Archive for August, 2008

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Manchester United Vs Portsmouth: Fletcher scores in Devils 1-0 win over Pompey

August 26th, 2008

Red Devils picked up their first win of the Premiership, as they defeated Portsmouth 1-0 in close match at Fratton Park.

Manchester United won on the back of a Darren Fletcher goal in the 33rd minute of the game.

It was a better performance from the home side, as Portsmouth showed better defense in better part of the game. They showed no signs of vulnerability, which was visible in their 4-0 defeat at the hands of Chelsea last week.

Harry Redknapp, Portsmouth Manager, said that his side gave a fighting effort against Premier League title contender, Manchester United.

He felt that Chelsea and Man United are currently looking the toughest side of the lot. According to him, they will again be the ones, who are going to fight it out for the Premiership title during the final stages of the season.

Meanwhile, Sir Alex Ferguson was impressed with Fletcher’s performance in both the opening games. He has been all praise for the young Scottish midfielder.

Darren Fletcher has been the lone goal scorer for the Red Devils in the first two games and is looking forward to improve his performance in the coming games.

In this game, the midfielder was able to claim the goal after Frenchmen Evra’s cross was rebounded from Pompey defender Sol Campbell. Scotland Star Fletcher’s shin then came in the way of the ball and directed it past a stranded David James.

With this 1-0 away win, current UEFA and BPL Champions will be looking forward to get back into the form that won them glory in the previous season.

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Posted in Man U, Portsmouth

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Ferguson hopes still alive for Henry

August 26th, 2008

It has been a long summer for the English club coaches in the Barclays Premier League.

Rafa Benitez has had his fight for Gareth Barry, which turned sour as the club owners decided against the transfer. Arsene Wenger, on the other hand, might make a move into the transfer market yet again to pursue the same Gareth Barry. However, Sir Alex Ferguson is treading a different path altogether.

Ferguson, who has already made his intentions clear of signing in Berbatov over from the Tottenham side, has mentioned that he would not give up on the Barcelona striker Thierry Henry.

After a scrappy performance by his team last week, Fergie has made it a point to strengthen his side into a formidable barrier to break down. He surely looks confident to defend the Championship title at every cost.

On the other hand, Dimitar Berbatov is to be put on the Spurs bench while his teammates are to take the field. This may be an opportunity for Fergie to get one deal out of the two.

If Fergie does pullout Barcelona striker, Henry, it will be a major transfer of the season. Manchester United, already known well for their counter attacks, would then have an attacking line, which would be tough for the best of defenders to cope.

Now, only time can tell what is in stored for Fergie and his men? However, it does not seem that he would have to encounter any misfortune like that of his fellow Liverpool Coach Benitez.

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Posted in Football Transfer Market, Man U

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Chelsea Vs Wigan Athletic: Deco scores his second to take Chelsea through 1-0

August 25th, 2008

Although the flair with which they rotted Portsmouth 4-0 was missing in this encounter, still Chelsea came up with the goods by defeating Wigan Athletic 1-0 in a Sunday matchup at The JJB Stadium.

It was another excellent performance by their new draftee Deco, who scored his second goal in his second game at the London Club.

The Portuguese midfielder, who has already been tagged amongst the best European transfer of the season, scored within three minutes of the game from a free kick, as the Blues barely came home with three points against a strong Lactics side.

There were several attempts from the Stamford Bridge Side with Terry, Anelka, Ballack and Deco all gunning at opponent’s goal. Still, a strong show by Wigan on their home ground gave very little scope for Chelsea to show the same wrath that had Pompey crawling on the ground.

Luiz Felipe Scolari was happy with the performance of his side, even though they failed to make the score beyond 1-0.

He felt that his side was unlucky at stages. He also praised Wigan for their determined defense throughout the game and gave very little to the Blue to work upon.

Meanwhile at City of Manchester Stadium, Manchester City romped to a 3-0 win over 10-men Hammers, as they removed the shadows of their disappointing performance at Villa Park. It was Brazilian Elano, who struck twice, and Petrov, both of whom were instrumental in City win. West Ham’s Mark Noble was sent off in the first half, after he received his second yellow card of the game.

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Posted in Chelsea FC, Premier League

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Manchester City Vs West ham United: Elano’s double strike fashions in City win

August 25th, 2008

After a disappointing loss to Aston Villa in the first week of the Premier League, Manchester City fought back with an impressive 3-0 victory over West Ham United in the City of Manchester Stadium.

West Ham never looked threatening for the home side and when midfielder Mark Noble was sent off in 39th minute for getting two yellow cards, they were only waiting for final whistle to go up.

Two goals were scored by Brazilian Elano and one by Petrov, as City had the away side on the mat in the second half with a string of attacks. They gave full pressure on the hammers goalie Robert Green and never allowed him to have a breather in most parts of the second half.

The only worry on the day for City and English supporter was to see the England International Micah Richards sent off the ground, when he collided with his teammate Tal Ben Haim only a minute into the second half of the game.

Richards was treated for 8 minutes on the pitch. However, his condition could not improve and hence, he was taken to dressing room by medics.

Now, everyone will have their fingers crossed for the player’s recovery, as he has an important role in the success of the club.

Meanwhile at JJB stadium, Chelsea continued their winning run with a goal from their new draftee Deco, which took them past Wigan Athletic 1-0. It was a second goal for the Portuguese midfielder in as many games.

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Posted in Manchester City, Premier League

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Arsenal Vs Fulham: Gunners fail to impress in a 1-0 defeat at Craven Cottage

August 24th, 2008

Arsenal today failed to impress in an away match against supposedly ‘tame’ rivals Fulham with a disappointing 0-1 loss to the home side.

The away side had it all to win the game, but was without the adequate firepower when it mattered to get the ball beyond the home goalie Mark Schwarzer.

Fans at the Craven Cottage witnessed a great match, as it was the home side that took the game to their control from the start and scored the only goal of the match.

Norway defender, Brede Hangeland, hammered his first goal for the Whites, a header in response to a corner by Jimmy Bullard in the 21st minute.

After this goal, the match went on in a frantic fashion, but it was the Whites’ defense that was calm throughout. They responded with well crafted possession based moves, much to the Gunners’ frustration.

As the game progressed, the intensity of the attacks by Arsenal increased, but it was too late as the damage had already been done.

Emanuel Adebayor was too lazy in the first half, and Samir Nasri, unlike the last match, was lacking his usual touch. Robbie van Persie took five pitiful free kicks, hitting four on the wall and one well above the bar.

Arsenal manager Arsene Wenger, in the post match press conference repeatedly pressed on the fact that his team was the ones with more determination, before praising Fulham as the better team!

Meanwhile, Newcastle United defeated Bolton Wanderers 1-0 at St. James Park much to the delight of Coach Kevin Keegan. Again, Stoke scored an upset by their 3-2 victory over Aston Villa in a nail biting encounter at Britannia Stadium.

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Posted in Arsenal, Premier League

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Liverpool Vs Middlesbrough: Mido magic shattered by late Gerrard strike!

August 24th, 2008

After winning their opening matches, both Liverpool and Middlesbrough looked promising for their clash at Anfield on Saturday.

Middlesbrough looked a formidable side after their 2-0 victory over Tottenham last week.

From the beginning, the away side seemed confident with their attacks in the first half putting aside the occasional counters by Liverpool. It was the combination of Torres and Kuyt that saw the first shot on the opponent goal in the beginning. Both the teams kept attacking to no avail, as the first half closed at 0-0.

It was only in the second half of the game when Mido, goal scorer from the last game, was brought into the game by the Middlesbrough coach. He seemed to enchant the fans with his skill and speed soon after taking the field.

Moments after he made an opening for Tuncay, Mido scored the first goal of the match, which silenced the home crowd. With one goal ahead, Middlesbrough had the upper hand and was not letting the Reds strikers to sneak in.

However, the persistent Liverpool side did not give up their attack and soon scored from a jarring Carragher shot, which deflected of the Middlesbrough captain Pogotez in the 86th minute.

At 1-1, the match looked to be equally poised. However, the finale was yet to come, as Gerrard hit the hammer on the nail with a goal in the stoppage time, which shattered the hopes for Middlesbrough.

The classy performance by Mido was not enough to let his team achieve the upset, as Liverpool finished with a 2-1 victory over Middlesbrough.

Meanwhile at White Hart Lane, Tottenham Hotspurs suffered their second defeat in as many games with a 2-1 loss at the hands of Roy Keane’s Sunderland. Blackburn Rovers also dropped points, as they were held to a 1-1 draw by Hull at Ewood Park.

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Posted in Liverpool, Middlesbrough

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Robinho: Playing for an English Club has been my dream

August 23rd, 2008

Chelsea, already looking a formidable side and challengers to the Championship title of the Barclays Premier League, is looking to grow even stronger with a possibility of another Brazilian flavor to be added in their ranks.

Robinho, currently playing as a forward for the Spanish Giants Real Madrid, has asserted his wish to move on to the London Club. According to sources, he is not interested in continuing his career at Bernabeu.

It has been in news that the Brazilian superstar was very upset with the authorities for not allowing him to represent his country at the 2008 Beijing Olympics.

However, Robinho dismissed any such controversy. Instead, he said that playing for an English club has been his dream and this is the only reason for his interest in the Blues.

He made it clear that although he respected the Spanish club and its players along with the Spanish supporters, who have always cheered him, he can consider Chelsea’s offer.

According to Robinho, this offer is both profitable for him as well as the Real Madrid club. With the pool of talent constantly growing at the Stamford Bridge Side, the Brazilian magician is wishing to be playing alongside them.

Robinho’s agent, Ribeiro, has spoken out on Wednesday that if Chelsea were to offer a sum of $59 million for the star player, the club might finalize the deal.

On the other hand Robinho’s desperation was clearly visible, when he stated that he was not interested in the amount but wanted to leave his current club as early as possible.

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Posted in Chelsea FC, Premier League

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Arsene Wenger: Too early for making predictions

August 23rd, 2008

Arsenal coach, Arsene Wenger, has been wary of his team’s performance before the start of the season. He felt that they needed to focus on the Champions League as well as the Premier League with equal vigor to stand supreme amongst the European Clubs.

Though the Gunner’s won the first match against West Brom 1-0, they seemed a little shabby compared to Chelsea, who mauled Portsmouth 4-0.

The Blues, under the rule of Luiz Felipe Scolari and playing with the new draftee Deco, seemed to be unstoppable in their opening match.

Wenger confirmed that Chelsea played an “impressive’ game, but also mentioned that it is really difficult to maintain it over the entire season. Even, Arsenal had started the league with an unbeatable 15 game streak in the previous season but crumpled down later on.

Arsenal coach said that he watched the match only through the first half, and then stopped as he felt that the match was already over by then. He thought that it was a poor day for Portsmouth and it could happen to any side.

According to Wenger, Chelsea would be trying hard to overthrow the Champions Manchester United.

He felt that last season was very unlucky for them having lost the title in the final game of the season owing to a draw. This time the Blues look more confident with the experience of Scolari to back them up.

However, Arsenal has also added to its side the experienced defender Silvestre over from Manchester United. Wenger hopes that this experience may allow him to cope with the injuries and misfortune, which always clouds his side.

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Posted in Arsenal, Premier League

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Hansen: Liverpool lacking skills to become Premier League Champions

August 22nd, 2008

Although Liverpool has been one of the better teams in the Premier League, they have failed to show true threat to the Championship title for a long time now.

Liverpool has always been there in the top echelon of the Premier League teams, but somehow always finished as the team “who could have won the title”. This thought was confirmed by the player Alan Hansen, Liverpool’s former defender.

James Carragher, the current centre-back for Liverpool, on reading the statement has reacted in favor of Hansen.

Carragher has said that he would not be criticizing the team during Hansen’s era. However at the same time, he emphasized that though Liverpool had the best side, then too they could not win the Championship.

It is true that Liverpool have won leagues without having the greatest team at times. However, Hansen does not see it happening now. According to him, the Reds need a little more than just the spirit of winning to emerge as Champions.

Though Rafael Benitez’s men beat Sunderland 1-0 to start this new season, there were areas showing the vulnerability in the game of the Anfield club.

In spite of a victory, Carragher said that he could not just overlook Hansen’s statement. He felt that owing to the growing competition, it is pertinent that the team should have few of the best players in the position they play.

According to Carragher, Liverpool is not ready to take up the challenge of playing clubs like Manchester United or Chelsea. To do that, they need stability and more skill, which at present is missing in the club in spite of the presence of big names.

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Posted in Liverpool, Premier League

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City looking for better showing with positive changes

August 22nd, 2008

Manchester City, a club often overshadowed by their illustrious neighbors Manchester United, is looking for improvement in their performance in the premiership following this weekend’s shameful 2-4 defeat at the hands of Aston Villa.

The club has seen more negative things in the recent past than positive. This includes the reports of owner Thaksin Shinawatra, the former prime minister of Thailand, leaving the club following corruption reports. The new manager Mark Hughes has also been rumored constantly of having left the club, even though he’s still there.

Much to Hughes’ frustration, former City ‘hit man’ Roque Santa Cruz, who is currently with Blackburn Rovers, has been labeled as a ‘not-for-sale‘ commodity by Rovers.

According to Hughes, there are still possibilities to put behind all this, as his squad is still improving. Even though they suffered a defeat at Villa Park, they showed intensifying performance at key areas in the field.

The news for the club at the moment is the return of striker Jo, who had been away to Beijing, to represent Brazil.

His return, according to a ‘thankful‘ Hughes, has been important for the club, especially in wake of City trailing 0-1 to FC Midtjylland in the UEFA Cup with the home leg remaining.

Another prolific addition to the squad is Israeli defender Tal Ben Haim from Chelsea, the second transfer of the club in three weeks. He has embarked on a four year contract at City for an undisclosed deal between the two clubs.

Ben Haim will be able to give the club more options in central defense along with Captain Richard Dunne and England star Micah Richards, which is something that lacked last season.

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Posted in Manchester City, Premier League

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