In the onion bag

Week 3

2011-08-25T22:05:00.001-07:00

Week 3
Who would have thought that Wolves would be at the top of the EPL even at this early stage? As week 3 rolls around here are this weeks fixtures.

Villa v Wolves
Another derby match that really should be a cracker as Wolves continues to look like a decent side this year. The hard part for them will be playing against a very good Villa side. Villa have looked decent up front and that is where they will make the biggest impact on this one
2-1
Wigan v QPR
QPR bounced back last week after week ones disaster. Wigan on the other hand will be keen to get a home win. Either team will get what they want on Saturday as this one has draw all over it.
1-1
Blackburn v Everton
0-0 bore draw
Chelsea v Norwich
Norwich has had a fine start to the EPL but this match could be the one that really welcomes them to the EPL. Chelsea has started to buy players and you know there will be one or two more before the deadline closes. Expect to see Chelsea win this one with easy
3-1
Man Utd v Arsenal
Normally a key tie any season but this year Arsenal look weak and will be missing so many player through suspension and injury. Man Utd look every bit a team capable of running away with it.
3-1
Newcastle v Fulham
After a great Northeast derby win last week, the toon army will be looking to continue their wonderful start to the season. Fulham will cause no end of problems and this one will be a sneaky away win
1-2
Swansea v Sunderland
Who really knows what to expect from Sunderland. That being said Swansea don’t look like a team that should trouble the boys from up north.
1-2
Spurs v Man City
If Spurs are fully fit then this could be a cracker. If not ( like they were against Man U) then it’s going to be an easy one for City.
1-1
WBA v Stoke
WBA have been outstanding in the first two weeks against the two best sides in the EPL. Stoke are always a tough side to play and will also be looking to get something from this one. I think this week WBA finally get the win
2-1
Liverpool v Bolton
Bolton are finally playing the way the manager wants them to. Liverpool look hot and cold. I’m going to go with a big shock and Bolton with the win
0-2

Week 2

2011-08-18T21:05:00.001-07:00

As week 2 of this season EPL is soon to be upon us I need to have a few more picks corrects after last weeks disaster. At least I finished the week with a correct 4-0 win for Man City

So onto this week.

Sunderland v Newcastle
The North East derby will be a cracker as usual. Newcastle did a great job of frustrating the hell out of Arsenal last weekend but Sunderland really showed class in the Liverpool game. With home advantage I’m going with Sunderland
2-0
Arsenal v Liverpool
It’s hard to believe we’re only 2 weeks into the campaign and we’re already looking at one of the plum fixtures. That being said Arsenal Liverpool is not the game it used to be. Last weekend Arsenal were dire against Newcastle and will not be missing 2 players from that game due to the FA bans. Liverpool looked second rate in the 2nd half of the game last week. Both teams look weak and not really ready for action.
1-1
Villa v Blackburn
Villa looked useful last week, Blackburn did not. I’m expecting this one to be a home win.
2-0
Bolton v Man City
Both teams blasted newly promoted sides 4-0 last week. Man City will come into this game as the favs but it’s going to be tough for both sides. Man City to sneak it
1-2
Everton v QPR
Will QPR rebound? Probably not. They looked woeful at the back last week. I don’t expect much from Everton this early on as they are usually the last ones out the gate but this should be a home win.
2-0
Man Utd v Spurs
Man U looked a bit shaky and Spurs looked outstanding midweek in Europe. The key here is Man U looked good going forward and that will be enough for them at home
3-1
Norwich v Stoke
Two useful teams that will combat each other on the park and expect a real tactical battle to take place.
1-1
Swansea v Wigan
Swansea were torn apart last week by Man City. Wigan looked good going forward against Norwich. However Wigan are also easy pickings at the back. I expect Swansea to pick up a point here
2-2
Wolves v Fulham
Wolves looked very good last week, as did Fulham, With home field advantage I’m expecting big Mick’s side to take this one
2-1
Chelsea v WBA
On paper Chelsea should have this , and they probably will but we did see issues last week against Stoke. WBA will set up shop the exact same way and this will be tight
2-1

Week 1

2011-08-09T20:58:00.000-07:00

Week 1

And so it begins, the new EPL. Well it might begin for some teams just depends on these stupid rioters. Hopefully the idiots will be pull away before the weekend and we can get one with some proper football

Blackburn v Wolves
This is a huge game for me, both teams didn’t do well last season but Wolves looked like a team that could take care of business but just never delivered against the lesser sides. My prediction is a draw but if Blackburn lose this one, I can see this being the way the whole season goes for them.
1-1
Fulham v Villa
This is a tough one to call. With both sides being managed by new gaffers, it’s going to be interesting to say the least as to what styles the two teams play. I would normally fancy Fulham, but I don’t think they have the players to play the way the manager will want. So its…….
2-2
Liverpool v Sunderland
All eyes are on Liverpool but this season will not be easy for them. Tough opening game and I actually think Sunderland will pull off a shock
1-2 Gyan to get on the score sheet
QPR v Bolton
Newly promote QPR get a decent opening game. Bolton will cause them problem but I can see the R’s get a sneaky
1-0
Spurs v Everton
Spurs to take this one, the usual slow start from Everton will be there this weekend
3-1
Wigan v Norwich
I fancy this to be a possible shock. Norwich to get the win and even put a few in the net
0-2
Newcastle v Arsenal
Newcastle look poor on paper, this could be a great opener for the gunners to get back on track with a strong start to the season.
0-3
Stoke v Chelsea
The new man at Chelsea will find it tough against Stoke. I’m expecting the potters to annoy Chelsea throughout this one.
1-1
WBA v Man Utd
This could be the other shocker this weekend. WBA look good, and this could turn out to be the best tactical battle of the weekend.
1-0
Man City v Swansea
And the first drubbing of the EPL will come here. Man City will be looking to get over last weeks defeat at the hands on Man Utd. Swansea don’t bring enough to the table and will be on the wrong end of this result
4-0

Full predictions blog to follow for the end of season winners and losers.

New Season and I'm late again

2011-08-07T10:47:00.000-07:00

I’m late as usual at getting my pre season predictions done, been a busy summer and I’ve lost track of time. With the season only a week away I’ve started digging into the summers moves mostly for my fantasy team but also to get a grip on what is going to be very strange EPL this season.
With the forming of what seems to be a top six, the league looks very weak. So here is how I see the breakdown throughout this years crop of teams

The Top Six
In years gone past we always talked about the ability of a team to break the big four. Man Utd, Chelsea, Arsenal and Liverpool had been in charge for so long with no real threat coming from anywhere else. Each season we’d see the likes of Villa, Everton and Spurs make an effort to break this pact but were always unable to do so. Then a couple of seasons back Spurs finally made it, and more importantly with the millions coming in from the middle east, Man City also made the jump.
Stuck in the middle
Everton and Villa are now out of the running to remove a Man City, Liverpool or Spurs from the Top Six. This season both teams need to focus on being those teams who finish 7th and 8th. Along side them will be Sunderland and Stoke. Sunderland look a decent bet to start well and fall at the end like normal. They still need something extra in the middle of the park and before the transfer window shuts they need to make that move. Stoke are always growing as a team and the ambition is there, I doubt Scott Parker will make the move but those are the sort of moves Stoke are making to stay up in the pack.
Borderline
These are the teams that could be middle of the road or could be plunged into a relegation dog fight. And the fact we only have 10 teams who are safe is another indication of the weakness in this seasons league.
Wolves are a great team, but last season they struggled. If they can get it back together should be safe, if they lose anyone from that core of players they will be in trouble. Fulham under new management will be an interest side to watch in the first 4 or 5 weeks. My gut tells me there are going to be in for a rough season as is Bolton. The problem with Bolton is they have a young manager who is going the right things but just don’t have the players. And there is always that Cahill move, it’s going to happen eventually. Finally West Brom, they look good, and could even finish in the top 10 but lets see if Roy can keep up last seasons push.
Championship here we come.
QPR, Swansea and Norwich all came up and all look more than capable of going back down. QPR have no excuse, they come to the top flight again as one of the richest clubs in the country. The problem is they have not spent anything like they should to stay up. The hopes of the 3 newly promote clubs will be good management and some pretty crappy teams around them that they can hopefully pick up points from and stay ahead of throughout the year.
Blackburn should have went down last season and I’m pretty sure they will go those season. They have done nothing in the market and Samba is on his way out. It could be bye bye for them. The same goes for Wigan, it’s probably time for them to make the drop down. This leaves Newcastle who seems to be letting everyone leave. Mike Ashley has done nothing to make this team a strong middle table side which they should be. The potential to this club has is second to none, it’s just poor management that is killing them.
So, how will it all end?
1. Man Utd
2. Chelsea
3. Man City
4. Spurs
5. Arsenal
6. Liverpool
7. Aston Villa
8. Stoke
9. West Brom
10. Sunderland
11. Everton
12. Wolves
13. Fulham
14. Bolton
15. QPR
16. Norwich
17. Newcastle
18. Swansea
19. Wigan
20. Blackburn

It's back

2011-07-17T21:14:00.000-07:00

I'm back and this year I actually mean to stay focused and at least get one blog out each week. I'm going to start with a quick overview of what is going on around the world of football. Stay tuned.

New Season Part 1

2010-08-08T12:48:00.001-07:00

With the new season just around the corner, and the first silverware on route back to Manchester it’s time to take a look at the up and coming season and give you my predictions for the 2010/2011 season.

With less than a week to go many of the teams have finished their preseason games and are either settled on the squad for this season or as trying to make some last minute signings. There is still a lot of talk of some more big signings; I doubt we’ll see anything now that will change the outcome of the season.

EPL 2010/2011
Manchester United
Arsenal
Manchester City
Liverpool
Chelsea
Spurs
Everton
Villa
Sunderland
Fulham
Birmingham
Blackburn
West Ham
Stoke
Wolves
West Brom
Bolton
Newcastle
Wigan
Blackpool

League Cup
Liverpool
FA Cup
Everton

Man Utd have worked very hard this summer to bring in the right players to strengthen the team. More so signing Vidic will ensure that back four remains solid. Utd have added a superstar in the making with Hernandez coming in from Mexico. This youngster looks like he’ll make an immediate impact and could grab them 15-22 goals this season. With the transfer window still very much open Utd could still add to the team with a midfielder such as Germany World Cup star Ozil. For me Utd are just too strong for the other teams this year, and more importantly for them Chelsea have not really added to the team that won the league last year.

Arsenal have finally put the Cesc business behind them, and with a fit Fabregras available to them they will be Man Utd’s main title rival. The player for me that will light up this team is the signing of Chamakh from Bordeaux. Arsenal are also looking to add to the side, they have shown the same interst as Utd in Ozil, but have also looked at Wright Phillips, and Mertesacker. The one area of weakness for me with Arsenal is the goalkeeper.

Man City have bought bought and bought some more. With the likes of Silva coming to the team they are brimming with quality. This season they have enough to mount a serious challenge for the title. I think they have 2 areas of weakness that will stop them winning the league. Firstly they are still not at the right level defensivly to win the title. They addressed some of the defensive issues in the summer with Kolarov and Boateng but they really need a world class centre back to steady the ship. They also need a true goal scorer, which has still not been addressed. They have great attaching options with Tevez but they need a 25-30 goals a year man. They missed out on Villa, and it seems Torres is staying with Liverpool. The ideal man for the job would have been Luis Fabinano but he has also decided to stay with Seville.

I know, Liverpool 4th seems strange but it’s not really. They now have a new man on the bench, who will get more from this team. Even if the money does not come in for them I expect the to add wisely and if they can sign Crouch and Wright Philips then they have a great team for this season. Now if the money does come in and Roy get this 150M war chest then they will be ale to add one or two top quality players that might even give them a chance to challenge for the title. If Gerrard and Torres can stay fit then this team will do very well.

Chelsea are out of the top 4 this season. They really have done nothing in the close season expect let players go, Cole and Ballack will be missed. A bigger issue might be the fitness of Drogba. Chelsea’s only hope is they manage to bring in two or three players before the season gets going. It’s on the cards that Ashley Cole wants away, if they let him go, they will put themselves in a bigger whole and could even drop below 5th. This side should have been fighting for the league with Man Utd but they will struggle to fight for 4th place.

Part 2 to follow.

A brave new world

2010-08-01T15:40:00.000-07:00

Another season is upon us, and three new teams enter levitation that is the EPL. This season we have a perennial yoyo club in West Brom, a sleeping giant with money issues in Newcastle, and just like last seasons surprise team Burnley we have one of the teams highly tipped for relegation last season Blackpool.

Last season I actually thought all 3 clubs that made it up had a good chance of staying up, and I still think that would have happened if Owen Coyle did not jump ship from Burnley to Bolton. This season is slightly different, for a few reasons.

1. The three teams coming up are nowhere near as strong as the weaker EPL teams
2. None of the clubs coming up seem to have or want to spend big.
3. There is no potential financial blow up lined up for any of the teams in the league so there will be no easy out for the new boys.

If you take out the big boys so United, Chelsea, Liverpool, Arsenal, Spurs, Man City, Villa and Everton. You are then left with two sets of teams; those will potential of being a middle of the table side, and those who will fight for safety.

Mid-Table: Sunderland, Birmingham, West Ham, Fulham, Blackburn, Stoke
Relegation Battlers: Bolton, Wigan, Wolves, Blackpool,Newcasle, West Brom,

This leaves three teams for the new boys to fight with over league survival. This does not look good for any of the new sides up as Bolton, Wigan and Wolves have all got solid squads that need very little tweaking to be able to fight for safety, in fact with a few choice signings these 3 teams could leap frog over one or two of the mid table sides.

On paper Newcastle stand the best chance of the three to stay up. They have a decent goalie, a decent back line, a strong midfield that will fight every minute but will rarely create anything special, and a unproven forward line. West Brom have a star in the making in young scot Graham Dorrans. Outside of this they have a few players that can do a job but very few that would walk into another EPL side. Blackpool should be relegated by Christmas based on the talent they have. Charlie Adam is the start of the side and he could not get a game in Scotland for Rangers. That being said they have the most charismatic manager in the league with Ian Holloway. He’s turned a side that should be getting ready for life in Div 1 to a side that just won a 80M pound jackpot.

On August 14th the new season starts, Blackpool are away to Wigan in what might be a 6 pointer. West Brom and Newcastle have to wait until Sunday and Monday respectively when they both travel away to Chelsea and Man Utd. Although both teams will no doubt come away with nothing it’s probably no more than expected, and getting one of these juggernauts out of the way early may help both teams pick up steam.

The new man on campus but who should be his mentor

2010-08-01T11:18:00.001-07:00

A year a go this same article was written about Tony Mowbray. It talked about the sins of the past and what Tony needed to do to get the backing of the Celtic faithful and turn the side around. Unfortunately Tony missed those articles and now journalists and bloggers are rewriting last season articles but this time with Neil Lennon as the focal point

When Neil took the job last year there was certainly a large number of fans and pundits liked the idea of the having Lennon on board with his fire and determination to drive Celtic forward. Now that they have made it a full time role for him people are looking more at the signing and its potential failure points.

Nobody can doubt Lennon’s desire to win for Celtic but you can question is tactical ability and his overall management ability. On the face of it, this is very similar to the disaster when John Barnes was given the job. At least then he had the experience of King Kenny to offer support. As this highlights the one major concern for most Celtic fans, that the senior management team at the club have failed to deliver an experienced mentor for Lennon. The Irishman has brought in his own team with the likes of Alan Thompson and Johan Mjallby, both great servants to Celtic but neither of them having much coaching or management experience. Celtic failed to bring in Stuart Baxter in a senior role at the club this summer, a role that Lennon needs to be there to offer assistance if and when things take a turn for the worst.

After Celtic’s terrible performance against Braga which surely will see them exit the champions league, Lennon needs that experienced figure to guide him through those troubled matches, and move on from them. He also needs help with identifying the key areas that the team needs to improve on. So far Celtic has added to the front line, and to the full back positions very well this year. There are two key areas that needed addressing at the end of last season which are still very wide open. Celtic are in dire need for at least one very solid centre back, and a top drawer goalie to replace Boruc. With the David James and Sol Campbell deals both falling apart Lennon needs to act fast to sure up those positions. Again with a young manager in place it would be prudent for the club to have the experienced head available to step in at these times and help Neil with finding those players and keep the club moving forward.

So who should Celtic grab for this role? The easy answer is Sven, but can Celtic afford his wages? Probably not, so a more affordable option would be former Liverpool great Phil Thompson. Phil has years of experience at Liverpool and was the right hand man to both Kenny Dalglish and Gerald Houllier, he also ran the club when Houllier had heart surgery. Thompson was never a Celtic player, so he has the ability to remove himself from the problems of being a Celtic man through and through like Lennon.

I'm back.

2010-07-01T13:43:00.000-07:00

It's been a while since I've had time to write about the beautiful game. Last summer as I started to get going with my blog here, and with other websites such as soccerlens, I was given some bad new with regards to my mums health. The next 8 or so months made writing very difficult with everything that was going in my life. Since February this year, I've lost 3 family members to different forms of cancer, including my mum. After taking some time to get my head back to normal I've started to jot down some new ideas for my blog.

So it begins not with a World Cup preview ( I'm too late) or a review, but I'm going to start with an article on the super powers and how crap they are right now. Lets face it France, Italy and England were very poor, and honestly they don't look like they are going to get any better.

I look forward to getting back in the saddle and writing again about the game I love so much.

Sven making the moves

2009-09-06T13:00:00.001-07:00

How long does McParland have to make Notts County an unstoppable team? The answer
is probably not very long. For all the activity around county with rich investors, Sven, Sol
and even Lee Hughes it was expected that County would run away with Div 2. After a
brilliant start it’s fell a little flat recently and some criticism could be pointed at the
manager for not making this work.

With stories already doing the rounds that Roberto Carlos is the next big name to move to
Nottingham, it seems only a matter of weeks before Sven moves to the bench or he brings
in one of his old buddies to run the team.

The smart money is on Sven taking over in the coach’s job and spending fairly big in the
next transfer window. County need to come up this season, and with one or two more
signings they will easily have the best side in the league. It would not be any shock to
anyone if Sven can pull of a coup and bring a player like Ljungberg to county to add to
the experienced core.

I give McParland 3 weeks tops, and if they lose the next match against Northampton I
think he’ll go then.

Did the Premiership miss out ?

2009-09-01T22:08:00.000-07:00

As the transfer deadline drew to a close it seems French Side Monaco may have stolen the show with the move of the summer. While the big money moved the likes of Robben, CR7 and Kaka, it was the shock signing of Icelander Eidur Gudjohnsen for a measly amount of 2M Euros that may turn out to be the biggest return on investment

Yes 2M Euros, it’s not a lot of money for a player of this pedigree. When you look at the 6.5M Pounds Wolves spent of Doyle, you really have to wonder why everyone missed out on this striker. Eidur has bags of experience from his time in England with Bolton and Chelsea. He also did a decent job playing in Spain for Barcelona.

1998-2000 Bolton 55app 18gls

2000-2006 Chelsea 182app 54gls

2006-2009 Barcelona 72app 10gls

apps (10gls)

The two teams that stand out for me that really missed the boat are Blackburn and Liverpool

Blackburn needs a good striker, and it would make sense for Big Sam to get back with his former star striker. They have money from the Santa Cruz sale and for the tiny cost it’s not much of a gamble. With Eidur they would have a starter every week up front.

Liverpool is in dire need of a 2nd striker to play along side or as a stand in for Torres. They have nothing at all worth mentioning on the bench. They also missed out on Tuncay from Middlesbrough and of course Owen. I really fear for Liverpool if they have an injury to either Torres or Gerrard.

I could have it all wrong but I see Eidur banging in 15-20 goals this season in France and he could easily have done the same numbers in the EPL this season.

Who do you think was the biggest value for money signing this summer?

One game makes you

2009-08-05T21:41:00.001-07:00

Gordon Strachan had a great record of winning trophies, and producing in Europe but the Celtic supports never warmed to him. It all really started to go downhill for him on 28 Jul 2005. In the first competitive game of the new season, Celtic was drawn against minnows Artmedia Bratislava, when the dust settled the Scottish giants were 5-0 down after the first leg. Strachan never recovered from this throughout his career at Celtic.

It seems strange but one game is all it takes to make or break someone in the beautiful game. Today new Celtic Manager Tony Mowbray faced a similar fate to that of his predecessor. Already one nil down from the home leg, Celtic faced elimination from the lucrative Champions League with a very difficult away trip to Russian. A Late goal into injury time secured a 2-nil victory for the Glasgow Giant. A huge victory for Celtic that moves them into the next round of the competition but maybe more important is the fans are fully behind the new manager, and hopefully for the first time since Martin O’Neill was at the club the fans will now have a new leader to follow.

What the toon needs

2009-08-02T08:26:00.000-07:00

I've put a lot of thought into this and it seems pretty clear to me that Newcastle don't need Shearer. They need a manager who has experience dealing with a rough crowd, dealing with the pressures of managing a high profile club, and most of all having experience running a club with little to no funds.

That man of course is Gordon Strachan. This a manager who did a decent job over the years in England with a limited budget. He then did a great job ( although the fans won't agree) in Scotland with Celtic. With little money he won trophy after trophy and even got to the last 16 of the CL.

This is a move the makes sense. This man has lived through hell at Celtic, he could walk into this job easily, clear out the deadwood and rebuild without blowing the bank.

If given the chance he'll get them up again, and once up he will build them back to the top 8 of the EPL.

Sad Day

2009-07-31T22:21:00.000-07:00

Today was tough for me in many ways. My mother who still lives back in Scotland has been suffering for a few weeks now with stomach pains. After the usual wait for the NHS to bring her in for tests it was decide by her doctor that she should be admitted straight in and no more waiting around. After several days in the hospital and many test, she was informed she has a lump on her pancreas. At this stage its still unknown what the lump is and more tests are being done but fear I think grips us all when we hear news like that. Cancer seems to touch so many lives nowadays, my fingers are crossed it does not touch mine for sometime and that this is only a cyst or something else no cancerous.

So after a very poor nights sleep thinking about what I'd just been told and to be honest fearing the worst, I heard the sad news about the passing of Sir Bobby Robson. This final battle was his 5th with Cancer. Sir Bobby was a true gentlemen, and a real insight into this is from my own perspective. As a member of the tartan army I love to dislike England managers. That however can't be said for Robson. He always came across as someone you'd like to spend time with, like a old uncle. A great manager who work his magic throughout Europe at the club level and of course with England.

Today the football world lost a true great. May he be looking down on from the great stadium in the sky along side Shanks, Busby and Stein.

Inter the lucky team

2009-07-27T20:49:00.000-07:00

This weekend was a complete nightmare for me and my hopes of a blog. We had a one year old's birthday party that my wonderful wife planned and did all of the decorating for and she made cupcakes and the little lads cakes. I spent my Friday evening making fondant for the cake and my Saturday and Sunday in set up and tear down mode. None of this was help by the BC weather which was hot hot hot and after an amazing storm on Saturday night it was muggy as hell on Sunday am.

So I'm trying to catch up tonight, it's close to 10pm and I'm sitting outside in the heat. I'm sure a sleepless night awaits me. Big blog planned for midweek as a catch up but for now I need to talk about Inters amazing move.

If Barca had paid 40M for Ibrahimovic I think it would have been suitable based on the current going rate, but include in the Eto'o and a years load of Helb probably means he's worth 70M. Firstly it's great business by Inter. Really the big Swede scores goals, and looks stunning on the field but when it comes to those big games he's more a turnip than a swede. Also how will this change the Barca play? Last season they attacked with speed and it worked. Now they will have a big hold up man. For me this does not work, unless Pep can get something out of the Swede that no other manager had done and that is to play for the team, and to play when your back is against the wall. So far it's been a task too big even for the great one. Lets see if Pep can make it happen.

Up Pompey

2009-07-23T22:55:00.000-07:00

Just a short blast but I've been expecting the Argentinian FA to see that Diego was rubbish and look to oust the former star. I was so shocked to here that he might quit the national teams job to take a role with Portsmouth.

AFA just dodged a bullet on this one. let him go now, take him to the airport. It just adds more fuel to the fire that Portsmouth are for the drop this season along with Hull and Wigan.

big weekend special planned if i get away from parties.

Add me on Twitter @TheGreatSwami

Double Standards

2009-07-21T22:32:00.000-07:00

Just a short complaint I guess this week. I was outraged by the actions of the so called LA Galaxy fans this week. I understand the frustrations with Becks but that showing was terrible, and to be honest If I play in Europe today I would stay clear of a move to the US. Where is Cantona when you need him!!!!

I'm more frustrated that the media has not really nailed the Galaxy fans for this, if the shoe was on the other foot and Donavon was treated like this in Germany I can bet there would be an outcry.

Becks need to leave LA, I'd love it if he stayed in the US and played for someone else and put on a show like he's done for Milan recently. Maybe he'll still be available for Vancouver in 2011

I'm a happy campier now with the money rolling in at Notts County. EPL Champs 2013

Slow Sunday

2009-07-19T08:07:00.000-07:00

Before I work on my next installment of the EPL preview I thought I'd pipe in with an update from the usual Sunday Papers but it's been a surprisingly quite day today.

The big stories center around Liverpool trying to get Young from Villa, Man City still chasing Terry and Spurs in for Crouch.

The Terry move is another stinker in my opinion for City. Over the past two seasons, Terry has gone backwards with his play. He's not the player he was under The Great One, and it's showing more and more. Sure City need a defender bad, but for the money they will need to shell out for him they would be better served buying someone in Upson or Lescott.

If Villa let Young go it has to be for an big sum of cash. It would make sense for them to offload him for 20M and use those funds to steal Bentley away from Spurs.

Crouch is an enigma. Great for England, but never on the park enough for Liverpool. At Pompey he did a job but with a crumbling team around him. We know Harry will let him play week in week out, could be a good move. It does signal the exit I think for Bent and Keane. If you ask me I could see both players moving to Sunderland.

The Top 4 according to me

2009-07-18T22:06:00.000-07:00

So where do I start on the preview? I’ve given you my predictions for the table so lets break it down

I think I’ll start at the top four.

Man Utd, Liverpool, Man City and Chelsea.

When I picked this I really had some assumptions in my head, which will of course mean I’ll have an updated prediction on day 1 of the season after half of my ideas fall through.

Manchester United

The big boys will continue to look good this season, my thoughts are they won’t buy anyone until the winter so they’ll make do with what they have. The brought in very good players and it’s more than enough to win the league. Most notably for me is Owen So far this has been the signing of the season. If he can even get 25 games this season I’ll go out on a limb and say he’ll bad 20 goals at least. He could even go better with the ammo he’ll have playing in the united team. Valencia is also a good signing that might not be a cultured and well polished of Ronaldo, but will bring a lot more rawness to the game and a lot more fight.

On top of these signings will be the youth movement and Tosic. He’s got what it takes to be a big star. Expect good things from him this season.

From the established players it’s time Rooney showed his true self and started playing like we know he can. United will want to see a lot more from Berba as well. The only real question marks for me are will United offload Hargreaves? I think so and probably to a Spurs or Villa, and do they have enough cover at back. This is something I think SAF needs to address before the season starts. It does not need to be another 20M centre back but they need a bit f quality available of either Vidic or Rio gets injured long term.

Liverpool

Its much the same for Liverpool as last season. There are some talks about a big move for Villa. It is something that needs to be done. Liverpool on any given day look unstoppable but they have one major problem. If Torres is off form or worse injured they have a huge hole. Liverpool also need to keep the best players they have so that strong midfield needs to be kept in order to fight for the top spot. This is a make or break season for Rafa, I don’t think they need to win the league but they need to continue on from last season. If they loose ground on Man Utd or anyone else then it could be over for the Spanish gaffer

Man City

On paper they should finish in the top 3. They have a solid goalie, and strong midfield and a ridiculous assortment of forwards. Of course there seems to be this unlimited money pile to fund such a team. They need three players this year,

1. A nasty midfielder to put the boot in. This might be a good chance to see how strong the Wigan board is with regards to Cattermole
2. A centre half
3. A centre half

They need a strong defense, and it’s not there today. Kompany could fill in, but it’s obvious that Dunne and Richards are not going to work at this level. If Terry does not come then Man City should look at Upson.

Chelsea

The final of the top four teams, and probably the most likely to drop out of the top 4 with many others waiting to jump in. With a new coach leading the team, it’s the only the 5th coach in 3 years after all it’s going to be a case of wait and see. Will he have the dressing room? Will he have the players he needs? The Chelsea team are similar to Milan in that it’s not a team full of youngsters. This team needs some new blood, it’ll be interesting to see if this happens.

Chelsea are solid, and experienced. The core is the backbone of the team, from the Goalie, Terry, Lampard and Essien and Drogba. If they are all on form and play for the coach then the other players like Ballack will add to a team capable of doing very well.

One player that could be a a difference make is Deco, it just did not work out for him last year but Chelsea will play a different style this year, and if he needs that shot of creativity then it’ll come from this man.

EPL top to bottom for the season Part 1

2009-07-18T12:29:00.000-07:00

Another busy Saturday in the football world, I’m sitting again in my garden enjoying the wonderful weather here in Canada. The sun has gone round by the front of the house so its no longer unbearable on the desk. Which is a good thing, I can’t work on my tan but I’m more motivated to keep working rather than retreating in doors.

So onto the game we love, it’s been a strange week for me. It was sad to hear about John Hartson’s battle with cancer, hopefully the big man can pull through after all his treatments and surgeries. It’s also been a bad week in my opinion of the EPL. I’m really hoping in the weeks leading up to the start of the season that we’ll see an in flux of top notch players move to the UK. I’m not holding my breath on this one though, with the likes of Berg moving to Germany I really have my doubts that we’ll see the moves expected this summer. What will make this worse will be current clubs in England moving potential stars away from the game here, top of that list is the Russian start Pavlyuchenko at Spurs. This is a player who was on the list of players wanted by Real Madrid just before the Euros. It seems a year in England has put in back 2 seasons. Is the issue him or is it playing for Harry? I would actually like to see him move within the EPL to a better coach. Could he replace Adebayor and link up with Arshavin? This would be a move that would work for me.

I’m sure with 3 weeks plus to go changes will happen but here is how I see the EPL looking come May. I’ve split it up into the groups I think we’ll see

Top 4
Man Utd
Liverpool
Man City
Chelsea

The group battling to be in the top 4
Arsenal
Everton
Villa
Spurs
Fulham

Safe and nothing to play for
West Ham
Sunderland
Wolves
Birmingham
Bolton
Blackburn

The battle at the bottom
Stoke
Burnley
Portsmouth
Wigan
Hull

Another Blow?

2009-07-18T00:21:00.000-07:00

As a follow up to my blog yesterday, it looks like the EPL took another hit today with young swede Berg moving to Germany with Hamburg.

This move is a shock, it seemed that so many of the mid tier EPL teams were lined up for this superstar in the making. Again England looks to be missing out on the talent.

And what of the news from Spain that Barca and Inter have an agreement in place. To be honest I think Inter wins this one. Etoo is a great star, Helb will do a job and 40M will help the team. Etoo will make up for Zatlan's exit with goals in the league, and he can't be any worse than the Swede on the big game days.

Barca get a very gifted player who can be the best but rarely shows it on the field. Poor move for me, if they wanted to get a top striker they should have went for Torres.

Midweek Extra

2009-07-16T21:35:00.000-07:00

This weekend I plan to start my season preview but until then I wanted to touch on a couple of hot topics

Is the EPL going down hill? Based on the summer’s moves I would say something is up. Of course Spain is the superpower with the money at Madrid but the fact the big Dutch striker Huntelaar is moving from La Liga to Germany is a huge indication that the EPL is dropping down to the same levels as Italy and Germany. Huntelaar would fit into any EPL or Italian team start 11, but he’s decided to move to Stuttgart. Another sign is the big teams have all fallen quite this summer, and even this early in the summer, Man Utd have pulled the purse strings tight as they have completed the signs they need for this season.

The next few weeks ahead will be very interesting to see how the summer spending will come. I’m also hoping that it’s going to be a fun time for me, as I’ve recently applied to be a correspondent for ESPN covering Birmingham City for the 2009/2010 season. Hopefully I’ll get the call, I’m really looking forward to doing this gig and getting really stuck into a real football job.

I’m not sure I’m glad to see golden balls back in LA. Really the best thing for everyone would be an EPL team to pick him up. It would not be a surprise if Spurs or WHU put in a sneaky bid before the end of the summer.

Time to sign off for today and start working on the big weekend update

When will I ever get time to write this?

2009-07-12T13:23:00.001-07:00

It’s been a while since I last had a chance to sit down and write about the game. When you are a kid you always wanted to become the football player, now at 35 I’ve come to grips that dream won’t happen, it seems just because I have the body of Maradona it does not make me play like the little chubby fellow. Being a football writer would be the next dream career but have a job already that sucks up 50-60 hours a week and a mortgage it’s also become hard for me to drop everything to persue that. I’ve decided that being a part time blogger might be the only option I have to hold onto my footballing dreams, well and the time I spend playing Football Manager. Which I could probably also write a blog on as it’s very strange how the game mimics real life 2 or 3 seasons down the road. I’m playing in 2014-2015 season now and Everton just signed Jo. Anyway I digress, and onto more important things.

It’s been a busy start to the preseason so far, with Real Madrid of course leading the way with Man City a close second. I plan to get into the transfers in general closer to the season start as part of my preview and predictions. What I will say is several transfers have been spot on, and some a little less so.

Owen was a stroke of genius by Fergie. When you look at it SAF has nothing to loose and everything to gain. If Owen fails to delivery it will be only due to injury. With the deal in place Man Utd won’t be out of money. The real value add for me is Owen managed to grab 31 goals in about 75 games at Newcastle. Lets compare the team playing in the Toon against a team with Rooney, Carrick , and Berba to just name a few. Owen has the skill set to score regurlaly when given the chance. He’ll never get a better chance to get back to his former days at Liverpool. What makes it more of a win win for Man Utd is he’s probably going to be joined by some more top notch talent.

Hart’s load move for me could be the best move this season. Firstly it’s a good move for the goalie to actually get a starting place with a decent team. On paper Birmingham are a decent team and should be more than capable of being safe this year. Also he’ll have a great teacher in Taylor to help with his development. If the board at Birmingham have any sense they will push to make the move permanent

Fletchers move to Burnley is a HUGE gamble. Many thought Fletcher would have stayed in Scotland and moved to Celtic. That move made more sense for him, he’s be in the same league as before but in a bigger team. Celtic would have given him a chance to build on his successes by giving him better more chances to score and getting into the winning habit. Also it would have given him some insight into being at a high pressure club. The move down south could bring him fame and fortune, but it could also kill his career. A really good example is McFadden at Birmingham, a great player for Motherwell that went to Everton. He never really worked out at the EPL level, so it’ll be interesting to see how that works out for him with Birmingham back up. Best of luck to both players and we’ll be keeping an eye on Fletcher for sure, if he plays in EPL like he did at Hibs then he could be moving on quickly to a bigger club.

More to follow later

The Crazy Summer

2009-06-07T11:59:00.001-07:00

Well it's all over for now. Another season has passed us by with the usual ups and down. This year we saw another strong showing by Man U, but we also saw a glimmer of hope from Liverpool, although a glimmer it may just be, but more on that later.

In Scotland we saw Rangers take the title, but questions should be asked if they won it or if Celtic gave it away. Of course along with that title change saw the end of WGS's reign at Manager. Strachan never had a chance at Parkhead. The Celtic fans fell in love with MON throughout his time at the club, when he left and WGS came on board the fans never gave him a chance. He won more than MON did, and had an impressive CL run but still no love from the Celtic following. Some of it was on his head, his way of dealing with the media rubbed many the wrong way, and his transfers we shocking at time.

We saw a new champion in France for the first time in what seems like forever. Germany also had a great run in, with Wolfsburg picking up the league. It was the same old story in Italy with Inter winning, and of course we saw the unstoppable Barca team win La Liga. That same team also gave Man Utd a lesson in football in the CL final.

I'd probably spend my entire day writing about the events of last season but since most people who read this already follow the game it would be a waste of time. So i'm going to move onto next season and what we can expect over this summer.

Scotland.

It's not business as usual this year. Celtic lost the league and WGS. Rangers are now in the CL but have no money. Aberdeen are also without a Manager. ICT are down and St.Johnstone are up.

Celtic will probably steal most of the limelight this summer with the appointment of a new gaffer. Many names have been linked in the past week or two from Owen Coyle, Bilic, and Mowbray. It sounds like WBA manager Mowbray an ex Celt will be the new man but there have been some new stories coming out of Glasgow this weekend naming three other options

1. Roy Aitken with or without Brian McClair
2. Morten Weighorst
3. David Platt.

interesting times ahead.

Also for Celtic the exodus will start shortly with Donati first out the door heading back to Italy from about a 1/3 of what Celtic paid for him. Also expect to see the Holy Goalie moving to England or Germany in a deal worth around 5M. Also on the chopping block will be McGeady, Brown and McManus. All depending on what the new Gaffer decides to do. Celtic know the area they need to rebuild and if they can move a Brown and McGeady and bring in the cash they can rebuild from there.

Rangers will continue to rebuild the squad, however the big money from CL football will be mostly use to clear off more debt. The one big player expected to head to Ibrox this summer is Hermann Hreidarsson. It sounds like the deal is done for the 34 year old defender.

Mark MaGhee is hot favorite to take over at Aberdeen this summer but new that DUFC's Manager Craig Levien is also up for it. Either would be a good fit for the club.

Good to see St.Johnstone back in the SPL. The Perth side will have it's work cut out for it when the season starts. I expect them to be fighting to stay up with the usual suspects Falkirk and Hamilton. That takes me to Tony Mowbray again, the story is that if he does move to Celtic, then John Hughes of Falkirk will move to WBA. If this happens then a great bet this summer would be on Falkirk to drop down.

more to come this week on EPL, La Liga, and the rest of European football.

The Three?

2008-11-08T21:35:00.000-08:00

So I’ve been gone all week, to sunny Indianapolis. I did say sunny it seems it’s not meant to be like that at this time of year

I have missed most of the football this week , I did notice Celtic and Man U drew 1-1 which is not good for Celtic. Hopefully we’ll get a win against the Danes and the UEFA cup will await us.

As I stated in my last blog my main focus this week would be on two teams, but I’m going to go to three. So the three are Spurs, Newcastle and Man City, three teams who have this great potential but are not showing it.

So lets start with the Londoners. I had them finishing high this year, on paper they had a great manager and a great team, that being said I think this is a team with issue. Firstly they should have never gotten rid of Martin Jol. They then replace him with someone who can’t talk English, and tries to change the make up of the team. The problem is this is English football, I’m of the impression that there are very few manager that can be at the top in all leagues. So on paper Ramos has the skills but he was unproven in the UK, and it showed this season. Also his team was very weak, which might work in Spain but won’t work when you have to go to Hull on a cold Tuesday night.

Then we have the director of football role. It just does not seem to work in the UK. Could you really see someone tell Fergie that they are buying the players and he’s just going to coach the team? It just would not fly.

So now they have decided to rid them of this role with the cuts. And in comes Harry. So with a little luck and lets face it the 4-4 game and the Liverpool game had a lot of luck. Harry will of course do two things, he’ll let players like Bentley do the job he’s meant to be doing. He’ll also look to out more bite in the team. The transfer window cannot come sooner for them, I’d expect him to raid his old club but not for Defoe as a lot of people expect. They will look to get a good midfielder in the center of the park, and allow Modric to work his magic.

This brings me onto Man City. The richest club in the world, and they have a similar issue to Spurs. They lack fight, and it was for show last weekend against Bolton. They have the great flair players but the team has no bite, and is also a little slack at the back. If you team is going to be built around an attacking core with Elano, Jo and Robinho then you really have to ensure your tight at the back.

So with all the money they have Mark Hughes has to look at not spending the money on another flash player but go out and stiffen up the defense and add a strong midfielder. Now this could start a bidding war between Man City and Spurs for a certain Portsmouth player. And really Portsmouth could be selling a lot this winter. It would not be a surprise if Man City went out and bought a defensive option and a striker from Portsmouth. Defoe could be a perfect player to rotate with Jo.

So finally we come to Newcastle. My feels about Newcastle are similar to Spurs. Really they had a great manager with Big Sam, and hey just never game him a chance. If they had that team would be in a lot better position. Now Kinnear has done a good job. He is very similar to Sam in a way, and they really need to strong figure in that team to turn things around.

Newcastle don’t need to add that grit, they have plenty but they don’t have a good team. They have big holes throughout that team. The first thing they need to do is put a contract in front of Kinnear. The concern I think any fan will have is that the contract won’t happen. With the ownership change going on they may want to hold off to allow the new owners the chance to pick the man to lead this team. That will of course cause more problems.
If the management team do the right thing about give him an 18 month contract then you’ll see Kinnear shuffle the pack. Again expect Portsmonth to be hit, and Crouch would be top of the shipping list. Kinnear likes to the target man, and this would be a good option. The other option is that he looks to Scotland and takes a look the big Celtic Man JVH

I think all 3 teams are safe, I actually think they will all end middle of the table with Spurs even getting higher. The key for the fans is next year will be come May, will they have managers still in place and what plans are in place for next season.

Now I mentioned Celtic, and with CL football looking like it’s gone Celtic are on the for a change of two. McGeady is gone, but not to Newcastle. Expect a large big this winter by none other than Bayern Munich. With Naka also heading out , and a potential move also for JVH Celtic will be out looking for a few moves.

The biggest name is Landon Donavon. The US striker is looking for a move back to Europe, and Celtic would be a perfect fit for him. His career really took a hit when his last Euro move fell flat. Celtic will give him the opportunity to play at a high level, be in one of the most viewed markets. Playing for the Old Firm will give Donavon a real taste of the big league and the media attention.

I'm back

2008-11-02T13:43:00.000-08:00

well it's been a while since i blogged. I guess work and home life have kept me away but I've got a little time on my side, and next week I'm away from home. So this should also give me a chance to blog while I'm flying. So expect something for the weekend.

Initially I was going to write this week about Spurs and Man City, but I think this will be something for next week. So I have decided that this weeks topic will be the MLS.

What are your thoughts on the current expansion teams lined up for the MLS? My concern as a fan is that one of the team Vancouver looks to have a great set up but probably does not have the glitter of some of the other bids. On paper Miami and Vancouver would be the best two, Vancouver because of the current Whitecap set up plus the ownership, which as been in place for so long. Miami of course because of the links to La Liga.

With so much interest in the expansion would it make sense if the backing is there to open the expansion to more than 2 teams.

MLS to me is still a boring product. It lacks the intensity of European football for a few reason

The cap system is stupid. You just can’t build a side with so little cash.
Player development is not there. If the whitecaps got award a place for 2011, my recommendation to them would be to align the team with a good collage in the US like Notre Dame, and then become a feeder club for a big side in Europe. This way you have a channel to some good quality kids coming through the collegian system, and if you get set up with a European team you have the opportunity to take a few players on loan. Right now the most reserve teams in the EPL could take the Galaxy on and give them a run for their money.
Local youth teams are not aligned to the MLS teams (if they are I don’t see them). Create more local systems that will also feed the team with young talent. Think about how it works in England, if the Whitecaps create an entire youth system that plays in the local leagues here they should be able to bring in young players from all over the work with the chance to play for a MLS team

In Canada, Hockey is king, but soccer is now the most played sport. So why does it not transfer onto the professional game? It’s the gap between kids playing at school and playing professional. In Europe if your good enough you get picked up by a real team. This is the carrot that is not dangled in front of a young player here

Beckham. Really he’s probably the best or at least in the top 5 players playing in MLS. The problem is he’s so over rated. Becks needs to be in a side with quality around him, he can’t carry a team. And really the circus act has worn off, as he’s really quite boring. If the league needs to bring in big players, they really need to bring in players who can turn a game around in seconds. Beckham can only do this if he’s got a freekick within 25 yards. If your going to break the bank on a player then go for a Henry.
Finally my last gripe about MLS is the lack of accountability. Yes no relegation means that teams can play terrible and live to fight another day. If MLS wants to be treated like a real league, they need to sort that out. Lets go to a 2 tier league. My hopes are by 2012 we could have at least 4 more teams in the top flight. So lets make that the Div 1. Then we need to get the next level of soccer, so they currect system that has Montreal and Vancouver. Lets make that Div 2. And we'll go for 2 up and 2 down.

MLS will only be a NA league and will only be watched by NA fans if it continues down the road its on. It needs change, and it needs that change to allow for fans around the world to watch it.

Over and out.

What just happened?

2008-09-02T19:51:00.000-07:00

Well another weekend is over. This of course was not your normal run of the mill weekend.

Firstly it kicked off with Man U getting beat in the European Super Cup but those Zenit Boys. For the most part this is one of the worst games I've seen United play in a long time.

Then the weekend took a turn for the worst with the mighty Celtic getting beat at home by Rangers. All in all Rangers new signings looked good, while Celtic fans will be wondering what is going on? Celtic new the areas they needed to add to this summer and they did not really do a good job filling those places. Celtic really need to move on from this defeat and focus on settling into a rhythm of winning game.

And if this was not enough then of course comes the transfer deadline.........and two HUGE moves.
1. Berba's move to Man Utd finally happens. Good business for Manchester, as we've seen this season so far they are in need of a big striker. And now with Ronnie on his way back this move makes Man U the most deadly team in the league.
2. Chelsea did not sign the little Brazilian. Man City did! Yes Man City. A new owner with more money than sense. Not only did they just blow over 32 million pounds on the little Rob. But they just said they would spend 132 million on Ronaldo! WFT 132 million pounds!!!!!!!

this rewrites the plan for the season. Sure Man City won't win the league this year, but next season they will be a threat.

And now Newcastle is up in arms, with what looks like the door being shown to King Kev. So it looks like Dennis Wise is the hot fav for the job. I really don't think that David Moyes is going to Newcastle as i think he is being earmarked to be the replacement for SAF at Man Utd in 3 years time.

Gooners

2008-08-23T19:21:00.000-07:00

What is going on a Arsenal ? They looked terrible today, and did not look that great last week. It seem year are year they are just not able to play like they did 5 years ago.

Is it the money front? well it could be with the new Stadium money is not available for players. When did you last see them pick up a BIG money player?

Is it that with no money Wenger is all out of ideas? if Spurs or Villa went as long without a trophy do you think the current managers would still be in work with them? probably not. So will the board finally pull the trigger on Wenger?

The question is how frustrated are the board? It seems that they are quite happy with Wenger bringing in kids, and selling them on. And they are happy to let him do this while they turn a tidy profit.

A change needs to be made, either open the vault and let Wenger buy or let him go. I just don't know who they could get to replace him.

My bet for the next Manager to move into the big time is Moyes. It would not be a shock if he became the new Man Utd manager once SAF give it up

Week Two

2008-08-23T11:45:00.001-07:00

Another great weekend is here with more football than I know what to do with. Not only with the big leagues but we also saw Argentina scoop the Gold Medal against Nigeria.

What a great day so far for Sunderland, Stoke and Fulham. Hats off to them all for pulling off great results today.

Not sure I can say the same for the England team who sneaked a draw midweek. Again the on paper great team does nothing on the field. It’s a surprise to me more than anything that a great team coach like Fab is struggling with this England team. The future does not look good for England. They have a big game with Croatia in the WC qualifiers and based on what we’ve seen so far it does not look good.

What does England need to win? Well firstly they need to drop Lampard or Gerard. Perhaps the best thing for them would be for one of those players to pick up an injury before the next game, this will force Fab to make a change to his line up. It’s been said for several years now that those two cannot play in the one team. They also need to find a striker. Rooney is all over the place, he never does what he’s told on the park. So he always drops too deep. But its not only Rooney, who plays with him? Defoe is not that good, Owen is but has lost the passion for the game. For England’s sake I hope some comes around this season that can play with Rooney. I actually like big Crouch, but I think the target man is a good option for them. I think England should have given Chris Sutton more caps during his Celtic days.

The main reason I wanted to blog this week was regarding the lack of transfers this summer, sure we’re had lots of moves but what about all the big headliners that never happened?

It looks like today one of those has finally happened. Sheva is leaving Chelsea and heading back to Milan. A move that will work I think for all the parties, except perhaps the Chelsea’s owners bank account. No figures have been given but I doubt it’s the 30 million that Chelsea spent on him.

So what happened to Ronaldo to Real, or Kaka to Chelsea? Man U still have a dire need for a striker and none of the big names linked made a move. All the teams linked with the big moves have a need for some key signings so are these deals dead or are they all just smoke blown by the clubs to get another target. It does seem that way with Man Utd targeting Henry, a player that has stated he’d never move to anyone else in England. Now it looks like Berba is also not Man Utd bound, so who will they get? I have to compare it to what is going on in the NHL with the Sundin contract. The Habs and Canucks have large offers on the table for the player but you can only hope for them that they have a plan B in the back pocket just in case he goes to the other team or somewhere else.

More to come this weekend, My wife is off to a wedding so it’s football all weekend me. I’m sure I will have more to write about

Old Firm

2008-08-17T12:22:00.000-07:00

firstly what can i say about Chelsea today.....very much on top of their game and looking somewhat robotic as they destroyed Portsmouth. Man United looked on the other hand like a team missing a few key players. Which is very much true with no Ron or Tevez today. Hopefully for them and for the fans of good football they will get the striker they are looking for this week.

Defending SPL Champs also had a tough day at the office with a 1-1 draw against Dundee United. I do fancy DUFC to get the 3rd this season. Today they looked like a team that deserved the draw. Celtic will have to looked at creating more scoring chances this season if they hope to go 4 in a row.

So on to my main thought for today, i recently mention that i read on an TSN forum that people talked badly about the the SPL. In the same forum someone mentioned that the old firm would be mid table in the EPL. The write was actually sticking up for the SPL by stating that Toronto FC would struggle in the Championship. While i agree this season the both Rangers and Celtic would be mid table EPL if they had the chance to play this season i do think that next season would be a different beast.

One of the main reason why this move will never happen is all those teams that sit in the middle of the table, so you Spurs, Everton, etc know just how BIG the old firm is, and could be if they had the chance to play on the bigger stage. Both clubs sell out each week, filling stadums over 50,000. And with season ticket waiting lists as big as they are if both teams expanded to 70,000 they would continue to fill those grounds.

Today both squads are good but need improvements to compete with the giants in England. Today the money is not there but with the reviews from TV they could really be a power. Also today Man Utd signed another agreement with a telecoms firm worth 10m pounds. With money like that coming into the old firm they would be a real threat to the league.

It will never happen in my life time, and as much as i'd love to see Celtic do well in the EPL i think it would hurt so many teams both sides of the border.

but for those fans of the MLS, the SPL is by far a stronger Leauge than you think. check it out online. If Celtic or Rangers played any MLS team in a game that meant something they would wipe the floor with them.

Finally the wait is over

2008-08-16T09:07:00.000-07:00

Well just finished watching Blackburn and Everton. Great start to the season and i'm sure its going to get better. It was also great to see one of the new boys picking up a win today. Stoke on the other had looked like a team that should not be in this league. This could be a bad year for the team, you can see some of the big teams hitting them for 5 or 6.

tomorrow sees the Man U and Chelsea in action along with Celtic V's Dundee Utd up in Scotland. It should be a great day for football.

my thumbs up go to Paul Ince's Blackburn, and Hull today.

Tomorrow

2008-08-15T19:31:00.000-07:00

Well the big day is just around the corner. The start of the new EPL season kicks off tomorrow afternoon. The press seems to be full of last minute buys as teams get ready for the new season. So here is my predictions for this season

Top 4

1. Man Utd
2. Liverpool
3. Chelsea
4. Arsenal

What can you say about Man Utd, they are quality from back to front. And with SAF looking to add a big name striker it really looks like they are just unstoppable.

Look out for Anderson and Nani this season to really step up.

Liverpool will be a real team this season if Rafa sticks to a solid first team and quits changing every match. Keane is a great signing and with Torres i'd expect to see a lot of goals from the pool this season. These goals will get them 2nd.

Chelsea added Deco, a great player but will his style of play work in England. I guess we'll see in the next few months. Chelsea will be strong as always at the back but they lack goals up front.

The Gunners will hope that Walcott has a great season they really need this and if they don't get it then maybe they struggle to keep 4th spot.

The challengers to the top 4

5. Villa
6. Spurs
7. Portsmouth
8. Man City
9. Everton

The rest
10. Middlesbro
11.Newcastle
12.Blackburn
13.WHU
14.Fulham
15.Sunderland

Relegation Battle
16.WBA
17.Bolton

Down
18.Wigan
19. Stoke
20. Hull

great signing by Rangers today picking up Mendes from Portsmouth. also sound like they are after Edu from Toronto. I read some really bad posts on TSN today with the locals complaining about this move. People in North America really needs to understand that the SPL is a far more difficult league the MLS.

Chelsea

2008-08-12T20:54:00.000-07:00

I don't really understand why this is happening but it seems that everyone thinks Chelsea are the hot Fav's for the EPL this season. It does seem strange that the public feel this way, what have the Londoners done to become the hot team

The Signing of Deco does not make them a super team, is anything i don't even know how he'll do in the english game. Also upfront they need to sign a big striker, they need to have a solid striker to win the EPL.

Another BIG question mark is can Phil coach in England. We'll see in the weeks to come, i'm sure against Man u, and Liverpool his big game expereince will help. It's just going to be how he copes away to a Hull team with 10 men behind the ball.

For me, it's still Man U.....even with the winker missing a bunch of games at the start they should be strong enough to win again.

i know it's a short one for today but tomorrow i will start my preview for the EPL. I'll start with the Big 4, and the few who could fight into the top 4

Wedding Season Over

2008-08-11T21:05:00.000-07:00

Yes i know it's not a footie related title but my wife is a semi pro wedding planner, so this has been a very busy time for us both. So busy that i am very late with my season preview........

So with that in mind i'll hit the SPL first.

So it's the usual story in Scotland, it's the Old Firm 1 and 2. At the end of last season Celtic really pulled off a shock winning the SPL. With Rangers euro run it really looked like they would be the fav's to win the SPL this season. Rangers and Celtic however did not hit the transfer market big this summer. This could be seen this past weekend with the first games of the SPL. Celtic yet again start slowly, and what can you expect. They really needed improve on last season but they still don't have the players to do that. They are in need a some strong players at the back, and a suitable stiking option. Far too many times last season they relied far too much on wee Aiden to pull something out of the bag.

As for Rangers they need to inject some youth in the team, Daily and Weir are well passed their best. Both players are still able to play but would be more suited to playing with Dundee United or St.Mirren. Rangers also had a European horror show, and again the old boys did not show up for Rangers.

Two things will stand out for me this season, and no one of them is not how many men will manager the Jambos team this season.

1. Will Rangers sell the their prize players? based on reports today i looks like it. If this does happen, and the like of McGregor are sold off then Celtic will run away with the title.
2. Can Dundee Utd posse a threat to the Old Firm. United are the best of the rest, with the best young manager in the league. I think they will be a strong 3rd this season but won't have the squad to push for 2nd. However look out if Rangers do sell off some starts.

So here is my predictions for this season

1. Celtic
2. Rangers
3. Dundee Utd
4. Aberdeen
5. Hearts
6. Killie
7. Inverness
8.Hibs
9.Falkirk
10.Motherwell
11.St.Mirren
12.Hamilton

SLC Dundee Utd
SC Celtic

EPL to follow

2008-08-03T09:42:00.000-07:00

It's Sunday

I decided to write this blog mainly as a way for me to express my thoughts on the game of football ( soccer). Having moved to North America over 4 years ago i rarely get the chance to have a good footballing conversation, so my hope is this will be at least a one way conversation on the wonderful subject.

So it's already started. Scottish Div 1-3 kicked off yesterday afternoon, or morning i guess since I'm now over here. Saturdays are just not the same anymore. I'm out on the west coast so it's 7am when most games kick off in Scotland or England. No longer does 3pm mean anything to me now.

i know MLS has been going for the last few weeks but i just can't enjoy it as much as even a lower english game. I see some good changes in the game, the move to allow teams to spend outside of the wage structure will allow for more star factor players to show up. However so far i'm still not impressed at the quality of the game being played. I remember way back at the start of the MLS that one of the senior exec's stated that within 5 years the MLS teams would be able to take on the cream of european football. This has not happened, and based on what i see today i think it's still a long way off.

For me part of the problem is that league set up is too small. They should look at adding more teams, and more divisions similar to what we see in europe. Look at teams like Vancouver and Montreal, what do they play for each year? they win the league but nothing comes from that. These lower division teams should be able to build a young side that will either gain them promotion to an MLS division or at least let them build towards this by selling off younger talent to the MLS teams.

Looks like Middlesbrough are building big for the new season, it's reported this morning on teamtalk that they are being linked with a $6M move for Swiss international Barnetta. A great signing if it happens for a team that will be pushing to gain a UEFA place some the end of the season.

The EPL looks again to be a race between the BIG 4. I expect to see good form shown by Spurs, Villa, Man City, Portsmouth and Everton but i can't see anyone getting into the BIG 4. New boys WBA should be strong enough this season to stay up. More to come from me on my preview of the SPL and EPL.