History Of The World Cup Football 1930 to 2010

Football has changed greatly from the first World Cup in 1930. Players are fitter than ever before, football gear has changed from baggy shorts to tight fitting jerseys,  rules have changed to suit the attacking team, and believe it or not the roundness of the simple football has become something of a science all in itself.

The balls that were used in the 1930s are very much different from what we are used to now, literally made from a pig's bladder, they are now put together with the science and preciseness of space age technology.

Here is a brief history of the development of the one device that the game cannot exist without.

Barcelona Move For Cesc Fabregas and David Villa Leaving The Door Open For Arsenal To Move For Ibrahimovic or Toure

Barcelona are on the verge of a sensational double signing after the Arsenal captain Cesc Fabregas told Arsene Wenger that he wanted to return to his spiritual home. The Catalan side have now opened talks with the adviser's of Fabregas and David Villa over proposed moves to the Nou Camp, while Barca also made it known that Zlatan Ibrahimovic has an escape clause in his contract if an English Premier League team places a bid for him.

The highly ambitious move to sign two of Spain's best players came mere hours after Barca claimed their 20th La Liga title with a record 99 points. It is believed the transfers were sparked byLa Blaugrana's exit from the Champions League at the hands of Jose Mourinho's Inter Milan side.

Ibrahimovic was widely criticised for his lack of effort in the Champions League games against Arsenal and Inter Milan where statisticians were able to point out that at the Emirates he ran for only 450m when the average is over 10,000m and that against Inter Milan Victor Valdes, the Barca 'keeper, actually ran further than the striker.

From then on, the giant Swede found himself on the bench and was little more than a spectator as La Blaugrana closed in on the title.

Ibrahimovic was supposed to be "Plan B" if their fluid passing game did not work. However, his shocking performances against Inter Milan left Pep Guardiola, Barcelona's manager, highly unhappy, especially as he had paid Samuel Eto'o plus £47 million for his strikers services.

This defeat to Inter has caused Guardiola to move quickly in an effort at re-building his team with winning the Champions League in mind.

When their backs were against the wall against the 10-men of Inter Milan Barcelona struggled to create anything of real note. Having been robbed of the sublime Andres Iniesta through injury all Inter Milan had to do was shut Xavi out of the game, with the Spanish international in shackles the supply route to Lionel Messi was effectively shut off.

Cesc Fabregas' signing would repair this immediately. The Arsenal midfielder weighed in with a highly impressive 19 goals and 19 assists before his season was ended with injury, somewhat ironically against Barcelona which could turn out to have been his last game in the red and white of the Gunners .

The ties between Fabregas and the Catalan side are well known and it is generally accepted that it is only a matter of time before he returns to the team where he began his career. Such is Fabregas' stock in Catalunia that the youth side he played for is still referred to as the dream team or class of '87.

Gerard Pique and Lionel Messi who have progressed to the first team are also noteworthy graduates from the conveyor belt at La Masia.

David Villa's move to the Camp Nou makes a lot of sense when you realise that Zlatan Ibrahimovic is unwanted by Guardiola. He is probably the best striker in the world at the moment and is one of the first names on the team sheet for Spain.

He was on the verge of a move away from Valencia last year but chose to stay and help the Mestalla based team to finish a highly impressive third in La Liga this season, and in effect has secured the financial future of the club.

The 28 year old has been in blistering form for Valencia over the last five seasons, scoring 108 goals in just 168 league games and is only moving into his prime now. At a believed £30 million he would be a far cheaper and better option than Barcelona's Plan B, the injury prone £50m rated Fernando Torres.

His signing will prompt Barca to offload Ibrahimovic. La Blaugrana have just announced that the Swede has an escape clause in his contract whereby he can be sold to a team in the English Premier League if they agree to pay a certain fee for the player, clubs in Italy or Germany would have to pay far more.

With that in mind, Ibrahimovic could become a pawn in the transfer of Fabregas if Barcelona can convince Arsene Wenger to take the striker.

It could be a good option for the Gunners who really struggled for goals when the injury prone Robin van Persie missed almost half the season with ankle problems.

The Dutch striker only averages 25 games a season at the Emirates and Wenger could look at the extra options Ibrahimovic could bring.

Marouane Chamakh will join the club on a free transfer from Bourdeaux, but he is more a right sided forward than the central figure the club require. Van Persie naturally drifts out to the left so a triumvirate with Ibrahimovic at it's centre could be highly attractive to Le Prof, especially if he is also given another £20million to £30 million for Fabregas. This would enable him to replace his captain immediately and with a player at almost the same standard.

However, the most likely situation to occur will be Barcelona offering Yaya Toure plus money for Fabregas' signature, but that could depend upon whether the Ivorian wants to leave or not.

The next couple of weeks will be crucial to Fabregas and Villa. Outgoing President Joan Laporta has told the fans he wishes to leave them a parting gift; Fabregas? The incoming candidates have all focused on either Villa or Torres as the centre piece of their campaigns and with Real Madrid expected to bring in a new manager, possibly Rafael Benitez , and spend another fortune La Blaugrana have made the first move.

The World Cup has yet to start and already the summer is shaping up to be one to remember.

World Cup 2010: Where Will You Watch It? BBC, ITV, Sky, or How About RTE?

For many the biggest question over the entire length of the World Cup is which channel to watch it on. BBC? ITV? Sky? or how about RTE?

Don't know who RTE are?

As a football fan you should be ashamed of yourself. RTE, without a shadow of a doubt provide the best analysis on football anywhere on the planet.

Radio Telifis Eireann, or the Radio and Television of Ireland have for many years now cornered the market in top class punditry. From the English Premier League, to the Champions League, to the European
Championships, to the World Cup. There is really only one place to watch football, and that is the mecca of punditry.

With the simplest of formats, one host, Bill O'Herilhy, a man who is expert at playing the fool and letting his panel do what they do best, analyse and most importantly, give honest comments. Eamon Dunphy and John Giles are the pundits of choice and they manage to bring the very best out of their guests who frequently join them in the shiny studio.

One of the biggest turn offs when watching Sky is the lack of criticism. Even when the match is an absolute stinker, Andy Gray usually refers to the match as being low on quality but high on guts and determination. This is the usual kind of drivel we have to put up with as Sky are quite careful not to put their best commodity down, and there are often close links between pundits and the clubs they are covering.

Likewise the BBC.

Take away Football Focus, and the Beeb's analysis of football is somewhere between watching paint dry and reading a phone directory, and that really says something when you realise how superior they are to ITV, who just defy logic with their choice of pundits, their sycophantic questions during interviews, and basic boredom.
However, there is a silver lining to the cloud of World Cup analysis.

Simply put, John Giles, Eamon Dunphy and co. provide the best analysis on football anywhere to such an extent that they are often more entertaining than the match they are covering.

For those of you who don't know who they are, Giles was one of the original Busby Babes before he moved on to Leeds United, becoming the pivot upon which they moved as they dominated English football in the last 60s and early 70s. He then went on to manage West Brom before taking over and professionalising the way the international team was selected in Ireland.

Eamon Dunphy was no where near the same class of player as Giles, who is regarded as being one of the best midfielders in England of all time, but he also started his career under Matt Busby at Manchester United.
He was more an honest journey-man footballer, eking out a living in Division 2 with a good Millwall team before moving onto York City. He was also part of the group of Irish players who led Giles to moving Ireland away from using a selection committee to pick the team, to one where the manager had full power.
Ironically, Dunphy received every one of his caps under the old selection system...

When he left football he trained himself as a journalist and provided insight into anything and everything from politics to economics to clerical child abuse to football.

When RTE first started showing football in the early 80s, they only used O'Herilhy with Dunphy as the sole analyst.

After the 1984 European Championships in which France won, Dunphy realised that he needed someone to balance his outspoken views on the game, he needed someone to be the straight man, but who would also provide good and above all honest analysis.

His ephinany came after France beat Yugoslavia during the tournament, with Dunphy proclaiming that this would be the night that Platini would be found out. That he was no where near the level of player that some people claimed he was.

Platini went out and scored a perfect hat-trick...

A distraught Dunphy called his friend, Giles, on the phone after the game asking "Was I mad to say what I said?" Giles replied "No, I understood what you meant, but you were a fucking eejit for putting it the way you did!"

With that in mind and with the World Cup in Mexico looming, Dunphy approached RTE and fought tooth and nail to have Giles installed as his co analyst. At first Giles did not take the job too seriously but something happened in Irish football in 1986 that only caused a small ripple amongst the football world, but in a way set the path in motion for the best analytical team in football.

Jack Charlton took over as manager of Ireland.

All of a sudden viewing figures for Ireland games were going through the roof, with Giles and Dunphy offering some blistering criticism on Charlton's tactics and running of the team.

Ireland progressed to Euro 88 and Giles and Dunphy were now not only analysing Ireland but the other seven teams in the competition too. This would be the first time they would be tested and compared to their contemporaries across the water.

They did not shirk their duty. Holland were applauded and England were roasted while the old boys club's on BBC and ITV did everything in their power to analyse England positively and criticism was pushed to one side.

Charlton's Ireland also received their fair share of criticism and praise during the tournament and everyone watching knew that you were getting honesty.

You might not agree with their views, but nobody faulted their convictions. Euro 88 gave way to Italia 90 and the boys were on their way.

Some 22 years later and the format is exactly the same with the same three core presenters and pundits. Over the years many others have been added to the mix, the best being Liam Brady who left to take up a post with Giovani Trappatoni and Ireland, and Graeme Souness.

Yes, I mean Graeme Souness.

Souness on Irish television is a very different proposition to Souness on the saccharin sweet couches of Sky Sports. If anything, his time on RTE has influenced him to throw off the shackles of Sky and act like a punditry version of Spartacus as he launches into a critique of something that someone like Jamie Redknapp has just praised.

On his first appearance with Giles and co. his jaw nearly hit the floor when Manchester United were criticised for poor play even though they were leading 2-0 at half-time, on Sky and BBC such negatives would be brushed under the carpet, not so in Ireland.

Jamie Redknapp...

RTE's punditry is now so revered that the originator of Football 365, Danny Kelly, got every match analysed by Giles and Dunphy recorded and shipped over to him in England following their program.

One of the secrets of RTE's success is the good humour, the rapport of the panel is natural, and there is an obvious respect shown for each other. Quite often the panel can cause a stir, like when Dunphy openly called Ireland's display in Italia 90 against Egypt a disgrace to football or when he and Giles disagreed over a statement Dunphy made over the ex-Leeds player breaking someone up in the 70s, the end result was the pair not talking to each other for a couple of years before they were reunited by a radio station for football analysis.

Can you imagine the pundits on Sky, BBC, or ITV arguing over tactics or anything for that matter?

One of a few nice examples is this discussion on Ferguson and Strachan, Manchester U nited v Celtic, 2006:

Dunphy: “They’re both jocks, and as far as I know jocks come in two types – nice and horrid. And both of these men fall into the horrid category, they’re not one bit forgiving.”

O’Herlihy: “That’s a bit racist, Eamonn.”

Dunphy: “It’s not racist, it’s ethnic stereotyping!”

One particular Champions League match in 2009 that upset a lot of Arsenal fans was when Eamon Dunphy questioned Arsene Wenger's record in the transfer market. (The same questions are being asked today...)

Souness took exception to Dunphy's persistent line of questioning and had a bit of a go at the outspoken one.

Souness: “You don’t know what you’re talking about, you don’t know what you’re talking about. Where did you manage?"

Dunphy: "I didn't manage anywhere...but I managed to stay alive for 63 years baby!"

Surprisingly, BBC do have much better analysts that the likes of Hansen, Lineker, and the painful Alan Shearer, but they are all hidden away on radio.

Steve Claridge, Chris Waddle, Danny Mills, Robbie Savage, and Paul Parker have all built excellent reputations for themselves in the world of analysis, with Mills in particular having an great future ahead of him.
The one thing that links all of these, with the exception of Waddle, is that they are all journeymen footballers. None were ever recognised as being top players. It is a stark contrast to the boring trio of Hansen, Lineker, and Shearer, who are all well known greats.

Perhaps the "honest punditry bone" does not exist in great players, with only those legends who sup the Black Stuff excempt from losing their analytical skills.

While on ITV pundits are brought in and brainwashed before hand so that they all end up looking like gormless smiling buffoons. Terry Venables, recognised as one of the great modern coaches often comes out with such rubbish that you actually wonder why he is saying it. Andy Townsend is horrendous, but thatnkfully he doesn't have to drive around in his "Tactics Truck" anymore. Steve Macmanaman is simply unbelievable.
When all is said and done, the football on the pitch will do the talking.

Sky have, without doubt, the best production values available under the sun, BBC have the best commentators, ITV have, ... and RTE have the best analysis.

With the upcoming World Cup having something like 78 games for us to enjoy, I think it is fair to say that on at least one occassion we are going to have to rely the half-time show for entertainment.

So unless you're a Jimmy "different class" Magee fan the best place to listen to the commentary is BBC, but there is only one place to go for analysis.

KPMG; Liverpool FC On The Verge Of Administration After Massive Rise In Debt

The season that just keeps kicking gave Liverpool and it's many fans the worst news imaginable after it emerged that the club have sunk deeper into debt . Yesterday's financial report from Kop Holdings revealed a record loss of £54.9 million over the course of the last season meaning that the clubs total debt now stands at £472.5 million.

Accounts for the club's holding company for the year ending in July 2009 show spiralling interest payments of £40m, wages breaking the £100m-a-season barrier, a record loss of £54.9m and an increase in the club's debt of £51.5m.

At the end of last season, after a record profit of £10 million, Liverpool's debt stood at £350m. Urgent negotiations with RBS and a refinancing of the loan reduced the deficit to £237 million, and the British Government owned bank are now expected to come back and seek their money.

Liverpool now stand £351m (net) in the red. Some £233m of that is owed to the British government-owned RBS and the US investment bank Wachovia, while another £144.4m is owed to Hicks and Gillett's parent company, Kop Cayman.

KPMG were brought in as financial auditors to survey the wreckage on show at the Anfield based club.
They found that Liverpool's debt had grown but, just as alarming, also found that Kop Holdings were also in debt for £42.6 million.

KPMG had warned Kop Football Ltd of the "material uncertainty" of their product. In other words, should Liverpool fail to bring the EPL trophy or the Champions League trophy home in the 2009/10, then the debt would increase substantially, as there would not be any monies available to pay off their debt.

With the current findings we can see that that is exactly what has happened to the once great club.

Liverpool have until the end of July to pay RBS and Wachovia their debt, but this looks increasingly unlikely. Already ahead of the curve, the EPL and UEFA summoned new Chairman Martin Broughton to their headquarters to discuss Liverpool's participation in in their respective tournaments next year.

Their greatest fear being that the now Government owned bank will have no where near the level of sympathy for the club that they had last year. RBS restructured their core business after the EU allowed to company to redesign itself after the biggest tax payer bail out in Europe during the financial crisis, some £100 billion.

The EU’s top competition enforcer, Neelie Kroes, warned that if the bank failed to meet 2013 targets to restore healthy, natural order to its balance sheet, her successor Joaquin Almunia would not hesitate to take fresh action.

The fact that the goalposts have now shifted for RBS means that the bank will almost definitely come looking for Liverpool to repay their debt. There is no sympathy for football clubs who spend beyond their means in the current climate and Liverpool will do well to garner support from political parties because their debt is essentially tax payer money.

Broughton has been quick to talk of the proposed £81 million four year sponsorship deal with Standard Charter and how it will help to reduce the debt. However, it would now seem that the level of sponsorship depends upon Liverpool's success during that period.

One theory on Broughton's role thar has begun to surface is that his appointment to the role of Chairman is only window dressing to appease RBS, to make it look as if the club are actively looking to reduce their debts, but are in actual fact threading water with no serious buyers on the horizon.

This would seem to go with the EPL's recent talks with Broughton about their commitment to meet every fixture next season.

"I expect to be chairman until we sell, so a matter of months,” Broughton said. “There’s no fixed price, there’s no agreed price — it’s a willing buyer, willing seller trade. We have willing sellers and there are willing buyers out there — that will determine the price," which all sounds a little bit desperate.

With the club now losing £110,000 a day through interest alone it looks as if Broughton, RBS, and the UK Government will have much to discuss over the next two months.

Royal Bank of Scotland and Wachovia have been forcing Tom Hicks and George Gillett Jr to move Liverpool’s borrowings away from them and on to Hicks' Cayman Islands-listed parent company, Kop Cayman.

Many fans rejoiced last year when Liverpool appeared to reduce their bank loan from £350 million to £290 million, but that was only because their offshore parent company increased its loan to the club by £86.2 million to £144.4 million. That loan, on which Liverpool has to pay 10 per cent interest, is likely to have increased over the last 12 months, explaining these new devastating figures.

Only this week Rafael Benitez eventually agreed to meet Martin Broughton about the Spaniard's future at the club. There has been a huge amount of speculation about his future role at the club, with stories emanating from Italy every day with new links to Juventus.

Benitez has played a polital chess game with Hicks and Gillett in the corridors of power at Anfield and he has become part of the fabric at the club with his people in virtually every position of power regarding the football side of the club.

He has called upon the owners to lavish him with money, or he will leave. He has told them not to sell Fernando Torres or Steven Gerrard, or he will leave. Rafa knows the club lies on the edge of a financial precipice and has made demands that he knows sound impossible given the level of debt.

During his six years at the club he has spent some £210 million on 49 players whilst bringing in some £125 million for 80 players.

With the news that Rafa is now saying he needs at least six new players to challenge for fourth it would seem that Rafa has spent quite poorly over his time in charge. To say he needs six players for a decent team after six years in charge in nothing short of Benitez admitting wasting Liverpool's money.

The biggest rise however has come in the wages bracket at the club,where Benitez has almost doubled the clubs wage bill since taking over.

2004- £66m, 2005- £65m, 2006- £68m, 2007- £75m, 2008- £79m, 2009 - £101m (£453m total)

For the second year running KPMG have given a brutal audit on all that is wrong with Liverpool FC. Citing "material uncertainty" yet again...

"These conditions indicate the existence of a material uncertainty which may cast doubt on the parent company's ability to continue as a going concern," it said.

Liverpool are on the verge of becoming the next Leeds, the EPL think so, UEFA think so, and KPMG know so. The next two months are vital for the club.

Challenging for the title is gone, keeping Benitez at the club looks less and less likely every day, Fernando Torres has intimated that he wants to leave English football, and Steven Gerrard has just endured his worst ever season in a red shirt.

Liverpool will not earn Champions League money next season, they will not challenge for the league title, their best players could leave, and their manager could go to Italy.

Next year couldn't be any worse than this one, could it?

Manchester City 0-1 Tottenham Hotspur: Spurs Qualify for the Champions League

Tottenham Hotspur will head into Europe's Premier Cup competition for the first time since 1962 after they beat high spending Manchester City 1-0 at the Eastlands. The match was essentially a playoff for the final English placing in the Champions League next season.

Peter Crouch scored the only goal of the game as the man-of-the-match latched onto Martin Fulop's messy clearance to head the ball home with just eight minutes remaining.

The 1-0 win was thoroughly deserved by Harry Redknapp's adventurous side as they took the game to the home-side right from the off. 'Arry signalled Spurs' intentions with a brave team selection that included the returning Aaron Lennon and the injury prone Ledley King.

Lennon's inclusion meant that Spurs went with two out and out wingers on either side of the pitch, sending the message to everyone that Spurs were there to win the match and not to play out a draw that would have given them the advantage going into the final games this weekend.

City on the other hand were strangely subdued, and one must figure that the Italian fearful mentality of Roberto Mancini dictated the tempo his team were to play at.

While Spurs attacked and probed and got men forward at every opportunity, Manchester City played with two deep defensive midfielders and seemed happy to let the Londoners force the flow of the game.

Ex-Tottenham 'keeper Fulop made a number of brilliant saves to deny Spurs and at one stage the Blues goal was leading a charmed life. Crouch hit the post with a diving header, King had a goal disallowed for pushing, Defoe went close only to see Fulop's finger tips deny him, and Gareth Bale fired inches wide after a deft header from Crouch.

In reply, City barely troubled Heurelho Gomes, and when he was eventually called into the action the Brazilian was equal to anything the Citizens could muster.

In the end, City's game-plan and shape went out the window completely, and the more disciplined Spurs side took over. David Bentley, on for the dog tired Lennon, released Youness Kaboul who was let free by some abysmal defending by Craig Bellamy.

The deputising full back's cross was too hot to handle for Fulop and his parry sat up nicely for Crouch to nod home and send Spurs into Europe.

For Tottenham it is the next chapter in a remarkable story. In October 2008 when Redknapp took over they were rooted to the bottom of the table with an under-performing team. Less than 18 months later and they will be one of three London teams that will play in the Champions League next year.

The Spurs boss has built an exciting team, one of the few sides who use a traditional 4-4-2 with two attacking wide players. They have a goalkeeper who has gone from zero to hero and who is regularly linked with moves to the likes of Bayern Munich and Juventus.

A midfield that combines silk and steel in equal measures with the likes of Wilson Palacios and Tom Huddlestone growing with every game. Luka Modric is a class act who will garner attention from every major club and the two wide "diamonds" of Lennon and Bale are good enough to frighten any defence.

Spurs contain quality all over the pitch and with one or two extra signings could consolidate their stay in the top four.

That very much depends on progressing towards the group stages of the Champions League, and if they do they will have the financial and motivational tools to hold onto their very best players.

As the travelling Spurs fans broke out into Glory Glory Tottenham Hotspur one could not help to feel for Manchester City's fans who had expected so much after their massive spending.

This defeat to Spurs has knocked their plans back, but they will end up in the top four sooner rather than later so it is up to Spurs to take advantage while they can and make hay while the sun shines.

Speaking after the game an obviously happy Harry Redknapp spoke gushingly about his young side, which included eight English players.

"Most people probably thought we'll come here and take a point but I picked the most attacking team you could ever wish to see," he told BBC Sport.

"We came here to a hot atmosphere and got at them and we deserved the win."

Redknapp added: "It's fantastic. It's been a terrific season for us, we've played some great football and we deserve it.

"I thought maybe the goal wasn't going to come and we'd go to Burnley with the extra point in the bag, which would have been a good situation, but this is perfect to finish it here today. It's just perfect for us.
"Crouchy was top class and led the line and he deserved the goal," he added.

"I also think Jermaine Defoe had his best performance away from home for some time.

"Finishing fourth is something that gives me a lot of pleasure. It's great for the club and it is nice to have finally done it after coming so near in the past.

"I think to finish third would be asking a lot but fourth is a great position for us.

"We'll have to have a look in the summer and see where we can improve if we have to, but we've got good players here. I think there might be eight boys in the preliminary squad for England."

Asked about centre-back Ledley King, Redknapp said: "What a player, he's got to go to the World Cup, but Michael Dawson as well—the two of them tonight were just fantastic. You've got to put them in your squad."

Eighteen months ago Spurs were on the verge of relegation, today they sit on the edge of playing in the Champions League and contributing more players to Fabio Capello's England squad than any other team.

Happy days indeed.

Manchester City vs. Tottenham Hotspur: Bigger Than the Champions League Final

Spurs travel to the Eastlands tomorrow to take on the financial might of Manchester City in a match that promises to be one of the highlights of the season, and is almost certainly more important than the Champions League Final for a number of reasons.

When the two teams met last December it was Spurs who triumphed after a brace from Niko Krancjar and a neat finish from Jermaine Defoe gave the White Hart Lane outfit full points. The 3-0 defeat signalled the end of Mark Hughes' time in charge at City, and he was soon replaced by Italian schemer and fashionable scarf wearer Roberto Mancini.

The former Inter boss has continued the early good work set in motion by Hughes and, now, as expected, City stand on the brink of Champions League qualification.

Only Harry Redknapp's over achieving Tottenham team stand in their way of a potential £60 million, European and Premier League domination.

For those of you who think that will hardly be the case think again.

In the space of just 24 months Manchester City have spent something in the region of £200 million and trebled their wage bill. That has guaranteed them a challenge at the top four, should they progress one further then they will consolidate their position and spend again.

This game represents a turning point in many futures, for not only Tottenham or City, but for the other challenging teams in the league.

Victory for Spurs will push City's master plan back a year or two, while the money they could gain should take them further ahead of rivals Everton, Aston Villa, and maybe even Liverpool.

Champions League qualification for Manchester City would almost certainly see them sign better players and it is conceivable that they would surpass Arsenal and become viable title challengers with Chelsea and Manchester United.

It is a game with many destiny's on the line, but back to the match.

Both teams have goalkeeping problems.

Shay Given is out with a dislocated shoulder, which will see the Donegalman return to action next September or October. Huerelho Gomes damaged his groin, with only one minute remaining in the 1-0 win over Bolton at the weekend, and is a major doubt for the clash.

It means that both sides could potentially have reserve team goalkeepers between the posts in the biggest match either club has had in years. City's problems saw them bring in former Spurs 'keeper Martin Fulop on loan from Sunderland after they exploited a loop hole in the FA's rules governing goalkeepers, while Tottenham will probably have to make do with young Ben Alnwick.

The ex-Sunderland shotstopper joined the Lilywhites in January 2007 and has yet to make his first team debut at Spurs.

At the back both teams are likely to be without influential defenders. Jolean Lescott is out with a hamstring injury while Spurs will be without Vedran Corluka, long term absentee Johnathan Woodgate, and most probably Ledley King.

One of the best defenders in the league, King suffers from acute knee problems and can only play every six days. Whether he will take the pain and suffer through the City match remains to be seen, but it would be the ideal calling card to Fabio Capello who is sure to be in attendance.

City are at full strength in midfield where as Spurs will miss their infulential Croatian Kranjcar.

Tottenham will have the advantage as far as defence and midfield is concerned. They are a better unit at the back—Youness Kaboul has come in for Corluka without breaking stride,  Michael Dawson has progressed into a real candidate for South Africa, and Benoit Assou-Ekotto is the only real weak link at left full.

Roberto Mancini's men have lacked a certain creative spark through the middle this year, and it is likely that he will bring Shaun Wright-Phillips in at right midfield in an effort to expose the Cameroonian.

However, that could be tempered by the fact that Gareth Bale is certain to start in left midfield for Spurs, and one would think that Mancini's Italian mentality might take over and go with a defensive player instead of the nippy winger.

The middle of the park is where the battle will be won and lost. Patrick Vieira will almost certainly start with Gareth Barry and possibly Nigel De-Jong.

It will be interesting to see if Redknapp starts with Aaron Lennon or if he'll keep the winger on the bench. It might be a gamble worth taking as there will be no point worrying about the match on Sunday if City win, however if Spurs can keep it tight and take a draw the advantage swings to them.

Harry Redknapp should counter City's midfield by dropping Luka Modric to the bench and starting with the highly combative duo of Tom Huddlestone and Wilson Palacios. If Spurs do go with this midfield pairing then expect City to hit their forward line early and quickly.

At the moment City have one of the most formidable strike-forces in the league with Carlos Tevez in fantastic form. He will be making his 100th Premier League start and needs just one goal to reach the magical 50 milestone. Craig Bellamy is ample backup to the Argentinian and is a handful for any defence, while Emmanuel Adebayor is a brilliant as he is contrary. If all three are on form then City can blow any team away.
Contrast their form with the attacking players of Spurs who seem to have gone off the boil at the most important time for the club.

Peter Crouch has been in and out all year, Roman Pavlyuchenko seems to be playing at a good level, but his finishing boots have deserted him, and Jermaine Defoe looks bereft of confidence.

Add everything together and it makes for a highly intriguing and entertaining match.

Both sides like to play football and the game will boil down to the individual battles all over the pitch.
Both teams will look to exploit each others defences. Bellamy and Pavlyuchenko will drop deep giving problems to the centre halves and centre midfielders causing confusion as to who should pick up who.
If Spurs can push on from the middle with Huddlestone, who can shoot from anywhere, this will make City's defenders follow their counterparts leaving gaps for the lightning quick Defoe to expose. The exact same can be said for City and Tevez, but Dawson is a better defender than Toure and the difference between winning and losing could be a fine line.

The game is almost too tight to call, but Spurs have that little bit extra through their team that could make the difference.

It is worth noting that of Spurs eight trips to the top eight teams in the league they have yet to win. However, Spurs have won 11 of the last 12 fixtures between the two clubs.

Home advantage for such a huge game cannot be underestimated and City will start as slight favourites for a match that will award the winning team more money than the Champions League Final and will shape the league for years to come.

NIC, NAC, NEC; Steve McClaren's FC Twente Nick The Dutch Title With Win Over NAC As Ajax Beat NEC

Former England manager Steve McClaren has guided FC Twente to their first Dutch Title in their history with a last day win away to NAC Breda. Twente win the league by one point from Martin Jol's Ajax Amsterdam who also won on the final day at home to NEC .

Ajax had beaten NEC 4-1 to move ahead of the Tukkers by two points, but a 2-0 win over the ten men of NAC gave them the title on a history making day for the new Champions.

The goals that won the league for Twente came courtesy of Bryan Ruiz and Chelsea midfielder Miroslav Stoch who has enjoyed an incredible season with the Tukkers.

Not only is their first title in their 45 year history, but McClaren also becomes the first English manager to win a domestic trophy on foreign soil since Bobby Robson won the league with Porto in 1996.

It is a triumph made all the more remarkable by Ajax's incredible goal difference, +86 after 34 games, winning all 14 of their remaining fixtures, but in the end it was Twente's discipline and only losing twice all season that captured them the title.

		| Home					| Away
	Team	P	W	D	L	F	A	W	D	L	F	A	GD	PTS
1	FC Twente	34	16	1	0	37	10	11	4	2	26	13	40	86
2	Ajax	34	16	1	0	64	4	11	3	3	42	16	86	85
3	PSV	34	13	4	0	40	13	10	5	2	32	16	43	78
4	Feyenoord	34	9	6	2	32	14	8	6	3	22	17	23	63
5	AZ Alkmaar	34	11	2	4	33	16	8	3	6	31	18	30	62

Dutch football has been dominated by the trio of Ajax, PSV Eindhoven, and Feyenoord for as long as anyone can remember and for one of the smaller clubs to break that monopoly, never mind to actually win the title is nothing short of miraculous.

FC Twente follow in the footsteps of AZ Alkmaar who won the league last year, but following the collapse of Dirk Scheringa's fortune and Louis van Gaal's exodus to Bayern Munich they completely collapsed and ended up finishing a distant fifth.

Twente contain the three best stories in Dutch football this season, in the title winth, the redemption ofSteve McLaren, and 19-year-old Luuk De Jong beating his Ajax playing brother, 21-year-old, Siem De Jong to the title.

Both youngsters have become important parts of their respective machines as the season wore on, and many pundits are now calling for Siem to be a starter for Holland when the World Cup starts.

McClaren brought Twente to finish second last year, his first at the club, and he has now gone one better.
"Today we made history. It's more than miracle," McClaren said on Twente's official website.

Speaking to Dutch broadcaster NOS, he added: "What a fantastic bunch of players.
"I said at the beginning of the season I don't know if we have a team, I couldn't tell.
"They grew and grew, they deserve it. They deserve it."

Speaking last week McClaren talked about his time as England coach and how it has changed him for the better.

"I don't think a day goes by some aspect of that experience doesn't come flashing into my mind. I felt I let down a nation,"

"But being a manager is what I do. Generally I've been quite successful in what I do, but you can't win every time. Sometimes failures come, and this was a big failure.

"I had to learn from it, be strong and move on."

He certainly has, the road to redemption for Steve McLaren is in full swing, bring on the Champions League.

Chelsea All But Win The EPL Title at Liverpool, Where To Now For Rafael Benitez?

After beating Stoke City 7-0 last week, Chelsea strolled to an even easier win today by triumphing 2-0 over a sterile Liverpool side at Anfield. In the run up to the game many pundits had questioned if the Reds would roll over and have their bellies tickled, well they did that, and more.

World Cup Fixture List

 

Chronological World Cup fixtures

Friday, 11 June 2010

South Africa v Mexico, Gp A, 15:00

Uruguay v France, Gp A, 19:30

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Saturday, 12 June 2010

Argentina v Nigeria, Gp B, 15:00

England v USA, Gp C, 19:30

South Korea v Greece, Gp B, 12:30

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Sunday, 13 June 2010

Algeria v Slovenia, Gp C, 12:30

Germany v Australia, Gp D, 19:30

Serbia v Ghana, Gp D, 15:00

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Monday, 14 June 2010

Italy v Paraguay, Gp F, 19:30

Japan v Cameroon, Gp E, 15:00

Netherlands v Denmark, Gp E, 12:30

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Tuesday, 15 June 2010

Brazil v North Korea, Gp G, 19:30

Ivory Coast v Portugal, Gp G, 15:00

New Zealand v Slovakia, Gp F, 12:30

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Wednesday, 16 June 2010

Honduras v Chile, Gp H, 12:30

South Africa v Uruguay, Gp A, 19:30

Spain v Switzerland, Gp H, 15:00

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Thursday, 17 June 2010

Argentina v South Korea, Gp B, 12:30

France v Mexico, Gp A, 19:30

Greece v Nigeria, Gp B, 15:00

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Friday, 18 June 2010

England v Algeria, Gp C, 19:30

Germany v Serbia, Gp D, 12:30

Slovenia v USA, Gp C, 15:00

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Saturday, 19 June 2010

Cameroon v Denmark, Gp E, 19:30

Ghana v Australia, Gp D, 15:00

Netherlands v Japan, Gp E, 12:30

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Sunday, 20 June 2010

Brazil v Ivory Coast, Gp G, 19:30

Italy v New Zealand, Gp F, 15:00

Slovakia v Paraguay, Gp F, 12:30

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Monday, 21 June 2010

Chile v Switzerland, Gp H, 15:00

Portugal v North Korea, Gp G, 12:30

Spain v Honduras, Gp H, 19:30

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Tuesday, 22 June 2010

France v South Africa, Gp A, 15:00

Greece v Argentina, Gp B, 19:30

Mexico v Uruguay, Gp A, 15:00

Nigeria v South Korea, Gp B, 19:30

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Wednesday, 23 June 2010

Australia v Serbia, Gp D, 19:30

Ghana v Germany, Gp D, 19:30

Slovenia v England, Gp C, 15:00

USA v Algeria, Gp C, 15:00

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Thursday, 24 June 2010

Cameroon v Netherlands, Gp E, 19:30

Denmark v Japan, Gp E, 19:30

Paraguay v New Zealand, Gp F, 15:00

Slovakia v Italy, Gp F, 15:00

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Friday, 25 June 2010

Chile v Spain, Gp H, 19:30

North Korea v Ivory Coast, Gp G, 15:00

Portugal v Brazil, Gp G, 15:00

Switzerland v Honduras, Gp H, 19:30

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Saturday, 26 June 2010

Winner Gp A v Runner-up Gp B, 16R, 15:00

Winner Gp C v Runner-up Gp D, 16R, 19:30

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Sunday, 27 June 2010

Winner Gp B v Runner-up Gp A, 16R, 19:30

Winner Gp D v Runner-up Gp C, 16R, 15:00

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Monday, 28 June 2010

Winner Gp E v Runner-up Gp F, 16R, 15:00

Winner Gp G v Runner-up Gp H, 16R, 19:30

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Tuesday, 29 June 2010

Winner Gp F v Runner-up Gp E, 16R, 15:00

Winner Gp H v Runner-up Gp G, 16R, 19:30

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Friday, 2 July 2010

Wnr Gp A/R-Up Gp B v Wnr Gp C/R-Up Gp D, QF, 19:30

Wnr Gp E/R-Up Gp F v Wnr Gp G/R-Up Gp H, QF, 15:00

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Saturday, 3 July 2010

Wnr Gp B/R-Up Gp A v Wnr Gp D/R-Up Gp C, QF, 15:00

Wnr Gp F/R-Up Gp E v Wnr Gp H/R-Up Gp G, QF, 19:30

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Tuesday, 6 July 2010

Winner Q/F 1 v Winner Q/F 3, SF, 19:30

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Wednesday, 7 July 2010

Winner Q/F 2 v Winner Q/F 4, SF, 19:30

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Saturday, 10 July 2010

Loser SF1 v Loser SF2, 3rd, 19:30

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Sunday, 11 July 2010

Winners SF1 v Winners SF2, F, 19:30