Keane to leave the Lane again..?

robbie_280x390_901244aAs we move swiftly into October, the rumour mill is bubbling once again as the next transfer window looms. We’re sure to hear of Barcelona chasing Cesc Fabregas and there’s no doubt Manchester City will be linked with every single player in the universe. What I wasn’t expecting to hear was a move for Robbie Keane to Celtic. Really?

Having fought for a transfer back to his beloved Tottenham, it surprises me to hear that someone somewhere is trying to shift Mr.Keane away from the Lane. The purported move is splashed across the back pages today and you have to wonder, who is responsible for this? Is it Tottenham? Could it be Keane’s agent? Or is Rafa up to no good again?!

Even though Keane bagged 4 goals against Burnley, he has failed to score in 14 of the 21 league games since his return from Liverpool. I thought he made quite the statement with his performance against the Clarets, but it appears even that hasn’t squashed the question marks surrounding Keane’s current form. Something isn’t quite right with the Irishman and most would have thought he’d be happy with life and football once he returned to Tottenham.

According to most media outlets, Keane’s dream is to play for Celtic one day. Celtic is a fantastic club with great tradition and pedigree, but if you’re a hungry player wanting to win things, surely your best best for serious glory is to stick with Spurs? And being the captain, you’d think lifting trophies for the club he fought so hard to return to would be the priority. But it goes back to where did this story originate from and who is angling for Keane to move?

Do you think Keane will leave Spurs? Is ‘Arry looking to shift the Irishman out so he can start Defoe and Crouch up front? Is this the work of an agent? Does Keane really want to go? If you are a Spurs fan, would you like to see him stay or go? One thing is for sure, it would be a superb deal for Celtic…

The Penalty Gods punish Arsenal…

zeus-greek-mythology-687267_1024_768They say you reap what you sow. And the Gunners can tell you it’s true. Not even a Godly strike from Arshavin could save Arsenal. They lost to Manchester United in a game they absolutely should have won. They gave away a costly penalty and some might think it was the Gods punishing them for Eduardo’s dive against Celtic earlier in the week. Were the Penalty Gods trying to put the world right at Old Trafford on Saturday? Did Arsenal deserve at least a point for their efforts? Will they bounce back in their next game against Manchester City? Do you think Wenger could play up front after showing his water bottle kicking skills?

Manchester United were exceptionally lucky to get a win against Arsenal. I know they came back and gave it a good fight, but in the overall picture of play, Arsenal made United look really average. The penalty decision was questionable and the own goal from Diaby was incredibly unlucky. Arsenal then had a goal disallowed in the dying seconds and again, you’ve seen them given. Rooney was brilliant. He is the spark for United. His passion drives the team and you can’t deny their never say die attitude. Rooney is the engine though. He is United right now. They need him more than ever. The Gods were certainly on the Red Devil’s side in this game.

Tottenham won again. You read that right people. Tottenham won again. What did they put in the juice down at the Lane? Surely they can’t keep this up can they? ‘Arry is doing a superb job so far this season. It’s a shame Modric will be out for 6 weeks. They say it’s a broken leg. What a blow as he’s been sensational. How will this affect Spurs? Lennon has been on fire in the last couple of games and deserves his England recall. Crouch helped change the game when he came on and he too deserves his call-up from Capello. Can Tottenham really win the League? Can they keep this up? Or will they be arguing about ketchup in a couple of months?

Chelsea look dangerous. They demolished Burnley. Remember, Burnley beat Manchester United last week. Interesting that, don’t you think? Chelsea look connected as a team. They look like they are playing for each other. They’ve maintained the spirit Hiddink recreated from the Mourinho days. Ancelotti has added his flavour to the mix and the Blues are looking good. Frank Lampard continues to impress for me. And it might be painful to hear because I know it’s painful to write but…Ashley Cole is having an incredible start to the season. What do you think of Chelsea?

Liverpool were lucky. The good news for them is they had a very average performance and still won the game. It was so typical of Gerrard to hit a winning goal the way he did when he was not really a factor throughout. This will help the team’s confidence and seeing Torres and Gerrard score will help. Not sure about the new signing Kyriakos. Let’s give the guy more time though. Carragher is a liability at the back. Rafa should stop acting with his heart and start acting with his head when it comes to Carra. He’s a good player to have on the bench. If Liverpool want to win, they need to fix their problems at the back.

Manchester City kept their 100% record alive. Adebayor scored again. Gareth Barry is the most impressive of their new signings. He has to be one of the best midfielder’s in the country. Let’s see how City do in the next few weeks when they meet Arsenal and Manchester United. They are doing well, but for me, they are not interesting yet. It was good to see Everton win. I think Distin is a solid signing for them. Villa won their second in a row so that will help them continue to build their confidence. Stoke are in 4th place! Go on Stoke!

What stood out for you this week?

Eduardo Louganis 10.0…

p76thursday_585x350_606123aThere’s no doubt Eduardo is a very talented footballer. But who knew he was a talented diver? Olympian Greg Louganis would have quaked in his boots if he had to face Eduardo in competition. The Croatian international would have received a 10.0 from every single judge for his dive in the Champions League at the Emirates last night. I think we all agree there was miniscule contact between Eduardo and Art Boruc, the Celtic goalkeeper. It was no way a penalty.

Unfortunately, these things happen in football. And they will continue to happen unless instant replay is introduced for questionable activity inside the penalty area. If instant replay was in effect, the referee would probably have reversed his decision and it would have been a goal kick to Celtic. This rule and goal line technology could help ensure the right decisions are made and that fans won’t be left wondering or broken hearted.

Having said that, isn’t the broken heart and the wondering part of the game? Don’t we love to complain and evaluate it all? Don’t we love to count the injustices? The outrages decisions? Or are we starting to feel jaded from all that? Are we tired of the drama? Do we need change? Is the cost of losing too great?

We see these actions and decisions in the penalty area a lot throughout the season. Eduardo didn’t do anything new here people. Like many other players have done and will do, Eduardo seized an opportunity for his team and now everyone including me is labeling him a diver. I would like to go on record and say that I believe only on this occasion is Eduardo a diver. I watch a lot of Arsenal games and he doesn’t usually partake in the Hollywood theatrics.

So if we know Hollywood has crept into our game and players are taking advantage of potential penalty situations like Eduardo did, does that make it cheating?