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Tottenham Hotspurs Vs Aston Villa: Spurs dismal run continues with 2-1 loss

September 16th, 2008

Tottenham Hotspurs lost their third game of the season, as Aston Villa defeated the North Londoners 2-1 at White Hart Lane.

This is the worst start from Spurs, as they have only scored 1 point from four games.

Goals from Ashley Young and Reo Coker were instrumental in architecting a disappointing loss to North Londoners.

However, Spurs cannot point finger at the transfer saga of Dimitar Berbatov for their current defeat. This defeat has come primarily for some good attacking display by Martin O’Neill’s side. They dealt with everything that their opponents threw at them.

Heurelho Gomes, Spurs keeper, did make a good save in the game that prevented the Villa lead to be doubled after Reo Coker scored the opener in the first half (fifth minute of the game) for the visiting side. However, Gomes was at fault when it was his lapse in concentration that saw Villa doubled the lead through Young.

Although Darren Bent scored a fortunate goal in the dying stages of the game, it was too late for the home side to achieve a point from it. Again, the late goal did not see any lapse in concentration from the Villa defense, which consistently persisted on and didn’t give any opportunity.

With their 3rd loss in four games, now Spurs will have to dig deep and make the best use of their resources. Players like new draftee Pavlyuchenko, Bent and Woodagate will have to play at their best for their side to come back to winning ways.

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Posted in Aston Villa, Tottenham

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Injury troubles at Villa Park

September 11th, 2008

Aston Villa, who is currently in the middle of the table in the Premiership with four points from two games, has once again got an injury to add to their ongoing woes.

The player out injured this time is none other than the ever (read ‘over’) enthusiastic Steve Sidwell, who was signed in just concluded transfer window from Chelsea. He is out due to a knee injury obtained while playing for the Villa reserve team.

He had earlier got a calf setback, but was nonetheless deemed a starter for the away match against Tottenham Hotspur at White Hart Lane.

Villa medical staffs are having this injury as a tough nut to crack. Having a good performer always keeps the team management thinking about the chances of the player in any match, and this one is no exception.

The only on-field action, which Sidwell has witnessed while playing for Villa, is two games in the Intertoto Cup against Odenese.

According to Martin o’Neill, this injury could be quite disappointing in case Sidwell has to miss the match.

Meanwhile, Holland international Wilfred Bouma has revealed that he will be able to get to action in January. It can even be December. However, he has to be very lucky for that.

The defender, though, insists that it is the first time he is having such a long injury spell, and has got improved patience as a result.

Carlos Cuellar, another draftee, is ready to play in the first team after performing in two reserve games, thus providing some relief to o’Neill.

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Posted in Aston Villa, Premier League

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Newcastle United: Another case of post-transfer season frustration

September 4th, 2008

Newcastle United, a club known recently for its relegation battles in the previous season, is again in a tight spot after transfer season ended this week.

After a great start to this season with a 1-1 away draw at Old Trafford against Manchester United and a win against Blackburn Rovers, the spirits started to go down with a 3-0 loss against Arsenal at the Emirates Stadium, and the end of the transfer window proved this.

While an attempt to sell owner Mike Ashley’s not-so-recent dislike Joey Barton was of course more than expected, it was also unsuccessful.

To everyone’s surprise, it is being said that the club also tried to sell Michael Owen in wake of his contract expiring. They were also eliminating the possibility of any January window negotiations, when some clubs would like to take him for a free transfer next year.

This transfer season revealed to one and all, including manager Kevin Keegan, that he does not have the full control over transfers, in and out. The selling of James Milner for 12 million pounds to Aston Villa proved this.

To add to his vows, Keegan’s biggest problem this season is a small and injury ridden squad, which desperately needed new players, something that probably will have to wait till January.

In case Keegan is sacked, he is expected to get around 8 million pounds as a compensation for a premature contract termination.

Let’s wait for Newcastle’s coming matches to see what a mood change they can bring. For example, the draw against Man U lifted their spirits and ended the pre season gloom at the Magpies’ camp.

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Posted in Football Transfer Market, Newcastle United

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Torres out for 3 week with hamstring injury

September 3rd, 2008

Chances of an in-form Fernando Torres facing the European Champions, Manchester United, looked slim, after a hamstring tear ruled him out of contention for three weeks.

With this news, it was almost certain that Spanish Forward was not expected to make a comeback before an all important clash against a strong Old Trafford Side, who added Dimitar Berbatov as another attacking option, on September 13.

Liverpool Star suffered the injury after he pulled up sharply while chasing a ball during the game on Saturday against Aston Villa at Villa Park.

Torres has now joined Liverpool Skipper Steven Gerrard, who is out with a groin problem, on the injury list.

Dutch and Liverpool midfielder Dirk Kuyt felt that the weekend’s goalless draw was the best available result for them, after the team was playing without their star forward.

Kuyt said ‘Although we weren’t able to create opportunities on the opponents end, our defense was always active. The credit for the side’s coming out with a point from the game should go to the defenders’.

On being asked of the impact of this injury on his side, Dutchmen replied ‘Torres being one of the best players in the world, his absence will be missed.’

‘Though we have the experience of Robbie Keane upfront, still the results are not proving to be good for us. Probably, former Hotspurs forward needs sometime to settle down’.

Kuyt is assured that the players will come up with goods in the game against United, even though they will be playing without the likes of Torres and Gerrard in their ranks.

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Posted in Liverpool, 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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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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Arsenal looking for a new midfielder before transfer window closes

August 20th, 2008

Arsenal has set up a target to get a midfielder before the end of this transfer season to further revitalize the squad.

With star player Cesc Fabregas out on the grounds of a hamstring injury, which will not enable him to be back before the club’s second leg UEFA Champions League match against FC Twente, the midfield is once again set to be a keen discussion topic among various football specialists.

Possible targets for a midfield slot within the BPL include Liverpool’s Xabi Alonso and Aston Villa’s Gareth Barry amongst others.

Another young gun, Swiss midfielder Gokhan Inler, 8 million pound rated star, currently at Udinese may very well be the answer to this question.

The Gunners won their opening match of the Barclays Premier League against West Brom on Sunday, and the club would be looking to carry their form when they go to Fulham this weekend.

In the mean time, Arsenal have successfully extended Togolese striker Emmanuel Adebayor’s contract, extending it possibly up to 2012. This new deal will enable the striker to earn in the range of 160,000 pounds per week.

While most parts of the Arsenal faithful have given a mixed reaction to this new deal, manager Arsene Wenger has said that in any case Adebayor is an important part of the squad.

Wenger said that the striker needs to be backed fully by the fans, as ‘every player needs to feel wanted’. According to him, the striker’s contribution in the last two games is considerable by all standards.

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Posted in Arsenal, Premier League

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Manchester United Vs Newcastle United: Champions start off with a tame draw

August 18th, 2008

Manchester United, the current Premier League Champions, began their title defense in an unlikely tame fashion when they were held 1-1 by Newcastle United at Old Trafford.

But the coach of Manchester United, Sir Alex Ferguson is most unlikely to get too much stressed for his side losing two points in this year’s opener of the BPL.

It may be noted that in last year, Manchester United only managed to collect two points from their first three games although they finished top in the end.

Ferguson ended the match by making Patrice Evra providing valuable support for Wayne Rooney from the up front after midfielder Darren Fletcher equalized Newcastle’s Obafemi Martins’ opener.

Newcastle showed extreme excellence on the field was courtesy of their new Argentinean player, Jonas Gutierrez. He created several problems for the hosts and at one time, Manchester United went into an uncharacteristic defensive mood.

At one stage of the match, TV replays showed that that Jonas Gutierrez claimed for an invalid penalty after he was totally flattened by Manchester United’s Nemanja Vidic, but it was well noticed that the former Real Mallorca player was positioned well outside the box.

Manchester United should claim no excuse as they failed to track Martins when he leapt alone to receive James Milner’s corner kick and deflected it with enough power sending it past Paul Scholes to score the opener for Newcastle.

The lead for Newcastle lasted, however, lasted just two minutes when Fletcher stole a quick chance to steer a ball of Giggs and helped the host to salvage a draw.

Meanwhile at Villa Park, Manchester City was crushed by Aston Villa 4-2, as England U-21 International, Agbonlahor, scored a hat-trick for the home side.

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Posted in Man U, Newcastle United

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Chelsea Vs Portsmouth: Scolari’s Brazilian flair helps The Blues thrash Pompey 4-0

August 18th, 2008

Chelsea came out all guns blazing in their first game of the new season, as they won 4-0 against a Portsmouth side that seemed to have had lost its bearings completely in a goal fest. This game announced the arrival of Luiz Filipe Scolari, the revival of Frank Lampard and the debut of playmaker Deco.

The scoring started as early as in the 12th minute, when Joe Cole scored a brilliant goal to set the home crowd dancing and cheering on their feet.

The second goal came from the only senior striker available in Stamford Bridge Side at the moment, when Nicholas Anelka found the goal with his nearly perfect header to a cross from full back Jose Bosingwa.

Just when the first half was to end, a cross from Cole was ‘hand balled’ by Pompey defender Distin. When Frank Lampard was about to take the spot kick, Portsmouth keeper David James witnessed the only booking of the match, a yellow card for kicking the ball. Nevertheless, Lampard scored from the spot, as the crowd went louder.

Peter Crouch failed to impress with his play and understanding with Jermain Defoe.

Barring some forced saves from Peter Cech and a great block of a Niko Kranjcar’s shot by Ricardo Carvalho, Chelsea were driving without any breaks from the start and a crisp finish by Deco in the 89th minute brought the game to a 4-0 finish for the home side.

Meanwhile, Manchester United lack the flair shown by the London Club and were held to a 1-1 draw by Newcastle in Old Trafford. Another match saw a hat-trick from Agbonlahor, England U-21 International, as Aston Villa came on top against Manchester City 4-2 at Villa Park.

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Posted in Chelsea FC, Portsmouth

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