Daily Transfer News - 24th May 2007
Click here for all major live football scores!Brazilian Julio Baptista will return Real Madrid after Arsenal ruled out bringing him to the Emirates on a permanent deal - something to cheer about if you are a fantasy player or Arsenal fan. Over at Portsmouth Harry Redknapp has launched a spending spree. I personally think he should save up and get some plastic surgery.
Samuel Eto'o hopes Arsenal forward Thierry Henry will sign for Barcelona this summer. |
| Udinese have confirmed Sulley Muntari has travelled to England to complete a move to Portsmouth. |
| Julio Baptista is set to return to Spain following his season with Arsenal. |
| Harry Redknapp insists Sylvain Distin is the first arrival of many at Portsmouth this summer. |
| Rafa Benitez is ready to start his summer clearout after Liverpool's Champions League defeat. |
| Middlesbrough boss Gareth Southgate may consider selling in order to land his summer transfer targets. |
| Crystal Palace boss Peter Taylor has revealed he is considering a move for veteran striker Teddy Sheringham. |
| Colchester have put Richard Garcia's contract talks on hold after he flew to Australia to be with his ill father. |
| After Champions League glory, AC Milan president Silvio Berlusconi wants to sign Ronaldinho. |
| Matt Jackson has joined Watford on a two-year deal after rejecting the chance to stay at Wigan. |
| Gareth Southgate has dismissed suggestions Yakubu is unsettled at Middlesbrough. |
Tabloid Headlines - Thursday 24th May 2007
Click here for all major live football scores!All the talk is about Southampton's Gareth Bale this morning. Will the teenager go to Tottenham or Manchester United? Having seen him against Man City in the FA Cup this season I have to say that he certainly shouldn't be rated as a £10 million defender. English players being overpriced again? You bet!
THE SUN:
Liverpool failed with a last-ditch bid to snatch defender Sylvain Distin from under the noses of Portsmouth.
Ryan Giggs is trying to convince highly-rated Southampton left-back Gareth Bale to join him at Manchester United rather than sign for Tottenham.
DAILY MIRROR:
Gabriel Heinze could be on his way to Spain after Villarreal entered the race for the Manchester United defender.
Tony Adams has revealed he is desperate to manage old club Arsenal.
DAILY STAR:
Real Madrid are lining up a £20million bid for Arsenal midfielder Cesc Fabregas.
Claude Makelele has threatened to quit Chelsea for Spanish club Villarreal this summer unless he gets a new contract.
Blackburn's Andy Todd is poised to follow in his father's footsteps by signing for Sunderland.
Premiership newcomers Birmingham are lining up a £3million bid for West Ham left-back Paul Konchesky.
Southampton have turned down a £6million bid from Spurs for left-back Bale.
Bryan Robson wants to make Manchester United's Kieran Richardson his first signing as Sheffield United boss.
DAILY MAIL:
Tottenham are confident of signing Bale in a £10million deal, but Saints boss George Burley denies anything has been agreed.
Aston Villa defender Jlloyd Samuel is on the verge of joining Bolton on a free transfer.
Watford have agreed a £500,000 deal for Crystal Palace winger Jobi McAnuff.
DAILY EXPRESS:
Newcastle chairman Freddy Shepherd was stunned when given the news of the attempted takeover of his club while he lay sick in a hospital bed.
Bale is certain to leave Southampton this summer, but the Saints want to flush out other potential suitors after Tottenham made a bid worth a total of £10million.
Lee McCulloch has told new Wigan boss Chris Hutchings he still has his heart set on a move to Rangers.
THE GUARDIAN:
Tottenham will sign Bale for £10million today.
Sylvain Distin left Manchester City because of their lack of ambition in the transfer market.
DAILY RECORD:
Aberdeen boss Jimmy Calderwood fears losing skipper Russell Anderson, a target for Middlesbrough, Everton and Sunderland.
Maurice Malpas has admitted defeat in his attempts to keep Kevin McBride at Motherwell.
Craig Gordon may be a summer target for a host of Premiership clubs, but the keeper insists he is happy to stay at Hearts and laughed off suggestions he's worth £10million.
Daily Transfer News - 23rd May 2007
Click here for all major live football scores!| Portsmouth have signed former Manchester City captain Sylvain Distin on a free transfer. |
| Harry Redknapp admits midfielder Sulley Muntari is very close to signing for Portsmouth. |
| Southampton have denied reports suggesting Tottenham have agreed a deal for Gareth Bale. |
| Andy Todd is on his way out of Blackburn after he was told the club are willing to sell him. |
| Claude Makelele wants Chelsea to decide if he still has a future at Stamford Bridge. |
| West Ham's Carlos Tevez has been reportedly offered to Chelsea for £35million. |
| Bayern Munich have reportedly targeted Arsenal's Robin van Persie for a £8million summer move. |
| Rangers fear they could miss out to Juventus in the race to sign Bayern Munich's Claudio Pizarro. |
| Rafael Benitez won't be awarded a new contract for winning the Champions League. |
| Barcelona's Samuel Eto'o dismissed speculation linking him with a move to the Premiership. |
| Derby chairman Peter Gadsby is confident manager Billy Davies will stay at Pride Park. |
| Portsmouth are expected to confirm the signings of Sylvain Distin and Sulley Muntari on Wednesday. |
| Jose Mourinho now wants a striker and defender after signing Steve Sidwell. |
Daily Update
So, Sylvain Distin has finally had enough of Premiership strugglers Man City and is hoping to ply his trade at Portsmouth next season. The Frenchman was a huge part of the Manchester outfit and will be hugely missed at Eastland’s. But what is Man City’s loss can now be Portsmouth’s gain. The South coast team are lining up a formidable defence for the start of next year with Distin moving to be alongside former England and Arsenal man Sol Campbell. Distin statistically is one of the best central defenders in the Premiership and, in my opinion, is the best defender in the air in the English top flight. His clearance and aerial prowess is almost unrivalled and he has coped well against the likes of Peter Crouch and Didier Drogba this season. He will certainly be an excellent addition to Portsmouth and will definitely be one to keep an eye out for at the start of next season.
Seasonal Round-Up
So, we draw close to the end of the season and without an International Summer tournament most fantasy players will get a prolonged break from the weekly agonies of picking the "perfect" team. But it is not all done and dusted just yet, we still have a few more games left to enjoy and sneak a few more places up the ranking table.Top Players - David James the Comeback Kid
Ronaldo surely takes the top prize as the fantasy mangers MVP of the season. His consistency, attacking attributes and clinical finishes may have been lacking in the European Cup but he has certainly delivered in style for the Premiership. He has been a thorn in the side of most Premiership defenders and managers will have him labelled in as next years first draft pick into their squads. Moving away from, perhaps, the overrated we come to the underrated players of this season. In the goalkeeping department I have been very impressed with resurgence of David James. The Portsmouth keeper has possibly had one of his best seasons this year (probably due to not having the pressure of playing for England) and has looked mature and comfortable at his new home on the South coast. Another player that I have admired between the sticks this season is Readings Hahnemann. The American, who loves to collect rifles, has been pretty good as shot stopper himself this season. He has racked up the most amount of saves for a keeper this season (161 so far) and when you look at Reading's high position in the league table it is obvious to assume that Hahnemann is their best defender. In other areas I have enjoyed picking Matthew Taylor (POR) and Nicky Shorey (REA) in defence, David Bentley (BLA) and Cesc Fabregas (ARS) in midfield and Dimitar Berbatov (TOT) in attack.
My performance - fantasy mediocrity?
Using these players this year has been a mixed bag for me fantasy football wise. I am doing well in the Daily Mail game (top 200) after a fairly decent run; I am also in the top 100 of the SkySports fantasy game, I actually notched up the highest score for one game week which I am pleased about. Over in the Premierleague.com game I have currently accrued a respectable 1791pts, which was not good enough to disturb the top players but has helped me to lead my private league for most of the season. Finally Yahoo. Oh Yahoo, how I love to hate thee... In my opinion it is by far one of the most intense, skilful and fun games on the market but it still suffers from many flaws and I have made some cardinal sins this year. On no less than FIVE, yes FIVE, occasions I have missed the lockdown time with an illegible team. This has lead to a mediocre season for myself this year. I know, schoolboy error but sometimes you just can't help being stuck up a mountain at 10am on a Saturday without WiFi. Yahoo should seriously look into remedying this setup as I feel it happens to many players and once it does happen, your interest tends to wane in the competition. Saying that though I still somehow managed to scrap into the top 97%.
The Ugly - Fantasy Tripe
There are a few games that I have not enjoyed this season, one is the Sportinglife/Silent Manager fantasy game. The prize money is negligible, £10k, compared to say The Daily Mail's £60k and you have to pay for all transfers bar four, again in The Daily Mail you get five free every quarter. The simplistic scoring system, lack of transfers and long waits for points updates certainly makes this one of the bogey games of the season.
The future - Man City Champions of Europe????
What about my performance? Well, I have tried my best this season to publish as many weekly line-up reviews as possible but it certainly has become a time strain. I have identified five different articles that I hope to make permanent fixtures for next season: EPL Preview (Saturday AM/Friday PM), EPL Review (Tuesday AM), General Weekly Fantasy Article (Wednesday) and finally a Team of the Week/Pick of the Week (Friday).
I hope everyone has had good fortune so far!
Israel v England Preview - Euro 2008
England need nothing short of a victory against Israel on Saturday night and much maligned Steve McClaren will be hoping that his team can produce the goods that will propel them one step closer to the European Championship.Team News
England will stick to their tried and tested 4-4-2 formation with Aaron Lennon appearing on the left of midfield and Steven Gerrard being utilised on the right, where his club boss Rafa Benitez has tended to implement him this season. Owen Hargreaves returns to the pack after a lengthy absence due to a broken leg and will accompany Frank Lampard in the centre. Steve McClaren's problems come in the full back positions as first-choice picks Ashley Cole and Gary Neville are sidelined due to suspension and injury, so this means that Liverpool's Jamie Carragher and Everton's Phil Neville will slot in.
Israel have even more team selection problems as both first-choice strikers Colautti and Yaniv Katan are unavailable. Bolton's Idan Tal is also suspended which means that Israel will have to draft in some inexperience upfront in the shape of Ben Shushan and Tamuz.
England Over Jew a Win
McClaren has decided to add an injection of pace to England team having decided to use Johnson and Lennon in attack and, alongside Rooney, should cause the relatively poor Israeli defence undue problems. Israel have conceded six goals in their four qualifications games, albeit four were against Croatia, and they have shown signs that they are vulnerable to pacey players. Gerrard, Lampard and Hargreaves will try and dominate the midfield and will dictate England's flow of play. Gerrard is certainly the key man for England today. Israel will come out and may try to play an offside trap against England's strikers, which means that Gerrard could be the main outlet of play, with the Liverpool man looking to use his excellent through ball passing ability to open up the Israeli defence and send the quick footed Rooney and Johnson through on goal. Israel, meanwhile, will try and pack out the midfield to stifle any English creativity and attempt to use the counter-attack, with West Ham's Yossi Benayoun dictating the fast breakaways.
Fantasy Insider's Star Man - Steven Gerrard
England boss Steve McClaren looks like he will try to free up Steven Gerrard in order for the Liverpool man to use his passing range to deliver timely balls to Rooney and Johnson. Gerrard has had a relatively quiet domestic season, by his standards, but the midfielder is one true tactician that McClaren call upon to control the ebb and flow of the game.
The Other Side of the Fantasy Pond
So, we get a break from fantasy football for a few weeks thanks to England's participation in the Euro 2008 qualifiers. By the way things have gone so far under Steve (I only finished 7th in the Premiership) McClaren I may have preferred to have watched Malta's Eurovision qualifiers come the 90th minute on Saturday. But, while everyone in the UK moans and groans about the death of football/cricket/cricket coaches, wait let's just say sport in general, I have decided to look across the pond to the good ol' US of A to see how fantasy sports is coming along stateside.Zodiac Stat Attack
Have you ever thought that fantasy sports could be attributed to a higher force? Well, they have in America. A radio station called Karma Air - Karma Ball recently launched a weekly radio show where it's resident spiritual, Reverend Halofan, will use zodiac charts and astrology to predict the injuries and form of baseball players selected in your fantasy team. Perhaps we could all give it a try; wait i'm picking something up yes, I feel it, Louis Saha will be injured for most of next year...
FHM Style Fantasy
Every smart business person knows that sex sells and some bright spark in America put the idea of sad, lonely, sex maniac fantasy players, like myself, together with semi-clad naked chicks - primo! Mensfantasysports.com has come with an FHM style site where the," ...objective is to deliver the best in fantasy sports insight, while at the same time providing the intimate feel of a private club". Sticky keyboards are never a good idea when picking a fantasy team is what I think. Imagine, you might be so distracting by boobs that you convince yourself that Man City's Georgios Samaras will finally score a goal. Tissue please, obviously to wipe away the tears of Samaras' lame efforts.
A Nation of Fantasy Gamblers
With legislation coming down hard on internet gambling in America, fantasy sports have found a loophole which allows them make revenue from, what is in every respect, gambling. Many different operators from Fanball.com to Rotohog.com are battling it out to get your fantasy buck with the offer of grand prizes of up to $100,000. Fantasy Sports in America has morphed into a monetarily driven skill gaming industry to fill the void left by the crippling anti-internet gambling laws. The UK fantasy market has not had the same scope to grow in the way that its American counterpart has because UK laws on gambling are still relatively relaxed. The UK fantasy scene should continue to grow but operators must look towards more dynamic ways of grabbing fantasy players attention. I think two separate forms of fantasy games should grow: a gambling orientated fantasy game, which doesn't hide its intentions, and the more recreational version. At the moment there are a few too many games on the market that merge the two elements together and it is diluting the effectiveness of fantasy sports products on its customers.
Well, that's enough of America for this week and now back to dreaming of England winning the World Cup at Wembley in 2018. The FA should have stopped paying Sven's wages by then...
EPL Preview - Week 31
Click here for all major live football scores!
Arsenal (away vs.
Starting XI: (
Subs: Almunia, Denilson,Traore. Senderos, Flamini, Hleb, Diaby
Injured: Henry, Walcott, Van Persie.
Suspended: Adebayor (4 of 4), Eboue (3 of 3)
Team News: Arsenal only have the Champions League spot to play for after a couple of bad weeks. To add to that both Henry and Walcott are out for the remainder of the season. Henry has a groin problem, while Wenger has decided to let Walcott have his long awaited operation on his shoulder. Adebayor and Eboue are both still suspended but Toure is back in the side which means that Gilberto will resume in his normal midfield spot today.
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Aston Villa (home vs.
Starting XI: (
Subs:
Injured: Delaney, Laursen, Sutton.
Suspended: None
Team News: Laursen will miss out the
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Starting XI: (
Subs: Enkelmann, Nonda, Gallagher, Jeffers, Peter, Berner, Henchoz, Nelson.
Injured: Savage, Ooijer, Reid, Todd,
Suspended: Mokoena (1 of 1)
Team News: Centre-back Nelson is a major doubt for
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Bolton (away vs Man Utd)
Starting XI: (4-3-3) Jaaskelainen - Faye, Ben Haim, Meite, Gardner– Campo, Nolan, Speed, Stelios - Diouf, Anelka
Subs: Walker, Tal, Fojut, Teymourian, Thompson, Davies, Pederson, Hunt.
Injured: Q. Fortune, O’Brien.
Suspended: None.
Team News: Davies has returned from a six-week absence after recovering from a chipped bone in his foot, but this game may come too soon for the striker. Meite seems to have overcome a toe problem and will start for
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Charlton (home vs Newcastle)
Starting XI: (4-5-1) Carson – Sankofa, El Kakouri, Hreidarsson, Young - Holland, Ambrose, Song, Thomas, Zheng-Zhi - M. Bent
Subs: Myhre, Randolph, Diawara, Fortune, Kishishev, Faye, Lisbie, D. Bent
Injured: Gibbs, Young, Reid, Bougherra, Hasselbaink, Thatcher
Suspended: None
Team News: Charlton manager Pardew ruled out Thatcher from the Newcastle game on Friday. The left-back was expected to return but he has still not recovered from his hamstring problem. Striker Darren Bent is also expected to be rested after Pardew hinted that the
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Starting XI: (4-1-3-2) Cech - Diarra, Carvalho, Terry, A. Cole – Makelele – Lampard, Robben, Ballack - Shevchenko, Drogba.
Subs: Cudicini, Ferreira, Wright-Phillips, Kalou, Sahar, Boulahrouz, Geremi
Injured: J. Cole, Bridge, Essien.
Suspended: Mikel (4 of 4)
Team News: Mourinho will be without Essien for the
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Everton (home vs.
Starting XI: (
Subs: Wright, Hibbert, Stubbs, Anichebe, Pistone, De Silva, Vaughan.
Injured: McFadden, Cahill, Valente, Van der Meyde.
Suspended: None
Team News: Everton will be without Australian Cahill with the midfielder now sidelined until August with a broken metatarsal. Osman should come into the side to replace him.
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Fulham (away vs.
Starting XI: (
Subs: Lastuvka, Knight, Pearce, Routledge, Dempsey,Helguson, John, Volz.
Injured: Bullard, Elliott.
Suspended: Montella (3 of 3)
Team News: To follow…
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Starting XI: (
Subs: Dudek, Hyypia, Aurelio, Fowler, Zenden, Pennant, Mascherano, Gonzalez.
Injured: Kewell, Crouch, Garcia.
Suspended: None
Team News:
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Starting XI: (
Subs: Weaver,
Injured: Onouha, Sinclair, D. Mills.
Suspended: None
Team News: To follow…
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Man Utd (home vs.
Starting XI: (4-4-1-1) Kuszczak - R. Ferdinand, Vidic, Evra, G. Neville - Giggs, Carrick, Park, O’Shea - Ronaldo - Rooney.
Subs: Heaton, W. Brown, Heinze,
Injured: Van der Sar, Silvestre, Fletcher, Solskjaer, Saha.
Suspended: Scholes (2 of 3)
Team News: To follow…
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Starting XI: (
Subs: Jones, Davies, Christie, Johnson, J. Euell, Rochemback, Viduka.
Injured: Bates, Riggott, Parlour, McMahon, Huth,
Suspended: None
Team News: To follow…
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Starting XI: (4-4-1-1) Given –Taylor, Onyewu, Bramble, Solano – Duff, Parker, Emre, Milner – Dyer - Martins
Subs: Srnicek, Carroll, Huntington, Edgar, N’Zogbia, Pattison, O’Brien, Luque, Sibierski.
Injured: Owen, Krul, Moore, Ameobi, Harper, Carr, Bernard, Babayaro, Ramage.
Suspended: Butt (1 of 1)
Team News: To follow…
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Porstmouth (away vs.
Starting XI: (
Subs: Ashdown,
Injured: Mendes, Lauren, Pamarot.
Suspended:
Team News: To follow…
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Reading (home vs.
Starting XI: (
Subs: Federici, Convey, De la Cruz, Gunnarsson, Duberry, Sodje, Oster, Halford, Long, Pearce, Kitson.
Injured: Mate, Halls, Sonko.
Suspended: None
Team News: To follow…
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Starting XI: (
Subs: Bennett, Bromby, Sommeil, Law, Kozluk, A. Quinn, Seck, Fathi, Morgan, Webber, Nade, Stead.
Injured: Li Tie, Kilgallon, Leigertwood,
Suspended: None
Team News: To follow…
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Tottenham (home vs.
Starting XI: (
Subs: Cerny, Alnwick, Keane, Taarbat, Lennon, Zokora, Stalteri.
Injured: King, Tainio, Murphy,
Suspended: None
Team News: To follow…
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Starting XI: (
Subs: Lee, McNamee, Doyley,
Injured: King, Stewart
Suspended: None
Team News: To follow…
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West Ham (away vs.Blackburn)
Starting XI: (
Subs: Carroll, Pantsil, Mullins, Bowyer, Kepa, Konchesky, Sheringham,
Injured: Ashton, Gabbidon, Upson
Suspended: None
Team News: To follow…
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Starting XI: (
Subs: Nash, Unsworth, Cotterill, Johansson, Granqvisst,
Injured:
Suspended: Hall (3 of 3), McCulloch (1 of 1), Baines (1 of 1)
Team News: To follow…
Note: Those denoted in red indicates doubts
EPL Preview - Week 30
Click here for all major live football scores!Man City v Chelsea
Man. City are languishing near the foot of the table and they are making a speedy nose-dive towards the Championship. Their form has been abysmal for most of the season, having scored only 10 goals at home in the Premiership this year. They met Chelsea in the first game of the season and were duly rolled over 3-0 at Stamford Bridge, I can see the same scoreline at Eastlands on Wednesday night.
City have been beset by off the pitch problems during this campaign with pressure mounting on Pearce after a bad run of performances, division in the dressing room and Joey Barton's alleged assault of a taxi driver this weekend. Pearce can afford a City loss but not a bad performance to go with it. It would make no sense to sack Pearce at this stage of the season as there is no one to come and change things around without the possibility of a mid-season break or a transfer window. The intriguing thing is that Pearce has been criticised for bringing in under par players to the club but people are missing one very important factor, it wasn't what Pearce brought in that was the major problem, it's what he let go: David James, Andrew Cole, Kiki Musampa, Ben Thatcher and Antoine Sibierski. All players with experience that added much needed depth to the City team. Cole's goals have been missed badly and he had a blossoming partnership with Vassell. James too is back to the peak of his best form and should not have been allowed to leave, he wanted more money so City should have obliged. Instead, they let him go and spent the money on an outstanding Swedish International goalkeeper that sits on the bench week-in week-out.
From a team news perspective Pearce doesn't have too many options at hand. Hamann, who had an ineffective game against Blackburn in the Cup, could be dropped in favour of Dabo, who has returned to the squad from injury. There is speculation that Barton may not figure against Chelsea after his altercation with the police earlier this week but Joey is used to situations like this. Last season he played the game against Charlton which was immediately after his brothers murder trial and it was his best performance of the season. The midfielder thrives under pressure like this and wouldn't miss the Chelsea game for anything. Also, Pearce cannot afford to sideline his best player.
Chelsea themselves are in the papers for the wrong reason this week, but whenever are they not? Mourinho spoke of his admiration for Real Madrid, yada, yada. Abramovich is upset, oy vay! I heard this week that the Russian billionaire talks with a childish voice, almost as if his balls haven't dropped. No wonder Mourinho finds it hard to grab him by his short and curlies... Saying this though Chelsea are a professional side and when push comes to shove, as shown against Spurs in the FA Cup, they carry out their work with stealthy precision. Captain John Terry returns to a Chelsea defence that looks lost without him and Makelele has been included in the side although Essien will probably start ahead of him. Shevchenko is Mourinho's main worry after the Ukrainian hurt his ankle during training. He is now a doubt ahead of the City clash while Mikel is certainly out as he is suspended.
Fantasy Insiders view: City are stuck in the mud; 3-0 Chelsea
Probable Formations
Man City (4-5-1) Weaver - Distin, Dunne, Richards, Ball - Sun Jihai, Barton, Ireland, Dabo, Vassell - Corradi
Chelsea (4-4-2) Cech - A. Cole, Diarra, Terry, Carvalho - Essien, Robben, Lampard, Ballack - Shevchenko, Drogba.
*Players denoted in red are doubtful.
FA Cup Fantasy - A Bad Idea...?
There are certain things that should remain sacred in football and one of them is the FA Cup. The FA Cup is something to be marveled at, enjoyed and watched on a Sunday afternoon with your mates. The minnows battle it out with the Elite and upsets, twists and adventures can be had by all. There remains something old school about the FA Cup that The Premiership has lost. Something less capitalist, harping back to the old days of pies, peas and Bovril. Maybe it is because the FA Cup is still on the BBC that it keeps its treasured spot in the national hearts of the English football fan? One thing is for sure though, I would never dream about making a fantasy football game out of our national heritage because it would be so Americanised to do so. The big fantasy companies have stayed well clear of the FA Cup, until now that is...CYKI (can you kick it), run by ISM Games, launched its Fantasy FA Cup game earlier in the season and from what I can see is doing reasonably well. My objection to the game is that the makers of the FA Cup game have taken fantasy football to a new low. The guys over at the Bristol HQ must have been wracking their brains coming up with new ways of making money and bingo, FA Cup fantasy came to light. What they didn't consider is that in most people's hearts the FA Cup is not about commercialisation but about the essence of what the game means to be a supporter English football. It is still the purists competition that hasn't been tarnished by Rupert Murdoch's grubby hands, it is a national institution. Something that fantasy football companies should know not to take advantage of.
I look across the pond to America and they will make fantasy games of anything ranging from the Oscars to probably how many fat kids can you squeeze into a school bus and with this FA Cup game now on the market we are unfortunately heading in that direction. What is next for the fantasy player? Can we play Fantasy Football Conference North Division football?? Don't get me wrong, innovation is a good thing but this FA Cup game smacks of a fantasy company just wanting to make a fast buck from a revered and much loved cup competition. It is cynical. Fantasy players should get a break when the FA Cup comes around; watch a game without worrying about assists, points etc. Enjoy the FA Cup don't abuse it.
UEFA Cup Preview
The secondary European club competition swings back into the limelight on Thursday night with Tottenham and Newcastle both in action. Tottenham travel to Braga, Portugal and will be hoping to continue their excellent cup run this season, while Newcastle face AZ Alkmaar at St. James' Park.
Spurs are on the upturn domestically at the moment with a good 4-3 victory over West Ham at the weekend under their belt. Braga aren't what you would class as one of the big Portuguese sides but they are tough and determined at home and will give Spurs little time on the ball. Aaron Lennon - Berbatov - Keane triangle could be the key for Tottenham, as all three players have been linking up tremendously well over the past few weeks to deliver some memorable Spurs performances. Centre-back King is still sidelined so Gardner will continue, while Jenas has been left at home. For Braga, Brazilian Wender should prove to be their main threat. The fast paced winger will be asked to take the attack to the London side. Wender (Wenderson Arruda Said) is Braga's top scorer in the UEFA cup with two goals and five domestically.
Player to Watch: Berbatov
Dimitar Berbatov can become the first Tottenham player to score in five successive European games having scored five in his last four UEFA Cup appearances.
PROBABLE STARTING LINE-UPS
Braga (4-3-3): Santos; Filipe, Jorge, Rodriguez, Fernandes; Chaves, Andrade, Castanheira; Joao Pinto, Ze Carlos, Wender.
Tottenham (4-4-2): Robinson; Chimbonda, Dawson, Gardner, Lee; Ghaly, Huddlestone, Tainio, Lennon; Berbatov, Keane.
Dutch CourageCup Winners (Intertoto) Newcastle will entertain Dutch side AZ Alkmaar at St James' Park on Thursday night. The Magpies have saved their best displays for the UEFA Cup this year and the show down against the tricky Eredivisie side will test their abilities to the max. Manger Glen Roeder has recalled Turkish playmaker Emre into the squad after the diminutive midfielder overcame a calf problem. Stephen Carr and Damien Duff are also in contention for recalls.
AZ Alkmaar are one of Europe's most experienced UEFA Cup teams around, having previously made it to the last four recently. They are also in outstanding domestic form, currently lying second in the Dutch league after a 4-0 smashing of Utrecht this weekend. AZ topped the Group C UEFA Cup qualification group beating favourites Sevilla away in the process and are currently unbeaten in Europe this season. The Dutch side surely go into this game as strong favourites.
Player to Watch: Shota Arveladze
The former Rangers man has bags of experience and his two goal match-winning display against Sevilla earlier in the season shows that he can still rise to a challenge.
PROBABLE STARTING LINE-UPS
Newcastle (4-4-1-1): Given, Solano, Carr, Bramble, Taylor, Milner, Parker, Emre, Butt, Dyer, Martins.
AZ (4-4-2): Waterman, Luirink, Donk, Opdam, de Cler, Jenner, de Zeeuw, Martens, Koevermans, Boukhari, Arveladze
A Tale of Two Alex's - Champions League Review
So attacking, flare football took another blow on Wednesday night as last year's beaten finalist went out at the first major obstacle. PSV, a very underestimated team in European football, humbled a depleted Arsenal side with an Alex (currently owned by Chelsea) headed goal. The quarter-finals are now riddled with teams that play tight, orthodox defences such as Milan, PSV and Chelsea. Roma remain, in my opinion, the only adventurous and overly positive team in the competition.Fantasy wise, the most interesting aspect of the night was seeing the apparent last game for Swede Henrik Larsson in the United kit. The enigmatic striker has been a favourite with fantasy managers since his loan move from Helsingborg in January but with his departure imminent there is now a gap for a new strike partner for Rooney. Saha, the obvious candidate for the slot is out for up to 3-4 weeks, whilst Solskjaer is also sidelined. Alan Smith has returned from a long absence with a broken leg but surely cannot be considered to be an instant filler for the departing Larsson. Instead, it seems that Giggs may be used in the advanced role alongside Rooney. Another alternative could be for United to adopt a Barcelona style with Rooney, Giggs and Ronaldo all playing forward, a la Ronaldinho/Eto'o/Messi. Eitherway, Giggs looks like he will be playing a more attacking role in weeks to come with Ronaldo, and Ferguson will be looking to his two wingers to carry on with goalscoring duties. With Giggs moved forward Ji-Sung Park will surely get an extended run in the first team. Finally, with Silvestre looking to be out for a long time and Evra still sidelined there remains a chance that outcast Heinze may finally get a chance in the left-back berth - watch this space.
Arsenal 1 - 1 PSV Eindohoven (PSV win 2-1)
Bayern Munchen 2 - 1 Real Madrid (Bayern win on away goals 4-4)
Man Utd 1 - 0 Lille (Man Utd win 2-0)
Fight, Fight, Fight! Champions League Review
Well, the Champions League turned into a ding-dong of epic proportions last night as Valencia and Inter decided to turn Europe's elite footballing competition into a playground scrap. The game ended in a 0-0 draw but this wasn't enough for the players as they engaged in a full pitch brawl that was reminiscent of the Switzerland v Turkey World Cup play off at the start of last year. Both teams will face sanctions after the scrap with Javi Navarro, the main culprit, probably getting the book thrown at him. Expect Valencia to possible have to play their next Champions League game behind closed doors at home with stiff fines. Saying that though, I think their should be a mass brawl at the end of every drab 0-0 game.See the mass brawl here
Roma were definitely the bet of the night with odds of 4/1 to beat Lyon - when will the bookies every learn? Totti, who should most certainly be in contention for the European and World Player of the Year after his performances this season, was at the heart of much of the Giallorosso's play. After watching the Roma game I must say that Mancini has the quickest feet on Earth. He tap-danced his way around the, admittedly shabby, Lyon defence to score Roma's second.
Chelsea march on and are still favourites, cue snooze mode.
Fantasy wise from last nights Champions League fixtures I noticed one or two things, most notably a certain Mr Alvaro Arbeloa starting for Liverpool in his second consecutive Champions League game. The bright, young Spanish full-back that was signed from Deportivo La Coruna in the January transfer window seems to have made the transition in to the first team and could figure for the rest of the season. Arbeloa hasn't started a Premiership game yet, with a substitution appearance against Newcastle being his only appearance so far, but on the back of his performances against Barcelona he will surely get to start more regularly in the Premiership. Throw in a reasonable fantasy price and he could be a cheap buy for the end of season run in.
Full Results
Chelsea 2 - 1 FC Porto
Robben 48' , assist : Diarra Ballack 79' , assist : Shevchenko
Quaresma 15' , assist : González
Liverpool 0 - 1 Barcelona
Gudjohnsen 75' , assist : Xavi
Lyon 0 - 2 AS Roma
Totti 22' , assist : Tonetto Mancini 44' , assist : Totti
Valencia 0 - 0 Internazionale
Champions League Fantasy Preview
Liverpool (2) v (1) BarcelonaThe Champions League is back with some interesting games set up in the second leg of the last sixteen. The fixture of the round is Liverpool v Barcelona with last years champions unexpectedly looking to come back two goals at Anfield. Barcelona are expecting to come to England all guns blazing with Messi, Eto'o and Ronaldinho expected to play. Belleti should be dropped at right-back for the more defensively minded Oleguer. It is a tough call for the Catalans to come back against Liverpool but if anyone can do it they surely can. Liverpool's Finnan will have the toughest test having to keep World Player of the Year Ronaldinho under wraps.
Probable Starting XI:
LIVERPOOL (4-4-2): Reina – Finnan, Carragher, Agger, Arbeloa – Gerrard, Xabi Alonso, Sissoko, Riise – Bellamy, Kuyt.
Probable Starting XI:
BARCELONA (4-3-3): Valdes – Oleguer, Thuram, Puyol, Zambrotta – Xavi, Deco, Iniesta – Messi, Eto’o, Ronaldinho.
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Lyon (0) v (0)AS Roma
Probable Starting XI:
OLYMPIQUE LYON (4-4-2): 1-Gregory Coupet; 2-Francois Clerc, 3-Cris, 29-Sebastien Squillaci, 20-Eric Abidal; 15-Alou Diarra, 21-Tiago, 8-Juninho, 10-Florent Malouda; 11-Fred, 14-Sydney Govou
Probable Starting XI:
AS ROMA (4-2-3-1): 32-Doni; 2-Christian Panucci, 5-Philippe Mexes, 13-Cristian Chivu, 22-Max Tonetto; 16-Daniele De Rossi, 17-David Pizarro; 11-Rodrigo Taddei, 20-Simone Perrotta, 30-Mancini; 10-Francesco Totti
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Valencia (2) v (2) Internazionale
Probable Starting XI:
VALENCIA (4-4-2) : Canizares; Miguel, Ayala, Albiol, Moretti; Angulo, Marchena, Hugo Viana, Silva; Villa, Morientes.
Probable Starting XI:
INTERNAZIONALE (4-3-1-2) : Julio Cesar; Maicon, Cordoba, Materazzi, Maxwell; J. Zanetti, Dacourt, Stankovic; Figo; Ibrahimovic, Crespo.
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Chelsea (1) v (0) FC Porto
Probable Starting XI:
CHELSEA (4-4-2): Petr Cech; Lassana Diarra, Michael Essien, Ricardo Carvalho, Ashley Cole; Claude Makelele, Frank Lampard, Michael Ballack, Arjen Robben; Didier Drogba, Andriy Shevchenko.
Probable Starting XI:
Porto (4-3-3): Helton; Lucas Buccolini, Pepe, Bruno Alves, Fucile; Paulo Assuncao, Raul Meireles, Lucho Gonzalez; Ricardo Quaresma, Lisandro Lppez, Helder Postiga.