Jan 4 2013

January Transfer Window!

It’s that time of the year again folks- the time of the year football fans around the globe have learned to love and loathe, the January transfer window. The revelry has already begun, and from the initial few moves we have seen, we think it’s not going to be a silent one.

This season, none of the teams in the English Premier League seem to be totally balanced, with every team having some area needing improvement.

 

Manchester united:

Attack is the best form of defense, as Sir Alex Ferguson has proved so far this season. Attacking options such as Robin Van Persie, Wayne Rooney, and Javier Hernandez have helped the red devils go seven points clear on top of the table. The form of Robin Van Persie in particular has really excited the fans, and he just keeps on scoring goals every week. There have been concerns over the lack of creativity in midfield, but Sir Alex has ruled out the prospect of any major transfers in this window. The inherent imbalance in the team has been corrected slightly with the return of Vidic, but for the most part the red devils seem to be content simply focusing on attack, tearing through opponent defenses like a battering ram.

For now, the fans can only speculate about Lewandowski and C. Ronaldo moving to old Trafford in the summer.

Manchester City:

The citizens seem to be at the center of many a rumor this January – as Mancini seems desperate to inject some life into a very limp season so far. A team with a strike force consisting of Dzeko, Aguero, Tevez and Balotelli, strangely seem to be requiring some newness in their forward threat. Mancini’s change of tactics, which now involve a possession based play, along with frequent squad shuffling has had no effect on his team’s fortunes.

The club has been linked with Athletic Bilbao’s Fernando Llorente and Corinthians’ Paulinho, an attacking midfielder who is also on the radar of Chelsea. Mancini would also do well to deal with the Mario Balotelli situation- a frequent target for newspapers and internet memes alike.

Chelsea:

Money is no object for Chelsea’s cavalier owner, Russian oil tycoon Roman Abramovic, and it has been proved time and time again in every transfer window. Columbian scoring sensation Falcao has been the center of every transfer rumor regarding Chelsea this season, but this speculation has been silenced till the summer.

The hunt for the perfect strike partner for Fernando Torres seems to have started, with Daniel Sturridge leaving for Liverpool, and Demba Ba who seems to be all set to sign for the blues. Another prospect seems to be a move for Torres’ Spanish strike partner David Villa. The hunt for Ashley Cole’s successor also seems to be on, with Leighton Baines as the prime transfer target.

Another disheartening piece of transfer news is the situation concerning the future of Chelsea legend Frank Lampard. He has apparently been shown the door, as at 35 years of age and having a quite a substantial salary, Chelsea seems to be eager to free up the wage bill.

Tottenham Hotspur:

The spurs have a history of activity in the transfer market as has been seen in the past few windows. This time around there seems to be intense speculation around Inter Milan reject Wesley Sneijder. The Dutchman will most probably have to accept a wage cut. Another report suggests Welsh speed demon Gareth Bale diving into a move to Real Madrid.

 

Everton:

A side who have exceeded expectations every season, Everton seem to be set to lose their key players, Marouane Fellaini and Leighton Baines. The form of Nikica Jelavic will also be a major concern for David Moyes as he will look for a strike partner for the out of touch Croatian. Moyes is known for his scouting ability, and to find value for money on a tight budget.

 

Arsenal:

Arsene Wenger seems to be in dire straits, as he tries to fill the tremendous void left by RvP. His is a side filled with deadwood like Chamakh and Arshavin, and the absurdity that is Gervinho. Olivier Goroud seems to be finding his feet, but he is nowhere close to the prolific scoring abilities of Robin Van Persie.

The Theo Walcott transfer saga rolls on, with contract negotiations apparently in the doldrums. Fans hope that he stays, as Walcott’s blistering pace is a major threat, but his inconsistency and stubborn desire to be played as a center forward make this a sticky situation for Wenger and the club in general.

Arsenal have been linked with moves for Fernando Llorente and David Villa, but the move for Villa seems unlikely taking into account his age.

Liverpool:

Liverpool’s season seems to be in jeopardy, with an inury ravaged squad, and the tight budget set by the owners, Boston’s Fenway Sports Group. The team needs a help in all areas, most notably some support upfront for the talismanic Luis Suarez. The strategy of buying players from England has hit them hard- and they don’t seem to have learned from their mistakes, as they have just acquired the services of Chelsea outcast Daniel Sturridge.

Brendan Rodgers seems to be partial to players, who have played under him previously, as he is reportedly preparing a move for Wigan’s Franco Di Santo. Other news includes a move for Birmingham city’s Goalkeeper Jack Butland, and Blackpool’s Tom Ince who left Liverpool for $400,000 only 16 months ago.

Liverpool face a tough transfer window ahead, as they try to find the appropriate players for the right amount of money, while keeping hold of their prized asset Luis Suarez.

The rest:

Reading seems to be turning into a world headquarters for Russian players, as they are linked with Roman Pavlyuchenko and Andrei Arshavin, as they try to hold their own in the relegation battle.

QPR manager Harry Redknapp faces his biggest challenge yet, as he tries to improve his unmotivated squad. Moves for Fulham’s Brede Hangeland and Sylvian Distin of Everton seem to be lined up in an attempt to bring solidity in defense. Unwanted players from other clubs such as Joe Cole, Frank Lampard and even Nicolas Anelka seem to be on the radar as well.

By admin • EPL • 1

Sep 1 2012

Magpie Warbles: A Busy Week for Pardew’s Newcastle United


Its been another busy week at the office for Newcastle United. For the second week in going they were required to play in the midweek and that too a very important fixture.A Europa League qualifying match at home against Atromitos which they won 1-0, thanks to a solitary goal from Haris Vuckic.An 2-1 aggregate win over relatively easy opponents see them through to the group stages where they have been drawn with Bordeaux from France,Club Brugge from Belgium and Maritimo from Portugal.

For 20 year old old Slovenia International Vucknic it was a day to remember as he scored his 1st senior goal for the club.Making several changes from the squad that faced Chelsea at the weekend Newcastle dominated the game tormenting from the wings with brilliant play from Gabriel Obertan and Sylvain Marveaux throughout the game. Despite dominating Newcastle couldn’t kill the game but taking in positives, Pardew has his players fresh enough for the game against Aston Villa on Sunday.

Moving on to the game against Villa ‘The Magpies’ will be desperate to add three more points to the kitty after having a indifferent start to the season.A win over Spurs in the first game of the league  but a disappointing loss to Chelsea sees them lying 10th in the table.But it is too early to draw conclusions to a long season and their true grit will be tested against bottom of the table Aston Villa.On paper it may seem a relatively easy tie but Newcastle will have to give their best as the Villians would love to see themselves off the bottom of the table.

Pardew will surely field a much stonger side than that seen on Thursday but there will be some important names missing from the team sheet due to injuries.Of the players on the doctors desk Tiote is one  of them nursing his groin injury that he got against Spurs but still continued to play on for 90 minutes. Ryan Taylor joins Tiote,Shola Ameobi  in the injury list after he suffered a knee injury only 10 minutes into the game against Atromitos and is feared to be out for several months.The rest of the team is certain to shape up like the one against Chelsea.

Last time around when the two sides met Newcastle came out as 2-1 winners thanks to goals from the strike pairing of Demba Ba and Papiss Cisse and on loan striker Robbie Keane scored for the visitors.Pardew will certainly be hoping that his talismatic frontman Cisse will find his scoring touch soon enough in order to help the team rake up some goals.

In the meantime football fans also got a very interesting draw for the Capital One Cup with Newcastle squaring up against Manchester United at Old Trafford in a 3rd round tie.Certainly Newcastle fans would have expected a easier draw but don’t be surprised to see an upset as Sir Alex is traditionally known for fielding youngsters for  “The Mickey Mouse” Cup.

Verdict: Expect Newcastle to add 3 more points to the tally with struggles for Aston Villa continuing at the bottom of the table.First clean sheet of EPL for Krul can be expected!!

 

By footiefreakakki • EPL, Newcastle • 0

Sep 1 2012

Meteoric Rise of Swansea!

Swansea City,a club from Wales,is the only Welsh club to qualify in the Premier League since it is formed in 1992.They have not only qualified for the Premier League but also proved themselves as a great team who have the capability to beat the best in EPL. Great start this season for them with two easy clinched victories over QPR (0-5) and West Ham(3-0) gave them a boost and showed everyone that this season they won’t be playing like an underdog team.They surely are a team to watch this season.You can stop the talk of Second Season Syndrome. Swansea City look set to take the Premier League by storm again this season, as under new coach Michael Laudrup they are already playing with more momentum, fluency and penetration. The Danish boss has given his players the freedom to execute a more versatile approach,so there is a chance that in this Premier League,they can upset some big giants with their Barcelona’s style of play.

After the illustrious success and euphoria of Swansea’s maiden Premier League campaign,followed a summer of turmoil and uncertainty in which Swansea City lost manager Brendan Rodgers and two loan players,Gylfi Sigurdsson and Steven Caulker.Departures of Brendan Rodgers and Joe Allen have already shown,Swansea’s eleventh-place finish last season was always likely to  be resulted in disruption.

Brendan Rodgers played a very important role in the meteoric rise of Swansea.Influence,he gave to the players paid off for the players as well as the club.Possesion,passing and quick recovery are Barcelona’s style of play, Rodgers was successful to implement his plan with former club Swansea City and hope Michael Laudrup will do better.

Swansea’s rise started in the year 1978.Despite promising performances during the first half of the 1977/78 season, Harry Griffiths resigned as Swansea City’s manager in February 1978, doubting his own ability to take the club any further. The new manager was former Liverpool, Cardiff City and Wales striker John Toshack. On 1 March 1978, at the age of 28, Toshack became the youngest manager in the Football League, with Griffiths as his assistant. Thus began a remarkable climb from the Fourth Division to the top of the entire league. Despite relinquishing his role as manager before the end of the season, this was Griffiths’ team, and the promotion from the Fourth Division was largely his doing. During this season the Swans’ record league win was achieved – 8–0 against Hartlepool United. Before promotion was secured, however, Harry Griffiths died of a heart attack on 25 April 1978 before the home game against Scunthorpe United.

A further promotion was achieved next season and the club returned to the Second Division after an absence of 14 years, with Toshack himself coming off the bench to score the winning goal against Chesterfield and thus secure promotion.The 4 year rise from basement to top division is a record in English football, held jointly with Wimbledon F.C.Coincidentally,the Swansea decline started the same year as the Wimbledon rise.

Swansea had swept from the basement division to the top of the entire Football League in barely three years. Victories over footballing royalty such as Liverpool, Manchester United, Arsenal and Tottenham Hotspur followed as the club topped the league on several further occasions. However, injuries to key players took their toll,and the lack of depth in the squad meant that the season ended in sixth-place finish.

After these successes,difficult times for Swansea returned and they failed to register their name in the Premier League in these many years.But,at present,we can call it as the golden era for Swansea and they have done extremely well last season and this season would be a great season for Swansea with more new faces and we think that this transfer season is great for Swansea City.They have got new faces as well as at the same time faces with tremendous talents will do favour to the club and this might be the best season for the Welsh club under the Danish coach Michael Laudrup.

As the transfer window closing by,Swansea City have broken their transfer record to sign Ki Sung-Yeung from Celtic,subject to a work permit and international clearance. Swansea also have made a successful signing of winger Pablo Hernandez from Valenica. Swansea City boss Michael Laudrup has seen his tenure at the Liberty Stadium after getting off to a rip-roaring start.The Dane has been very astute during the summer transfer window,bringing a collection of quality players for a total price less than that which they received from Liverpool for Joe Allen.Swansea City lost another of their prominent players before the transfer window slammed shut,with Scott Sinclair going to Manchester City.

Possible Formation Of Swansea City:

        Graham

    Hernandez                                        Dyer

Michu                                                                             DeGuzman

      Britton

Taylor                           Williams                               Chico                    Angel

        Vorm (GK)

By nawaz.sheikh19 • EPL • 0

Sep 1 2012

Manchester United : Rising From The Ashes

The story goes back to the second world war, when in 1945, Matt Busby, a former Liverpool player, was offered the job of assistant manager at Liverpool. But surprisingly, he decided to go to the busy industrial city of Manchester. The bigger surprise was that he did not join Manchester City, a team he had represented in more than 200 games as a player, but joined hands with rivals United, signing a contract on 19th February 1945, as their manager.
Busby, without any prior managerial experience, took no time to show his class as a manager, as his side finished second in his very first year, just behind his former side Liverpool. United finished runners-up in 1947,1948, 1949, 1951. But it was his team of the fifties that started winning silverware for United. The primary feature of this team was that most of the players were just around 20 years of age and because of this youthfulness, the team was famously called ‘the Busby Babes’. They reached the semi-finals of the European Cup for two straight years. The football world was amazed and wondered that how could a team of amateur young boys in their early twenties go on to win the English League for two consecutive years, in 1956 and 1957. The Busby Babes were top contenders to win the league again for the third consecutive year, as they as they trailed only by 6 points behind the leaders Wolverhampton Wanderers, with 14 games remaining. It was then the tragedy struck.
It was on the 6th of February 1958. Securing a 3-3 draw against Red Star Belgrade at Belgrade, Yugoslavia and booking their place in the semi-finals of the European Cup for the second straight year, United were on their way back to Manchester, but had to halt at Munich, Germany, to refuel their air plane. After having two unsuccessful take-offs in the dreadful snowfall, manager Busby gambled on a third one, since he feared that they will not be able to make it on time for their league game against Wolves, if they decided to extend their stay in Munich. Perhaps, it was this decision of his that changed the face and fate of Manchester United in the years to follow. This is because his gamble went terribly wrong as the airplane crashed into the ground, killing 24 passengers on the spot, including seven players.
The players killed were Geoff Bent, Roger Byrne, Eddie Colman, Mark Jones, David Pegg, Tommy Taylor and Liam Whelan. Duncan Edwards survived the crash, but died in hospital 15 days later. He was judged by many to be England’s finest player of his era and was capped by England at 18 – setting a record for the youngest-ever full international that remained unbroken for more than 40 years. Two players, Johnny Berry and Jackie Blanchflower never played again. These are the names that perhaps today’s generation of United’s supporters might not know. But these are the same names that took the club to its initial glory. These were the Busby Babes. The Busby Babes which were wiped off that day. And their creator, Sir Matt Busby, was himself down with critical injuries, on the verge of death, with his final rites already being performed twice. Moments before, it was a team full of youth, aspiring to achieve great heights under the leadership of a legendary manager. And moments later, it was a team which was burnt to ashes.
The tragedy had started showing its worst consequences as the United Board decided to shut down the club, citing lack of players as the main reason. It was then that the assistant manager Jimmy Murphy, the unsung hero of this story, stepped up against their decision and assured them that he would be able to put up a team of eleven before the next game. He quickly signed Ernie Taylor, Stan Crowther, David Herdand and Albert Quixall. He managed to convince an under confident Billy Foulkes, a survivor of the plane crash, to play football again and appointed him as the captain. This team surprisingly outperformed its own expectations as it finished 2nd in the league and reached the FA Cup final, where it lost to Bolton. Had it not been these young men and the courage with which Murphy led them in those difficult times, perhaps the United tradition, whose laurels we sing today, would have died back long ago, even before its birth.
The hero returns and a new star is born: After miraculously defeating death, Matt Busby resumed his managerial post in the very next season. He build his new squad around the survivors of the crash. The biggest name that featured in this squad is of Sir Bobby Charlton. From someone who was only 20 when the disaster struck and had scored two goals in the game just before the crash, Charlton went on to become a star at Old Trafford, scoring 199 goals in 606 games. Even today, he is the poster boy of Manchester United. Other stars of this team were Dennis Law of Scotland and George Best of Ireland. Today, there are statues of these three legends just outside Old Trafford.
It was this team led by Sir Matt Busby that achieved the ultimate glory when they defeated Benfica on 29th May 1968, at Wembley on English soil, becoming the first English team to do so. Incidentally, this victory came exactly a decade after the Munich tragedy, where United were burnt to the ashes. Exactly a decade later, rising from the ashes, they achieved the ultimate European glory.
Today, in spite of all the trophies that Sir Alex Ferguson has won, Sir Matt Busby still remains the most beloved of all United managers in history. Not because of what he achieved with his Busby Babes before the disaster, but because of the manner in which he climbed his way back to the zenith after the disaster. It was the shear love that he had for the club which inspired him to achieve all that he has achieved with United. This love was clearly reflected in the incident when he was offered the managerial role at Real Madrid in 1956 by their President saying “the role is like managing paradise”, but Sir Busby politely refused the offer saying, ”Manchester is my heaven.”
Today, after more than 50 years following the tragedy, whenever United score a late equalizer or a late winner, I am never surprised. Because I know that the reason behind this never-say-die attitude, the never-give-up United spirit, lies more than 50 years back in history, when they had risen from the ashes.

By the_playmaker_10 • EPL, Manchester United • 0

Sep 1 2012

Defensive Woes in the City

Two Weeks have gone by and all hasn’t been well for the Citizens. The citizens first got a real surprise from the newcomers Southampton in their opening home encounter and then Liverpool, who suffered a horrific defeat in their opening game against West Bromich Albion, made a shocking come back in their game against Manchester City. Actually, had the Liverpool defense not gifted Manchester City the two goals (City must have given regards to Kelly and Skrtel), then Liverpool would have easily won that game 2-0 . But the main thing that City must have realized by now is that their own Defense wasn’t too good either.
Stefan Savic seems to have been over-rated by Manchester City scouts as he seemed to be in confusion most of the times in his match against Chelsea and thank God, he didn’t play in the first 2 matches for City as the already miserable defense would have become worse. Vincent Kompany, even though having returned from a calf injury, he looked a bit rusty against Southampton, but gave his best against Liverpool especially against Carroll during the corners, who would have definitely scored in the second half had there been another defender in place of Kompany. Kompany has certainly been the best and the only defender to rely on for Mancini. Kolarov also played well against Chelsea in the Community Shield, and was instrumental in providing the necessary crosses one of which was eventually converted by Nasri and did well on the left back blocking Torres a few times. Inspite such a brilliant performance, he hasn’t been able to find himself in the first team due  to Gael Clichy. Gael Clichy has also played well on the left and provided an excellent cross to Nasri in their opening encounter against Southampton, but still lacked the form to stay in the first team as he isn’t playing too well in terms of  defense. Lescott seemed out of touch in both, the encounter against Chelsea as well as Southampton and hence was rightly replaced by Kolo Toure in the Liverpool match. Kolo Toure played well alongside Kompany but will need to continue his form to retain his place in the starting eleven in their next match against QPR. Pablo Zabaleta has also not got enough chance to play in the first team as he played averagely in the Southampton encounter but was immediately dropped in the match against Liverpool. With Micah Richards back from injury, Mancini must bring him back in form before their first Champions League encounter against Real Madrid.

The fact is true that his defenders aren’t in the best of the form and Mancini will really need to bring them out of rust as soon as possible, otherwise they won’t be able to retain their Title by the end of the season.

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By TheGoalMachine • EPL, Manchester City • 0

Aug 30 2012

Bayern complete Martinez capture

"I don't know Martinez. I have never seen him play. But if Bayern Munich are interested, he must be good. He must be special, otherwise FC Bayern would not be after him." Franz Beckenbauer, August 2012.

"I don't know Martinez. I have never seen him play. But if Bayern Munich are interested, he must be good. He must be special, otherwise FC Bayern would not be after him." Franz Beckenbauer, August 2012.

On 29 August 2012, Bayern Munich paid the buyout clause of €40 million on Javi Martinez’s contract, and he signed a new five year contract with the German club. He thus became the most expensive player in the 50 year history of the Bundesliga. The 23-year-old has been handed the number eight shirt.

Martinez is widely considered as one of the best young players in Europe, a player who controls the midfield with absolute ease. He is extremely solid in defense, and his strengths are his interceptions and tackles. He is able to create chances for his team, as well as break up those of the opposition. He is also a threat in the air, at 6’3”.  The Athletic Bilbao side he was in depended on him not only for his usual CDM position, but also of late as a center back. He’s performed so well that people actually think his natural position is a CB, which it isn’t – but that’s to the extent which he has impressed.

Bilbao looks an entirely different outfit when they play without him, as he is the “rock” of their midfield or defense, to hold on to the possession, and to create opportunities. He was the heart of the team, the “engine” that made the whole team tick. We all know the likes of Muniain and Llorente but without Martinez in the side, no other player seems to shine. He was the “unsung talisman” for his side.

Club Statistics

Athletic Bilbao:

2006/2007 season - 36 appearances, 3 goals and 1 assist.
2007/2008 season - 36 appearances, 0 goals and 1 assist.
2008/2009 season - 41 appearances, 6 goals and 1 assist.
2009/2010 season - 46 appearances, 9 goals and 2 assists.
2010/2011 season - 38 appearances, 4 goals and 1 assist.
2011/2012 season - 54 appearances, 4 goals and 1 assist.

TOTAL - 251 appearances, 26 goals and 7 assists.

By D.SoccerSyndrome • Bayern Munich, Bundesliga, News • 0

Aug 30 2012

Game On!!!

http://thefootballfever.com/game-on/

By durgesh • EPL • 0

Aug 29 2012

EPL Team Of The month

With the first month of an exciting Barclays premier league having ended, lets take a look at what has been the team of the month for August.

Formation: 4-1-3-2

Ever since his transfer to Swansea Michel Vorm has amazed all. The Dutch gets goalkeeper of the month by virtue of maintaining two clean sheets in high scoring games against the likes of West Ham and QPR.

Chelsea right back Branislav Ivanovic is a surefire pick for this spot. A sturdy and able defender, his two goals in two matches and top notch tackles earn him a spot on the team.

Despite not having won any matches or scored any goals so far, Arsenal showed that they have a solid defensive line and current captain Thomas Vermalean is their key to maintaining two clean sheets.

Stoke City center back Ryan Shawcross is another direct pick for the team. A former Manchester United academy player, his clean hard tackles as well as deft passes makes his partnership with former Chelsea player Robert Huth one of the toughest CB pairings in the league.

Everton full back Leighton Baines, a perennial understudy to Ashley Cole in the national setup was absolutely splendid in the two games for Everton with some threatening runs and crisp defending.

Talismanic Everton Midfielder Marouane Fellaini has had an absolutely splendid start to the season with a thunderous header against Manchester United and an equally amazing strike against Aston Villa.

Irish winger and Fulhan stalwart Damien Duff has had an incredible start to the season having already scored twice in two games and set up a couple for his teammates bringing forth the ‘Duffy’ of old.

Swansea’s budget signing Miguel Michu is another Spanish import that has excited fans this season. Having scored 15 goals in La Liga for Rayo Vallecano, Michu has not lost his scoring touch and has already pumped in three goals in two games.

Chelsea’s big money Belgian signing Eden Hazard has given the fans his money’s worth. Having set up 4 assists, won two penalties and scored a goal (albeit from a penalty) his first impression seems a good one so far.

Manchester City’s rebel striker Carlos Tevez makes the list this month. Tevez makes the cut after scoring two important goals against Southampton and Liverpool in the absence of the injured Sergio Aguero.

After what has been an extremely long time, Chelsea and Spanish hitman Fernando Torres makes the list. Having scored a controversial offside goal against Reading, his superb strike against Newcastle after a well linked 1-2 with Hazard earns him a rare spot on this team.

Bench:

Wigan keeper Ali-Al Habsi, Tottenham full back Benoit Assou-Ekotto and Everton hard man Phil Jagielka all stood out in their respective matches. New Manchester United signing Shinji Kagawa has shown that he possesses the goods to shine in the premier League. Arsenal’s record signing Santi Cazorla has shown some good movement and neat passes but the inability of Arsenal strikers to score earns him only a bench spot. Swansea winger Nathan Dyer has shone with his opening day brace against QPR. Romelu Lukaku on loan at West Brom has started as a substitute but has already scored with a header against Liverpool and influence the equalizer against Tottenham.

 

 

By ashteriophage • EPL • 0

Aug 28 2012

Newcastle:An unfinished product!!!

Newcastle United are an admirable club, and are sure to expected to reach great heights under Alan Pardew’s reign ,but surely what we saw on Saturday night was a below-par performance from a team.On it’s day,capable of challenging any of the world’s best as seen repeatedly during the past season.
Last season was the backdrop of the resurgence of one of English footballs most prestigious clubs,Newcastle United.Under Alan Pardrew’s reign,the team of rather unknown players,combined with some clever signings has presented the world with a team,that can potentially break open the top 4 spot contention in the EPL.For a few years now,it has been quite easy to predict the top 4,with United,Chelsea and Arsenal firm fixtures in the top 4.The surprise package from SportsDirect Arena has blown open the elite.
Players like Demba Ba and Yohan Cabaye are Champions League material,and the most admirable aspect of Newcastle’s resurgence has been that they have not become a “selling club”. Newcastle have firmly rebuffed bids for their star players, and as Pardew said earlier ”It would be a great achievement for us if we manage to keep hold of our current players rather than signing new ones” would certainly mean Newcatle are here to stay.

Having been relegated a couple of seasons back,they have come back,and come back with a bang.

The mercurial Cisse,the enigmatic Ba ,the creativity master Ben Arfa and  the seemingly brilliant Cabaye are the pioneers of this revolution,but behind them they have steely and determined players like Guttierez,Tiote,Coloccini and the Taylors.
All these players,combined with bargains like Vurnon Anita and the creative midfielder,Roman Amalfitano can give NUFC that push in their bid for the elusive champions league spot.While all may seem good,Newcastle like all other clubs do have their offdays.They need to produce better displays against the bigger clubs and rake up the points when they face relatively easier opponents.

With such a talented lot and strong enough bench they have all the good reasons to make the right noise.Playing in the Europa League(provided they qualify) would just be a consolation to a brilliant season where they remained unbeaten right until December when they were undone by Chelsea at home.This season they look to come out more determined than ever to grab that elusive Champions league spot after missing out on it last season by a whisker.Victory over contenders Tottenham and a midweek draw against Atromitos with a relatively weaker squad was a good enough start.But a disheartening loss to Chelsea might force them to rethink on their stratergy against big teams and come up rejuvenated for their next fixtures.

In Alan Pardew they have got a disciplinarian and hardworking manager who looks even at the minute details of the game.His tactics,shouting at players from the byline and having animated conversations with the 4th official during the game shows his love for both the game and the club.Certainly the club are headed in the right direction under him.

Its now onto the players and manager how to cope up with the expectations of their fans and improve from their performance of last season.And once they get into their rhythm of winning games they will be right up there.To do so, they must hit top form and play with some swagger,we will witness some brilliant football from the magpies.Until then,let us hope that we will see the very best from this team,certainly capable of giving Arsenal and Spurs a run for that 4th spot.

Here’s wishing the Manager of the year for last season,all the very best.

 -Krishna And Akshay

By Krishna • EPL, Newcastle • 0

Aug 28 2012

Game Week 1 roundup

The German first division began in a spectacular fashion this weekend, with 22 goals scored in 9 matches. At the start of its 50th season, it looks like the competition for the Bundesliga title is going to be very competitive, with only two teams winning by a margin of more than one goal.

In the first match of the season, Defending champions Borrusia Dortmund took on Werder Bremen in a tricky home fixture. Marco Reus scored in just 11 minutes on his debut. Dortmund looked quite sluggish throughout, only to be rudely awakened by an equalizer via Theodore Gebre-Selassie who found Marko Arnautovic’s fine cross. Just when it looked as if the champions’ opening game would be spoiled, Mario Gӧtze ensured that his team’s 29 league game unbeaten streak continued.

Two second half goals from Dani Schahin ensured Fortuna Düsseldorf’s victory against Augsburg. Bas Dost acored a last minute goal against Stuttgart, right after Stuttgart’s Vedad Ibisevic had won a penalty, which was saved and missed the rebound from just a few yards.

Borussia Mönchengladbach secured a 2-1 victory against Hoffenheim , a match in which last season’s star player Juan Arango was directly involved in both goals. The Venezuelan set up Gladbach’s opener by curling in a free-kick to Mike Hanke to nod home. He then scored their winner – a free-kick on the edge of the box, which he dispatched into the corner.

Mario Mandzukic   scored his first in the Bavarians 3-0 win at newly promoted Greuther Fürth with Thomas Müller and Arjen Robben grabbing the others.

Schalke 04 were held to a draw by Hannover. Last season’s Bundesliga top scorer, Klaas-Jan Huntelaar, opened his account for this campaign as he  scored the equaliser after Hannover’s newly signed  centre back Felipe netted the opener just before half time. Lewis Holtby put the away side in front before another one of Hannover’s new signings Adrian Nikci came off the bench and rescued a point for Mirko Slomka’s side.

The opening weekend of the German league has definitely been a great one, with three of the top four German clubs securing victories, while two of the newly promoted sides also managed to secure a win.

By D.SoccerSyndrome • News • 0

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