What a hit. What a fucking hit. Darren Ambrose is the modern day David Beckham and yesterday was no excepition. A full 36 yards out, only Super Daz would have the audacity to go for goal: yet he did. And what a goal – Friedel barely moved. Yet again, the signing of the season comes up trumps for the Palace.
Twas a bit of a sickner to concede in the 87th minute, even if Warnock’s post match rant was a little unnessecary, albeit comical. However we musn’t let that dissapoinment ruin what was a truly fantastic day – both in terms of performance and the atmosphere around the ground.
Danns and Ertl were both absolutely immense, and C-Lord as he is affectionately known produced a blinder of a defensive display to outmuscle both Heskey and Carew for the entire 90 minutes. It was ultimately the quality of the ball in that cost us dear, but it could have been worse had it not been for Speroni. Then again, that’s hardly a surprise.
The atmosphere was utterly brilliant. At one point even the notoriously quiet “family stand” was bouncing, an incredibly rare sight at Selhurst. Block B on Wednesday should be good, but yesterday was something special. Listening to 606 last night, and I hear a Villa fan praising his teams support. What planet is he on? For a start, they barely sung a song all game, and to only bring 2,000 away to an FA Cup 5th round tie is absolutely awful. For a team the size of Villa that have a genuine chance of winning the competition, I thought it was a poor turnout.
Was great to see Coppell yesterday: and his refusal to rule out returning to Palace is obviously very pleasing. Warnock has the job for as long as he wants it in my opinion, but if he were to leave, then Coppell would be the obvious target. I suspect he would come in on very low wages indeed. It’d certainly give a lift to the whole club if he was to return, such is his reputation in SE25.
Playing the Semi Final at Wembely really devalues the tradition of the Cup, but the turnout yesterday (20,000 my arse), indicates that it still holds some importance for fans. Certainly if you gave me a choice between reaching the playoffs and winning the FA Cup, then the playoffs would be put on hold for a season. We have a genuine chance of getting to the Quarter final now and then who knows what might happen: Villa will be looking towards their Carling Cup final, and with several thousand Palace fans set to make the journey, a shock could well be on the cards.
Why would I value the FA Cup more highly than the league? Clearly from an economical point of view, getting promoted/avoiding relegation would be so much more benefical to the club. However, the buzz of beating Premier league opposition, the possibility of Wembley, and the long lasting memory’s that have already been created by this cup run mean that the FA Cup is something that I absolutely love. It may have lost some of it’s value, but certainly amongst the “smaller teams”, it creates an incredible amount of excitement.
Monday, 15 February 2010
Friday, 12 February 2010
Bust In The Morning...
Something is going wrong when a club like Portsmouth is likely to be wound up on Monday. Ok, the winding up order could be deferred for another couple of months/the club could put itself in administration, but will it make a difference? In the short run possibly, in the long run almost certainly not. The size of their debt is so severe than only serious investment very quickly can save them and there’s been no serious interest thus far.
If Pompey were a one off then there would be no real cause for concern: not much anyway. Alas, they are just one in a whole string of clubs that could well be liquadated shortly. Southend, West Ham, Cardiff City, Chester...all clubs on the brink, not to mention Palace and several others.
For what it’s worth, I think we’ll be taken over soon: the fairly relaxed attitude of the administrators seem to indicate that this is the case and let’s hope so. Performances have been pretty good, and even if we’re only a couple of points above the drop zone at the moment, I’m confident that we can stay up.
Teams have been getting into debt for an age, and it’s never been a problem: so why is it such a problem now, why this bad? For a start, the influx of foreign owners doesn’t help. 1, because they raise the barrier of player needed to compete at the top yet futher and 2, because they more often than not don’t understand how English football works. If Palace got an Arab billionaire owner, I doubt I would bother going anymore: a chairman needs to be a fan first and foremost. Anyhow, this desire to match the big guns has seen teams spend way beyond their means. How could a little club like Pompey ever afford the likes of Crouch, Defoe, Krancjar and Campbell? You can look at the smaller clubs too: Chester are going under, and I’d be amazed if Histon were still going in three years time, with Baldwin withdrawing his funding. You look at a team like Fleetwood Town and your gut reaction is that it will all go horribly wrong.
The main issue though is undeinably the wages: John Utaka on 80K per week is a prime example of what is wrong with the modern game: Why on earth did the Premier league officials allow Pompey to spend such extravagent wages on such an unknown player? Surely they could and should have intervened?
Who knows what will happen to Pompey and indeed all the rest of the clubs in trouble. We’re by no means out of the woods yet, and until the takeover is completed, I’l l still be very anxious. With the impact of Sky and the fairly modern way of running a football club, teams are living off assets that they don’t have, something that needs to stop. The sooner the Football Association do something decent for once and try and stop this, the better football will become.
If Pompey were a one off then there would be no real cause for concern: not much anyway. Alas, they are just one in a whole string of clubs that could well be liquadated shortly. Southend, West Ham, Cardiff City, Chester...all clubs on the brink, not to mention Palace and several others.
For what it’s worth, I think we’ll be taken over soon: the fairly relaxed attitude of the administrators seem to indicate that this is the case and let’s hope so. Performances have been pretty good, and even if we’re only a couple of points above the drop zone at the moment, I’m confident that we can stay up.
Teams have been getting into debt for an age, and it’s never been a problem: so why is it such a problem now, why this bad? For a start, the influx of foreign owners doesn’t help. 1, because they raise the barrier of player needed to compete at the top yet futher and 2, because they more often than not don’t understand how English football works. If Palace got an Arab billionaire owner, I doubt I would bother going anymore: a chairman needs to be a fan first and foremost. Anyhow, this desire to match the big guns has seen teams spend way beyond their means. How could a little club like Pompey ever afford the likes of Crouch, Defoe, Krancjar and Campbell? You can look at the smaller clubs too: Chester are going under, and I’d be amazed if Histon were still going in three years time, with Baldwin withdrawing his funding. You look at a team like Fleetwood Town and your gut reaction is that it will all go horribly wrong.
The main issue though is undeinably the wages: John Utaka on 80K per week is a prime example of what is wrong with the modern game: Why on earth did the Premier league officials allow Pompey to spend such extravagent wages on such an unknown player? Surely they could and should have intervened?
Who knows what will happen to Pompey and indeed all the rest of the clubs in trouble. We’re by no means out of the woods yet, and until the takeover is completed, I’l l still be very anxious. With the impact of Sky and the fairly modern way of running a football club, teams are living off assets that they don’t have, something that needs to stop. The sooner the Football Association do something decent for once and try and stop this, the better football will become.
Tuesday, 5 January 2010
Coyle - You Must Go To Bolton
Owen Coyle/Iain Dowie: The similarities are remarkable. Fantastic motivators, yet tactically very naive: Coyle would be a fool to reject a move to Bolton.
What a crazy thing to say, you might ask: he’s got them up, and with more than half of the season gone, they are 14th, which is perfect for them. However, with no wins in 9 Premiership matches, their position is all of a sudden looking very precarious – and at this rate, they will get relegated.
Just 1 point from 10 away games does, in my opinion, ridicule Phil Mcnulty’s article on the BBC, hailing the Scot as somewhat of a tactical genius. OK, so I wouldn’t expect them to win many away, but he never changes things – and sometimes in the top league you do have to tinker a bit. Burnley playing 4-4-2 away to Arsenal just isn’t going to work, something that Coyle seems unaware of.
So why Bolton: well firstly, their current position of 18th does nothing to justify the squad they have. Megson bought very well - he just couldn’t get players playing for him, which was ultimately why he was sacked. Furthermore, with the league so tight at the moment, Bolton are just 5 points away from the top half – with two games in hand on most teams. In short, I think they will comfortably stay up, whereas Burnley with or without Coyle, will be relegated.
Secondly, Phil Gartside – as much of an idiot as he is, generally sticks by his managers. Allardyce did a remarkable job but was given time, Megson was given over 2 years and in the end it was the fans that really did for him, whilst Sammy Lee was just never cut out for management. He can have this season, where they will stay up, and then rebuild in the summer with decent funds. Bolton are far wealthier than Burnley, and the hard facts are that you can’t progress in the Premiership without any money. Say Burnley had stayed up this year: It would have been like Hull City, who haven’t really progressed at all. In fact I would say that Bolton are the most underacheiving team in the top flight at the moment. They should be in the top half, so even if Coyle does a half decent job, they’ll move up the league fairly quickly. In addition to that, the fans are very keen for him to come (being an Ex-player and that), so they will give him far more time than they gave Megson – again to his advantage.
Back to the Dowie anallargy: and here is what I mean. Dowie got us up almost miraculously which was fantastic. The next season, we got relegated, and the season after that we limped to the playoffs before being thrashed by Watford. Burnley might not have Andy Johnson, but the one trick pony of “motivator” that is now associated with Dowie is something that could come back to haunt Coyle if he stays at Burnley. He needs to move on to get a club that has resources to progress. Whether he is truly a fantastic tactition or not, we’re yet to see. However, if he stays at Burnley his career could well never progress, in the same way that the once highly rated Iain Dowie has only ever gone backwards since leaving Palace.
As for lack of loyalty: well I’m sorry Burnley fans, but your club has reached it’s potential. Bolton is a far bigger club at the moment, and in the cut and thrust world of football management, I don’t think anyone can deny a move that he clearly would love. We all want our managers to stay as long as possible (providing they’re doing well) and Burnley fans only have to look at where they got Coyle from in the first place to realise that it is just one massive food chain.
What a crazy thing to say, you might ask: he’s got them up, and with more than half of the season gone, they are 14th, which is perfect for them. However, with no wins in 9 Premiership matches, their position is all of a sudden looking very precarious – and at this rate, they will get relegated.
Just 1 point from 10 away games does, in my opinion, ridicule Phil Mcnulty’s article on the BBC, hailing the Scot as somewhat of a tactical genius. OK, so I wouldn’t expect them to win many away, but he never changes things – and sometimes in the top league you do have to tinker a bit. Burnley playing 4-4-2 away to Arsenal just isn’t going to work, something that Coyle seems unaware of.
So why Bolton: well firstly, their current position of 18th does nothing to justify the squad they have. Megson bought very well - he just couldn’t get players playing for him, which was ultimately why he was sacked. Furthermore, with the league so tight at the moment, Bolton are just 5 points away from the top half – with two games in hand on most teams. In short, I think they will comfortably stay up, whereas Burnley with or without Coyle, will be relegated.
Secondly, Phil Gartside – as much of an idiot as he is, generally sticks by his managers. Allardyce did a remarkable job but was given time, Megson was given over 2 years and in the end it was the fans that really did for him, whilst Sammy Lee was just never cut out for management. He can have this season, where they will stay up, and then rebuild in the summer with decent funds. Bolton are far wealthier than Burnley, and the hard facts are that you can’t progress in the Premiership without any money. Say Burnley had stayed up this year: It would have been like Hull City, who haven’t really progressed at all. In fact I would say that Bolton are the most underacheiving team in the top flight at the moment. They should be in the top half, so even if Coyle does a half decent job, they’ll move up the league fairly quickly. In addition to that, the fans are very keen for him to come (being an Ex-player and that), so they will give him far more time than they gave Megson – again to his advantage.
Back to the Dowie anallargy: and here is what I mean. Dowie got us up almost miraculously which was fantastic. The next season, we got relegated, and the season after that we limped to the playoffs before being thrashed by Watford. Burnley might not have Andy Johnson, but the one trick pony of “motivator” that is now associated with Dowie is something that could come back to haunt Coyle if he stays at Burnley. He needs to move on to get a club that has resources to progress. Whether he is truly a fantastic tactition or not, we’re yet to see. However, if he stays at Burnley his career could well never progress, in the same way that the once highly rated Iain Dowie has only ever gone backwards since leaving Palace.
As for lack of loyalty: well I’m sorry Burnley fans, but your club has reached it’s potential. Bolton is a far bigger club at the moment, and in the cut and thrust world of football management, I don’t think anyone can deny a move that he clearly would love. We all want our managers to stay as long as possible (providing they’re doing well) and Burnley fans only have to look at where they got Coyle from in the first place to realise that it is just one massive food chain.
Tuesday, 29 December 2009
Gannon Sacked for Lack of Loyalty... A Far Cry From Stockport Days
What a christmas present from the Motherwell board to Jim Gannon: sacking him, with their reasoning that he had "refused to sign a new contract". They say that the desicion is not football related, but is it really a coincidence that his firing came after 4 straight defeats? Still, even after this poor run they're on course to better last season's 7th placed finish. The relationship between board and manager seemed strained right from the off however and it's more than possible that John Boyle (Chairman) anticipated him resigning and opted to sack him first in an effort to save face if you like.
Why is this so interesting? Well, not only is this a case of a manager being sacked far too early into his reign by an intefering chairman, but Gannon also showed a huge amount of loyalty last season by staying loyal to Stockport when they started suffering from extreme financial problems. Only when he had actually been made redundant did he leave - despite having many oppurtunities to do so before hand.
Just three months prior to his departure and with Stockport really struggling, he was intervewed for the vacant managerial position at Brighton, who are quite frankly a richer club with more potential, yet he choose to stay loyal to the club he loves.
I think that's the key point: he absolutely adored Stockport, having spent 10 years their as a player, and then 4 as a manager (where he had done a fantastic job and is still held in very hard regard by the County fans). His whole attitude whilst at the club was one that is sorely lacking in a lot of managers who see career progression as their sole of objective - Steve Bruce, yes I do mean you. In fact although Gannon had refused to speak to the media for the latter part of season in protest against the way the club was being run, he did seem genuinely upset at being made redundant. I would assume that rather than being dissapointed for personal reasons (having lost his job), he was far more upset to see the club he loved going downhill. If it was up to him, I'm sure he would have stayed on reduced wages to help the club out.
In a strange way his behaviour at Stockport reminded me of a certain Steve Coppell. Granted he was slightly before my time at Palace, but he certainly seemed to have similar characterisitcs to Gannon in the sense a lot of his motivation for managing the club was that he absolutely loved it. Not once has he managed a "big" club and the reason for that is not his ability - it's because he's always been satisfied at the club he's at, feeling no real need to further himself. Had he resigned after getting Reading to 8th in the Premiership, I'm sure he could have got a bigger and more well payed job, but he didn't because he loved the club.
It is a shame that examples of loyalty from managers are quite rare. I suppose in the cut and thrust business that it is, perhaps certain managers believe they have to leave clubs to further their careers as there won't be any second chance. However, there are some managers that manage teams they love and want to do well not just to make themselves better managers but because they love the club they're at. The more managers there are in the game like that, the better football will become.
Why is this so interesting? Well, not only is this a case of a manager being sacked far too early into his reign by an intefering chairman, but Gannon also showed a huge amount of loyalty last season by staying loyal to Stockport when they started suffering from extreme financial problems. Only when he had actually been made redundant did he leave - despite having many oppurtunities to do so before hand.
Just three months prior to his departure and with Stockport really struggling, he was intervewed for the vacant managerial position at Brighton, who are quite frankly a richer club with more potential, yet he choose to stay loyal to the club he loves.
I think that's the key point: he absolutely adored Stockport, having spent 10 years their as a player, and then 4 as a manager (where he had done a fantastic job and is still held in very hard regard by the County fans). His whole attitude whilst at the club was one that is sorely lacking in a lot of managers who see career progression as their sole of objective - Steve Bruce, yes I do mean you. In fact although Gannon had refused to speak to the media for the latter part of season in protest against the way the club was being run, he did seem genuinely upset at being made redundant. I would assume that rather than being dissapointed for personal reasons (having lost his job), he was far more upset to see the club he loved going downhill. If it was up to him, I'm sure he would have stayed on reduced wages to help the club out.
In a strange way his behaviour at Stockport reminded me of a certain Steve Coppell. Granted he was slightly before my time at Palace, but he certainly seemed to have similar characterisitcs to Gannon in the sense a lot of his motivation for managing the club was that he absolutely loved it. Not once has he managed a "big" club and the reason for that is not his ability - it's because he's always been satisfied at the club he's at, feeling no real need to further himself. Had he resigned after getting Reading to 8th in the Premiership, I'm sure he could have got a bigger and more well payed job, but he didn't because he loved the club.
It is a shame that examples of loyalty from managers are quite rare. I suppose in the cut and thrust business that it is, perhaps certain managers believe they have to leave clubs to further their careers as there won't be any second chance. However, there are some managers that manage teams they love and want to do well not just to make themselves better managers but because they love the club they're at. The more managers there are in the game like that, the better football will become.
Sunday, 27 December 2009
A Day to Remember at Selhurst
Boxing day, arguably the best day in the football calender. With christmas lunches finished, presents opened and carols sung, the attention is turned well and truly back to the game we all love. A home fixture always helps, and Palace got that with a match against Roy Keane's struggling Ipswich town.
What an atmosphere! we love you we love you we love you... the Holmesdale fanatics put the frankly abysmal 1,500 odd travelling tractor boys to shame. I don't think I've ever seen them make so much noise, and hopefully there'll be a few videos to prove it. Why was it so good? Well, having shit away support helped - seriously there were 10 Palace fans singing at one point, and we were louder than Ippo. However, the main reason has to be the sensible behaviour of the stewards/police (i.e. not becoming aggressive as soon as the HF celebrate a goal). I think yesterday showed that a responsible attitude from the security at football matches is needed when dealing with ultra groups and that a bit of leeway can actually make games safer. By that I mean that a high police presence such as Middlesbrough at home tends to cause more problems than a low police presence such as yesterday.
Anyway that's by the by and january comes calling (bye bye Victor). He was the difference yesterday and the Ipswich players were visibly shitting themselves everytime he got the ball. He's destined for great things and I join all Palace fans in wishing him the best of luck at his new club whoever they might be.
On the positive side, Speroni made a mistake yesterday, his first in about a year and a half. But seriously he's shit stay well clear, you can do better.... ah fuck it he deserves a Prem move, but what we love Jules is his whole attitude. Not once has he complained about the money, being left out of the side, our shit football at times. No, he's got on with it, and whatever he chooses to do now, he will forever have the admiration of the selhurst park crowd.
Whatevfer happens in Jan i'm sure the fans will continue to turn out to support the boys. It's not an easy time at SE25, but the more we can keep up yesterday's atmosphere, the more the team will benefit.
What an atmosphere! we love you we love you we love you... the Holmesdale fanatics put the frankly abysmal 1,500 odd travelling tractor boys to shame. I don't think I've ever seen them make so much noise, and hopefully there'll be a few videos to prove it. Why was it so good? Well, having shit away support helped - seriously there were 10 Palace fans singing at one point, and we were louder than Ippo. However, the main reason has to be the sensible behaviour of the stewards/police (i.e. not becoming aggressive as soon as the HF celebrate a goal). I think yesterday showed that a responsible attitude from the security at football matches is needed when dealing with ultra groups and that a bit of leeway can actually make games safer. By that I mean that a high police presence such as Middlesbrough at home tends to cause more problems than a low police presence such as yesterday.
Anyway that's by the by and january comes calling (bye bye Victor). He was the difference yesterday and the Ipswich players were visibly shitting themselves everytime he got the ball. He's destined for great things and I join all Palace fans in wishing him the best of luck at his new club whoever they might be.
On the positive side, Speroni made a mistake yesterday, his first in about a year and a half. But seriously he's shit stay well clear, you can do better.... ah fuck it he deserves a Prem move, but what we love Jules is his whole attitude. Not once has he complained about the money, being left out of the side, our shit football at times. No, he's got on with it, and whatever he chooses to do now, he will forever have the admiration of the selhurst park crowd.
Whatevfer happens in Jan i'm sure the fans will continue to turn out to support the boys. It's not an easy time at SE25, but the more we can keep up yesterday's atmosphere, the more the team will benefit.
Friday, 25 December 2009
Merry Christmas Everyone!
So here it is, Merry Christmas. Shows where my priority's lie when my first thought of the morning was "football tommorow", with it then slowly dawning on me that old JC was celebrating his big day. But I think it's fair to say that the next month or so is an absolutely vital period for every single club in the UK, what with a whole load of fixtures, and the dreaded opening on the transfer window. Fuck me it's not going to be a good January for us Palace fans - especially if the rumours of us going into administration soon are to be believed (and there really is no reason to doubt them).
Victor will go there's no question about that. Inconsistent for the past 2 years, for the past month he's looked like a world beater - and there's no doubt the talent is there. A facebook group entitled "Victor Moses for the England World Cup Squad" may be a little premature, but I don't think anyone would begrudge him a move to the Premierleague. Or even abroad if these ridiculous tabloid reports actually have any credence.
Another man who you would be truly delighted for if he got a big money move would be one of Palace's greatest ever keeper, Julian Speroni. Another Palace blog, powertothepalace, wrote about how his attitude both on and off the pitch is one to admire in this time of players seeking big money moves. Not once has he complained about the (relatively) low wages he's on, not once has he asked to leave the club. In fact, he regularly talks about how much he loves it as SE25, something shown by his interaction with fans before and after matches. Touch wood, I think he'll stay.
As for Stevenage, whom I should be seeing against AFC Wimbledon (weather permitting), well again the rumours are a little worrying. Wilson, Roberts and Odubade to Peterborough is utter bull, but Scotty Laird to Oxford is a realistic proposition. He's the best left back in the league, and if a good enough offer came in, he could be tempted to jump ship to what is undoubtedly a bigger club.
Us Palace fans know a thing or two about losing players, but not since the dark days of before Jordan have things been this bad. Other clubs know that we can't afford to reject any decent offers and therefore will look to take advantage, whilst bringing in new players will be virtually impossible for us.
It is therefore vital that we get as many points as we can on the board before the inevitable mass exodus starts. Whatever other Palace fans may tell you about Warnock's style of play, he's worked a minor miracle at the club if you consider that he hasn't spent a transfer fee in 16 months. If there's one man you would trust to keep the club in the league at this difficult time, it's Warnock, but even with him in charge it's certainly a worrying time
Victor will go there's no question about that. Inconsistent for the past 2 years, for the past month he's looked like a world beater - and there's no doubt the talent is there. A facebook group entitled "Victor Moses for the England World Cup Squad" may be a little premature, but I don't think anyone would begrudge him a move to the Premierleague. Or even abroad if these ridiculous tabloid reports actually have any credence.
Another man who you would be truly delighted for if he got a big money move would be one of Palace's greatest ever keeper, Julian Speroni. Another Palace blog, powertothepalace, wrote about how his attitude both on and off the pitch is one to admire in this time of players seeking big money moves. Not once has he complained about the (relatively) low wages he's on, not once has he asked to leave the club. In fact, he regularly talks about how much he loves it as SE25, something shown by his interaction with fans before and after matches. Touch wood, I think he'll stay.
As for Stevenage, whom I should be seeing against AFC Wimbledon (weather permitting), well again the rumours are a little worrying. Wilson, Roberts and Odubade to Peterborough is utter bull, but Scotty Laird to Oxford is a realistic proposition. He's the best left back in the league, and if a good enough offer came in, he could be tempted to jump ship to what is undoubtedly a bigger club.
Us Palace fans know a thing or two about losing players, but not since the dark days of before Jordan have things been this bad. Other clubs know that we can't afford to reject any decent offers and therefore will look to take advantage, whilst bringing in new players will be virtually impossible for us.
It is therefore vital that we get as many points as we can on the board before the inevitable mass exodus starts. Whatever other Palace fans may tell you about Warnock's style of play, he's worked a minor miracle at the club if you consider that he hasn't spent a transfer fee in 16 months. If there's one man you would trust to keep the club in the league at this difficult time, it's Warnock, but even with him in charge it's certainly a worrying time
Thursday, 24 December 2009
What the F**K!!!
So back from India after a 2 week cricket tour , and I though all the wierd shit was over. As brilliant as it was, being offered an "omlette" (don India accent please) about 50 times on a night-train was pretty fucking annoying, and the fact we got beaten by a team whose best player was a 10 year old in one of the matches was embarrasing to say the least. Then again, he is tipped to be the next Tendaulker. Prithvi Shaw is the name.
Got back to England yesterday knowing nothing about anything football related, expecting the usual shit results for Palace, and the general predictiability of the Premier-league. Alas, how wrong could I be? Granted, we only managed 1 point from 2 games, but talk about a good finish from Victor. What a goal it was, and people are already talking about it as a goal of the season contender - although Maynor Figueroa may have something to say about that. The BBC's description of:
"Maynor Figueroa put Wigan back in front after the break with a quickly taken free-kick from his own half"
doesn't do it half the justice it deserves in what was a fantastic peice of thinking and skill. Beckham-esque if you like!
And then there's Sparky being sacked: Hardly a surprise, although very strange timing - and Mancini coming in: Again very unsurprising and if the rumours are true, Henry could be on his way to Eastlends along with wait for it... Younus Kaboul? Can I blame City for getting rid of Hughes? Not particularly: they've spent a shit load of money and are still struggling to get into the top 6. I'm not saying they should finish top four this season, but they should certainly be doing better than they currently are.
United also lost in hilarious fashion to both Aston Villa and Fulham which brings their title credentials under serious scrutiny. I guess the fact not having any fit defenders didn't help, but a 3 - 0 defeat for United is almost unheard of and will no doubt dent confidence within their ranks. The only down side to their recent slip up is that it was once again Bobby Zamora who was the oppositions tormentor with what has to be was an excellent Performance. If he gets called up the England squad, I'm supporting Germany. Fucking Brighton reject. On a side note, that Hodgson is doing a fooking fantastic job ain't he.
I guess one thing has stayed the same: Liverpool whose shit form has continued. Benitez is surely on his way out soon - with the "we've only got 2 decent players" arguement waring thin. Mascherano, Johnson, Kuyt and others would walk into the vast majority of Premiership sides. It's a non-sensical arguement in my opinion.
There's no two ways about it, we're fucked financially. Really in the shit and January is always the worst month of the year as a Palace fan. Moses will go for sure - possibly to Barcelona according to some rumours out recently, although more likely to someone like Spurs or even Arsenal. Then there's people like Ambrose and Speroni who we really can't afford to let go from a footballing perspective, but can't afford to keep them in a financial sense. Whatever happens, I'm looking forward to February already!
Who said football was boring!!
Got back to England yesterday knowing nothing about anything football related, expecting the usual shit results for Palace, and the general predictiability of the Premier-league. Alas, how wrong could I be? Granted, we only managed 1 point from 2 games, but talk about a good finish from Victor. What a goal it was, and people are already talking about it as a goal of the season contender - although Maynor Figueroa may have something to say about that. The BBC's description of:
"Maynor Figueroa put Wigan back in front after the break with a quickly taken free-kick from his own half"
doesn't do it half the justice it deserves in what was a fantastic peice of thinking and skill. Beckham-esque if you like!
And then there's Sparky being sacked: Hardly a surprise, although very strange timing - and Mancini coming in: Again very unsurprising and if the rumours are true, Henry could be on his way to Eastlends along with wait for it... Younus Kaboul? Can I blame City for getting rid of Hughes? Not particularly: they've spent a shit load of money and are still struggling to get into the top 6. I'm not saying they should finish top four this season, but they should certainly be doing better than they currently are.
United also lost in hilarious fashion to both Aston Villa and Fulham which brings their title credentials under serious scrutiny. I guess the fact not having any fit defenders didn't help, but a 3 - 0 defeat for United is almost unheard of and will no doubt dent confidence within their ranks. The only down side to their recent slip up is that it was once again Bobby Zamora who was the oppositions tormentor with what has to be was an excellent Performance. If he gets called up the England squad, I'm supporting Germany. Fucking Brighton reject. On a side note, that Hodgson is doing a fooking fantastic job ain't he.
I guess one thing has stayed the same: Liverpool whose shit form has continued. Benitez is surely on his way out soon - with the "we've only got 2 decent players" arguement waring thin. Mascherano, Johnson, Kuyt and others would walk into the vast majority of Premiership sides. It's a non-sensical arguement in my opinion.
There's no two ways about it, we're fucked financially. Really in the shit and January is always the worst month of the year as a Palace fan. Moses will go for sure - possibly to Barcelona according to some rumours out recently, although more likely to someone like Spurs or even Arsenal. Then there's people like Ambrose and Speroni who we really can't afford to let go from a footballing perspective, but can't afford to keep them in a financial sense. Whatever happens, I'm looking forward to February already!
Who said football was boring!!
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