Premier League – Page 6 – BRITISH SOCCER {DIVA}

Deals, deals and more deals…

The January transfer market can be as exciting as it is annoying for some clubs. In the middle of the season, transfers can cause unrest and can lead to disastrous results.

Teams can lose their best players, and before you know it, the season is over. However, teams can also buy great players and see their season end in a winning fashion. Either way, people either love or hate this time of year.

The January transfer window hasn’t exactly set the world on fire, but the last few days can always prove to be a shocker. And there is a story brewing that is making all the headlines. Fernando Torres is being hunted by Chelsea. Surely Liverpool don’t want to sell him, do they?

With Argentine strike Luis Suarez on his way to Anfield from Ajax, this could well be the time where the scouse house finally part ways with the Spanish superstar. Suarez impressed at the World Cup for Argentina and could be a perfect replacement for Torres.

Torres could use a fresh start. He has been ravaged by injuries the last couple of seasons and we haven’t seen the best of him. He is however finding some form of late and could join Chelsea at the perfect time. But should Torres leave?

In other transfer happenings…Edin Dzeko’s move from German club Wolfsburg to Manchester City is at present the most expensive transfer in this January window. I always thought he was a quality player who could do some serious damage in the Premier League. But did he join the right club?

Other transfers that made headlines include Emmanuel Adebayor to Real Madrid from Manchester City on loan, but do we care?

Darren Bent seems to get more expensive as he moves from club to club. Aston Villa paid Sunderland 18 million pounds with the transfer fee rising to 24 million. Is he worth it?

Ryan Babel finally ended his Liverpool nightmare and darted off to Hoffenheim for 6 million. That’s a good move for him and he needed to get out. Should another Premier League team have picked him up?

England has beens David Bentley and Wayne Bridge went on loan deals. Bentley left Tottenham for Birmingham and Bridge left Manchester City for West Ham. Can these players resurrect their careers with these latest moves?

We are heading towards the most exciting part of the season fellow footie fans and it’s all leading to a massive crescendo. Take a deep breath. Oh and by the way, the Diva is back…

Sleeping with the enemy…not…

What can I say? I’ve been missing in action. I’ve been bad. I’ve had no desire. Just like my beloved team. It’s their fault. They did this to me. This season, they’ve already had me floating towards heaven and then they abruptly drag me into the depth’s of hell. It’s senseless. It’s hurtful. And shameful.

I haven’t even been able to face the blog. I mean it’s not like I write ground-breaking articles. They are merely my football thoughts that hopefully turn into conversations between fellow football fans. It’s just like being down the pub with your mates. But let’s face it. There are times when you don’t fancy going down the pub. Especially when your team recently lost its balls to the enemy.

So what do you do? When your team is painful to watch, you often look elsewhere for some football inspiration and pleasure. You are not deserting or cheating on your team, you are just choosing to watch more games that don’t exactly involve them. And I knew that if I could just get out of my bubble-of-hell, I would see that I’m missing one of the most exciting Premier League season’s ever.

Chelsea are not running away with it. Manchester United are undefeated but yet look beatable. Manchester City could really make a run for it. Bolton are shockingly only 6 points back. Liverpool are hanging on by a thread. Arsenal are being traditionally Arsenal and Tottenham…well as painful as it might be Arsenal fans, Tottenham are the most exciting team to watch this season. They play beautiful football and they score lots of goals. Am I losing my mind? I don’t think so…

Whether they are playing in the Premier or Champions League, Tottenham are capturing the imagination of the football world. Van der Vaart is the buy of the season so far. He looks like he belongs at White Hart Lane. He already carries himself like a Spurs legend. He performs for the fans. They love him. And he loves them. And ‘Arry loves him a little bit too. I don’t love them. But can I compliment the enemy?

Welsh sensation Gareth Bale is setting the pitch on fire wherever he plays. @ Inter Milan, no problem! @ Arsenal, no problem! As posted in a previous article, Bale reminds me of Ryan Giggs. He flies down the wing in a fearless fashion that is truly inspiring to watch. He overcame adversity at Spurs and has solidified his reputation as one of Britain’s best. He is the most thrilling player to watch in the world right now. If he were Portuguese or Argentine, we’d be talking about him in the same breath as Messi and Ronaldo. Yes. I said it out loud. And that’s what I truly believe. If Tottenham can go on and win a major trophy and Bale can stay injury free, he will be in the running for World Player of the Year! I need a bath.

Even though the last two paragraphs felt like I cheated on the Gunners, I’m not sleeping with the enemy and I believe the truth will eventually set me free. I’ve had these thoughts about Tottenham bottled-up for weeks. I was down and out. I was washed-up for the season. But I got my head out of my own arse and started smelling the football roses again. And I usually can’t help think that Tottenham always stink. But for the first time in many many years, the enemy is a real threat. And I have raised my hat to their recent victory. But the war continues and we will rise again for another day of brutal battle. And sometimes, just sometimes, the enemy wakes the sleeping giant. Could it be Arsenal? Could it really be?

Finally…

After a heartbreaking World Cup (well for us England fans anyway) the cure for all of humanity has finally arrived. Welcome back the sexiest football league in the entire universe…yes that’s right, the Premier League is here. Oh how we’ve missed you. And oh how happy we are that you are back. Thank you…until you do something that hurts our feelings of course!

So fellow footie fans. Let’s get the drinks in and talk about who we think will shine this season. Post back who you believe will achieve top spot in the below mentioned categories and together with the amount of posts you make throughout the season, you could find yourself crowned champion. Are you ready for the glory and the heartache?

Champions? Runners-up? 2nd, 3rd, 4th, 5th, 6th? Bottom 3? Player of the Year? Young Player of the Year? Top Scorer? Best Buy? Biggest Flop? Surprise of the Season? First Manager to Be Sacked? Manager of the Year? Greatest Goalie?

Feel free to suggest a category you’d like to see added. Who doesn’t love a democracy?!

Cast your football stones now and you could win the BSD Fans Premier League title and your team’s home jersey. Looking forward to podcasting with the winner. Good luck, play fair and have a stellar season…

Joe Cole finds love…

Joe Cole has moved to Liverpool as a free agent and he couldn’t be happier. Having lost his way at Chelsea over the last couple of seasons, Joe was certainly ready for a new challenge. Could this move be the making of his career?

When he first burst onto the football scene at West Ham United as a wee puppy, Joe Cole was deemed a future England superstar. And when he scored that beautiful self-made volley for England against Sweden in World Cup 2006, we all thought he would go on and evolve into a very special player as everyone had predicted. He certainly played well and won lots with Chelsea, but I don’t think we’ve seen the magic he is capable of in recent seasons.

Joe Cole now gets the opportunity to play with Steven Gerrard and Fernando Torres. And as Liverpool had nothing short of a mediocre season last term, Joe can certainly become an instant hero with the Kop, if he gets off to a good start. He was excited to sign-up for Roy Hodgson’s Liverpool revolution and can play a key part in lifting the hopes of their fans as they begin their battle for the title once again. Can he make a winning difference to Liverpool?

At Chelsea, Joe Cole felt very under appreciated and he wasn’t feeling the love at all. His relationship with Ancelotti was strained and he believed he was worth a lot more than the recently crowned Premier League Champions did. In Liverpool, he feels he is playing for the best club in the world and he is certainly feeling the love from the club and the fans.

Could this London lad fall in love with one of England’s most beloved Northern teams? He has 19 million reasons to…

Whoops…they did it again…

The life of an England fan is tough. Prior to every major football competition, we always believe our team can win it all. And going into this World Cup, the confidence of every England fan was exceptionally high. Fabio Capello has everything to do with that confidence. But did the Xen Master make mistakes with his team selection against the United States?

Sure Robert Green screwed up beyond belief. Sure he made one of the biggest mistakes by a goalkeeper in World Cup history. It was embarrassing and it shouldn’t happen at this level of football. But despite Green’s calamity, Capello should have been more assertive about his choice for England goalkeeper. He hesitated in making a decision and this didn’t instill any confidence in Green or the rest of the team.

It wasn’t just the goalkeeping position that posed problems for England. They looked unsure in various areas of the pitch. And Capello is lucky in some regards because Green’s awful error took the spotlight off some of his first-team choices. Ledley King shouldn’t have started in defense with John Terry. He should have played Jamie Carragher or Matthew Upson from the start. James Milner had no place in the team after being sick all week. This was Capello’s biggest mistake. If Gareth Barry was fit then Milner wouldn’t have started at all. But with that in mind, surely Joe Cole or Shaun Wright Phillips would have been a better choice? Emile Heskey did well, but we didn’t look dangerous or threatening up front at all. I still believe Peter Crouch is more dangerous and can give more if he starts the game.

The other major question is can Aaron Lennon actually cross the ball and get it past the first defender? I’ve been critical of Lennon’s quality in terms of what he does after the run even in his role for Tottenham. He can pass players and scare the living daylights out of them but his final ball is so poor. I couldn’t help but think of Theo Walcott during the game last night. In hindsight, should he have been in the squad, especially as he has proved he can perform at that level for England?

I know it’s only the first game. But this isn’t the Premier League people. There are not 30 odd games ahead of us here. There are only two games left and I think Capello has some big decisions to make that will shape England’s success or failure in this tournament.

They think it’s all over…it is now…

Congratulations Chelsea! After a thrilling season, pants are swinging on the King’s Road again now the Blues have been crowned champions of the Premier League.

Following a crazy tabloid infused season which included naked photographs of Ashley Cole’s private parts and John Terry’s affair with a teammate’s girlfriend, Chelsea were able to grind through their scandalous mess and still win the title in the toughest league in the world. How did they do it? In a word…Ancelotti.

It’s tough to work through any problem in life. It’s especially tough when the world watches as you battle through your problems. Despite the scandals they faced, Chelsea manager Carlo Ancelotti kept his team together. He saved the ship when it was sinking at a rapid rate and he even steadied its course to bring it home safely. He never gave up and always believed his team could win. He made no excuses. He handled it like a world-class manager.

A world-class manager also needs world-class players to perform for him and Chelsea have them in abundance. Didier Drogba has certainly been a star again this season, but it’s the unsung hero Frank Lampard who deserves to be their player of the year. For so long his leadership qualities have walked in the shadow of John Terry. But this season, he showed what makes him such a quality world-class player. He stood behind Terry throughout his scandal and other players followed. He led on the pitch with goals galore and play making any coach would be proud of. Frank Lampard…if only they would make you captain of England!

Chelsea’s achievement this season is impressive. The media told them they were nothing but an aging team who probably didn’t have championship legs. Looks like Lampard & Co. could have run for another 90 minutes on Sunday. They were also told they had a manager who wasn’t tested in the Premier League, despite his success in Italy. Ancelotti went on to win in his first season as manager and could potentially do the double if they win the F.A. Cup.

Most importantly for Chelsea – they finally won “the big one” without “the Special One.” Is it possible they can finally lay the ghost of Mourinho to rest? It is possible when you are living under the reign of King Carlo…

Hello Premier League…

The Toon Army is back in the Premier League! Newcastle United clinched promotion before they even kicked a ball or a Sheffield United player last night. And it’s much relief after the nightmare of being relegated last season. What a difference a year makes.

Mike Ashley’s Newcastle reign started horrifically. We all know the story. He made some terrible decisions. Hiring Dennis Wise. Firing Kevin Keegan. The list goes on and on. He even tried to sell the club when fans got hostile which was scary for his family so he wanted out. But no buyers meant no deal and Ashley had to figure out a plan to save Newcastle. The club was on its knees. What a difference a year makes.

Despite the turmoil of their relegation year, it does appear as though Mike Ashley learned much from his hellish experience. Together with his executive team, manager Chris Hughton and the players, they banded together at the start of their Championship season and made a very important decision. As a group they would fight to get Newcastle promoted. And their inspiration? The same Newcastle United fans that passionately protested against their self-proclaimed football fan owner, Mike Ashley. What a difference a year makes.

Newcastle United fans are without question the most passionate fans in England. It doesn’t matter who their team is playing against, they will turn out in their thousands to watch. And when their beloved Newcastle hit rock bottom, they didn’t let them down. They sucked-up the whole relegation experience and they too made a decision to support their team in the pursuit to get back into the Premier League. Week after week 50,000 would show-up to watch Leeds, Cardiff City or Sheffield Wednesday. They watched and cheered with the same passion they would show against Chelsea, Manchester United or Arsenal. These same fans that were ready to walk away from the Mike Ashley years altogether made a U-Turn. What a difference a year makes.

When you scratch away at a club, whether it’s the owner, the players or the staff, deep beneath the turf lies the heart beat that keeps it all alive and possible. The fan. But in Newcastle’s case something unusual happened in their relegation season. The players, the owner and the staff stuck together with the fans to fight back. Sure a couple of players left to remain in the Premier League, but most however stayed which added to that strong heart beat that runs right through the club. We’re the first to point the finger at players for being greedy, but the likes of Kevin Nolan, Alan Smith, Jonas Gutierrez, Peter Lovenkrands and Fabricio Coloccini could have easily left but they didn’t. They chose to stay with the club that portrayed nothing but dysfunction to the world. They chose to fight for the owner and fans. What a difference a year makes.

Credit to Newcastle. I for one am delighted they are back. Hopefully Mike Ashley will do it right this time around in the Premier League. He will need to invest in players and build around the core that played so valiantly throughout their Championship season. The one question remains. Will Chris Hughton be given the big job? Who would have thought he’d still be standing at Newcastle United after everything that’s gone on? In football, anything is possible. The Toon Army can say hello again to the Premier League. What a difference a year makes…

The special one strikes again…

72067014SJ001_UEFA_Champion When Chelsea sacked Jose Mourinho, we all knew he would come back to haunt them as coach of an opposing team. On his much hyped return to London with Inter Milan, things went very well for the man from Portugal.

As his old team crumbled, his new team stood like giants. And with millions of football fans watching, it was evident the ghost of “the Special One” still lingers and bedevils Chelsea Football Club.

How much do you miss him now Blues fans? Will you ever get over him?

Avram Grant, Phil Scolari, Guus Hiddink and now potentially Carlo Ancelotti have all failed to fill the shoes left wide open by the “Special One.” Sure they won the F.A. Cup with Hiddink and Ancelotti could yet snag the Premier League. But the trophy the club and their Russian billionaire owner so desperately desire has eluded them once again. Will this Chelsea team ever win the Champions League? Does Roman have any regrets sacking Mourinho? Does he wish he could turn back the clock?

Make no mistake. Jose Mourinho is still the “Special One.” He orchestrated that Champions League game better than a conductor guiding the Italian Symphony. The defense stood big and tall like a woodwind section never missing a beat. The midfield men pulled all the strings by plucking and playing the Chelsea team like several fiddles. And in true brass form, the strike force huffed and puffed to a massive crescendo, helping Inter Milan create some beautiful music on the night. It came together as flawlessly as the symphony always does.

As much as Mourinho loves Chelsea, it must have been a sweet victory for him last night. He made Stamford Bridge a fortress during his tenure at Chelsea. They were undefeated at home when he was the boss and he built a sense of invincibility with a Chelsea team that had underachieved for so many years. Chelsea were very little when Mourinho arrived. They had won the F.A. Cup and Carling Cup here and there. But the league eluded them for 50 years. He put Chelsea on the map. Granted he had Roman’s money to do it, but as we’ve all seen, it’s not easy to just buy and win. Go and ask Rafa!

There is so much you can write about Mourinho and there is much you can say about Chelsea and how they have lost their bite since his departure. What I will say about Mourinho is that the man is a born winner. He is a born leader of men. He can win anywhere. The question on all of our lips is where will he go next? I for one would love to see him back in the Premier League, but something tells me he might be heading for Spain.

Wherever he goes, he will inspire, he will deliver and he will be special…

Who will cross the finish line first..?

horses Our crystal ball spoke to us clearly and concisely when the excitement and anticipation of the 2009/10 season kicked-off. We made our predictions. We chose the chosen ones and it was off to the races.

As the best of the best galloped into the eyes of victory and defeat, we raved, we ranted, we posted and we polled about the beautiful game. And as the race to be crowned champion nears its end, we can’t help but wonder, who will cross the finish line first?

For so long Chelsea have been the favourites to scoop the Premier League title. If I remember correctly, we warned the Stamford Bridge outfit not to celebrate too soon. At Christmas, the Chelsea players and faithful believed they had it in the bag. There was an evident cockiness to them which has become synonymous with Chelsea. But a loss to Everton and a whipping by Manchester City in their own park soon made the Blues players and fans realize the fight to the finish will not be so easy. Did they under estimate their opponents? Did the John Terry scandal hurt them? What would they do without Drogba? Will the iron Chelski curtain find its strength again as they head towards the finish?

With Wayne Rooney turning on the style and making a case to be European Footballer of the Year, Manchester United are once again finding their strength and form at the right time. Determined to create history and make it four Premier League titles in a row, the Red Devils are as hungry as ever for silver ware. They’ve already bagged the Carling Cup, they have one eye on a Champions League quarter final spot and they are two points clear at the Premier League summit. Granted they haven’t been as exciting to watch as a team this term, but Rooney has given us every reason to be up for watching Manchester United play. Do you think they’d be flying if Ferdinand and Vidic were fit all season? Do you think Rooney deserves to be Player of the Year? Has Valencia been a success? Will Berbatov be the man United fans want him to be?

And what of Arsenal? After losses to Manchester United and Chelsea, everyone had written off their title chances for good. How could the Gunners win the league if they couldn’t beat the two best teams in the country? Somehow, some way, Arsenal have hung in there. Even though they lost to the big two, they picked up some good results in games we’ve easily seen them lose over the last few seasons. Beating the likes of Stoke and Hull has helped. Losing Ramsey to such a horrific injury has not. But unlike the Eduardo injury experience which saw Arsenal implode that season, it appears this time around the team are galvanized to win it for Ramsey. They seem to have a purpose we may not have seen in recent times. Can Arsenal finish strong without Fabregas? Would they be clear of United and Chelsea on points at this stage if Van Persie hadn’t been injured? Was Vermaelen the best buy of the season? How good could Arsenal actually be if they bought three more world class players?

The rest of the league are fighting for a fourth Champions League spot, a Europa League place or just plain old fashioned survival. How do your predictions match up to what you thought at the beginning of the season? Who do you see wining it all? Chelsea? Manchester United? Or Arsenal? Can Tottenham really steal a Champions League birth? Will Manchester City or Aston Villa ruin their coming out party? Will we see another famous old club like West Ham go down? Has Hull City’s luck finally run out? When Portsmouth go down, how much further will they sink over the next few years? Remember Leeds?

There is still much to play for. It’s sad that the season is almost ending but fear not fellow footie fans! The silver lining is that we are in a World Cup year so the wait for some quality football won’t feel like eternity. Could this be the year Wayne Rooney shines on the world stage? Is it his time to be crowned a world football superstar? The race to the finish line is almost over. The only question is, who will win?

It’s okay to live and love the beautiful game…

oldtrafford_468x596 When you lose someone you love, it’s difficult not to evaluate life. Emotions are fragile and our ability to function is stifled by the magnitude of our heartbreak. For a while, you feel as though you are existing and not living. You could be on a train, on a plane, or at the store, and all you are wishing for is to be anything but yourself. Everything looks different and it’s scary because you think that this is how the rest of your life is going to be. You are tired of feeling the anger and pain. And if life were a football match, you’d be reaching out to the team coach on the sidelines hoping he’d substitute you for another player.

As life goes on, the anger and pain turns to fear. What is life going to be like without the loved-one you’ve lost? How are you going to make it through the day without hearing their voice? Your mind is working in extra-time and you start worrying about losing others you love. How do you go on with these fears? Only the unfortunate ones who have lost know that time can heal the gut-wrenching fear and pain of loss. For a while, words, food, football and even sex can’t help you. In football, time is not always on your side. In grieving, time becomes your best friend. Time becomes your hope. Time becomes the shoulder to lean on. Time also helps you discover that the things you once loved and cherished can slowly bring you back to life.

At first, it didn’t really matter if Arsenal were losing or if Chelsea were winning. It didn’t matter who was fighting for relegation or who was battling to make it into the Premier League’s elite top four. Football was insignificant. But time makes you realize that it’s okay to smile, cheer or be happy. It’s not frowned upon for you to watch your favourite sport and root for your beloved team even if you are grieving. After all, aren’t our passions and hobbies just a few of the things that help us get through the heartbreak and stresses of life? Have we all been taking life a bit too seriously of late? Have we become so caught-up in the economic crash, new technology, global warming and social media that we’ve forgotten the very essence of what makes us tick?

Time has helped my heart heal. Football has helped me feel a little normal. And having my sweetheart has helped me realize once again what is important in life. Loss can do many things to you. Loss can make you stir crazy. Loss can destroy you, if you allow it. The best way to approach the battle with loss is as though it were a championship game. You take the fear, the anger and the pain and you use it to motivate and drive you to win. Whether it’s the Champions or Premier League, the local pub tournament, the daily grind of life or the battle with loss, we can all feel like a champion when we win the difficult battles that challenge us to our core.

Sometimes it takes a friend and a quality glass of wine to bring back a smile. Sometimes it takes a hug from a sister to make you feel safe. And sometimes it takes our favourite sport to help us feel like we are living again and not just existing. British Soccer Diva is back and ready to live and love the beautiful game once more…