McFadden: ‘ave it’.
Well it was a dramatic night in Europe as the Euro 2008 qualification groups began to really heat up, with some groups
incredibly tight entering the last three games.
Group A:
- Poland - 21 (11)
- Finland - 19 (11)
- Portugal - 17 (10)
- Serbia - 16 (10)
Portugal will be kicking themselves after blowing a fantastic opportunity to close in on leaders Poland. Poland were held
to a 0-0 draw earlier on the Wednesday meaning Portugal hosted Serbia in a game both sides knew was vital to their qualification
chances. But just as the weekend produced 2draws between the top-4, Wednesday followed suit with Serbia’s 88th minute
equaliser crushing Portugal’s hopes as Poland had done on the Saturday with a late equaliser of their own. Simao gave
Portugal an early lead with a free-kick, however when Dejan Stankovic swung over a free-kick of his own late on, Ivanović
was able to turn the ball in from close range leaving Group A tighter than a……
Group B:
- Scotland - 21 (9)
- Italy - 20 (9)
- France - 19 (9)
- Ukraine - 13 (8)
Scotland produced the shock of the night when they defeated France by a goal to nil for the second time in this group,
this time away from home. James McFadden’s sublime strike ensured that Scotland took two wins from two over the four
days and are now top, as our delightful little league table shows you (see above). While France possibly can’t take
anymore sporting defeats after their shock loss to Argentina in the hosts opening game of the ’fakey jokey’ World
Cup last Friday, Scotland know that they are in a phenomenal position to make next years tournament. Italy are also in a better
position after a 2-1 victory in Ukraine. Shevchenko scored his first goal of the season (he still gets a game at International
level) but Antonoio Di Natale struck either side of the hosts’ goal to send Italy second. Scotland still have work to
do, Italy and Ukraine must visit Hamden Park, while France face the tricky trip to Kiev, but the Tartan Army have given themselves
the best possibly chance, although Darren Fletcher was ruled out of the Ukraine game after another yellow card last night.
Group C:
- Greece - 19 (8)
- Norway - 17 (9)
- Turkey - 17 (8)
- Bosnia-Herzegovina - 13 (9)
In another tight group, Norway and Greece drew 2-2 at the Ullevaal Stadium, giving Turkey the opportunity to close the
gap, thanks to a 3-0 win over Hungary at home. While Bosnia can still qualify mathematically, their shock defeat at
home to Moldova looks like it’s ruled them out of the running. Turkey face Greece at home and Norway away in vital remaining
fixtures which will decide this group.
Group D:
- Germany - 22 (8)
- Czech Republic - 20 (9)
- Republic of Ireland - 14 (9)
It’s all over barring a miracle for Steve Staunton’s men after another away defeat, this time 1-0 to the Czech
Republic. Despite a Kevin Doyle effort which hit the post and several other chances, Stephen Hunt’s harsh red card just
past the hour mark effectively ended any hope Ireland had of getting a crucial goal. Marek Jankulovski’s fine effort
seperated the teams, and a tearful Staunton admitted after the game that it had probably ended Irish chances for 2008, with
the focus now on rebuilding for the 2010 World Cup. Whether Staunton remains in charge is up for discussion though, with the
media likely to be on his back following one point from two vital games in the week. Germany should wrap up the group as they
have a game in hand, however should Ireland reclaim some pride by beating them in Croke Park, they will face the Czechs to
decide who goes through as group winner.
Group E:
- Croatia - 23 (9)
- England - 20 (9)
- Russia - 18 (9)
- Israel - 17 (9)
Yep, you guessed it, it’s a little too tight to call. England’s two 3-0 successes have blown the group right
open again, but Croatia’s 6-0 hammering of Andorra leaves them well in control of their own fate. England must travel
to Russia and host Croatia in two vital games left to play, while Croatia host Israel in what will be the away sides last
chance of qualifying next month. Game on…….
Group F:
- Sweden - 19 (8)
- Spain - 19 (9)
- Northern Ireland - 16 (9)
- Denmark - 14 (8)
Spare a thought for poor old Northern Ireland fans this morning. Successive defeats to Latvia and Iceland have probably
ended their chances yet again, after new boss Frank Worthington was unable to replicate Lawrie Sanchez’ previous successes
in this group. Spain won 2-0 at home to Latvia while Denmark hammered Liechtenstein 4-0 to set up next month’s
home tie with Spain as the vital key to remaining in the qualification hunt. Spain host Sweden in November in an attempt to
reel in the group leaders who have a game in hand to go three points clear at the top.
GROUP G:
- Romania - 20 (8)
- Netherlands - 20 (8)
- Bulgaria - 18 (9)
Bulgaria remain in the hunt for qualification after a comfortable 3-0 win over Luxembourg at home last night. However the
night was almost perfect for Bulgaria and Romania before Ruud van Nistelrooy popped up in the 91st minute to secure a 1-0
away win over Albania, after it had looked as though the minnows would throw a spanner in the Dutch hopes for going level
on points with leaders Romania. Next month’s clash between Romania and the Netherlands is now even more significant,
with the winners likely to end up as automatic qualifiers from the final group. Romania still have a tricky trip to Bulgaria
to contend with in November though so there’s still plenty to play for for each of the top three sides.
So there it is. Group D is the only one which we can comfortably say we know who the top two will be. For the remaining
groups it is game on and there will be plenty more twists and turns to come no doubt.
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Rafael Benitez, Liverpool:
It’s clear when you look at some of the other groups that ours could have been easier. Porto have good
experience in the Champions League and have enjoyed a good record over recent seasons. They will be tough opposition for us.
Marseille are a good side in Ligue 1 and they will know a lot about us which could make it more difficult. And you always
know when you go to Turkey that it will be hard because of the travelling involved and the wonderful support they give their
teams over there. I am always confident we can qualify but as ever the key will be winning the home games and picking up results
away.
- Sir Alex Ferguson, Manchester United.
It’s going to be a very tight group. It’s going to be difficult, but if we get ten points, I think we’ll
qualify. Obviously Roma will be the talking point after last season. Dynamo Kyiv are a good side and we know quite a lot about
Sporting because we have two of their former players here. The whole group poses interesting aspects.
We have two Eastern countries in Bucharest - who are traditionally a good technical side - and Slavia Prague - who
caused the shock of the qualifiers. They knocked Ajax out in a convincing way because they won two games. I don’t
think we have to speak about Sevilla because they are one of the four or five best teams in Europe. They showed last year
they are a very good side. I think if it had not been for the Spanish Cup and UEFA Cup they would have won the League.
The big difference for us this year is we’re seeded. We’ve been in two semi-finals in the last four years
and got through the group stages every year, he said. It’s the elusive competition for us really but there’s a
determination and that is fuelled by a squad we believe we’ve strengthened. Kenyon added on Sky Sports News:
It’s not frustrating at all (to have missed out on a place in the final) but there’s a huge expectation within
Chelsea to get to the next stage. We’ve had our share of semis, so obviously the next stage is to get to the final.
This is clearly a big ambition for us and one we’d like to pull off.
Obviously it’s a tough group and we probably wouldn’t have wanted to be drawn against the two sides that
we faced last year – AC Milan and Benfica. They are both good teams, but it’s also for the fans. They would probably
like to have seen us playing some new teams. The benefit is that we know what we are up against; looking at the Milan and
Benfica squads, there aren’t too many changes from last season and that means we know what we are facing. I’ve
never been up against Shakhtar, but the club has been in Donetsk quite recently and we’ll have a look at them over the
next few weeks.
It’s an extremely tough draw for us but it is simply part and parcel of qualifying for the group phase and there
is a great element of glamour about it. Barcelona have fabulous footballers, Lyon have remarkable consistency having won the
French title for the past six seasons and Stuttgart won the German title on the final day of [last] season. So there is a
great standard of teams and it is clearly going to be very hard for us. In saying that, it will be a great experience for
everyone because this is the stage that everyone wants to play on. We are in the group phase and have some huge games to look
forward to.
(Thanks to Uefa.com, Arsenal.com and Liverpoolfc.tv…….)
http://thefc100.wordpress.com/2007/08/30/champions-league-draw/ (the full draw and commentary)
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Results:
- Arsenal 1 Man City 0
- Aston Villa 2 Fulham 1
- Bolton 3 Reading 0
- Chelsea 1 Portsmouth 0
- Derby 1 Birmingham 2
- Everton 1 Blackburn 1
- Man Utd 1 Tottenham 0
- Middlesbrough 2 Newcastle 2
- Sunderland 0 Liverpool 2* See below for detailed match report.
- West Ham 1 Wigan 1
Liverpool’s trip to the Stadium of Light was first up last weekend; an entertaining game saw Liverpool create
plenty of chances before finishing off Sunderland with a goal from Voronin after 87 minutes. Fernando Torres looked impressive
throughout, creating a number of chances for himself and for strike partner Voronin and Momo Sissoko was excellent in midfield,
emphasising Liverpool’s new found strength in depth with an accomplished display in midfield, as well as the first goal.
Sissoko enters the record books as the scorer of Liverpool’s 7,000th goal and it was a terrific strike to match the
prestige of the Malian entering the record books.
Things thefc100 learnt from the game:
(1): Sunderland will struggle this term while they lack a striker full of confidence. Despite being in
good positions and playing some eye-catching attacking football at times, Sunderland rarely looked like scoring. Liam Miller
was particularly guilty of shooting from long-range at one point when Sunderland had finally got past Alonso and Sissoko and
had numbers bearing in on goal. Andrew Cole might solve the problem. If Sunderland were playing in the Championship he certainly
would, the Premiership requires better service from midfielders, being a good goalscorer is simply not enough.
(2):Liverpool’s strength in depth is more impressive this season than any other in recent memory,
but will it eventually cause problems? Momo Sissoko came in for the injured Gerrard and performed exceptionally in the talismans
absence. The Malian was back to his best after a poor patch last season following injuries and a lack of confidence. The problem
lies herein: while Sissoko was excellent, the chances of him taking Gerrard’s place long-term are between 0 and 1%.
Therefore, despite Gerrard’s talk of ‘places not being guaranteed’, the fact is, a hell of a lot of midfielders
are battling it out for three positions, particularly the one alongside Gerrard, currently filled by Rafa’s golden boy
Xabi Alonso. Javier Mascherano, Yossi Benayoun and Lucas Leiva have yet to play at all so far this season and with Harry Kewell
and Fabio Aurelio returning to fitness to provide competition for places on the left, the midfield is about to get even more
congested. That’s not to mention the fact that Crouch is clearly not favoured by Benitez and as a player who above probably
all others in the Premiership is hugely affected by confidence, this does not bode well for the Liverpool striker, the club’s
top-scorer last season but reduced to a ten minute cameo against Chelsea so far in the Premiership this season. One area that
Benitez seems to have neglected is centre-back where Alvaro Arbeloa is now back-up to Hyypia and Agger for tomorrow nights
game with Toulouse (assuming that Hyypia is fit after breaking his nose on Saturday). Carragher’s injury is of greater
concern than Gerrard’s as the cover for Gerrard’s position (s) is extensive while Carragher is one of a kind for
Liverpool at the back. Benitez has hinted that defensive cover will be sought before the transfer window closes this weekend.
Next Up?
Sunderland face a trip to Old Trafford next to take on Roy Keane’s former club Manchester United (01/09) in a game
that anyone who’s interested in football is expected to tune in for! Keane Vs Ferguson has got the mouth watering since
the fixture lists were announced and despite gaining their first win of the season on Sunday against Spurs, Ferguson will
not be relishing the chance for another ‘old boy’ to put one over his team. Following that, Sunderland host Reading
(15/09), visit Middlesbrough (22/09) and host Blackburn (29/09) and Keane will be hoping to pick up some points in those three
games. Reading crumbled at the Reebok on Saturday, Boro are unpredictable at the best of times and Keane will relish pitting
his team against former teammate Mark Hughes as Blackburn round off the month. While Utd should beat Sunderland, Keane’s
men will pick up points in the other games and will go into October with their fate still very much in their own hands having
survived a tough start to the season. Keane will need to bring in a couple more players this week though, as injuries to key
players have left Sunderland looking short on quality.
Liverpool host Derby (01/09), face Portsmouth (15/09), host Birmingham (22/9) and go to Wigan (29/09) in September as well
as the return leg of the Champions League qualifier with Toulouse tomorrow night. On paper, Liverpool should be right at the
top of the table when October comes around. Any team looking to win the Premiership would expect maximum points from these
four fixtures, albeit Portsmouth away is a tricky fixture in anyones’ calendar (and a fixture Liverpool have struggled
in recently). The remaining three teams are all expected to be fighting relegation come the end of the season and although
Birmingham and Wigan have both made decent starts to the season, expect Liverpool to be top going into the tricky month of
October when Spurs, Blackburn and Arsenal should provide sterner opposition.
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August, 21, 2007
It’s getting harder and harder to tell who the fiercest of enemies in the Premiership are these days. The Arsenal-Liverpool
rivalries used to be fierce, now, missing the likes of Keane, Veira and Keown/Van Nistelrooy, they are tamer than a lion that’s
just been tamed. By a lion-tamer. United and Chelsea aren’t really big fans of each other it has to be said. Then again
United and anyone don’t have a lot of time for each other. But Chelsea and Liverpool are just beinning to show signs
of hating each other so much that every game will be a veritable card-fest. Sundays game certainly won’t do anything
to ease the tensions between the two clubs. I think we all know what happened at this stage, all Liverpool and Chelsea fans
feel free to comment!
Here’s what they had to say:
(1): Liverpool’s official website: www.liverpoolfc.tv “ Liverpool were building a head of steam and you felt sure a second would come, but they were rocked when
referee Rob Styles gave Chelsea a route back into the game in the 62nd minute when he adjudged that Steve Finnan had fouled
Florent Malouda in the penalty area. The injustice of the decision was proven by television replays, but Chelsea accepted
their gift when Lampard beat Reina from the spot to make it 1-1“.
(2): Chelsea’s official ‘flash’ website:
http://www.chelseafc.com/xxchelsea180706/index.html#/page/ArchiveNews/list_2210603_12
“But then play switched to the other end and Finnan injudiciously slammed into Malouda as Wright-Phillips’s
pass was coming his way. It was inside the box and in front of the referee. Lampard confidently rifled the penalty home low
- the Wembley miss cleared from his mind”.
(3): Rafael Benitez, Liverpool Manager: “It is unbelievable. How can you take this decision? It is unbelievable.
A team that is working so hard how can you change a game like this?”
(4): Jose Mourinho, Chelsea Manager: “I have not seen it on TV so I was 30 metres away. Malouda opens his legs
to let the ball run and he is brought down from behind - I think it’s a penalty. Do you think my players surround the
referee? I have a naive team. We do not have any divers, no violent people, we do not have any nasty tackles. It’s a
pure team.”
(5): Rafael Benitez: “If that’s the case then I’m Little Red Riding Hood! You can check his team
and I think how many times they do and say the things they say they don’t do.”
(6): Rob Styles, Referee: “Yesterday, in mistakenly awarding a penalty, I accept that I may have affected the
result of the match and for that I apologise“
(7): Keith Hackett, Referees’ Chief: “I have spoken to Rob and obviously he was extremely disappointed
when he looked at the video with the decision. He has admitted that he got it wrong, but accountability exists and we at the
PGMOL (Professional Game Match Officials Limited) do expect referees to get the big decisions right. Therefore Rob will not
be officiating next weekend“.
(8): The Times Newspaper: Only Styles knows why he awarded Chelsea a penalty in the 62nd minute, when Steve Finnan
and Florent Malouda were involved in an entirely inoccuous collision, and only he knows why he opted to wave a second yellow
card at Essien soon afterwards if, as he claims, he was not booking the player.
(9): Ashley Cole, Chelsea: It was a big point for us. When you come to Anfield, you’ll take anything. We’ve
all been talking about the penalty and I don’t want to blame anyone. You win some, you lose some. But it was a
real blow for Liverpool and really hurt them at the end, which made it so good for us.
(10): Steven Gerrard, Liverpool: I think a very, very unfair decision has got Chelsea a point today. But I think we
proved today we are capable of challenging. I felt the referee didn’t play well today. There was a lot of pressure from
the Chelsea players and I thought he eventually cracked.
So, as the game is left to rest on the shelf, all we can say is god bless the Premiership. Never a dull moment (did anyone
witness Newcastle-Villa on Saturday?!) and with plenty of talking points to keep the likes of us entertained week in - week
out. We can’t wait to see Chelsea and Liverpool square off another ten times* this season!!
* Expected total number of games based on average from the past three seasons……
www.thefc100.wordpress.com
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A few tricky games for Premiership teams have come out of the hat: Bristol Rovers V West Ham and Wrexham V Aston Villa
look like good giantkilling opportunities to us……
FULL DRAW:
- Birmingham v Hereford
- Bristol City v Man City
- Bristol Rovers v West Ham
- Burnley v Oldham
- Cardiff v Leyton Orient
- Carlisle v Coventry
- Charlton v Stockport
- Derby v Blackpool
- Luton v Sunderland
- Middlesbrough v Northampton
- MK Dons v Sheff Utd
- Newcastle v Barnsley
- Nottm For v Leicester
- Peterborough v West Brom
- Plymouth v Doncaster
- Portsmouth v Leeds
- Rochdale v Norwich
- Sheff Wed v Hartlepool
- Shrewsbury v Fulham
- Southend v Watford
- Swansea v Reading
- Wigan v Hull
- Wolves v Morecambe
- Wrexham v Aston Villa
- Matches to be played week commencing August 27.
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Chelsea’s talks with Sevilla are ongoing after the Spanish club rejected a reported offer of around £24 million from
the Londoners for versatile right-back Daniel Alves. Alves, who has attracted the biggest names in European football over
the last two seasons, is known to favour a move to the Premiership and to Chelsea above Real Madrid whose interest may be
waning due to their recent signings and the proposed signing of Chelsea’s Arjen Robben. Alves would make a hugely impressive
signing for Chelsea, a player with the flair that they are so often accused of lacking, the Brazilian is hugely effective
going forward and would probably be given more of a free licence to roam forward under Mourinho who favours attacking wing-backs
alongside an impenetrable centre-back pairing. However, given that Roman Abramovich has been tightening the purse strings
recently, Chelsea may struggle to justify spending closer to £30 million on the player after splashing out on Florent
Malouda recently and with the squad still containing high-profile, expensive flops such as Shaun Wright-Philips
and Mr. Shevchenko*, Abramovich may be waiting to see some cash from the sale of Robben before he gives the green light for
Alves’ signing.
* Thefc100 still believes Shevchenko may come good this season, while SWP has been showing some good form so far already.
We don’t mean to be unnecessarily harsh. All the time.
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Mido has completed his move from Tottenham to Middlesbrough for a fee of around £6 million. The forward has secured a move
away from White Hart Lane after having talks with Birmingham and Sunderland but deciding the team with two defeats in two
games best visualises his dreams for future footballing success. Or maybe it’s because they’ve agreed to pay him
the most money and have probably included a buy-out fee.
The Egyptian was a hit at White Hart Lane after arriving on an initial 18 month loan stint from Roma and formed an impressive
partnership with either Keane or Defoe in most Premiership games. Boro become Mido’s eigth professional club and with
the volatile Egyptian having fallen out with numerous coaches over the years, Gareth Southgate’s first job will be trying
to fit the striker in with Boro’s squad. Whether or not he has the Midos touch remains to be seen……(apologies.)
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Could be worse though. Friends Reunited. Lovers, Colleagues, All-Round Nice Guys (felt the need for a lot of Capital Letters
there) Kieron Dyer and Lee Bowyer are back together and Alan Curbishley may well be absolutely insane. Bellamy, Dyer, Bowyer,
Lucas Neill, Anton Ferdinand, Luis Boa Morte…..it’s like some sick experiment to see how many hot-heads you can
put in one squad without a significant case of death occurring. This signing surely cements West Ham’s status as relegation
contenders. The fact is, Kieron Dyer could be a hell of a player. In fact this site would love to see him get back to his
best. But putting him in with players who are known trouble-makers could be a serious mistake. Curbishley was in the press
yesterday biting back at ex-left back Paul Konchesky’s comments that he doesn’t hold the support of the playing
staff and that he was the reason Tevez left and Darren Bent decided not to sign for the Hammers. This move further undermines
his status at the club: something of a headless chicken, Curbishley seems to be signing as many good players as possible without
forming them into a better team. The fact that Dyer has had years of injury problems will also worry the Hammers fans, as
Neill, Upson, Ashton, Green and even new signing Freddie Ljungberg have all had serious histories of injury problems, Dyer
is simply another name on the list. However, if (and we stress the word IF) Curbishley can get Dyer back to his best, the
signing could prove vital. The final fee is reportedly around £8 million, a further sign of weakness from West Ham as Newcastle
have basically taken another £2 million after agreeing to sell him for £6 million, only to remember West Ham are now loaded
and seemingly willing to pay whatever it takes to capture their transfer targets.
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Spurs suffered a second defeat in three days on Tuesday night as Everton continued their impressive start to the campaign.
Martin Jol came into this campaign having spent big money on the likes of Darren Bent and Gareth Bale. However while Bale
continues his rehabilitation from injury, Darren Bent got his first chance to shine at White Hart Lane on Tuesday. Although
the England forward did manage to hit the back of the net, his effort was ruled out for offside.
Mikel Arteta, star of the 2-1 win over Wigan on Saturday, continued his impressive start to the season, swinging in a free-kick
for Lescott to head home after just three minutes.
While Spurs defence looked vulnerable, with Gardner guilty of sloppy marking in particular, they were level midway through
the first half when the Spurs defender rose to meet Jermaine Jenas’ corner to make amends for his poor defending earlier.
However Leon Osman’s second goal in two games, and a long range free-kick from Alan Stubbs which took a deflection
off Didier Zakora, meant Everton eventually cruised to victory.
Although Berbatov hit a post for Spurs, Everton remained dangerous when Spurs lost the ball and with Johnson prowling for
every loose ball, Spurs were always struggling in defence and Martin Jol will know he has his work cut out for him, turning
around Spurs poor start to the season.
