I’d play at the Theater of Dreams…

oldtrafford_468x596Why is everyone turning down the chance to sign for Manchester United? Why don’t players want to play at the Theater of Dreams? What is wrong with everyone people?

Benzema admitted today he chose Real Madrid over Manchester United. Ronaldo didn’t want to stay a second longer in the North of England. And Franck Ribery is hellbent on joining Real Madrid over United too. I get it, and I just don’t get it all at the same time. The last time I looked, Manchester United were the team with the stable manager and the countless Premier League titles, F.A. Cup and Champions League wins over the last few years.

If I were a player wanting to win things, United would be a better choice over Real Madrid right now wouldn’t it? But it seems the lure of Real Madrid and their place in football history is too much for players to overlook. Manchester United have just as much history. But wearing the famous white for one of the world’s greatest teams seems to be the soup de jour. Or is it because they are throwing money at players and they all see an opportunity to beef up their pensions while they can? Surely they don’t want to make history and be part of a football revolution do they? I’ll give Ronaldo a pass on this one. He earned his move and gave a lot to United.

But given the choice, would you play for Sir Alex Ferguson or Manuel Pellegrini? Pellegrini doesn’t have the pedigree of Ferguson. Granted neither did Pep Guardiola and he was amazing as Barcelona manager winning the treble in his first season. But how often does that happen? Not very. Real Madrid are obviously building another Galacticos team and they are desperate to emulate what their biggest rivals did last season. It’s hard to win the treble and it’s not a guarantee these superstars are going to gel and be unbelievably good together. 

David Beckham and other Real Madrid players of the past have all said that the revolving door of managers at the Bernabeu hurt their own form and this obviously affected the overall success of the team. No player likes to have a couple of managers a month taking charge. Beckham has said many times the stability at Manchester United and knowing who the manager was and what was expected helped him and every other player evolve and progress as professionals. Perhaps it will be different with Pellegrini. Let’s see what happens when the new season starts.

Manchester United have been turned down a lot this summer. Does this mean the power is shifting to La Liga? Is this where most players want to be now? If I were one of the best players in the world today seeking a transfer, I’d sign for Manchester United in a heartbeat. It’s called the Theater of Dreams for a reason you know! Who would you sign for?

Arsenal sign someone…

thomas_vermaelen_3Arsenal have splashed the cash people! Thomas Vermaelen has signed for the Gunners in a deal worth 10 million pounds. The  23 year old ex-Ajax defender is the first big signing of the season and hopefully not the last for Arsenal fans. Wenger was monitoring the Belgian international closely and he finally sealed the deal knowing the board want some quality defenders ready to go when the season starts in August.

Vermaelen comes to Arsenal with Champions League experience and will definitely add some toughness to the weak defense that cost them so many games last season. He’s still only 23, so it seems like a good investment for the North London club. 

Have you seen Vermaelen play? Do you think he’s a good signing for Arsenal? Could he end up being a Vidic type signing for the Gunners? It’s about time they spent some money and it seems they may have found a gem…

Inhale…exhale…Chelsea have a new coach…

FBL-ENG-ITA-PR-CHELSEA-ACMILAN-ANCELOTTINot that I want this to become a Chelsea blog…but news is news people! Carlo Ancelotti was today named as the successor to Guus Hiddink. Do you think Chelsea hired Ancelotti because he looks a little like Guus? Check out the picture of Guus with the F.A. Cup below and judge for yourselves. Perhaps the owner and executive team hired the Italian master so the players can feel “comfortable” with a familiar face in the dressing room! 

Chelsea have hired someone with real pedigree in Carlo Ancelotti. He has been hugely successful in his career as a player and a coach. Ancelotti arrives at Stamford Bridge following a mediocre season at AC Milan, but don’t be fooled…this man has won it all! The Italian Cup, the Super Cup, the World Club Championship, the UEFA Cup and Serie A. He is also part of an elite footballing group being one of only 6 players who have won the Champions League as a player and a coach. The most recent coach to do that was Pep Guardiola this year with Barcelona. 

Ancelotti is an interesting character too. I think he’ll live upto that character a lot more than Phil Scolari did. Some people say he’s as fascinating as Jose Mourinho. In order to manage a club like Chelsea or the “big four” in general, you have to have that something special. Hiddink had it, plus he also started to help erase the memory of Mourinho during his time with the Blues. If you look at Ancelotti’s successes as a player and coach, it appears he might be able to erase the memory of Mourinho completely in his first season. Unless he smokes during training of course and gives his players unnecessary respiratory problems to the point where they are unable to compete and have to forfeit their season.

Do you think Chelsea have made the right choice? Can you see them winning the title with Ancelotti next season? Do you think the Italian master will bring any of his ex-players with him from AC Milan? And will he be able to square-up to Rafa Benitez, Sir Alex Ferguson and Arsene Wenger?

Viva Barcelona and coach Guardiola…

Italy Soccer Champions League FinalIn 1999 Manchester United capped an incredible season by beating Bayern Munich in the dying seconds of the Champions League Final to secure an amazing treble. Fast forward 10 years and it’s now Barcelona celebrating a treble of trophies as they captured the biggest prize of all in Rome last night. Congratulations on winning the Champions League. Barcelona were simply beautiful.

After the first 10 minutes it seemed United had this game in the bag. Barcelona were nowhere. Then a goal from Eto’o stunned the Red Devils and they never recovered. Messi turned it on like Britney Spears on Grammy night. Xavi and Iniesta ruled the midfield. They were brilliant and my prediction for United to win was wrong, wrong, wrong!

A shout out must go to Barcelona coach Pep Guardiola. What a first season as coach of one of football’s most famous clubs. He was a very successful player for Barca many moons ago. And now he has delivered the treble in his first season. Where does he go from here? Hopefully he’ll experience the same success Sir Alex Ferguson has enjoyed over the last 15 years. He’s a good bloke and there’s no question he has created a great environment for these players in the dressing room. They have a great spirit and the coach should be patted on the back for that.

But after last night’s game, the real debate will begin. Who is the best player in the world? Surely on last night’s display it’s Messi right? Or Is Ronaldo still the best in the world? Who has bragging rights for the 2009-10 season?

Who will lift the Champions League trophy..?

champions_league_trophyThe two sexiest teams in Europe have a hot date in Rome on Wednesday. But who will come out on top? Manchester United? Barcelona? Let’s hope it’s us fans that are the happiest at the end of the game, for this really is an exciting Champions League final and we hope it lives up to every expectation.

This game will also solidify who the best player in the world is for the 2008/09 season. It’s Ronaldo vs Messi. Have you already decided who is the best? Are you waiting for the game to play out before you choose? Who will rise to the occasion and be crowned king of the soccer world? We all know it takes a team to win, but let’s be honest, everyone will be watching the battle between these two talents to see who shines on the big night.

There’s no doubt the talent on display in this game will be too sexy for the pitch. Dimitar Berbatov, Carlos Tevez, Rio Ferdinand, Nemanja Vidic, Wayne Rooney, Samuel Eto’o, Andres Iniesta, Thierry Henry and Yaya Toure can all be match winners for their team. And don’t forget legends like Ryan Giggs and Paul Scholes. Let’s hope all of these players can stay injury free for the final.

This is when the summer starts to sizzle in Europe. As fans, we crave moments like this. My money is on the boys of Manchester to do it all over again…

Red card…

baldrefwithredcard1A red card must go to the entire Arsenal team. Why? Dumped out of the Champions League by Manchester United. Humiliated by Chelsea at home in the Premier League on Saturday. Gutless. Spineless. Spiritless. What’s to like about this Arsenal team? Who are they? What do they stand for? They have no identify. No leadership. Where are the men? Houston…we have a major @#$%^&* problem.

Get your cash ready this summer Mr.Wenger. Don’t be shy to spend it. You can’t let another transfer market slip you by. Otherwise the gap between you Manchester United, Chelsea and Liverpool will grow as wide as the Grand Canyon. You need word class talent. You need game-changers. You need men. Get rid of Adebayor, your defense and your goalkeepers. Have a chat with Van Persie to make sure he really wants to be there. And make Arshavin your captain. Doesn’t seem Fabregas is quite upto the task. Oh and buy some British players will you. We find that really helps on a soggy Saturday afternoon in Hull, Stoke or Wigan.

Fancy football is not paying the bills for Arsenal fans. You’ve got one more season and then they’ll really start turning. Sorry fellas…it’s got to be red…

Classless in Chelsea…

48343_newsChelsea might be based in one of London’s poshest areas, but some of their players certainly didn’t display any etiquette or class at the end of the Champions League game against Barcelona last night. There’s no question the referee made some horrible decisions. For Chelsea it must have been like a heavyweight title fight having to sustain one bad blow after the other. But if you are a professional footballer being paid six figures a week by a team like Chelsea, you need to behave better than that.

Referee Tom Henning Ovrebo will need a bodyguard next time he’s cruising down the King’s Road. And he better not run into Michael Ballack or Didier Drogba in a dark alley anytime soon. Drogba’s behaviour was disgusting. The world witnessed a foul-mouth attack by a player who has phoned-in his performances this season. When Scolari was manager he practically rolled over and gave-up. Despite his bad relationship with Scolari, he couldn’t even make the effort out on the pitch for his team mates. He let them down. And now he’s crying Blue tears. What a fake. Do you think he’ll play for Chelsea next season? Not likely…

Ballack’s display was no better. Following another controversial penalty decision by the muppet officials, Mr.Germany  chased the referee halfway down the pitch screaming his head off and spitting blood. It was pure venom and a lovely visual for every aspiring young soccer star and fan to see. He has been such a waste of valuable space this season. Chelsea would do well to get rid of this over-pampered, over-paid has been.

You know I’ve never been a big fan of John Terry, but on Wednesday night he won me over. Sure he questioned the referee, but he kept his head. Over the two legs he was a great leader. He was also the only Chelsea player to congratulate Barcelona for their victory. Terry went into their dressing room to shake their hand. Perhaps there is one player that can still walk down the King’s Road with his head held high.

As for the referee. You should be voted the worse referee in the history of the game. You stunk up Stamford Bridge with your obvious bad decisions. You gave football an ugly name last night. You made people think you were on the take. We hope you are not on the take. Perhaps people should be asking Monsieur Platini some serious questions…

Disaster on a nuclear scale…

implosionCall in the emergency services. Arsenal need saving. Their season has been as disastrous as a nuclear explosion. They went up in smoke against Manchester United last night. The Champions League was the trophy they really wanted. Didn’t look that way on the pitch. It was men versus school boys in both legs against United. Ronaldo, Rooney and co. tore the Arsenal children apart. Arsenal fans are hurting across the universe this morning. 

They lost another crucial semi-final to another top four Premier League team. The gulf between the Gunners, Manchester United and Chelsea is even more evident now. They just can’t compete at the highest level with the squad they have. The board should give Donald Trump or Alan Sugar a call so they can line-up these so-called stars for some firing! 

What would you do with Arsenal if you were manager? Who would you go after in the transfer market? Does Wenger have the power to entice big names to the Emirates after another trophyless season.

Out of the Champions League, out of the F.A. Cup and out of the Premier League. What a disaster…

Where’s the love for Lampard..?

389016-50474lampard_large-797999There’s no question Frank Lampard is a world-class footballer. So why doesn’t he get the love he deserves for his achievements? Sure he’s struggled for England over the last few years, but what English footballer hasn’t struggled playing for their country? If Lampard played for Manchester United or Liverpool or was an Italian, French or Brazilian national, would he not be in the running for player of the year every year?

Five Manchester United players (yes that’s five) and one Liverpool player have been nominated for PFA Player of the Year. Edwin van der Sar, Rio Ferdinand and Nemanja Vidic all deserve their nominations for the team’s defensive record. And Ryan Giggs has been an inspiration for the team showing composure and leadership. Has he played enough games though? Cristiano Ronaldo has come into form late in the season, but I’m not sure he deserves to be in the running for #1 again. Steven Gerrard is the only non-United player and he has certainly lifted Liverpool’s spirits this season has they pursue the Holy Grail…the Premier League title.

But what about Lampard? I think he’s beome a far more important player to Chelsea than John Terry. And after Deco was wheeled in during the summer, there was so much speculation about Lampard’s future. He always knew where he wanted to play and he signed a new contract, proving once again his love and passion to play for Chelsea (and the money was great)! He’s worth every penny because he is the man that makes the Blues tick. He scores around 20 goals every season and he works hard around the park for his team. Chelsea can afford to lose Ballack, Cole or Mikel, but when they lose Lampard, they lose a piece of their identify and drive.

Over the last year or so, Lampard has also shown that in adversity, he has the mental strength to fight on and prove he’s one of the best. As well as Chelsea’s woes this season, he’s had a very difficult time personally as he continues to deal with the death of his mother and the break-up of his relationship to long-term partner Elen Rives. But his will to win, coupled with his leadership and style of play has helped drag the millionaire maestros to an F.A. Cup final and a Champions League semi-final. And all that in a so-called poor season for Chelsea. I think it’s high-time someone showed him the love…

Red card…

baldrefwithredcardArsene Wenger gets a red card for not playing Nasri and Arshavin in the F.A. Cup Semi-Final against Chelsea. Even though the Gunners started the first 20 minutes well, the manager’s team selection caught up with him eventually.

There was no creativity. There was no danger. There was no width. There was no Arsenal. Fabregas went missing and Walcott just couldn’t make things happen for the team. Diaby and Song are not the answer in midfield. Arshavin and Nasri could have dictated that game given the chance but Wenger chose to be negative when he loves playing positive football. Instead it was Chelsea playing the delicious football.

Arshavin would have relished the stage of Wembley. He has been a sensation since arriving at Arsenal. He has truly lived up to the value of his transfer. If only he could play in the Champions League…Nasri has started to show his ability in midfield and he’s grown in confidence over the last few months. They are both such talents with the ability to change the game and Mr.Wenger had them sitting on the bench.

It’s a straight red I’m afraid sir…