Race for the Premiership

As the Championship promotion race is almost at an end, the inevitable promotion of West Bromwich Albion to the Premiership has been all but confirmed following a weekend which saw them pull 5 points clear of third place Hull. The Baggies’ far superior goal difference over their rivals has certainly sent out a signal that they are the prime candidate for a Premiership campaign next season. But they are the best of a pretty average bunch.

The embarrassing non-existence of Derby County’s Premiership challenge this season is a constant reminder of the broadening gulf between the leagues. The money thrown at the numerous signings in January wasn’t enough to save a doomed campaign that they were never ready for.

West Brom may well have the makings of a squad ready to survive, providing investment is made. They score the all important goals, and have the attacking potency both upfront and in midfield. If Kevin Phillips’ ageing legs can handle another year then the support of the likes of Miller, Koren, Gera, Brunt, and Morrison should go a long way to causing a few problems for opponents. Defensively they would need to sure up massively. Tony Mowbray himself has noted the customary lead they’ve tended to give their opponents recently. This would be suicide in the Premiership.

Those challenging along with West Brom this year for ‘the biggest prize in football’, particularly Stoke, Hull and Bristol City, have been surprising enough, and you have to wonder whether any of them would have the ability to step up to the demands of the Premier League. Sunderland look most likely to survive of the 3 newbies this year, and that’s taken a £30m investment in playing staff that could still turn out to be unsuccessful. Could these clubs afford this kind of outlay?

Of those in contention, I fancy Stoke to take second place. Hull’s charge has slowed recently and in Liam Lawrence Stoke have possibly the most effective player in the league in terms of goals and assists. Derby and Giles Barnes anyone? I hate to be cynical, but I do think this is one of the most average championships in a good while. Bristol City in the Premiership? Having scored fewer goals than bottom club Colchester this season I think they’d be better off without the embarrassment of a novelty season at the foot of the league.

As for the play-offs, the presence of the wily (one ‘L’) Mr Warnock makes me think it could be Palace’s year. 10 games unbeaten, and, like Roy Keane at Sunderland last year, he has taken the club from relegation zone to promotion challengers and this kind of turn around very often goes rewarded in football.

also featured at sportingo.com

English strikers on song

The much-criticised England frontline having been proving doubters wrong for their clubs in the last few weeks. Wayne Rooney has finally hit goal-scoring form with 4 goals in his last 3 games, Michael Owen has hit 4 in 4 for Newcastle and Jermain Defoe has scored a fantastic 8 in 8 since moving to Portsmouth. Add to that Peter Crouch both getting on the scoresheet and producing a fine display against Arsenal this weekend, and there are clear signs that, although we have a lack of depth up front for England, at least the tried-and-tested still know where the back of the net is.

Now we just need Mr Capello to start playing more than one of them at a time…

Patience is a Virtue

It is an accepted, if not clichéd, truth, that modern football does not give managers a fair crack of the whip. Avram Grant has come under pressure once again for daring to lose a match, despite the fact his Chelsea side are still second in the Premiership and have every chance of turning around a 2-1 deficit in the return leg against Fenerbache next week. Yes, he inherited a fantastic squad, but a transition period is surely necessary before anyone can truly judge his worth.

Newcastle United are a case in point. After ruthlessly sacking Sam Allardyce before he had barely wiped his feet, Kevin Keegan has just recorded back-to-back wins after initially taking just 2 points from a possible 24. Now I am not suggesting this proves Keegan-doubters wrong (I still think Allardyce would have comfortably kept them up, which is all Keegan seems to be being judged on) but that hideous run of results came during a time of transition in which Keegan was unable to bring in any fresh blood.

Down on another level entirely, the same type of criticism is being thrown at Oxford United’s Darren Patterson, charged with turning around a sinking ship and inexplicably expected to do this in just a few months. Impatient fans are expecting miracles from a side which was dwindling with average results and even more average performances. Clubs, especially so-called ‘underacheivers’, need to recognise that miracle cures are the exception and not the rule, and that patience is needed.

The obvious and overused example here is Alex Ferguson’s everlasting tenure at Manchester United, but you can see elsewhere clubs reaping the benefits of giving the boss a chance to turn things around. Take Cardiff City. Dave Jones was vastly unpopular during the club’s poor start to the season, but a few months later they are about to turn out at Wembley in an FA Cup semi-final. Football is a sport unlike any other, in which results and form can change by the day. Club owners and fans alike need to realise that as much as it is suggested, football clubs are not purely businesses. Changing personnel is not a guarantee of changing fortunes.

As for Chelsea, if they overturn the small deficit next week their fans will be back onto how they will win the Champions’ League. It only takes a second to score a goal, and it only takes a goal to change the minds of thousands of people.

England Clear-Out for Spurs?

Sting once sung about being an Englishman in New York, but Englishmen could soon be just as alien in North London if rumours are to be believed that Tottenham could sell up to five of their English players in the summer.

Neighbours Arsenal are renowned for often fielding sides without any English players, with only Theo Walcott and occasionally Justin Hoyte pushing for places, and now Juande Ramos could be set for a similar approach, according to The Express today. Only Ledley King and Jonathan Woodgate are safe from the reported cull. This leaves Paul Robinson, Michael Dawson, Jermaine Jenas, Darren Bent and even the ressurgent Tom Huddlestone’s futures under threat.

The Espanyol duo of keeper Carlos Kameni and defender Daniel Jarque are both being linked with moves to White Hart Lane, with Robinson and Dawson paving the way. Darren Bent could be replaced with David Villa or Diego Milito, and Tiago was a January target which would put centre midfield places under threat. According to one report, only 5 players in the whole squad have been declared ‘untouchable’ by Ramos – with Robbie Keane, Dimitar Berbatov and Alan Hutton joining Woodgate and King on that list.

It certainly shows a ruthless streak in Ramos, a man who once reduced his Sevilla team to 10 men because they weren’t playing with enough ‘intensity’. Despite winning the Carling Cup and turning round a torrid start to the season, he clearly feels there is room for improvement. Some changes are understandable. Darren Bent has been a misfiring flop and Paul Robinson is clearly out of favour. The most surprising of these ‘threatened’ players for me is Tom Huddlestone, a player whose strength and promise is matched by a fantastic range of passing and positional versatility. Losing him would for me be as big a mistake as letting Jermain Defoe go, and it’s certainly a brave move on Ramos’ part to attempt to completely rebuild the spine of his team.

Do you have the ‘Rio’ factor?

In one of my favourite revelations in a long time, Rio Ferdinand is planning a ‘hip hop idol’ reality tv show, according to nme.com.

The show will see celebrity contestants cover hip-hop classics to a panel of judges (Rio wants Amy Winehouse and Mark Ronson) in aid of anti-gun crime charities.

His last outing into TV world saw the ‘merking’ of several of his England teammates back in 2006, and made him somewhat of a cult hero, so I can only hope this show goes ahead and the genius of the ever-eloquent Rio Ferdinand can once again grace our screens.

Becks is Back (again)

Unoriginal subject matter I know, but I just want to give my full support to the recall of David Beckham, and his chance of earning his 100th England cap against France next week.

“Commitment, passion, and the best right foot ever to grace the English game” was the summation of one Sky Sports News viewer, and for all the criticism thrown at Beckham for his stateside semi-retirement, he warrants his place in the squad without the novelty of 100 caps looming.

He is the most experienced international we have, and therefore a highly valuable member of the squad. He has a level head and knows more than anyone the importance and pride in pulling on an England shirt. Who better to help blood new players like Walcott and Wheater into the international set-up than a man who has captained his country in two international tournaments?

Regardless of the captaincy, he still has the ability. Some will argue his fitness has dwindled, he’s lost pace. When did he ever have pace? Taking people on has never been his forté, what has been is an immaculate delivery of the ball that every England right midfielder tried since has lacked. David Bentley showed immense potential last month, and is perhaps the long term solution, but for now, move aside, and let Beckham reclaim a place he deserves far more than a lot of the team.

The Slow Death of Oxford United

Here is a recent article summing up the quite horrible recent history of my club, from Soccerlens

Wembley

‘Que sera sera, whatever will be, will be, we’re going to Wembley…’

A tune heard on football grounds from Telford to Tottenham as the big and small come together united through knockout competition with a common goal: to make it to the FA Cup final. Or in this case, the semi-final. This year, Villa Park will be left cold and lonely as the FA has decreed that both neutral semi-finals will be played at Wembley as well as the final.

And while Barnsley, Cardiff, Portsmouth and West Brom fans will no doubt be relishing the opportunity of a day out at London’s latest amusement park, it just seems a little bit of the magic of ‘reaching Wembley’ has been taken away by granting these teams access a round early as part of the FA’s desperate attempts to balance the books. Two of these clubs will be heading back again a few weeks later, surely not as exciting second time round?

The New Wembley Stadium attracted years of negative publicity through delays and an escalating budget which eventually made it the most expensive stadium in the world at around £798m. Clearly this cost has to be met, and since its opening, we have seen Wembley’s doors open to various cup finals and international friendlies. Fine, you might think, but if everyone’s going then who’s going to be left wishing? Was it really necessary for last year’s FA Vase final between Truro and AFC Totton to be played at Wembley in front of 27,754 people? Several League 1 grounds can hold this, and I can imagine the atmosphere wasn’t quite as resounding when the ground was only a third-full.

This is not even to mention the various gigs, benefit concerts and even NFL matches that have graced the hallowed turf. I’m all for making use of it now it’s there, but it just feels as if everyone’s invited and noone has to earn the right. FA Cup, Carling Cup, League Play-off finals, fine. That’s a potential 10 clubs who get bragging rights and a great day out. When you start bringing in semi-finals, non-league finals, and the Johnstone’s Paint Trophy, your motives turn from magic to money.

England stars earn new deals

David James and Joleon Lescott have both been rewarded for their fantastic performances this season with contract extensions for their respective clubs.

James, 37, is in the form of his life in what ought to be the twilight of his career, and has signed a deal which runs until summer 2010 with an option of an additional year, potentially seeing him playing top flight football until he is 40. He also appears to be the front-runner as Fabio Capello’s first choice keeper, despite the fact he will be 39 by the time the next world cup comes around (should England qualify).

Lescott, 25, has been in equally fantastic form this season, scoring more Premiership goals than any other defender (equal with Martin Laursen) and earning plaudits for how seamlessly he has made the transition from Wolves to Everton. He has also featured regularly in recent England squads, where his versatility makes him a real assett.

Both Portsmouth and Everton have exceeded expectations this season. Portsmouth are the only Premiership club to make the FA Cup semi-finals and are firm favourites to win the competition. Everton are still chasing fourth place and until last week were unbeaten in the UEFA Cup. Both James and Lescott have obviously benefitted from this, but also have played a huge part in their clubs’ successes. James’ 12 league clean sheets and general performance level have meant Portsmouth, particularly at home, have been extremely difficult to break down, and Everton have kept 7 clean sheets in their last 9 league games.

Hard work rewarded then and great news for them, but more importantly, great news for my fantasy league team. I’ve had both of them pretty much all season.

‘Le Strop’ strikes again

William Gallas’ behaviour took a step for the stranger today as The Sun reports his latest amazing tirade – against Theo Walcott.

Gallas, who last week attracted a mass of negative publicity after he conducted a sit down protest at the end of Arsenal’s 2-2 draw with Birmingham, has told Walcott he needs to ‘change’ to improve as a player. The list of points, according to The Sun, is as follows:

Walcott must:

• Change his style of play
• Work harder in training
• Learn to use his left foot
• Be less predictable
• Become more focused
• Stop taking too long on the ball.

Gallas also claims that the latest generation of young players do not work hard enough, and spend their money on cars instead of saving for their families as he did.

Undoubtedly a phenomenal defender, William Gallas is not doing himself any favours with this recent behaviour. Perhaps this is his way of enacting his captaincy. Perhaps his behaviour shows he cares and is having a positive effect on his teammates. All I know is he’s telling Theo Walcott to start using his left foot when he scored an absolute belter against Birmingham with it last week.

What do you think? Is Gallas behaving like a spoilt brat or passionate leader? Is Theo Walcott a disappointment or the future?

UPDATE: Gallas seemed a bit chirpier tonight after Arsenal’s ridiculously one-sided victory over ageing AC Milan. Walcott came on and set up the second.