Last night saw the long awaited rematch of January's Ladbrokes.com World Darts Championship final between Adrian Lewis and Gary Anderson in week 6 of the 888.com Premier League. What was expected was a top-class display of arrows that would wow us like the Alexandra Palace showpiece did, all done before a partisan but well behaved Scottish crowd. What we got was one of the most shameful hours in the competition's - no, the sport's history.
Of course we expected the World Champion to be subjected to a rough reception - he was playing a Scotsman in Scotland after all, but nobody could have expected or can condone the line which was crossed by a small minority.
Lewis had beer thrown at him during his walk-on, and as if that wasn't bad enough, he then had to withstand a barrage of coins thrown at himself and even the dartboard during his visits to the oche. I don't think any player would have been able to take that, and nobody was surprised when Anderson, at this point visibly upset and embarrasssed at his countrymen's actions, raced into a 3-0 lead.
Anderson looked even more rattled by it than Lewis did, and at one point picked a coin up from the stage, pocketed it, and then missed three darts at double top, arguably deliberately, to gift Lewis a leg he nearly got booed out of.
Although the professional standard these days means that players are rarely put off their stride by crowd noise, this was something else, and both players posted averages (Lewis 88.18, Anderson 87.28) a full eleven and twelve points lower than their respective 99's at the World final in January. The majority of the supporters - who it must be said had been well behaved, and had earlier given Raymond van Barneveld an unbelievable reception - had every right to feel cheated.
Sadly, the PDC's tournaments, and especially the Premier League, are no stranger to misbehaving fans, but this is surely the incident - which has to be seen to be truly believed - that makes Barry Hearn and his team stand up, take notice and realise that the players and the real fans will not stand for it any longer.
Friday, 18 March 2011
Tuesday, 1 February 2011
Chelsea and Liverpool dominate Deadline Day
The January transfer window has seen unprecedented spending this year, especially when compared to the same period last season. Barclays Premier League clubs have spent over £200m this month compared to around £30m in 2010.
Of course, two clubs dominated the headlines on yesterday's Deadline Day. Chelsea had had a quiet time of it in recent transfer windows, not least because of the Gael Kakuta saga a couple of windows back, but this time they announced their re-emergence on the top financial table with a vengeance. The long-awaited, will they, won't they story finally reached a conclusion with the sensational signing of Benfica's David Luiz. Oh, and they signed some bloke called Torres as well.
Of course, Luiz adds defensive options to the club that perhaps they have lacked since Ricardo Carvalho's departure in the summer, and there have been questions about the form and fitness of Alex, Jose Bosingwa and John Terry. I'm sure he will be a great addition to the back line, but it is the Torres signing from Liverpool, for a British transfer record fee of £50m, that has really got the Blues fans excited.
Liverpool would have been desperate to keep their star striker, one who on form is possibly the best in the world, although this season he has cut a forlorn figure, and especially during the Roy Hodgson era, looked like a player who wished he was anywhere else. But every player has his price, and as soon as it became apparent that El Nino wanted to leave, Liverpool would have been crazy to turn the money down. Now, Torres has got his move, I expect him to hit the ground running. A goal against Liverpool on Sunday would be the perfect way to announce his arrival at Stamford Bridge. Of course, one added benefit is that he is not cup-tied for the Champions League this season, unlike the majority of big money January buys have been down the years. Torres is as desperate as Chelsea are to win what the club sees as the holy grail, their first European Cup.
The £50m didn't stay in the Anfield coffers for long though. The £22.8m deal to bring in Ajax's Luis Suarez had been done before Torres' move south, and that should be a great piece of business, but it was their second purchase which really got heads turning.
Newcastle frontman Andy Carroll is obviously a player of huge talent, and tremendous potential, but a £35m price tag is one worthy of all-time greats - David Villa was signed by Barcelona for £34m for example- not players with just 34 career goals, and only half a season of regular Premier League starts. That said, he has proven himself to be capable of playing with a huge weight of pressure on his shoulders - he was Newcastle's number 9 of course, and they don't give that shirt away in a raffle. With a good strike partner in Suarez, and service from Steven Gerrard, he should bang them in when he is fit, but if not, there will be questions asked about just why Liverpool paid quite so much money.
Of course the positive PR for the new owners might have had a great deal to do with it. What better way for John W. Henry and his team to announce 'We are not Hicks and Gillett, we are here for this club and its fans' than to spend the sort of money that could put Liverpool back to where they feel it belongs?
One thing is for sure, Sunday's game at Stamfor Bridge between Chelsea and Liverpool is sure to be a fiery one. Their intense rivalry which has developed over the last six or seven years or so is about to enter a whole new exciting chapter.
Of course, two clubs dominated the headlines on yesterday's Deadline Day. Chelsea had had a quiet time of it in recent transfer windows, not least because of the Gael Kakuta saga a couple of windows back, but this time they announced their re-emergence on the top financial table with a vengeance. The long-awaited, will they, won't they story finally reached a conclusion with the sensational signing of Benfica's David Luiz. Oh, and they signed some bloke called Torres as well.
Of course, Luiz adds defensive options to the club that perhaps they have lacked since Ricardo Carvalho's departure in the summer, and there have been questions about the form and fitness of Alex, Jose Bosingwa and John Terry. I'm sure he will be a great addition to the back line, but it is the Torres signing from Liverpool, for a British transfer record fee of £50m, that has really got the Blues fans excited.
Liverpool would have been desperate to keep their star striker, one who on form is possibly the best in the world, although this season he has cut a forlorn figure, and especially during the Roy Hodgson era, looked like a player who wished he was anywhere else. But every player has his price, and as soon as it became apparent that El Nino wanted to leave, Liverpool would have been crazy to turn the money down. Now, Torres has got his move, I expect him to hit the ground running. A goal against Liverpool on Sunday would be the perfect way to announce his arrival at Stamford Bridge. Of course, one added benefit is that he is not cup-tied for the Champions League this season, unlike the majority of big money January buys have been down the years. Torres is as desperate as Chelsea are to win what the club sees as the holy grail, their first European Cup.
The £50m didn't stay in the Anfield coffers for long though. The £22.8m deal to bring in Ajax's Luis Suarez had been done before Torres' move south, and that should be a great piece of business, but it was their second purchase which really got heads turning.
Newcastle frontman Andy Carroll is obviously a player of huge talent, and tremendous potential, but a £35m price tag is one worthy of all-time greats - David Villa was signed by Barcelona for £34m for example- not players with just 34 career goals, and only half a season of regular Premier League starts. That said, he has proven himself to be capable of playing with a huge weight of pressure on his shoulders - he was Newcastle's number 9 of course, and they don't give that shirt away in a raffle. With a good strike partner in Suarez, and service from Steven Gerrard, he should bang them in when he is fit, but if not, there will be questions asked about just why Liverpool paid quite so much money.
Of course the positive PR for the new owners might have had a great deal to do with it. What better way for John W. Henry and his team to announce 'We are not Hicks and Gillett, we are here for this club and its fans' than to spend the sort of money that could put Liverpool back to where they feel it belongs?
One thing is for sure, Sunday's game at Stamfor Bridge between Chelsea and Liverpool is sure to be a fiery one. Their intense rivalry which has developed over the last six or seven years or so is about to enter a whole new exciting chapter.
Monday, 13 December 2010
World Darts Championship preview
On Thursday the eyes of the darting world will once again be focused on the Alexandra Palace in London, as the 2011 Ladbrokes.com World Darts Championship gets underway. It's the one tournament of the year which defines careers, and for me at least, it is the sporting event which defines the Christmas period, especially since the BBC took the World's Strongest Man off our screens.
Of course, there is one darting heavyweight that goes into every tournament the huge favourite to win, and that is Phil Taylor. The Stoke legend is 4/7 with the sponsors to win a 16th world title. The Power begins his campaign on the opening night against the winner of the first Preliminary Round tie, either the little known Filipino Juanito Gionzon or more likely the popular American Gary Mawson, a former UK Open finalist. His possible second round opponent is John Part, the one player in the last ten years or so not afraid of the Power, and with the knowledge of how to beat him. I for one am hoping to see a match that if it comes close to their legendary final of 2003, where the Canadian won his second world title, will be one to savour.
Although Taylor comes to the Ally Pally the huge favourite, he doesn't have the form of a player firing on all cylinders. His failure to win the Grand Prix, Grand Slam and the World Cup with England has planted a seed of doubt in some minds, but we have seen before that a written-off Taylor is as dangerous, if not more so, than a Taylor in his prime and he will be more keen than ever to show the world who rules this sport.
His biggest challenger of late has been James Wade. Until England's shock World Cup defeat to Spain earlier this month, Wade's first round draw against Antonio Alcinas went largely unnoticed, and was perhaps considered to be a glorified bye into the last 32. But the Spaniard certainly won admirers in Sunderland, and at the European Championship, where he was narrowly beaten by Mark Walsh, and Wade will have to play well to win, make no mistake. A tricky second round tie would await the Machine against either Michael van Gerwen or the dangerous Austrian Mensur Suljovic, a player more than capable of producing two upsets to reach the last 16 himself. Top players often talk about wanting a tough test early in the tournament, and Wade's certainly got that, but if he gets into the third round, expect him to get a lot further from a relatively comfortable quarter of the draw.
It is fair to say that Raymond van Barneveld has had a difficult few years, on and off the oche, but one thing that darts fans across the world want to see above all others, is to see the Barney of 2006-07 when he won the UK Open and of course the World Championship in what is considered the greatest match of all time against Phil Taylor. Since then we have seen a van Barneveld who has had as many battles with himself as with his opponents. Since he won his 5th World Championship at Purfleet, his record has been disappointing, with a noticable shortage of major individual televised titles. He is however, returning to the scene of two of his greatest moments, the two magical nine-dart legs in each of the last two years so we know he can turn it on here. After last year's disappointment, after which he claimed 2010 was 'already lost', he will be desperate to make amends. He should comfortably make the quarter-finals, where he is likely to meet Mervyn King or Gary Anderson. Time will tell whether he still has the mental strength or the game to defeat either in a nine-set encounter.
This year was the first year where there were no big-name moves from the BDO, so we are lacking the 'dangerous floaters' seen in previous draws in the shape of Anderson, King, Mark Webster, Simon Whitlock and of course Barney, who was seeded 32 at the time of his Circus Tavern win. That means that we may be short of upsets, or stand-out ties in the first round, but for me, the few of the top 32 that could be under threat from the non-seeds are the aforementioned Michael van Gerwen; Jelle Klaasen, who faces the talented Bristolian Steve Brown, and Alan Tabern, who lacks recent TV form and is against a resurgent Richie Burnett, whose floor form of late got him into the draw. The former Embassy winner will fancy his chances in a first round he nearly didn't reach. Terry Jenkins has a very poor record at the Alexandra Palace, with two first round exits, one of which came against shock finalist Kirk Shepherd three years ago, and a third round departure last year. He come up against Joe Cullen of Bradford, who may fancy his chances of adding to his growing reputation as a rising star of the future.
The tournament get underway on Thursday and you can see every dart live on Sky Sports HD. A fantastic year of darts has been building up to these next two weeks, and I for one cannot wait for it to start.
Let me know your thoughts via the best darts group on Facebook, of which I am a member and officer, or via my Twitter page. Game On!
Of course, there is one darting heavyweight that goes into every tournament the huge favourite to win, and that is Phil Taylor. The Stoke legend is 4/7 with the sponsors to win a 16th world title. The Power begins his campaign on the opening night against the winner of the first Preliminary Round tie, either the little known Filipino Juanito Gionzon or more likely the popular American Gary Mawson, a former UK Open finalist. His possible second round opponent is John Part, the one player in the last ten years or so not afraid of the Power, and with the knowledge of how to beat him. I for one am hoping to see a match that if it comes close to their legendary final of 2003, where the Canadian won his second world title, will be one to savour.
Although Taylor comes to the Ally Pally the huge favourite, he doesn't have the form of a player firing on all cylinders. His failure to win the Grand Prix, Grand Slam and the World Cup with England has planted a seed of doubt in some minds, but we have seen before that a written-off Taylor is as dangerous, if not more so, than a Taylor in his prime and he will be more keen than ever to show the world who rules this sport.
His biggest challenger of late has been James Wade. Until England's shock World Cup defeat to Spain earlier this month, Wade's first round draw against Antonio Alcinas went largely unnoticed, and was perhaps considered to be a glorified bye into the last 32. But the Spaniard certainly won admirers in Sunderland, and at the European Championship, where he was narrowly beaten by Mark Walsh, and Wade will have to play well to win, make no mistake. A tricky second round tie would await the Machine against either Michael van Gerwen or the dangerous Austrian Mensur Suljovic, a player more than capable of producing two upsets to reach the last 16 himself. Top players often talk about wanting a tough test early in the tournament, and Wade's certainly got that, but if he gets into the third round, expect him to get a lot further from a relatively comfortable quarter of the draw.
It is fair to say that Raymond van Barneveld has had a difficult few years, on and off the oche, but one thing that darts fans across the world want to see above all others, is to see the Barney of 2006-07 when he won the UK Open and of course the World Championship in what is considered the greatest match of all time against Phil Taylor. Since then we have seen a van Barneveld who has had as many battles with himself as with his opponents. Since he won his 5th World Championship at Purfleet, his record has been disappointing, with a noticable shortage of major individual televised titles. He is however, returning to the scene of two of his greatest moments, the two magical nine-dart legs in each of the last two years so we know he can turn it on here. After last year's disappointment, after which he claimed 2010 was 'already lost', he will be desperate to make amends. He should comfortably make the quarter-finals, where he is likely to meet Mervyn King or Gary Anderson. Time will tell whether he still has the mental strength or the game to defeat either in a nine-set encounter.
This year was the first year where there were no big-name moves from the BDO, so we are lacking the 'dangerous floaters' seen in previous draws in the shape of Anderson, King, Mark Webster, Simon Whitlock and of course Barney, who was seeded 32 at the time of his Circus Tavern win. That means that we may be short of upsets, or stand-out ties in the first round, but for me, the few of the top 32 that could be under threat from the non-seeds are the aforementioned Michael van Gerwen; Jelle Klaasen, who faces the talented Bristolian Steve Brown, and Alan Tabern, who lacks recent TV form and is against a resurgent Richie Burnett, whose floor form of late got him into the draw. The former Embassy winner will fancy his chances in a first round he nearly didn't reach. Terry Jenkins has a very poor record at the Alexandra Palace, with two first round exits, one of which came against shock finalist Kirk Shepherd three years ago, and a third round departure last year. He come up against Joe Cullen of Bradford, who may fancy his chances of adding to his growing reputation as a rising star of the future.
The tournament get underway on Thursday and you can see every dart live on Sky Sports HD. A fantastic year of darts has been building up to these next two weeks, and I for one cannot wait for it to start.
Let me know your thoughts via the best darts group on Facebook, of which I am a member and officer, or via my Twitter page. Game On!
Monday, 18 October 2010
Much to think about in the North West
Sunday's Merseyside derby was a fiery affair, full of passion, commitment and players capable of winning games by themselves. Sadly for Liverpool, those qualities only came from Everton, as Roy Hodgson's side were overrun, overawed, and frankly embarrassed by their neighbours from across Stanley Park as they slipped to 19th in the Barclays Premier League. John Henry had been full of optimism during the week as his New England Sports Ventures finally completed its takeover at Anfield, and that was - albeit cautiously in places - matched by the fans, but by full time at Goodison Park the size of the task that awaits the new regime was all too clear to see.
Robbie Fowler said on Sky Sports' Super Sunday that he thought this Liverpool team was worse than the Leeds United side of 2004 which was relegated. Although I am not too sure about that, one thing is certain; it will not be a quick fix. They are not one or two signings away from putting it right, they are about six or seven. At the moment, Hodgson could do worse than tempt the Kop legend back from Australia; at least he would show more commitment to the cause than Fernando Torres seems to be. He is cutting a lonelier and more forlorn figure as each game goes by, and looks like a player desperate to escape. He must be wondering what might have been, given Chelsea's and Manchester City's interest this past summer.
Another player reportedly desperate to leave his club is Manchester United's Wayne Rooney. The out-of-form England striker has struggled to see eye to eye with Sir Alex Ferguson of late, and his admission of his apparent fitness has riled the boss, who has long insisted that his ankle injury is worse than the rest of us think. He is out of contract at the end of next season, but United, well aware of their awkward financial situation, will not waste any time in offering his services now to those with a £50 million transfer fee to spare in January. I can think of one particular club not too far from Old Trafford who would love to reunite him with an old partner in crime. Of course Ferguson has reminded us before that nobody is bigger than Manchester United with the exits of Roy Keane, David Beckham and Jaap Stam, but like he admitted with the Dutchman, I can't help but feel that any Rooney departure would be a massive mistake for the club, and one from which they could take years to recover from.
Robbie Fowler said on Sky Sports' Super Sunday that he thought this Liverpool team was worse than the Leeds United side of 2004 which was relegated. Although I am not too sure about that, one thing is certain; it will not be a quick fix. They are not one or two signings away from putting it right, they are about six or seven. At the moment, Hodgson could do worse than tempt the Kop legend back from Australia; at least he would show more commitment to the cause than Fernando Torres seems to be. He is cutting a lonelier and more forlorn figure as each game goes by, and looks like a player desperate to escape. He must be wondering what might have been, given Chelsea's and Manchester City's interest this past summer.
Another player reportedly desperate to leave his club is Manchester United's Wayne Rooney. The out-of-form England striker has struggled to see eye to eye with Sir Alex Ferguson of late, and his admission of his apparent fitness has riled the boss, who has long insisted that his ankle injury is worse than the rest of us think. He is out of contract at the end of next season, but United, well aware of their awkward financial situation, will not waste any time in offering his services now to those with a £50 million transfer fee to spare in January. I can think of one particular club not too far from Old Trafford who would love to reunite him with an old partner in crime. Of course Ferguson has reminded us before that nobody is bigger than Manchester United with the exits of Roy Keane, David Beckham and Jaap Stam, but like he admitted with the Dutchman, I can't help but feel that any Rooney departure would be a massive mistake for the club, and one from which they could take years to recover from.
Tuesday, 31 August 2010
That could have been us...
At the end of the 2008-09 season, Nottingham Forest survived relegation back to League One with one game of the league left. It was a difficult year, during which many supporters resigned themselves to falling back into League One, a division the club had spent three dreadful years trying to escape.
After sacking Colin Calderwood and appointing his replacement Billy Davies, Forest just about did enough to secure Championship status. The following summer, he, and the Transfer Acquisitions panel containing Chief Executive Mark Arthur, Chairman Nigel Doughty and David Pleat, sought, and delivered, the new arrivals to bring Forest up to Championship standard.
Last season may have ended in desperate disappointment with defeat to Blackpool in the play-offs, but the fact that Forest were anywhere near a top six finish, never mind 3rd, was evidence of what can happen if a chairman backs his manager and brings enough quality through the doors.
Which leads us to this summer. In any business, but especially football, if you do not go forwards, you go backwards. Forest have stood still and let the league catch up. Ryan Bertrand may have came in on loan from Chelsea, and Radoslaw Majewski's loan is now a permanent deal, but the club has not built on the foundations laid by last season's hard work. More players have gone out than in. Admittedly some are out on loan, and we got (in my opinion) good money for another in James Perch - but it should not be happening that we start this season weaker than last.
The primary mistake was from Mark Arthur was when he declared in public his desire to bring Peter Whittingham and Darren Pratley to the club. Cardiff and Swansea, respectively, were understandably upset about what they claimed to be tapping-up, and promptly raised their asking prices. But from Forest's perspective, a club who should be building a promotion-winning squad should be prepared to raise offers upon rejections, no matter what the circumstances. Another mistake was not having any secondary transfer targets for when the Welsh clubs got fed up of Forest's dallying and said no.
The club obviously can afford to spend money, no club in the Championship spent more twelve months ago, so it makes their failure to do so even more frustrating and disappointing. I renewed my season ticket with a real hope that 2011 could be the year we finally reach the Premier League again. Although the season is only four games old, that dream already looks like just that, a dream. I can't see it becoming as bad as after the 2003 play-off defeat and the infamous 'we're serious about promotion' campaign which resulted in the sacking of Paul Hart and the club getting relegated, because we haven't become a bad side overnight. But it is disheartening to know that whoever goes up, we will think, 'That could have been us.'
After sacking Colin Calderwood and appointing his replacement Billy Davies, Forest just about did enough to secure Championship status. The following summer, he, and the Transfer Acquisitions panel containing Chief Executive Mark Arthur, Chairman Nigel Doughty and David Pleat, sought, and delivered, the new arrivals to bring Forest up to Championship standard.
Last season may have ended in desperate disappointment with defeat to Blackpool in the play-offs, but the fact that Forest were anywhere near a top six finish, never mind 3rd, was evidence of what can happen if a chairman backs his manager and brings enough quality through the doors.
Which leads us to this summer. In any business, but especially football, if you do not go forwards, you go backwards. Forest have stood still and let the league catch up. Ryan Bertrand may have came in on loan from Chelsea, and Radoslaw Majewski's loan is now a permanent deal, but the club has not built on the foundations laid by last season's hard work. More players have gone out than in. Admittedly some are out on loan, and we got (in my opinion) good money for another in James Perch - but it should not be happening that we start this season weaker than last.
The primary mistake was from Mark Arthur was when he declared in public his desire to bring Peter Whittingham and Darren Pratley to the club. Cardiff and Swansea, respectively, were understandably upset about what they claimed to be tapping-up, and promptly raised their asking prices. But from Forest's perspective, a club who should be building a promotion-winning squad should be prepared to raise offers upon rejections, no matter what the circumstances. Another mistake was not having any secondary transfer targets for when the Welsh clubs got fed up of Forest's dallying and said no.
The club obviously can afford to spend money, no club in the Championship spent more twelve months ago, so it makes their failure to do so even more frustrating and disappointing. I renewed my season ticket with a real hope that 2011 could be the year we finally reach the Premier League again. Although the season is only four games old, that dream already looks like just that, a dream. I can't see it becoming as bad as after the 2003 play-off defeat and the infamous 'we're serious about promotion' campaign which resulted in the sacking of Paul Hart and the club getting relegated, because we haven't become a bad side overnight. But it is disheartening to know that whoever goes up, we will think, 'That could have been us.'
Friday, 13 August 2010
Barclays Premier League preview
A new season of the Barclays Premier League kicks off on Saturday with more teams than ever believing that this could be their year to mount a push for the title.
Nobody has spent more money than Manchester City, for whom nothing less than a genuine championship challenge will do for the owners. They begin with a difficult trip to Tottenham, the side who pipped them to the precious 4th place last season in dramatic circumstances. On paper, City arguably now have the strongest squad in the league, bolstered even further by the big money signings of Yaya Toure, Aleksandar Kolarov, Mario Balotelli, Jerome Boateng, David Silva and probably James Milner. The questions this year, as last year, will be whether the strongest 11 can firstly be found, then gel into a winning unit. Too often last year under Mark Hughes, neither were answered, and it cost the Welshman his job. It took Chelsea two years of the Abramovich era to win the league, so the City owners will expect a lot better than last year's 5th.
Liverpool begin with fresh optimism following the arrivals of Roy Hodgson as manager, and Joe Cole, who will be determined to show Chelsea what they are missing. Add to that the signings of Milan Jovanovic and Christian Poulsen and the squad already looks stronger. The question mark still remains over Fernando Torres' fitness, and the team's ability to cope without him. Jovanovic will need to hit the ground running and far more is needed from David Ngog. One would expect a much improved showing than the disastrous 7th place, some 23 points behind Chelsea, but the championship still looks far further away than their fans can bring themselves to accept.
Arsenal's long wait for the title has produced the same observations year after year. One of them still has not been solved, namely their failure to sign a top class keeper, but they are looking at Mark Schwarzer, who has reportedly handed in a transfer request at Fulham. They have a new centre back in Laurent Koscielny, while getting rid of the dead wood at the back. On the flipside, some may say the outgoings leave them short of cover, but Koscielny and Thomas Vermaelen have the makings of a defensive partnership to rival the best in the country. The club has won its battle - for now - to keep Cesc Fabregas and he, and Robin van Persie, will be instrumental if they both stay fit, which has been a frustrating challenge in the past. Marouane Chamakh is a shrewd investment and his goals will ensure that the Gunners will go very close to ending their six year wait.
Manchester United are looking to youth to win them back the title. Sir Alex Ferguson has been told before he couldn't win anything with kids, but he proved them wrong then and he will be desperate to do it again to win the club a record 19th English league championship. Chris Smalling's signing raised a few eyebrows following his mediocre start to his Fulham career, but he has got a real chance to establish himself in the side while Rio Ferdinand recovers from injury. Javier Hernandez scored his first competitive goal in the Community Shield and looks a real handful. He and Wayne Rooney could be a very dangerous pair. As well as the new arrivals, the likes of Jonny Evans, Fabio and Rafael da Silva and Antonio Valencia will look to put pressure on the likes of Ferdinand and the legendary trio of Ryan Giggs, Paul Scholes and Gary Neville, who may all be playing their last seasons for the club. It may be a transisional period, but write United off at your peril.
The bookies favourites are of course Chelsea. They swept all before them a year ago, scoring a record 103 goals en route to their third title in six years. The squad was written off as too old last year, and although there are still a number of players the wrong side of 30, you cannot dispute the danger and pure class of players such as Frank Lampard and Didier Drogba. The signing of Ramires from Benfica has given them the youth that they haven't had in recent times, and he will look to have the same influence as Deco and Michael Ballack, who have both moved on free transfers. The club's recent success was built on a solid defence, and this year will be no different. John Terry will have to put his troubles behind him and put in a big season, and Alex will be his partner again following the departure of Ricardo Carvalho. They have a comfortable first few fixtures, starting with West Bromwich Albion and a good start will cement their position as the team to beat.
Nobody has spent more money than Manchester City, for whom nothing less than a genuine championship challenge will do for the owners. They begin with a difficult trip to Tottenham, the side who pipped them to the precious 4th place last season in dramatic circumstances. On paper, City arguably now have the strongest squad in the league, bolstered even further by the big money signings of Yaya Toure, Aleksandar Kolarov, Mario Balotelli, Jerome Boateng, David Silva and probably James Milner. The questions this year, as last year, will be whether the strongest 11 can firstly be found, then gel into a winning unit. Too often last year under Mark Hughes, neither were answered, and it cost the Welshman his job. It took Chelsea two years of the Abramovich era to win the league, so the City owners will expect a lot better than last year's 5th.
Liverpool begin with fresh optimism following the arrivals of Roy Hodgson as manager, and Joe Cole, who will be determined to show Chelsea what they are missing. Add to that the signings of Milan Jovanovic and Christian Poulsen and the squad already looks stronger. The question mark still remains over Fernando Torres' fitness, and the team's ability to cope without him. Jovanovic will need to hit the ground running and far more is needed from David Ngog. One would expect a much improved showing than the disastrous 7th place, some 23 points behind Chelsea, but the championship still looks far further away than their fans can bring themselves to accept.
Arsenal's long wait for the title has produced the same observations year after year. One of them still has not been solved, namely their failure to sign a top class keeper, but they are looking at Mark Schwarzer, who has reportedly handed in a transfer request at Fulham. They have a new centre back in Laurent Koscielny, while getting rid of the dead wood at the back. On the flipside, some may say the outgoings leave them short of cover, but Koscielny and Thomas Vermaelen have the makings of a defensive partnership to rival the best in the country. The club has won its battle - for now - to keep Cesc Fabregas and he, and Robin van Persie, will be instrumental if they both stay fit, which has been a frustrating challenge in the past. Marouane Chamakh is a shrewd investment and his goals will ensure that the Gunners will go very close to ending their six year wait.
Manchester United are looking to youth to win them back the title. Sir Alex Ferguson has been told before he couldn't win anything with kids, but he proved them wrong then and he will be desperate to do it again to win the club a record 19th English league championship. Chris Smalling's signing raised a few eyebrows following his mediocre start to his Fulham career, but he has got a real chance to establish himself in the side while Rio Ferdinand recovers from injury. Javier Hernandez scored his first competitive goal in the Community Shield and looks a real handful. He and Wayne Rooney could be a very dangerous pair. As well as the new arrivals, the likes of Jonny Evans, Fabio and Rafael da Silva and Antonio Valencia will look to put pressure on the likes of Ferdinand and the legendary trio of Ryan Giggs, Paul Scholes and Gary Neville, who may all be playing their last seasons for the club. It may be a transisional period, but write United off at your peril.
The bookies favourites are of course Chelsea. They swept all before them a year ago, scoring a record 103 goals en route to their third title in six years. The squad was written off as too old last year, and although there are still a number of players the wrong side of 30, you cannot dispute the danger and pure class of players such as Frank Lampard and Didier Drogba. The signing of Ramires from Benfica has given them the youth that they haven't had in recent times, and he will look to have the same influence as Deco and Michael Ballack, who have both moved on free transfers. The club's recent success was built on a solid defence, and this year will be no different. John Terry will have to put his troubles behind him and put in a big season, and Alex will be his partner again following the departure of Ricardo Carvalho. They have a comfortable first few fixtures, starting with West Bromwich Albion and a good start will cement their position as the team to beat.
Tuesday, 3 August 2010
A new season, a new start...
The new football season starts this weekend, and I want to know your thoughts, hopes and fears for the upcoming campaign. Using the questions from the FourFourTwo magazine season previews of the past, here are my answers.
As you may know I am a Nottingham Forest fan.
Greatest hope for the season: Finally getting promoted after coming close last season
Biggest fear: Billy Davies leaves and we get dragged into the relegation battle
Most important player: Paul McKenna
Terrace favourite: Guy Moussi, the Moose
Keep an eye out for: It could be a big season for young Matt Thornhill
Have you got the right manager? Yes, he just needs to realise he’s got the right club.
Player you would happily drive to his next club: Our backup goalkeeper Paul Smith
Which team do you most want to beat this season? Derby, this season and every season
Opposition player you despise: Kris Commons, Robbie Savage, Michael Chopra, DJ Campbell, probably loads more
Opposition player you secretly admire: Darren Pratley. Come and play for us please
Where will you finish: Top ten, probably just outside a play-off place
Let me know your season's ambitions either via this blog, or my Facebook or Twitter pages.
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