Andrei Arshavin has many notches on his belt. World famous footballer, author, vice-champion of Russia, and promising Draughts player. But very few people actually know that he is also a comedic genius.
From being not being scared of Arsene Wenger and giving outspoken interviews, often criticizing his own team, Arshavin is not afraid to speak his own mind. He has even written a bizarrely named book, 555 Questions on Women, Money, Politics, Football.
In the book Arshavin speaks on anything and everything, from dreams about a world where he dreams of being a horse in a field, surrounded by guinea pigs to having to be pinned down by four medics as his dentist tried to pull out a tooth.
However, this all pales in comparison to his official website.
The site is the usual kind of thing you would expect from a sportsman. Profiles, history, plans etc. But hidden in the back of the site, Arshavin invites questions from people about anything, and I mean anything.
From answering questions on red shoelaces, to weather systems in Scotland, to curry, and football, the little genius has an answer for everything. Making his site one of the must see sites on the net for any fan.
Here is a sample of the kind of questions Arshavin gets asked...
1. From erlan95
Hello Andrey ...I am an Arsenal fan and I go to London very often as I’m a footballer from Kazakhstan! And I go to London as a team captain. I know your address in London! May I come to visit you and to take an autograph? I’ll bring presents .. There’ll be my coach ,my younger brother who plays for Brazil and I...?? I'm 19 years old .. Will you let in me?
Arshavin: My grandmother used to teach me that it’s bad manners to invite yourself to somebody’s house.
2. From ahjkaa
Andrey, what do you think about handball players?
Arshavin: Handball, handball ... In the past, I used to watch this game when Tuchkin and Torgavanov played...
3. From 27289282
Andrey, tell me, please, whether Alexander Anyukov is married and if he has any children? How are your Artyom and Yana?
Arshavin: My children are growing. Sasha Anyukov has no children.
4. From AssetKZ
Hello Andrey, I’ve been watching you in Arsenal and I’m very happy with your performance, Arsenal has changed for the better since you came, Fabregas, Arshavin, Nasri – I think, it’s the best attack line in Europe! Q: Don’t you think that defenders while taking part in the attack, go too far and don’t have enough time to return back to their positions when counter-attack? Is there any reason to use attacking defenders?
Arshavin: In modern football, the defenders are obliged to go forward.
5. From mail1206
Hello Andrey! You supported Nike and (RED) partner project, aimed at combating HIV / AIDS in Africa. In the video you took part in, you ate shoelaces for some reason! I want to know why you ate red shoelaces? You are not fed at home?
Arshavin: At home I’m fed only with blue ones.
6. From McRussian
Do you have an opportunity to travel a little in your spare time? There are a lot of great places in Britain especially in Scotland)). Come to Scotland (not just to score against Celtic Park), we’ll go north, in the mountains! Or we can go to have a look at the ocean!
Arshavin: Yes, I’ve heard a lot about it. But I'm afraid I won’t be able to come. A trip like this takes at least 3 days: two days for the road and one for sightseeing. The team has no more than 2 days off. Somehow I feel that we won’t go to Scotland even after my career is over.
7. From natalika
What number do you like to play under?
Arshavin: In Zenith it was 10. Here - 23.
8. From Kazakhstan
Hello, I would like to ask you a question. Was it difficult to learn to play football??)
Arshavin: I found it easy.
9. From still77
Are you friends with Pavlyuchenko family. Are you close with Zhirkov and Bilyaletdinov? Or you don’t communicate for some reasons?
Arshavin: I exchange text messages with Diniyar. We meet with Yura, but rarely, his schedule of games does not coincide with mine. In addition, Yura lives very far from us.
10. From Misora
Andrey, is it possible to meet you in London?
Arshavin: If I live here, then there is a chance.
11. From Vladislav770
Hello, Andrey! I’ve watched all the TV programs about you, about your life in England! I try to watch all Arsenal games! I have a question. Is it true that you get up every morning at 8: 00 to make a long jog in order to be in good shape? Aren’t you tired of it? And one more. Was it difficult to adapt to England? Thank you in advance!
Arshavin: I quit it for the time being.
12. From TOSTAO
Hi Andrey! My name is Artem, I’ve been playing football since I was 8 years old and I want to become a professional footballer, but I'm not tall, so I have to run fast! How fast did you run a 30 meter or a 60 meter distance when you were 15?
Arshavin: I don’t remember.
13. From sashax7xl
Hello Andrey, I’ve been playing football half a year now. All this time I played the field and now I begin to wonder maybe I should become a goalie. What would you recommend?
Arshavin: To think about it.
14. From PashaShiry
Have you ever been to Stavropol?
Arshavin: No
Bizarre, but great fun.
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Feb 28, 2010
Benzema Is Much Happier At Real Madrid Than Cristiano Ronaldo
For those of you who think Karim Benzema is unhappy warming his ass on the bench at Real Madrid, think again...
For reasons that now seem quite obvious, the French international is enjoying the kind of treatment that Cristiano Ronaldo can only dream about.
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Video: Arsenal's Aaron Ramsey Breaks His Leg After Ryan Shawcross Tackle
It was a vital win for Wenger's young guns. With Chelsea surprisingly losing 4-2 to Manchester City at Stamford Bridge, Arsenal needed to win.
The game, however, will be most remembered for the tragic injury to Welsh wunderkind Aaron Ramsey.
Shawcross was in possession and took a very heavy touch that opened the ball up to Ramsey to take. The young Gunner then showed his inexperience by pulling on the ball while the Stoke man went in to tackle, and with the ball having been cleared, Shawcross caught Ramsey just above the ankle and shattered it.
The injury was so bad that TV producers refused to replay the incident.
The Stoke player was distraught as Ramsey writhed in pain on the ground. It was an accidental tackle that the referee overreacted to by sending Shawcross off, the reactions of certain Arsenal players perhaps guiding the referee's decision.
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Watch Wayne Bridge Blank John Terry's Handshake
While the duo used to be friends, that has all gone out the window since John Terry had an affair with Bridge's ex, Vanessa Perroncel.
Here, John Terry tries to take the moral high ground by offering his hand...
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Diego Maradona's Jewelry Seized by Italian Police as Palermo Play the Diamond Formation
DIEGO MARADONA'S reluctance to pay tax while he played for Napoli in Italy has come back to haunt him. Owing the Italian Revenue some £35million, the Italian government seized all of his jewelry on a recent visit to the country...
The jewels were then auctioned off to help pay towards an estimated €35m tax debt, but it seems Maradona will now be reunited with at least one of his prized possessions, a diamond earring after a mystery buyer bought the piece and gave it back to Diego, free of charge... step forward Palermo striker Fabrizio Miccoli.
Although it was an unknown woman who was at the auction to buy the earring for €25,000, Miccoli says she was acting on his behalf.
It is now believed that Miccoli intends to give the earring back to its rightful owner, although it didn't stop him wearing it during Palermo's 3-1 win over Lazio last Sunday...
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The jewels were then auctioned off to help pay towards an estimated €35m tax debt, but it seems Maradona will now be reunited with at least one of his prized possessions, a diamond earring after a mystery buyer bought the piece and gave it back to Diego, free of charge... step forward Palermo striker Fabrizio Miccoli.
Although it was an unknown woman who was at the auction to buy the earring for €25,000, Miccoli says she was acting on his behalf.
It is now believed that Miccoli intends to give the earring back to its rightful owner, although it didn't stop him wearing it during Palermo's 3-1 win over Lazio last Sunday...
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Feb 27, 2010
Horrific Injury To Aaron Ramsey Mars Arsenal's Vital EPL Win Over Stoke
Arsenal showed the tough side of their character Saturday as they battled to a 3-1 win in the face of adversity at Britannia Stadium.
Having gone behind, the Gunners also had to deal with the loss of Aaron Ramsey with an horrific leg break, before scoring three unanswered goals for a win that moved them to just three points behind Premier League leaders Chelsea.
This was always going to be one of Arsenal's hardest games from their remaining fixtures. Britannia has never been a happy hunting ground for Arsene Wenger, and the Gunners knew they would have to overcome an intense physical battle if they were to maintain their title challenge.
Stoke City took the lead through a headed goal from ex-Manchester United youth Danny Pugh after he stooped to meet a headed flick on from another ex-United player, Ryan Shawcross.
Arsenal knew exactly what to expect, and when Rory Delap set himself up for the long throw, it was disappointing to see the Gunners deal with the set piece so poorly. Thomas Vermaelan played the percentages and dropped right off Shawcross, who was allowed to meet the ball unchallenged; the Belgian then played Pugh onside as he opened the scoring.
This was the fourth goal Arsenal have conceded from a Delap throw-in, so you would like to think that they would have learned their lesson by now.
The much-maligned Niclas Bendtner equalized with an exquisite lofted header, before Cesc Fabregas scored from the spot and then turned provider for Vermaelan, who tapped in from close range.
It was a vital win for Wenger's young guns. With Chelsea surprisingly losing 4-2 to Manchester City at Stamford Bridge, Arsenal needed to win.
The game, however, will be most remembered for the tragic injury to Welsh wunderkind Aaron Ramsey.
Shawcross was in possession and took a very heavy touch that opened the ball up to Ramsey to take. The young Gunner then showed his inexperience by pulling on the ball while the Stoke man went in to tackle, and with the ball having been cleared, Shawcross caught Ramsey just above the ankle and shattered it.
The injury was so bad that TV producers refused to replay the incident.
The Stoke player was distraught as Ramsey writhed in pain on the ground. It was an accidental tackle that the referee overreacted to by sending Shawcross off, the reactions of certain Arsenal players perhaps guiding the referee's decision.
With the game at 1-1 and with one of their star kids having gone off injured, Arsenal had every excuse to retract back into their shell and see the game out.
But not this one. Arsenal, quite rightly, have been criticized for a lack of character in tough situations. All too often over the last five years have the Gunners capitulated when excuses have presented themselves.
Having learned a valuable lesson from Eduardo da Silva's horrific leg break almost exactly two years ago, the Gunners rolled up their sleeves and battled to a much deserved win.
Led by the phenomenal Cesc Fabregas, Arsenal sprayed the ball around Stoke's 10 men with ease and stretched Tony Pulis' well-drilled side to such an extent that the scoreline could have been far greater.
It is most noteworthy that this was the first time Arsenal have won at Stoke since 1982. An impressive win that will go a long way in determining the title race.
Only three points separates Chelsea on top, with Manchester United and Arsenal at 60 and 58 points, respectively, to the Blues' 61. And with the Gunners having the easiest run in by far, they are very much potential Champions.
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Having gone behind, the Gunners also had to deal with the loss of Aaron Ramsey with an horrific leg break, before scoring three unanswered goals for a win that moved them to just three points behind Premier League leaders Chelsea.
This was always going to be one of Arsenal's hardest games from their remaining fixtures. Britannia has never been a happy hunting ground for Arsene Wenger, and the Gunners knew they would have to overcome an intense physical battle if they were to maintain their title challenge.
Stoke City took the lead through a headed goal from ex-Manchester United youth Danny Pugh after he stooped to meet a headed flick on from another ex-United player, Ryan Shawcross.
Arsenal knew exactly what to expect, and when Rory Delap set himself up for the long throw, it was disappointing to see the Gunners deal with the set piece so poorly. Thomas Vermaelan played the percentages and dropped right off Shawcross, who was allowed to meet the ball unchallenged; the Belgian then played Pugh onside as he opened the scoring.
This was the fourth goal Arsenal have conceded from a Delap throw-in, so you would like to think that they would have learned their lesson by now.
The much-maligned Niclas Bendtner equalized with an exquisite lofted header, before Cesc Fabregas scored from the spot and then turned provider for Vermaelan, who tapped in from close range.
It was a vital win for Wenger's young guns. With Chelsea surprisingly losing 4-2 to Manchester City at Stamford Bridge, Arsenal needed to win.
The game, however, will be most remembered for the tragic injury to Welsh wunderkind Aaron Ramsey.
Shawcross was in possession and took a very heavy touch that opened the ball up to Ramsey to take. The young Gunner then showed his inexperience by pulling on the ball while the Stoke man went in to tackle, and with the ball having been cleared, Shawcross caught Ramsey just above the ankle and shattered it.
The injury was so bad that TV producers refused to replay the incident.
The Stoke player was distraught as Ramsey writhed in pain on the ground. It was an accidental tackle that the referee overreacted to by sending Shawcross off, the reactions of certain Arsenal players perhaps guiding the referee's decision.
With the game at 1-1 and with one of their star kids having gone off injured, Arsenal had every excuse to retract back into their shell and see the game out.
But not this one. Arsenal, quite rightly, have been criticized for a lack of character in tough situations. All too often over the last five years have the Gunners capitulated when excuses have presented themselves.
Having learned a valuable lesson from Eduardo da Silva's horrific leg break almost exactly two years ago, the Gunners rolled up their sleeves and battled to a much deserved win.
Led by the phenomenal Cesc Fabregas, Arsenal sprayed the ball around Stoke's 10 men with ease and stretched Tony Pulis' well-drilled side to such an extent that the scoreline could have been far greater.
It is most noteworthy that this was the first time Arsenal have won at Stoke since 1982. An impressive win that will go a long way in determining the title race.
Only three points separates Chelsea on top, with Manchester United and Arsenal at 60 and 58 points, respectively, to the Blues' 61. And with the Gunners having the easiest run in by far, they are very much potential Champions.
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Craig Bellamy Inspired Manchester City Run Riot In 4-2 Win Over Suicidal Chelsea at Stamford Bridge
A Craig Bellamy inspired Manchester City team ran riot against Chelsea at Stamford Bridge today as Roberto Mancini's men hammered the nine men Blues 4-1. Jose Mourinho's Inter Milan had shown that the Blues were beatable midweek, but City ripped them apart.
The Pensioners contributed to their own downfall as much as City's good play, making school boy errors that were beyond belief, as well as two players getting sent off for the most ridiculous of challenges.
The first half was a pretty turgid affair with Chelsea dominating play and Henrique Hilario was little more than a spectator in the error ridden half.
It could be summed up perfectly by Didier Drogba rising to meet a deep cross from the left. He missed the ball but managed to clash heads with Pablo Zabaleta before striking the terrified Micah Richards under the chin with a knee, leaving all three players on the ground in a heap.
Frank Lampard's contribution was negligible before he ran onto Joe Cole's perfectly weighted pass to fire home and give the Blues a deserved lead.
Despite the poor game on show, Chelsea's dominance had to show at some stage. The lack of ambition and deep lying defence of City gave all the impetus to the Blues and the goal came as no surprise.
Mere minutes later and City were unbelievably level. The goal was a real shocker and Carlo Ancellotti will be fuming as to how easy his Chelsea team made it for Tevez to score.
Chelsea were on the attack, Joe Cole's shot was weak and was deflected out to Lampard who was beaten to the ball by Richards who hoofed the ball clear. Under no pressure what-so-ever, Jon Obi-Mikel decided to head the ball back to his 'keeper from the halfway line...
John Terry then made an absolute mess of his clearance as Carlo Tevez raced onto the ball. He then scuffed his shot that seemed to throw Hilario off as the ball bobbled slowly into the net.
It was a terrible sequence of errors culminating in Petr Cech's awful mistake. The great Czech is badly missed and if this is an example of Hilario, the next four weeks could make for dismal viewing for Chelsea fans.
All of a sudden Manchester City were in the game and they almost took the lead on the stroke of halftime after Jolean Lescott's header glided just wide of the far post.
In the space of four minutes the game had flip flopped and Chelsea were now the ones hanging on. Changes had to be made at half time. John Terry was having another nightmare, while Florent Malouda was anonymous.
The second half kicked off without either manager making a change and it was City who took the game to their title challenging hosts.
John Terry receiving a yellow card for tripping Adam Johnson while the ex-Middlesbrough man was in full flight.
The interviews for Fabio Capello's England team were progressing well for Gareth Barry who was beginning to get on top of the poor Lampard and it was his beautiful ball down the left that released Craig Bellamy for City's second goal.
The Welsh flyer flew onto the ball like a bat out of hell while Jon Obi-Mikel strangely chose to run beside him rather than make a challenge. Bellamy made it into the box past the young Nigerian and scored after another dreadful positioning error by the 'keeper.
Chelsea were rattled and had no answers to City's penetration or pace so they decided to try and kick their way back into the game. A flurry of yellow cards followed before Carlo Tevez and John Terry clashed in the corner following a through ball.
It was a sign that teh usually calm Terry was completely off his game and that Tevez had managed to get under his skin.
Every time Terry had the ball the energetic Argentinian was at his heels and when Tevez was in possession, his low centre of gravity was causing the England and Chelsea captain all sorts of problems.
Frustration began to seep into every Chelsea player and they challenged the referee on every decision and made a whole series of niggling tackles.
Sensing that the game was there for the taking, Mancini made a change and brought Shawn Wright-Phillips on to further expose Malouda at left full. Moments later, Michael Ballack picked up his first yellow card of the day after screaming at the referee following his decision to give City a kick out. It was gross unprofessionalism from the German captain who seemed to have let the occasion get to him.
By this stage Ancellotti had managed to see that his team were having a bad day at the office and he made a couple of substitutions in an effort to turn the tide back to his team.
To no avail, a rampant Gareth Barry raced into the box and was upended by Juliano Belletti in a dreadfully mistimed challenge, leaving the referee with no choice but to award the penalty and send the ex-Barcelona player off.
Tevez stepped up and smashed the ball home, leaving Chelsea with an insurmountable mountain to climb at 3-1.
Wayne Bridge then made way for Roque Santa Cruz, the ex-Chelsea player was cheered off by every City fan and a few Chelsea fans and it is somewhat disappointing that so many of the home teams fans chose to boo him as his left the field of play.
Insult was added to injury when Michael Ballack picked up his marching orders after an absolutely ridiculous challenge. Knowing he was on a yellow card, all the German international had to do was jockey the ball, instead he launched himself into a challenge he was never going to win. A deserved red card, and a big let down for his team.
City then added a fourth as Wright-Phillips found the rampant Bellamy unmarked in the box and the Welsh striker stroked the ball home to make it 4-1.
Frank Lampard did manage to find the net through a penalty to reduce the deficit but it was litlle more than a consolation goal.
All talk of Mancini facing a dressing room uprising will be put to bed this week, but the Italian's job still rides on City finishing fourth.
For Chelsea this game is a watershed moment. Carlo Ancellotti will be forced to call a team meeting on Monday and certain players could be forced to face a few home truths.
Since all the affair scandal hit the newspapers John Terry's form has been abysmal, and the Blues captain is one of the worst offenders in this current downward slide.
Yuri Zhirkov needs to be fast tracked off the treatment table and Alex now deserves a chance at centre half more than ever. There is nothing that can be done about Cech's injury so Ancellotti will have to make do with Hilario over the next month. But the odds of winning all three trophies have lengthened considerably.
The invention of Deco and the resistance of Essien are both badly missed, and it is a damning statistic, that only Lampard has really contributed anything from midfield this season.
Luckily for Ancellotti and Chelsea they have no Premier League match next weekend and certain players could be rested or dropped to give them the symbolic kick in the behind they need.
The Blues season is now threatening to implode, and it has very little to do with matters on the pitch.
The first real test of Carlo Ancellotti's Chelsea career.
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The Pensioners contributed to their own downfall as much as City's good play, making school boy errors that were beyond belief, as well as two players getting sent off for the most ridiculous of challenges.
The first half was a pretty turgid affair with Chelsea dominating play and Henrique Hilario was little more than a spectator in the error ridden half.
It could be summed up perfectly by Didier Drogba rising to meet a deep cross from the left. He missed the ball but managed to clash heads with Pablo Zabaleta before striking the terrified Micah Richards under the chin with a knee, leaving all three players on the ground in a heap.
Frank Lampard's contribution was negligible before he ran onto Joe Cole's perfectly weighted pass to fire home and give the Blues a deserved lead.
Despite the poor game on show, Chelsea's dominance had to show at some stage. The lack of ambition and deep lying defence of City gave all the impetus to the Blues and the goal came as no surprise.
Mere minutes later and City were unbelievably level. The goal was a real shocker and Carlo Ancellotti will be fuming as to how easy his Chelsea team made it for Tevez to score.
Chelsea were on the attack, Joe Cole's shot was weak and was deflected out to Lampard who was beaten to the ball by Richards who hoofed the ball clear. Under no pressure what-so-ever, Jon Obi-Mikel decided to head the ball back to his 'keeper from the halfway line...
John Terry then made an absolute mess of his clearance as Carlo Tevez raced onto the ball. He then scuffed his shot that seemed to throw Hilario off as the ball bobbled slowly into the net.
It was a terrible sequence of errors culminating in Petr Cech's awful mistake. The great Czech is badly missed and if this is an example of Hilario, the next four weeks could make for dismal viewing for Chelsea fans.
All of a sudden Manchester City were in the game and they almost took the lead on the stroke of halftime after Jolean Lescott's header glided just wide of the far post.
In the space of four minutes the game had flip flopped and Chelsea were now the ones hanging on. Changes had to be made at half time. John Terry was having another nightmare, while Florent Malouda was anonymous.
The second half kicked off without either manager making a change and it was City who took the game to their title challenging hosts.
John Terry receiving a yellow card for tripping Adam Johnson while the ex-Middlesbrough man was in full flight.
The interviews for Fabio Capello's England team were progressing well for Gareth Barry who was beginning to get on top of the poor Lampard and it was his beautiful ball down the left that released Craig Bellamy for City's second goal.
The Welsh flyer flew onto the ball like a bat out of hell while Jon Obi-Mikel strangely chose to run beside him rather than make a challenge. Bellamy made it into the box past the young Nigerian and scored after another dreadful positioning error by the 'keeper.
Chelsea were rattled and had no answers to City's penetration or pace so they decided to try and kick their way back into the game. A flurry of yellow cards followed before Carlo Tevez and John Terry clashed in the corner following a through ball.
It was a sign that teh usually calm Terry was completely off his game and that Tevez had managed to get under his skin.
Every time Terry had the ball the energetic Argentinian was at his heels and when Tevez was in possession, his low centre of gravity was causing the England and Chelsea captain all sorts of problems.
Frustration began to seep into every Chelsea player and they challenged the referee on every decision and made a whole series of niggling tackles.
Sensing that the game was there for the taking, Mancini made a change and brought Shawn Wright-Phillips on to further expose Malouda at left full. Moments later, Michael Ballack picked up his first yellow card of the day after screaming at the referee following his decision to give City a kick out. It was gross unprofessionalism from the German captain who seemed to have let the occasion get to him.
By this stage Ancellotti had managed to see that his team were having a bad day at the office and he made a couple of substitutions in an effort to turn the tide back to his team.
To no avail, a rampant Gareth Barry raced into the box and was upended by Juliano Belletti in a dreadfully mistimed challenge, leaving the referee with no choice but to award the penalty and send the ex-Barcelona player off.
Tevez stepped up and smashed the ball home, leaving Chelsea with an insurmountable mountain to climb at 3-1.
Wayne Bridge then made way for Roque Santa Cruz, the ex-Chelsea player was cheered off by every City fan and a few Chelsea fans and it is somewhat disappointing that so many of the home teams fans chose to boo him as his left the field of play.
Insult was added to injury when Michael Ballack picked up his marching orders after an absolutely ridiculous challenge. Knowing he was on a yellow card, all the German international had to do was jockey the ball, instead he launched himself into a challenge he was never going to win. A deserved red card, and a big let down for his team.
City then added a fourth as Wright-Phillips found the rampant Bellamy unmarked in the box and the Welsh striker stroked the ball home to make it 4-1.
Frank Lampard did manage to find the net through a penalty to reduce the deficit but it was litlle more than a consolation goal.
All talk of Mancini facing a dressing room uprising will be put to bed this week, but the Italian's job still rides on City finishing fourth.
For Chelsea this game is a watershed moment. Carlo Ancellotti will be forced to call a team meeting on Monday and certain players could be forced to face a few home truths.
Since all the affair scandal hit the newspapers John Terry's form has been abysmal, and the Blues captain is one of the worst offenders in this current downward slide.
Yuri Zhirkov needs to be fast tracked off the treatment table and Alex now deserves a chance at centre half more than ever. There is nothing that can be done about Cech's injury so Ancellotti will have to make do with Hilario over the next month. But the odds of winning all three trophies have lengthened considerably.
The invention of Deco and the resistance of Essien are both badly missed, and it is a damning statistic, that only Lampard has really contributed anything from midfield this season.
Luckily for Ancellotti and Chelsea they have no Premier League match next weekend and certain players could be rested or dropped to give them the symbolic kick in the behind they need.
The Blues season is now threatening to implode, and it has very little to do with matters on the pitch.
The first real test of Carlo Ancellotti's Chelsea career.
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Blackburn's Big Sam Taunts Liverpool and Rafael Benitez -You're The New Bolton!
Never a pair to let sleeping dogs lie, Big Sam has moved to provoke Rafael Benitez and Liverpool fans everywhere, by claiming that the Spaniard has destroyed Liverpool and turned them into a modern version of Bolton.
The duo have endured a rivalry that began in 2004 when Bolton beat Liverpool 1-0, the result stirred Benitez to launch a scathing attack on the Lancashire club and their manager for the physical tactics employed during the game. Of course Big Sam reciprocated, and the duo have taken every chance to wind each other up since.
Last season Rafa drew the ire of Big Sam after the Blackburn boss read his counterparts body language as being extremely disrespectful.
Liverpool had taken an early two goal lead through Xabi Alonso when the Liverpool manager walked from the dug out with his arms in a gesture of finality. Big Sam read the hand gesture as Rafa saying the game was all but over. However, Benitez then countered by saying that his gesture was aimed at Alonso, who had refused to follow his managers orders prior to scoring.
Either way it was a storm in a tea cup as both managers looked to get one over on each other.
The two main protagonists meet again today when Blackburn travel to Anfield, and Big Sam has moved quickest this time, by claiming Liverpool under Benitez are just like the Bolton team he used to criticise.
Allardyce said: ‘He’s used all that stuff that he always says he doesn’t like — it’s ironic, isn’t it?
‘I watched them at Manchester City and they got six players booked, so he’s brought the physical side out as well.
‘If it’s a good physical challenge on Sunday then I’ll be more than happy to go down that route — although I don’t really have the players to do that like I did at Bolton.
'But they’ve had to go back to basics and the pretty stuff goes out of the window until you start winning. They have been professional and dogged enough to slowly improve over recent weeks.
‘They have not been as pretty and fluid as they could be but they have done the job and got the results they needed to get back in the pack.’
Allardyce also sensationally revealed that, at the height of the pair’s dispute, he discovered that Rafael Benitez had gone to referees’ chief Keith Hackett with video evidence against Bolton.
Such was the Liverpool manager's dislike of Bolton and Sam Allardyce, he actually compiled a DVD of all of their fouls and tactics and then distributed the recordings to the top referee in the country.
Why Benitez would take such a route is unknown, but it does come across as being extremely childish. Was it an effort to influence referees decisions against Bolton?
Allardyce thought so before adding: ‘He went as far as putting a DVD together and sending it to Keith Hackett. He doesn’t know I know that, but I do. I got on to Keith Hackett and told him I didn’t want it to influence what refs do because it was all a load of rubbish.’
This match between the pair is an important one. Liverpool are currently embroiled in a four way battle for fourth. With only one point separating four teams, Spurs, Manchester City, Liverpool, and Aston Villa.
Losing ground at this stage of the race would be tantamount to disaster and the Reds will go into this game needing to collect all three points.
Fernando Torres and Yossi Benayoun are returning to fitness but should find themselves on the bench, meaning that Liverpool will employ the same stifling tactics that have seen them only lose once in the league since Christmas.
Blackburn, for their part, are on a similar run to the Reds having only lost twice since Christmas and they have begun to pull away from the drop zone that threatened to engulf them.
11 points off the relegation zone and 11 points off Europe mean that Big Sam's team should finish in mid-table respectability.
They will not be easy for Liverpool to break down, especially in their current state, but the difference should be seen when Rafa springs his aces from the bench.
A tight affair that Liverpool should just nudge, but as ever, all eyes will be on the two managers.
John Terry and Wayne Bridge, who?
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The duo have endured a rivalry that began in 2004 when Bolton beat Liverpool 1-0, the result stirred Benitez to launch a scathing attack on the Lancashire club and their manager for the physical tactics employed during the game. Of course Big Sam reciprocated, and the duo have taken every chance to wind each other up since.
Last season Rafa drew the ire of Big Sam after the Blackburn boss read his counterparts body language as being extremely disrespectful.
Liverpool had taken an early two goal lead through Xabi Alonso when the Liverpool manager walked from the dug out with his arms in a gesture of finality. Big Sam read the hand gesture as Rafa saying the game was all but over. However, Benitez then countered by saying that his gesture was aimed at Alonso, who had refused to follow his managers orders prior to scoring.
Either way it was a storm in a tea cup as both managers looked to get one over on each other.
The two main protagonists meet again today when Blackburn travel to Anfield, and Big Sam has moved quickest this time, by claiming Liverpool under Benitez are just like the Bolton team he used to criticise.
Allardyce said: ‘He’s used all that stuff that he always says he doesn’t like — it’s ironic, isn’t it?
‘I watched them at Manchester City and they got six players booked, so he’s brought the physical side out as well.
‘If it’s a good physical challenge on Sunday then I’ll be more than happy to go down that route — although I don’t really have the players to do that like I did at Bolton.
'But they’ve had to go back to basics and the pretty stuff goes out of the window until you start winning. They have been professional and dogged enough to slowly improve over recent weeks.
‘They have not been as pretty and fluid as they could be but they have done the job and got the results they needed to get back in the pack.’
Allardyce also sensationally revealed that, at the height of the pair’s dispute, he discovered that Rafael Benitez had gone to referees’ chief Keith Hackett with video evidence against Bolton.
Such was the Liverpool manager's dislike of Bolton and Sam Allardyce, he actually compiled a DVD of all of their fouls and tactics and then distributed the recordings to the top referee in the country.
Why Benitez would take such a route is unknown, but it does come across as being extremely childish. Was it an effort to influence referees decisions against Bolton?
Allardyce thought so before adding: ‘He went as far as putting a DVD together and sending it to Keith Hackett. He doesn’t know I know that, but I do. I got on to Keith Hackett and told him I didn’t want it to influence what refs do because it was all a load of rubbish.’
This match between the pair is an important one. Liverpool are currently embroiled in a four way battle for fourth. With only one point separating four teams, Spurs, Manchester City, Liverpool, and Aston Villa.
Losing ground at this stage of the race would be tantamount to disaster and the Reds will go into this game needing to collect all three points.
Fernando Torres and Yossi Benayoun are returning to fitness but should find themselves on the bench, meaning that Liverpool will employ the same stifling tactics that have seen them only lose once in the league since Christmas.
Blackburn, for their part, are on a similar run to the Reds having only lost twice since Christmas and they have begun to pull away from the drop zone that threatened to engulf them.
11 points off the relegation zone and 11 points off Europe mean that Big Sam's team should finish in mid-table respectability.
They will not be easy for Liverpool to break down, especially in their current state, but the difference should be seen when Rafa springs his aces from the bench.
A tight affair that Liverpool should just nudge, but as ever, all eyes will be on the two managers.
John Terry and Wayne Bridge, who?
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Burnley's Clarke Carlisle Almost Gets Aroused on Countdown
"That Rachel Riley, she's an attractive host," he says. "When I went on the programme I have to admit I got "aroused." Which I was quite pleased about as I'd not got a seven-letter word before."
This week Burnley's Clark Carlisle didn't manage to get aroused, but he did get smaller. And he got dossier and revels.
The smartest player in the Premiership even managed to beat the current Champion 89-55.
But it does beg the question.
If he is so smart, then why is he still with Burnley?
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This week Burnley's Clark Carlisle didn't manage to get aroused, but he did get smaller. And he got dossier and revels.
The smartest player in the Premiership even managed to beat the current Champion 89-55.
But it does beg the question.
If he is so smart, then why is he still with Burnley?
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Storm In a T-Shirt. "Anyone But England" T-Shirts Sell Out After Racism Row...
It would seem that the infamous "Anyone But England" T-shirts have caused a bit of a storm up in Scotland. Police were forced to investigate the shop selling them after receiving a complaint because someone felt the t-shirts were racist...
The shop's assistant manager, Jamie Wilkinson, was left stunned after the police visit, saying: "The tops are just harmless banter. They've got nothing to do with hating the English, it's just about winding them up - and it really seems to be working."
But the best quote came from Hamish Husband, from the Association of Tartan Army Clubs, who summed it up perfectly when he said: "It's not racism -- it's football."
To add further insult to English injury, the t-shirts have now sold out...
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The shop's assistant manager, Jamie Wilkinson, was left stunned after the police visit, saying: "The tops are just harmless banter. They've got nothing to do with hating the English, it's just about winding them up - and it really seems to be working."
But the best quote came from Hamish Husband, from the Association of Tartan Army Clubs, who summed it up perfectly when he said: "It's not racism -- it's football."
To add further insult to English injury, the t-shirts have now sold out...
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Feb 25, 2010
Landon Donovan-Inspired Everton Exposes Manchester United's Soft Underbelly
After AC Milan came close to beating the Red Devils on Tuesday, Everton picked up where the Italian outfit left off and cruelly exposed all that is bad about this current Manchester United team.
The 3-1 defeat at Goodison means that United are now four points adrift of Chelsea with 11 games remaining. It puts the Pensioners firmly in the driving seat with the Red Devils now requiring snookers to catch the Blues.
It was the Blue half of Merseyside who were smiling after the lunchtime kickoff produced yet another turn in this strangest of seasons.
United had taken the lead through an early Dimitar Berbatov strike that was quickly cancelled out by the improving Diniyar Bilyaletdinov.
David Moyes then brought on his two stars of the future, Dan Gosling and Jack Rodwell, who added a goal each to leave the current Premiership Champions scratching their heads.
It was a thoroughly deserved victory by an Everton side who have now beaten both United and Chelsea at Goodison this season.
Before the match many had felt that the Toffees would dearly miss their inspirational midfield duo of Tim Cahill and Maruoane Felliani.
But the five players thrown in at the deep end by David Moyes (Landon Donovan, Steven Pienaar, Leon Osman, Bilyaletdinov, and a returning Mikael Arteta) took the game to their more illustrious opponents and gave them a real lesson on how to keep possession and then turn that into incisive attacking play.
United, quite simply, were not at the races. Their midfield was anonymous while their defence without the "continued absence" of Nemanja Vidic looks a pale shadow of itself.
Add that to the Red Devils now having too many players who cannot play three games in the space of a week and Alex Ferguson faces a period of rebuilding.
Everton snapped into every tackle and showed none of the fear that United have become accustomed to when playing teams outside the top four.
Although it was only the Toffees' third victory in 35 games against the Red Devils, you can see the improvements that Moyes has made at the club.
For much of this season, Alex Ferguson has chosen to use a 4-5-1 formation. Yesterday against Everton he went 4-4-2, after underestimating the Toffees strength in midfield following the withdrawal of their two best players.
It was a tactic that backfired as United's four in the middle, led by the increasingly moving backwards Michael Carrick, were out-fought, out-thought, and thoroughly over run by the marauding Everton midfield.
With the vital battleground of midfield conceded, Everton went on to dominate all aspects of the game. And the only real surprise was that United managed to score and take an early lead.
It was a similarly insipid display to that of the first half against AC Milan, before Wayne Rooney decided to take the game by the scruff of the neck and turn the tide in his team's favour.
This time there was to be no repeat. Facing the club and manager that introduced him to the game, the best player in the world at the moment, was strangely mute.
On Tuesday, a David Beckham-led AC Milan were put to the sword with the ex-LA Galaxy player being exposed for exactly what he is, a player with a huge reputation who is only playing to maintain an image.
It is ironic that the LA Galaxy team-mate Beckham is famous for putting down was one of the best players on the pitch yesterday, running United's midfield and defence ragged with pinpoint passing and penetrating runs.
Since moving to Everton, Landon Donovan has enjoyed a great run of form and it would come as no surprise to see the American move back to Europe after the World Cup.
Ferguson would have known that the trip to Goodison was going to be tough, so it is extremely strange that he chose to go with four in midfield, especially when you consider that Johnny Evans and Wes Brown were his anchors in defence, and that Moyes always uses a five-man midfield, too.
Both players enjoyed a torrid time against Louis Saha. Ferguson must take his fair share of the blame in fielding the wrong side, but on greater inspection, this United team are far from being of the required standard.
United are fighting fires in every part of their squad. Van Der Sar is rumoured to be considering retiring this coming summer, leaving Ferguson with a massive problem as neither Kuszczak or Foster are of top four quality.
In defence, he faces losing Vidic to either Real Madrid or Barcelona. Ferdinand's injury problems mean he is in virtually the same position as Ledley King and cannot play games in quick succession.
As good a servant for the club that Wes Brown is, his pace and positional play seem to have deserted him.
Rafael, Fabio, and De Laet are still learning the trade, meaning there is a huge gap between players of the verge of retirement and players breaking into the team.
Only the injured John O'Shea, Fabrice Evra, and the want-away Vidic bridge this gap at the moment.
In midfield, Alex Ferguson has been walking a tightrope for sometime now. Giggs and Scholes are still his most consistent performers, but their best years are well behind them. They too are considering retirement this summer.
The Anderson experiment has failed. The young Brazilian must be moved on as soon as possible. Nani will join him on the way out of Old Trafford unless his form improves dramatically between now and May.
Michael Carrick is getting worse with every passing week to such an extent that he is in real danger of not making Fabio Capello's World Cup squad. Darren Fletcher is ploughing a lone furrow at Old Trafford at the moment and he needs a partner badly.
The forward line is probably the only area that has covered itself in glory this season, but then again, it is only one player. Wayne Rooney. This season, he has carried the team. Yesterday was a day when he needed help, and no one was up to the task.
Berbatov and Owen have been unmitigated disasters this year, and both will in all probability be moved on come June.
In short, United need a massive facelift to win the league. But how will they afford it? Make no changes and they will still be good enough to finish in the top four, but is that good enough?
It is no disgrace to lose to David Moyes' team. On their day, Everton are a match for any team in the Premiership.
They have an extremely hard working midfield, a reliable back four, and a decent strike force. Yesterday, they showed Manchester United what standard they are expected to reach. Ferguson has to act sooner rather than later.
And for Moyes? All he has to do is get his best team on the pitch at the same time...
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The 3-1 defeat at Goodison means that United are now four points adrift of Chelsea with 11 games remaining. It puts the Pensioners firmly in the driving seat with the Red Devils now requiring snookers to catch the Blues.
It was the Blue half of Merseyside who were smiling after the lunchtime kickoff produced yet another turn in this strangest of seasons.
United had taken the lead through an early Dimitar Berbatov strike that was quickly cancelled out by the improving Diniyar Bilyaletdinov.
David Moyes then brought on his two stars of the future, Dan Gosling and Jack Rodwell, who added a goal each to leave the current Premiership Champions scratching their heads.
It was a thoroughly deserved victory by an Everton side who have now beaten both United and Chelsea at Goodison this season.
Before the match many had felt that the Toffees would dearly miss their inspirational midfield duo of Tim Cahill and Maruoane Felliani.
But the five players thrown in at the deep end by David Moyes (Landon Donovan, Steven Pienaar, Leon Osman, Bilyaletdinov, and a returning Mikael Arteta) took the game to their more illustrious opponents and gave them a real lesson on how to keep possession and then turn that into incisive attacking play.
United, quite simply, were not at the races. Their midfield was anonymous while their defence without the "continued absence" of Nemanja Vidic looks a pale shadow of itself.
Add that to the Red Devils now having too many players who cannot play three games in the space of a week and Alex Ferguson faces a period of rebuilding.
Everton snapped into every tackle and showed none of the fear that United have become accustomed to when playing teams outside the top four.
Although it was only the Toffees' third victory in 35 games against the Red Devils, you can see the improvements that Moyes has made at the club.
For much of this season, Alex Ferguson has chosen to use a 4-5-1 formation. Yesterday against Everton he went 4-4-2, after underestimating the Toffees strength in midfield following the withdrawal of their two best players.
It was a tactic that backfired as United's four in the middle, led by the increasingly moving backwards Michael Carrick, were out-fought, out-thought, and thoroughly over run by the marauding Everton midfield.
With the vital battleground of midfield conceded, Everton went on to dominate all aspects of the game. And the only real surprise was that United managed to score and take an early lead.
It was a similarly insipid display to that of the first half against AC Milan, before Wayne Rooney decided to take the game by the scruff of the neck and turn the tide in his team's favour.
This time there was to be no repeat. Facing the club and manager that introduced him to the game, the best player in the world at the moment, was strangely mute.
On Tuesday, a David Beckham-led AC Milan were put to the sword with the ex-LA Galaxy player being exposed for exactly what he is, a player with a huge reputation who is only playing to maintain an image.
It is ironic that the LA Galaxy team-mate Beckham is famous for putting down was one of the best players on the pitch yesterday, running United's midfield and defence ragged with pinpoint passing and penetrating runs.
Since moving to Everton, Landon Donovan has enjoyed a great run of form and it would come as no surprise to see the American move back to Europe after the World Cup.
Ferguson would have known that the trip to Goodison was going to be tough, so it is extremely strange that he chose to go with four in midfield, especially when you consider that Johnny Evans and Wes Brown were his anchors in defence, and that Moyes always uses a five-man midfield, too.
Both players enjoyed a torrid time against Louis Saha. Ferguson must take his fair share of the blame in fielding the wrong side, but on greater inspection, this United team are far from being of the required standard.
United are fighting fires in every part of their squad. Van Der Sar is rumoured to be considering retiring this coming summer, leaving Ferguson with a massive problem as neither Kuszczak or Foster are of top four quality.
In defence, he faces losing Vidic to either Real Madrid or Barcelona. Ferdinand's injury problems mean he is in virtually the same position as Ledley King and cannot play games in quick succession.
As good a servant for the club that Wes Brown is, his pace and positional play seem to have deserted him.
Rafael, Fabio, and De Laet are still learning the trade, meaning there is a huge gap between players of the verge of retirement and players breaking into the team.
Only the injured John O'Shea, Fabrice Evra, and the want-away Vidic bridge this gap at the moment.
In midfield, Alex Ferguson has been walking a tightrope for sometime now. Giggs and Scholes are still his most consistent performers, but their best years are well behind them. They too are considering retirement this summer.
The Anderson experiment has failed. The young Brazilian must be moved on as soon as possible. Nani will join him on the way out of Old Trafford unless his form improves dramatically between now and May.
Michael Carrick is getting worse with every passing week to such an extent that he is in real danger of not making Fabio Capello's World Cup squad. Darren Fletcher is ploughing a lone furrow at Old Trafford at the moment and he needs a partner badly.
The forward line is probably the only area that has covered itself in glory this season, but then again, it is only one player. Wayne Rooney. This season, he has carried the team. Yesterday was a day when he needed help, and no one was up to the task.
Berbatov and Owen have been unmitigated disasters this year, and both will in all probability be moved on come June.
In short, United need a massive facelift to win the league. But how will they afford it? Make no changes and they will still be good enough to finish in the top four, but is that good enough?
It is no disgrace to lose to David Moyes' team. On their day, Everton are a match for any team in the Premiership.
They have an extremely hard working midfield, a reliable back four, and a decent strike force. Yesterday, they showed Manchester United what standard they are expected to reach. Ferguson has to act sooner rather than later.
And for Moyes? All he has to do is get his best team on the pitch at the same time...
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Feb 17, 2010
Arsenal Robbed Against Porto By The Same Referee Who Cheated Ireland In France
The most popular referee in Ireland was back to his old tricks tonight as he robbed Arsenal in their 2-1 defeat to Porto in the Dragao Stadium. First of all he took the ball from Fabianski to set up the quick free before obstructing Sol Campbell as he tried to get goal-side, he also waved away a definite penalty after Rosicky was taken down.
It was not a good night in the office for the Gunners who were bereft of ideas of the vast majority of the match. Heading into the game they were robbed of four important players through injury, and their replacements were key in giving the match to their obstinate Portuguese opponents.
For their part Porto were worth the win, they created the most chances and always looked the more likely to score. But they had to get help from two Arsenal players to get those valuable goals.
This match was Sol Campbell's first appearance in the Champions League since scoring in the 2006 final, where Arsenal were beaten 2-1 by Barcelona. Parachuted in at the last moment due to the departures of William Gallas and Manuel Almunia through injury, the eye was always going to be on Campbell and Fabianski in particular.
Arsene Wenger did his young Polish 'keeper no favours this week when he described him as a young David Seaman, and the youngster had a major part to play in both Porto goals.
The two goals were self inflicted schoolboy errors, with Fabianski and Campbell being the two main culprits.
The opener was a real howler. Gael Clichy is suffering a poor run of form since coming back into the team after injury. He was little more than a spectator as Silvestre Varela tore past him on the wing before whipping in a cross that Fabianski helped into the back of the net!
Porto one up after eleven minutes and the worst possible start for the Gunners.
Arsenal equalized through the returning Campbell as he headed home from six yards after meeting Tomas Rosicky's headed cross following Cesc Fabregas' deep corner.
It was a real fairy tale return for the defender who was playing in League Two only five months ago, it also meant that he has scored in his last two Champions League games, even though they were 45 months apart!
He had a good first half but his legs are gone at this level and the further the game went on the further off the pace he moved. The head may be willing but his legs are wilting and he was caught out time and time again by Porto counter attacks as the match wore on.
The second and winning goal was an absolute comedy of events worthy of a William Shakespeare farce.
First of all Sol Campbell passed the ball back to Fabianski, who instead of clearing, picked the ball up, giving an indirect free kick away. Schoolboy error number one.
Referee Martin Hansson charged in with his arm in the air signalling the dead ball. Fabianski backed off with the ball while Campbell held his head in his hands at his terrible mistake.
Neither got back into position. Schoolboy error number two.
The ref asked Fabianski for the ball and he gave it to him! Schoolboy error number three.
The rest of the Arsenal team looked on dumbfound, not getting back. Schoolboy error number four.
Campbell finally wakes up and decides to get back into position, but the referee blocks him!
Quick free kick and Porto are in the lead as Falcao slaps the ball into the net.
While the ref was quite right in awarding the free, he was wrong to demand the ball back from Fabianski and giving it to Porto so quickly, and in essence he aided the quick free kick. Referees are meant to be impartial, and while he was right to ask for the ball, which any goalkeeper worth his salt would have held onto while his defence gets organized, he should not have given it to Porto and should have allowed Arsenal time to set up.
This situation is different from a quick free kick in a normal situation where the free taking player already has the ball, tonight Hansson aided the situation by giving the ball, a cardinal error by the same referee who made a terrible decision in Paris by allowing William Gallas' goal to stand after a blatant handball by ex-Arsenal striker Thierry Henry.
Minutes before Porto's second goal Hansson made another terrible call as Tomas Rosicky wriggled his way into the Porto box before being uncerimoniosly upended by a clumsy tackle from behind.
It was a definite foul and penalty but Michel Platini's favourite World Cup referee waved play on while Arsenal's players wondered what had just happened.
As mentioned before, Porto were the better side and deserved their win. Brazilian centre-forward Hulk caused Vermaelen and Campbell all kinds of problems and were it not for some smart 'keeping from Fabianski the Gunners would have found the deficit growing.
The 2-1 scoreline means that the tie is very much open, and despite Arsenal doing very little in this game they will be relatively confident of winning the return leg by two goals to take them through to the quarters.
Porto will be hoping that Campbell and Fabianski will be there for the return leg, but one gets the impression that this might be the last time we get to see the young Polish 'keeper this season.
It was not a good night in the office for the Gunners who were bereft of ideas of the vast majority of the match. Heading into the game they were robbed of four important players through injury, and their replacements were key in giving the match to their obstinate Portuguese opponents.
For their part Porto were worth the win, they created the most chances and always looked the more likely to score. But they had to get help from two Arsenal players to get those valuable goals.
This match was Sol Campbell's first appearance in the Champions League since scoring in the 2006 final, where Arsenal were beaten 2-1 by Barcelona. Parachuted in at the last moment due to the departures of William Gallas and Manuel Almunia through injury, the eye was always going to be on Campbell and Fabianski in particular.
Arsene Wenger did his young Polish 'keeper no favours this week when he described him as a young David Seaman, and the youngster had a major part to play in both Porto goals.
The two goals were self inflicted schoolboy errors, with Fabianski and Campbell being the two main culprits.
The opener was a real howler. Gael Clichy is suffering a poor run of form since coming back into the team after injury. He was little more than a spectator as Silvestre Varela tore past him on the wing before whipping in a cross that Fabianski helped into the back of the net!
Porto one up after eleven minutes and the worst possible start for the Gunners.
Arsenal equalized through the returning Campbell as he headed home from six yards after meeting Tomas Rosicky's headed cross following Cesc Fabregas' deep corner.
It was a real fairy tale return for the defender who was playing in League Two only five months ago, it also meant that he has scored in his last two Champions League games, even though they were 45 months apart!
He had a good first half but his legs are gone at this level and the further the game went on the further off the pace he moved. The head may be willing but his legs are wilting and he was caught out time and time again by Porto counter attacks as the match wore on.
The second and winning goal was an absolute comedy of events worthy of a William Shakespeare farce.
First of all Sol Campbell passed the ball back to Fabianski, who instead of clearing, picked the ball up, giving an indirect free kick away. Schoolboy error number one.
Referee Martin Hansson charged in with his arm in the air signalling the dead ball. Fabianski backed off with the ball while Campbell held his head in his hands at his terrible mistake.
Neither got back into position. Schoolboy error number two.
The ref asked Fabianski for the ball and he gave it to him! Schoolboy error number three.
The rest of the Arsenal team looked on dumbfound, not getting back. Schoolboy error number four.
Campbell finally wakes up and decides to get back into position, but the referee blocks him!
Quick free kick and Porto are in the lead as Falcao slaps the ball into the net.
While the ref was quite right in awarding the free, he was wrong to demand the ball back from Fabianski and giving it to Porto so quickly, and in essence he aided the quick free kick. Referees are meant to be impartial, and while he was right to ask for the ball, which any goalkeeper worth his salt would have held onto while his defence gets organized, he should not have given it to Porto and should have allowed Arsenal time to set up.
This situation is different from a quick free kick in a normal situation where the free taking player already has the ball, tonight Hansson aided the situation by giving the ball, a cardinal error by the same referee who made a terrible decision in Paris by allowing William Gallas' goal to stand after a blatant handball by ex-Arsenal striker Thierry Henry.
Minutes before Porto's second goal Hansson made another terrible call as Tomas Rosicky wriggled his way into the Porto box before being uncerimoniosly upended by a clumsy tackle from behind.
It was a definite foul and penalty but Michel Platini's favourite World Cup referee waved play on while Arsenal's players wondered what had just happened.
As mentioned before, Porto were the better side and deserved their win. Brazilian centre-forward Hulk caused Vermaelen and Campbell all kinds of problems and were it not for some smart 'keeping from Fabianski the Gunners would have found the deficit growing.
The 2-1 scoreline means that the tie is very much open, and despite Arsenal doing very little in this game they will be relatively confident of winning the return leg by two goals to take them through to the quarters.
Porto will be hoping that Campbell and Fabianski will be there for the return leg, but one gets the impression that this might be the last time we get to see the young Polish 'keeper this season.
Feb 15, 2010
Big Four Monopoly To End? English Premier League Clubs To Vote On Proposed Champions League Playoffs in April
The monopoly that Arsenal, Liverpool, Manchester United, and Chelsea have enjoyed for the last ten years looks set to end. The Premier League are considering the introduction of a playoff for the last Champions League place, meaning a team as low as 7th could play in Europe's foremost trophy.
Under the proposal, a playoff would be played at the end of the season between the teams that finished 4th, 5th, 6th, and 7th. The matches would take the form of two semi finals and a final, with the winner progressing towards the Champions League as reward.
One major obstacle that the likes of Liverpool and United will hope to exploit is the lack of fixture time between the end of the league season, the start of May, and the traditional end of the season, the FA Cup Final.
The proposal is still in it's infancy but with 16 teams backing the initial plan, it looks as if a solution should easily be found around the sticky situations of home and away legs, or seeding.
Or even God forbid if England's UEFA co-efficient should drop and only three, not four teams were eligible for Champions League football.
These topics will be picked over by Scudamore over the next month as he readies his proposal.
The move has been met with open arms by the vast majority of clubs plying their trade in England's upper echelon, with only four dissenting voices to be heard, those of Liverpool, Arsenal, Manchester United, and Chelsea...The four clubs with the most to lose.
It is not known which chairman raised the issue but it is safe to say that he was not from one of the leagues top four teams. And only needing a majority of 14 it looks as if this proposal could be implemented by as early as next season.
The move was sparked by the aforementioned clubs domination of the the league since the Premier League's inception in 1992.
Since then debt has spiralled out of control in English football, but in the Premier League in particular.
As it stands the 20 teams in the EPL owe around £3 billion in debt, with £2 billion of that total being spread amongst the monopoly on top. Manchester United, famously in debt for £716m recently set up a £500m bond trust to push them further into debt.
Chelsea were smarter and used slight of hand to remove their £700m debt by giving Roman Abrahmovich sole ownership of the club, as owner the debt is now his, and as the Pensioners owed him the money in the first place the slate is wiped clean...
Liverpool came within hours of going under last summer only for RBS (Royal Bank of Scotland) to baulk at the last moment and give them a one year reprieve. The Reds now have until June to find over £100m from a £290m debt.
The Gunners have been more spendthrift than their rivals but are still in debt to the region of £400m with a £25m mortgage to pay on the Emitates stadium for the next 24 years. This despite a recent £150m share issue that saw Bank of Ireland take on shares at the club to quash their debt.
Should other plans by Michel Platini come into fruition then Arsenal could be further plunged into debt as their property company Arsenal Holdings is struggling under the debt they accrued in the development of apartments at Highbury.
Meaning that the other £1billion is spread between the other 16 clubs. When you realise that newly promoted sides like Birmingham and Burnley are reletively debt free it shows that the leagues leading clubs have been allowed to exploit their stature by going further into debt and that the rest are playing an impossible game of catch up.
The fact that these four clubs are the only opposing faction speaks volumes of how this little clique see themselves as being above every other club. Their flat refusal to share the spoils of European football is pure indication that their monopoly is under threat and that the EPL are moving to breakup their strangle hold for the good of the game in England.
Ironically this latest move by the EPL comes as Manchester City enter the fray as the world's richest club and as such are insulated against giant debt. On top of that, Liverpool's traditional placing at the top of the EPL table is under threat from three different sources for the first time in decades.
The top fours opposition to the playoff system is obviously driven by self interest, but their argument that such vast rewards should not be given to a team as low as seventh do not wash as Liverpool themselves won the trophy whilst finishing in fifth place in the league. Add this to the fact that very few champions have actually won the Champion League and finishing seventh is no different than finishing fourth.
The proposal will of course have massive implications for both the Carling and FA Cups and the relevant teams who have enjoyed their stay at the top of the league.
The two cups have already been devalued by almost every team in English football, attendances show that from the FA Premier League all the way down to League Two that gates have reduced for the cups by almost 20 percent since the 80's.
The new proposed playoff system means a further devaluation to the once great trophies, as EPL teams will now have very little incentive to win the cup as finishing seventh could bring greater glory than winning a cup.
But why introduce a playoff system after almost 20 years of Premier League action?
Is it a reflex reply to the scathing criticism that the 39th game received? In a way one could easily come to this conclusion.
The EPL is the most watched league in the world and the introduction of a "cup" involving four teams with everything to play for at the end of the season would be sure to spark major interest around the world.
At the moment the Championship Playoff Final is labelled as the most lucrative match in world football with an estimated £40m waiting for the winner. How much would the Champions League Playoff be worth?
Currently the top fours budgets earn almost 15 percent of their turnover from the Champions League. Just on television rights alone a trek to the final could be worth almost £40m, and that is before prize money and gate receipts are taken into account.
This season Liverpool were eliminated from the Champions League in the group stages and were dumped into the Europa League. Should Liverpool win every match in Europe's second trophy and lay claim to the trophy, nine matches, they will still pick up less money than they would have earned from playing in the CL Last 16 alone.
In short, the Champions League is huge, and the money earned there is massive. Little wonder that the top four are obsessed with keeping the league in it's current status quo.
If there is one competition that is more drenched in money than the English Premier League, it is the UEFA Champions League.
And now the lower lights in the EPL want their say, will they have the moral courage to break such a powerful monopoly?
Doing it in paper is one thing, doing it on the pitch is another...
Feb 12, 2010
The Question Nobody Asked. Is Harry Redknapp a Jinx? Every Club He Has Ever Managed Goes Into Administration
Harry Redknapp is one of the most likable managers in football, and like it or not, he is the top English manager in the game today. However, one stat links them all. At one stage or another they have all gone into administration. Bad news for Spurs?
Starting with Bournemouth in 1983-1992, to West Ham 1994-2001, to Portsmouth 2002-2004, before moving to arch rivals Southampton 2004-2005, and back to Pompey again 2005-2008, before finally ending up at his most profile club to date, Tottenham Hotspur 2008-present.
While his career may not be as littered with as many trophies as someone like Alex Ferguson, it does command respect as Redknapp was never in charge of a team who were realistic title contenders and had to make do with reduced budgets.
Now at Spurs, he is with a team who really do have the finances to challenge for trophies, but will 'Arry continue with his "wheeler-dealer" image? Or will he go for heavily priced players who are guaranteed to produce?
Either way, it is worth pointing out that Redknapp appears to be something of a jinx.
This won't make good reading for Spurs fans...
Bournemouth went into administration in 2008.
West Ham currently owe £100million and have asked every staff member, players included, to take a 25 percent pay cut from next season.
Portsmouth are as close to going into administration as you can get and are expected to receive their £20million relegation parachute payment early to pay off debts to the inland revenue.
And Southampton went into administration in 2009.
Of course, 'Arry was nowhere near any of these clubs when their financial bubbles burst, and he shares little blame as Chairmen spent way over their budgets, but he is the one concrete link between all the clubs.
So it begs the question...
Will Harry lead Spurs into the "Top Four", or administration...
Feb 11, 2010
Who Will Win The EPL? Analysis of Every Remaining Fixture For Arsenal, Chelsea, and Manchester United
Wednesday's midweek English Premier League matches produced the biggest set of shocks in a long time. From title chasing teams to relegation fodder to the battle for fourth, there was all kinds of results that left football experts scratching their heads and reaching for calculators...
Feb 9, 2010
Spanish Radio Station Claims Arsenal Have Agreed A Deal To Sell Fabregas To Barcelona
Feb 7, 2010
Feb 4, 2010
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