Man City fans must really be licking their lips at the moment as, despite Shinawatra's bad publicity, they seem to be bringing in some top quality players. Fiorentina striker Valeri Bojinov is the latest player who looks like he's on his way to City, and he should turn out to be a very tasty signing. The fee is around the 6 million pound mark, and the transfer might be completed in the next couple of days. He is a very exciting young striker who is technically and physically strong, and despite being only 21, he has a lot of experience from his days at Fiorentina, Juventus and his national side, Bulgaria.
With him and Bianchi, City's strikeforce is a lot sronger then last season, Petrov has added width, and Chiellini (if he comes) will add strength and power to the defence. City still need a centre-back, a central midfielder, and another wide man, but they are really moving in the right direction, and Sven has made some very astute signings so far. They will be a definite threat this season, and will only get better as the season goes on.
Kieron Dyer looks like he is on his way out of Newcastle after they gave him permission to speak to West Ham. I've never been a huge fan, but he does have a lot of talent and is a very dangerous player when injury-free. Again, I'm not sure whether West Ham really wanted him or if it is just a case of throwing their money about a bit. I'm worried that the Hammers don't have a game-plan, and that they just trying to bring in as many players as possible, without identifying their team strengths and weaknesses. Dyer is a decent player, but he is injury-prone and may not be able to keep coming back to the standard of football he was once capable of. I'm just not sure this is a good signing.
The Scottish FA have stated that refs will be able to use video footage after SPL games to punish divers retrospectively. A very good idea that should make players more careful about their conduct on the pitch. No-one likes seeing a dive, and if players end up missing important games through suspensions after their diving has been caught on camera, then next time, they might think twice about diving again. This should lead to fewer dives, therefore fewer stoppages, thus leading a more flowing game. Everyone is a winner.
Not much else going on, so I will bid you all good night.
Wednesday, 1 August 2007
Tuesday, 31 July 2007
Spotlight On Shinawatra
My apologies for the infrequent posts of the last few days, technical issues, and it seems that shouting swear words at your laptop is not the quickest way to fix a problem. However, it is all sorted now, and we get back to what matters, football.
It seems that a couple of Human Rights groups have voiced their concerns over Thaksin Shinawatra's ownership of Manchester City. The 'Human Rights Watch' wrote in to the Premier League voicing concerns over Shinawatra's human rights record during his time as Prime Minister of Thailand, and Amnesty International have also raised doubts over Shinawatra. The main charges against him are that, during a 'war on drugs', his forces carried out a large number of extrajudicial killings, and that he allowed Thai forces to use any means neccessary to stamp out insurgency in the South of Thailand.
Now, none of these charges have been proven, and the 'fit and proper person' test for the Premier League follows the law in this country, in that a man is innocent until proven guilty. Very admirable in theory, but sadly this does not always work in practice. Shinawatra may not have been charged, but this does not mean he is innocent, and as far as I have gathered, these charges against him have a factual basis. Now it does not matter if you believe in zero tolerance against drug dealers (though I doubt that every person killed was an actual drug dealer), or if the other corruption charges against him are politically motivated, the fact is, no-one with these sort of allegations over them should be allowed to own a Premiership Club.
He may turn out to be innocent (though I very much doubt this), but until he has faced his corruption charges, and managed to clear his name, he should not be allowed to own a Premiership Club. There will be a democratically elected Thai Government in power soon, and when they are in power he should be able to face his charges and prove his innocence. The Premier league should have told him to come back and bid for City when he had faced all his charges, and if this never happened, then hard luck mate. Instead they have taken his money and we have yet more controversy in the beautiful game. I'm afraid that in this case, it would have been better for innocence to be proven rather then guilt.
On to other news, Reyes has left Arsenal for Atletico Madrid in a 6 million pound deal. He is a great talent, but unfortunately could never adapt to the British culture and, more importantly, the British weather. Personally, I don't know what he's talking about, it's been nothing but sun, sun and more sun this summer. Who needs Spain, when you have floods to avoid? Our weather keeps you on your toes. Anyway, there is one moment of his I will never forget, he was on the wing, at a standstill, with an opposition player in front of him and without touching the ball once, he used his body to send the opposition player in completely the wrong direction before setting off into the deserted space. It was such a great piece of skill, and I hope that he rediscovers his best form at Atletico.
The Tevez saga might be settled out of court, but if not, a court date has been set for the 22nd of August. I suspect that some sort of deal will be hammered out before then, and despite everything that West Ham have said, it looks like they are the ones most eager to settle out of court. Expect some sort of agreement in the next week or so.
There are a few transfer stories doing the rounds but nothing finalised completely yet, apart from Tottenham signing Kevin-Prince Boateng from Hertha Berlin in a 5 million pound deal. I've already mentioned him before, but just in case, he is a very highly rated German midfielder who is only 20 years old. He's definitely one for the future, but central midfield is definitely the area Tottenham need to work on if they are to challenge the big 4 this season. Zokora didn't do very well last season, though he may improve this season, but he is still not the creative force that Tottenham need. Boateng is a good signing but he is not going to have a huge impact this season, meaning that they may find themselves struggling in the midfield area against the likes of Scholes, Fabregas, Essien and Gerrard.
And that is that for tonight. Once again, apologies for the technical difficulties, I hope that they will never be seen again. Good night sports fans.
It seems that a couple of Human Rights groups have voiced their concerns over Thaksin Shinawatra's ownership of Manchester City. The 'Human Rights Watch' wrote in to the Premier League voicing concerns over Shinawatra's human rights record during his time as Prime Minister of Thailand, and Amnesty International have also raised doubts over Shinawatra. The main charges against him are that, during a 'war on drugs', his forces carried out a large number of extrajudicial killings, and that he allowed Thai forces to use any means neccessary to stamp out insurgency in the South of Thailand.
Now, none of these charges have been proven, and the 'fit and proper person' test for the Premier League follows the law in this country, in that a man is innocent until proven guilty. Very admirable in theory, but sadly this does not always work in practice. Shinawatra may not have been charged, but this does not mean he is innocent, and as far as I have gathered, these charges against him have a factual basis. Now it does not matter if you believe in zero tolerance against drug dealers (though I doubt that every person killed was an actual drug dealer), or if the other corruption charges against him are politically motivated, the fact is, no-one with these sort of allegations over them should be allowed to own a Premiership Club.
He may turn out to be innocent (though I very much doubt this), but until he has faced his corruption charges, and managed to clear his name, he should not be allowed to own a Premiership Club. There will be a democratically elected Thai Government in power soon, and when they are in power he should be able to face his charges and prove his innocence. The Premier league should have told him to come back and bid for City when he had faced all his charges, and if this never happened, then hard luck mate. Instead they have taken his money and we have yet more controversy in the beautiful game. I'm afraid that in this case, it would have been better for innocence to be proven rather then guilt.
On to other news, Reyes has left Arsenal for Atletico Madrid in a 6 million pound deal. He is a great talent, but unfortunately could never adapt to the British culture and, more importantly, the British weather. Personally, I don't know what he's talking about, it's been nothing but sun, sun and more sun this summer. Who needs Spain, when you have floods to avoid? Our weather keeps you on your toes. Anyway, there is one moment of his I will never forget, he was on the wing, at a standstill, with an opposition player in front of him and without touching the ball once, he used his body to send the opposition player in completely the wrong direction before setting off into the deserted space. It was such a great piece of skill, and I hope that he rediscovers his best form at Atletico.
The Tevez saga might be settled out of court, but if not, a court date has been set for the 22nd of August. I suspect that some sort of deal will be hammered out before then, and despite everything that West Ham have said, it looks like they are the ones most eager to settle out of court. Expect some sort of agreement in the next week or so.
There are a few transfer stories doing the rounds but nothing finalised completely yet, apart from Tottenham signing Kevin-Prince Boateng from Hertha Berlin in a 5 million pound deal. I've already mentioned him before, but just in case, he is a very highly rated German midfielder who is only 20 years old. He's definitely one for the future, but central midfield is definitely the area Tottenham need to work on if they are to challenge the big 4 this season. Zokora didn't do very well last season, though he may improve this season, but he is still not the creative force that Tottenham need. Boateng is a good signing but he is not going to have a huge impact this season, meaning that they may find themselves struggling in the midfield area against the likes of Scholes, Fabregas, Essien and Gerrard.
And that is that for tonight. Once again, apologies for the technical difficulties, I hope that they will never be seen again. Good night sports fans.
Sunday, 29 July 2007
Owen Owes A Lot
Another quiet weekend with plenty of friendlies but not much in the way of important news. Freddy Sheperd believes that Michael Owen owes Newcastle a great debt, which is a fair comment. The paid a lot of money for him, he's hardly played any games for the Magpies and they have looked after him during his injuries, so I think most people would believe that Owen owes them a fair bit. Owen has always seemed like a down-to-earth man, and he probably realises just what Newcastle have done for him so I can't see him moving away this summer. He'll spend at least one season, and if Newcastle do well and he plays well, then I can see him staying longer. But, I can't see him staying more then 2 seasons without Champions League football, a player like Owen needs to be up against the top teams, and he may have to move away to find that kind of football...but for the moment, Newcastle fans can sleep easily, knowing that Michael will be there for one more season at least.
Steve Bruce is confident that Ghaly will sign for Birmingham, from Tottenham, in a 3 million pound deal. However, he also believes that the Mido deal is going to fall through. Firstly, Birmingham should be thanking their lucky stars that the Mido deal has gone through, 6 million for him was just silly money, and you'll be better off without him. Secondly, the Ghaly deal is a good one. He has some Premiership experience, is in his mid-20's and though he wasn't incredible at Tottenham, he was a very solid central midfielder who would be a good player to have in a relegation fight. I'd definitely have Ghaly over Mido any day of the week, and I think most people out there would agree.
Congratulatons to Iraq for winning the Asian Cup for the 1st time. They beat Saudi Arabia 1-0, and fully deserved their victory. It is obviously a difficult period for Iraq, but to win the Asian Cup sends out a good message about the future of sport over there, and I hope that they can build on this victory in the future.
I watched the Arsenal game on Sky earlier, when they were playing Inter Milan, and they were looking very fluid. People have already started writing them off but I wouldn't be too sure. Van Persie scored a wonderful goal and looked very dangerous, and I was also very impressed by Alexander Hleb. He was playing in a central role, just behind Van Persie, and had a cracker of a game, he is a player I would watch out for this season. He's had a couple of seasons to really adapt to the Premiership and he knows that if he doesn't do the business this season, then he'll be shipped off. So, keep an eye out for him this season, and I'm going to make sure that he has a spot in my fantasy team.
Finally, Franz Beckenbauer has given England his vote for staging the 2018 World Cup. Of course, his bacing doesn't really count for much at the moment, but it was decent of him to give the England bid a boost. We face stiff competition from Italy and Russia, but we do have a very good chance of getting the Cup...and by 2018, McClaren can't possibly still be manager, so we might have a chance of winning the tournament! Brilliant, things are already looking up.
And on that optimistic point, I shall take my leave. Good Night.
Steve Bruce is confident that Ghaly will sign for Birmingham, from Tottenham, in a 3 million pound deal. However, he also believes that the Mido deal is going to fall through. Firstly, Birmingham should be thanking their lucky stars that the Mido deal has gone through, 6 million for him was just silly money, and you'll be better off without him. Secondly, the Ghaly deal is a good one. He has some Premiership experience, is in his mid-20's and though he wasn't incredible at Tottenham, he was a very solid central midfielder who would be a good player to have in a relegation fight. I'd definitely have Ghaly over Mido any day of the week, and I think most people out there would agree.
Congratulatons to Iraq for winning the Asian Cup for the 1st time. They beat Saudi Arabia 1-0, and fully deserved their victory. It is obviously a difficult period for Iraq, but to win the Asian Cup sends out a good message about the future of sport over there, and I hope that they can build on this victory in the future.
I watched the Arsenal game on Sky earlier, when they were playing Inter Milan, and they were looking very fluid. People have already started writing them off but I wouldn't be too sure. Van Persie scored a wonderful goal and looked very dangerous, and I was also very impressed by Alexander Hleb. He was playing in a central role, just behind Van Persie, and had a cracker of a game, he is a player I would watch out for this season. He's had a couple of seasons to really adapt to the Premiership and he knows that if he doesn't do the business this season, then he'll be shipped off. So, keep an eye out for him this season, and I'm going to make sure that he has a spot in my fantasy team.
Finally, Franz Beckenbauer has given England his vote for staging the 2018 World Cup. Of course, his bacing doesn't really count for much at the moment, but it was decent of him to give the England bid a boost. We face stiff competition from Italy and Russia, but we do have a very good chance of getting the Cup...and by 2018, McClaren can't possibly still be manager, so we might have a chance of winning the tournament! Brilliant, things are already looking up.
And on that optimistic point, I shall take my leave. Good Night.
Friday, 27 July 2007
Friday Night Review.
Time for another Friday Night Review, if you're not sure what it is, then read last Friday's post! here we go,
1. Lucas Leiva [Gremio - Liverpool] Undisclosed
2. Luke Young [Charlton - Middlesbrough] £2.5m
3. Freddie Ljungberg [Arsenal - West Ham] £3m
Lucas may have signed for Liverpool a while ago but his transfer only came through this week, and what a signing he should prove to be. Liverpool already have a great midfield and Lucas will add so much to that. He's a powerful, quick, and a good passer of the ball, who also gets a fair few goals from the centre of midfield. He may not have a huge impact this season, but I've picked him because in the seasons after that, he will really become a top Premiership midfielder.
Luke Young is the type of player all teams need, an unsung defender who gets on with the job with minimal fuss. He defends well, and attacks when needed, which is exactly how your full-backs should start out. As he gets to know the Boro defence better, he will attack more but he will be a key figure in keeping Middlesbrough in many games this season as they will need to keep clean sheets, since they don't have the attacking flair at the moment.
Freddie may have lost that yard of pace and is getting more injury-prone, but he still has a very clever footballing brain and understands the game so well that he can never be ruled out as a threat. A new lease of life at West Ham will help him out, and the timing and positioning of his runs are a joy to watch, he's exactly the type of player West Ham will need if they are serious about pushing their way into a UEFA Cup space, and 3 Million is a good price for him.
On to other news, It looks like Bernd Schuster has got into the swing of things over at Real Madrid. He's barely a few weeks into the job and he's already talking about the future of a player from another club, fantastic! The player in question is Michael Ballack, and Schuster seems to see him as an ideal signing who would provide the key link between the midfield and the strikers in his side. Unfortunately for Schuster, I can't see Chelsea letting a player like Ballack go. Yes, he may have had a difficult first season and he is also on a very high weekly wage, but Chelsea don't really care about the money, and he is a class player. He has taken time to settle, but there is no way Chelsea would let him move on after 1 season, unless Real paid a huge amount, and I can't see that happening. Yet again, it's just more crap flying in westbound from the direction of Madrid.
Good news for Chelsea fans, John Terry has signed a new contract that will keep him at the club until 2012. He has been a rock for Chelsea and he has his best years ahead of him so this is obviously good news. Chelsea fans will now be hoping that Lampard signs an extension soon, but no need to worry too much, these things take time.
Manchester City look to continue their squad strengthening with the 7 million pound capture of Georgio Chiellini from Juventus. He would be a reat signing for City as he has the physicality and technical ability to really adapt to the Premiership game, but I'm not entirely sure why Juventus would sell him. A top Italian left-back with a great future ahead of him is not the type of player you want to get rid of when you've just been promoted back to Serie A. The deal is in the early stages so we'll have to wait and see if it goes through, but if it does Juve's loss is City's gain.
Over at Newcastle, Obefemi Martins has stated that he's "not going anywhere" and that he is very happy at Newcastle. Great news for Newcatsle fans as he had a storming first season and can only get better. However, we do know how fickle the world of football can be so fans shouldn't start celebrating his stay until the transfer deadline closes and he's still wearing Newcastle colours.
ANd that is that for another week. The Weekend will probably be pretty quiet, but any news that does come out, you can read about it here. Night all.
1. Lucas Leiva [Gremio - Liverpool] Undisclosed
2. Luke Young [Charlton - Middlesbrough] £2.5m
3. Freddie Ljungberg [Arsenal - West Ham] £3m
Lucas may have signed for Liverpool a while ago but his transfer only came through this week, and what a signing he should prove to be. Liverpool already have a great midfield and Lucas will add so much to that. He's a powerful, quick, and a good passer of the ball, who also gets a fair few goals from the centre of midfield. He may not have a huge impact this season, but I've picked him because in the seasons after that, he will really become a top Premiership midfielder.
Luke Young is the type of player all teams need, an unsung defender who gets on with the job with minimal fuss. He defends well, and attacks when needed, which is exactly how your full-backs should start out. As he gets to know the Boro defence better, he will attack more but he will be a key figure in keeping Middlesbrough in many games this season as they will need to keep clean sheets, since they don't have the attacking flair at the moment.
Freddie may have lost that yard of pace and is getting more injury-prone, but he still has a very clever footballing brain and understands the game so well that he can never be ruled out as a threat. A new lease of life at West Ham will help him out, and the timing and positioning of his runs are a joy to watch, he's exactly the type of player West Ham will need if they are serious about pushing their way into a UEFA Cup space, and 3 Million is a good price for him.
On to other news, It looks like Bernd Schuster has got into the swing of things over at Real Madrid. He's barely a few weeks into the job and he's already talking about the future of a player from another club, fantastic! The player in question is Michael Ballack, and Schuster seems to see him as an ideal signing who would provide the key link between the midfield and the strikers in his side. Unfortunately for Schuster, I can't see Chelsea letting a player like Ballack go. Yes, he may have had a difficult first season and he is also on a very high weekly wage, but Chelsea don't really care about the money, and he is a class player. He has taken time to settle, but there is no way Chelsea would let him move on after 1 season, unless Real paid a huge amount, and I can't see that happening. Yet again, it's just more crap flying in westbound from the direction of Madrid.
Good news for Chelsea fans, John Terry has signed a new contract that will keep him at the club until 2012. He has been a rock for Chelsea and he has his best years ahead of him so this is obviously good news. Chelsea fans will now be hoping that Lampard signs an extension soon, but no need to worry too much, these things take time.
Manchester City look to continue their squad strengthening with the 7 million pound capture of Georgio Chiellini from Juventus. He would be a reat signing for City as he has the physicality and technical ability to really adapt to the Premiership game, but I'm not entirely sure why Juventus would sell him. A top Italian left-back with a great future ahead of him is not the type of player you want to get rid of when you've just been promoted back to Serie A. The deal is in the early stages so we'll have to wait and see if it goes through, but if it does Juve's loss is City's gain.
Over at Newcastle, Obefemi Martins has stated that he's "not going anywhere" and that he is very happy at Newcastle. Great news for Newcatsle fans as he had a storming first season and can only get better. However, we do know how fickle the world of football can be so fans shouldn't start celebrating his stay until the transfer deadline closes and he's still wearing Newcastle colours.
ANd that is that for another week. The Weekend will probably be pretty quiet, but any news that does come out, you can read about it here. Night all.
Thursday, 26 July 2007
Transfers Galore
Plenty of signings to take notice of today, starting with Martin Petrov's move to Manchester City. The Bulgarian winger moved from Atletico Madrid in a 4.7 million pound deal, and should prove to be an astute signing for Sven. City desperately need midfield strength and width, and he can provide both, as well as having enough experience to ensure a relatively smooth settlement into the Premier League. City still need a few more signings, but they are starting to look more and more like a top 10 side, and I can see them pushing for UEFA Cup spot, people should never write off a man like Sven.
Middlesbrough have cmpleted the signing of Luke Young from Charlton for 2.5 million pounds He will prove to be a very good bit of business for Southgate. He's a tidy player, solid, and combined with Huth and Woodgate, the Boro defence is definitely their strong point. They lack a bit of depth in midfield but they might also suprise a few this season. It all depends on Southgate, last season was his induction and though he didn't get relegated, it wasn't a particulary great season and he didn't come across very well. But the second season is usually where the bad managers are found out so we shall see what happens, personally, I'm not sure he's the man to take Middlesbrough forward, not yet anyway. He needed a few years at a lower club to learn his trade, and to make his mistakes, but he hasn't had that time and it is a hard task to manage a Premiership Club whilst you are still learning the trade. This season is crunch time for him.
Sunderland have signed Paul McShane from West Brom in a 1.5 million pound deal that could potentially be raised to 2.5 million. He's a 21 year old defender with a lot of potential, and though he may not make a huge impact a first, he has the potential to become an establish first-team player for Sunderland. Keane has signed a few players from the Championship and it will be interesting to see how they do, they've been given a huge chance to prove themselves, and they need to take that chance because it might not come again.
Bolton are set to take Christian Wilhelmsson on loan for a season. He's an experienced international winger who will be a dangerous guy to defend against. He has that certain amount of flair that can create trouble in opposition defences and he will be a good asset to Bolton. There's a line of thought that he has never really fulfilled his potential, and he has 2 difficult seasons at Nantes and Roma, but the Premier League should suit his style of play and, hopefully, the chance to impress potential bidders will give him the appetite to perform to his highest level. He could turn out to be a gem of a player.
Lots more pre-season friendlies keeping us going, and it was good to see Albert Luque score twice in Newcastle's win over Celtic today. I've always rated him and he has the natural talent to become a huge player for Newcastle. He hasn't been handled particulary well since is move, he's definitely a player who needs constant one-on-one talks with the manager to give him confidence, and that isn't usually the British style of management. But Big Sam has always looked ofr any way to gain an edge in his management techniques and it seems like he has been chatting to Luque, and challenging him to stake a claim. It's too early to see if it will work, but if it does, and we get to see the best of Luque, then we should be in for a real treat.
I'm afraid that's it for today, tune in tomorrow for the Friday Night Review, which looks to be shaping up rather nicely. See you then.
Middlesbrough have cmpleted the signing of Luke Young from Charlton for 2.5 million pounds He will prove to be a very good bit of business for Southgate. He's a tidy player, solid, and combined with Huth and Woodgate, the Boro defence is definitely their strong point. They lack a bit of depth in midfield but they might also suprise a few this season. It all depends on Southgate, last season was his induction and though he didn't get relegated, it wasn't a particulary great season and he didn't come across very well. But the second season is usually where the bad managers are found out so we shall see what happens, personally, I'm not sure he's the man to take Middlesbrough forward, not yet anyway. He needed a few years at a lower club to learn his trade, and to make his mistakes, but he hasn't had that time and it is a hard task to manage a Premiership Club whilst you are still learning the trade. This season is crunch time for him.
Sunderland have signed Paul McShane from West Brom in a 1.5 million pound deal that could potentially be raised to 2.5 million. He's a 21 year old defender with a lot of potential, and though he may not make a huge impact a first, he has the potential to become an establish first-team player for Sunderland. Keane has signed a few players from the Championship and it will be interesting to see how they do, they've been given a huge chance to prove themselves, and they need to take that chance because it might not come again.
Bolton are set to take Christian Wilhelmsson on loan for a season. He's an experienced international winger who will be a dangerous guy to defend against. He has that certain amount of flair that can create trouble in opposition defences and he will be a good asset to Bolton. There's a line of thought that he has never really fulfilled his potential, and he has 2 difficult seasons at Nantes and Roma, but the Premier League should suit his style of play and, hopefully, the chance to impress potential bidders will give him the appetite to perform to his highest level. He could turn out to be a gem of a player.
Lots more pre-season friendlies keeping us going, and it was good to see Albert Luque score twice in Newcastle's win over Celtic today. I've always rated him and he has the natural talent to become a huge player for Newcastle. He hasn't been handled particulary well since is move, he's definitely a player who needs constant one-on-one talks with the manager to give him confidence, and that isn't usually the British style of management. But Big Sam has always looked ofr any way to gain an edge in his management techniques and it seems like he has been chatting to Luque, and challenging him to stake a claim. It's too early to see if it will work, but if it does, and we get to see the best of Luque, then we should be in for a real treat.
I'm afraid that's it for today, tune in tomorrow for the Friday Night Review, which looks to be shaping up rather nicely. See you then.
Wednesday, 25 July 2007
Is That A Leisure Centre Or A New Stadium?
Liverpool have released teir plans for a new stadium. It will be a 60,000 all seated stadium with the possibility of extending the capacity to 78,000, it will cost around 300 million pounds and it should be with us in 2010. It looks iffy, and I can't say I was hugely impressed by the design, to me it looks more like a sports complex or leisure centre then a stadium, but architecture is all down to personal taste. Still, let me know your thoughts on the design.
Importantly for Liverpool fans, it will have an 18,000-capacity, single-tier Kop designed specifically to make the atmosphere more intimidating for opposing teams. It's a good idea, but you can never replicate an atmosphere of a previous stadium, so this stadium will have to forge it's own unique atmosphere, and that can take time. The designs have just been submitted, so if all goes well, the building work will start as soon as possible.
Leighton Baines has turned down a move to Sunderland, but might not stay at Wigan. There is rumoured interest from Everton, although they have not yet met the asking price for the defender. I'm not sure if Moyes will be willing to meet the price for Baines, which may mean another season at Wigan, but this might play in his interests as next summer he will have only 1 year left on his contract, which means his asking price will drop, and if he has had another good season then more clubs will be willing to buy him. Everton do need depth to their defence, but will they fork out the cash?
Saudi Arabia and Iraq are through to the Asian Cup final after shock semi-final victories. Iraq beat South Korea on penalties, and Saudi Arabia won 3-2 against Japan. It's great to see Iraq through to the final, and Saudi Arabia looked very good in their victory over favourites Japan, with Malek Maaz scoring a lovely solo goal to win the watch. The fact that I predicted a South Korea vs Japan final shows just how good my feelings are, but Saudi Arabia have to be clear favourites to win the tournament. However, Iraq have done fantastically to get this far and I wouldn't be suprised if they pulled another upset out the bag. Hopefully, Iraq will not let nerves effect their game, and if they don't concede an early goal, it might just turn out to be a very watchable final.
It was horrifying to see the bombs that went off in Baghdad after the semi-final win amongst the celebrating crowds. Around 50 fans were killed in a reminder that there are slightly bigger things then football at the moment. Still, I would love to see an win for Iraq, since sport has the ability to pull people together. The final is on Sunday if you want to watch it.
Well, that's about all for today, starting to see fantasy football games popping up so I'm getting quite excited, though I'm going to wait a week as there are going to be a few more signings coming in. I'll let you know my fantasy team when it's picked, but would love to hear any players you think are going to be decent point scorers for this season. I'll be back tomorrow.
Importantly for Liverpool fans, it will have an 18,000-capacity, single-tier Kop designed specifically to make the atmosphere more intimidating for opposing teams. It's a good idea, but you can never replicate an atmosphere of a previous stadium, so this stadium will have to forge it's own unique atmosphere, and that can take time. The designs have just been submitted, so if all goes well, the building work will start as soon as possible.
Leighton Baines has turned down a move to Sunderland, but might not stay at Wigan. There is rumoured interest from Everton, although they have not yet met the asking price for the defender. I'm not sure if Moyes will be willing to meet the price for Baines, which may mean another season at Wigan, but this might play in his interests as next summer he will have only 1 year left on his contract, which means his asking price will drop, and if he has had another good season then more clubs will be willing to buy him. Everton do need depth to their defence, but will they fork out the cash?
Saudi Arabia and Iraq are through to the Asian Cup final after shock semi-final victories. Iraq beat South Korea on penalties, and Saudi Arabia won 3-2 against Japan. It's great to see Iraq through to the final, and Saudi Arabia looked very good in their victory over favourites Japan, with Malek Maaz scoring a lovely solo goal to win the watch. The fact that I predicted a South Korea vs Japan final shows just how good my feelings are, but Saudi Arabia have to be clear favourites to win the tournament. However, Iraq have done fantastically to get this far and I wouldn't be suprised if they pulled another upset out the bag. Hopefully, Iraq will not let nerves effect their game, and if they don't concede an early goal, it might just turn out to be a very watchable final.
It was horrifying to see the bombs that went off in Baghdad after the semi-final win amongst the celebrating crowds. Around 50 fans were killed in a reminder that there are slightly bigger things then football at the moment. Still, I would love to see an win for Iraq, since sport has the ability to pull people together. The final is on Sunday if you want to watch it.
Well, that's about all for today, starting to see fantasy football games popping up so I'm getting quite excited, though I'm going to wait a week as there are going to be a few more signings coming in. I'll let you know my fantasy team when it's picked, but would love to hear any players you think are going to be decent point scorers for this season. I'll be back tomorrow.
Tuesday, 24 July 2007
Tevez Drama Moves to High Court
Once again Carlos Tevez dominates the headlines with news that the dispute over his move to Man Utd will be settled in the High Court. This course of action comes after FIFA decided it couldn't make a judgement on the matter, and it seems to be what all the parties want. I'm not sure when a decision will be made on the matter, but let's hope it gets made relatively soon. I shall update once more is known.
Steven Pienaar has completed a one year loan move to Everton from Borussia Dortmund. He's a South African midfielder who played in the Dutch League before moving to Dortmund where he didn't enjoy the best of seasons. He'll be a good squad player for Everton, someone who can cover Cahill if he's out injured, but I think that he'll be coming off the bench for most of the season.
Benitez is confused about Man Utd's refusal to sell Gabriel Heinze to Liverpool. Utd sent a letter to Heinze and his agent declaring an amount that they would be prepared to sell him for, and Liverpool have met this amount. However Utd are obviously not keen to sell to their rivals and have rejected Liverpool's bid. At the moment, lawyers from both clubs are looking at the deal and the transfer hinges on whether the letter Utd sent to Heinze is the equivelent of a minimum-fee release clause. My legal knowledge is pretty iffy, so i'm not sure what decision will be made, but I shall keep you updated with any news.
Nothing else to report, but never fear, as the kick-off to the new season draws closer, there should be a flurry of signings. The Premiership clubs begin to feel the heat of the transfer deadline approaching and desperately try to bolster the squad, and as they do that, I shall be right here to comment on all the wheelings and dealings. So, we have plenty to look forward to, and on that note of hope, I shall take my leave.
Steven Pienaar has completed a one year loan move to Everton from Borussia Dortmund. He's a South African midfielder who played in the Dutch League before moving to Dortmund where he didn't enjoy the best of seasons. He'll be a good squad player for Everton, someone who can cover Cahill if he's out injured, but I think that he'll be coming off the bench for most of the season.
Benitez is confused about Man Utd's refusal to sell Gabriel Heinze to Liverpool. Utd sent a letter to Heinze and his agent declaring an amount that they would be prepared to sell him for, and Liverpool have met this amount. However Utd are obviously not keen to sell to their rivals and have rejected Liverpool's bid. At the moment, lawyers from both clubs are looking at the deal and the transfer hinges on whether the letter Utd sent to Heinze is the equivelent of a minimum-fee release clause. My legal knowledge is pretty iffy, so i'm not sure what decision will be made, but I shall keep you updated with any news.
Nothing else to report, but never fear, as the kick-off to the new season draws closer, there should be a flurry of signings. The Premiership clubs begin to feel the heat of the transfer deadline approaching and desperately try to bolster the squad, and as they do that, I shall be right here to comment on all the wheelings and dealings. So, we have plenty to look forward to, and on that note of hope, I shall take my leave.
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