilitation programme at Melwood. It’s disappointing I won’t be with them, but I’m sure the lads who go out there will put a great show on for our fans,” the England man concluded.

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The Whiston born player faces a race to be fit in time for the first fixture of the 2011/12 season, which is against The Black Cats on August 13th.

Lazio manager Edy Reja rued his team’s defensive performance after a 4-3 loss to Napoli in the Serie A.Reja’s team led 2-0 and then 3-2, but fell to two late goals from Edison Cavani, who finished with a hat-trick.

The boss said it was hard to swallow defeat after finding the net three times at Napoli.

“You can’t come to Naples, score three goals at the San Paolo and lose the game,” Reja said.

“We prepared for the match well, but when 2-0 up we lacked a bit of determination to kill off the match.”

“It’s a shame as the lads took the right approach, although some things need to be looked at in defence.”

Reja was the opposition coach at the San Paolo for the first time after he helped Napoli reach the top flight.

Lazio president Claudio Lotito was angry about the manner in which his club suffered defeat.

Cristian Brocchi appeared to score but for the ball to be ruled not to have crossed the line entirely while Giuseppe Biava was sent off after fouling Cavani in the penalty area.

Lotito was far from impressed with Napoli and how the game unfolded.

“I am very proud of my team because we are accustomed to getting our results on the pitch and in deserved fashion,” he said.

“There were incidents that penalised us. The penalty speaks for itself while Brocchi’s shot was clearly over the line.”

“If things continue with this logic then we can already predict now who will be in which position. We play fair and don’t seek to win at all costs, unlike others. Fair play is not optional.”

The result saw Lazio remain narrowly out of the spots for the Champions League with seven games remaining.

Reports in Tuesday’s Independent have claimed that Zenit St Petersburg would be willing to offer Andrei Arshavin an escape from Arsenal and a return to Russia. It seems most Arsenal fans wouldn’t shed too many tears if the midfielder was to leave this summer, especially to a club that offers no threat domestically or in Europe. Arsene Wenger would probably try and keep the Russian if one of Europe’s elite clubs came in for the player but a return to Zenit could represent a good deal for Arsenal.

The Independent reports that Andrei Arshavin would be welcomed back to the club with open arms and that the Russian could be the first of many to be shown the door at the Emirates following yet another trophy-less season for Arsenal.

Sporting director Igor Korneev told talkSPORT: “Zenit’s doors are always open for Andrei. If his situation at Arsenal does not improve and he’s not comfortable in London, we can study this issue in time for next season.”

To most fans it seems crazy that Arsenal would want to sell a player that offers so much when he is on his game. There have been games where Arshavin has been totally unplayable and although he has been inconsistent this season, in the big games he has shown his true talents. Without a doubt Arsenal need a shake up this summer but surely the Gunners need to get their priorities straight this summer. He was not the reason Arsenal failed this season, although he seems to be a convenient scapegoat for some fans. Can Arsenal really afford to lose what Arshavin brings to the squad?

He has scored six times in thirty three games, but impressively has claimed 12 assists. In any league and in any team that can’t be sniffed at. If you take those assists away from Arsenal this season, would they have challenged at the top for so long? When you consider that Gareth Bale, the PFA Player of the year, has only contributed seven goals with two assists in the Premier League, Andrey’s worth becomes more apparent.

Arshavin is a quality player and if Arsenal spend this summer it seems that they will look to finance deals with his departure. The Russian is too good a player to be warming the Arsenal bench, finding a system that suits Arshavin seems the most logical path to go down. He has been booed a few times this season and that may sway his decision to leave The Emirates. A return to Russia would demonstrate an easy route out for Arshavin, and a talent would be wasted. Arshavin should be playing in one of the top European leagues and competing for top European medals. Arsenal fans may miss him if he does decide to leave.

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Read more of Tom’s articles at the excellent This Is Futbol

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Listen to the third episode of our brand new podcast – The Football FanCast. – Featuring Razor Ruddock, Gary O’Reilly and singer/songwriter Alistair Griffin, who performs a live version of his cult tribute to Mark Viduka, with Razor on backing vocals!

Liverpool are on the verge of signing full-back Jose Enrique from Newcastle United after the clubs reportedly agreed to a fee on Wednesday.The English Premier League sides are trying to finalise thedetails of a deal worth around 8 million pounds.Once a deal is struck, Enrique will be given permission todiscuss personal terms with Liverpool and undergo a medical. The Anfield club hopeto complete the transfer by the end of the week in preparation for theirPremier League opener against Sunderland at home on August 13.The Spaniard’s contract at Newcastle expires in mid-2012 andlast week he was fined two weeks’ wages for a Twitter rant directed towardsowner Mike Ashley. “The club is allowing all the major players of the teamto go. Seriously, do you think it is the fault of the players?” Enriquetweeted on July 24.”Andy (Carroll), Nobby (Kevin Nolan) etc etc. This clubwill never again fight to be among the top six again with this policy.”His departure will add to the discontent among Newcastlefans following the announcement on Monday that midfielder Joey Barton would beallowed to leave the club on a free transfer.In the Serie A, Brazil international Alexandre Pato hasaffirmed his commitment to champions AC Milan, despite being linked with a moveto Chelsea.The forward said he intended to see out his contract, whichruns until 2014.”I have a contract with Milan until the summer of 2014and I want to respect that. I want to stay at least until then,” Pato said.”We’ll have to wait and see what happens from there on.”The 21-year-old attacker joined Milan from Internacional inthe 2007 and has made more than 100 appearances for the Italian powerhousesince making his debut against Napoli in January 2008.Also in Italy, Juventus are considering a potential move forFiorentina winger Juan Vargas and could give up Amauri and Jorge Martinez tobring the Peru international to Turin. Antonio Conte’s side have long been after a new left wingerand have been linked with players such as Lyon’s Michel Bastos, Real Madrid’sRoyston Drenthe and Sevilla’s Diego Perotti in the past few weeks, but they nowappear to have turned their attention to Vargas again.The Fiorentina man has a contract with his current clubuntil the summer of 2013 and the Serie A outfit are keen to hold on to the27-year-old.Juventus have yet to table an official offer for Vargas, butcould make a formal approach for the wide-man in the coming days.