Tag: Everton

Transfer news in a nutshell…

nutshell400There are some crazy transfer stories out there right now. It’s been an interesting summer so far and there’s still time for a few more headlines to be written…

John Terry moving to Manchester City from Chelsea? I’ll believe that when I see it. And Cesc Fabregas is being hunted like a wolf again by Barcelona. Don’t think that will happen this season, but it could definitely happen next! Here is some solid transfer news…

Robin van Persie signs a new Arsenal deal. Joe Cole is set to sign a new 4 year deal with Chelsea. Daniel Sturridge signs for Chelsea from Manchester City. Yuri Zhirkov finally moves to Chelsea from CSKA Moscow (could be a fantastic signing for them). Jermaine Pennant has finally left Liverpool for Real Zaragoza. Sean Davis leaves Portsmouth for Bolton. Goalkeeper Joe Hart signs for Birmingham on loan from Manchester City. Antonio Valencia signs for Manchester United from Wigan (watch out for this guy). Didier Zokora leaves Tottenham for Sevilla. Patrick Viera says no to Birmingham. Jo extends his loan move from Manchester City to Everton.

Transfer talk and moves on the bubble…

Peter Crouch to Sunderland from Portsmouth. Frazier Campbell to Sunderland from Manchester United. Eto’o to Manchester City from Barcelona or he could well stay in Barcelona. Former Liverpool player Boudewijn Zenden could possibly make a return to English football at Fulham. 

We’ll keep you posted about what will happen with Xabi Alonso and Javier Mascherano of Liverpool. Will keep tabs on Franck Ribery of Bayern Munich. Plus I’m sure Manchester United have a joker hidden up their sleeve…

What about your team? How are they doing in the summer transfer market?

Chelski win the Fairy Tale Cup…

guus_hiddink_350x47_815282aChelski won the F.A. Cup. It’s a painful result for every neutral fan as the world wanted to see Everton win! And after Louis Saha scored the fastest goal in the history of an F.A. Cup Final, it seemed Everton were ready to derail Chelsea from their mission to win their first major trophy since the departure of Jose Mourinho. But it wasn’t to be for the Toffees. 

I really thought Everton had this one in the bag. It seemed like their year, but unlike the way Manchester United folded like cheap lawn chairs after giving away an early goal in the Champions League Final, Chelsea dug deep and minute-by-minute they fought back to win. Drogba’s powerful header equalized to make it 1-1 and then Lampard saved the Blues once again with a lovely effort outside the box. Should Tim Howard have saved that shot?  Maybe. But there was definitely nothing Howard could have done about Malouda’s incredible strike that  definitely went over the line. The score should have been 3-1. And how similar was Malouda’s shot to Roberto de Matteo’s for Chelsea in the 1997 F.A. Cup Final? By the way, Di Matteo’s goal was the fastest scored at 43 seconds before Saha’s effort in this year’s final.

The season is now well and truly over and for Chelsea it was certainly a topsy-turvy one. This win will give them every confidence going into next season. Their players and fans must be gutted Guus Hiddink will not be returning as manger of the club. He really did help turn it around and it seems he’s receiving all the credit for Chelsea’s resurgence. But let’s also give some credit to the players (well everyone except Ashley Cole that is)!!! I guess I should mention that he has now won the most F.A. Cup medals of any player since 118 years ago! For us neutrals, that’s a really painful way to end a long but beautiful season…

Future Divo…

ashl-young-756455Aston Villa’s game against Everton could be a defining moment in their season. They have dropped some crucial points against inferior teams and most critics agree they have underperformed thus far. However, when a team does have a moment of change, it is usually sparked by a certain decision by the manager, or most likely, the sudden impact of a particular player. Step forward Ashley Young.

His game against Everton was inspired. Young scored two beautiful goals that illustrated his pure natural talent. The composure he maintained when threading the ball past Tim Howard was impressive. His second half goal that came from an almighty gaff from Phil Jagielka was pleasing on the eye too. It’s great to watch a young England player doing so well.

Aston Villa have the ability to break into a Champions League spot. They have so many talented players. Gareth Barry, Gabriel Agbonlahor, James Milner and Steve Sidwell all played well this weekend. Sidwell scored a screamer himself after only 34 seconds! But the performance from Ashley Young garners him the player of the week…

What to do on a Saturday morning…

tivo_logo_lg_rgbThere’s nothing quite like preparing for a Premiership football game on Saturday. The only difference now is that I don’t go to the games, I watch them all on TV. Even though I have TIVO, I still get up to watch the 4.30am games live. You feel more involved when you watch it live. Don’t get me wrong, I don’t believe I ever got out of bed at that hour for Bolton vs Reading! That’s the kind of fixture where TIVO comes in very handy. Which teams would drag you out of bed at 4.30am? Who is deserving of your attention at that ridiculous hour? How much of a soccer tart are you?

For me it would be Arsenal, Manchester United, Chelsea and Liverpool. There are other teams flirting on the threshold of the early bird rise, but I’ll need to see them play in this coming season to think differently. For now though, I would place these teams in a second category for the games that start around 7am. Tottenham, Newcastle, Aston Villa, Everton and Manchester City would entice me with one eye open. Portsmouth have snuck in there too, since Harry Redknapp has made them an attractive team to watch. The rest of the league fall into the 9am time slot.

The one thing all these teams have in common is that no matter what time they are playing, I will TIVO every game. I’m just choosy about who gets me as a punter when they are playing live at an early hour. Does this still make me a soccer tart? I hope so…